Some game, some Oscars and a first plea for help

That Dallas team’s pretty good, isn’t it?

Even when the HOTH rattled off 18 points in a row early, there was a feeling the tide would eventually turn and did it ever.

But I imagine a lot of you were off watching the Oscars when it did so …

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THREE POINTERS

A new handler

Must have been half a dozen times or so Sunday that we saw James Johnson grab a rebound and take off leading a break, sometimes even waving off Jose to tell him to get up the floor.

And everyone’s fine with it.

All season long, Jay’s been talking about wanting a second ball-handler on the floor for exactly those instances so they can get going into their offence without having to wait for whichever point guard is on the floor to go back and get the ball.

Now, it’d be nice if DeMar (who is a relatively bad rebounder for someone so athletically gifted) was able to help out a little bit, too, but Johnson is giving the team exactly what it needs with his ability to get out in transition.

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The Spanish Rodman?

I’m not sure how some of you are going to blame this on Andrea’s deficiencies on the glass, but somehow Jose Calderon led the team in rebounding Sunday with eight.

It took some deep delving into the history books to find out that, no, it wasn’t the first time that had happened. Well, I guess technically it was; he once tied Bosh with a team-best nine boards in a 2005 overtime game against Washington.

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New looks?

Jay said the moves were made as much out of necessity as anything but we were treated to some odd groupings in that Dallas game.

James Johnson in the front court with Ed Davis because Amir Johnson and Alexis Ajinca were in a little bit of foul trouble; Jose with Bayless and Barbosa at one point when they decided to go super small and DeMar needed a break on night where Sonny had nothing.

Now, I don’t imagine we’re going to see a lot of that but as the final quarter of the season unfolds I’m also sure we’ll be treated to a few moments of experimentation.

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There’s more, of course.

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I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

I’ve had a bit of a crush on Melissa Leo since she was on Homicide, Life In The Street (an excellent show that also gave us John Munch) and now that she’s in Treme (another one that’s a virtual must-see for me and it should be for you), she’s sill a big fave.

So when I heard it was her who dropped the F bomb on the Oscars, I’m thinking, ‘yes, I have good taste in unrequited crushes.’

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There was an interesting question in the mail yesterday that kind of got short shrift and got me to thinking more last night.

It had to do with the possibility – remote that it may be – of the Raptors buying out Reggie Evans.

I still don’t think it’ll happen, no one from the team has ever broached the subject even in private conversation but, at some level, doesn’t it make a bit of sense?

In a perfect world, Reggie comes back, grabs his dozen rebounds a game, the Raptors win a bunch of games and have all kinds of momentum going into the post-season.

We do not live in a perfect world.

So, in order to keep giving Ed Davis the minutes he’s been getting, and to run Alexis Ajinca out there every now and then to see what he’s got, maybe a Bye Bye Reggie Buyout is on someone’s mind.

But, as I said, no one’s brought it up even in passing so I don’t think anything will happen.

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Mr. Sefko reports on Sunday’s game thusly in the cyber-pages of the Dallas Morning News.

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Speaking of buyouts, things are going to have to happen quickly in a lot of cities because deals have to be done by March 1 in order for the bought-out players to have post-season eligibility if they sign somewhere else.

I know it’s a sore point for many but benefits to the team losing a player would include saving a few bucks over the last six weeks of the season as well as creating playing time for young kids they want to take a look at for the future. Oh, and I guess there’d be some goodwill generated and that’s never a bad thing, either.

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I had a feeling Griff might hit a homer with his reminiscences of Duke Snider.

He didn’t let me down, as you can read here.

And how many of you were like me: Soon as you heard of his passing, you started humming the song Talking Baseball.

You know the one:

Willie, Mickey and the Duke.

Yeah, that one.

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Okay, here we go.

London time.

I’m not going to have a lot of spare time early in the trip with the back-to-back games Friday-Saturday, stuff to do Thursday but there should be lots of chance Sunday and Monday to do things.

Now, I’ve seen the Cabinet War Rooms (fascinating) and the palace and stuff so I’m looking for other must-see stuff and recommendations.

Take into account we’re staying at Canary Wharf and I have no idea where that is in relation to anything but I’ll take whatever you’ve got.

And offer thanks already.

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Stevie Boy continues to do good work as the ace shutterbug.

You can see what he produced, here.

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I cannot wait for the breathless, unrelenting breakdown of the “third line left-winger for 17-year-old pimply prospect” stuff today.

Part of me hopes there isn’t a single trade all day and some of you can watch insiders call each other on their cell phones on TV.

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Comments

[coachd]

Hi Doug,
After watching the game last night, I think that what the raps need to do this off-season is get in the weight room and get a little bigger. They just seem to get pushed around. For the most part, their defensive rebounding positioning is pretty sound, but they don't seem to have the body strength to keep other players away from the ball. I don't see the team being all that physically imposing out there.

[Dave in BG]

Things to do in London:
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Tower of London, esp if you are a Tudor history buff
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British Museum (lots of cool stuff stolen from around the world)
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National Gallery (for the artistes out there)
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Shopping at Harrods, cuz the family will expect it :)
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And if you had evening time, see a play in the West End. My personal fave is Les Miz
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Nice thing in London is the galleries and museusms are FREE.
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BTW since you are at Canary Wharf, you really aren't near anything of interest. CAB!

[AT]

Speaking of the Oscars, as anyone told you that you have a resemblance to Randy Newman, another cool dude who happened to win an Oscar last night?

[Mike D.]

Interesting comment about James Johnson taking the ball up court on the break - confirms the "all-around game" assessment of him that almost made him our #1 pick in 2009. Maybe you should start calling him Hedo II. :)

[Thane]

As a former Londoner:

A must do is the National Library. They have an extensive reading room, plus one of the three remaining Guttenbergs (The others are in Washington and Paris). Just awesome.

Doubt you'll have time, but taking in a football match (go Irons!) is always fun.

Check out Ledenhall Market. Beautiful little covered market with some high end shops in the heart of the city.

If you're up for a great view of town, walk up Primrose Hill (right by Chalk Farm subway) and enjoy.

As far as adult beverages, there's plenty of options - plenty. Just avoid the West End. (exception, the Maple Leaf on Maiden Lane if you're feeling nostalgic for Canada)

National Gallery, Portrait Gallery, and the V&A Museum are all fantastic.

Lots to do, basically.

[Mike kovacs]

Loved that piece about Duke. I grew up listening to Duke and Dave calling the Expos on CKFH!

Last night showed what a veteran team can do - and it also shows the special treatment such teans often get from the refs! That did not determine the outcome of the game but it was obvious to see.

In London on Monday you could check out a Chelsea home game - football fans in England are the definition of passionate.

What did you think of Aidan's dunk?

[Sharkey]

Doug, your comments about NHL trade deadline made me smile this morning! I prefer the NBA deadline because it's not shoved in our faces up here ... all the coverage is there if we want it.

[N]

Far too much to do in London.

Definitely go to the Tower. Also check out the Tate. It's an amazing example of what a city can do with an old abandoned power plant. The other big galleries (National, Portrait etc) are great of course as are the museums (British, Natural History). Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is cool too and take a stroll down the Thames.

Enjoy!

[chris]

DD is obviously getting upset about lack of calls, and if he was tougher, he would probably see more go his way. All season long this team has been on the bad end of a lot of calls. Reffing basketball is challenging for sure, but seriously, every night at least 3 times there is a obviously debatable call or non-call. Its really hard to win or even keep it close when you have to beat the refs too. Are these guys all getting the rubber glove treatment at customs or what?

How does Jason Terry drive the lane for an uncontested dunk? Watching the replay, the 2 bigs just stand and watch with a puzzled look on their face that says hmm I better not leave my man open for a 15 footer, a dunk is way better. My guy didnt score. The defence is so bad there are no words to describe it. Its one thing to see it on tv, but live it looks even more pathetic, especially the effort.

Has this team not realized that ball movement creates open shots? Phx showed that, Dallas too. But we love to come down, whoever brings it up, 1 pass, 1 on 1 for a contested often tough jumper. It happens way too often, especially with Bargnani. Not only that but the others who almost act like they know its not coming to them, just stand around dont get back on D and definitely dont rebound.

I dont like seeing guys on our team go down and no one helps them up. When Wade went down a few times, 3 guys went over to pull him off the floor.. And Bayless when he got his and 1 play at the end of the 3rd. Barbosa came over to give him 5 and he just walked by. Who does he think he is? Or is he not used to getting 5's since he turns it over so much? We are only going to get better if these young guys learn day in and day out, and work together.

[G]

As a Hoser living in the UK (and attending one of the games), here's what I'd suggest.

1. The London Eye. It offers an excellent perpsective on the city.

2. If you want a museum, I suggest The National Portrait Gallery or the Tate Modern.

3. St. Paul's cathedral.

4. A stroll along Regent Street or the river.

[Andre]

Hey Doug,

Love the blog...

I have a list idea for you. March madness is coming soon (March 13th) and was hoping that you could give a list of ten Players the raptors SHOULD be looking at for their first round pick and maybe another 10 for their second round pick... so i can focus more on those games.

Blessings.

[Nick M]

Greenwich will be right across the River Thames. Home of the Royal Observatory, Prime Meridian Line and Greenwich Mean Time, you know, the origin of timing that will be toying with your 'sleep habits' and our blog reading times. It is a beautiful place to walk around and spend a quiet afternoon.

Also quite close to you is Old Spitalfields, and Brick Lane Markets. These were must does on a Sunday afternoon when my wife and I lived there (2004). Brick Lane is a cheap/eclectic street market geared to 20s and 30s hipsters but is a must see. The two are a short, short walk from one another. And if you feel like Indian food Brick Lane is the place to be with reastauranters out on the street calling, literally, for your business (this is another must see).

And, if you need a drink, Ten Bells Pub is near Spitalfields. This is the pub made famous by Jack the Ripper. And if you are feeling really touristy due the Jack the Ripper tour (if anything, it is interesting and a little scary).

Anyway, just a few thoughts for the Canary Wharf area!

[Heath]

Skip Harrod's, go to Fortnum's. Best food and wine floor ever.

http://www.fortnumandmason.com/

My favorite food market in the world. Think it's only open Thur, Fri, Sat but definitely worth it.

http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/

Great zoo, and you can walk the canals in Camden when you're done (a must see as we have nothing like them here).

http://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/

Remember, with their incredible Underground you're never that far from anything.
Have a blast of a trip!

[james]

Ah yes, Homicide: Best American cop show ever, with a marvelous group of actors. I pay attention when any of them are in anything. I believe that show, as well as Treme and The Wire were created by the same former Baltimore beat grunt. If you haven't seen it, try to catch Melissa as the lead in The Frozen River. Have a good trip and don't get lost in the British Museum.

[Johnn19]

Love him or hate him, Bargnani is an integral component of the Raptors, as they have won one game without him (vs Mav's less Dirk), and have no way to make up the missing 25ppg he avg's in team wins.
So a guaranteed loss when he is missing in action.

The Mav's are so much more talented that it is not even funny, with their 2nd line players out scoring the Rap's 64-25, and putting the game away with an 18-6 run in the 1st 4 min's of the 4th Q with Bayless running things for a 15 point lead.

James Johnson looks like a winner, with varied skills, but needs to get used to playing big mins, and making some JS.

[Lorie]

Doug!
Things to do when in London: did you know you will be witness to (and perhaps even a participant in) what is being described as the "biggest single literary event in history" when you're in London this week? On March 4th Trafalgar Square will be home to thousands of readers and authors (including our own Margaret Atwood among them!) in "World Book Night". Tickets are FREE! Doesn't this sound exciting??? Can you imagine??? Or isn't this your cuppa tea? Or pint of Guinness, as it were???

[Andrew Gregg]

Hi Doug:

Imperial War Museum and every single pub you see that serves British local brews. Skip the ones with Stella and Heineken on tap.

AG

[GM]

* Jose leads the team in rebounds with eight. So he out-rebounded Amir and Davis, among others. Now imagine if Bargnani were playing. The usual suspects on here would be screaming.
* On a similar note, someone here noted the play where Terry drove the lane for an uncontested dunk while Raptors stood and watched. Again, imagine if Bargnani were playing. He'd be crucified. Maybe -- just maybe, now, don't over-react, people -- someone isn't doing a good job instituting a defensive system. What are the odds every single player is incapable of communication and rotation?
* Why buy out Reggie? We can look at Anjinca until the cows come home and he's not going to be much more than he is. Reggie, for all his shortcomings, at least has the ability on some nights to be a game-changer. Add to that, he can get under the skin of opponents, draw fouls, and is generally a glue guy. What's Anjinca's ceiling?
* Stevie Boy is a great photographer. I love those photo galleries.
* There was some predictable consternation at the smattering of boos directed Peja-wise and some incredulity that Marion got bupkis in the boo department. But it's pretty clear. It all hinges on how a player left the team. Stojakovic was traded here and played, what?, one game? Then sat and sat and sat. Fair enough, maybe he was injured. But it's all about the optics. He gets bought out (which already leaves a bad taste in regular folks' mouths), sits out a few more games for appearance's sake, then starts for the Mavs. That's booable. What did Marion do? Nothing. He played in Toronto, gave the team his all, then was traded. He wasn't going to sign with them, but the team got fair value back in return. Not booable.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

How do, Doug,
When Sonny coughed up his first (or second) turnover last night, he turned to chase the steal but then gave up entirely on the play, slowing to a jog while two other Raps tried (vainly) to pick up his slack. I believe I gave up on Sonny myself right about that point. He's surely not helping himself out much heading into a contract year, is he?
Has his early-season injury slowed him a half-step or better? Do you think it's capped his upside? In other words, do you think we've now seen the best that Mr. Weems has had to offer?
Just another curious little observation: On a timeout after a great DeRoz play in the second half, I saw Sonny stand up from the bench and – maybe reading a bit much into body language and facial expressions – I thought I might have detected just a hint of, don't know if jealousy is the right term, but something far short of enthusiasm. Guess I'd call it measured indifference. Do you think Sonny has dropped his big brother/mentor mantle and distanced himself a bit from the day-to-day of things? Hope not, but it's looking sort of like that...
A good trip to you, sir. Have you been practising your English?

[Justin]

Hey Doug,

Before Friday night's game against the Suns I was at a meet and greet in Real Sports Bar and Grill and Colangelo was there. The first thing he started talking to me about was that the day after the deadline, he was taking calls all day from GM's asking if he would consider buying out Reggie Evans. He told me that he isn't going to consider it as Reggie is close to returning and when he gets back they will have a great tough frontline with Reggie, Ed Davis, Ajinca, Amir, and if you want to put James Johnson there. (Bargnani isn't exactly tough but he's in the frontline too)

[Kent]

If they are running Bayless out there to eat up the minutes because there's nobody else, I am fine with that. But to say that they need more time to evaluate this guy is just absurd. Bayless looks exactly like the player Portland gave up on and I have some of those games from last year saved on my PVR if the Raptors want to borrow them.

[Raptoronto]

..."no one from the team has ever broached the subject even in private conversation"...

That's a curious statement.

[sam]

For once I agree with @Kent - Bayless has had his moment in the sun and it appears that his future may not be as a point guard - The sample size is still relatively small, however, it seems like Bayless is either doesn't trust his team mates or he's trying to do toooo much on his own.

[sam]

And another thing - D-Mac might be on to something with his appraisal of Sonny Weems - He's been up and down all season - Getting J_Johnson and having him start over him might have sucked some of the life out of the guy. At times this season he's been good, but more times than not he's looked a little lost once again trying to do too much on his own.

[Gerald Tanner]

Get to Greenwich Palace across the river from Canary Wharf. You can buy a ticket for a Thames Tour boat, take it to Westminster Bridge, get off and do your stuff in the center of the city and then using the same ticket take the
boat back to Greenwich Palace and then back to Canary Wharf. British Museum is awsemone, and if you are into military stuff, have a look at the Imperial War Museum. Tour boats also stop at the Towere if you want to tour there. According to the tour bus drivers, Horrids is not the place to go but the bus tours will also let you get off during the tour and then using same ticket get back on and finish your bus tour.