A tough week for guards, and a roster gets finalized

Extremely quiet day around the lads Monday, regular practice, kind of getting ready for the trip so there are no earth-shattering revelations.

There are, however, these little items.

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Derrick Rose, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul.

It’s been a tough week for Jose Calderon, no?

That’s like the Four Point Guard Horsemen of the NBA Apocalypse and it doesn’t even take into account the back-to-back games against Deron Williams coming up this weekend.

Think it bugs Calderon?

“At every position in the NBA, you play against the best players in the world. For me, it is point guards every night; for big guys, it is other guys who are the problem so it doesn’t matter, this is the NBA, you have to be ready.”

Now, we all know that no one really defends anyone one-on-one, and it’s up to the other Raptors to help against those great players. Calderon, however, has to be better at keeping his man in front of him or steering him the right way. Jay knows it, everyone knows it and, as the coach said, it leaves the Raptors changing things up a lot.

“We have to keep changing it up and it’s good for them because they get an experience at maybe showing, maybe trapping, maybe going under, maybe switching and having to play out of that. It’s tough to guard some of the good point guards obviously but I don’t think you can give them a steady diet of one thing.”

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You folks did very well on the London stuff yesterday, it’s given me all kinds of things to think about doing in the little spare time we’ll have.

I’m figuring Sunday is a relative day of rest since I bet I can’t find a pub with an NBA game on, though.

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Reggie Evans update.

Won’t play tonight.

You’re welcome.

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Hines Ward?

Sugar Ray Leonard?

Master P’s kid and DeRozan’s friend?

A bunch of people I haven’t heard of?

Oh yeah, it’s back.

DWTS, that is.

The new cast for this coming season is out – you can see it here, if you like – and it’s hard to come up with a morning line favourite.

But I think the producers really missed the boat with the one guy they should have invited.

Charlie Sheen.

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What’s up with the Hornets?

Jimmy writes about a team-bonding road trip.

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Here’s a rather interesting question.

Q: Hey Doug. I have a question I've wondered about for years but came back to me with all the deadline deals. When a player changes teams, what happens to the mountains of team gear that they've accumulated over time? Someone like Bosh, Lebron or Melo must have had closets full of stuff from over the years. I'm guessing they keep a couple of pieces of memorabilia, not sure what happens to the rest. Is there a lot of really big Nuggets clothing at a thrift store in Denver right now?

Thanks for the blog, I've been reading every day for years.

 

Scott G, Coquitlam, B.C.

A: I don’t think guys amass as much as you might think, they tend to leave practice gear behind and it’s recycled by the team for some new guys. Uniforms and shoes and the like? They keep, parcel of some of it out to friends and family for the most part and do save some special mementoes for themselves.

But, no, you’re not going to be able to drop in to a Goodwill store and pick out a Bosh practice jersey or anything.

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Know what this is now?

The very boring part of the season for teams like Toronto.

The playoffs are a distant memory, the trade deadline did nothing to even jazz up the situation for a week or 10 days and now it’s a metronome like plod until the middle of April.

And what’s that mean for people like you and I?

Well, since we can’t, or I won’t, write minutia of things like Ed Davis’s search for shooting range, DeMar DeRozan’s search for a second go-to move or stuff like, guess we have to treat every game as a stand-alone evening of entertainment and hope some narrative presents itself each time out.

Tough part of the job is making these stories interesting at this time of the season. Any suggestions welcomed.

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As part of getting ready to write the setup pieces for the jaunt to London, we tried to get Jay going on in Monday.

Of course, being a coach and all, he was somewhat reluctant to play along with, focusing totally on New Orleans, will worry about London when it’s time for London and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

But he did touch on a point well worth watching tonight.

“We’ve embraced the trip, there’s a lot of distractions and there’s a lot of challenge for us to stay focused on the games. There’s a lot of challenges for us to stay focused on the New Orleans game (Tuesday) and not think ahead about getting on an airplane. With young players, I’m sure that the focus of their day (Tuesday) will be about the next week and not the Hornets so, again, this is part of the growth and development of being mentally sharp and focused.”

Might be interesting to see how tonight unfolds.

And we’ll be here at 7 p.m. to chronicle it.

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Speaking of mail, I might have an hour or two in an airplane tomorrow, feel free to click here and ask questions if you feel the urge.

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Comments

[JT]

Doug,
In relation to the team gear story question. Winner stores around the GTA are selling "authentic" Bosh Raptors Jerseys for $49.99 (or $59.99 I believe).

[JHK]

Good.. it wasn't just me thinking the dog days are here early...
Not sure what to look forward to until the lottery in May.
Just hoping Lakers win again and again and again until the Raps come and challenge them.

[Matt M]

Hopefully DeRozan's next move will be three point range. About 35% would be good. Obviously a higher percentage would be better.

[jimt]

doug do the players get extra money for this trip,the per diem part? just wondering because of the british pound,long distance charges,etc.
also what is your fave brew when rolling through the hills of the english,thx

Blogger's note: Same per diem and I don't know yet

[Yan]

Doug, have you heard a rumor regarding Blake Griffin was "PRE-SELECTED" to win the slam dunk contest by NBA?

Blogger's note: Oh. That naughty David Stern

[Lorie]

Hey Doug!
Pubs and Museums. Pubs and Art Galleries. Pubs and Historic Monuments. Lots of London travel tips. But do you notice what is missing here? Pubs and Shopping! Don't forget to include some retail excursions. And before you nix this idea because you think you don't have time, consider this: the NBA BBall Week In The UK is hosting a Sprite 3-on-3 Event at Westfield Shopping Centre. Yes, THAT Westfield Shopping Centre...the largest shopping centre in the UK, if not all of Europe! So, now you have basketball and shopping together in one place! You're welcome. (And, don't you love some of those names - "Badger's Fursty Ferret"! Maybe while in London you could do some "research" on best names of British beers and ales?)

[Tim]

Hi Doug,

It feels like it's been a long time since we had a lunchtime Q & A. Any plans for one in the near future? Or maybe there's not enough to talk about right now.

Blogger's note: Yeah, we'll get to one of those soon

[doug]

all these ideas on what to do well in England are all pretty good, but I should give you the addy of my sister and her husband that live there..you will have a experience you won't soon forget...now my sister is a great gal, and her husband is a bloke that likes to tip back a few so they are fun in their own right....but the real reason you would find it most interesting and memorable is because of their son, my 10 year old nephew..they moved to London so he could attend one of the most pre-imminent schools around to deal with my nephews "condition"..he has a form of autism, no not "Idiot savant" as he is higher functioning,reading and writing are extremely difficult for him in that words all seem garbled,jumbled etc...but he is without a doubt the sweetest, most sincere, loving kid you'll ever meet...plus as a sports fan you would be amazed by this...like a "idiot savant" he has a uncanny ability to do something, since he is sports mad he utilizes this "skill" with sports..you could be watching a b-ball game (as he loves the Raps) and ask him midway thru the 3rd quarter how let's say Ed Davis has did today, he will tell you much playing time he has had, his stats, etc on the fly off the top of his head...and be dead-on as he won't turn away or miss any action well the game is on...then you can say to him let's say there playing the Bulls "how does this compare to the last time he played the Bulls"...and he will tell you not only his stats but compare them...off the top of his head, it's something to behold...he will or did when they lived here, call me during a game and say uncle Doug can you explain to me what Jay is doing??..I'll say what's up Buddy..he'll give this argument, statement about the game, match-ups and how jay is not doing this or that...I will shake my head, remind myself I am listening to a 10 year old and to not feel so dumb...my buddy watched a game with him once and walked away saying "that kid is unreal he's like a miniature Scotty Bowman" as he knows not only how long every player has played for that game but for the whole season as well of all his stats and analyzes them as though there's nothing to it ....he's a phenomenon..he's quite the kid, special..my sister worries about his future i say you have no worries, get in touch with BC or any pro team, and he could sit beside the coach and any coach would have any information they need sitting right there,there's a niche in this world for that boy......to meet and see him in action is not soon forgettable...

[DaveT (Ottawa -- er, Dublin)]

Lorie,

I'm considering going to London to catch the games (I'm in Dublin so it's not a ridiculous statement), and the only way you'd catch me in the Westfield Shopping Centre -- NBA 3-on-3 notwithstanding -- is if the shopping centre contained both a pub and a museum or historic monument. I hate shopping ;-). To each their own.

[GDS]

Humble suggestion for your daily blog: what about explaining after each game a team's play in detail plus comment on how it was executed? would enhance our knowledge of the game and of the team.

[LeeZ]

@Doug (the poster): What a wonderful post! I would LOVE to watch a game with your nephew!
@Doug (the journalist): It seems to me that José isn't as proactive as he used to be on defence earlier this year. As you no doubt recall, he really got up in the opposing p.g.'s face and pressured the ball a lot, not allowing him to get up a full steam. Is it just me, or is he not doing that anymore? Also, please forgive me getting all grammar-police on your ass, but this is SUCH a pet peeve for me: "And what’s that mean for people like you and I?" Easy way to determine whether it should be "me" or "I": ask yourself: what's that mean for people like I". Sorry, couldn't help myself.

[Kent]

true, one on one guarding is almost impossible with the way touch fouls are called these days on the perimeter. But it's another thing to let the other point guard get anywhere he wants on the court. All I want Jose to be able to do is to make the other guy change direction a couple of times before requiring help. But all too often, it's a couple of hard dribbles to the right and Jose is calling for it. The next thing you know, the corner threes are wide open. He remains one of the major reasons why teams shoot over 37% from threes vs. the raptors.

[JJ]

Well there's always your favourite topic of the race to the draft lottery! And tanking to improve one's chances! Sarcasm intended ;)

That or campaigning to get Solomon Alabi more playing time...

[Andre]

RE: Doug,In relation to the team gear story question. Winner stores around the GTA are selling "authentic" Bosh Raptors Jerseys for $49.99 (or $59.99 I believe).

@JT

Man they are selling them for under $20 at SVP at finch and mccowan

Doug, bring a camera and take lots of pictures man... I want to see things from your perspective.

[Mark V]

I vote we make the rest of the season a running competition for prediction of games, winner buys me beer. or loser buys me beer? or both.

For the record, I vote for the other team, for every game for the rest of the season.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Awesome story, @doug! The stuff you bring is one good reason this Doug Smith blog is a national treasure.
I think your nephew should get together with my nephew, Jake (the one who sang with the kids choir for the Raps game anthems in Minny, and who's been on the floor high-fiving the Wolves during the intros for another game, and who's hung out with the Twins pre- and post- a couple of games – kids these days... they think that kind of stuff is just standard weekend fare!).
Jake is 9, and I swear on a large stack of St. James's and Sears-Roebucks that he could absolutely hold his own with any ESPN half-hour panel of experts, on nearly any given sport. He'll give you stats and sass til who laid the rails. He's Kevin McHale's harshest critic. He bemoans KM's last TWO draft seasons (he's 9, mind you), declares Flynn a washout and covets Amir Johnson as a Timberwolf. He'll also probably win the family March Madness pool – again (he's picked the champ three years running now...).
The thing is, the kid walks the talk too. He's a canned a couple of hat tricks in peewee hockey lately, but his first love is now veering hard toward hoops. A couple of weeks ago, his team was down 27-13. Jake was playing point. Second half, he stops in mid-dribble, gives his dad one of those "ah screw it" looks. Dad gives that dad nod... and Jake goes off for 20 straight! They won 33-27. This past weekend, among the other rosy stats, he potted 11 straight free throws. Man, the first and last time I made 11 in a row of ANYthing I was dreaming!
Kids are the best. They are going to be challenged, and challenged big time – every one of them in this wacky world – but I'll be rooting for both these guys and I'm betting they'll both shine. Cheers. Go Raps!

[sam]

I have a nephew - He's 18 months old - All he does is smile, cry, run around and chew on things - He's given the toy box I built him for his birthday an antique look.
Reading the posts from D-Mac and doug gives me hope.....

[doug]

thanks @LeeZ and D-Mac...kids are the best, and D-Mac I am sure Jake and Gavin (my nephew) would not only have a heck of a time together but bring shame to us adults in our so-called "knowledge of the game"...through life experiences and lately through my nephew , I realize why I fell in love with sports, when I was a kid, I could give a rat's butt about , contracts,CBA'S, a all-star game was just a chance for me to see my "hero's"...sports was sports...my nephew bless his heart reminded me of what it is all about and yours is doing the same to you..so yea the Raptors stink, but I can also see a silver-lining, someday they will be better, and if they ever win a championship I'd be ecstatic, but not just for me, moreso for my nephew,as he would be beside himself...but if they don't, well life goes on and he also reminds me of what's important...to me that's gold, Jerry pure gold....as we can't lose ...best of both worlds...my nephew will be at both games this weekend but he doesn't know yet, as if my sister tells him he will drive them nuts until the game, won't sleep, constantly talk about it...so they will tell him on the way to the game and I'll hear after the fact...I can't wait...I'll hear all the stats, and just smile and be thankful for having that little dude in my life...as you do with yours, as Doug does with his "Suoer Son"...life is simple...

[Mike D.]

@LeeZ, I thought at the start of the season that Jose was doing a much better job keeping people in front of him than in previous seasons, and also that he was consistently in a much lower defensive stance than I had seen the last couple of years. My hypothesis, which was kinda sorta supported by Doug Smith (I said it, he didn't shoot it down) was that Jose was finally playing healthy. I have not watched a game live lately, but I'm guessing that if he's struggling defensively again it means he's again battling groin/hamstring/hip injuries that make it harder to maintain a low defensive stance.

[Mike kovacs]

Doug I ( and I'm sure Lorie too ) would like to know if dallas still have their 3-pt streak going. do you know off-hand? thanks, Mike

[Lorie]

@doug and @D-Mac:
Thanks, guys, for sharing those young fellows' stories with us. I imagine most of us grew up playing sports. But sometimes you can reach a stage in life where your enjoyment of it gets a tad stale. Maybe you become jaded by the business side of it, or you discover your favourite player is, after all, human. Then, something happens: you have kids, or become involved with kids playing sports, and through them, that previous joy can be reignited. And you realize that what you love about sports isn't the statistics and standings so much as it is the sharing of it with people you care about. Thanks for reminding us. I love this place.

[Peter]

I have a request for London. Can you bring a camera and try to take a picture or two for the blog each day? I know the GruntTV ship has sort of sailed, but I wouldn't be bothered by seeing a video of some of the scenery, or the locals, or anything that you might be able to put together. Just a thought. I know the picture idea isn't so techno-advanced that it can't be done, so I just thought I'd throw it out there.

[Ian Murray]

Have a great trip dude. I don't really have any specific beverage to tell you to look out for since it's been awhile since I've been to London, but I found you can't go wrong with bitters. But to each they're own! Also if the pub is a "free pub" then you'll have a better chance of being able to sample local brews. It should say it on the sign. Those are the pubs that aren't contractually forced to carry a particular brand. This might be wrong, and I might have the term wrong, but it was what I remember being told when I was there.

[DMcCalgary]

Very interesting and inspiring stories of the joy and passion for sport in the young lads, and what they have to "re-teach" us. Thank you. May I add that the opposite can occur too. As an 18 yr old, I went to the Expos first home game with my Dad, who lived and breathed the game (as fan and participant as player, coach, ump, league creator) and had a kids joy bubbling out of him all day. A grown up turned that table on me.