The Goods On The Game, Bulls at Heat, Game 4

Welcome back, folks.

Here we go again.

Better late than never? You be the judge

Well, hello everyone.

Back from the computer black hole I’ve been living in since about 6 a.m.; replete with a new external keyboard, a new mouse and things seem to be going well.

(Of course, a new keyboard and mouse take some time to get used to so pardon the inevitable typos, okay?)

So, where were we?

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Joakim Noah gets dinged for $50,000 after Kobe got $100,000 for pretty much the same thing and the reasoning from the league is that Bryant abused an official so that’s why his transgression was deemed more serious.

I’m about ready to call shenanigans on that.

I guess you can see the logic in the explanation about the difference but I think the mitigation in the Noah case would be the fact he apologized abjectly at the first chance he got and there may have been some provocation.

Now, don’t get me wrong. You know where I stand on the use of that word and the impact it can have. It’s a terrible thing to say, a slur that should never be used and there can be no justification for it. Ever.

But with the way some fans behave, the only thing that surprises me is that there aren’t more incidents of at least verbal jousting between players and possibly over-served spectators.

I am all for fans cheering and urging on their team and that kind of stuff but the sense of entitlement some of these people feel – to make remarks personal and cutting and hurtful and about things outside the game – shocks me.

Talking to a handful of Bulls yesterday, it was obvious that the guy that Noah yelled at was being non-stop abusive from just about the opening tip.

What also surprises me, though, is that if the guy was that bad, how the Chicago security official who sits near the bench – and every team has one at every game – didn’t get involved and have the guy thrown out or at least moved.

Until that happens and the message gets delivered loud and clear that some behaviour won’t be tolerated, I fear we’ll have more incidents.

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If you put a guy and a gal from Chicago, one from Newark and one from Toronto in the same cab you get all kinds of fun conversation. Ours started with a lament for late Harmon Killebrew (the dude from Chicago is an old Twin Cities) guy, morphed in a great baseball trivia question that was solved quickly (Name the two northernmost cities to host a World Series game?) and then we got the hard one. Really hard.

And if you promise not to peak, I’ll give you the answer down below:

Only three players in the history of the game have hit home runs both before their 20th birthday and after their 40th birthday. Who are they?

Have fun.

And NO PEAKING!

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So, who’s the MVP of the playoffs so far?

Has to be Dirk, right?

Two 40-point games in one series, his team’s probably the best one playing and he’s virtually unstoppable.

Trouble is, unlike say, the pucks, there is no playoff MVP in the NBA. The only thing they give out is a Finals MVP so when it comes to post-season awards, Dirk’s really done nothing.

Well, not “nothing” but you know what I mean.

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Let’s get this one out of the mail and we’ll start the weekly process of asking for questions now. Click, write, send.

Q: I tell my wife, no real rules for food. Cake anytime. But if it is good cake then it is no more healthy than bacon, so why not have more bacon?

When do you think the Raps will have a real sense of who they want and create a one to five list?

An all NBA question, are teams told to keep their picks quiet (ala Survivor voting off the island) so it makes better TV? You have to feel that #1 choice has no reason to be a secret, plus we hear of 'promises' being made all the time.

 

Bruce M, Winnipeg

A: Your wife buys that? Good for you!

Anyway … I’d say, because there’s a bit of indecision surrounding some of the teams ahead of them (Will Minnesota deal the pick? What will Utah do?) and there are still so many interviews to hold and workouts to conduct, I don’t imagine they’ll narrow anything down until at least the second week of June and even then it’ll still be quite fluid.

And teams aren’t told to keep their picks quiet but they do to make sure those teams drafting around them are kept in the dark. The draft, and the runup to it, is a time of great disinformation campaigns.

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Oh yeah, since I’ve got this fancy schmancy new keyboard, we may as well gather here tonight around 8:30 p.m. for an IGBT, right?

See you then.

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I’m sticking with Kirstie Alley tonight, by the way. Although don’t sleep on Hines Ward.

(Obligatory DWTS note, even if I’ve missed most of the season).

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What of the Oklahoma City Thunder?

A meltdown of biblical proportions last night probably killed their season, there’s all kinds of stuff swirling around on whether or not Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant can co-exist, there was the fourth-quarter benching of Westbrook the other night and you can get a sense there’s an uneasiness around a franchise thought to be a model one.

Now, I’m not saying blow it up and if they were to at least acquit themselves well in however many games remain it’ll ease the pain of losing. But doesn’t it show how fragile things can be? A week ago everyone was lauding the Thunder; today they are questions.

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Okay, ready?

Gary Sheffield, Ty Cobb and Rusty Staub.

You’re welcome.

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My Machine and I Have 'Issues'

It's only because of the good graces of my friends on the web desk that you're even seeing this.

Yep, Mr. MacBook Pro and I are not getting along today, thanks to a recalcitrant keyboard that won't let me type anything other than little blank squares.

The panic-stricken call to our IT whizzes was good, I found all sorts of system preferences and sticky keys and language things but nothing that would allow me to type in English So, with all that, you get nothing this morning and I get to go find a Best Buy or something to get an external keyboard I may be back or I may throw the whole thing in the ocean and take a day off.

(Kidding, boss; I'll get it to work somehow) Too bad, was planning all kinds of good things for the blog. Maybe later.

 

A team in trouble and a guy getting what he wanted

There might be some longueurs in here but bear with me, it’s that time of year where it’s always going to be a series of unrelated items that get us through the day.

And, yes, this is a little late, blame Mike (who’ll you meet later on).

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Okay, Bulls cruise in Game 1, Heat survive Game 2 and pretty much dominate Game 3 and the over-riding sense at the end of Sunday was that Chicago’s in a heap of trouble.

What Miami’s done the last two games is turn up the defensive intensity like you can’t imagine, especially in the fourth quarter and there’s nothing the Bulls can do about it, it seems.

In particular, it’s killing Derrick Rose who, in the fourth quarters of Games 2 and 3, has a grand total of two points because Miami is simply denying him any space to operate in.

And there is no one else on the team who can do anything consistently on offence. If Rose can’t get it done, the Bulls can’t get it done and there’s no reason to think, given what’s happened the last two games, that Chicago can figure it out.

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That, folks, was precisely what Chris Bosh wanted when he left Toronto.

Great game on a big stage, the ability to operate against single coverage with the luxury of two great teammates to take the pressure off him and a chance to showcase his talents.

And watching him go something like 13 for his last 18 from the field, I don’t think anyone can deny he’s a very, very talented player.

Am sure I’ll be writing about him later today off Heat practice but suffice it to say, his teammates are pretty glad he’s around.

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Here we go again and it makes you wonder if any of these guys will ever get it.

Joakim Noah not only gets into a “discussion” with a fan as he’s coming out of the game in the first quarter on Sunday – which is patently stupid – but he then uses the same slur that Kobe Bryant used in a game in April.

Idiot.

Now, we all know how I feel, that the use of that word is disgusting, it hurts more than many of you can know and professional athletes need to know that their words sting far more than, say, mine or yours.

And if I know David Stern, Noah’s going to get hammered today.

Stern hit Kobe with a $100,000 fine (a pittance compared to his salary but still a large chunk of change) and I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t hit Noah with an even larger penalty today.

A message has to be sent and while it’s all well and good that Noah apologized right away, that’s not mitigation at any level and I hope Stern gets him for $125,000 or so.

There’s no place anywhere for that word, not in private, public and certainly not between an athlete playing a game and chattering with fans and the commissioner has to keep hammering that point with the only weapon he’s got – getting into players’ pockets – until the knuckleheads get it.

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Bob Marley on the juke box, you can order wings or other deep-fried brown things at 1:30 in the morning, great staff, $3.50 glasses of Yeungling and it’s steps from the hotel?

I call it heaven, the locals call it Mike’s.

You can’t find it without a search warrant (around a corner, in a condo/office building, up an elevator, down a winding hall) but because I know people (hello, Mr. Enlund!), it’s a familiar joint I haven’t been to in a while and a fine place to finish off a day. Put it on the list of league-wide favourite.

No, they didn’t have cake but, to be honest, it wasn’t that big a deal.

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All right, major fumble over here.

When I was gathering information about who the Raptors met with in Chicago last week, the e-mail I got was full of last names – Walker, Thompson, Knight, Burks, etc – and I made some presumptions.

Well, one bad one, it seems.

It was actually Tristan Thompson of Brampton they met with, not Klay Thompson of Washington, and when I got the correction last night, I heard the young Canadian was quite impressive when he was chatting with the HOTH.

Not sure that means he’s going to be a Raptor but I guess it’s good to know.

And I needed to get the record straight.

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Wonder if I mention that it’s time to celebrate the Queen’s birthday, how many people here will tell me that band was done years and years ago.

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Walking around a couple of shootarounds and the pre-game media period at the game on Sunday, ran into a bunch of people I know from the teams and the media and the first question, invariably, was:

“What are they doing with Jay?”

And when I tell them – assistant coaches, front office types, other writers – that I fully expect they’ll pick up the option any time this week, the overwhelming response is:

“Makes sense.”

But for those of you who wonder if the Raptors even resonate around the league, they do. Especially when there might be a job opening.

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One thing that tells you you’re at a big playoff series rather than some run of the mill regular season game – besides seats in the stands way up at the top of the lower bowl instead of courtside or on the baseline – is increased security.

And Super Dog screwed ‘em up a bit last night.

In a new twist, as soon as you walk in the media entrance of the American Airlines Arena, you have to put your bag on the floor, step back, and a bomb-sniffing dog goes over it.

Well, mine gets plopped down, this really smart dog gets at it and there’s all kinds of excitement. It’s sniffing the bottom and nuzzling it with its nose and I’m wondering what the heck’s going on. Well, the little fella finally walks away, the cops looks at me and says it’s all cool to go and then it hits me:

It wasn’t bomb residue the dog was hyped about and when I asked the cop if the extra attention could have been because Super Dog has a tendency to hang around the desk where my bag sits at home, the guys says, yeah, happens all the time.

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More Raptors tidbits, not big but what the heck.

Apparently there’s some gang workout for draft eligible kids today and/or tomorrow in Minneapolis and they’re there again.

And I’d imagine we’ll find out this week some kind of schedule for individual workouts back in Toronto when the fun really begins.

For those who wonder when they might start narrowing down a wish list of draft picks, I don’t think that’s going to happen until mid-June at the earliest and it could be the Monday before the June 23 draft when they get around to really deciding who they want if he’s there.

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Hey, you people are all right.

Just wanted to say thanks for all the comments and best wishes of the day yesterday.

Much appreciated.

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The Goods On The Game, Bulls at Heat, Game 3

Happy Long Weekend, all you folks back in Canada.

Hope you're enjoying yourselves.

Visits with the Raptors and an offence in disarray

Everyone still here?

Guess that whole rapture thing didn’t quite work out, eh?

Not sure if it was astronomy or astrology or just the lunatic rantings of a guy but it had the impact of New Coke or Y2K, didn’t it?

But it does assure we’ll be here for the next little while so …

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So we had Taj Gibson in Game 1 of this series I’m at and Udonis Haslem in Game 2 and I’m wondering when some star is going to take over and make on game his.

My best guess would be Dwyane Wade, who has that innate ability to absolutely dominate a game.

He hasn’t yet, he’s home tonight, it’s a “pivotal” game to borrow a time-worn cliché I’m sure hundreds have, or will, and Wade’s going to have a rather rabid – by Miami standards – crowd behind him.

And isn’t that what these series are supposed to be all about?

The best players taking over?

We’ve seen it with Dirk and Durant, we haven’t seen it in this series, really, and I don’t now if it’s because of the defence of the other guys or the mentality of the top players in the East – who can be more deferential than maybe they should be. But whatever it is, we need someone to put their stamp on this series with some crazy 40-point night and we haven’t yet.

I know the series is close and the two games have each had their redeeming qualities but, so far, the East really pales in comparison to the West and I don’t know if we saw that coming.

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Yes, the HOTH were busy in Chicago, quite.

Yes, Enes Kanter cancelled a scheduled meeting – not sure if he’s got a promise, delusions of grandeur or what but he didn’t meet with them and they still hope to either get him to Toronto or go back to Chicago where he’s working out for a little sitdown.

But it didn’t mean it was all deep dish pizza and jazz, that’s for sure.

I’m told by impeccable sources that the Raptors did manage to meet with a handful of possible draft picks over the two days as they get down to figuring this out in earnest.

Who?

Well, the list I got had:

Derrick Williams

Klay Thompson

Brandon Knight

Kemba Walker

Kawhi Leonard

Alec Burks

The twins Markus and Markieff Morris.

Now, these were chats after watching some of them work out and there’s been no consensus developed, no firm “list” drawn up and it’s still relatively early in the process.

I’m also not sure if that’s a complete list – I believe it is – but there will be more to come, I’m sure.

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There was a gelding that’s blind in one eye and trained by an 80-year-old running in Preakness?

If only that sport mattered, it’d be fun to cover.

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Okay, it’s about 4 p.m. Saturday, I’m sitting on a stool outside by a pool sipping a cool drink, getting a leg up on this bloggy thingie for the morning while watching a hockey game on a TV that’s hard to see because of the glare on a 30 C afternoon.

Oh, and trading texts with a crazed Bruins fan who’s in an establishment in Orillia.

That’s an odd day. Very.

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Oh yeah, you saw that list of guys Bryan and the henchman chatted with in Chicago and I’m sure a lot of you went, ‘What? No Europeans?’

Don’t despair.

They’ll get their shot.

The next big gig is a camp for European draft eligibles that begins June 9 at La Ghirada in Treviso (oh, how I wish I was going there) and there are plans to watch – and interview – Bismack Biyombo, Jan Vesely, Jonas Valanciunas and Donatas Montiejunas, among others.

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I need a ruling.

Can a guy have cake for breakfast?

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So I’m watching ESPN last night and they’re all over Jose Bautista for the two-homer day and the other-worldly season that he’s having and one thing comes quickly to mind:

“See, Chris, they will pay attention.”

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Okay, so there’s no doubt many of you – and I – think Scott Brooks of Oklahoma City is a pretty good NBA coach, right?

Well, I was watching that game Saturday night and all I could think of is that’s one of the most predictable and boring offences around.

Not sure if it’s because players keep busting plays or because they aren’t good ones but, man, that’s a tough way to try to win a big series.

And they won’t, if things don’t change.

Oh, and they won’t if Kevin Durant cannot make a three-pointer. Yes, I think he takes too many – he tends to settle too often – but if he’s going to take 13 over the course of two games (as he did in Games 2 and 3) he has to make at least one.

And since I’ve got a week or so in downtown Oklahoma City riding on this – and it’s a very under-rated downtown of good spots, good stools, good people – outcome, I kind of hope Durant picks it up.

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Have no real idea how things are going to work here in Miami tonight with seating or wireless or access or what but if you’d like, we’ll try one of the world-famous IGBT okay?

I know it’s the Sunday of the holiday weekend back home but let’s see who shows up, or it if even works well.

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Did you see Peja last night?

With those over-the-ankle white socks and dark shoes and a rather unique gait, every time I saw him run I thought:

A young Morty Seinfeld hanging around Del Boca Vista.

No idea why, but I did.

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As advertised, here's the rest of the mail

Told you there’d be more later on. Now that I’m comfortably ensconced here in South Florida, you read this while I write an off-day story and then find the pool, and the requisite pool bar.

And, not to worry, there are lists left over to get us through the week.

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Q: Hey Doug, first off keep up the great work! I'm breaking into the industry and if I have a blog as part of a beat covering a sports team this Raptors blog will be the major influence for me.

Anyways, my question is about playoff formats. There's one key difference between the NHL and NBA: the NHL re-seeds after the second round, while the NBA does not. I like the re-seeding because it rewards the best team standing with always facing the lowest remaining seed left. And I find it strange that in the NBA you can get the four seed and "avoid" a matchup with the two or three like Atlanta did this year. So my question is: why do you think the NBA doesn't re-seed like the NHL, and should they switch to that format instead of a full bracket? Sorry if this is slightly confusing.

 

Simon S-G, Toronto

A: I see your point but here’s mine and neither is right or wrong.

I don’t mind the No. 8 seed getting, in theory, an easier second-round series against a No. 4 seed rather than facing a No. 2 as a “reward” for an upset.

But, for the most part, the reason the NBA stays with this format – and there is no discussion of changing it – is to satisfy some TV demands; the networks want games as many nights as they can get them and having three, or as many as six, first-round winners waiting around while one or two series go seven games just to find out who plays who brings a screeching halt to any momentum the playoffs might have.

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Q: In light of the unfortunate news of Randy "Macho Man" Savage passing away, I know you have mentioned that you have seen a few WWE events in your day. My question is what would you list as your top 5 WWE characters of all time?

DIG IT!!! OH YEAHHHHHHHH!!!!!

 

Ken L, Bath

A: I’m certainly not a fan but I do have some knowledge of the olden days, mostly because I worked at the Sun and we did a lot of grappling stuff.

Anyway, this is right off the top of my head but I kind of liked The Hulk, didn’t mind Bruno Sammartino back in the day, Gene Kiniski was pretty cool and who didn’t like Rowdy Roddy Piper and there was something about Jesse The Body Ventura that was intriguing.

Now, I know there are more but that’s what I’ve got for you now.

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Q: HI Doug. Love that the blogs going to go all summer. hard to find any decent basketball or Raptors news on the web when they get eliminated so early. Anyways my question is based on the fact I've only been able to attend a handful of games in Toronto in person.

I thought the clock was supposed to stop after all made baskets and before the ball is in-bounded. But I've noticed on TV that it seems the game clock continues to run while only the shot clock is frozen. During the last few minutes of each quarter it does seem then to a stop clock situation. Can you elaborate?

Thanks,

 

Steven T, Winnipeg

A: Nope, clock only stops on made baskets in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime. Now, if the ball is knocked far away after a made basket or there’s a delay of game violation against the scoring team, the ref may momentarily stop play to retrieve the ball.

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Q: Hello Doug! It's a lovely late spring evening and the May 24 Long Weekend is finally here! So, while hoping that you, Stella and Napoleon have a terrific weekend together, I wonder if it could possibly be made even better with.....A NEW DECK!!! Now, you know what it's like: you buy a new couch, and now the old cushions don't match, nor does the flooring, walls and window covering. And even the dog is strangely a different shade of brown than you remembered. And before you know it, you're thinking you might as well just put the whole damn thing on the market. So, maybe you're noticing that your brand spanking new grill's making that old deck seem, well, old. And you're thinking it's time for Another Construction Project. So, if that's true, (and even if it isn't and just for fun) what would Doug's Super-Perfect Deck look like? Would it be bigger? Have multi-levels? A fire pit? A Hot Tub??? And, of course, we're using Mailbag Money. Which grows on the trees. In your own backyard. Cheers!

Now bring on that Victoria Day Sun!!!

 

Lorie P, London

A: I have a feeling we’ve done this before and I hope I come up with the same layout.

Here are things it must have, and it’s got to be in the 1,200- to 1,500-square foot range.

Split level, for sure, with a dining area on the top level with torches all around for the proper lighting.

There’d be flower boxes, colourful of course to provide a sense of privacy and beauty and there would be a handful of over-stuffed chaise lounges spread all over the place.

There’d be a huge natural gas grill on the lower level in one corner, maybe a step or two from the all-brick charcoal grill-fireplace that would face the deck.

The fridge, of course, would have to be within arm’s reach of the grills and, like the one at Casa Doug, if there was a huge maple tree in the middle there’d be a standup bar with comfortable stools.

A hot tub? Most certainly; maybe just around the corner where you could relax in private.

It’d be cedar, of course, with brass railings.

Sound OK?

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Q: Hey Doug. Just read this by Henry Abbott on TrueHoop.com. David Stern recently said this: "Beyond that, we had reports on basketball, reports -- which is always fun, this is, after all, a basketball league -- reports on officiating; report on ongoing efforts to tighten up our games with respect to making them a bit shorter, which we have begun by making sure our players resume play; and we have opened the subject for discussion; resume play after timeouts and overtime in a timely fashion; and we also began today to open the discussion on possibly cutting down on the number of timeouts.”

Just wondering if you think this might actually result in real changes or is the league just blowing a lot of hot air. I know how you feel on this issue, and I wholeheartedly agree that there are too many timeouts and if not for the Chicken and his amusing asides, all those stoppages in the game would be downright unbearable.

 

David H, Toronto

A: Yes, I read that, too. But there was more and it gets to the point of the matter. The reason timeouts last so long in the playoffs is because of extended time TV gets to shill its products.

I can’t see them cutting back from the number of timeouts allowed – although I think they should – but I hope what they do is stick their own rules that say the maximum allowable time in a timeout is 100 seconds. I’m not going to hold my breath, though.

A bit of mail to get you started

Okay, not to worry folks, there’s more of this to come later.

But they’re about to put me on an airplane here and who knows when I’ll get settled in Miami so this is here for now and I’ll get to the rest perhaps sitting pooosldie this afternoon.

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Q: Hi Doug. I had a question or two regarding Maurizio Gheradini. For the last few years I have noticed many calling for him to be fired, and insulting his work and competence. Yet, I have not seen many reasons for this other than that the team has struggled but, more often, the reasons have generally been racist. While I know we have had some European players that have not lived up to their billing (Turk, Linas and even Bargs) I'm not certain this justifies the ousting of our Assistant GM who also happens to be European.

However, this week you have suggested that the Raptors should re-up his contract and even gave your reasons why to a commenter. The hard part for the rest of us may be that we don't see what he does in relation to what the GM does. For example, was it his idea to sign Turk or Colangelo's, did he want to draft Andrea. Or conversely did he have no interaction with the drafting of Demar or Ed Davis. Essentially, should we assume he does not deal with non-European activities?

So I suppose my main question is what does Maurizio, and as an extension, any Assistant GM do? How does it differ from the GM themselves? Perhaps, if known, you could give some examples of his successes and failures in his role with the Raptors.

 

Ajay M, Guelph

A: Nothing justifies the uninformed opinion of people who react to every situation with the demand that someone get fired. It’s ridiculous.

But, to answer your question, they do what every management “team” in every industry does. They offer advice and insight, they scout and talk to agents and meet with corporate partners and travel an awful lot. There is no specific delineation of duties, they do the stuff that comes up in the workaday world of the NBA.

So there are no individual “successes and failures.” It is, and always will be and is everywhere else, a collaborative effort.

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Q: Hi Doug. Ever since you started this blog thingy, we (ie the world) pretty much know what kind of work you do and what your day/days looks like. (Keep it up, we love it)!

Now you say that Maurizio should come back. This much I've often wondered: What does he actually do? What does a day/week/month look like for a guy in his job?

Thanks.

 

Alex F, Calgary

A: There’s a strange fascination with how executives fill their days and, to be blunt, I can’t explain it sufficiently.

Some days may involve a breakfast meeting with Canada Basketball or a corporate sponsor, watching video of draft eligible kids, reading reports.

Some days might be a flight to Europe with a meeting with some team owner or GM right after and then a game.

Some weeks involve a game in Kansas one day, one in New Jersey the next, one in Italy the next.

Seriously, I cannot tell you what a “ typical” day is because as much as my life tends to be jumbled day to day, that of an NBA executive makes mine look like a drill-press operator working the swing shift.

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Q: Doug. I don't want to bash anyone (wait for the but), but I've been a Raps ticketholder for 7 years now and this year, my wife asked me to give her three reasons why I should spend our travel money on them in 2011-2012. I came up with... zero. Same management, coach and likely team (plus one Euro big man) that left me giving away 60% of our tickets by February. Can you give me three reasons beyond praying DeMar becomes VC and Andrea Dirk why I should be coming back this year?

Ray S, Toronto

A: Two things you can’t tell people: How to spend their money or raise their kids. So …

Really, not only is not my job to convince you to watch a team I cover, it’d pretty darn presumptuous of me to think that I could or should. I will tell you this, for entertainment value – rooting interests aside – I think basketball provides a pretty good bang for your buck.

But do as you like, I can’t – won’t – try to convince you either way. Just keep reading here.

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Q: Hey Doug. Great job, especially with the blog. When I saw Cory Joseph entered his name in the draft after the college year ended, I was mildly surprised, but figured he was trying to monitor his status. When the withdrawal deadline passed and his name was still on the board I was much more surprised.

My first impression is that he had a strong season, this is a weak draft and with Myck Kabongo coming into Texas he was worried about his standing on the team. But it still seemed like he made a potential error in judgement.

Your thoughts?

 

Ted N, Mississauga

A: As I mentioned in a story earlier this week, a couple of executives I talked to this week think he could very well get into the bottom of the first round and grab the guaranteed contract goes with that. Others think it’s a gamble but I can’t say what went into the decision but I’m sure the future at Texas might have had something to do with it.

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Q: Hello Doug! This season is coming to its end, but the Raps frenzy just warmed up! Who is the best potential pick? How the Raptors look like next season?

From Europe, the best player is Dimitris Diamantidis, 6.6 PG, Euroleague's MVP and best defender. He's not in the drafts cause he's 31. Any other European is not worth mentioning! lol!

So, Walker or Knight? I'm in Europe so I cannot be sure, but I like Kemba. He seems a guy with more potential.

 

Konstantinos C, Athens

A: You know, or maybe you don’t know, that I’m not big on either/or stuff, especially this early in the process but the few scouts I’ve talked to who’ve seen them both tend to think Knight’s better as an NBA guy right now but Walker could turn into something very good.

Now, Diamantidis is the reason I even used this question, actually. Outstanding player who could be a good NBAer, he’s just the kind of guys teams want but who won’t likely come because he can probably make as much money with a lot less hassle in Europe. But I could watch him play all day.

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Q: Isn't there a tad bit of hyprocrisy (maybe with a dollop of irony) that you post and grip about social media on your blog?

Colin K, Ann Arbor

A: Nah, don’t think so. I think I use social media – and by that I mean solely the twitter stuff rather than anything else – the way it should be used: As a virtual tip sheet to let people know when things are done that are more, um, complete rather than 140 characters of opinion.

But you also know that mocking and griping and then doing as I please is part of my gig.

Bold moves and boring old ball games

You know, it’s usually players who make their names in the post-season with big games, big plays and big moments.

Think we saw last night a coach do the same thing.

There was something of an ominous feel to the decision by Oklahoma City’s Scott Brooks to stick with four backups and Kevin Durant for the entire fourth quarter of Game 2 against Dallas, wasn’t there?

Especially when the Mavs made that late run, didn’t you keep wondering when he’d at least go back to Westbrook, who may be one of the more polarizing guys in the playoffs this year, but he’s also the started and perceived best point guard on the team?

But you have to give Brooks credit for sticking with his gut and his backups and letting them finish off a rather impressive victory that makes the series a whole lot more compelling now.

Of course, you wonder about fallout as the series progresses – what happens in Game 3 down the stretch, how will Westbrook (who has a tendency to dominate the ball even in the happiest moments) react – and with a team as young and unproven as the Thunder in such circumstances, that has to be an issue to think about.

Coaches, as you know, tend to get too much credit and absorb too much blame in the opinion of some but you have to give Brooks credit for making a somewhat bold statement and putting himself out there to be second-guessed ‘til the cows come home.

If the Thunder go on to win this thing, people may remember the final quarter of Game 2 as the defining moment and it was a coach, rather than a player, who made it happen.

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Seriously, Five Guys burgers are almost making me forget that we should have an In And Out Burger in one strip mall and a Steak ‘N Shake in one down the street.

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The news kind of flew under the radar the other night, judging the lack of responses around these parts.

But how about Amir having ankle surgery that might take three or four months to recover from?

Yes, they said he’d be ready for training camp – if it starts in October or late September as it usually does – and that’s good enough, I guess.

But why wouldn’t he have had the work done before next week, or closer to June 1 as it was suggested by someone to me this week?

Why not get it taken care of, say, May 1 after seeing specialists right after the season ended?

I am sure there are people in the organization who are not the happiest of campers about the decision to wait and they will be watching closely to make sure he’s ready to go when the bell rings next fall.

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A wee digression brought to our attention by a fine Irregular from the left coast yesterday afternoon.

We can all agree that the Olympics are a pretty good TV show, no? At least that’s what I’m told since I’m usually at the Summer Games and don’t see much, and the Winter Games fall during the NBA season and don’t really attract my attention.

Anyway, news yesterday the iconic sports executive Dick Ebersol’s walking away from NBC in an issue of contract talks with the parent company Comcast should be of big note to those who watch at least some of the Games on the various NBC “platforms.”

I wouldn’t be a big fan of the “plausibly live” aspect of the American broadcasts – I’d much rather see the CBC live stuff – but there is no doubt that Ebersol’s fingers were all over it, they shaped the coverage and the Olympics, I don’t think, will never be the same on television again.

Not a bad legacy, is it?

And the other thing that may end up being troubling is big networks seem to be shying away from a lot of sports and any change my lessen the amount of live, big events shown on network TV.

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Hmm, no games tonight?

Whatever is a fellow to do?

Oh, right.

Inter-league baseball!

The traditional Astros-Jays rivalry is renewed here (wonder if Nolan’s pitching? Or may be Mike Scott) and all kinds of other weird and wonderful matchups begin.

Texas-Philadelphia?

Colorado-Milwaukee?

Seattle-San Diego?

Yes, things like Cubs-Red Sox and Yankees-Mets have some allure but, really, does anyone get excited about inter-league play any more?

Aside from being blatantly unfair since teams in the same division of one league don’t play the same opponents from the other league (and don’t get me started on the whole DH-no DH thing), whatever magic there was when inter-league play first came around is long gone.

Maybe it’s time for the whole thing to be mothballed, or at least cut back to maybe one weekend a summer, two at the most. It seems that every three weeks or so we’ve got these odd series that don’t fit.

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A bit of a list, a ranking, and a dip into the mail all rolled into one:

Q: Hi Doug - Since people are already showing signs of draft selection fever (DSF), I thought it was a good time to ask this question. Of the North American sports that have entry drafts (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, MLS), in which sport is it easiest (for lack of a better word) for a #1 draft pick to make an immediate team impact? I know there are all sorts of unknowns associated with this question but thought I would throw it out there.

Andrew S, Toronto

A: Sure, there are all sorts of unknowns thrown into the equation and there are exceptions that pop up every year but let’s talk in basic generalities here.

I’d rank them like this from the top down:

NBA

Maybe because there are so few, and so few players on each team that make impacts, it has to be at the top of the list, no? And it’s why a blown high draft pick is a huge blow.

NFL

I know you can find gems in the 12th round or 9th round or 22nd round (does that Jerry Lewis Telethon of a draft go that deep?) but it strikes me the top half of the first round is dominated by guys who are either great or washouts.

NHL

The impact is probably just at the very top of Round One because they draft pimply-faced 17-year-olds, don’t they?

MLB

It takes forever, doesn’t it, for even the top three or four guys to even get to the bigs?

MLS

They have a draft? Hmm. Who knew?

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Okay, one more for the seamheads who might not have read this.

If this Griff column on the young man who died yesterday and his impact on the TOD Heroes Of The Night Romero and Arencibia doesn’t get to you, I fear for you.

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So here’s the deal.

I’ve got a stupid early flight tomorrow (think 6:10 a.m.) and with nothing on tonight I figure tomorrow should be a mail day so we can get all sorts of gems out of Miami tomorrow for Sunday as we get into full-on Eastern Final mode.

That means this is your last kick at the mail bag can.

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Lists and hirings and a little bit of Bulls-Heat

A rather fungible series of basically unrelated topics today as we plod along.

Enjoy.

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How about a list?

There’s a lot of love floating around these days for Dirk Nowitzki, isn’t there?

And because of the way he’s been performing over this post-season, we’re hearing all kinds of discussions about where he’d fit on the list of Greatest Non-American Players Of All-Time.

(The discussion of where he fits overall comes when he wins a title).

Anyway, I’m not always in favour of differentiating between people from here and people from elsewhere but, what the heck, we need some stuff for here, don’t we?

So, taking out guys like Tim Duncan (Virgin Islands), Patrick Ewing (Jamaica) and Steve Nash (Canada), here’s a personal list of five down to one of the best of the rest:

Drazen Petrovic

Yes, he died way, way, way too young and probably never realized his ultimate potential but, man, could he play.

Vlade Divac

Sure, he all but perfected the flop and that probably costs him a spot or two on the list but as a passing big man, he had few equals.

Peja Stojakovic

There probably haven’t been five guys in the history of the game with a sweeter shooting stroke. Oh, and he’s the only ex-Raptor to be considered.

Arvydas Sabonis

No, we never saw him at his prime in the NBA but go find some of his highlights in Portland and when he played in Europe and you’ll find the prototypical passing-shooting-rebounding big man, the kind of multi-faceted player we don’t grow over here.

Dirk

I know it’s trendy to have him here today but this is more than just a reward for a couple of big playoff series. The dude has been virtually unstoppable for years. Now, he can’t defend on his own to save his soul but …

Of course, No. 1 would unquestionably be Hakeem Olajuwon but I'm taking him out of the loop because he got all his training in an NCAA factory.

And, it was tough to leave off Toni Kukoc and Manu probably gets some consideration as he gets closer to the end of his career and I’m sure there are others you like but I’ll argue those five any old day of the week.

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All right, here’s why they don’t put the actual drawing of the lottery balls on TV for those who were wondering yesterday.

It’s mind-numbingly boring and fast. And done with such necessary solemnity that it probably has to be done behind closed doors. I’m talking, for the most part, a snorefest.

Really.

A league official goes over the process in painstaking detail including what would happen in the “disaster scenarios” of the power going off (draw by hand), the machine spewing balls everywhere (draw by hand) or balls getting jammed (reset the machine).

Now, if the balls had started spewing from the machine and flying all over the room, that would have been cool.

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How come the Rays are kryptonite to the TOD?

Yeesh.

Gonna make it hard to climb that division ladder if that rung is always so slippery.

Speaking of the diamond, the Mighty Rockies were flooded out of practice No. 1 last night; we’ll take another shot at it this evening so think good thoughts.

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And one last kick at the lottery can and then maybe we’ll put it to bed until next year.

Q: Few things:

Very happy that BC is back with the Raps. I feel that he and his moves are the only hope that we have for a team that contends.

For the draft, if the ping pong balls are all in there, isn't it possible that a 25% (or any other team) team could get pulled more than once?

Or do this just disregard the choice if the team was already selected?

Great blog! Love the insight and I've been following for what it seems like forever!

 

 

Ho T, Kitchener

A: Yes, it is quite possible that a four-digit number assigned to one of the teams could come up twice in the three draws they do.

And as the nice gentleman explained to us, if that happened they would simply ignore the second and just repeat the draw.

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A confession?

Didn’t see a whole lot of Heat-Bulls last night, the mind got a bit foggy and the eyelids a tad heavy, life kind of got in the way.

But what I did see was the emergence of Udonis Haslem as a bit of a force and that might be the thing that keeps the Heat hopes truly alive.

Yes, James and Wade are going to get theirs but having a big who is strong enough, and savvy enough, and quick enough to at least match the efforts of Taj Gibson and Omer Asik limits Chicago’s biggest advantage.

But I don’t know that Chicago can run its offence any better than it did in Game 1 nor any worse than it did in Game 2, either.

This one’s shaping up to be an excellent series.

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You know how I’m sometimes talking about dislike or mistrust for twitter, how it doesn’t allow for nuance or inflection and how the world, to some of us, is simply too fast.

My friend Howard Beck of the Times, um, tweeted this yesterday afternoon and if I could write that well, this is what I would have said.

Makes my point pretty well.

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So you run in an election, the people speak, you lose and time to get on with a real life, right?

Or, you could become a Senator.

What a country!

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You know how Bryan said the other night after he got his new deal that he had to hit the ground running and make some quick decisions on people? Well, I’d hope he gets it done quickly because there are a lot of people twisting in the wind.

The entire coaching staff, save P.J., is without contacts about the middle of next month and that has to be Job 1. With the draft evaluation process now taking on even more importance given that they’ll have more players to look at, having no distractions or doubt about the future can’t hurt.

And if he is thinking about making some changes, or if Jay gets his option picked up and wants to make some changes to his staff, now’s the time.

That’s not even mentioning Maurizio Gherardini, who is also a “free agent” in June, and needs to come back, in my opinion.

The work that assistants do behind the scenes, facilitating stuff here and in Europe, gathering information, keeping the franchise in the forefront of people’s minds, is big. You may not see it but it’s also important work. Things like making sure the Raptors have access to practices and players and managers is not something anyone sees but if assistant coaches or assistant GMs can do that work behind the scenes, it helps; and every little bit helps.

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You’ve done okay with the mail so far but there’s always room for more.

You know the drill.

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