What to expect from the Raptors? A little bit of everything

So here we go.

I am sure there were times when you wondered if there’d be an NBA season during the lockout and considering what’s about to unfold with the HOTH, I would imagine there will be times in the next four months when a lot of you will wonder if it’s even worth it that the season was salvaged.

Yes, there will be times when it looks like an unmitigated disaster, just as there will be times when it looks like the grand plan is unfolding perfectly, just as there will be times when it’s somewhere in between.

That’s the nature of the beast and you know I’m going to offer these words of caution:

Do not get too bent out of shape the nights they get drilled; do not get too euphoric on the nights they win. Both are going to happen, the former perhaps more often than the latter, but appreciate the game, the “wow” moments inside the game, and watch for incremental improvement of the guys whose futures seem tied to the franchise.

Look, I have no clue how many wins they’ll get in the 66-games that begin tonight, no one does.

They could win 14, they could win 18, they could win 26. There are an awful lot of awful basketball teams throughout the league and it is virtually impossible to say how this season will unfold.

But as it begins, here are some specific things you should probably pay attention to over the course of the next 66 games to see if they occur:

Intensity and consistency of effort on defence

We have been told, and told, and told, and told, that this season is about “culture change” and an emphasis on defence that will – they hope – be a foundation to build on.

What’s it mean? Specifically? Well, if you listen to Dwane Casey, or watch good defensive teams, it means more tenacity, more circumstances where big men show hard on screens to “impact the ball” and far less free passage to the rim for opposing guards and wings.

A willingness to get physical

Not dirty, but physical. Not beating on people or taking flagrant fouls or fighting; it’s setting hard screens and fighting strongly on those set against you; it’s boxing out with aggression, turning and facing and knocking your man away. Solid basketball.

So there’s two on the defensive end. Want two on the other?

Shooting range

If DeMar DeRozan is going to take the next step offensively – to steal one of the more boring clichés of the day – he simply has to develop a better outside shot. If he doesn’t, it’ll be more of the same – good but not great – and a season of lost opportunity.

Davis in the post

Dwane caught a few of us off-guard when he said he saw Ed Davis as a legitimate post presence off the bench. Me? I’m dubious right now, I don’t for a second think he’s strong enough but if that’s what they want to do, that’s what you have to look for.

Anyway, folks, it’s going to be an up-and-down year, I can assure you that. But if there is one thing you need to remember, it’s this:

It’s a game. It’s supposed to be fun. It’s not get to worked up about. Enjoy it for what it is. A wonderful sport played by gifted athletes.

Have fun.

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Helluva finish in New York, great finish in L.A., Heat look really good, Oklahoma City starts with a bang and I couldn’t stay up for Golden State-Clippers.

Not a bad start to the season and judging by the buzz I was getting from even casual fans, that whole “fans will never come back because of the lockout” thing might not be happening.

Of course, give us a week of games that more resemble the dog’s breakfasts we’re going to see over the course of the abomination of a season and we’ll see how everyone’s really feeling.

But yesterday? Yesterday was good.

And if this wasn’t the best intro to a sports season ever, I don’t know what was.

This is truly exceptional.

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Best part of Christmas?

Super Son seeing his Super Great Grandpa’s WW1 medals for the first time.

Can’t beat that.

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That is one wacky pucks franchise that shares the arena with the Raptors, isn’t it?

The word on the street from my pucks friends is that the Leaves have a tendency to treat the media with disdain – all of it, not just us like the silly Mayor of The City I’m Glad I Don’t Live In – but Christmas might have taken the cake.

The coach – he of the unspecial teams – puts out a tweet in the morning announcing his own contract extension in some joking manner; the general manager kind of confirms it in the same method in the afternoon and I type this late, late at night, there’s still no word from the franchise in any official manner.

Look, it’s no skin off my nose how they do their business but that’s kind of lame, isn’t it? Pretty big story they got out in a rather weak manner.

But how cool would it have been had some enterprising pucks reporter found independent confirmation by talking to Wilson’s family?

That would have been sweet.

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Hope you all had some fine eating over the last couple of days.

I sure did.

And if you’ve got to rank the components of a typical Grunt Family Christmas from top to bottom, you go with:

Stuffing (lots of savoury).

Gravy (dark).

The crisp skin of a roasted turkey (eaten while carving).

Mashed potatoes (with a lot of that gravy).

Brussel sprouts (sautéed by Super Uncle).

Nanaimo bars (homemade, of course).

Turkey (not a huge fan, actually).

Any vegetable (a kid at heart).

What have you got?

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Oh yeah, we’ve got the IGBT going tonight starting around 7; if the wireless works in Cleveland, that is.

And since Dwane’s keeping his starting lineup to himself these days, check back here about noon for a post-shootaround update with any news.

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Ho! Ho! Ho!

I can’t imagine too many of you are here today and I’d hope that’s the case but if you are, know this:

I had a friend ask me the other day in all seriousness whether I liked this gig and all the stuff that goes with it, especially the workload.

I tried to explain what this little part of the world – and a rather large part of my life – is, exactly. And it was hard.

Maybe it’s a big old family, with an old crotchety uncle or two, a sibling you can probably do without, an issue or two that you have to deal with while rolling your eyes or smirking or simply gritting your teeth and getting through it. But it’s family and you take the good with the bad and make the most of everything you do.

Or maybe it’s as we’ve discussed before, a grand and raucous cocktail party where everyone is talking at once and sometimes no one is listening to anyone else as they prattle on and you seek a quiet corner and a lovely conversation to get away from the hubbub. But it’s fun to watch the people, enjoy the company, enjoy the bash.

It is in no way perfect or even close to it; it is sometimes hard, sometimes laughable, sometimes delightful, sometimes a chore.

But it is ours and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Pardon the sappiness – you know I don’t do it well – but from the bottom of my heart I wish you and yours nothing but sweetness and light and peace and prosperity on this day.

And on all the days that follow.

Merry Christmas.

 

 

A little Christmas music with your weekend mail

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Merry Christmas Eve, Happy Day After Festivus!

Think I better get some shopping done, hope no one’s around doing the same thing.

You enjoy this while I do.

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Q: Great Christmas Movie list, Doug!

Now all we need is the top 5 Carols and Top 5 Festive Snacks (Does eggnog count as a snack?).

Cheers and have a great time with your family this holiday season.

P.S. Do yourself a favour and take the big day off. The Irregs can handle one day without the HOTH I reckon.

Andrew P, Toronto

A: Well, well, well.

Glad you asked. If you can get through this whole thing, you’ll see five or six of the favourite traditional carols, sung by various artists, sprinkled in here and there. No particular order, mind you, but just good songs well sung.

And how come no one told me this group – Celtic Woman – existed before. These ladies can flat out sing.

Enjoy ‘em all.

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Q: Hi Doug. So good to have you write about the NBA again. I have particularly enjoyed today's previews of the season on the website both for the NBA as a whole and for the Raptors.

With regard to the latter, you seem to be saying that it's going to be another learning season and that a playoff spot seems unrealistic. However, I remember asking you in a mailbag (April 10, 2011) at the end of last season what the objective of the 2011-12 season should be and you had responded that "Next season should be all about making the playoffs and being better all around and anything less would, like this season, be a disappointment". Just out of curiosity, what made you change your mind between then and now?

Keep up the good work and Merry Christmas.

Matthieu B, Bern

A: At that point, it’s what it should have been but I don’t think many foresaw the extended lockout, the drafting of a player who isn’t going to be here or relieving Jay Triano of his coaching duties last April.

Situations change, for better or worse is still to be determined. I probably would have wanted them, in a perfect world, to take a different tack, circumstances wouldn’t allow it.

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Q: Seasonal greetings, admittedly not b-ball related directly but having just hopped here from the IGBT (tg it's back!)I have a question. Curious as to whether your apparent distaste for the pucks has more to do with hockey itself or, as I suspect, disdain for the level of angst among the puck's faithful? Truly not something that keeps me awake at night just something that crosses my mind when I read some of the questions/comments you get in the IGBT and mailbag and your subsequent response.

Wishing you and the Super Family all the best,as always thanks for what (and how) you do what you do.

Doug T, Brantford

A: It’s more the angst and overkill that accompanies the game, it’s fun to tweak the people, fun to get ‘em going sometimes.

Plus, I have a hard time getting excited about a sport where one of the strategic moves is to send a designated fighter over the boards to get in some scripted scrap with another designated fighter, often for no other reason that to “protect” a teammate.

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Q: Doug, the article last weekend on tyrant coaches (and the allusion that Casey could be one of them) got me thinking. This type of coach can either be very successful over a long period (Lombardi) or wear out their welcome and 'lose the room' after two or three years. From what you've seen of Casey, does he have any characteristics that might put him in the former group? And, given the personalities of modern players, would even Lombardi survive today without altering his approach?

Alan C, Lindsay

A: No, I don’t think a Lombardi-type coach could survive today at all in any sport, they are players’ leagues everywhere. And for a story I’m working on for the first of next week, I’m finding that Dwane is, as I expected, tough but fair and makes his points without screaming or denigrating. He is, I believe, a solid coach in dealing with the people in his charge.

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This woman’s got some pipes.

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Q: Great blog, and this is my first ever posting to one. So congratulations!

Yes, this season is about culture change, and no, they should not tank games and yes, they need financial flexibility in the future. However, I think this strategy has one big weakness that has not been discussed.

With the current plan, they are not trying to establish a culture of winning. For example, they still miss last second winning baskets.

In my opinion, lots of loses (as forecast) will be very tiring on the young players, and might even become a learned habit. Let's add some veterans who have a record of winning, and clutch shooting.

I hope there is some discussion on this aspect of their strategy.

Bill M, Edmonton

A: Lots of discussion, much of it here. And not to worry, the people who really count – the coaches and players – want to do precisely what you suggest. Whether they can or not is the question.

But as for adding players? Don’t think that’s going to happen, they need to develop that habit of winning with the kids who’ll be here a while and, as we know, Bryan isn’t about to take on long-term contracts and mess up next summer unless it’s the best deal imaginable.

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Q: Hi Doug. Over the past few weeks, we were overwhelmed by trade and free agent stories by basketball writers that quote "unnamed sources". It seemed that in most cases, the sources must be agents or management planting stories for their own agendas, and the media are more than happy to just pass on the information without any filter. I appreciated the fact that you avoided the gossip approach to writing articles, but the broader basketball media appear to have shifted to a TMZ.com type approach. Is this just me, or has their been a change in approach among sports journalists?

Happy holidays

Martin J, Toronto

A: The change is subtle, yes. And has to do, in my opinion, with an unhealthy desire to be “first” in this age of instant information. Is it good or right? Not always and it only takes a couple of blown stories for us all to be tarred with the same brush.

Language shouldn't matter and it's movie time!

In today’s paper we have a general Raptors preview and a player-by-player look at them and what they have to do and five Raptors games you might want to watch and a general NBA preview and five NBA games you might want to watch and five NBA players you might want to pay attention to and five NBA storylines you might want to follow.

I’m basketballed out, I’m afraid. At least for a day.

So, with apologies, there’s not much in here today. But there’s more than enough to read.

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I’m quite late to the dance on this one but …

Been reading all week that the big issue in Montreal and Quebec – and I heard yesterday that even the zany politicians are getting in on the act – is that the Habs are in hot water because – egads!!!!! – they’ve hired a unilingual Anglo as their interim head coach.

I tell ya, that’s some kind of political correctness or something run amok.

I understand the nationalist sensibilities of that province pretty well, I kind of get it but, really, does it matter whatsoever what language the coach speaks as long as the players listen and he wins?

I know the media will scream blue murder because some of them will have to translate and work a wee bit harder and that’s tough.

But shouldn’t it only be about whether or not the guy can coach? And win? And make the team better?

Sure, maybe Patrick Roy would be the perfect solution (I read his name linked the gig somewhere, it’d be even cooler if he brought his kid to beat up other goalies) but this is not a perfect world.

Randy Cunneyworth may be a good coach, he may be a bad coach, he may be in over his head with this job but for the people to bay and whine and get up in arms because of his linguistic abilities seems, to me, to be rather ridiculous.

You hire the guy you think best helps you, you take into account his coaching abilities, not his speaking abilities or his willingness to cowtow to the media.

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A quick HOTH thing, and there’s another one coming later on.

There are limits each training camp to the number of two-a-day workouts teams are able to have (it was three before, it’s four this year on, I believe, a one-time deal) and most coaches like to get ‘em out of the way early, when teaching is at a premium.

Dwane?

Not so much.

He’ll have the lads in the gym two times today, mostly because he knows better now what he needs to work on after two pretend games.

It would have made much less sense, to me, to rattle off four in a row or four in six days early in camp because it would have worn the players out and left him with limited chances to teach after seeing what needed to be taught the most.

Yeah, it’ll make a long day for the players – and even a longish day for me – but it’s a smart move.

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Okay, you had to know this was coming, right?

And since I’m not entirely sure what’s going to go on here this weekend with news or mail or whatever, today’s the day.

Ta-da!

The Very Best Christmas Movies

Put ‘em one on top of the other by the DVD player or Blu Ray or computer or TV or VCR or whatever it is you have these days, settle with the people you love and watch ‘em on this countdown.

Guarantee is a great night.

Miracle on 34th Street

Of course there’s a Santa Claus; who else eats all those cookies and drinks all that milk.

The Bishop’s Wife

Under-rated; vastly under-rated. Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven. Angels and a nice little story.

White Christmas

If for nothing other than the crooning.

A Christmas Carol.

Forget Alastair Sim.

Kermit!!!!!

And, of course

It’s A Wonderful Life.

No, they don’t make ‘em like that any more, do they?

I guess if you had to do, you know, modern ones, you’d have to think Die Hard, Home Alone, Elf and, well, that’s about all I’ve seen. Don’t tell anyone I’d put Love, Actually on that list, okay? Thanks.

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Since I was sitting and typing about a kabillion words of various NBA and Raptors previews yesterday, there wasn’t a lot of time to sit around the arena and wait out practice.

Seems like a wise move now since they did about 90 minutes or so of video review of Wednesday’s game before hitting the court.

I would think that video instruction is going to be a huge part of this season since there are only going to be 20 or so days when they can really practice.

What’s a video session?

Well, it varies from coach to coach and team to team but basically what it is is a breakdown of each player, a handful of plays, close examination of good team defence and bad team defence with a whole lot of “hey, it might have worked better had you done this” thrown in for good measure.

I know good coaches – and I put Dwane Casey in that category already – use it as much as for positive reinforcement as they do to point out the various errors that occur in a game.

To me, that’s the only way to do it. I can imagine a team would tune a coach out very quickly if all he did was hammer them while watching television and the impression I’m getting from everyone I talk to on the team is that Dwane is fair, firm and respected.

It’ll be a topic of a story for another day but he’s really got them on the right track.

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Thanks, Alert Irregular.

If the Knicks sign Santa next year, Jonas will dominate them.

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Mail?

Hardly any, folks, and I’m at least going to need one day to fill this space this week.

Get to it. Here. Please.

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And, finally ...

 

 

 

Now they can get started for real, thankfully

I think we can safely say that no matter what, the NBA pre-season is too long, right?

Anyway …

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Three pointers

One small step

Not a big deal but certainly something that a few people noticed, on both sides of court.

DeMar DeRozan inadvertently knocks down Avery Bradley about midcourt in the second half, at a point when I don’t think things were going particularly well, if memory serves.

DeRozan has a bit of a look of disdain on his face after the play and where in the past he might have tried to help the guy up or at least don’t nothing untoward, the HOTH got up and clearly stepped right over the head of the prone Celtic.

Like I said, not a big deal but for a team that at times in the past seemed to have been a bit intimidated by the mean old Celtics, it was kind of telling.

One of the guys on the staff was telling me even before Sunday’s game was that he wanted to see some aggression from the Raptors towards the Celtics, a willingness to stand up to them and that was at least a little sign.

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Two black holes?

Now it is an entirely small sample size but consider these statistics:

Starting small forward: Seven points in just over 41 minutes.

Starting centres: Two points in almost 40 minutes.

You might be able to hide one non-producing offensive player in a five-man starting unit – and Dwane told us before the game that he’s not looking for a lot of points from his centre as long as they provide a physical defensive presence – but I don’t think you can hide two.

Perhaps we can chalk it up to just a slow start for James Johnson, who did manage to have five steals against the Celtics in Boston on Wednesday but he’s also got eight turnovers in two games and those seven points.

Not that there’s a lot behind him. Rasual Butler’s hurt, Gary Forbes doesn’t look like the answer right now and if that’s not the trouble spot, I don’t know what is.

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Time management

One of Dwane’s laments after Sunday’s game was a lack of “awareness” of time and score and situation.

Well, the Raptors get the ball back with about 36 seconds left in the first half and it looked like a pretty good time to get a two-for-one to finish off the half.

Maybe not optimum but certainly something to work on.

Well, they ended up getting a three-pointer with about 25 seconds left and the chance evaporated. A very tiny thing but …

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And now …

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From the ridiculous to the sublime.

Was going to save this one for tomorrow to finish off our musical run-up to Christmas but after Earth Kitt yesterday (and wasn’t it a bit of a shock to see Catwoman acting like that) it’s time for something special.

Best. Carol. Ever?

Be in the conversation, maybe.

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Hey, I see the pucks are playing the Buffalos tonight? That hardly ever happens, does it?

Better than Houston-Indy in the NFL, I guess.

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You know, it’s all well and good that the Raptors are somehow going to “honour” our servicemen and servicewomen with those, um, interesting camouflage jerseys four times this season.

And because they haven’t yet “officially” unveiled them it’ll give ‘em time to do this:

Announce the dates they’ll wear them, promise that, say, 5,000 free tickets will be made available to each of the four games to soldiers here and relatives of those on active duties and promise that $5 from the sale of each every one of them at their two stores will go to a charity of the armed forces choosing.

Then I’m all for it.

As for the look? Well, you know me and fashion (and the lack thereof) but I’m not a huge fan; one guy standing around in one of those jerseys might look okay, 12 or 15 of ‘em might be a bit much.

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Enough basketball here for you?

(Don’t get used to it)

But if you want to talk about something else, like life in general or whatever’s on your mind, the mail’s available to you.

Here. Please.

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This isn’t the olden days

Lots of wondering from the folks about the offence and a whole lot of ugly reminiscences to 2004 and what has come to be known as The KO Era.

Not the same.

Not even close.

KO, for all his maniacal attention to defence, was also a micro-manager of everything to do with offence and that’s where the big difference is.

Where KO called almost every single play – often to the point of stopping the point guard of the day while he was headed up the court – Dwane does want let them get out and go whenever the opportunity presents itself and is not at all concerned about micromanaging the offence.

Now, he doesn’t have the firepower that KO had for most of that year – HWSNBN still had some game, Jalen was a pretty good scorer himself – but Casey wants to let ‘em play.

Those comparisons between the coaches don’t carry water.

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So, the NBL Canada’s back in the news.

Got a note yesterday that Mark Strickland is out as head coach of the Oshawa Power (second coaching change in the league’s inaugural season) and he’s being replaced by David Joseph, a well-known local who doubles as the dad of Cory and Devoe, two rather recognizable names.

Not sure if it’ll mean an awful lot in what’s turning out to be one of the more difficult markets for the league to crack but guess it does show that ownership out there is willing to make bold moves to salvage something of the season.

Salvage might be the wrong word, the Power isn’t a bad team, they play entertaining basketball and will get No. 1 overall draft pick Morgan Lewis back from injury for the end-of-the-season run.

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Okay, early flight back home, lots to do when I get there (you don’t think the mall’s will be crowded, with they? I have some shopping to do) so we’ll get to comments whenever we can.

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Don't forget the other end of the court, too

Finally, the interminable NBA pre-season comes to an end for the Raptors.

(Oh, wait; that’s every other year).

Anyway, guess the question is what to look for – or expect from – the HOTH here in Boston tonight and, frankly, it’s not going to be too much.

All they want, at least all that Dwane says he wants, is more of the same from Sunday night, consistency and intensity on defence, guys being in the right place and doing the right thing, and the incremental improvement that, really, only coaches can see.

What do you look for?

Well, I do think it’s time to see some fluidity to the offence – it was way too herky-jerky for most of the game the other day at home – and I wonder just how good this collection is going to be at that end of the court.

They don’t shoot it particularly well – neither their starting shooting guard or small forward is remotely a three-point threat; if they stay with a “centre by committee” two of them are offensive liabilities – and that has to be at least a little bit worrisome to the staff and fans.

And one thing Dwane pointed out during our daily chinwag Tuesday was that he needs to see better reading and reacting from the guys on the floor, the kind of instinctual play that comes not only with experience but with familiarity among the players on the floor.

“We know how to get into a play but defences are going to there, give you an obstacle, so now we’ve got to know how to get out of a play out of our sets.

“Know our reads, know our options, know our counters out of what we already have in.”

So, yes, defence continues to be a priority – it will be for the entire season, a mantra that will never go away – but it’s almost as important that they get things figured out offensively, as well.

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Hey, Tankers:

I think Dwane put as well yesterday as I could ever have:

“I still look at all the guys as young guys, young players, everybody needs that playing experience.

“But, again, not at the expense of just going out and walking out and giving away a game, I’m never going to do that. Guys are going to have to earn their minutes, the guys who are out there – young, old, middle-aged, whatever you want to call it – everybody’s going to have to earn their minutes … guys will determined the amount of time they’ll have.”

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Can you feel the excitement?

Teenage pucks soon!

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Seriously, why in the world would they hold something called the Beef O’Brady Bowl and why in the world would I be watching it for even 40 seconds while sitting on a stool?

If there’s one thing I don’t get in all of sports, and there’s lots of things, it’s the proliferation of American college football bowl games.

The Beef O’Brady Bowl?

Have we given up as a sporting society?

(Oh, yeah, Marshall won)

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Oh, we’ve had some obscure ones in our Walk Through Odd Christmas Songs.

None more obscure than this, I don’t think.

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So my good friends over at the NBL Canada had a little chinwag with commish John Kennedy yesterday.

I got a report second-hand (dang flights and HOTH) but if you want a bit of a catch up with the league, here goes:

Things are moving along as expected, some teams are doing quite well, there are a couple of trouble spots (Quebec’s in a very small gym and that’s hurting them, Oshawa’s in an extremely tough market and that’s a troubling situation) but the league isn’t ready to abandon them quite yet.

They’d like to add some teams, specifically in Ontario, and I don’t think that’s a bad idea at all.

If you were to find people to put teams in, say, Kitchener-Waterloo, Windsor and maybe even Hamilton, you could probably increase media awareness in the province, get some real rivalries going and grow sponsorship province-wide. Not a bad a idea at all, as long as they go slowly and prudently.

One of the hallmarks of the league has been intelligent ownership, not trying to hit home runs but to build small innings; that’s the way they have to continue.

Oh, on the court?

You’re getting a bit of separation with London and Quebec at the top and Moncton at the bottom; the other four teams are relatively closely bunched, which is another huge plus.

Again, this league is a good idea being implemented well, if you get a shot, go see a game, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

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Right, the mail. Better get started by jotting down your innermost thoughts and sending them along here. I have no idea what the weekend schedule’s going to be with Christmas and all but, believe me, there will be mail.

Oh yeah, know what else there will be?

An IGBT!!!!

Yeah, we'll see if it works tonight here, and see if we remember how to do it.

They're set up now by the big shots back home so you might have to actually go to the paper's website and sports section to find it, but it's certainly not that hard.

See you then, right?

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How good a day was yesterday for some old friends.

Hump gets a gig with the Nets and Reggie Evans agrees to go to the Clippers.

I will tell you this: The Clippers got a great, great deal in Reggie; just about perfect for what they need. Seeing how I saw a tweet thing early yesterday afternoon that they were considering Alexis Ajinca for the role (yes, I scoffed; incredibly), how much of an upgrade is a guy who’ll get you five or six extra possessions every night?

I don’t know how it ultimately works out in the end for the Clips – there are some holes in the roster like outside shooting and the bench and I do have questions about the coaching – but Reggie Evans is a great add.

Good on them.

(Speaking of Hump, Gumby and I are in a 7-11 in Boston last night and on the magazine rack, one of those trashy celeb things NO ONE SHOULD BUY has a headline that says something along the lines of “Humphries To Write Tell-All Book. Might knock To Kill A Mockingbird off the must-read list).

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Yu Darvish.

(Figured I’d throw some baseball in just to keep this from being a total baskeball blog)

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No Yu but no Prince, either; and some Raptors stuff

Oh, boy.

I can hear some of you now.

No Yu Darvish? Go get Prince Fielder! Spend that $100 million-plus. Show us you’ll do something.

No, no, no. A thousand times no.

This is a bit of a digression but not to worry, there’s Raptors stuff down below but the big story today is the fact the Texas Rangers beat out the Jays for the right to negotiate with the Japanese phenom.

(Oh and I wonder if all those guys who reported the Jays won the bidding rights the last few days are writing “I was wrong” pieces today?)

But the last thing Alex Anthopoulos needs to do is have some knee jerk reaction and run out to throw money at Fielder, the best free agent player still available.

Forget the fact that Fielder wants something ridiculous like an eight-year contract; even on a four-year deal – and I don’t imagine he ever goes that low on his demand – you cannot possibly imagine he will be any slimmer, quicker or less of a defensive liability than he is right now.

The Blue Jays will score enough runs; they need pitching and maybe what Alex needs to do is package up some of his excess farm talent and a position player or two and get busy in the trade world.

Griff’s got a bunch of possibilities in this typically good piece, that’s the route the GM has to go.

They have shown they are willing to spend significant amounts of money on what they see is precisely the right piece for where the franchise is today; on the cusp, needing more starting pitching depth and seemingly poised to take the next step with a good young group.

They were in on Papelbon, if reports are true they were in on Mat Latos, they were obviously in on Darvish. If Alex thinks it’ll make sense, he’ll do whatever deal is necessary; no one can have complaints about that. The fact Darvish didn’t work out; or that Papelbon spurned them or that Latos drew a better package somewhere else can’t hide the fact these guys are willing to make bold moves.

Fielder would be dead wrong on any long-term deal.

Sure, there’s a gamble with any major acquisition, especially pitching, but it’s more prudent to find youngish talent than a relatively older, far bigger – and I mean BIGGER – and potentially fast-fading physical specimen.

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So a guy mentions that Leandro Barbosa may be a huge part of what happens and that day he misses a practice because he woke up with a stiff back after being drilled on a screen during the Sunday Boston game.

Yikes.

I’m telling you, with the number of games in such a short period that’s coming starting Boxing Day the most valuable employees may be director of sports science Alex McKechnie and head athletic trainer Scott McCulloch.

Now, there’s no sense that there’s anything to seriously wrong with Barbosa, who missed practice along with Anthony Carter (shoulder). But you know that injuries are going to be a factor throughout the league this season, simply because the wear and tear and number of games per week.

Starting off the season as healthy as you can be is paramount.

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Okay, so we’ve got this poll going over at the Facethingy page (go here, please cast a vote, and “like” it; I’m still three short of 600 and that’s a nice round number the Tall Foreheads will appreciate).

Anyway, it has to do with Peja Stojakovic, who announced his retirement yesterday and where he stands among the best pure shooters to ever play the game.

I know the Peja era in Toronto was a bad one but he was never going to play here, he was cap ballast in a trade and a piece to be moved on; maybe he stayed out too long with bad back but that’s really neither here nor there.

What matters is that he’s probably second on my all-time list of guys I could watch shoot all day.

First would be Dell Curry, third would be Ray Allen and, reluctantly, I’d put Reggie Miller fourth because I never liked the way he flayed his legs or spread his elbow on his stroke.

What Dell and Peja and Allen did, and do, is elevate shooting a basketball to an art form. It is quick and seamless and simply delightful to watch. The release seldom wavers, in Dell’s case the ball never seemed to stop in his hand on a volleyball-like catch and shoot.

I could sit in a gym and watch those three guys work for hours on end and marvel at the consistency of the shot and the purity of it.

They don’t make ‘em like that any more, it seems. And that’s too bad.

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This is an out-take from an e-mail I got yesterday and it’s kind of representative of several that have arrived over the last few weeks:

“i am cheering for raps loosing as much as possible. we really need that high pick next year. this is the only way we will see some good b-ball for a few seasons._all the best”

So, to this dude or dudette and all the other who have expressed the same sentiment I kind of demand this:

Do not dare to come here during the season and tell me how bad this team is. It’s what you want, right? You want ‘em to lose? You deserve bad games and have no reason to waste my time, or the time of others, by telling us how bad they are. It’s your wish; if it’s granted, you have to be quiet and take solace in it. Can’t have it both ways.

End o’ rant.

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And, with that …

Nothing says Christmas better than a little Dee Snider.

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Oh yeah, one more Raptors note.

Now that we know what “multiple stops” are (I’m sure you’ve all read this already; if not, take a look) there’s something for the stats-wonks to chart each game this season.

You know I’m not a huge fan of advanced metrics in basketball – they have a place in the process but shouldn’t drive it – but it’s pretty easy to see how getting three defensive stops in a row seven times in a game would prove that the defence is working.

So we’ll give you that one to check out as the games unfold.

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As expected: Some good, some bad, some work still to do

So, what’d ya think?

Better? Worse? Same?

Impossible to tell much off one pre-season game – always remember that – and as you’d expect there were some good things and some bad things.

Remember these?

(Unless you or I come up with a better idea, it’ll stick)

THREE POINTERS

Tone set early

There was a Jerryd Bayless breakaway dunk some time in the first half and it was one of those moments when players leap off the bench, coaches get excited, the fans get pumped up and the guys on the court are high-fiving and watching.

Except this time, almost before Bayless was airborne, Dwane Casey was up on his feet not cheering but screaming at the players to “get back, get back” on defence. They did. Maybe the message will ultimately get through.

A work in progress

Ed Davis had a statistically sound game, 10 points, 10 rebounds, some moments where he really seemed to get it.

And then where some defensive lapses, some lack of physical play that make you realize he still is a very raw talent in just his second season. That’s a point that wasn’t lost on his coach, who had this to say:

I was happy with Ed, 10 and 10, a double-double. Again, getting that stamina up where he can really be physical for an entire game to go against a guy like Garnett, rebound in traffic, we need to have that from Ed.

I do think Davis is going to be a solid pro; I think he’s not quite there yet. He is, however, closer than he was.

What’s it mean?

I see scribbled in the notebook this little entry:

LB=MVP.

Wonder why.

Oh, yeah.

I think there are going to be times, even after they’ve got all their offensive set in, that this team is going to struggle to score.

And that’s why Leandro Barbosa may end up being one of the most important players on the roster.

He’s still the best guy on the team at breaking down his man off the dribble, I think he’ll emerge as the best three-point shooter on the squad and if Dwane envisions from his past some kind of Jason Terry role for Barbosa – offensive energizer off the bench to will be asked to change games – I’m all for that.

We saw the Raptors struggle mightily on offence for long stretches yesterday, I think that’s going to remain an issue; they’ll need as much scoring punch as Barbosa can give them.

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Wow, less than a week ‘til Christmas, I hear.

Hope the malls aren’t too crowded, I’ve got some shopping to do.

And I’m sure they’ll be playing carols, hope this one’s in the rotation.

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Let’s see:

Packers lose.

Colts win.

Tebow has no miracle.

San Diego drills Baltimore.

And, somehow, mathematically, the Eagles are still alive.

Oh yeah, I sure picked a good week to give up the NFL gig because there was other stuff to occupy my time.

Anyway, the NFL stuff is done, at least for the paper. Game yesterday, Christmas Eve and then a drive to Cleveland next week, Dallas-Orlando-New York over New Year’s. Busy. Busy. Busy.

But I still pay attention, mostly because I’m more engaged in the NFL for having written about it for 15 weeks or so and the most interesting thing was probably the Packers losing because they had simply been so dominant offensively for so long and Aaron Rodgers was having a season for the ages.

There is always a debate when an unbeaten football team reaches this point in the season, isn’t there? Do going unbeaten count for much? Do they need to rest players for the post-season even if it means sacrificing that unbeaten streak?

Now, I don’t think it’s ever good to lose, no matter what, but in some cases, as long as you’re giving your best shot, working on the areas of the game that need improvement and the other team wins? Well, good on them, sometimes the other team just wins.

The problem the Packers this season has always been the defence, they give up too many big plays and big drives and make big mistakes.

I’m sure the coaches knew it and were hammering it home every week in practice. But as long as they were winning and Rodgers was dominating, I’m sure some of the players glossed over the talk and just went about their business.

Now? Now they got a wakeup call so maybe some losses aren’t bad.

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So, if you saw that Raptor game, what’d you think of the 3-D thingy on the baseline.

Super Son reports that it looked pretty cool on TV and I heard that in some of the seats on the far side from the bench, you can see what it is and the impact it has.

(What it is, if you didn’t see, is the Raptors name printed on the baseline out of bounds right under the basket. It’s scripted in such a manner that it looks three-dimensional, like it’s standing up. I’ve seen it used in Euroleague arenas and at some big-time soccer matches; we’re told this the first time it’s been used in North America).

You can see it briefly a couple of times in this link of game highlights.

But if you’re sitting where we’re sitting, or in the bottom few rows of seats, or on our side of the floor, it’s absolutely indecipherable and looks like scribbling. Or as if someone spilled some paint.

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Oh yeah.

That picture of Ed Davis up above?

It comes from the one and only Stevie Boy Russell, our crack photog who did Sunday’s game.

The rest of his impressive work’s right here.

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The end (sort of) of the weekend mail

Okay, for some reason there’s a glitch in our e-mail system so I can’t get to the place where the questions go. Means I will have missed some from yesterday afternoon and evening and a few days ago; when it gets fixed I’ll get a look at them.

Until then …

(Oh, going to take today to get used to covering a game again, we’ll start IGBT for the game in Boston, okay? Thanks).

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Q: Good morning Doug. I was wondering how the lockout, the shortened training camps and the upcoming condensed schedule are going to affect the referees? Do you think it might take them more than a couple of pre-season games to get into the flow of things? Will players and coaches be patient with them if that's the case?

You mentioned that the Raptors, and teams in general, would want to find ways of reaching out to the fans in order to make up for the lockout. The Raptors already had one idea torpedoed by the league. Any news or ideas on what other ideas they may have? What about the employees, security, concessions staff, etc, what if anything might they do to compensate them for the months of temporary unemployment?

Thanks as always for work. Cheers!

Dominique K, Ottawa

A: It’ll be interesting to see how the referees do this afternoon but there haven’t been any huge rule changes, they keep themselves in pretty good shape, they don’t have to get used to new teammates or coaches or systems so I imagine they’ll be fine. Might take a game, maybe two, to get familiar again with the pure speed and physical nature of the game but that should come quickly. In fact, in the few minutes of pre-season games I’ve seen on TV – some Nets-Knicks yesterday afternoon, a bit of Spurs-Rockets last night – they didn’t seem to be an issue at all.

As for players or coaches cutting them some slack? Can’t imagine that happening, complain is what some coaches and players do best.

The Raptors and stuff for fans and part-time employees? Haven’t heard of a thing, which saddens me a bit.

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Q: Why are we making such a fuss about Jamal Mcglore coming to t.o. We should be booing him for being selfish and refusing to play for Canada in International comps. Go back to the states where his true heart lies. We need all our Canadian born players to follow the lead of Steve Nash.

Bill K, Markham

A: One has nothing to do with the other but, whatever. Do as you please, think what you want.

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Q: Hi Doug. Since the Raptors are clearly in a rebuilding mode this season, do you think that influenced BC in his decision to bring in Jamaal Magloire? Not necessarily from a basketball perspective but more of a PR or fan perspective? Same with this interest in Andy Rautins?

A T, Niagara Falls

A: Marketing? PR

Look, if Bryan did things for PR or fan perspectives we’d have TJ, Mo Pete, Pops, Antoine Wright, Reggie and Solomon Alabi in the rotation.

And I’d be scratching my eyes out and we don’t want that, now do we?

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Q: Dad, er, Doug, I love the blog more than life itself, you a great man. What kind of out-of-the-norm Christmas tune do you like?

Super S, Mississagua.

A: Glad you asked.

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Q: I would love to know what the NBA rules are regarding one of its owners suddenly becoming the president of a country (or even running for President). You gotta give the NBA credit.. their owners sure aren't boring. It turns out Prokhorov isn't the Russian "Mark Cuban" but the Russian "Ross Perot".

David W, Oakville

A: And if Russia doesn’t work out, think he could be borough president in Brooklyn some day?

Rules? They don’t need no stinking rules. I’m just hoping that if he wins, David Stern doesn’t try to overturn the results of the election. For “basketball reasons” of course.

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Q: Waltz happenin? How about Van the Man?

Do the refs have a training camp? Do they do two a days? What are their area of emphasis this year? (Hopefully, carrying is in there) Is Leo's favourite ref still alive?

How many wins for the HOTC this year? Is the answer hermetically sealed in a mayonnaise jar on Funk and Wagnall's porch?

Bob E, Kanata

A: They do have a training camp with fitness drills and tests and on-court sessions with grand league poobahs. Not sure about the two-a-day thing, though; that might be a shock to some of their systems. We haven't heard the Points of Emphasis yet this year (we usually get a pre-season tutorial, guess the league's been busy) but did hear something about post defence and travelling -- again -- being on the list.

Yes, Funk and Wagnall has it; I’ll let the secret out sometime soon. Or in April. Am not sure.

This Van the Man? The one and only?

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Q: Now that the new CBA is in place, what happens to that trade exception the Raptors got for Chris Bosh?

Maxime B, Chambly

A: It expired Friday.

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Q: Any truth to a rumour floating around about Camouflage Raptor Jersey's as the 3rd Jersey??

Bryan W, Toronto

A: Oh, I hope so. They don’t have nearly enough uniforms now with the red, white, black, green and the blue ones that say “Huskies.”

Actually, it’s a big state secret -- or not -- but they have something cooking; after all, separating fans from their money is, well, it’s a time-honoured tradition.

The usual start of the weekend mail

Hmm.

Lots and lots and lots of basketball in here. Wonder why?

If you want more, or have other stuff you want to talk about, last chance to click here and do it.

Thanks.

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Q: Hi Doug: Word around town is that as part of the CBA, David Stern is stepping down and one, Doug Smith is the new commissioner of the NBA. Besides increasing your pay, rewriting the contract so you have a whoppingly large Defined Benefit Plan Pension for life and oil changes for life for the Focus, what are the first 5 things you'd do in your new position? You can make it more than 5 if need be, Mr. Commissioner

Richard B, Mississauga

A: Oooh! Power! Love it.

Okay, here we go

Shorten the season

By decree we go from 82 games to 70. Done. Oh, and we don’t start training camp until the first of November. Season’s way too long.

Cut the pre-season

Four games, tops. And one of the two at home is free, the other has tickets maxed out at $25; season ticket holders don’t have to pay for the one game, either.

Two games on Christmas

Look, you want it to be some kind of big day, that’s fine. One game at 1 p.m., one game at 8 p.m., that’s it. You give earlier diners a game and late diners a game and a whole bunch of other people get the day off.

Change the contracts

No contract can be fully guaranteed for longer than three years; you can sign a five-year deal if you want but three’s the top on guarantees.

Euro Division

I put four teams in NBA Europe. London, Madrid, Rome, Paris. Each NBA North America team makes one 10-day road trip there each year; the European teams play amongst themselves for the rest of their season.

This is done not to “grow the game” or anything like that, this is done solely so North American beat grunts can get one extended European trip to four great cities each season.

Can’t forget one’s roots, can one?

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Q: I don't know if you caught Chris Paul's press conference when he was introduced by the Clippers. He started off by thanking the fans and the city of New Orleans for everything and vowed to continue to be a part of the community and talked about how much it meant to him.

Is it safe to say that had LeBron spoke of Cleveland in the same regard upon announcing his decision, he wouldn't be so viciously hated right now

Allan I, Markham

A: I think that’s probably a logical assumption but there would still have been a lot of venom; far more, I think, regardless of what he said or how he said it.

The connection between Paul and New Orleans – a city still in need – was strong, I am not at all surprised that he took the road he did by thanking them. Classy move, actually.

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Q: Hi Doug! It looks to me like this organization has finally found their man in Dwayne Casey. The Raps were one of the worst teams defensively once again last season. My question is: Can the Raptors be a better team defensively in this league with Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani in their starting lineup?

Sylvio M, Ottawa

A: Yep.

Look at it this way: Can they be worse?

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Q: Gotta any good Christmas songs today?

Doug S, Mississauga.

A: Glad you asked.

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Q: Hey Doug. Continuing with the tank-spiracy theory, one of your fellow bloggers (Charley Rosen in his blog " the worst free agent signings so far) named Gray and Maglore as 2 of the 8 worst signings so far this Free Agency. Is there something in there that BC sees that those of us seeking wins or hope are missing?

Rob N, London

A: To each their own, I guess, and I guess it would depend on understanding the context of the signings for someone from afar to opine on them.

If you’re trying to win quickly, a 33-year-old centre and another big man aren’t the greatest of signings. If you were woefully thin and relatively soft in the frontcourt and wanted to a couple of bangers in on one-year deals that would still allow you to add significant pieces a year from now while waiting for a promising first-round draft pick, the signings make absolute sense.

What Bryan sees is what he’s been telling everyone since May: He needed to get some size, some experience and still not mess with the financial flexibility he has while waiting for Valanciunas. And in that regard, Magloire and Gray are exceptional pieces.

I imagine I’ll say this a zillion or so times: This season is not about this season.