Of wins and Manning and an idiot fan

This whole “get this thing done by 7 a.m.” plan takes a beating on the day after games, doesn’t it? Man needs his sleep as it turns out.

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THREE POINTERS

A bit of a show

Maybe it was a portend in the second quarter when the Raps showed a bit of something we haven’t seen before but something we know Dwane likes a bit.

A halfcourt trap.

I know they’ve been working on it in practice and in shootaround but we haven’t seen its full effect in games, and didn’t last night.

But it’s there. A couple of guards pressing the ball a bit at three-quarter court, a couple of bigs ready to pounce just over the midcourt line and another big playing centrefield.

Raps didn’t do it aggressively against Houston, falling back passively into a zone defence but it did scramble a couple of possessions and is something to look for once they get a few more practices under their belt.

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Speaking of …

The game-winning run in the fourth quarter was set up almost entirely by the HOTH defence, a couple of steals, a stop or two, a change in the pace of the game with a couple of easy buckets and all of a sudden there was some speed to the game.

For a team that has a penchant for making odd, and bad, plays at key times in the halfcourt, it was a refreshing break. One that pleased Dwane Casey more than anything.

“That’s the key. That’s the way we want to play, that’s how we can get it up to 116 points and you don’t have to come down and grind it out; we’re not a grind-it-out kind of team.”

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Logging some time

Yes, it was good to see DeMar DeRozan on the court in the fourth quarter – meant I didn’t have to check out twitter too closely in the aftermath of the game.

But not really surprising.

DeRozan played 39 minutes Wednesday after going 38 against Orlando and 45 against Golden State.

In fact, in the five games since the one in Houston a week or so ago, he’s averaging almost 40 and, no, it had nothing to do with his complaining.

It had, and has, everything to do with the way he’s been playing, at both ends of the court and the level of trust his coach has in him.

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Oh, boy. Two biggies to finish off.

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First?

Indy was about the centre of the sporting universe and even more than Jim Nabors and Back Home In Indiana, I’m guessing John Mellancamp is the sound you think of, no?

And who doesn’t like a some good fiddling along with him.

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Now, I understand the nature of sports of business more than most, I would think; there tough and often unpopular decisions that management has to make yearly that are difficult and which are sure to turn off some fans.

I also understand the mercenary chase-the-money nature of some athletes who can be as “me first” as anyone you’ve ever met.

Yet there is something about the Peyton Manning thing that bothers and saddens me.

I guess in my heart of hearts I understand that the Colts couldn’t commit a $28 million bonus to him, even if that bonus was as much a thank you for turning the franchise from dirt to gold. Sure, it makes financial sense to save that money – and the relatively paltry $7.4 million or so that Manning was due to earn in actual salary next year – to spend on other guys, somehow.

But I don’t for a second believe the Colts will do that, I believe they will save most of that money in their back pocket and never spend it.

It is not often one athlete is so associated with a city like Manning was with Indy. He brought it from nowhere to the top, he could eventually retire as one of the greatest – and I bet you could argue he was the greatest – quarterback to ever play.

He carried himself with distinction and class, was the ultimate team guy, made the Colts what they are, made the owners and the city richer than they could have ever possibly imagined. He did nothing to embarrass his team, his city, his family ever. He was funny and glib and oh so talented.

The stadium exists because of him, the Super Bowl came about because of him, I don’t know that there’s an athlete in North America so associated with his city (maybe Jeter and the Yankees, perhaps Kobe and LA) as much as Manning was with Indy.

I have no idea if he’ll play again, or how good he’ll be if he does. I suspect he has at least a couple of years left and I will be cheering quietly for whatever team he lands with.

I know loyalty is a fading commodity in pro sports – on both sides – and what Jim Irsay did makes some semblance of sense.

But you know what?

It’s only money, a mere drop in the bucket compared to the money Peyton Manning made for his team and his city and his league.

They should have given it to him as a thank you, let him play next season while tutoring the kid Luck and allowing him to finish his career as it should be finished.

I know it wouldn’t have made a lot of financial sense but it would have been the right thing to do.

Doing the right thing is sometimes more important. This was one of those times.

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I’m gonna tell you, whoever set the over and under on the number of Maple Leaf Sports franchise wins Wednesday at 1 1/2 is pretty darn bright.

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Mail? Got a bunch yesterday, expect a bunch today. Wanna help a fella out?

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Sometimes, fans are simply knuckleheads.

There are 48,000-plus at the dome last night, I’m told, and the atmosphere for the TFCs is somewhat electric.

But the idiot who tossed the beer bottle right before the game-tying goal had to put at least a damper on it and you know that when they show highlights of the night, the singers and chanters and real supporters will be lost in the sight of Beckham holding the empty can.

Idiots.

I’m all for fun and cheering and having a good time, I can understand the game-disrupting streamers even if that does come awfully close to disrupting the game in a bad way but sometimes a dolt or two gets carried away.

Of course, Maple Leaf Sports is a bit complicit in this. Starting the club-sanctioned boozefest early in the afternoon and organizing a march from their nightclub to the park was all but telling the fans to get good and liquored up.

And you get total knuckleheadism from more than a few when things like that happen.

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The Goods On The Game, Rockets at Raptors

Hey everybody.

How's things?

No rush to fill a hole and it's Soccer Day (sorry, Cathal)

We’re a bit all over the map today, which is what you get for an off-day with the HOTH and some idle time for me.

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So, what should they do when, and if, they get an open roster spot at the end of the Anthony Carter saga?

Well, I’m sure there’ll be some clamouring for a third point guard still – a young kid maybe out of the D League – to come in and work in practice and take the scant minutes that Carter usually played.

Makes sense to me but I don’t imagine they need to do that until March 16, or a day after the trade deadline.

Everyone I talk to around the team, and around the league, anticipates that the Raptors won’t do a thing in the next few days but you never know with Bryan and having that open spot makes more sense right now then having a kid sitting on the end of the bench.

I fully expect Bryan will not be able to help himself and will at least try to get involved in some kind of transaction but he has to basically stop himself – or be stopped by his advisors. It’s hard, very hard, to hit a home run in a trade, I think it’s best to sit pat until the summer and see what transpires then.

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Guess I’m going to beat Mr. Kelly to the punch here – I’ll give him a free Grace day sometime – but I found myself sitting on a stool catching Fly Emirates vs. Fly Emirates, er, I mean Arsenal vs. AC Milan, for a large chunk of yesterday afternoon.

And I tell ya, even those among you who whine about the lack of scoring in the game would have liked this one.

It was 3-0 Arsenal, who still lose the aggregate 4-3 as Milan avoids what can easily be termed humiliation, but it was the kind of sporting event that just draws you in.

There were goals and great saves and one of the all-time scoring gaffes by Robin Van Persie, who blew a certain aggregate-equalizer with a little flick instead of a hard boot that will haunt him for a while.

I guess what it showed – and, again, I was shocked by the number of fans who were able to blow off work for an afternoon game – is that I’m one of those sports fans who can watch almost anything as long as it’s played a high level and has some drama and importance to it.

There was a time when I was kind of anti-soccer, it was boring and I didn’t know anything about the teams or players, but now if there’s a good game of some significance, I can easily sit and watch because the essence of sport is excellence and competition at the highest level and, frankly, it doesn’t matter what the game is.

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Mail?

May as well get the process started, right?

Do it here.

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How come just about every time I think about soccer, this song resonates in my mind?

Who doesn’t like a little You’ll Never Walk Alone? And who doesn’t like the idea of tens of thousands of fans singing in unison and support for their side.

I can only wish at least one North American team could inspire such a performance from its fans, that’d be cool. Very cool.

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NBL Canada playoffs began last night and it appears it was a doozy, London over Saint John by one on the road to open the best of three.

I know John Kennedy, the league’s commissioner, has been working hard all year to get some big deals going – you’ll get to read about it here on the weekend, if all goes according to Hoyle – but one thing I hope they can get done (and you better be listening, TV networks) is to get some coverage of the championship series, whenever it begins.

Even tape-delayed would be okay; I think they need to end the first year with a bang and that’s a good way to do it.

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The Bobcats beat the Magic and the Pistons beat the Lakers and we’re supposed to be surprised?

(Total aside: Best part of the entire night was not the Knicks losing or Lamar Odom being booed a bit at home or anything on the court. It was Kobe’s black mask, which is entirely cool and I wish Turk had tried one a couple of years ago he might have liked it).

Anyway, those two results are hardly shocking, not in this NBA season which, more than any I can remember, is chock full of seemingly odd results.

Remember that the next time the HOTH either win one they’re not supposed to or lose one they were supposed to win.

Odd things are happening these days; the one thing you want is to see a team that works consistently hard, develops better individual skills and finds some kind of chemistry.

I would say the Raptors have done the first, struggle at times with the second and the third’s okay, too.

I think just about everyone on the roster could be better in some facet of the game, I think good chemistry comes from winning and is a tad over-rated but the work ethic seems to be there.

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While we’re on the subject of football, how about the TFCs?

Big game vs. The Beckhams tonight, I hear. Maybe 40,000 at the dome to see it and all I really hope is that traffic west eases before I’m heading home from my game.

But I can clearly remember the last time I cared even a little bit about a single game and that was the year they went to New York needing a win for the first playoff berth in history.

Lots of hype, fair amount of general interest; I can remember My Man Girard telling me how big a game it was.

New York Before They Were The Red Bulls 5, Toronto 0.

That’s like a zillion to nothing in a lot of other sports, isn’t it?

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It’s been so long since I’ve heard a Sidney Crosby update that I was sure his concussion/broken neck/soft tissue injury/upper body ailment/cold/flu/allergies/virus/career-ending situation was all cleared up.

Imagine my joy yesterday when the breathless reports surfaced that he is in fact alive and well and ready to resume full contact practice.

My joy is matched only by that of Air Canada’s since they’re about to hit the Motherlode on the generally seldom-travelled Toronto-Pittsburgh corridor thanks to the unquestionable media frenzy that’s about to occur.

After all, the trade deadline’s come and gone, no one’s flown to wherever Ron Wilson is to be treated like excrement and where else are the networks going to spend their money and resources.

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Minor move as Raptors ready to see Anthony Carter go

The Anthony Carter era with the Raptors lasted less than a season.

The Raptors are going to try to either move the veteran guard in some transaction or release him in the next week and a half, according to a team source.

Carter served his purpose in a 37-game stint with the Raptors, providing some veteran leadership and filling in as an emergency third-string point guard.

But a desire to use even more youth and wanting to let Carter see if he can hook up with a playoff-bound team if he’s eventually released, led to Tuesday’s move.

The source said there was no one moment that precipitated the move – Carter’s missed the last three games with a stomach muscle problem – and that Carter had done what was expected of him in helping “change the culture” around the team.

Nor should the move be seen as a precursor to any other move; the Raptors are still not expected to be big players leading up to the March 15 NBA trade deadline.

However, if they can find a taker for the 36-year-old Carter and get some kind of asset in return, a minor transaction is possible.

The move also gives the Raptors an open roster spot but there was no indication any move was imminent to fill it.

 

 

 

Same mistakes are a troubling sign

Seriously, I’m getting this whole Groundhog Day thing going on here without Andie McDowell and it’s really starting to tick me off.

And, as we know by now …

Anyway.

(Gottta love the chance to put in a picture of Andie McDowell regardless)

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THREE POINTERS

Some prolific scoring

Not sure if you’ve noticed but young DeMar’s been on a bit of a scoring roll, including his 23-point night against the Magic.

That’s now 20 or more nine of his last 14 games and what I’m more impressed with is the way he’s scoring. He’s not entirely settling for jump shots – he still shies away from contact a bit more than I’d like – but for the most part he’s been quite aggressive.

Of course, blowing the late layup last night leaves a bit of a question about his finishing capabilities but that’s another story for another day.

The big thing, however, is how he’s going to react when Andrea comes back (and before you ask, it’s looking increasingly like that’s going to be Saturday). Will he still drive the ball? Will he still assert himself? Will he defer?

As we’ve seen, these guys are not good enough to win regularly with just him going well and dare I say they’re not good enough to win regularly with just Bargnani going well.

How they interact is going to be a very important thing to watch and you can be sure that Bryan’s going to keeping a very close eye on how his two best offensive players get along on the court for an extended period of time.

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A couple of tough nights

Linas Kleiza’s got a lot of gamer in him, he’s a tough kid who can play through pain and discomfort, as we saw for a large chunk of last season.

And we might have seen it the last couple of nights, too.

Even Dwane noted after the game that something seemed “off” with Linas, who was 1-for-6 with one rebound against Orlando after being 2-for-9 with three boards against Houston.

We’ve seen how valuable he can be when he’s fully healthy, a tough-minded smart player who can be a stretch four or a big three depending on the matchup.

No one’s saying he’s hurt and Casey said after the game it might be fatigue and they need to watch his minutes but there just seemed to be something “off” with him the last two nights.

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Same old, same old

We all know the problems this team has with making big – or even small – plays at crucial times (it’s mentioned somewhere in the game story) but it’s not only that.

It’s the egregious nature of the momentum-killing turnovers that have to be driving Dwane Casey batty.

It’s Jerryd Bayless throwing a cross-court pass into the seats; it’s James Johnson trying some wraparound pass that ends up in a photographer’s lap; it’s DeMar hoisting a three-pointer when it’s time to drive the ball.

Those are, frankly, stupid plays, not the kind of physical miscue most coaches can live with and until the collective Basketball IQ goes up, there are going to be far more nights like last night.

When Dwane or anyone talks about “winning plays” it’s as much about the mental aspect of the game as the physical and these guys, collectively, don’t have that nearly down pat enough.

Can they get it?

You can only hope so but 37 games into the season, they’ve shown no proclivity for doing it on a regular basis. And that’s the scary part.

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A wee bit more?

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Hmm.

A cyborg, eh?

Well, guess the secret’s out, keep me oiled up and I’m all set to go.

Thanks, Cathal.

Oh, and since now we might have to split some of the more wacky things going on in the world, I get all things Grace Kelly, okay?

And when it comes to busting on the pucks, that’s mine, too.

Carry on.

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Hey, look!

Another photo album, this one from Mr. Madonik, who was the shutterbug on duty last night.

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Get used to hearing the name Andrew Nicholson; he might be the next Canadian kid picked in the first round of the NBA draft.

The Mississauga native just finished a stellar year at St. Bonaventure by being named the Atlantic 10 player of the year – this after being named conference player of the week for a month – and last scout I talked to thought the 6-9 forward, who might have to survive as an under-sized four in the NBA, could be a strong workout season from creeping into the bottom of the first round.

More people I’ve talked to think he’s a second-rounder, and some wonder if he’ll get picked at all, but there’s no question he’s had a great year.

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Well, this is a birthday worth celebrating.

Oreos are 100.

I’d have to put them right at the top of the list of cookies, at least of the store-bought kind, just edging out chocolate chip ones for first with digestives coming a distant third.

Agree?

But Grandma’s white icing cookies – a basic cookie with a white sugar-based icing – will never, ever be duplicated.

Man, I miss those.

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My man B. Schmitz was in town and he chronicled that one like this.

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So they are getting down to the conference tournament time in the NCAA – a couple of automatic bids have already been handed out – and the troubling note arrived from one of the Tall Foreheads last week.

It asked whether Mr. Kelly and I would like to do a couple of brackets for all to see – and I’m sure mock – and, like a fool, I agreed.

Better actually watch some college ball this weekend, I guess.

Have to take Carleton, right?

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The Goods On The Game, Magic at Raptors

Hello, folks.

Another night, another game

Sometimes small is good and a new Coolest Guy Ever

Well, that was hardly pretty, was it?

Effective, I guess but I think I’d rather see a game like Friday’s than a game like Sunday’s. Of course, I’m not as emotional invested in things as some of you might be.

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THREE POINTERS

Small is good

It started early and was a bit of forcing the issue instead of reacting to it – and that’s always good – but I really like the Raptors going small.

Whether it’s James Johnson or Linas Kleiza at the four, with this group that’s available to him, it’s the best offensive team that Dwane Casey can put on the floor and even though Kleiza was rather awful on Sunday night, it kept them in the game and helped them win it down the stretch.

It stretches defences a bit thanks to Kleiza’s range and the fact Johnson does a fair bit of his work on the perimeter and it allows the Raptors to play at a quicker pace.

When Bargnani gets back – and I’m still thinking Saturday in Detroit, thanks for asking – I’m not sure how much time there’ll be for it but when it’s necessary, it seems to work.

Imagine we’ll see a fair bit of it tonight, too, when the Magic have Ryan Anderson out there with Howard or if/when they move Turk to the four.

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Good at both ends

Yes, DeMar DeRozan had a very good and efficient offensive game when they need it most, 25 points on just 17 field goals and only one three-point attempt, but his work at the other end was just as admirable, and more difficult.

He got caught in one of those cross-matches for a lot of the night, being guarded by Dorrell Wright or Brandon Rush at one end while guarding Monta Ellis at the other.

It’s one of the hardest things to do in transition for a wing – work on offence and then try to find your man (he’s usually across the court) when you’re getting back on defence and he did it well.

We’re not about to anoint him as a defensive stopper or anything – his height might have disrupted Ellis a little bit but his foot speed was a liability trying to keep the Warrior guard in front of him – but for Sunday night he did an admirable job and his work ethic was beyond reproach.

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Still something lacking

And that’d be a stone-cold scorer who can take a game over when it’s really on the line.

Yes, they won and they won with defence primarily – holding Golden State to just 28 points in the entire second half – but they still need to develop someone who can consistently give them three or four minutes of offensive domination when they just take over the game.

I don’t know if DeRozan can ever be that guy, at least not consistently; it hasn’t been Barbosa; don’t think Jose’s got that ability and it’s hard to ask a big, who will eventually attract a double-team, to do it.

So, who?

Well, it’s not going to be a kid they draft, it’s a skill that takes some time to learn so it’s going to be up to Bryan to find that guy in either a trade or free agency.

Good luck to him.

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A little bit more? Of course.

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For a few years now, I’ve thought that Yannick Noah might be the coolest guy on earth. Exceptional athlete, great offspring, recording star, married a beauty queen or somesuch and still has great relationships with previous wives and partners.

Saw him at a Final Four in Indy one of the years Florida won it and was pretty impressed with his overall coolness.

Well, now he’s might be second.

To Little Steven Van Zandt.

Dude’s in one of the great bands of this or any other era, he was an exceptional character on The Sopranos and I’m listening to his Underground Garage while working a bit Sunday night and it cemented his place in the Pantheon Of Greats.

First, as a bumper during a couple of segments he’s got Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on First?” routine and that’s one of the great comedy bits of all time.

Then in between a bunch of good songs by bands I don’t know, he drops this.

And I’d never heard Sinatra do Simon and Garfunkel. That’s cool.

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What was it that Dwane said after the game?

Oh yeah.

“We probably set basketball back two or three years.”

I’m thinking it’s closer to a decade.

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You are not telling me that the Blowhard Don Cherry is killing the pucks for not having good Ontario boys on the roster, are you?

Seriously. Is this guy for real or some idiotic character from the old dark days.

As I recall, wasn’t he blasting the Montreal fans for wanting a French-speaking head coach? And now he needs homegrown players on a Toronto team.

Sickens me, actually, that loudmouths who just yell never get called on stuff yet the sheep who follow them never get to hear a dissenting voice, or listen to reason.

And it’s not just Cherry, who is actually little more than a bully with a platform thousands would die for. It’s all the screamers in the broadcast media, none of who would appear to have any level of conscience or accountability.

It should be treated for what it is:

White noise.

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One more Dwane-ism, stolen, er, borrowed from Adolph Rupp and others.

“We couldn’t hit the side of the barn with a bass fiddle.”

Astute.

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A rather unorthodox shootaround Sunday with about 300 coaches in the stands watching and then being addressed by Casey.

(it’s why the HOTH went long at practice on Saturday; far easier to get real work done in the quiet of the practice gym rather than with an audience).

Anyway, it was an excellent idea by the Raps’ basketball operations department. You can talk all you want about developing young talent and keeping it at home but if those same kids aren’t getting excellent coaching from the time they step on the court, their abilities may be stifled a bit at least.

There are all kinds of accomplished coaches around at the CIS and CCAA levels, the game needs more, and a consistent message at the youngest of ages.

Canada Basketball recognizes this, they’ve just added a manager of coach education and development and it’s by far the biggest challenge facing organizations today.

I know when Super Son was playing at the house league level out here in Hazelville, the instruction he got for the alleged hour of teaching each week was practically non-existent. They ran a few layup lines, did some time-worn and boring ball handling duties and then played a game that was far more chaos than anything.

It might have been an aberration, and I wish I had had the time to do more, but it also played a part in him giving up organized basketball at too young an age.

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The Goods On The Game, Warriors at Raptors

All's well?

The end of the weekend mail

Okay, since I spent a Saturday night nestled on a couch watching games – congratulations to Carleton on another OUA title – I’m sure there are some leftovers in the mailbox I’ll get to in due time.

Until then, have at this rather extended mailbag, it might keep you busy until the 6 p.m. start of the IGBT.

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Q: Hi Doug. Can you explain what the amnesty clause is?

Thanks

Penny D, Fredericton

A: Sure, I’ll try my best.

It came out of the labour settlement last year and allows a team to drop one player and their salaries from the team, and the salary cap and tax thresholds. The players get all the money owed them if, after a waiver period when any team can pick them up for the value of their contract. It can only be used on a player who was under contract to that team on July 1, 2011, when the lockout went into effect so you can’t trade for a guy and amnesty him. You also can’t re-sign that player at a lower salary until the length of his contract is up; for instance if the Raptors were to waive Kleiza, they couldn’t bring him back for three years.

It was in effect at the start of this season – it cannot be used during the season – and will be available to teams again this summer, but again only for players who were under contract on July 1, 2011.

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Q: Greetings, Doug. Was reading some online chatter about about Jose and it made me wonder about players who spend their whole careers with one team (ie. Larry was a Celtic, Duncan is a Spur, Stockton in Utah, etc.). Assuming there hasn't been one yet (?), who will be the first Raptor playing regular minutes to begin and end his career in TO? Jose/Demar/Davis if they stay?

And what of the today's stars: DHoward seems unlikely, but will DWade always be in Miami? DRose a Bull? KD in OKC? Kobe a Laker? I know money makes this more than a crap shoot, but look in your crystal ball, oh wise grunt, and guess who will stay put til the end.

Wilber L, Toronto

A: I don’t know that there will be one but if I had to guess today, it’d be Jose. He loves the city, loves the franchise and may decide, when the time comes, to head back home to finish his career, although we’ve never discussed that. Other than that? Hasn’t been one other than short-timers (Garbo comes quickly to mind) and not sure there will be, given the nature of the game these days.

DeRozan? I suppose that possibility exists but he’s probably got a decade left and who knows what will happen with him.

And I honestly believe that Kobe, Wade, Durant and Rose will play their entire careers with one team, which is heart-warming in some regards; I like the the level of loyalty, it's an uncommon trait all too often.

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Q: Hi Doug, I guess this is somewhat topical with the trade deadline coming up, but it's more general in nature. I've noticed over the past couple of years that rumours and transactions involving the Raptors seem to get reported first by national news outlets in the US, rather than by local Toronto reporters (no offence), which is a recent phenomenon, as far as I can tell. I'm curious why that might be. Is it because the likes of ESPN and Yahoo! are more interested in trades and free agency than say, the Star or the Post, or is it because sources within the Raptors' organization see some benefit to leaking stories to those outlets rather than local ones? I've never really understood why teams bother telling anybody these things until they make an official statement.

Dan A, London

A: I don’t think it’s actually too much different with any team in the league, to tell you the truth, although I do think we’ve done a pretty good job here.

But here’s why:

A lot of stuff that’s “broken” is leaked by agents, who have better relationships with the higher-profile league guys, who also have more time to make the daily phone calls you need to make to stay on top of things.

And here’s another thing that happens: Some GMs would rather have stories, or news leaks, about their teams come from someone outside their city because it gives them an added layer of plausible deniability if the other guy in the transaction gets miffed that news got out. You know, like a GM can say, “hey, it didn’t come from anyone who covers my team, couldn’t have been anybody here.”

Why the put stuff out there is complex. Sometimes it’s to test the waters with the players and other teams; see what the reaction is; sometimes it’s to turn the heat up on the other guy to get a deal done; sometimes it’s simply because GMs and Henchmen throughout the league just can’t help themselves.

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Q: A two-parter: To your knowledge, has a beat grunt covering basketball (or any other sport, for that matter) ever teed off on someone on his last day on the job? Say he's retiring the next day, so he figures, ah what the hell, I don't have to maintain a working relationship with these idiots any more, I'm just going to ask the bluntest question I feel like asking, one that my brethren would love to ask but can't for obvious reasons. And two, allow yourself to dream a bit. What question/barb would you launch on your last day on the job, directed at whoever you feel like on whichever sports team you feel like (you can change the names to protect the innocent or guilty).

Lee Z, Ottawa

A: To my knowledge, no. Most of us just fade into the darkness when it’s time to go. There have been stories, perhaps apocryphal, about columnist using the first letter of each paragraph of a final column to take a shot at, say, a boss but that’s rare. Truly rare. Fun, but truly rare, if it’s happened at all in the past.

Me? I guess the only thing I’d ever do – and I can’t really imagine myself doing it – is ask a coach or GM why they’d been such an ass with not answering calls or telling the truth over the course of years covering them. But, again, that’s pretty much out of character and I bet I’m one of those “fade to black” guys when the end finally arrives.

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Q: Hi Doug. I saw this on Wednesday's True Hoop.

At All-Star Weekend in Orlando, Professional Basketball Writers Association president Doug Smith of the Toronto Star announced the winners of the organization's annual writing awards.

Winners were announced in three categories:

Were you or any other Toronto area writers nominated? How much longer does your term run?

Kevin M, Maple

A: It’s actually a self-nominating situation, we put a plea out to all our members to give us one entry in two of the three categories – game story, feature and column – and because as president I guide and administer the process, I do not enter. And I can’t recall if anyone else from Toronto entered.

But if you want some good reading, here are the winners in each of the categories:

Game story.

Column.

Feature.

And I am mid-way through a second two-year term that will end at the close of the 2012-13 season.

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Q: Doug, interested in your comments about De Mar not using screens effectively. Being lazy is one thing, but not using the screens effectively is another. As a former high school bball coach I find it fascinating how poor the fundamentals are of many NBA players - running off screens is one, boxing-out another, and shooting techniques maybe the worst. When you see guys struggling at the foul line it is almost always because their technique is brutal.

These guys are phenomenal athletes and I think their athleticism hid the fact that their fundamentals were weak in high school and college. In their 20s I would imagine it would very hard to change.

Bruce C, Mississauga

A: It is hard, and it’s why NBA coaches get migraines and pull their hair out. And it has to do with the scary lack of fundamentals drilled into teenagers by AAU and college coaches who care first and foremost about winning and getting kudos for successful programs rather than about developing good, fundamentally-sound, all-around players.

Really good game except for the result, if you're a fan

Well, that was some game, wasn’t it? Folks got their money worth on that one, neither team led by more than nine, 10 ties and 13 lead changes.

Can’t ask for too much more. Sure, a win would have been nice but sometimes you make shots, sometimes you don’t.

Not much today but a wee bit of something before I brave the winds and head to practice.

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THREE POINTERS

Pounding the post

No, this team still doesn’t have a true, established post presence but at least James Johnson gave them a bit of one last night out of nowhere.

He was physical enough to get the ball, bang with Rudy Gay and get into the lane and finish, showing another part of Johnson’s emerging offensive game.

I don’t think there’s going to be a steady diet of him in the post – there are not always going to be favourable matchups – but it’s a little thing to stick in the back of the mind for the odd night when it can be exploited.

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Tough break

A wide open – “too open,” was Dwane’s joke – for Linas and a good look at a three-pointer for Jose?

I take those shots any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

So would Jose, he said.

“It felt good. If they wanted to me to take it again, I’d take it. It happens and it didn’t go in. It felt good when it came out of my hands.”

The play that got him the shot is becoming a staple of Dwane’s late-game collection. It’s the same one they ran – successfully – at the end of the Utah game and one they’ve tried to get off a couple of other times.

The interesting thing is with the way teams scout now, everyone knows that it might be coming yet they get good looks; says something about the execution of that one.

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Knew it was coming

If you’d asked me yesterday what impact I though DeMar DeRozan would have on the game, I probably would have come up with a line kind of like he produced.

Thanks to Tony Allen primarily, and OJ Mayo some other times, DeMar was 2-8 with no foul shots in 35 minutes. They wouldn’t let him catch the ball, wouldn’t let him do anything on the rare occasions he got it and if DeMar learned one lesson, it’s that he needs to work harder to get open more often.

Yes, it’s difficult, Allen is a true lock-down defender, but if you want to be good in this league, you have to be able to physically fight to get the ball and do something once you get it.

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And a bit more …

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This is hugely significant and was absolutely lost in the pucks hubbub of Friday night.

(You heard, right? Leaves guy got whacked?)

The Ryerson Rams, in what has to be the biggest upset of the CIS men’s basketball season, knocked off Lakehead in the OUA semifinals out in Waterloo and have advanced to the nationals for the first time ever.

It’s a huge accomplishment for a program that’s still being built by Roy Rana, who has become – through his work with Canada Basketball’s cadet program and Ryerson – one of the key figures in the growth of the sport in the city and the country.

I know we’re late to the dance and should have done more on this long before this but Ryerson’s one of the feel-good stories of the moment and Rana and his players are to be congratulated.

Texted with him briefly this morning to offer congratulations and to try to set something up for early in the week and Roy said:

“It was a special night for our university.”

He’s right.

Good on them.

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Jimmy Fallon doing Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen doing Jimmy Fallon doing Bruce Springsteen while warbling I’m Sexy And I Know It?

I need to watch more late-night TV when I get a chance.

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So the sorry saga of Lamar Odom goes on.

He leaves the Mavs to attend to a family matter – and that’s perfectly fine and shows a nice level of compassion, as it should – and then comes back to suggest he spend a night in the D League to get his legs back.

Well, now it turns out he’s not going to the D League and will rejoin the Mavs.

If he wasn’t such a financial chip – the Mavs can get out from his salary this summer to help clear room to take a run at Deron Williams and Dwight Howard or both – I’d suggest he’d be at the top of the trade rumour mill right now.

But because of that, I can’t see the Mavs moving him because they do not want to screw up what they plan to do in July.

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Oh yeah, will have time sitting around practice to putter on mail, if you want to get it, get in here.