The draft, the naturals, the Finals: A huge week looms

Okay, folks.

Have at it.

Draft time is starting to heat up considerably, this is a rather big week with individual workouts and interviews in Toronto and, frankly, things are as clear as mud at the moment.

If I had to come up with a list of guys the Raptors like an awful lot – and this is fluid and will be likely until June 28 – it’d be Dion Waiters, Damian Lillard, Austin Rivers, Harrison Barnes and Jared Sullinger.

It’s obvious than Bryan and the Henchmen are doing just what he said he’d do immediately after the season and after the lottery:

Finding what they consider the best player, regardless of position and acquiring assets.

I don’t think anyone should read anything into the names vis-à-vis guys already on the roster because the Raptors need players and if the player they like best plays a position they think could be already filled well, that’s tough. Take a guy you think can help and either let the coach figure out who plays or let the GM figure out if other moves have to be made.

(By the way, I still think the right thing to do is try to package the pick with a player, maybe two, and find some veteran three but that’s just me).

Of course, they might not have a shot at many of those people on the list because no one knows who might go before them.

Coming out of Chicago, the only thing anyone can say with certainty is the Anthony Davis goes No. 1 and then who knows?

Does Charlotte take Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Thomas Robinson? Can Washington ignore Brad Beal? Is Barnes a natural in Cleveland with Irving or do they take Kidd-Gilchrist if he’s still there? Where’s that leave the likes Andre Drummond?

It’s going to be an interesting time, indeed.

Now, I’m not going to be around the workouts in person but I don’t think that’s a very big thing.

We don’t get to see much (maybe some shooting drills, maybe an agility drill at the end of the workout) and the clichés you’ll hear start with “I think I’m a good fit, I just want to come in and do whatever the coach wants me to do” before moving to “I’m just blessed and will be happy to go wherever I go” and finishing with “this is a good young team, I’d love to come and grow with it.”

You’re welcome.

But that time in Chicago last week was pretty important, it provided a look at these kids in a different environment and we’ll parcel some more of that out (we’ve already heard from Nicholson and a bit of Lillard and Rivers) as the week unfolds.

And, no, we don’t know yet exactly who’s coming what day and history should tell us these things change daily and we might not know for sure who’s in what day until the morning they’re supposed to work out.

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Did you know that on the drive in from the OKC airport to our less-than-ritzy accommodation downtown (it’s nice but far from posh) you see not only oil derricks but haystacks?

Really. Quaint, yes; odd, without doubt.

As I mentioned in this story a little while ago, this city has entirely given itself over to the Thunder in every imaginable way.

You’ve got business with Thunder signs in their windows and Thunder flags on the poles.

I was talking to a comely lass who works in one of the Bricktown establishments last night and she was telling that every seat in every gin joint in the area will likely be filled four hours before tipoff Tuesday and Thursday and they’ll stay filled until long after the game is over.

It’s not going to be like that in Miami; it wouldn’t be like that in too many cities. Perhaps it’s the geographical size of the area – for you Torontonians Bricktown wouldn’t be barely as big as Liberty Village; for you others, it’s about a three square block of converted factories and warehouses that now house bars and restaurants – but it also has to do with the relative nothingness of this city and a desire to get behind something, anything.

Trust me, there isn’t a lot of There There in OKC (oldsters might get that) and having a good young team to rally around provides something a purpose and something common to adapt.

It’ll be a lot of fun, even more fun than seeing a working oil derrick pumping stuff in the 15 minutes it takes to get from Will Rogers World Airport (yep, that’s the name) to downtown.

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Hobbs vs. Hobbs V2.0 at the ballyard this week?

Man, if there was one TOD series I’d like to watch closely this would be it and here I am in OKC.

Tough timing indeed.

Hobbs V2.0, of course, is Washington’s Bryce Harper (you can get to know him pretty well in Griff’s rather detailed contribution here) and it’d be nice to see the kid n person.

And is it a measuring stick for the Jays, who just can’t get a handle on how to dominate – or even hang on often – in inter-league play?

Yeah, might be.

The Nationals are kind of like the Jays, a good young team trying to figure it all out and it’ll be interesting to see who does what this week. It’s not very often an early June baseball series is a big one, I think we can say this one is.

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So, who wins the NBA Finals?

Luckily, they don’t want my copy until this afternoon because I don’t think I can even take a guess right now.

But I will say this:

This is as highly-anticipated a championship series as there’s been in quite some time and I would imagine even casual fans will be paying rapt attention to it as it unfolds.

Yes, it’s probably more anticipated than Celtics-Lakers of a few years ago, which was the biggest in an awful lot of years when it began.

You’ve got Durant and James, Wade and Westbrook; young against relatively old and any number of intriguing story lines to explore and watch.

Might even be an easy one to write about and I’m all for that.

We’ll talk more about who wins and why later on but I think you’d all agree the excitement level is close to off the charts.

Everywhere except Seattle and Cleveland, that is.

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Oh yeah, that Netherlands pick in the Euro2012 sure looks good, doesn’t it?

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Oh, one other thing:

Late nights here and it’s the central time zone; I’m thinking the goal of having this up by 7 a.m. Eastern time each day might not be reachable.

Maybe you’ll give me until 8? Thanks.

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Comments

[Tim H.]

Hey Doug:

Was there a NTN posting this week? If so, I could not find it. If there was one, I'd be happy to get a link. Thanks!

Blogger's note: There wasn't, Chicago got in the way. Sorry about that.

[Tim H.]

"There wasn't, Chicago got in the way. Sorry about that."

I think a cut in pay is required here, Doug. ;>) I think the Irregulars survived on the many other postings you made!

[Vincent Lam]

Hey Doug,

I remember Doc Rivers doing media work in Toronto before getting the head coaching job in Boston (maybe even before coaching Orlando). What was his role when he was here? Did he live here with his family? Did Austin Rivers ever live here?

Blogger's note: No, not sure how much he did, if any; was all freelance.

[Ren]

Seems Jeremy Lamb has fallen off the favorable list with the Raps (and others...). I saw his interview on the Net. Quite, um, interestingly boring. Said he wasn't participating in the Chicago stuff because they told him to focus on his interviews... Well, didn't work out so well, did it? I have not seen a guy so shocked, confused, bewildered...
I read your take on him, but can you elaborate on what you saw? And whomever is helping him with interviews needs to be fired.

Blogger's note: His personality is less than electric.

[sam]

Hmmm - Aside from the previously reported Gay and Iguodala rumours, what veteran 3 might be on the radar fopr the HOTH? The Picture gets a little muddier for me when you look at the available roster players that may be included in any sort of trade. Needless to say - the mystery and guess work will continue until the first trade of the summer.

[David in Oakville]

Re: The Netherlands and the surprising Danes, a wise man once said "That is why they play the games". Those Dutch do like adversity though.
+
Your man C Kelly is doing a bang up job with the reporting.. although he isn't doing any favours for tourism in Poland or the Ukraine.

[Mike kovacs]

It has been some time since I watched any MLB games from Atlanta. How is it that they still get away with that anachronism that is the 'Tomahawk Chant'?

[Dave B]

I am not sure Boston needs to make a lot of changes People seem to forget they were victims of many injuries. Jeff Green was out all year with heart issues, Jermaine O'Neal was lost early in the year. Chris Wilcox was waived due to Heart irregularities. And then the lost Avery Bradley (their best perimeter defender) early in the playoffs. Paul Pierce was nursing a sore knee and Ray Allen was playing with painful bone spurs in his ankle. The Heat were completely healthy at the end of the finals.Yet, Boston still came close to winning the East. With any of these players healthy, they probably could have beaten the Heat.

[Andrew Gregg]

Hi Doug:

With all the OKC hoopla, it's worth reading this article to remember how they got there. I'm no Heat fan, but this makes me rethink about who I'm cheering for:

http://www.thenation.com/blog/168311/do-you-know-your-enemy-why-we-should-all-root-miami-heat-beat-oklahoma-city-thunder#

I've got no real dog in this fight anyway--not a fan of either team. I'm predisposed to root for Durant. But Clay Bennett sure ruins the fun.

Please write an article for Coangleo telling him the correct 5 or 6 moves to make so we can be watching the Raps this time next year. That is all.

AG, Toronto

[Lorie]

Hi Doug -
Did you hear the sad news? Sam Drucker (aka actor Frank Cady) passed away. Growing up, it seemed like he was in every show I watched. Including this one - the iconic "Petticoat Junction":
http://youtu.be/zqyH3bFW-pM
Now did you know he was in "Rear Window", too? Can you remember which character he played? (And it wasn't in a cameo as Sam Drucker!) Have great fun at The Finals! Cheers!

[m]

"Did you know that on the drive in from the OKC airport to our less-than-ritzy accommodation downtown (it’s nice but far from posh) you see not only oil derricks but haystacks?"
I guess that would be a surprise to city slickers. I find your references to OKC, "relative nothingness of this city and a desire to get behind something, anything."
a little off putting to a westerner. Nope we sure aren't as sophisticated as you Torontonians who shoot each other in shopping malls. But never mind me, I'm sure that wasn't your intent at all, but I'm sensitive, I have a farm in Alberta with wells on it. The rigs and bale stacks look good to me.

[doug]

@m maybe before you throw stones look at own backyard...highest homicide rate in the nation is in Edmonton and I guess the way of doing things in Alberta is shooting at RCMP officers on your farm and killing 4 of them....so good try, Toronto is a great city and not reflective of the actions of a few as i know Alberta is as well having visited there many times....it's also funny Doug mentioned this morning about OKC as last night on "secret millionaire" 2 fellows were undercover in OKC a eye opener, and they have slums and burnt out buildings like Detroit, it surprised me...a good episode....to me the Thunder win just because of quality of bench and depth..but like the draft who the hell really knows...ok cheers...

[Penguin]

Your list of cliche responses for players after their workouts reminded me of the scene in Bull Durham where Crash is feeding the cliche media lines to Nuke to use in the show.

[Mike D.]

Doug, any insight into why Sullinger is on BC's hot list? Solid citizen, to be sure, but we're already loaded with 4/5s and from everything I've seen he seems to lack NBA-calibre quickness and hops.

Blogger's note: No, not really; maybe as an "asset" to be turned into something else.

[m]

".highest homicide rate in the nation is in Edmonton and I guess the way of doing things in Alberta is shooting at RCMP officers on your farm and killing 4 of them.."
Ha, those guys are all from Toronto, out here trying to get a job! I know TO fairly well, Crescent School on Bayview and St. Mike's at St. Clair and Bathurst were my schools there. When I look in my backyard, all I see is an oil rig in the distance, what do you see in yours? I'm just jiving you, by the way, do you know about the "dozens"?

[J]

I have to agree with what @Andrew Potter wrote in yesterday's comment section. I don't think most people who have heard of Moneyball actually know what it entails, and it pains me every time I see it misused or incorrectly dismissed.

At the very least, it's not a concept that started with the As and ended with the As, nor was it intended to be the magic formula that solves all your problems. To put it simply, it offered an alternative approach to the gut feeling that baseball scouts used in analyzing prospects. Instead of paying a high premium for players who simply looked the part of a future star, a team following the so-called Moneyball philosophy would place more emphasis on statistical analysis, especially the OBP stat, and hopefully be able to acquire equivalent talent cheaper--that is, players who performed well but looked unathletic, had a funky swing, etc. To really debunk Moneyball, one would have to argue that MLB teams have chosen to pass on statistical analysis and return to the days of relying on gut feeling. I cannot imagine for a moment that organizations interested in making money would be that stubborn. What's much more likely is, as Potter stated, other teams have closed the gap.

As far as an equivalent philosophy in basketball, the two sports are too different for there to be a stat as important as the OBP stat. The importance of OBP relies on the idea that any time you don't contribute to one of the three "outs" per inning, your potential for scoring is infinite that inning. Nothing has that effect in basketball. However, if you follow the general idea of debunking traditional stances, not placing as much weight on things like height (or youth) would be a start. That's a large reason why players like Faried, Blair and Millsap get picked as late as they do. A premium is paid for players who are younger and look more like prototypical players at their position. The comparison still isn't perfect, however, as physical attributes are actually more significant in basketball than in baseball.

[doug]

@m sure I do, it's why i love golfing with my friends or playing some cards...not so much the activity itself...but the one-upmanship, the throwing back and forth of rips, the give and take of insults all said with a smile on our faces and knowing the only ones that can get away with it are those 4 guys golfing or playing cards as that's why guys are guys so yea i get it....cheers..