Time to find out what they're made of

Of course they won’t admit it because it’s not what they do and Dwane has these lads trained pretty well.

But this is a very, very telling week about the lads and you know they have to be thinking that if they don’t get three wins in the next three games, they’ve wasted a lot of this six-game homestand.

There were many in the organization who looked at the games, factored in the way Toronto was playing and the calibre of the opponent and figured five wins were a must.

Personally, I thought they might spit one up with a dull performance (Hello, Sacramento game!) and that 4-2 would have been pretty good.

But 3-3? Or 2-4? Unacceptable; not season killing because as Dwane said in today’s piece that there are lots of games left, but still unacceptable.

That makes me wonder how these guys will respond because this is about the biggest challenge of the season so far and in the minor ones they’ve already faced they really haven’t distinguished themselves.

I fuily believe that even in this incarnation this team is talented enough to be about the best of the so-so ones in the East. I think they can be better than four or five teams, always have thought that, and three of them are here this week.

We do know that it takes a maximum effort every night for them to prove it to each other, to the fans, to the opponents but if they play with Dwane’s “sense of urgency” (that’s this year’s “disposition” isn’t it?) they are good enough to win.

The message has been hammered home to them so often you’d think it would be impossible for it not to sink it; we could very well find out tonight, Friday night and Sunday afternoon whether that’s true.

I’m not suggesting this is the defining moment of the season – we’re months away from that – but we are the defining moment of the season so far.

Can’t wait to see how they react.

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Yes, you’re going to hear that Rudy Gay might – MIGHT – be available from Memphis and, yes, the Raptors are interested at the right price. They always have been, probably always will be.

Gay would have been the No. 1 pick way back in the Bargnani draft year (and you can forget everything you hear to the contrary) and the interest is legit.

We’ve mentioned that so often, it’s like it’s news again. It shouldn’t be.

But the cost? Who knows what it is. Maybe Calderon and one of the young bigs, I would imagine the Grizzlies would start the conversation by asking for Ross and/or Valanciunas. It will – and this is only if the interest gets to some more legitimate stage and it is not there yet – be steep.

Here’s what Marc Stein has with his latest.

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Mail?

May as well start. I see some there already – some that will require Research Monkey time and effort, thank you very much and you know who you are – but there aren’t that many queries.

So do your stuff, please.

Click. Write. Send.

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Okay, this is how my mind works.

Remember yesterday when we had the Bowie clip and it came from an appearance on the Dick Cavett Show? Well, It caused a wave of nostalgia about those old afternoon talk shows and whatever happened to them?

I’m not talking about lunacy of Jerry Springer (Today On Springer: An Alien Slept With My Wife While I Fathered A Baby With Her Mother!) or Sally Jesse Whateverhernameis or the other slop.

I’m talking about Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin and Dinah Shore and others I’m sure I’m forgetting.

We’re they cool?

And never forgotten by some, right?

Anyway, here’s one for you.

We all agree – and if we don’t, there are going to be issues – that Ed McMahon is the gold standard for sidekicks, right? Day, night, good show, bad show, it doesn’t matter.

The list starts and stops with him.

But second?

I’ve got one for you.

Arthur Treacher made some good fish and chips, too, didn’t he?

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So Dwane brought up an interesting point when we were discussing Ed Davis after practice Tuesday and what Davis gave, or more importantly, didn’t give the Raptors on Sunday and what he needs to give them every night.

And if any of you thought Ed had a good game that day, it’s not an opinion shared by his coach.

“Against Oklahoma City, I thought he could have brought it more, competed harder, banged harder, got to the boards harder, a lot of things.

“He was the difference in the Portland game, he was the reason why Portland had to take off their blitzes on Jose and Kyle because he was knocking down shots. Those same shots he had against Oklahoma City he was turning them down. I can understand if he had missed two or three but he was turning them down before he even attempted them. He has to be aggressive, be focused, stay in the desperate mode, that hungry mode that he started his starting situation with and not lose that edge.”

You know who isn’t afraid to take those shots out of that position and who presents a threat that allows the guards to have more success.

Yeah, the Enigmatic Roman.

And Ed has to be more like Bargnani offensively; not taking three-pointers, that’s ridiculous, but by being a scoring threat from 15-feet every night.

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Hang on a sec.

The dude they hired to be the head coach of the TFCs isn’t quite ready to be the head coach of the TFCs and might not join the team in his new gig until May?

Oh yeah, that’s a model way to run a sports franchise.

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Comments

[john]

This may go against the grain, but what the heck...
Wait to see how the team is doing and how JV and Ross are developing between now and the trade deadline which is almost 6 weeks away. There is no reason to make any trade at this time.
If the team is performing well at that point, pick up BC's option for next year. This will give some stability to the organization and also take less pressure of BC to make a big splash to better the team in the near term so he can save his job.

[Nick M]

I was listening to Dwane on 590 last night and he mentioned that JV was getting ready for the big debut of the Lithunian Basketball Doc. In the past you weren't sure of when it would air in Canada. Doug, are you aware of any air date now?

Blogger's note: There is a private screening tomorrow; am unaware of a general release date at the moment

[Lorie]

Ha! Have been leaving the aged family minivan open to all comers for years now. Times must not be that tough - and there is truly no accounting for taste even among would-be car thieves. I've had loose change, decades-old granola bars and drink boxes, hair scrunchies and Spandau Ballet cassette tapes removed. But the vehicle remains. I guess you can't truly know how lame your Dodge Caravan is until its shown to be less desirable on the resale market than the music of a so-so band from the 80's.

[doug]

I hope there is no Rudy Gay trade if it means losing a young player...Zach Randolph would excite me much more...and your exactly right, i feel the Raps dropped the ball literally against the Kings as they needed to be hungry for that game and weren't....then i wasn't pleased with Dwane's comments after the Thunder game , giving excuses in that Thunder are this and that , giving his team a out.....whereas the very next night the Thunder lost to the Wiz, a coach has to demand his team be prepared and eager to win every night, so far we have seen 2 games in a row where that wasn't the case...this team has to get hungrier and fight every game no excuses....so we will see tonight and going forward what they are made of.....I always remember my mom watching Mike Douglas and I enjoyed his approach and demeanour as well...also those Seinfeld episodes with the Merv Griffin set was just funny stuff, Kramer was hilarious in those....see the Maloofs are maybe on the verge of selling to a Seattle group, that'd be a good trade for you Doug Sacramento for Seattle, oh and no Jack Morris again to the Hall i am appalled....ok cheers...