A telling performance with so much on the line

Well, that’s going to make it pretty hard to get to three wins this week, no?

(Yes, my math skills are unparalleled).

And it sure takes some of the shine off the game in Milwaukee in Saturday, no?

But soldier on we must …

-

THREE POINTERS

As bad as ever

Yes, I thought Andrea Bargnani was playing scared, as I mentioned the other day, and I thought – and at some level still think – there is a roll for him.

But after the dog of a game last night, he’s got to be running out of chances with everyone concerned. And that’s teammates and coaches, some of whom are starting to cast a furtive eye in his direction.

I know Bargnani is never going to be – nor was he ever – a high-intensity guy but the loafing you saw last night is simply unprofessional and unacceptable and if he starts to lose his teammates and coaches as supporters, it’s over.

No one – yet – wants him benched but he needs to at least show more effort than he did last night. He was okay in the effort department the other night against Washington – he looked engaged and just missed good shots – but last night it looked like he was off in some other area code.

The kid is turning into his own worst enemy, those on the staff and the roster who supported him are not all that enthralled any more and if their support goes, he’s done.

He’s close but it’s now up to him to make amends.

Can he?

I’m dubious.

-

So, what now?

Regardless of what you or I think, these guys are not going to give up the ghost of a playoff race yet.

Not sure when the inevitable hits home and the race is over -- six back in 10th with just 24 to go seems an impossible task – but just listening to them in the locker room after the Cleveland game hammers home their continued confidence.

They were disappointed, frustrated and ticked off, of course, but no one was throwing in the towel; not Dwane, not the three of four players I talked to.

And you may say it’s silly to think that way but what you think, or I think, doesn’t really matter. Until it’s over, it’s not over.

So if you’re looking for 30 minutes a night for Terrence Ross or 40 minutes a night for Jonas Valanciunas or 15 minutes a night for Quincy Acy, you’re not going to get it yet.

Please don’t whine, it’s not your decision and until you get Dwane’s job, there’s nothing you can do about it.

-

Defence first

The appearances of Sebastian Telfair (average at best, no real impact) in the second quarter and Aaron Gray (rusty, questionable hands, no real impact) were driven entirely by the need for some defensive effort, intensity and stops.

Didn’t happen, really; the Cavs still rolled up too many easy baskets but it goes to the heart of Dwane’s problem: He’s got too many who you never know what you’ll get from to make it easy to figure out what to do each night.

-

More? Of course there’s more.

-

Not bad that Stephen Curry got those 54 points in New York last night considering he should have probably been suspended for escalating the scuffle the other night in Indy.

And, yes, I thought the NBA came down lightly on the participants in that skirmish but I’ve thought David Stern and his disciplinary henchmen have been soft all year.

What did the famous guy say?

Yeah, times they are a’changing.

-

Really, any night that ends with three Yeungling’s and a first-time taste of huge mushrooms filled with cream cheese, battered in a Guinness batter and deep fried can’t be considered a bad night, can it?

And you can put Flannery’s on the list of top post-game watering holes, it’s good all the requisites. It’s a five-minute walk from the arena, it’s got a great selection of taps, the kitchen’s open late, the bar staff will turn bad college basketball off for an NBA game and it’s directly on the way home.

Solid.

-

Mail? Since I’m not doing anything at the game Friday night, there’ll be plenty of time. So do your stuff folks, please. You know how.

-

You know, I’ve got a lot of friends and a couple of relatives in Ottawa and I quite like the city and would love to head back there for a week of training camp sometime.

But, really, there are some entirely wrong-thinking people up there and I’m not talking specifically about Honourable Members.

I’m talking about the people who somehow thought it would be okay to name the coming NBL Canada team up there the Tomahawks.

Really?

These people could not have been serious, could they? How could they get it so wrong?

Tomahawks?

What, was Redskins taken?

It’s idiotic, actually, and I don’t care how the owners of the team tried to spin it, it was a ridiculous decision from the get-go, they had to know in these Idle No More times in which we live that there would be some blowback on the decision. Why invite it? Why not think things through before such a gaffe?

Thankfully, it looks like they’ll fix it soon.

Hey, here’s an idea.

Why not call them the Redblacks?

-

So Gumby and I are finishing up the typing last night, he checks his e-mail and finds out the good folks at Air Canada have already cancelled his flight home today and rebooked him for Friday.

Guess who appreciates the Smelly Ford Taurus now?

-

Speaking of the drive, we’re trying to be on the road by 8 a.m., should get us across the border in plenty of time to settle somewhere by noon to answer questions for an hour or so.

Join in the fun, I presume Andrea’s name will come up.

-

Crime of the century?

Not quite but I’m glad they found the sausage costume in Milwaukee and whoever would be so low as to steal a Chicken-like suit should be punished to the full extent of the law.

Now, if people were to steal a couple of NBA outfits, I’d be quite fine with it.

They could get the sickly Coyote in San Antonio and the world wouldn’t be worse off, I’m not sure the Hawk down in Atlanta would be missed and whatever that goofy thing is in Brooklyn can disappear any time.

-

 

 

The Goods On The Game, Raptors at Cavaliers

Hello.

All set?

Raptors at Cavaliers, game-day Dino-bytes

Our post-shootaround update for tonight’s Raptors-Cavaliers game.

 

TORONTO (23-34) at CLEVELAND (19-38)

Quicken Loans Arena

TIPOFF 7 p.m.

TV: Sportsnet; RADIO: FAN590

WEB: Oh, yes, we will be here for the hilarity and insight of the in-game blog just before 7 p.m.

 

Probable starters

Toronto: Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay, Amir Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas; Cleveland: Shaun Livingston, Dion Waiters, Alonzo Gee, Tristan Thompson, Tyler Zeller.

 

Key backups tonight

Toronto: Alan Anderson (hot one night, cool the next; need him hot), John Lucas (back PG is shooting the lights out); Cleveland: Luke Walton (savvy vet calms things downs), Marreese Speights (tough big man has been playing well)

 

Season series

Tied, 1-1

Each team has won on the road, the Raptors easily in Cleveland and the Cavs got a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Kyrie Irving to win at the Air Canada Centre. One more game left in the season series after this one.

All time, Toronto is 14-19 in Cleveland.

-

What happened this morning?

Getting the message

To suggest that Dwane Casey was miffed about his team’s focus on Monday is a vast understatement and he hammered that point home Tuesday at practice and this morning at shootaround.

“The only thing we can do is talk about it, you can’t hit them in the head with a baseball bat,” he said, wishing probably that he could hit them over the head with a baseball bat. “If Monday night wasn’t enough of a reminder of what happens when you don’t approach the game (correctly) I don’t know what will.”

So it remains to be seen how they come out tonight.

“A lot of our guys understand what’s at stake, we’ve been knocked down we’ve been 4-19 and we fought back by being hungry and there’s no reason we should come in and say, ‘ok, let’s coast two quarters and play for two,’” he said. “I don’t expect that, I expect our guys to bounce back.”

--

The Kyrie tale

No official word on Kyrie Irving, who sat out Tuesday’s Cleveland win in Chicago and is listed as day-to-day, as if we all weren’t anyway.

My friend Mary has this in the Plain Dealer this morning that makes it sound like he probably won’t go.

-

A number from the other team

After putting up 26 on Heat & 25 on Bulls, Cleveland rookie Dion Waiters is averaging 15 points per game on 52 per cent shooting from the field this month.

-

Whistle-tooters

Tonight’s men in charge are JT Orr, Leroy Richardson and

Tony Brothers. No clue if they’ll be any good or not, I’m presuming they’ll have their moments.

-

No change

No one has the flu, or flu-like symptoms so it’s going to be the same lineup for Toronto as it was on Monday, meaning Mickael Pietrus and Linas Kleiza should be on the inactive list with Sebastian Telfair in uniform.

-

One last number

17.5.

That’s the number of points both Alan Anderson and Amir Johnson are averaging against the Cavaliers this season.

-

 

 

 

The reaction will be telling and help stop bullying, please

Yeah, this is a bit late again and once again it’s a lot of little things but soon one item will trump all the others.

Or not.

-

If there’s one trait these fellows in the red, white or black uniforms have shown this year – besides the innate ability not to close games for the first six or seven games of the year – it’s an impressive level of resiliency.

Coming off that stinky effort the other night, it’ll be interesting to see how they bounce back tonight here in Cleveland.

Couple of issues at play:

Do they think that they just have to show up and they’ll win because Cleveland won an emotional road game last night in Chicago and that might be just satisfying for them?

And do they look at the fact Kyrie Irving didn’t play last night because of a sore and hyper-extended right knee and figure if he plays he’s not going to be 100 per cent anyway?

And do they look at the Cavs’ record and think, well, this is a win.

I wonder.

There have been nights this season where the sense of collective entitlement among the Raptors has been disproportionate to their talent and standing among the league’s teams. Dwane’s been harping on it for months; they have to play “desperate” basketball against whatever opponent is in front of them, they can’t think they’re just going to win because of who they are.

Sometimes they do and they have been feeling pretty good about themselves thanks to that run of six wins in seven games. There’s a fine line between confidence and over-confidence, I wonder how this group will walk it.

I am certainly not at the point where this is considered a “must-win” game for any reason (plus, I still think they’ll play important games in April but eventually fall short of their ultimate goal) but I do think it’ll be telling to see how they come out play.

Hard or passive?

Desperate or thinking they can turn it on when it’s needed?

Interesting.

-

Having been here often, I don’t particularly agree that Cleveland rocks but it was a good theme song to a pretty good show and I’m okay with Ian Hunter.

(And I believe there’s a very bad word mumbled at the start of this, be warned)

-

Hey, do we have any New Yorkers here?

Do me a favour? Call up you state fathers and GET THE DAMN THRUWAY FIXED!

I tell you, for a toll road in what purports to be a major state, that road from Buffalo to the Pennsylvania border is atrocious. Spend some of the dang money you collect to, perhaps, paint some lane lines on the road, or put up some lighting here or there and maybe get a rest stop or something.

And if this is some kind of federal issue, get on those dopes in Washington to fork out some infrastructure money to make some improvements.

Sure, it was rainy and slushy and windy and a slow drive anyway but, yeesh, that stretch of road is so substandard it’s not even funny.

End of rant.

-

Mail?

Yeah, we could use more mail, I’ll have a lot of time today and Friday to get some done and with a crazy 6 a.m. flight out Saturday to Milwaukee, I need to get some stuff started today.

It’s the link over there to the right or it’s at askdoug@thestar.ca; come on and say hello, it’s fun.

-

So I get to the room late last night (drive was about six freaking hours thanks to road and weather) and I turn on the machine to catch up and hear the breathless reports about this incident in the Pacers-Warriors game.

And all I hear is chatter about the “brawl” and the “fight” and I’m thinking, well, that was more “skirmish” than anything and if had been contained on the court, not sure how big a deal it would have been.

But there are assuredly going to be suspensions – and I’d guess more than one game – to a handful of players because “brawl” or “fight” or “skirmish” you cannot have that kind of incident.

The interesting angle to the HOTH is how hard the league comes down on these teams, specifically the Pacers.

Indiana plays its next game at home on Thursday before heading to Toronto for Friday night so multi-game bans for, say, Hibbert and West will have an impact on a pretty significant Raptors game

The funny part of the whole thing: The goonish Tyler Hansbrough was nowhere near it.

-

I am such a dope.

We all know there is in the closet a shirt that some might deem pink, although I’m convinced it can be called a very light red.

Anyway, I see today is the day everyone’s supposed to wear pink for anti-bullying awareness and I am really ticked I forgot to pack the correct shirt.

As the father of a teenage Super Son, there have been days when I’ve worried about bullying, and having read all the stories about how devastating it can be to some young children, I cannot stress enough how we have to eradicate it as much as we can.

It is something that can scar, or do worse, to impressionable young people and I really think it’s incumbent on parents to get the message out to their children that they have to talk openly about it with someone if it’s a factor in a child’s life.

So do me a favour, would you? If you have the chance and your children are of that age, please have a word with them today about it, would you?

My good friends run this website – differentiscool.com – and we have to make sure our children and teens realize they need to respect each other, to let everyone be themselves.

Thanks.

-

IGBT tonight? You bet. See you around 7 p.m.

-

 

 

 

Stinky game, grandstanding pols and rating the burgers

Well, anyone who didn’t think these guys had stinkbomb or two left in them between now and end of the season obviously hasn’t been paying attention all year.

They sure got a smelly one out of their system last night, didn’t they?

-

THREE POINTERS

Slow, or non-existent motion

For lo all these games, offence hasn’t really been an issue for the lads, they’ve found ways to score somehow practically every night.

Some evenings it hasn’t been pretty, too much isolation, not enough repeated screen-roll but it’s been effective because the guys on the weak side were moving a little bit and getting the defence moving which made it easy for the guy with the ball to either get a shot or make a play.

Last night?

Not a bit of movement. Stagnant with the ball and on the other side of the floor and it was mind-numbing, not to mention ineffective.

Dwane’s been talking all season about “getting the ball to the other side” with passes or penetration but last night at least, it was if the Raptors – whoever had the ball – thought there were crocodiles on the other side of the court, that’s how afraid they were to swing the ball.

Now, I don’t imagine it’s permanent, and for seven or eight games it hasn’t been an issue but, man, was that gory last night.

-

A ref or an ump?

Sure, they blew the call on the foul with eight seconds left, didn’t think Anderson tripped Garrett and it would appear the TV replay would prove me right but that’s not too big a deal. The game was decided.

No, it was after the call, when everyone was arguing and gesticulating and generally letting the frustration of the night out that was the issue.

Dwane’s all over ref Gary Zielinski right in front of us, so much so that the assistant coaches had to get between them to save Dwane some cash.

And what’s the ref do?

Prolong the argument. Dwane was finished and instead of doing what any professional would do – which is walk away to the other side of the court to calm the situation – Zielinski went back at Casey with a couple of comments of his own.

It was silly and uncalled for.

For as horrible as the NBA officiating has been league-wide this year, they need to at least comport themselves as pros and veterans; this guy didn’t in the least. That's the kind of actions of confrontational baseball umpires, not NBA refs.

-

Give one of ‘em credit

If there was one good thing out of the night it was how active and aggressive DeMar DeRozan was right from the get-go.

Not sure the kid’s getting enough credit for the consistency of his effort and play this year but when all those around him were sluggish and blah, he was doing what he’s done all year, make mid-range shots, get to the line (he shot nine free throws) and playing his game.

I’ve had a couple of private chats with him over the last couple of weeks and I’m not sure there’s anyone on the team more focused on trying to at least make a serious playoff run.

He scoreboard watches, his play has been for the most part exemplary and if he keeps it up, he might just carry them to hugely important games in April.

-

More? Always.

Okay, there is no way in the world I understand this whole Harlem Shake thing. Someone needs to explain it to me and even then I probably don’t get it but the kids on the team sure seemed to have fun with it.

Go figure.

-

I have a lot of respect for the San Antonio Spurs, as we all know. Great organization of consistent winners and a model for the league in many ways.

But after reading the second note in My Man Monroe’s piece here, I have some serious issues with some of the players.

Seems a team outing – full on a bus trip – to In And Out Burger didn’t go over too well with some of them and anyone who doesn’t like In And Out Burger is someone I have issues with.

In fact, if you’re going with the list of all-time good, greasy, bad-for-you burgers, here’s the top three:

(And I’m going only on road joints, it’s Harvey’s over all others here; maybe McDonald’s second and if I never have another Wendy’s burger, I’d be fine with that)

Steak ‘N Shake

The grilled cheese burger, three kinds of cheese, double patty, thick Texas toast, is a wonder to behold.

In And Out

Tony Parker, cementing himself near the top of my favourites list, called the double-double “awesome” and I can only hope he had fried onions on it.

Five Guys

I know. It’s as much about the mountain of fries as it is the burger but, man, they’ve got some good grease going for them at most spots. And since there’s one about three kilometres from Casa Doug, I’m thinking lunch before Cleveland for sure.

-

Mail? I know you can see the link over there to the right but it’s askdoug@thestar.ca and I could use a nice hello or two. Please and thanks.

-

You know, there’s truly nothing like a grandstanding politician to give me a couple of paragraphs of rant.

Not sure if you heard but Andrew Wiggins was named the USA’s prep school player of the year yesterday, a pretty big honour.

Well, I saw a tweet from That Harper Fellow congratulating him and it struck me that he wouldn’t know Andrew Wiggins from Adam I don’t imagine and all it was, was pandering and trying to ingratiate him with a group of people he has never reached.

(No, this has nothing to do with politics, it has to do with politicians of all stripes so don’t get your knickers in a knot)

So, I’m waiting for someone to ask the leader of the country’s ruling party whether he’s going to go to his sports minister today and try to find some money they’ve denied team sports in Canada to put back in the funding pipeline.

That would do an awful lot more to ingratiate a politician (Official Motto: We Want Gain Power And Then Retain It Any Way We Can) that some out-of-nowhere tweet of congratulations.

-

Having finally dumped the Smelly Ford Focus on some unsuspecting junk yard a while ago when Super Wife upgraded to something new, wish me at the Smelly Ford Taurus (bigger, a bit faster, waaaaaay old and kind of broken down) luck on our jaunt around the lake.

It does mean I’m out of this loop for a fair bit this afternoon, don’t take it personally if comments get delayed.

-

 

 

The Goods On The Game, Wizards at Raptors

Good evening, all.

Hope things are well.

Wizards at Raptors, game-day Dino-bytes

Our post-shootaround updated look at tonight’s Wizards-Raptors game.

 

WASHINGTON (17-37) at TORONTO (23-33)

Air Canada Centre

TIPOFF: 7 p.m.

TV: TSN; RADIO: FAN590

WEB: The usual jocularity and insight of the in-game blog commences here just before 7 p.m.

 

Probable starters

Washington: John Wall, Bradley Beal, Martell Webster, Nene, Emeka Okafor; Toronto: Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay, Amir Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas.

 

Key backups tonight

Washington: Trevor Ariza (vet had 18 points off the bench Saturday), AJ Price (backup guard can hurt you); Toronto: Landry Fields (if Beal gets going, Fields’ defence will be needed), Andrea Bargnani (surely, he can make some shots, no?).

 

Season series

Toronto leads, 1-0

It wasn’t particularly pretty but the Raptors did eke out a 92-88 win right after the all-star break in the first of four meetings this season. Of note that night: Gay and DeRozan each had 24 and Wall was a putrid 1-12 from the field with seven turnovers.

All-time? Toronto is 22-10 vs. the Wizards and Bullets in the Air Canada Centre and has won five straight.

-

What happened this morning?

New kid’s in town

Recovered from the flu, Sebastian Telfair took part in this morning’s shootaround and will be in uniform this evening.

We’ll have a bit more in him in a short story whenever I get to it t his afternoon but here’s Dwane Casey’s take on Telfair and his role:

“Right now, he’s behind Kyle (Lowry) and John (Lucas),” said the coach.

But it’s a comforting thought to Casey to have a third point guard available in case of injury or foul trouble.

-

What’s this mean?

Probably nothing but when Sebastian Telfair plays, he will be the fourth guy who was drafted directly out of high school to wear a Raptors uniform.

The others?

Amir Johnson, Tracy McGrady and Jermaine O’Neal.

-

A stat, for what it’s worth

Toronto is 7-3 in February and with two games left until the calendar turns, the Raptors can match the greatest February in franchise history with two wins.

The 2006-07 team went 9-3 in February.

Both records came without benefit of a Feb. 29.

-

What’s up with the Wizards?

From the great Michael Lee, some homage to Bradley Beal.

-

Because we always do …

Rodney Mott, Kevin Cutler and Gary Zielinski are tooting the whistles this evening.

-

And another stat

In 10 February games, the Raptors are holding opponents to 92.9 points per game, fourth fewest the NBA. The others? Indiana, 87.3; Memphis, 88.4; and Philadelphia, 90.3.

-

And more Andrea

Yes, the Raptors will find a way, they hope, to get him more involved in the offence by calling a few specific plays for him.

That just makes sense, perhaps put him in the post and see what they get.

But, no, they won’t do it at the expense of other guys all the time.

“It’s about the Toronto Raptors,” said coach Dwane Casey today. “We’re more concerned with how we function rather than just one guy.”

-

 

 

 

Lots of little and wildly interesting items (no, really, they are)

All kinds of little things, hope you don’t mind.

And it’s always fun to do things like this because I find it terribly interesting to see what captures your imagination and fancy.

Let’s go.

-

Sometimes, it’s wise to just keep your mouth shut and your thoughts to yourself.

Not sure if you heard but Mark Cuban made some crack on a radio show last week that, because of the impending NBA tax changes, the Lakers might want to consider using the amnesty clause on – get this! – Kobe Bryant.

As if simply casting aside one of the top three or four greatest players in franchise history and one of the top three or four players in the game today makes any sense at all.

Cuban, of course, backtracked a little, but it was out there as a somewhat silly statement, in my opinion, and Kobe noticed.

He glared his way to 38 points and a huge Lakers win and punctuated the day with this tweet:

“Amnesty THAT”

Now, I don’t mind bold statements from owners or players because it makes good copy and we’re all about good copy. But it amazes me in this day and age, where everyone eventually hears everything, that someone as smart as Cuban would poke someone as intense and good as Bryant. He had to know that it would drive the uber-competitive Bryant to try to do something special and that’s just what he did.

No, I don’t think you should ever poke the bear.

-

It doesn’t get much better than this, and it’s a nice touch, I think, on George Harrison’s birthday.

-

Nice line.

I know no one imagines that Andrea Bargnani as much of a personality because of the way he comports himself on the court and in the media.

And we are all a bit dubious when team officials or teammates tell us he can be a bit of jokester with a nice touch of sarcasm and humour.

Well, we’re standing there talking to him yesterday for the little story that came out of practice (you can find it here) and got a wee glimpse.

Zic asks him something along the lines of whether the elbow injury will result it any long-term issues with his shot, his shooting form or his ability to get the ball in the basket.

He deadpans:

“I think I’ll never be able to shoot the ball again until the end of my career.”

That’s big league sarcasm I’d be proud of.

-

So, how were the Oscars?

Funnily enough, post-dinner and before the show, I got to lying down on the couch watching Grizzlies-Nets and when I finally woke up, it was about 9:45 p.m. and this week’s edition of Sports Illustrated was to be read.

Yeah, missed the whole show, can someone catch me up?

I heard some of the speeches went long, some of the outfits were out of this world and the show went long.

(Oh, wait, that’s every single year in the history of the Oscars, isn’t it?)

But I know one Irregular had to have been pretty pumped for the music from Life of Pi winning best original score.

Can’t say it’s my cup of tea but I’m not an academy voter and it’s cool that the dude who wrote is somewhat local and a friend of someone I know.

And I must admit I was a tad confused.

He wins for original score and Adele wins for original song?

Thought this show was about movies.

Adele killed, though.

-

This, I don’t get.

We’re hoping to have a word Sunday with Sebastian Telfair since we all got occupied with the game on Friday when arrived and Saturday was a quiet day.

And then it turns out he’s sick with the flu and not at practice.

Given that Bargnani missed a couple games with the flu, Ross missed one and Dwane told us he was laid low with it the entire all-star weekend, I’m wondering what kind of monster bug is floating around that locker room.

And I’m also going to suggest that youth and good fitness is over-rated since old beaten up guys like me are sailing through the entire winter without so much as an afternoon of flu-like symptoms.

Chalk up one for the unhealthy side of things!

Anyway, there’s no word on whether Telfair will be around today or tonight and it means I’ll have to drag my sorry butt to shootaround instead of heading into the office to do some much-needed paperwork.

-

One little fashion thingy.

Got a chance to watch some of the TOD on Saturday afternoon – man, was it good to see a ball game or what? – and I have to say that while I generally like they’re uniforms and I’m all about celebrating their Canadian thing, that Maple Leaf on the BP hats is waaaaaaaay to big.

I’d prefer a far more subtle one, perhaps an inch or two off centre, than the one they came up with.

But maybe that’s just me.

-

Hang on!

Jennifer Lawrence fell down while going to get her Oscar?

Outstanding. Wish I’d seen that.

And I’ve got to give her credit for a great answer to the: What went through your mind when you were falling? Question.

“A bad word that I can't say that starts with F.”

-

I know no one connected with the HOTH will admit this publicly but this is a very, very big week for them.

Washington tonight, at Cleveland on Wednesday, here against Indiana on Friday and at Milwaukee on Saturday?

Yeah, that’s big. Bigger than big given the opponents, where they are in the standings and a tough western road trip coming up the following week.

Sure, there’s plenty of time left in the season to make a move but if they don’t go 3-1 this week, it’s going to be even harder to legitimately have playoff aspirations.

Maybe they get away with 2-2 but I think that’d a disappointing week to all concerned.

It’ll be interesting to see how they react; the overall confidence level has never been higher, wonder if they can come out and play hard and smart four nights in a row.

-

 

 

 

The end of the weekend mail

Told you I’d get to it eventually.

Sorry if I missed one or two; enjoy the Oscars, I’m shutting it down for the night.

-

Q: Hi Doug! Hope you are having a nice weekend! Q #1: I know there are some notorious gym rats in the NBA, i.e. Kobe, but is there one on the Raps? Q #2: What NBA player has the biggest entourage that you've seen? How many of the Raptors players have consistent family, friends in the seats at the ACC? Q #3: If you could have any gig within the MLSE organization, what would it be? Thank you so much! Your blog rocks.

MS

A: Blog rocks? Have a nice weekend? I love The Irregulars.

Now, obviously, there's no one like Kobe, he's a singular talent but it's my understanding that DeMar still spends s lot of time in the gym. But they all get enough work in.

As for entourages, haven't seen a lot of them over the years. Player have family and friends around every now and then -- Amir has a guy who is omnipresent -- but it's nothing untoward.

MLSE gig? How about owner so I could sit back and make money? Past that, being GM might be fun to put it all together. Either that or 15th man might be nice. Good salary, little responsibility or expectations.

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Q: Hi Doug.

Raps got their 3rd point guard, Bargs still here (your right again!) and Raps are now within 4 of the Bucks....your world must be a happy place.

Let's see what can I ask you about our beloved HOTH?

Irrelevant Question #1:

Pietrius hasn't seen the court in months, I figure his knees are shot even to play 5 minutes. He's probably the only one on the roster the Raps could jettison to upgrade the bottom of the roster? Do you see this happening with vets like Hakim Warrick being waived?

Irrelevant Question #2?

Between Bargs,Klieza & Fields the Raps are due to pay them $16 million next year (Yikes!) and at this point not be a tax team next year. Personally don't care what they pay guys but there's got a be better way to spend the money, like say Gasol for one year or a sign and trade with Utah for one of their FA big guys. What are the mechanics of a sign and trade if your over the cap?

Irrelevant Question #3:

What's the deal with RaptorsTV showing oldies instead of Raps postup? It occurred after the knicks game and a few other times this season?

Thanks,

EP, Vaughan, Ont

A: Oh, there no irrelevant questions, my good man.

So here we go:

Pietrus isn’t as good as anyone playing ahead of him so there’s no need to run him out there for any time at the moment. Same with no reason to waive him and pick up someone who’d be in exactly the same boat.

Actually, right now, they have to pay those three more than $20 million next year but I fully expect them to use the amnesty clause on Linas to free up some money. And you can still do sign and trades to a point; it’s very convoluted but they can.

As for TV, wish I could help you out on that but that’s above my pay grade.

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Q: Hi Doug. Love the blog, always insightful.

Regarding Alan Anderson and Landry Fields - I feel like they fill the same role on this team. Both seem to be lauded for their individual and team defensive abilities, leadership/communication, and overall importance as

"glue" guys. From what I see though, Fields does a much better job of staying within himself in the team's offense, while Anderson sometimes takes shots he shouldn't which kills the offensive momentum the team/other players have going at the time. Granted, when he makes them, it’s great (example - fourth quarter 2 games ago, pulls us back in), but he is such a wild card, and can (offensively) throw the team off as easily as he can

carry them. Given the solid, consistent effort and results that you get from Fields (like the defense on Carmelo), why does Anderson continue to as much playing time as he does, in comparison to Fields?

Given all of this, what do you see happening in the offseason with Anderson? I thought he was definitely a candidate to be moved at the trade deadline (cheap contract, good guy off the bench for another team). Or, would you think they try to move Fields and keep Anderson? (This is all assuming Fields' shooting will return to form, and will be better next year...).

Thanks Doug! Keep up the great work!

John M, Waterloo

A: Anderson’s a free agent this summer and I think he’s played himself into a two- or three-year deal but I don’t think it’ll be here; they need to clear some logjam there and he’s the most likely one to leave. But you never know, they may find a deal for Fields and re-sign Anderson, although I’m dubious on that.

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Q: You mentioned in your blog about seeing John Wall in the waiting room for the flight to Washington, accompanied by his "gargantuan" bodyguard.

Is this normal for NBA players when not traveling as a group? I could understand someone like LeBron or Kobe bur wouldn't think Wall would have that high a profile.

Also, do you see the Raptors taking a run at Boss Davis when he becomes a free agent?

Thanks,

Gord in NL

A: It’s not entirely normal and it could be that someone who serves some duties as protection is also just a friend who’s hanging out. Lots of guys have trainers, old buddies, relatives who are around just for company.

As for Davis, that’ll depend entirely on what this roster looks like in a couple of years and who else might be out there. Imagine they’d make a cursory call at least but we’re not near that point yet.

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Q: What exactly is the rule that DeMarr broke tossing the basketball? I understand penalizing players who toss the ball into the upper deck in frustration but bouncing the ball off the stanchion does not seem to be in the same spirit. Can you stand in bounds and bounce the ball off the floor out of bounds? Stand out of bounds and bounce it in bounds?

Stand out of bounds and bounce it off the floor out of bounds?

This seems to me about number 100 on the list of things the league needs to fix.

Jim Rootham

A: Not entirely sure why the rule was put it – maybe in case someone rifled the ball at a stanchion, missed and drilled some fan in the head – but it’s in there and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Not really worth worrying about.

As for the others, it would depend on the emotion of the reaction and the crankiness level of the three officials.

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Q: Hi Doug Im a "silent" reader and a fan of your column for a while, have a question about utilizing Andrea's skillset within present system actually the best fit with the present assets.

I love your insights and vision as you usually give something that I haven't thought of or even noticed it. Sometimes I dont even understand it (as per being so proud (or even more so) to live in Ontario whose newly elected leader is a lesbian (openly i assume would be the key word missing...) hope they didnt elect her because of that maybe not even despite of it...nevertheless not understanding it might be the fact that English is not my first language.

Back to my question about our lost, most talented Italian on a team. It looks like he misses Jose more then anybody else (we all do miss him, dont we?) as per playing with Lucas (and AA...)I doubt he will produce much better than he is right now because there is not enough ball (as one of out PED offenders said it a while ago) and never will be. With fans getting on AB it looks like he is thrown under the bus. What is your take on it ,given that simply moving him back to a starter hardly solves the problem since Rudy needs the ball (and gets it) a lot too. Would really love this thing work as we could use his outside shot with DD and Rudy(and KL too) attacking the rim and it should work (on paper at least) but it is not clicking. With second unit presently assembled im pretty sure it never will.

Thanks,

Sasha

A: I'm not sure first or second unit makes all that much difference, actually. I don't think he'd work well with both Gay and DeRozan on the court because the style of play doesn't fit his skillset but since he generally plays with one or the other, I think they need to run some specific stuff for him right off the bat. Neither Lowry or Lucas runs screen-roll like Jose did and Andrea is not adept isolation perhaps they need to put him in more post-ups or run 3-4 screen rolls for him.

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Q: Any way that you can provide weekly updates on how Jose is doing with the Pistons? I, and I am sure others, would be interested to be kept in the loop on how he is doing.

Thanks for you great work with the blog,

Jon

A: Suppose I could if I remember. And I’m sure there are ways for people to find out on their own. But I’ll try to do as much as I can.

The start of the weekend mail

Good morning.

Here’s the start of the mail; I was going to get up early and knock off the unanswered stuff but it seems I’d rather ease into the day, sip a coffee and loaf a wee bit.

So here’s this and I’ll putter around on the rest of today and get it done this evening.

Have fun.

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Q: Hi Doug

My question has to do with the way trades go down. I thought I heard that Rudy, when he was traded, was able to go to supper with his old teammates the night of the trade, then the next day he was able to go back to Memphis to do some packing before he left for Toronto. In Ed's and Jose's cases we simply saw them get on a bus after having only a brief time to say goodbye. Where were they taken and why the difference in the way they were treated as compared to Rudy?

Penny D

A: Mostly it had to do with logistics and flights and that kind of thing. Gay, for instance, had to get back to Memphis and then here because that’s where his passport was so he hung around with his team.

Jose actually just left the hotel to go somewhere and wait out the game, he flew back to Toronto on the team charter that night before moving on to Detroit. For Ed, it was easier to hang out in Atlanta and then get to Memphis to join his new team.

So the treatment really had to do with what was easier for everyone involved.

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Q: Hi Doug,

With many players not wanting to come to Toronto because of higher taxes in Canada, what happens to Rudy Gay's contract? Wouldn't he be earning substantially less after the trade?

Thanks,

Martin

A: The tax thing is, frankly, a non-starter. Has always been, the Raptors have an education process for agents and players to give them information on how to mitigate any tax issues.

And, no, he won’t be earning “substantially” less but in any business if you move from one jurisdiction to another, tax levels change. For instance, Florida has no state income tax and if you work there and make the same gross amount as someone in a state with an income tax, you’ll pay a different amount.

The whole “Canada tax” thing is actually more a red herring than many make it out to be.

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Q: Hi Doug,

At the time of Tyler Hansbrough's body slam of Jonas Valancuinas you mentioned that the Raptors sent a complaint to the league office. As I've heard nothing since, does this mean the league ruled that it was all in good fun and the officials were correct not to make a call?

As someone who appears to commit obvious fouls on every possession but rarely gets called, I've always wondered how Tyler gets away with it. Maybe the officials admire his grit and the fact that he's no better athlete than they are. Or maybe he's a distant relative of someone high up in the league office. I "keed" of course, but it does amaze me that he gets what we usually term "star" treatment.

Joe S, Kingston, ON

A: They obviously felt no suspension was warranted. Not sure I agree but that’s their call.

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Q: Hello. Five games out, 28 to play. Having failed grade nine math, I was wondering if the Imlach Leafs could come from way behind, is it within the realm of possibility for the HOTC to beat the Deer for the right to lose four in a row to LBJ and the boys?

Any miraculous comebacks in sport jump out at you? Bobby Thompson? 2013 Lakers?

All the best!

Bob E, Kanata

A: I can’t see them doing it, the best I’ve got is them playing significant games in April for the first time in about three seasons at least.

And, no, this probably doesn’t count because it kills me to think about it but the Yankees being 14 games back of my then-beloved Red Sox in ’78 has to be up there, no?

Closer to home, how about the HOTH winning 10 of their last 12 or something like that and getting into the 2004 playoffs and taking Detroit to a deciding game that ended with Chris Childs’s mathematical blooper.

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Q: Hi Doug,

I think Colangelo has made some good moves and some bad moves in the last 7 years, but I appreciate the effort he makes to try and improve the team.

Do you think ownership approving the Gay trade sends a message that they will keep Colangelo next year and beyond? Do you think they pick up his option for next year? If they do, do you think he will get an extension or a wait and see approach?

I am not a big fan of the "mid level" or just higher than league average contracts. In today's NBA you need to have 4 - 5 consistent game changers (who typically make $8-$10MM++) and then the rest of your roster can be rookie scale and minimum or just more than minimum guys. I get that you may need to overpay a bit to attract talent to a losing franchise (key - losing, not TO or Canada), but average talent gets you no where in the NBA.

I think Colangelo is trying to move away from that with the Gay trade.

(Gay, DeRozan, Bargnani - if he can find his game, Lowry - once he gets paid, Amir - with his improvement this year, as game changers,), (Jonas, Ross, Acy - rookie contracts), (Gray, Lucas, Anderson, Telfair, as low salary depth guys.) I hope Fields improves like Amir, but he may have a career in TO much like Kapono, where you see glimpses, but never really get much contribution towards W's.

What has been Colangelo's worst "mid level" contract? Kapono, Kleiza, Jack, Fields. He may have done well with Amir, but his other signings have been tough to swallow. Fields is ok, because it is only 3 years and he seems to have some intangibles, but I don't understand how the others makes sense in terms of building a competitive team in the NBA (He struck out

with Hedo and Jermaine O'Neill as well, but I thought those were both good gambles...I don't think the same way about these mid level contracts.

Thanks,

Greg

A: Wow, that’s a good combination of rant, dissertation and question there.

I’m going to get to the heart of it:

Yes, I think the least ownership will do is pick up the option year on his contract and they should: The plan that’s been in place since the year after Bosh left is playing out exactly as Bryan planned. That doesn’t sit well with fans who weren’t listening but it’s true.

Worst contract? Maybe Kapono but he got that corrected; maybe Kleiza but that can be overcome, too. And all of them were defensible when they were done, once again proving the timeworn theory that a lot of GM’s job is a crapshoot, trying things and hoping they work out because you never, ever know with any certainty.

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Q: Hi Doug, >

I know you went to Turkey for the World Championship, and I'm sure you've noticed how passionate they are about basketball (and sport in general), so I thought you might find this flash mob surprise interesting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2AFB25g4VM

Plus you'll see some familiar ex-NBA faces (Farmar, Vujacic, Erden) on Efes team. Imagine this happening to our HOTH, eh?

GP, Oakville

A: That’s classic! Wish I spoke Turkish.

Thanks.

Those zany Turks do love their hoops and the players.

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Q: I'm really not buying into the Andrea-off-the-bench project that most seem to be envisioning as either his role or the best way to showcase him. I think if you look at the better 6th men of past era - Barbosa, Crawford, Terry, Gordon - they all have that streaky scoring ability like Andrea has, but I think their success as a 6th man comes with their mental approach; that being "I'm on for the next 8 minutes, I'm going to score no matter what, and I'm going to take shots no matter what," which is exactly what

makes these guys GREAT coming off the bench but BAD for starting. I see Bargnani as a guy who will continue to take his shots if he's feeling it AND if he perceives himself to be the number 1 option at that time, we've all seen him do it. But I think if he misses a couple he has a conscience about it, and if he sees a Gay or a DeRozan with a better match-up he'll defer.

That's why I ask, would it not be better to get Andrea minutes as a starter the rest of this season? I think of this for the long-term strategy.

He either gets his mojo back and becomes a legit and scary 3rd option on a good team, with better play you can either keep him or deal him with a higher value in the summer, and Amir seems like the kind of guy who would understand this if you explained the situation to him. You know you'll get effort from him, and he's their PF next year, but I also think you can convince him it's good for the team AND he's still your guy. What do you think?

Nathan G

A: For this team with his role and skills, I think coming off the bench right now is best. There aren’t nearly enough shots in a starting unit that includes Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan and the style they play doesn’t suit him as well as, hopefully, playing a substantial amount of time with a guard who adept at running high screen-roll.

And you’ve got some major league apples and oranges going there with a mention of Barbosa, Crawford, Terry and Gordon. Big league difference between guards and big men off the bench.

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Q: Happy Weekend Doug!

I have read many comments (none from credentialed reporters I think) that suggested that the Rudy Gay move was proof that the Raps were likely going to renew Bryan's contract this summer.

Your recent comment that it was made known to you that AB would more likely be moved in the summer seems to suggest that Bryan is already planning moves past the end of his current contract.

What are your current thoughts on the likelihood of Bryan Colangelo being renewed and at what point do you think an announcement will be made about the GM position (before the end of the season, during the playoffs or once the Championship has been determined). A second relevant question, when does Bryan's current contract actually terminate?

Thanks and keep up the good work!

David, Oakville

A: Well, I kind of answered the Colangelo question above but as a special aside for you, I’ll add this: He wouldn’t take into consideration his future when he does, or doesn’t, make deals. He operates in the now for most of those, doing what he thinks is best for the franchise, regardless.

I don’t expect we’ll hear anything on the option year until after the season ends, whenever that is. And that’s just prudent, in my opinion.

And it’s actually not relevant at all when the contract actually terminates. If ownership decides he’s not coming back, they will get someone in place almost immediately after the season ends to prepare for the draft and free agency period.

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Q: Hello Doug,

I've heard in the past that a quality NBA centre can take up to 5 years before they reach their true potential.

Is the same true of Point Guards?

Watching the Washington game on Tuesday, I was struck by how selfish John Wall was with the ball.

He seems to be playing for himself, not for the team.

And let's not forget, he was the No. 1 draft pick 2 years ago.

Is this a normal learning curve for an elite Point Guard?

Or is John Wall not being coached well?

Gary, Stouffville

A: I think guards adapt more quickly, actually. Decision-making is decision-making, and while the calibre of opponent is far better, it seems to me that getting used to it comes faster.

As for Wall, I was never a big fan, his ability to run a team was always a question mark from conversations I’ve had with several scouts and we’re seeing that. I still think he has some talent but he also has limitations.

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Q: Doug, you'll love this video of a dunking otter!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2013/feb/20/basketball-sea-otter-exercise-video_

Ron F

A: Tres cool.

Now, if it could do in a gym, that’d be out of the world! -

Q: Subject: Proximal FG%

I know you're not a fan of made-up statistics but this one caught my eye.

A couple of Harvard guys did a study on a stat they call "Proximal FG%" and it is defined as "the opponent's FG% when the qualifying defender is within 5 feet of the shot attempt." And their top five interior defenders are:

Larry Sanders 34.9%

*Andrea Bargnani 35.2%*

Kendrick Perkins 37.3%

Elton Brand 38.0%

Roy Hibbert 38.7%

Obviously that came as quite a shock, so my question is, do we need to make anything of this? Is it just some made up stat or is it because he doesn't rebound or switch on defenders very well we all forget that he is a 7-footer with some athleticism that can defend when he is motivated?

Link to the article if you are interested:

http://www.sloansportsconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/The%20Dwight%20Effect%20A%20New%20Ensemble%20of%20Interior%20Defense%20Analytics%20for%20the%20NBA.pdf

Thanks,

Ron

A: Proximal field goal percentage? Man, I thought people at Harvard had bigger fish to fry.

And, no, there is no need to make anything of it other than it’s something that academics decided to investigate. I’d suggest that there might be other factors than “qualifying defender is within five feet of the shot attempt” like are other defenders within six feet or four feet?

Anyway, it is a stat, I will say that.

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