A good owner is gone; Jerry Buss has all the needed traits

The passing of Jerry Buss on Monday morning cast a pall over the entire NBA, the tributes that rolled in for the 80-year-old Los Angeles Lakers owner were many and heartfelt.

He was lauded as an innovator and a brilliant businessman (this is probably the best of many obituaries I’ve read) and someone to do whatever it took to create a buzz and a model franchise that would endure for years.

One of the best lines I heard, and I honestly don’t know where I read it was that Magic Johnson was the star of Showtime but Jerry Buss produced it.

I don’t know that I ever spoke to Buss, even in scrum but when I would see him at Lakers games he was more a rogue than a distinguished elderly gentleman and that’s how he carried himself often.

In the Staples Center, there’s a tunnel where we get fresh air that’s just off the parking area for the players and Hollywood big wigs and it’s loaded with Bentleys and Mercedes Benzes and the like and it’s a great way to watch people coming to and going from the game.

And, most games, at some point in the evening I’d be standing there and here would come Buss, flanked by a bevy of beautiful, often-scantily clad young women with other handlers at his side.

It was funny to see and precisely the image Buss had to most of the world.

And that was his public persona, and it was a perfect fit for the city where his franchise dominated the sporting landscape. He was Hollywood and a show and so were the Lakers.

But Buss was much more than that and that’s what I thought set him apart from almost every other owner in every other sport.

He answered, to me, the eternal question:

What makes a good sports owner?

It’s three-pronged, really.

He was a bit flamboyant and I like that an awful lot. You want a bit of a colourful hand on the tiller, it gives an edge and a personality to a franchise, a character that’s sometimes bigger than the team.

He was willing to gamble and spend, to reward players and coaches with untold riches, there was a loyalty there that was important, I think.

And he was successful and that’s the bottom line. He helped create an atmosphere of excitement and success; the Lakers were pretty much always winners and if they took a momentary downturn, it was quickly halted and success came right back.

I’m not sure there has been an owner more linked to the city where his team played than Buss was in L.A.

He was flamboyant and he won; he made Lakers games “events” worth the attention of the beautiful people.

Won’t be another one like him, I don’t imagine.

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For no other reason than I read somewhere that he was born this day and I cannot think of a Washington angle, a day with a little Smoky Robinson has to be a good day.

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New twist to security going out of Houston yesterday morning.

We get to the spot where you get your boarding pass and passport checked and as you hand them over, the TSA dude quickly asks a question, just in case you’re pretending.

To the guy two in front of me:

“What’s your name?”

“Jrue Holiday.”

Yes, NBA players can be anonymous.

And I’m not sure just how this would go over with some basketball players but get to the gate for the flight here and there’s John Wall sitting across the aisle.

And there’s his somewhat gargantuan body guard two seats over.

Wearing a Chicago Bulls cap.

Guess the Wizards gear didn’t look as cool.

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Can I just say that going from 20 C and sunny in Houston to about 5 C and gloomy skies in Washington is a rather big shock to the system.

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Let me get this straight.

The agent for murder suspect Oscar Pistorius has to “announce” that his client will cancel races he was scheduled to run?

If that wasn’t obvious, I don’t know what is.

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One of the fun games to play the day after all-star weekend is to show up at practice wherever it is and see if all the players got back.

Mo Pete was notorious for having “flight delays” or “travel problems” on the Monday after the break, missing practice and getting fined and it didn’t seem to trouble him too much.

But when we showed up at George Washington University last night (and a 6:30 p.m. start to practice sure lengthens your travel day) everyone was there which either says these guys are seasoned travellers on their own (that means commercial flights and the regular check-in process and getting all that stuff worked out) or none of them had enough fun to make them take another day of vacation.

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Anything else with the HOTH?

Not really.

Dwane told us they all were abuzz with congratulations for young Mr. Ross for his dunk contest win, coaches and players and staff were all happy for him and proud that he did something special for the franchise.

And then practice began and he was treated like just another rookie finding his way around the game. And Dwane made sure Ross wasn’t too full of himself, not that he would be because he’s not that kind of kid:

“Everyone congratulated him, said ‘Way to go Rook’ and then I immediately started to get on him about getting back on defence and rotating.”

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A long weekend with some good, some bad and some blah

Random thoughts after a long weekend.

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So another one is over.

Was a very good weekend, all in all; the game was pretty good, the stories were pretty obvious and I think well done, the infrastructure here worked well (and you have no idea how traffic congestion, messed up bus schedules and weather can ruin one of these weekends for everyone) and the hospitality suite was open until 2 a.m. and the food was good and plentiful.

And now maybe it’s going to come to our little town, as I mentioned yesterday.

Too bad for the fans and season ticket holders.

One of the great fallacies about hosting an NBA all-star weekend is that the season ticket holders and fans in the city will benefit.

Nope.

I’d say perhaps 10 per cent of the tickets to the Saturday and Sunday night events are available to regular folks in the host city, the rest go to corporate partners and friends of the league.

This is the NBA’s showcase for itself, it takes care of its buddies and money-making partners, the locals get to see the show up close and personal but as for getting into the arena: It’d be far easier to get to a Finals game than it is to the all-star weekend.

But it is a show. A big show.

The Jam Session, at a cost per ticket, is cool to see; the city benefits from the Day of Service with a lot of volunteer work at a lot of different venues and the hotels, bars and clubs do a land office business.

But the people?

The people get to watch from afar for the most part, there are many famous people in town to gawk at; not so much the inside of the arena.

I’m just warning you; it’s a fun weekend in a lot of ways, just maybe not in all the ways you’re thinking.

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Right, the dunk contest.

Good on Terrence Ross and all that – he won, was probably the best guy on the night so it was deserved – and it was a pretty good coming-out weekend for the 22-year-old.

But, yeesh.

I don’t know what they’re going to do with that event but doesn’t something have to change? If I want to watch missed dunks, I’ll find a tape of the year in Denver where they dunked like four-footers on a 15-foot rim. Or I’ll get someone to videotape me.

But what do they do?

I know many people want to penalize competitors for missing dunks, taking away points or something like that and there probably is some merit in that, to a point. But if you’re costing them points, doesn’t that stifle creativity? Wouldn’t you get more boring, safe dunks at least to start the event because no one would bomb out early? I don’t know.

Banning props would be okay with me; watching Mark Eaton sit in a chair and hold a ball over his head was mind-numbing, I feared for that little kid’s well-being when Ross was leaping over him.

But something has to be done to juice the Saturday night events when the most compelling and interesting thing about it is the three-point shooting event.

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You want to talk about brown shoes at a back tie affair?

Amid all the musical stylings of Sunday night, they kept playing this little ditty and while it’s toe-tapping, it really didn’t fit.

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Coolest thing I saw

Saturday night, about 15 feet from me, sat Julius Erving, looking as dignified as ever.

The dunk contest was about to begin and there stood Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and James Harden, a bunch of kids having fun.

Then they saw Erving and you should have seen them. They looked like teenagers, slowly walking over, shyly, to hug and say hello to the legend

Of course, the fact they were all dressed like geeky high schoolers helped with the “teenagers meet the idol” vibe.

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Two things I hope I never see at any NBA all-star weekend again:

That Cannon dude who hosted Saturday night.

Sure, young and arguably hip and not Ernie Johnson so he fits the demographic a bit better. But, yikes, he can be painful.

The little goofball Hart.

You know the guy, the so-called comic who wins the MVP award at the celebrity game and that gets him airtime Saturday and Sunday.

Frankly, if I never saw him again anywhere, I’d consider my life better for it.

End of rants.

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The Raptors?

Word from the executives I talked to over the weekend here and by electronic methods, all suggested there’s not an awful lot of trade activity percolating right now, which we all know can change at the drop of a hat.

The big one, of course, is Bargnani and one note I got this weekend simply said:

“Looks like the summer.”

Now, I know Bryan pretty well and I would say he’ll do something small this week, it’s like second nature to him, to make a deadline-week deal just to be in the fray.

But, at this minute, there’s nothing serious going on for anyone, which is good since I have an hour of work and then a three-hour flight to deal with.

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Uncoolest thing I saw

You know how I sometimes rant about the so-called “media” members who show up at these things with little or no work to actually do?

Well, it’s Saturday night, again, and a couple of very good media row seats that were reserved for team and league public relations personnel come open.

A few minutes later, here come two credential-wearing yutes to take them, regardless of who they were assigned to.

That in itself is not an egregious breach of protocol but the fact one of them was carrier a full cup of beer and order of nachos was about as blatant a professional gaffe as there is.

And when the dude knocked the beer over on the back of a team employee sitting in front of him, it went from bad to worse.

Spilled beer smells, it seems.

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The Goods On The Game, NBA all-star game

Hey, folks.

How's things?

The end of the weekend mail

Told out you there was more; not as much as I thought but some, nonetheless.

Enjoy it and I’ll be back around 8 p.m. for the IGBT.

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Q: Hello Doug,

Nice to see the inclusion into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame of Oscar Schmidt. I remember seeing him play in the Olympics and how impressive his performance was. Now I understand he was selected by the New Jersey Nets (in the sixth round???) of the 1984 NBA Draft, but chose not to play professionally. Do you know why that was, Doug? And if he had decided to play in the NBA can you speculate about the sort of career he might have had? And do you remember seeing him play: were you covering any of the Olympic games when he was a member of the Brazilian national team? Thank

you.

Lorie P, London

A: Oscar Schmidt once said, and I think this is verbatim:

“Some people carry the piano, some people play the piano” in reference to his incredible offensive skills and his idea of his place on a team and I’m not entirely sure that would have flown in the NBA so he went to Europe, made millions and millions and became a true international icon; who could blame him?

And, yes, I saw him play often, at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics primarily; he was not at the height of his abilities but he was pretty damn good.

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Q: Hi Doug.

How will the impact of the American Airlines US Airways merger impact your

travel habits?

Roel Olay

Brampton

A: Well, if American Airlines ends up under the Star Alliance umbrella it will help my points total grow and that’s always a good thing.

Other than that, presume it’ll be business as usual; I survived the United-Continental merger just fine.

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Q: Hi Doug,

Michael Jordan recently stated that Kobe is better than Lebron since Kobe is a better closer having 5 rings to Lebron's 1. Do you agree or should we be using more than just championships as a criteria when looking at the best players of all time.

Thank You and have a nice family day weekend.

Joe DiFranco

Mississauga, ON

A: There’s always more than championship totals. Things like the impact on the way the game is played and the impact on a team (carrying a questionable one to greater heights that it should have reached) have to be taken into consideration.

And I think they are, despite Michael’s assertion. The follow question to that statement should have been: “Okay, Michael, you’d rather take Bill Russell than yourself because 11 is bigger than six?”

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Q: Is the Chicken in Houston?

If he/she/it is will there be a round of golf ?

John P

A: Haven’t seen he/she/it all weekend (I’m doing this late Saturday afternoon) so I don’t imagine there’s anything going on.

The Chicken needs a break, I’m sure.

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Q: Hi Doug,

How does the protection on the draft pick going to Houston work? Is there a lower and an upper limit on it? Do we give it away this year only if it's a lottery pick? Is it top-three protected?

Thanks,

Jarrod

A: Top three this year. And actually the pick has now moved on to Oklahoma City, it was part of the James Harden trade.

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Q: Greetings.

So in watching the Knick's game the other night and trying to process the commentary(normally I just watch, not listen and follow the IGBT) I found myself left trying to decide to what degree that the HOTH should be lauded for their defensive effort. Admittedly both teams were shooting with the alacrity of Five O'clock Charley but the HOTHs appear to have set some determination in resisting the Knicks' inevitable run. As a relative newcomer to the game of basketball I don't have my own lifetime experience playing a game to use as reference and depending on the commentator the range of descriptions left me wondering if more than one game had been played.

By no means am I chiding you for taking a night off but at least I have come to understand that you are consistent in your portrayal of the game on the floor and as a result I can form a mental image that doesn't challenge the memory of the game that I watched. Recognizing that that one game represents a single game in the middle of a season that has had it's moments of dreary I truly thought that by and large the HOTH showed some character and refused to just give up. Certainly not the flashiest of wins but a win on a night when it would have been pretty easy to just coast through and for that reason this win should be chalked up under "a good win". I would assume that Dwane had to take some satisfaction in the degree of effort expended.

Am I missing the obvious?

Thanks to you for what you do,

Doug T, Brantford

A: He would agree entirely and I spoke with him briefly after the Knicks game and he was quite impressed with how they pulled it out in what he said was “gritty” fashion.

Those games right before the break are always tough to get up for and he was proud his guys played hard, if not prettily.

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Q: Happy Valentine's Day Doug!

Former HOTH Mark Jackson and Lindsey Hunter are both card carrying head coaches (as I type this email), and I believe Michael Curry was the only other Rap player who took/got a turn on that carousel. Do you see any former or current HOTH player in that position? My candidates would be Chauncey Billups and Jose.

As always, thanks for the superb blog!

Avinash

A: Think I might have had this question a week or so ago and Chauncey was the one I came up with. And Jose has never suggested to me that he’s got any interest in coaching here at all; I’m sure he’s destined to live out his dotage in his native land.

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Q: I am travelling in the States and absolutely love and need your blog for Raps info. Followed the last four great games line by line as no TV here.

What does HOTH and IGBT mean?

Raps seem to be getting away from defense first mentality. Do you think this is temporary due to recent trades and AB back or are we going to see this hurt them later in the season at crunch time? Am always an optimist that they can make a run for a playoff spot.

Paul

A: Heroes Of The Hardcourt; In-Game Blog Thing.

Defence is a concern, as Dwane has mentioned a dozen or so times and they need to work harder on it. The roster changes have absolutely been a factor and I don’t know how much better they’ll get at it in the last 30 or so games of the year.

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The start of the weekend mail

Good morning.

Kind of a late night here (who knew that the hospitality suite would stay open until 2 a.m. central) so, no, I did not get up early to finish the mail.

But I’ve got this much done, have fun with it and I’ll get the rest knocked off between meetings this afternoon.

Oh, yes, we will be here tonight for the usual IGBT. Sometime around 8 p.m., okay?

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Q: Hi Doug,

I read this quote from Steve Prefontaine and thought it communicated well what you often say about why players / teams shouldn't tank a season: "To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift."

Now for the question - I was watching the Raptors vs. Knicks game and they showed Patrick Ewing sitting in the crowd and then a shot of his jersey in the rafters. Does a player whose jersey hangs in the rafters get any lifetime perks from the organization that retired their jersey?

Andrew S

A: Oh, I’m sure they do and it probably changes from franchise to franchise but tickets, access, appearance requests would be the norm.

It’s not like the Knicks would ask Ewing to fork over the price of a ticket; if he wanted to go to a game, he’d call someone and they’d take care of him.

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Q: Hi Doug, I love your blog, it's in my top 3 routine website check every morning! Thank you :). Two questions for you.

What are the All-Star break plans of the Raps? Do most go home, on vacation, to Houston, stay in TO? Just curious how they spend it.

I'm a girl and a sympathetic one at that, but I just can't feel sorry for Bargs anymore. I could have given the team better minutes last night. When his teammates see his effort on the floor, I can't imagine it endears them to him. Who are Bargs closest friends on the team, and do you get the impression that his teammates would also like to see him traded? Thank you so much. Have fun this weekend!!!

M S

A: Most of them got away for a bit of a vacation, heard of plans for Vegas and St. Kitts and, I think, an L.A. Not too many here in Houston, Ross obviously and Kyle Lowry is supposed to be here for a union meeting and that’s about it.

Not sure if too many stayed in Toronto but they all have to be in Washington in time for an evening practice on Monday.

The team will have a charter leaving Toronto on Monday afternoon but most travelling players will get from wherever they are to D.C. on their own.

I don’t get the impression at all that any teammate “wants” him traded, they know the hassle that goes with that and don’t wish it upon anyone.

As for close friends? I really don’t see these guys in social situations often enough to be able to speak to it. But it’s not like he – or anyone – is shunned.

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Q: Hi Doug, been a while since I have had something pop in my mind; keep up the patience. Pardon the preamble but I hope you can answer a few knowing you speak with professionals in the NBA. I read the Q&A after the fact, while I do not understand the hate for the young fella and I would not trade Andrea for a bag of balls I am hoping for a couple of answers. I understand the "rule of thumb" is to give your best player the first shot, would it make

sense to run the young lad into the block right away when he comes in to get him "engaged" into the game? How much is his elbow messing up his shot right now? Is he best suited as a scoring 6th man on a winning team, like earlier in his career? How much is he missing the defensive inside presence working

beside him as the other big? As much as I think it may be a mistake to get 50 cents on the dollar for him, would it be best for him to be moved to a change of scenery for his own sake?

Kevin, Waterloo

A: Early in the year, when he was starting, I was a proponent of running the first couple of plays for him off the bat and they did. I’d say it’s probably the same now that he’s coming off the bench but I don’t think it needs to be post-ups, I think pick and pop is more is style.

And his elbow is fine or he wouldn’t be out there and, yeah, if the other big isn’t defending well, it’ll affect him.

Here’s the other thing: You don’t trade him for “his own sake” but for the team’s own sake.

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Q: Hey Doug,

A lot of the initial angst over the Gay/Calderon trade was based on the perception that DeMar and Rudy had redundant skill sets. Even though it’s still a small sample size, is it fair to say a lot of that may have been overblown? They seem to enjoy playing together and their size and speed at both wing positions makes it tough for opposing teams to match up. Denver had to use Andre Miller at times against DeMar (so Brewer could check Gay) and he ate Miller up.

Thanks,

Nick

A: Probably was a bit over-blown and what they seem to be able to do now is create space for each other, which is never a bad thing. Trouble is, it often comes of isolation plays and ball-stopping offence and I’m not sure how effective that is long-term.

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Q: Hi Doug,

In an ESPN article talking about Hedo Turkoglu getting caught with steroids in his system, it mentions that Hedo informed the team of the positive test last week. It strikes me as an odd situation that the player would inform the team. Wouldn't the team be notified of a positive test? Can you explain anything about the process, if you know how it works?

Thanks!

Here is the ESPN article for reference:

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8944820/hedo-turkoglu-orlando-magic-suspended-20-games-positive-test

Peter L

A: Because the drug testing for all pro sports leagues is administered by a third party, the protocol is to tell the guilty party first. And I don’t know this for sure, but I could see a player being told of a positive first test, which would lead to a test on a

‘B’ sample and it could be in that time, that a player would tell his employer.

And I also don’t know that lag time would be between informing the player and then the league, can’t imagine it would too long.

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Q: Doug - are the Raptors still paying some of Turkoglu's contract and if so, will they get a measure of relief now that he has been suspended?

And do you think that NBA teams will ever include in their contracts an "out-clause" should the player ever test positive for a banned substance? Or would the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program preclude such a clause?

Thanks for all your work. It adds so much to the enjoyment of following the

Raps, a good bunch of guys to follow even if they're not YET above .500.

John P

A: No, they were out from under any financial obligations the second they traded him. And since drug testing is collectively bargained with very specific penalties for getting caught, that’s all the recourse a team has.

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Q: Hello good sir.

Ever envision any of the major league sports to fully adopt and embrace the WADA code on PEDs?

Peter D, Kitchener

A: I think as things move forward leagues will try to move toward more stricter testing but it is always a part of collective bargaining with a union and cannot be changed unilaterally by a league.

But there is a Stern quote in the notebook I did Saturday night that addresses the issue.

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Q: Rudy Gay is really good. There is no doubt about that.

But the Calderone trade irks me, it really does.

And the chatter on your blog and around other writings is that the Raps need a backup pg.

A don't agree.

I think they need a starter.

Kyle Lowry is not what was promised. He plays terrible defence. He turns the ball over like crazy - and often at the worst of times.

I think the agenda should be pretty clear: find a STARTING point guard.

All I can think about is how foolish Rap's admin was to say, at the beginning of the year, that they were giving him the keys.

Keys to what?

I think it’s pretty glaring when your third point guard can come in and finish games in the place of your starter - and we all agree that Lucas is a fine shooter, not a point guard.

So if he stays in and is more aggressive, a better shooter, and is providing a lift, then what is Lowry doing?

Imagine (I know you won't) Calderone at the head of this new beast.

Ren, Kirkland Lake

A: I understand your point and many have made it but the fact is they’ve beaten three quality opponents in this four-game winning streak and the only time Lucas finished a game was after Lowry was ejected.

Sure, Kyle may not be to everyone’s taste – including mine – but the team is getting results.

Bonner's automotive tales a highlight of the day

Yeah, slept in a bit today, sorry folks.

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Matt Bonner slays me.

You should have seen him sitting there yesterday entertaining the masses talking about the Spurs, the three-point shooting contest, life in general.

And his car.

Oh yeah, his car.

In our breathless pursuit of inside information you can’t get from just anywhere – and probably don’t need – we can dutifully report Matt’s still tooling around San Antonio in his 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix.

Yeah, that’s the kind of chatter you get standing around 90 minutes of media availability and watching the world’s reporters go to work. It’s a zoo, a total zoo and it’s simply hard to get anything too, too good.

The best conversation I heard about – it was at the rookie-sophomore media session and I wasn’t there – was when a reporter from Ireland wandered up to Cleveland’s Tyler Zeller and asked:

“People tell me you’re a taller, better looking version of me. What do you think?”

Yeah, really, that’s what it’s like.

Anyway back to Matt …

His car?

“I’m still driving it right now. My wife is threatening to push it off a cliff because the thing’s falling apart … It runs fine, I took it for a tune-up last month, the guy said she’s running good, she’ll be good for another 60 to 90,000 miles.”

Of course, someone then asks him whether the car is some kind of good luck charm (I’m telling ya, we’re a pack of global Woodward and Bernsteins here).

"I don’t know about a good luck charm but the seat is perfectly molded to my body; I’ll never find another car seat as comfortable as my Pontiac Grand Prix.”

About then, I half expected a Pontiac Grand Prix executive to come out and give Matt his royalty cheque.

Hey!!!!!

Hang on a sec!!!!

Why doesn’t Matt Park a Pontiac Grand Prix in the lane during tonight’s three-point shooting contest? How cool would that be.

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Alicia Keys might be good enough to keep me in the arena at halftime tomorrow night instead of walking upstairs seeking fresh air.

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Yes, the media contingent here runs to all the extremes.

Overheard this conversation between a couple of credential wearing folks in the elevator at the hotel after the Friday night shenanigans.

“What did you think of what Harden was wearing?”

“I thought the OKC guys were just trying to out-do each other.”

“Are camo pants good?”

“No, especially the skinny ones.”

And here I thought I’d hear trade rumours and basketball talk.

Silly me.

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Speaking of …

Yes, there has been chatter about Bargnani-Boozer around here but I’m not sure if it’s just people catching up the first one or what.

But my information remains as it was a week or so ago, there is no interest in taking on either Boozer or his more-costly contract.

Man, I can’t wait for Thursday at 3:00.01.

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Mail?

I have a lot to do but there’s always room for me; imagine I’ll just put a couple mail bags together and they’ll pop up through the weekend, if that’s okay.

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Speaking of trades …

There isn’t a lot out there right now, even in little private chats with folks here and the big reason is there aren’t too many general managers around this weekend.

There used to be a competition committee meeting on all-star weekend and you couldn’t turn around without running to some major decision maker on the Thursday or the Friday.

This year? No meeting, little chatter, minor rumblings.

Of course, there are those who are sure Dwight Howard’s getting dealt, many think Josh Smith might be on the move and others who think it’ll be a boring week.

Me? I have nothing close to firm enough to type right now and can’t imagine anything comes up the rest of the weekend.

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Oh yeah, yes, we’ll get together for an IGBT on Sunday night but tonight I’ll have a lot to do with a Stern thing at 7, Bonner and Ross so the evening will be other work.

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There is one piece of somewhat nasty business that’ll take place here today. The players association may try to fire its boss.

My man Asch has all the details here far better than I can lay them out for you but it is a bit of ugliness that could very well have long-term repercussions depending on who eventually takes over and how the union emerges from this mess.

Matt Bonner’s on the executive board and, in a moment of seriousness on Friday afternoon mentioned the public perception of the union could very well be at an all-time low.

“Obviously, from a PR standpoint, nobody wants to damage the union from our side, it’s unfortunate when things go public like that but I don’t think it’s been anything that hasn’t been communicated from both sides.

“Our goal is to move the union forward, we don’t want to cause any more damage to ourselves, our constituency, to the players.”

The one thing that gets me about this whole mess is that the players seem to have known for a while that there were troubling issues but had very little taste for finding out just how deep they went and how serious they truly were.

And I know it’s a bit Pollyanna-ish but wouldn’t you think that with so much at stake and some much money involved, that more players would be more interested in what a union leadership was doing?

And if they don’t care, don’t you think their agents would be telling them to?

Look, this isn’t going to have any significant impact on the game on the court right now and that’s all that should matter to fans. But it’s a telling story, indeed.

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Vince, milestones, the Hall and one more silly TV sport

Oh, this’ll rankle more than a few of you, I’d suspect.

How about that Vince Carter?

Am sure you heard – and am sure some you were angered when you did – but HWSNBN went past Larry Bird – yes, THE REAL LARRY BIRD – on the list of all-time NBA scorers the other night.

Vince took a pass from Mike James – yes, THAT MIGHT JAMES – and drilled a three-pointer near the end of the third quarter of Dallas’s win over Sacramento.

Carter finished the game with 21,796 career points, five more than the iconic Bird.

So, what’s it mean?

Well, the obvious answer is it’s just a matter of longevity but I think that’s a bit simplistic, actually.

Yes, Vince is in his 15th season and has played 1,037 games and in this day and age, it would only figure that he’d pass some oldtimers on the all-time list.

But for those of us who’ve followed him for years, those simple facts are astounding to some degree. I certainly didn’t think Vince had a 15-year career in him when he was at the height of his fame, I wondered how his game would translate from the astonishing athleticism of his first seven years; it seems to have translated quite well. Vince can still dunk, although not nearly as effortlessly as he once did, but he can also play, he “thinks” the game far better now than I ever thought he could.

I laud him for sticking around this long and still having an impact on the game; he could quite easily be living out his dotage caring for his daughter and being a Dad, he’s playing on the last year of a contract and the last time I spoke with him he expressed a desire to keep going.

I bring him up today because later this morning I’m going to a news conference where a couple of direct inductees and the rest of the nominees for the 2013 Hall of Fame class will be announced.

And with that, and with a question someone posed to me here the other day, I’ll wonder whether I’ll ever hear Vince’s name there with a Hall of Fame class.

You can certainly see how he’d at least be nominated and I honestly think that will happen.

No, he never led a team to a championship or to even play for one and that is part of any Hall of Fame career, I think.

But he has now played 15 seasons and could end in the top 25 on the all-time scoring list. He has been a seven-time all-star and for a spell was among the most compelling players on the planet.

I can’t tell you how globally popular he was and I followed him all over the world; people were in awe.

So, yes, I can see him being at least a Hall of Fame finalist and then it’s up to wiser men than I to figure out if he gets in.

Sure, there was in the middle of his career a school of thought that he could have been more but it just didn’t happen.

But he is where he is today and that’s a helluva place to be.

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Little known fact?

I’m a bit of a Mary Chapin Carpenter fan (don’t tell anyone, okay?)

So, given the locale, what the heck.

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Okay, you know my hatred for the junk sports that clog the TV airwaves (and prove there are simply too many channels) simply because they’re cheap to produce or put on and are the mindless fodder that some see as white noise.

Well, I’m on the stool other day killing time only to look up at one of the many TVs in the joint (hello, Jack Astor’s at Square One!) to:

The New York City Kingpins vs. The Motown Muscle.

Yep, TEAM BOWLING.

For real.

Six guys against six guys and I swear the only thing I thought missing were empty cans of Schlitz and pizza crusts.

Yes, they professionals prying their trade, it should not be on TV. Guess they just couldn’t find a tape of an old pucks contest to throw on.

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Mail?

Please. It’s at askdoug@thestar.ca but can we cease and desist with the Andrea Bargnani queries. Trust me, I have enough to get through this weekend and all next week.

Not sure when we’ll do mail, figured we should do usual fare stuff through the weekend since there’s so much going on but we’ll get a couple of files up, if you’ll help and I find time.

Thanks.

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Of all the feel-good stories around the Blue Jays right now, there was always one cloud and I was wondering how they would handle Melky Cabrera and his drug suspension of last season and the news that broke last week linking him to PEDs through a shady Florida operation.

Well, found out today.

The Jays and Cabrera put out this press release shortly after 7 a.m. Eastern time and it was a pre-emptive strike like I’ve never seen before.

No press conference to answer inevitable questions once and for all – and if they’d done that and shut it down for the rest of the year, I’d have been fine with that.

But I think he had to speak, at least once, and putting out a press release at dawn and having that be the final word for the season? That flies in the face of how I think issues like this should be handled.

Look, I don’t know Cabrera from Adam and have never spoken to him. But he is who he is and did what he did and I think in light of the latest report, he needed to do one more news event so some questions could be answered.

He and Jays took the easy way out; too easy.

Too bad.

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Knowing roles, not knowing what to do and not knowing people

Say one thing for the HOTH, they continue to confound and entertain and pull rabbits out of their hats.

And now riding a four-game win streak, they get four days off to reflect.

Which I did, too.

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THREE POINTERS

Doing the job

Been a pretty good stretch for John Lucas III, no?

Big fourth quarter on Sunday, a couple of big shots on Tuesday and his big 15-minute stretch last night in New York with the dagger on that little fade from the corner over Jason Kidd in the last minute.

This team is pretty lucky, actually.

In much the same way Aaron Gray was a pro and ready to contribute when he got his chance, Lucas bided his time as the third point guard, barely played and comported himself well until he got his shot.

Now, also like Gray I think Lucas is best served as a third guard rather than a primary backup and these three games certainly haven’t done anything to change my mind. He still has some issues with his decision-making and running and offence and those aren’t going to go away.

But he can make a shot – the big one last night – and he’s obviously professional enough to be ready when his team needs him.

Doesn’t lessen the need for a guard – and that has to happen in the next week – but at least made it less crucial over these last two games.

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Speaking of …

Landry Fields has probably had a lot of good days in his life, although I can’t imagine many were better than yesterday.

As we find out through the tweeter (and that really does lay life bare for some people) he got engaged to his girlfriend during the day, he gets a matchup-driven start in the city where his career began and plays extremely well guarding one of the best scorers in the NBA.

Now he’s off, apparently, for a couple of days away with his fiancée and all has to be well in the world.

Not a bad day, all in all.

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So, where are they?

Well, on a bit of an ascent, actually.

I’ve wavered between thinking they might play important games in April with some faint chance at the eighth spot and thinking the horrid start had – as my man Perk once uttered – shot the season behind the ear.

But three quality wins in a four games – at Indy, over Denver and at New York – were totally unexpected (before that stretch, you might have thought one was good, two would have been a pleasant surprise and three was unthinkable) and who knows what might happen now.

Give ‘em all credit – Bryan, Dwane, the players – because they are playing entertaining games, playing hard and seem to have something good going on.

Kind of makes the unofficial “second half” of the season worth waiting for, no?

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A wee bit more.

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

(The card, flower and chocolate companies thank you)

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No, I’m not all that big on Valentine’s Day and not that big on “love songs” but if you were to play this a couple of times tonight when you’re dancing with the Missus (or the Mister) it’d be a good mood-setter for the day.

Mr. Clapton has some singing chops.

Me? I’ll likely be in some saloon in Houston watching Lakers-Clippers and hanging with the other all-star weekend hostages.

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Couple of housekeeping matters, if you don’t mind.

We’ll be here – live once again from some departure lounge at Pearson so we can wait out the inevitable delays together from 11:30-12:30 this morning (flight’s allegedly at 1:20 or so) so come armed with your questions and hellos.

And if you can’t make it, there’s askdoug@thestar.ca for whenever I can find time for a weekend mailbag or two; not much over there now, help a fella out, would you?

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So, Turk.

Goes back to Turkey, takes some kind of supplement, it’s got a banned substance in it and, boom, he gets nailed by the PED police and gets a 20-game ban.

Hilarious. Really.

Look, I like Turk, quite a bit. Was a funny guy whole stole a bunch of money when he was here but he never, ever struck me as a guy who’d take something to help him have enough recovery ability to hasten is workout regimen to return from an injury.

And maybe that’s why I found the story so hilarious.

That and the fact that now two of the eight players who have ever been caught using PEDs used to play hear – Lindsey Hunter was the other ex-Raptor – made it even more interesting.

I’m not naïve enough to think that Turk – or the other seven who got caught – are the only players who put illegal substances in their bodies, although it’s kind of ridiculous to me that any athlete would take something even close to dubious during a season.

If you want to take something, there are armies of team staff and league staff and union staff who will tell you what you can take; trying to “sneak” something you got on your own is courting disaster.

It’s unfathomable to me that any player in any sport would go rogue; it makes no sense and speaks to a level of invincibility that’s troubling.

I don’t feel in the least bit sympathetic towards Turk, or any player in any sport who offers a lame “I didn’t know what was in it” excuse. There are ways to find out, people to help you do it and if you don’t and you get caught, tough noogies.

Speaking of Turk …

That never gets old.

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I guess nothing should really shock us about athletes who are idolized because we have so often been disappointed and stunned to learn of their human failings long after we’ve lauded them for their athletic expertise.

It’s hard being a fan though, isn’t it? People we think we know do things of an unspeakable nature and we should all start examining the reasons why we cheer.

And as I’ve warned a few times before, we need to cheer for athletic ability and competition and that alone.

We can’t pretend to know or like or admire anyone for any other reason because these men and women are humans and many have demons.

We need to appreciate them as athletic entertainers because to get too caught up in their lives away from the sporting venue is ask for disappointment.

I wrote this about Oscar Pistorious this past summer as an athlete and I remember being miffed at myself for not writing a longer, more in-depth piece on him as a man.

Given what’s transpired, I’m glad I didn’t.

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Fun game, big finish but at least one troubling sign

So as I said to a felllow with a vested interest in the fortunes of the HOTH last night:

“You guys do make it interesting.”

Fun night, though; even if there were some heart palpitations at the prospect of OT without a word written about 9:15 p.m. and a 10:30 deadline looming.

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THREE POINTERS

Troubling sign

Look, I'm not going to rip Kyle Lowry for not being able to keep Ty Lawson in front of him, Lawson is among the quickest guards in the league with the ball and no one can; Lawson living at the rim is as much on the bigs and wings as anyone.

No, the troubling sign was seeing how hard a time they -- and he -- had dealing with aggressive traps on high screen-roll. I didn't chart every play, the IGBT makes that impossible, but I would bet half a dozen of the turnovers came off screen-roll traps.

And you know that every team in the NBA will see tape of that today -- bet my man Walker D. Russell would be phoning the Knicks before he left the arena -- and now that's something the Raptors really have to work on.

Of course, not every team has the quickness of Denver and not every coach would gamble like George Karl would but it's going to be interesting to see how many teams now aggressively trap Lowry.

And how he handles it.

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Just like they drew it up

It was the possession that ended with the first basket Andrea scored, a jump shot with about a minute left in the first quarter, and it had to bring a smile to Dwane Casey’s face.

I can’t read my scribbling to figure out precisely how it went down but I do know that every Raptor on the court touched the ball on the possession before Bargnani knocked down an 18-foot jump shot; one of the few times in the game the ball moved so swiftly and efficiently without a turnover or a quicker shot.

It might have been Bargnani’s shining moment of night – you could tell he was stll feeling the effects of the flu bug that laid him low for a couple of days but it was still good to see.

Bargnani was basically ineffective most of the night but I’m going to chalk that up primarly to the bug, he looked terrible and was a step behind.

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Gambling can be good

We know from the game story that Dwane was itching to get Rudy Gay back in the game in the fourth quarter when he had to sit him with the five fouls for about five minutes with the game hanging in the balance.

But a gamble of equal proportions came in the third quarter, when he sat him for all but 69 seconds with four fouls.

It’s always a tough call for a coach in that kind of situation, when do you roll the dice and leave the guy in versus sitting him so he’s at least around later in the night.

Personally, I’m kind of adverse to pulling a guy with two quick fouls early – I’d ride out an entire first quarter or at least enough of the first quarter so that they can use a regular rotation – but after haftime, I’m erring on the side of caution and have no problem with the way Dwane handled things.

Gay’s a special case on this team because they so desperately need him late in close games and since it seems every single game they play is close assuring yourself he’ll be around for the final five minutes is of paramount importance.

Now, if they’d blown a lead in either the thrid or the start of the fourth with Rudy on the bench, I can only imagine the howling.

I know hindsight is perfect but I have no issues at all with how the timing was handled last night.

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More? Yeah, I’ve got a bit before I have to deliver Super Son for one last check of the collarbone and shoulder down at the fracture clinic.

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So I get settled after the tome is written, turn on the tweeter to find out what's going on in world, especially to see how good -- or bad -- the State of the Union address was.

Imagine my surprise to find out that Ricky Rubio had such an intense interest in American politics.

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Yes, I have been known to have an issue or two with the musical selections at Raptors games because (a) I don't consider some of it music and (b) most of it isn't.

But the game's on the line, HOTH are inbounding the ball and they play this?

In The Air Tonight was an inspired choice.

Well done, folks.

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You saw in the IGBT that Stevie Boy was around clicking off some frames (not sure you can use that phrase in the digital age but I’m an old codger so I will) and here’s the end result of his evening.

Some pretty good stuff here.

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As I said last night, DeRozan Mozgov’d Mozgov!

This was as impressive as pretty much anythig I can remember DeMar doing in a game.

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I’m loafing tonight, big time, since Not Grace Kelly is in New York before I head to Houston so we’ll dump the IGBT for an evening in case I want to have a nap duirng the game. But if I don’t, I’d lke to get a head start on the mail, please.

It’s askdoug@thestar.ca and there’s barely any over there so write and say hello, please.

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I’m trying to figure out precisely why the opening of spring training is so far and away more anticipated than the beginning of any other North Amrerican pro sports pretend season.

And it’s not just this year with the TOD – although I’ve got a feeling we’re in for a special year – because it’s the same every spring.

Is it simply the time of year, we see sun and grass and guys playing catch and cannot wait for our own summer?

Is it basically because of the length of time between the end of last season and the start of this one?

What is it?

You have to admit that regardless of how your team’s fortunes might look, there’s something special about this week.

Sure, spring training is way too long, there are too many games, too many guys playing that you’ve never heard of before and likely won’t ever hear of again.

But it doesn’t seem to matter; this is an exciting week and month, isn’t it?

How come?

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The Goods On The Game, Nuggets at Raptors

Good evening, everyone.