Nuggets at Raptors, game-day Dino-bytes

Our post-shootaround look at tonight’s Raptors game

 

DENVER (33-19) vs. TORONTO (19-32)

Air Canada Centre

TIPOFF: 7 p.m.

TV: TSN; RADIO: FAN590

WEB: Oh, yes, we will be here for the usual in-game blog shortly before 7 p.m.

 

Probable starters

Denver: Ty Lawson, Andre Iguodala, Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, Kosta Koufas; Toronto: Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay, Amir Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas.

 

Key backups tonight

Denver: Andre Miller (savvy veteran a pass-first PG); JaVale McGee (quick big man plays with energy); Toronto: Terrence Ross (game should be a pace he likes), John Lucas III (can he match Sunday’s fourth quarter?)

 

Season series

Denver leads, 1-0

The horrid early-December road trip out west began with the Nuggets scoring a 113-110 win at the Pepsi Centre.

And Denver has won nine of the last 10 meetings between the teams.

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What happened this morning?

A matter of pace

Dwane Casey was talking about how the Nuggets thrive on an up-tempo game and are going to score their fair share of points.

But he also pointed out the Nuggets don’t seem to be all that fond of defence and would rather give up a shot than defend for long stretches in any possession.

He said the Raptors have to be patient because with two or three passes, they are likely to get a good shot.

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Still a bit sick

Andrea Bargnani, laid low by the flu since Saturday night, did not take part in shootaround and is being termed a “game-time decision.”

The best bet – if betting was legal – would be that that decision is negative. But time will tell.

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Stat, take it or leave it

I know some care and Amir Johnson has now blocked at least one shot in 11 straight games. Big accomplishment? His career best is 13 straight with at least a block.

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It’s nothing personal

We did chat with Jonas Valanciunas, briefly, after shootaround and everyone tried to steer the conversation to his solid play in the second half of the Indiana game and Sunday against New Orleans.

He was having none of it, even when he was asked about his back-to-back double-doubles.

“As long as the team is winning I feel great … I don’t like to talk about myself.”

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The view from there

Here’s a latest dispatch from the Denver Post, wherein Andre Iguodala says a strained neck won’t keep him out tonight.

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Those in charge, for what it’s worth

Ed Malloy, Sean Corbin and Kevin Scott are tonight’s officials.

That’s not Mendy Rudolph, Jake O’Donnell and Earl Strom.

(You’ve got to be of a certain vintage to know those names)

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Another stat that may, or may not, matter

The Nuggets are the worst free-throw shooting team in the league, making just 69 per cent of their attempts.

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Of wrestling and Mardi Gras and a writer's greatest gig

Lots of little things today after a nice, slow Monday.

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Sometimes I just don’t get the IOC.

Actually, I rarely get the IOC because it strikes me as a good old rich boys club as much concerned with lining its own pockets rather than putting the interests of athletes first.

That’s a rant for another day but news this morning that they’re going to drop wrestling from the Summer Olympics program after the 2016 Games tells you just about all you want to know where the folks who run that organization are going.

It’s a TV show more than a sports event, it’s silly sports that translate well into broadcasts and reach the younger demographic rather than a historical sporting competition.

Now, I’m not a huge wrestling fan – for either gender – and certainly not as informed on the sport as, say, my man Stumpy, who I’m sure will have an all-world rant about this some day this week.

But wrestling has been associated with the Olympics for as long as the Olympics have been around; it is pretty much pure sport, me against you, strongest man wins. No outside influences, just one against one, pure.

And isn’t that what sports is?

It is a global sport, far more than some that are on the program, it can be played in every nation on earth; it is not at any level regional or expensive or anything like that.

I’m waiting to hear what the rationale is for dumping the sport, I would guess we will hear someone say it is being done to cut back on the number of athletes at Summer Games that are already too big.

But when you look over the Summer Olympics program and want to cut something back, wouldn’t there be other sports that could go that are far more limited in scope for the world’s athletes?

As I said, I’m not all that big on wrestling as a sport (although Daniel Igali’s win was inspiring) but it is a sport, it has a long and storied history in the Games, dumping it and keeping TV-friendly globally regional sports makes no sense to me.

But that’s the IOC, sense doesn’t often play into the equation.

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Fat Tuesday!

I’m not a pancake guy at all so that’s not in my future but if anyone knows a beignet place in Hazelville, that’d be nice.

And if the ACC poohbahs are reading this, media room jambalaya would sure be a nice tough. Or some dirty rice, please and thank you.

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Speaking of …

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Everyone was all over Dwane and Terrence Ross about the dunk contest yesterday and it was all pretty predictable.

Ross was saying it’s hard to even fathom finding a dunk no one’s done before but he did offer that he might have one or two up his sleeve that he could try on Saturday night.

No, there were no specifics – they tend to keep dunks as a better secret than trade rumours – but if he does have something original, that’ll be the thing that everyone will end up talking about.

And Ross has always been unexcited about the use of props – that makes him just fine in my books – and that’s another level to it.

Using props – people, telephone booths, throwback jerseys, cars, choirs, what have you – is what has ruined the dunk contest in my opinion. It’s a show – with a predetermined winner in the case of Blake Griffin, I am entirely sure – and bears little resemblance to the legit contests of a decade or so ago.

Schtick is not my bag.

So we’ll see what Ross and others have, maybe turning it into conference vs. conference will add some juice to it, maybe they’ll win or lose on their own athletic abilities rather than their level of showmanship.

We can only hope.

Dwane?

He knows what it is.

“I don’t think you can put two baskets out there and a phone booth and cape and all that. You can’t do that in a game.”

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Okay, this is going to be a weird weekend with all the all-star hijinks I’ll have to do and write about so let’s get the mail started early.

If the link over there on the right isn’t working well, it’s askdoug@thestar.ca. You don’t have to use secret code words – unless you want to – so give me your best.

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So I make a rare appearance at Mother Star yesterday morning to some overdue paperwork, pick up some supplies and to whine to the Tall Foreheads about being stuck in Indy for two extra days (that’s the first one-game trip expenses I’ve filed that included three different hotel bills) because I was grumpy.

Anyway, got even grumpier when I ran into my friend Rosie and we’re chatting about work and what’s coming up and she tells me she was off to spring training later in the day.

Now, folks, I have been privileged to cover an awful lot of great things over my career – Olympics, world championships, NBA championships, World Series, Grey Cups, any number of wonderful events – but I will say this with the utmost confidence:

The easiest and most stress-free gig a writer could ever want is spring training.

It is nirvana.

Workouts are finished early, lots of people to write about, games don’t matter so you watch them just in case something extraordinary happens and it never does; the pace of every single day is almost somnambulant.

Really.

The weather’s basically great, there’s seldom a lot of hard news to chase or break and the days are generally done in time to either play 18 holes or find a calm patio.

Now, I know baseball in the regular season is a bit different, you get to the park about 3 p.m. and have no clue when you’ll be leaving, but that just makes up for the pace of spring training. All those quiet days, all those evenings free, all that sun.

Oh hell yeah, I’m jealous as all get out.

It’s the dream gig for a lot of writers. Just wish I could have poached a couple of days.

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A little toughness goes a long way

Hey, guess what I have in my hand?

A BOARDING PASS!!!!

For a real, live flight back home. Hopefully by the time some of you are reading this, I’ll be somewhere in the air headed home.

Or not.

Anyway, my good friends at Champions at the Indy downtown Marriott have a good enough satellite system so I could watch the game, which kept me away from the Grammys, and a bit more sober.

So …

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THREE POINTERS

Showing some grit

Know what I like best about Jonas Valanciunas?

He doesn’t give a crap.

The kid just goes out there and smacks people around if he has to, he takes a smack if he has to, he’s got some toughness we’re just starting to see and he is the least intimidated rookie big man I’ve seen in these parts for a while.

The other night he banged around with the thug Hansbrough and David West, he hit The Other Lopez with at least one hard foul in the second half of Sunday’s game that I can recall and Valanciunas is playing with a level of confidence and aggression that I thought would take a lot longer to develop.

Now, he does still make his fair share of mistake – he could rotate on defence much more quickly and he’s far from mastered the art of setting a solid screen – but mentally, he’s figured out just how physical he has to be.

And if people come at him, he shrugs; like he’s saying: “I’ll take whatever you’ve got; and give as a good as I get.”

Not a bad attitude.

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Welcome back

Was the first quarter the most complete quarter Kyle Lowry’s played since he got back?

He looked quicker, more assertive, more decisive and more able to get his own while getting others’ theirs than he has in a long time.

Not sure why but I do know his coaches and teammates appreciated it and it harkened back to the first five or six games of the season.

And he keeps having that kind of impact on the game – particularly the starts to get everyone’s head into the night right off the bat – it’s going to further endear him to everyone.

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What they’re saying

Was talking to an Eastern Conference assistant coach on the phone over the weekend – you tend to do a bit more calling, chatting, texting and e-mailing when you’re loafing for two extra days in a strange city – to get his take on some NBA matters.

And once we went through some things that may or may develop into stories, I got around to asking him what he thought of the Gay trade; we hadn’t spoken since it went down.

He said something very interesting, to me at least:

“They’re big. That’s a big, long team now.”

If you think about it, he’s right.

You’ve got Valanciunas and Amir, Bargnani and the very “long” Rudy Gay that you can run through the 4-5 positions and 7-foot Aaron Gray as a serviceable big, if needed.

I wondered if the thought around the league would be that the deal made Toronto more potent offensively; was interesting to hear an assistant’s take on it.

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More?

Sure, I’ve got half an hour to kill before we (hopefully) board this baby plane.

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So we know there are few – well, there are no – benefits to playing and living in Detroit over playing and living in Toronto so it’s easy to feel at least a bit disappointed for our old friend Jose.

But he gets to hear Martha and the Vandellas at halftime tonight (the Pistons are always trying to juice attendance someone) and she’s no Vanilla Ice.

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Okay, we always run into conventions on the road -- the ComicCon one at LAX a few years back was freaky and a bit scary, the tattoo convention in Phoenix or Sacramento a decade or so ago was frightful, the lawyers one in Philly was a tad boring.

And I do remember checking out of the downtown Marriott in Philly with a younger, more single, more adventurous grunt and him being horribly disappointed that we were leaving just as an association of student nurses was starting its annual meeting.

Indy?

Well, it’s such a big convention city that there were three there this past weekend:

Farm equipment trade show/convention.

About 3,000 fraternity/sorority teens doing something; I have no idea what.

A gathering of, I believe, mid-western Lutherans.

And aside from getting a steakhouse recommendation in San Francisco from a fellow traveller, they were the three most boring conventions/meetings I’ve ever been around.

Not a fez to be seen; nor were there 10 grown men getting out of a small car.

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It’s about 5:30 Sunday night, shift change behind the bar at the Champions in the Marriott, same woman who watched me sit on hold with AMEX Travel for TWO FREAKING HOURS Friday night with no resolution to my travel woes and was working Saturday when I had a post-St. Elmo’s nightcap walks in:

“What? You’re still here? You eligible to vote yet?”

I laugh, ruefully; she goes away, pours a Stella, comes back:

“You need this.”

Truer words were never spoke.

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I guess I missed all the Grammy stuff (I know, I’m crushed) but I did look up to another TV at one point and wondered why, with all the great music personalities out there, they got the dude from NCIS Los Angeles to host.

Then I read somewhere LL Cool J did a great job; figured he would, he’s good on that under-rated show.

Oh, and way to go Drake! Good on ya.

(He is from Toronto, right?)

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PITCHERS AND CATCHERS TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!

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Wish me luck on the flight, hopefully I’m in the office just after 9.

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The end of the weekend mail

Hey, guess where I am?

Yep.

One more night, something about over-booked flights, no connections possible because of the other storm on the eastern seaboard so I really hope the sports bar in this hotel has a good enough satellite to see the game.

If not, I’ll need reports, thank you very much.

Now, while you’re reading this, I’ll be at the sports bar in my new/old hotel and be wondering why the servers are calling me Norm.

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Q: Hang in there Doug - snowbound gives a new perspective.

Link to nature and our world: beats struggling with airlines and AMEX.

So we have a team that could stay close in games but not finish. And now we have a player who can finish. What is that about? How do you identify those traits - mental and skills-wise - that account for why someone like R. Gay can play like that at end of a game? What EXACTLY is it and why do others lack those qualities? Is it definable? Or are we dealing with another realm of make-up of a player?

Charles N, Mexico

A: I’d say that skill level is one of the bigger things, they have the talent to make tough shots when everyone knows they’ll be taking them.

But I’ve found there’s also a psychological part to it: Not only are the good players will to accept that responsibility, they also aren’t afraid of failing. If they miss one, they want the ball the next time and take it with a clear mind and the same amount of confidence.

I think some players say they want the ball in those situations but when it comes right down to it, they might prefer someone else take the shot

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Q: So, as we Canadians bid a fond adieu to our penny, a group of us were reminiscing about other "Penny's" we've known and loved...culturally speaking. And we came up with Penny from Inspector Gadget, Penny Lane from 'Almost Famous' and Penny from Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog. (It's a hoot. Seriously! Josh Whedon wrote it. Say no more, right?!) But my first and fondest memories are of this Penny. Remember it from Saturday mornings in front of the TV? Right after The Adventures of Roy Rogers, I think.

http://youtu.be/xeZastf0wch

How about your favourite Penny's, Doug? Got one or two of your own? Enjoy Indy. That town has sure got your number --meteorologically speaking, that is. Safe travels home, whenever they may be.

Lorie P, London

A: Will, I’d probably go with Lane, JC and Marshall off the top of my head.

And, yeah, was talking to some people I know here (they were on the other side of bars) about my incidents in Indy.

A few years ago at a Final Four a tornado hit near here and we were evacuated from the lobby bar we were in; two years ago we got stranded here for two days becaue of an ice storm and now this weekend.

Can’t wait for next year’s schedule.

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Q: Hi Doug,

There is something that has bugged me for a while I hate when announcers say "The Thunder has scored only once..." and not "The Thunder have scored"... i.e. referring to those teams in the singular.

I know you are a stickler for grammar so what do you think?

To me, when you refer to a team you are actually referring to the group of players representing said team (plural). Also "they" is the only pronoun that makes sense. You would never refer to the Heat as he/she/it.

Thanks

Alex L, Toronto

A: I see your point and I guess by the most techical of grammar rules there needs to be constant and consistent agreement between singular and plural nouns and verbs. But in general every day usage, I’m going to go with making it easy in the conversational tone.

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Q: Hey Doug, big fan of the blog which I have read daily for years.

Quick question about the "real life" aspect of being traded in the NBA and pro sports in general. For many fans, a trade is no different than a video game transaction, but in pro sports there is a very real aspect of being traded since the players in question are people. When a player gets traded and is supposed to essentially pack up and leave do teams have personel that help them with the move and adjustment, particularly if its mid season? For example, last week Rudy Gay was in OKC and had to go to Memphis pack and then travel to Toronto in the same day, and basically assume a new life with practically no notice. Where would he stay/live in Toronto? Does the team put him up in a lavish hotel or condo while he figures things out? Does he have to wait until the off-season to sort out his living arrangements that he had in Memphis?

Thanks

Ajit, Grand Cayman

A: Teams do help with housing in the short term – I believe it’s a couple of weeks to a month but I’m not 100 per cent sure on that – and all clubs have staffers in basketball operations who make things easy for players traded for, drafted or signed. They will have real estate peope they use reguarly, car dealers and the like and are there to faciilitate what they can.

And agents generally arrive with players to help, too.

One more thing: Players are rather creative, too. I can’t remember the specific names but one guy who came to town ended up moving into a condo or home still owned by Rasho Nesterovic after he left; and I believe one of the current assistant coaches was looking for a new place to live and ended up subletting Jay’s old place.

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Q: Hi Doug,

Love the blog! Been following it since the nothing but net days. Keep up the great work, my morning is not complete without some coffee and your blog. I will admit I am a little sad when the blog is not up "on time" but what is "on time" anyways? Isn't this just an extra thing you do on the side of your normal daily duties? Do you apologize because people complain? If that's the case, common people!

Anyways, on to the question.

If (which I realize is a big if, but please play along) you could put a dollar figure on every players abilities. Also, you could quantify how much revenue a player brings into the team (also another big assumption). If a player wanted $4M contract but was only worth $3M, but would bring in $6M in revenue (from merchandise sales or what have you). Basically you could justify his salary in terms of revenue. In your opinion would you sign that player or try to find someone who is worth the $4M? How do you think GMs would think? Do they take the business aspect into consideration, or just try to get the best player for the dollar always?

Chris M, Toronto

A:That’s kind of a complex issue because the business side, and financial repercussions in revenue generated by a better team, is alwasy a consideration at some point.

But the underlying goal of every GM is to improve his team by whatever means necessary; given the constraints of the salary cap and the financial orders he gets from his bosses. That, more than potential revenue, is the what they take into consideration.

The start of the weekend mail

Here’s the deal:

Try as I might, I couldn’t get through all the mail in one sitting yesterday and, besides, I’ll have a few extra hours here this afternoon to sit and putter away.

So, read this, we’ll have some more tonight and enjoy the game.

Flight’s supposed to get back about 5:30 your time this evening, which might allow me to be on a couch when it starts; don’t imagine heading to the arena is a going to work.

Oh, a St. Elmo’s shrimp cocktail, and some the best prime rib sliders and macaroni and cheese I’ve had is perfect way to spend an evening with your friend Stella.

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Q: Kyle Lowry has made a lot of quick trips to the locker room this season. Any idea why? I suspect the original foot injury still bothers him. What gets done to him that couldn't be done on the bench as would normally be the case when a tweak occurs to an ankle or whatever? Why do we hear so much about Amir's ankle and yet hear nothing about Kyle, who pretty clearly has not regained his explosiveness, full lateral movement, or proper balance?

Thanks

Alex

A: I'm told lots of different reasons. He could be stretching things out, sometimes a uniform malfunction and the like. And between his back and ankle, he's not 100 per cent but no player In the league is at this time in a season. No sense reading anything more into it than that.

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Q: Hi Doug

I watch most of the Raptors games and a number of other nba televised games. Is it me or do the Raptor's have more difficulty inbounding the ball at half court then most other teams? Why is this do you think?

Thanks

Mike G, Kitchener

A: There's no way of proving this without spending a zillion hours watching video and I have lots of past seasons of The Wire to watch so I have no interest in doing it but I disagree with your point. I don't think they are any better or worse than any team I've seen. Yes, there was that night in Philly when Anderson got pushed and the refs missed it but I would say anecdotally these guys are no worse or better than any other team.

And as for why you might see one five-second violation in every 25 or 30 games per team -- if that -- it's generally because defensive players are holding guys who aren't physical or savvy enough to break away.

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Q: Doug,

Fans have favourite players. For the lunch pail/hard workers, Amir's their favourite. For those who like the continual new wave of players into the league - maybe JV or Ross. Or some just like the best player - which is seeming more and more like it will be Gay as the season progresses.

Do writers have favourites? What does it for you? Good interview? Combination of on court and post game? Maybe you would feel too biased to say who your favourites are on the current team but do you have some over history?

Geoff H, Toronto

A: You know who our favourites are? Guys who have impact on games and who are able to offer insightful comments in sentences and context quickly after games. And some nights we might give on the sentences for the speed.

On this team now? DeMar's quick, Kyle's quick and Rudy is a bit tardy. Jose used to be standing there dressed and waiting for us, bless his heart.

One under-rated guy who was outstanding? T.J. Ford. Every day he'd make sure to walk by whatever grunts were hanging around, after practice or games, and stop and ask us if we needed anything. That's a favourite.

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Q: Hey Doug, really love the new look of the site, great new picture of you as well.

I feel really bad for Andrea! I completely agree with you the booing was ridiculous to say the least, and now i am hearing him in trade rumours again for Boozer. The guy worked his butt off to get back in the line up had a pretty good game and no matter what fans will continue to hate on him. If it happens that he doesn't get traded at the deadline do you think he will ask to leave formally after the season?

Kevin Garnett reached 25000 points for his career, where does he rank in your opinion on the greats at the power forward position... i know its literally impossible to compare different eras of players, but it sure does not stop people from having those debates in the barber shop.

Thanks Doug keep it up

Tyler M, Regina

A: I can't presume to think for Andrea but knowing him a bit, I don't think asking for a trade is his style.

Garnett? Gaudy stats for sure but where he ranks? Impossible to say but he'd be on a modern era list probably behind Duncam, Malone and McHale but how do you classify the likes of Wayne Embry, George Mikan, Wes Unseld, Elgin Baylor? Great stool talk though.

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Q: Hi Doug,

Did Dwayne comment on the mugging by Hansborough on JV last night? Do you think supplemental discipline (seeing as none was metted out last night!) is merited? Do you think the Raps plan to send a little video to the league?

Enjoy your unexpected sojourn. It may take Super Son a couple of days to shovel out from this mess.

Dave M, Puslinch

A: Dwane didn't, mostly because we didn't ask due to the stress of deadline and their desire to get out of town in a hurry to get safely back home.

And, yes, they will make the league aware of the incident.

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Q: I do not know if these questions makes sense

With so many injuries are the Raptor's allowed to bring in bodies for practice sessions?

With only 2 games under his belt why even entertain a trade of AB ?

How urgent is the need at PG and can they wait to the trade deadline or even next summer?

Given BC's obsession at trading away draft picks (all gone for this year?) could you refresh my memory on what NBA rules govern the trading of picks?

Any status on JV and is over reacting to want the league to levee

a suspension or fine on the play?

Other then that what's for lunch?

Worse case you could always rent a car (Ford Focus) and drive :-

JHP

A: Sure, they all make sense.

No, the only way they can bring people in to practice unless they are signed (liability issues) and that's not worth it. Sometimes teams will use assistant coaches and other staffers to get them to 10 to scrimmage.

I don't there's an urgency to deal Bargnani at all; I also don't think they can go past the deadline without getting another PG, either in a deal or someone who has been waived or is the D League.

JV is fine and the league is aware of the play.

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Q: Hello Doug

You obviously fly a great deal, but with the exception of Olympics etc, just in North America I assume. Have you ever flown on Qatar Airways? We flew with them from South Africa to North America (unfortunately they do not come to Toronto) and it was terrific and $500 cheaper than other options for this route. There is a magazine that rates airlines and Qatar has been the top ranked airline in the world the last two years. Excellent food, service, inflight entertainment and cheap can't beat that.

BTW, in the most recent rankings Air Canada joined Porter as the only 4-star airlines in North America which may say something about the major American carriers that are all 3-star. Qatar is one of six 5-star airlines in the world and they are all Asian.

Bruce C, Mississauga

A: First, they must give out stars far too easily, it's obviously not Michelin.

Have never been on Qatar Airways, have done British Air, the national airlines of Spain, Italy and Turkey along with Lufthansa and all are superior to anything in North America in my limited experience with them.

Good game, good efforts and a good rant, if I do say so myself

Hands up everyone who saw that coming?

A tough, physical game on the road against a superior team and down four with 10 seconds and the Raptors win?

If you knew that was coming, please send me this week’s lottery numbers.

Thanks.

Anyway …

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THREE POINTERS

A good pair, for a night

Dwane had said he wanted to avoid using both Andrea Bargnani and Jonas Valanciunas on the court together because of their defensive deficiencies and the fact they hadn’t played together for months.

Well, that changed in hurry.

A lot of it had to do with the subtle change in rotations – you’ll notice the limited minutes for Aaron Gray – and a lot of it had to do with the success they were having.

I kind of hope it’s permanent despite the fact there will be times when they give up a lot of points in a big hurry but for one night, they were better than anyone could have possibly expected.

And it came quickly.

They were on the court together in the first quarter and later in the game as well and Dwane’s worries were unfounded.

Not entirely sure what changed his mind – didn’t get a chance to ask him in the post-game stress to make deadline – but my guess, knowing him, would be that he wanted to see what he’d get against a team that plays big on the frontcourt and liked what he saw so he stuck with it.

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A miffed Roman

I don’t know that I’ve seen Bargnani as physically engaged as he was last night and there was some toughness that I’m pretty sure few of you saw the best part.

It was right in front of us, late in the fourth quarter and Tyler Hansbrough, far more a goon than a basketball player, knocks Bargnani over in the paint.

There’s no call – of course, those three refs were terrible – and Bargnani is super pissed off.

So what’s he do?

He starts to get up, sees Hansbrough and bumps him, trips him and knocks him down.

All the time, Bargnani’s woofing at any Pacer in his sight, it truly was unusual to see.

Bargnani barked at David West, at Roy Hibbert, he took shots and gave them and if he plays like that consistently, a lot of you are going to like him.

Not sure he will, and I’m certainly not suggesting it’ll be like that all the time but it was for one night.

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Change coming?

Four minutes for Alan Anderson.

Just 13 minutes for Aaron Gray.

What gives?

Well, I’d suggest it was mostly a matchup issue at a large level, Dwane wanted to stay big with two legitimate bigs who were playing well and he got big nights out of both Gay and DeRozan.

But the way he managed their minutes was pretty good, too.

Gay only played 44 of 53, not bad; DeRozan only went 41, both had legs at the end of the game and in overtime.

Ross didn’t hurt them in the 18 minutes he was on the court and I’d suggest that they stay with that rotation of twos and threes permanently.

It gets the two key players enough rest, some run for the rookie and Anderson is there in case of foul trouble or emergency.

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More? Oh yeah, a bit

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Oh yeah, I’m still here.

Will be until Sunday at 4 p.m. so I don’t think I’ll get to the New Orleans game at 6 and the weather got me again.

But not worry, I have an idea on how to spend some time in this city if I have to.

And I have to.

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The cab’s got some dreary station playing on the radio but then the disc jockey (are they still called disc jockeys?) says Saturday is Carole King’s birthday and why not, it’s nice music.

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Pardon my rant

American Express, I think we could all agree, is a big and successful company run at all levels by people with brains and a modicum of common sense, right?

I disagree.

Entirely.

Look, I understand it snowed back there and it was a tough day and that lots of travellers on their corporate program had to make changes to their plans during the day.

I get that.

What I don’t get is how AMEX, which is allegedly a service-oriented company, could not understand that and make sure they had enough staff on to handle those issues.

All it would take is having a couple of extra operators working with the their computers from home, or Mumbai or Montreal or wherever they are.

But no, no, a thousand times no.

That big company let one guy I know pretty well (Hello, me!) remain on hold for 40 minutes before the game started and – get this! – TWO FREAKING HOURS after the game with absolutely no service whatsoever ever.

I finally gave up and made alternate arrangements and I might be done with American Express.

That’s shoddy service when they should have known better and been prepared.

End of rant.

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Oh, and since I’m going to be here all day and want to stay out of trouble, someone send me some mail so I can answer some questions.

There aren’t a lot there, it’s askdoug@thestar.ca and I welcome any and all communications.

I’ll likely be on a stool most of the afternoon and then eating a huge piece of well-marbled ribeye later so say hello if you want.

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The things you read on the road.

Check out this one from yesterday’s Indy Star wherein a woman who had been held hostage by an armed gunman who was robbing a story is now suing that store.

Not because she was grabbed by a gun-wielding assailant at the store; that might make even the tiniest bit of sense to some. Not to me, but to some.

No, she’s suing the store for emotional distress because an employee shot the gun-toting robber and freed her.

Yeah, she escaped unharmed after being held hostage and is now suing those who got her off safely.

I tell ya, I just don’t get people.

I really and truly don’t.

Oh, and catch the part where the mother of the robber is suing the store because – seriously – it “owed Atkinson (the gunman) a duty to exercise reasonable care for his safety”

That might be the story of the year right there.

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Okay, off to write a Rudy Gay feature before I hang in downtown Indy.

Hope Super Son’s got the shovel going.

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The Goods On The Game, Raptors at Pacers

Hello, everyone.

Finished shovelling the snow?

Raptors at Pacers, game-day Dino-bytes

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

 

TORONTO (17-32) at INDIANA (31-19)

Bankers Life Fieldhouse

TIPOFF: 7 p.m.

TV: TSN; RADIO: FAN590

WEB: Yes, the usual in-game blog and the inherent fun and frivolity will kick off just before 7 p.m.

 

Probable starters

Toronto: Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay, Amir Johnson, Aaron Gray; Indiana: George Hill, Lance Stephenson, Paul George, David West, Roy Hibbert.

 

Key backups tonight

Toronto: Terrence Ross (they let him dunk, will they let him play?), Andrea Bargnani (how will the enigmatic Roman have another good game?); Indiana:

 

Season series

Tied, 1-1

Been a couple of close ones: Indiana won at the buzzer on opening night in Toronto; Raptors won by two in Indiana on the night Jose Calderon (remember him?) got his first career triple-double.

Oh, and Toronto is 8-24 all time at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Well, that’s Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Conseco Fieldhouse and the old, great Market Square Arena.

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What happened this morning?

Not a whole lot

Don’t expect any changes to the lineup for the Raptors – although they always reserve the right to do that right up until tipoff.

One thing Dwane Casey pointed out was that Toronto’s last two opponents – Miami and Boston – can play a grind-it-out style similar to Indiana so Toronto should be familiar with what it’s about to see.

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What’s up in Indy?

This is supposed to be a basketball hotbed, right?

Well, this piece by Mike Wells explains that it’s not at all, at least at the NBA level.

How a 31-19 team in the Indy market is 26th in the NBA in attendance baffles me, too.

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Stat you should know for no apparent reason, one

Amir Johnson has blocked at least one shot in his last nine games.

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Creativity needed

Terrence Ross went through a short post-shootaround practice for his dunk contest routine. Trust me, there are some stunning attempts coming.

And when he works on it, he says he’ll have to probe the dark recesses of his mind.

“Every dunk has already been done,” he said. “You just have to find a way to reinvent it or find a way to put a twist on it or find a way to do one that no one’s seen.

“I think that’s the hardest thing.”

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An odd referee note

The men who’ll be in the spotlight tonight are Bennett Salvatore, Leon Wood and Haywoode Workman.

The twist? Workman played for both Indiana and Toronto.

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Stat you should know for no apparent reason, two

The Raptors have averaged 21 points and shot 38 per cent from the field in the fourth quarter of their last five games. Opponents? They average 28 points and shot 51 per cent from the field in the fourth quarter of those five games.

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The chatter begins, at least publicly, as trade day nears

And so it begins anew.

Rumours, rumblings and leaks.

Yes, the Bulls did ask the Raptors about Andrea Bargnani a couple of weeks ago or so.

Yes, the Bulls wanted to see if Toronto had any interest in Carlos Boozer.

No, there are “no active talks” between Chicago and Toronto today, according to a league source who’d know, which should tell you all you need to know about the Raptors interest in Boozer.

And seeing how Boozer makes about $15 million this year to the $10 million Bargnani will make (Boozer has two years and about $32 million left after this season; it’s two years and about $23 for Bargnani), there’d have to a bit more going out from Toronto any way, and not sure what Chicago would want.

But that’s beside the point, really.

I don’t know why Toronto would want Boozer, to tell you the truth. Sure, he’s got some skill and is having a pretty good season but he’s also 31 years old and I wonder if his skillset fits.

That stretch for spot for Toronto, given the construction of the rest of the roster, needs to have some ability to make a three-pointer because those shots will present themselves; and I don’t now if Boozer fits the bill.

Now, this could be re-visited – the whole Rudy Gay thing cooled considerably before it was revived after the first Memphis trade – so we shall never say never but … but every indication I got from everyone I talked with last night suggests this is a non-starter today.

Of course, it’s just the first of many we are likely to hear in the next couple of weeks. Lucky us.

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I will say this, and think I did in the noon chat yesterday, but in his search for a backup point guard, I would suspect Bryan would make a call to one place that makes the most sense:

San Antonio.

They’ve got Tony Parker and Nando DeColo and Patty Mills and the one kid who might more intriguing as many:

Cory Joseph.

Not sure what the Spurs would want – probably just an expiring contract and an end-of-bench guy – but calling about Joseph’s availability would be one of the first ones I make if I’m the GM.

I’m not the GM, of course, so who knows what happens.

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I had never heard this song before, or this singer, but when I was talking to a buddy at Indiana she was mentioned so …

Not bad at all.

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So how thrilling and exciting is this job?

Well, Air Canada didn’t screw me over so that’s a good thing (I thank the good thoughts from the folks in the chat and wish I could e-mail some of them and say thanks but addresses are lacking) but it turned into a long one anyway.

Land, have to get to hotel and at least start the Nothing But Net main (here you go if you missed it) and the wander up to the team hotel to spend half an hour in the lobby chatting with Rudy Gay.

That’s done, sit around the lobby (and I was like brown shoes at a black-tie affair in my jeans and their ritzy hotel) for about 90 minutes waiting for the Terrence Ross announcement.

Get it, talk to him for a few, finish off the Net stuff, wander into bar there for a quick one, down to St. Elmo’s for the best shrimp cocktail ever, some catching up with my old bartender friend Chuck and a couple of quick ones before it closes.

Stop at the Marriott sports bar to catch the end of Lakers-Celtics and start of Bulls-Nuggets, walk back to my place and crashed by 11.

Too bad, though. Had fully hoped for a whole St. Elmo’s night; maybe next time. Hate when work gets in the way of planned fun.

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Mail?

I’m hearing from an Irregular that there might be issues with the link here, we’ll get that looked at today sometime. Until then, use askdoug@thestar.ca to get in touch.

Thanks.

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One cool thing.

We’re sitting in the lobby waiting for Ross and I see a vaguely familiar face come in the door about 40 feet away.

He’s walking right by us and, yes, it’s Fred Jones!

Yeah, the ex-Raptor, ex-dunk contest champion and a really friendly guy.

He sits down for about half an hour to catch up and we find out he’s running a private social media site for athletes to stay in touch for charitable events and the like.

He lives here in Indy but, of course, was born and raised in Portland where he ran an AAU program for teens. And one kid who played on that team you might have heard of:

Terrence Ross.

Weird, the things that happen when you lobby-sit for a couple of hours.

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Seriously, what are the chances the Air Canada flight that’s supposed to come to Indy today to pick me up for the 7 a.m. flight back tomorrow makes it out of Pearson this afternoon?

And, while I really like Indianapolis a lot, we were stranded here for about two days thanks to an ice storm a couple of years ago and I’m not entirely sure I want to do it again.

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I hear and read that it’s like summer over in Sochi and there’s no snow and no cold and it’s one year minus one day until the 2014 Winter Games begin?

Now, I have no idea if I’m going to be asked to go or not – and not entirely sure three weeks away from my beat is the best idea – but covering a winter Games in spring or summer weather sure sounds good.

But now’s also the time we generally start paying attention the women and men who’ll probably dominate a lot at the Winter Games (we are far more successful there than at the summer event) and given that it’s a quiet time in pro sports, start finding out about those athletes, would you?

I’ve always thought Olympians get short shrift from the public, and the media, so maybe it’s time to change that a bit and for everyone to start learning about the athletes they’ll cheer for a year from now.

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One return and one all too familiar ending

Well, that was some game, no?

They get done, they get up, they lose in the end.

Never saw that coming, did you?

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THREE POINTERS

Giving him a chance

Yes, I thought Andrea Bargnani was far better coming back after missing 26 games than I had anticipated; sure he was winded quickly and a bit slow but he was engaged, didn’t stop the ball, didn’t take quick, bad shots and was communicative on defence.

Kind of just what they needed and, no, I have no idea if he can keep it up or if that was all adrenaline.

But I will give Dwane credit for getting desireable matchups for him; he kept Bargnani away from an aggressive defender like Kevin Garnett and let the young fell ease his way back into action.

I probably would have given Bargnani even more time in the fourth quarter but you could see up close that he was dead worn out and I don’t know how effective he would have been.

But I don’t think anyone who watched him or the game closely could have any serious complaints on how he played.

I’d keep him coming off the bench for a bit but he plays like that, he’s going to help. And he’s going to stick around for the rest of the season to open up more trade possibilities and discussions in the summer.

(And, no, Bargnani should not have heard a single boo. It was despicable, uncalled for, unfair and those who did it should be ashamed of themselves. And don’t tell me those clowns were booing for past indiscretions because if they had been, they should have been voicing displeasure in November or last year or the year before that).

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Free the kids

Yes, I think Dwane needs to loosen the reins a little bit on Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas but I don’t know that it should have been in the fourth quarter of one possession game like last night.

Look, regardless of what you or I think, Dwane and the players went into that game, like they’ll go into Friday’s game, convinced they are still in the playoff race and the coach is going to do what he thinks gives his team the best chance to win; he owes that to himself and the players.

That said, at 17-32, it’s time to give the kids a bit of an extended run; I know Dwane really dislikes a defensive combination of Valanciunas and Bargnani and wants to stay away from that but if they’re going to laud Amir Johnson as the rock and anchor of the defence, wouldn’t be it just as easy to start Valanciunas next to him now and figure out a rotation that keeps the rookie and Bargnani apart?

Ross?

Well, Ross needs to play a bit more and, yes, he will cost them a handful of possessions every game with defensive lapses but he can give them far more on some nights than Alan Anderson ever will.

Anderson is a useful piece on a 17-32 team but let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Ross is the future.

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Same old, same old

Let’s see:

They get the one stop they need in a close game and commit a turnover trying to outlet the ball.

They get it to a two possession game in the dying seconds and need a basket, a stop and a timeout and can’t get the ball inbounds and are forced to call their last timeout to save a five-second violation.

They blow a fourth-quarter lead for the 12th time this season.

If that’s not the season in a nutshell, I don’t know what is.

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More? Quickly because it’s late (sleep needed) and it’s snowy and there’s stuff to do.

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So, she’s been in ER (good show), a lot Homicide Life On The Street (great, great show), some Law and Order SVU (weakest of the three franchises) and was born in Toronto.

She can warble with the best of ‘em and, yeah, I’m quite okay with Gloria Reuben singing O Canada at the all-star game next week.

And while I usually venture somewhere at halftime to schmooze and grab some fresh air, no way I’m missing the part of the show where Alicia Keys performs.

The rest of ‘em? Barely heard of them so there’ll be time to loaf.

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Mail?

Seems to be working; it’s askdoug@thestar.ca if you don’t want to click the link over there.

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So a guy wakes up (late) to see a headline that says: “It might be the biggest storm since 2011” and it gets one wondering:

How is Air Canada going to screw me up with the flight this afternoon?

And since I have a sitdown interview schedule for right after the HOTH land and a plan for St. Elmo’s for a bit and then his cousin Harry and Izzy right after, that’s a question I don’t want to hear the answer to.

But if I can get to the airport by noon is the plan, we’ll be here at noon for an hour to answer some questions. Come on by, we’ll whine about the airline together.

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This might be enough to make even the nicest people on Prince Edward Island – as good and easy going a group of Canadians as I’ve ever met – rise up in protest.

Anne of Green Gables a blond?

Yikes.

Seriously, of all things Canadian, where would you rank Anne? She’d have to be near the top of many lists, right; something distinctly ours that is loved and appreciated all over the world.

This story about them changing her hair colour is a tough one, no?

What’s next?

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