The start of the weekend mail

Oh, those best-laid plans.

Got a lot of this stuff done Friday afternoon but then Super Son wanted to go out for dinner again, Baseball Steve was around and night devolved into dinner and a quiet evening at home.

The alarm was set for 5:30 a.m. to finish off the mail and, lo and behold, after a couple o rollovers and snooze buttons, it was 7:30.

So, here’s what’s finished to now, there’s plenty left and I’ll goof around on it the rest of the day. Should all be finished before the IGBT tonight at 7. See you then.

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Q: Hey Doug: Reading about you using your iPad mini the other day got me to thinking (an accomplishment in itself!). You've been a sportswriter for more than 30 years (according to your bio next to the blog). Can you give us one reason why it was better to be a sportswriter back then, and one reason it's better to be a sportswriter now.

Thanks!

Tim H, Windsor

A: Fewer bosses then and more money now? Nah, that's not it. Really.

Back in the day, I can vaguely recall having time to develop daily stories and not have to have them "up" so quickly. When I first started this beat, for instance, our deadlines were 11 p.m., 12:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. Now, even with advances in technology that are supposed to make things earlier, I have to file by 10:30 and again by as close to midnight as I can and there is no "final" edition.

What's better? Well, I guess technology is a big one. I can't write and file anywhere there's a wireless network and even if there isn't one, I can set one up of my own off my phone. The ease of work is far greater.

Oh, and one other downside? I was once told by one of the greatest beat writers I know (the one and only Bob Elliott of The Sun) that it was a cardinal sin to interrupt a competitor or colleague who was having a one-on-one conversation with someone. Too often these days if you are chatting with a player or an executive, you might be joined by three people toting microphones or tape recorders who aren't sure whether the ball is blown up or stuffed.

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Q: Hello. Only a couple of weeks until pitchers and catchers report! It is quite cool in the big O. The canal is open, so things aren’t too bad.

What do you reference as being a harbinger of spring? Is it the use of the word harbinger? Is it no boots? Leave overcoat in the car? Wiarton Willie? The Maple Leafs/Raptors playing for that final playoff spot? Chunks of concrete from the Gardiner?

Bob E, Kanata

A: The surest sign? First Leaves flag flying out of the window of a car and breathless stories how that week's games are must-wins to keep the playoff hopes alive.

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Q: Hi Doug. With mid-season grades being discuss ad nauseam, I haven't seen anyone rate the coaches' performance to date. How do you rate Casey's first-half coaching performance?

Vince D, Toronto

A: Actually, I didn’t do “grades” because I think they’re a bit silly and can’t really ever be put into any kind of legitimate context.

I think his first half coaching was pretty good; average. Started out trying to address a need (offence), it didn’t work out so he shifted gears. I’m okay with adaptability.

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Q: Hello Doug. I feel that Colangelo deserves another 2 year contract.

He's made some canny draft choices (hello TRoss!), the team is starting to gel, and I think there's a lot of potential for the team in 2-3 years.

When will the decision come down? End of the season?

Gary D, Stouffville

A: I can’t see ownership doing anything until the season is over and they sit back and see where they are. I think that’s most prudent.

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Q: I agree. Pelican's logo is great. Since you are such a fan - you must have heard of this poem by Dixon Lanier Meritt

A wonderful bird is the pelican,

His bill will hold more than his belican,

He can take in his beak

Enough food for a week

But I'm damned if I see how the helican!

Keep up the good work.

Bill W, Dresden

 

A: Excellent!

Have heard it, glad others will now, too

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Q: Doug: Has a team ever been called for a time violation on one of those rolling inbound passes? For example, Miami rolled the ball up the court from under their basket, to the Raps 3 point line where it was picked up by James. It seems like he got a favourable call. Thanks as always.

Ken B, Matheson

A: Actually, there’s no violation. A player simply has to inbound the ball in five seconds, teams can take forever to actually pick it up.

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Q: Hey Doug, long time reader but haven't written in a very long time. Quick question about Dwane Casey's coaching tactics. While I realize neither you or I is an NBA coach, I am confused by DC's use of Jose at the end of games. He seems to leave Lowry in the game in the fourth quarter, despite it seeming to me that Jose is the better closer. Any reason for this?

Thierry M, Sudbury

A: You’re right, he uses Lowry way too much.

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Q: Have to ask - what is up between Lowry and the coach. this month out of 11 games in 4 he has less than 18 mins - in one it was like 14 minutes.

A funny way of treating a guy who was brought in to help "save" us.

Jay S, Oshawa

A: You’re right, he uses Calderon way too much.

The end of the weekend mail, all in the same day!

Told you I’d get this done tonight.

I love my iPad Mini because if you’re sitting on a stoll goofing around, it’s easy to work on a small space.

Have a read of this and since it’s a quiet night, the alarm won’t be ignored like it was this morning and we’ll be back with the regular fare about the regular time.

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Q: Hi Doug - a question about referees (with a bit of a preamble, as is my habit). When I was at the game a few weeks ago, I was sitting baseline, quite close to the court. It was more apparent to me in person than on TV that there is a LOT of contact that doesn't get called. If they called everything the game would take forever!

Now on to the referees. It seems apparent that certain referees may not be regarded as highly as others, but I wonder about reputations certain referees may have and how it affects the players. For instance, if one referee has a reputation for 'letting the game flow', and may let a lot of little stuff go, do the players have that in mind when they start the game, or do they take it as a game by game thing and see what's being called? All within the scope of the rules, but it seems that some refs may be sticklers more than others.

Just to clarify, this isn't about questioning the referees, it's more about the players and whether they may change their play slightly when they know a ref will let certain things slide, or perhaps if they know the ref calls a tight game, they go in and play accordingly right from the start.

Sheila C, Ottawa

A: Most players that I've asked about this tend to "take the temperature" of the game early, despite knowing who the officials are and how they might have handled games in the past. Even officials who are known for "letting them play" can become whistle-happy hard-asses every now and then. It basically is a night-to-night learning experience for them and us.

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Q: Hi Doug. Glad you made it back from Chicago. Your story about Stumpy not knowing what city you were coming from got me thinking about Spinal Tap and so - what do you think the best Rock and Roll movies are? I've got to have Spinal Tap and The Commitments at the top. Do you agree?

Art H, Sharbot Lake

A: If the list cannot include documentaries, those two would definitely be in my top five. Not sure how I'd rank them but the other three might be High Fidelity, School of Rock and Wayne's World?

Sound ok?

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Q: I think it was a really poor choice on Casey's part to have Demar throw the ball in after the timeout at the end of the game. Demar has the potential to be a good NBA player but he's not a very quick thinker. My choice would have been Landry Fields. Dwayne is a good coach in my opinion but everyone has to take the blame for that loss. But Dwayne IS the leader isn't he?

Bill H, Ailsa Craig

A:I was a little surprised that it was DeMar the first time, even if he did have the presence of mind to call the timeout. And it made more sense to me to have Jose do it the second time, even if it didn't work out.

And, yes, Dwane is the leader and accepts ultimate responsibility but I don't think it's too much to ask a four-veteran to make an inbounds pass.

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Q: So the NBA apologizes to the Raptors again. Is this something new this year. I don't recall it happening before. We see it now because it is the Raptors. Is this something that happens regularly to other teams and in other years?

Dave B, Cornwall

A: Not regularly, no. In fact, I don’t remember another case this year.

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Q: http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/01/18/daily-telegraph-nba-pistons-knicks/1846861/

Nothing like British prose .... Wonderful description of the modern day NBA with all the distractions. Of course that's music to this curmudgeons' ears. My fondest Raps memories were the VC years where the atmosphere in the building was electric. which was all related to the product on the court.

John C, Mississauga

A:Those were the good old days, weren't they? And the more legit British sportswriting I read, the more inadequate I feel. Those blokes can flat out craft.

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Q: Hi Doug. I was so frustrated after regulation last night that I couldn't bring myself to watch the OT... and then not surprised to find they had lost.

In any event, I'm curious about Bargnani and Valanciunas? Are they able to get any work in on the court while they're off or is it all limited to cardio, etc.? Is there any timeline as to when we might see either return to action?

Thanks as always.

Jim F, London

A: Actually, Valanciunas has spent a lot of time working on his left hand jump hook since he’s been out; Bargnani’s been doing a lot of cardio.

And both have been cleared for non-contact on-court work now so the process is unfolding.

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Q: Hey Doug, I'm not a basketball novice by any stretch but I've always been curious about how a "scoring run" starts and ends. I used to think runs were just consecutive basket streaks until you gave one up, but of course I've heard announcers talk about a team scoring to end, say, a 13-4 run by their opponent. So how exactly is a "scoring run" calculated from start to finish?

Simon S, Toronto

A: It’s actually quite arbitrary and depends on what fits best into the story if you’re me or the broadcast if you’re talking about it.

I just calculate and make reference to one if it’s what turns the game from one team to the other.

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Q: Hi Doug. Just wondering how long we are going to be subjected to the nutritional primo ads when all the Raps seem to do is pay him to be injured and sitting on the end of the bench taking up space. God you would think he could at least look a bit interested in what the team is doing. Same for klaisa. Wow your three bigs sitting on the end of the bench. How uplifting is that.

Ric B, Cambridge

A: Man, burr in your bonnet or what? Do you think they should put on costumes and hit the court with the June Taylor Dancers? Yeesh.

You’re going to put up with a two- or three-year-old ad until the contract for it to air runs out. Mute your TV or change the channel, no one’s forcing you to watch.

And Kleiza and Valanciunas? If you want chest bumps, dances and overt displays of emotion, go watch old video of M.L. Carr.

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Q: Recent comments about the Atlanta Hawks reminded me that the Hawks of Bob Pettit days were once a great team in St. Louis. St. Louis supports baseball with great fervor. Is it not on the radar for a future NBA franchise? Why did the team fail there in the first place?

Richard W, Toronto

A:The St. Louis Hawks were pretty good, young kid named Lenny Wilkens was drafted by them, I believe.

But I have not heard St. Louis as a viable NBA now and I wonder if there's enough corporate money there after baseball and, to a much lesser extent, hockey.

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Q: Hello. Re: cabbie rip off artists. Did you know that there are more lawyers than cab drivers in the U.S.? Lawyers also have a creative way of making you pay for your "ride.”

In honour of Philly, how about a little TSOP, or even further back "South Street?”

Gotta fly now.

Bob E, Kanata

A: What’d my man Bill say:

“The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.”

(I’m kidding, all my lawyer friends, really)

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Q: Doug! I'm sorry. I've already submitted but just thought of another one and I'm blaming it on your choice of music in today's blog. Oh, and we'll blame The Boss a wee bit, too. So, I don't know if you've ever had this happen to you but I a few days ago decided I wanted to add a channel to my cable package and called my subscriber and asked if they could help me do this. And of course it could be done.

For a price.

And with the accompaniment of several other channels I knew I'd never watch. Never. Ever. By this point I know my viewing habits and preferences! But, I told them, I only want this one! So, even though we can put men on the moon, little trackers on Mars and send a telescope way, way, WAY out into the universe one can not apparently add the one channel I wanted to my cable package. Who knew the complexities of running a cable network?

Anyway. Enough ranting. So, Doug, if it were possible - and hopefully this glorious day will arrive soon - and you could design the cable package you want, with only say the 20 or so channels you know you'd watch, what would it include? Thank you.

Lorie P, London

A: I feel your pain, I hate cable companies and the “bundling” solely so they can give marginal networks some money to do shows no one watches while maximizing profits. They are evil.

That said, I’d probably have all the sports networks so I could see games if I was so inclined – and it’s more about baseball on summer nights, actually; and I’d have to have some comedy network that showed repeats of The Office, Seinfeld, The Big Bang Theory and 30 Rock. There’d have to be CBC, CNN and BBC, the Food Nework for sure and while Arts and Entertainment is no longer Arts and Entertainment, it would have to be on the list.

Toss in Showtime and HBO Canada and I’m fine.

The rest? Crap, mostly.

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Q: Hi Doug. I watch Bob Macowan's talk show on sports net almost every day. Recently the best coach we ever had(as far as coaching is concerned)Butch Carter was on the show twice. Once in person & once over the phone. He gave some "interesting insights" regarding the Raptors.

I would like to see you there too regularly like Damian Cox etc.& give your take on the Raptorland day to day issues. I think you will be the most knowledgeable basketball writer on that panel. Will it be possible for you to do it with your hectic schedule?

Keep up the good work.

Cheers!

Savath M, Milton

A: I appreciate the kind words but once the season starts, those Friday round-table things are impossible to do because of the timing. So it’s phone-in stuff, which I really enjoy doing.

And I heard Butch one time, he’s really good and should do more.

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Q: Although somewhat realistic of its limitations I am positive about the young developing core. Do you think that the priority is still an upgrade at small forward or has a more serviceable muscular big to protect and enforce become a more apparent need?

Robert M, Meductic

A: It’s even more apparent now that a three-point threat at small forward is the key; I don’t mind a four bigs rotation of Valanciunas, Davis, Johnson and Bargnani. But if they could turn Bargnani into an upgrade at small forward, they should.

The start of the weekend mail

What’s that one about best laid plans?

Sorry, folks, had hoped to have all the mail done by this morning but got to a Mighty Red Tigers coaches meeting last and night and lo and behold we were joined by Stella and her friend Sambuca and whaddya know.

So, here’s what I had done, will get to the rest of them this morning or after the game and there’ll be some light reading later tonight.

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Q: Hey Doug: You can answer this just from your (very good) memory, or you can get the RMs (Research Monkeys) on it.

In the history of the Raptors, in what game did they get the worst beating? And in what game did they give the worst beating?

Thanks again for all of your hard work!

Tim H, Windsor

A: So many beatings, so many choices.

But if you're looking for the all-timers, here you go:

Raptors 96, Heat 54 on March 19, 2008.

Knicks 125, Raptors 79 on April 15, 1996.

I remember the Heat game, they played a marginal D League team as they prepared for the coming summer; the Knicks game was a road one in the first year and I wasn't at it so I've wiped it from whatever corner of my cluttered mind it might have been in.

Q: Hi Doug. Recently I started following @CanBallReport on Twitter. I knew the Canadian presence in NCAA hoops was growing, but the daily reports of Canadian ballers accomplishments is astounding. I wouldn't have guessed there were that many playing - and contributing.

Can you think of any comparable era in Canadian hoops history? There's even a chance (I know - way too early) that Canadians could go Number 1 in the next two NBA drafts. Andrew Wiggins in 2014 and Anthony Bennett this year. Chad Ford says Bennett is "a stud" and would likely be the consensus #1 if he wasn't a bit short for a Power Forward. Even so, Ford says he'll go in the top five and could still move up to the top spot. The future looks bright!

Joe S, Kingston

A: There is no question this is the greatest crop of teenage Canadians ever and, yes, it is entirely possible that the next two No. 1 picks could be Canadian. A true accomplishment and I think attributable to the overall growth of the game at the grassroots level thanks to the presence of the NBA and the Raptors, the decision of many young families to eschew the exorbitant cost of hockey compared to basketball and the work that all the groups -- Canada Basketball, Ontario Basketball and the club teams -- do to assure our best young players are getting better coaching and a chance to compete regularly against the best, often.

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Q: Hi Doug, wondering if you have any inside knowledge of the NBA trying to speed up the last few minutes of games. It's absolutely brutal sometimes. What separates basketball from most other sports is the constant fluidity and speed. Seeing timeouts and replays and free throws just sucks the life out of the most exciting part of the game.

Last nights Raps-Bulls game was exhibit A. After the last couple minutes of regulation took forever I timed the OT and it was over 25 minutes!

Granted, there isn't much that can be done about fouling but any chance the NBA limits replays and timeouts especially?

Chris D, Toronto

A: Speed up? Sorry. With new situations for which video replay is allowed in the final two minutes of a game and overtime, they're actually going the other way. They have, however, cut down the length of timeouts in the final two minutes. That, however, is small consolation.

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Q: Good on you, Doug, for weight loss and it being noticed by US Customs! It brings to mind a question about travel and weight: How DO NBA players control their weight considering all the travel, different eating establishments, irregular hours. How successful are they with weight control? What lessons for good or ill can they teach the rest of us?

Charles N, Toronto

A: They mostly control weight and body fat percentages by being constantly monitored, they are weighed at least monthly and after each game are given protein drinks of some sort. The meals the teams provide are healthy and well-balanced, of course.

And I guess the biggest lesson people can take away from this is that despite a rather odd lifestyle, it is possible to have a healthy diet and control weight.

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Q: Ok, I’ve bit my tongue long enough. Now, I don't know if the refs are against us, or they just totally miss calls because they don't see the fouls but it's become frustrating. thanks for letting me vent.

My question: does the NBA ever consider having officiating crew grouped as crew, similar to how MLB does it with baseball? My guess, if the same crew works together a whole season, the calls will be more consistent as they will know how to work with each other and understand their missed calls and mistakes.

Frederick L, Mississauga

A: I honestly don't know if they've ever considered that system and I'm not entirely sure it would be workable with the schedule and travel concerns. But I also don't think it's unfamiliarity with each other that causes each missed call.

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Q: Hey Doug, long time fan and reader. How about a brief "Where are they now?" update on these "fossils" : Milt Palacio, Jerome Moiso, Big Country?

Thanks, Keep up the good work.

Richard L, Berlin

A: The last I heard about Milt he was missing layups in Russia; sorry, but I've got nothing on the other two. I usually just catch up with people I hear about or run into, Moiso and Reeves do not fall into that category.

It's all of the weekend mail at once

Know what I did last night?

Got this mail all done while watching football so I don’t have to set the alarm until maybe 8 a.m. and only have to do the game today.

So it’s up early, if I missed a late question or two, I’ll get to them sometime soon. Until then, enjoy this weekend’s one-time offering and we’ll be around here this afternoon around 1 p.m. for the big game.

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Q: Hi Doug - a bit of a preamble to this one. Many years ago I was living in LA (for some reason thoughts of LA always come back to me in winter) and they had a young phenom by the name of Kobe Bryant. The LA Times had a weekly magazine in which they did a profile on a local celebrity. In one profile, they asked young Kobe (I think this was in '97) what he did in his free time. He said that he like to sit on the beach in Santa Monica and read Greek poetry! I have to say I laughed a bit about that and it still is amusing to me. I never saw him on the beach there, I can tell you that.

Anyway, my question (finally) is this: what have you found out about an NBA player that surprised you a lot -- either amused you or impressed you. Could be a hobby, could be 'what I did on my summer vacation'. I'm sure if you cast your mind back over the years, some players have managed to surprise you (in positive ways, I hope).

Sheila C, Ottawa

A: One guy who really intrigued me was John Thomas. Remember him? Big Kitchen was a bit of a renaissance man, loved to cook and spent his summers just travelling Europe like a regular schmoe tourist. Not that that’s all that weird but in the coddled world of the NBA, I found it refreshing.

That Kevin Willis designed clothes always struck me as pretty cool, too.

This group? When I get around to a bigger profile of Terrence Ross, I bet you find it kind of neat that he’s a huge auto racing fan, F1 at the top of his list.

There’s three kind of unique ones.

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Q: Hi Doug - My question has to do with the referees and how they are assigned.

It seems to me that we see some of the same referees quite often but only see others occasionally - in this last category Dick Bavetta comes to mind. Are their schedules made up so each referee is assigned the same number of times to games featuring each team? I thought I read someplace that there are now 3 female refs but I only remember Violet Palmer doing the Raptors' games.

Penny D, Fredericton

A: It probably evens out – or gets close to even – over the course of a season but referees as “grouped” in about three different groups and assigned out of those. And you’re right we haven’t seen much of Dick or Bill Spooner or Joey Crawford here this year and I don’t remember seeing them more than once or twice on the road, too.

And two other female officials aren’t actually in a rotation, they are fill-ins because each full-time referee gets a week off here and there; they need replacements to fill those assignments.

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Q: Hi Doug. Sorry for the vague nature of this question, but it's something that I wonder about fairly often.

On occasion, you'll hear fans (and media members) suggest that a player, team or organization "owes it to the fans" to do something or other (trade a player/spend money/play at a certain level.)

Alternately, you'll sometimes hear that the fans "owe it" to the organization, a team or a player to behave a certain way (not booing, a show of support when a team/player is down.)

I guess my question is this; do the fans 'owe' the players anything at all? Do players 'owe' fans anything at all. And, as a member of the media, who give the players and teams the coverage and attention they need to keep butts in the seats, do you feel like you're owed anything? (a certain level of access, or the guarantee of speaking to a player after a game, etc)

Thanks!

Walter O, Waterloo

A: I think players are entertainers and owe the best effort they can give each night, I think fans owe other fans and players respect and should act accordingly and I think I am owed by the players respect for the job I have to do and honest answers to questions asked.

That’d be about it.

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Q: Hi Doug. In today’s blog (Thursday) you said in reference to DC playing Amir and Ed Davis together: "It’s not something they can plan on getting away with too often – nor should they try – but Casey managed it well for one night when it really mattered."

Can you explain the basketball reason behind what you said? They seemed to work really well together and not sure why it would not work on a regular basis.

A T, Niagara Falls

A: My point was that on this roster as it’s constructed now with two viable big men injured, I think they need one of Davis or Johnson on the floor at all times. That would mean splitting them up a long stretches while one of them gets some rest.

Yes, they do work well together and they’ve made it work for a few games.

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Q: The possibility of the Kings moving to Seattle had me thinking: Why is the NBA is so many cities where it is the only major league sports team? Sacramento, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake, San Antonio, Portland, Memphis. That's 20 per cent of the league. Just a coincidence or is something else happening?

Barry, Barrie

A: Mostly because those city you mention don’t have the corporate money or fan base to support a second winter professional team. Some of them have minor league hockey and some minor league baseball but those in particular aren’t big enough or rich enough to handle a second team in town.

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Q: Greetings Doug. I know you are not the greatest admirer of the college game but last Saturday's UConn - Notre Dame women's match was worth watching. It was one of those slug and shoot games that coaches hate, fans love, and trainers fear. The interminable weaving that pervades the men's game withdrew to its hiding place. Players ran, scratched, pushed, and hobbled from play to play producing quality basketball moments. The crowd noise rose so loud the broadcasters had to shout at times. In the end, the level of professional animosity developing between these two schools rose even higher and it was just a middle of the year game with nothing more tangible on the line than a mark in the W column.

What initially hooked me into watching the game was the props, as the kids say, being given to one Natalie Achonwa. She was lauded as the best player on the Canadian national team and the first non-American to play for Notre Dame. When the buzzer sounded she led the Big East with eight double-doubles and had me convinced that when she enters the WNBA that I need to put down some money to watch the games online.

How can we make her name more widely known in this country and is there anyone else from the Great White North in the college women's game that I should be watching with like interest?

Mike D, Oshawa

A: Now, I don’t want to toot my own horn too much but I’ve been writing about Natalie Achonwa for a very long time. There was one from 2011 and I remember doing a piece even before she went to Notre Dame. And I happened to be in an establishment with many televisions last weekend and made sure one of them had Notre Dame-Connecticut on so I could watch.

Anyway, there aren’t nearly as many Canadian women as men in the upper echelons of NCAA basketball but if you get a chance to see Utah, pay attention to Michelle Plouffe, another excellent young Canadian, ditto with Kayla Alexander at Syracuse.

If you were to check out basketball.ca, I’m sure you find others to watch there.

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Q: Good day, Mr. Smith. Just wondering if you think Roger Clemens will ever make the Hall. Do you think his record is Hall-worthy? Thanks for the great blog!

David M, Ottawa

A: Not too long ago, I would have said no, he had scant chance but I’m sensing, just from reading various baseball writers, that the blackmark of steroid use might be lessening a little bit and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he got in sometime in the next four or five years. I don’t think there’s any doubt that his numbers and career stand up as Hall-worthy, it’s the other stuff that was the issue.

But, again, I think the tide is turning.

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Q: Hi Doug...Academy award nominations are out. Do you have any Raptors that were left off the list.

Best Supporting...Quincy Acy?

Best Director...Mr. Cope

Art Direction?...Amir's hair stylist

Sound...Landry Fields, when he misses a chippie.

Special Effects...The Beast

Speaking of Rawhide, now that Burkie's is no longer offering the red hots, any suggestions for the ACC types...Bryan's Burgers?

Bob E, Kanata

A: Now that’s a list!

Original screenplay: Pimptastic Boss.

And they had the Burkie Doghouse sign down within hours of his firing, was gone when I got to the arena that night

Sure, Bryan’s Burgers works and maybe Dwane’s Dogs?

As promised, the end of the weekend mail

Okay, told you I’d get this up this up tonight; And don’t worry, still had some social time before and will be home and cooled out early enough to have the usual fare done in the morning

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Q:

 

One of the greats passed away Jan. 5, 1988:

Pete Maravich was truly a wizard. You might compare him to Steve Nash or Magic. Unbelievable talent.

John C, Mississauga

A: He was incredible, I’m just sorry I didn’t get to see more of him as a player; saw a bunch, never saw him in person.

And I will say this although I’m sure there will be debate:

I cannot think of a player in a North American team sport who was as far ahead of his time than Pistol was.

Perhaps – maybe – you could make a case for George Mikan in basketball but I don’t know.

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Q: Hi Doug -- there are a lot of ex Raptors (both coaching staff and players) around the league. Which team is deepest in ex Raptors?

Added bonus question -- from which other team are the most current Raptors (players or staff)?

Sheila C, Ottawa

A: Man, you made the research monkey (me!) work hard.

But you know what, it was interesting because there are only two teams with more than one ex-Raptor on the roster today.

And that’s Brooklyn with Hump and Reggie Evans and Dallas with Shawn Marion and that Carter fellow. Was interesting to look through the rosters, though. So, thanks, even if it did make me a bit later getting this done on Sunday night than I had hoped.

As for your bonus questions, I can’t find a team with more than two and several are tied with one.

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Q: Doug: You have often commented on your lamentable wheels, namely your smelly Ford Focus. Clearly the Ford brand could be enhanced with some creative marketing. Could your bosses at the Star, in concert with the marketing department at Ford, work with your blog readers to provide you with a new vehicle? Imagine the promotional possibilities!

Craig B, Owen Sound

A: How cool would that be? Alas, am far, far, far down the pecking order and after Sunday’s pucks event, even further, I fear.

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Q: Hi Doug! Good for Sonny. Nice to see things are apparently going so well for him overseas. And a good 'life lesson', too. You know, when life hands you lemons, you've got to learn to make lemonade. Better still, create a lemon meringue pie. While dancing the merengue.

So, as I watched Sonny sit in that hot tub with a gorgeous blonde whilst advertising pizza, it brings to mind a question for you. Let's say, waaaay back, when you were a young kid like Sonny, and say things hadn't worked out the way they have with The Star and say you'd decided to cast your lot overseas - where do you think you might've landed, and what would you be writing about?

Thank you. Now, since watching Sonny's ad, I've had a Beatles tune randomly pop in and out of my head. Something about 'Back in the USSR'. Remember it?

Lorie P, London

A: With my language skills, it’s have to Old Blighty or I’d be cooked. Truth is, unlike so many People Of This Vintage or slightly younger, I had no desire to go back-packing through Europe when I was done school, really held little allure to me.

I do recall, however, sitting at many a high school party and singing every word to almost every song on The White Album, now that you mention it.

Including …

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Q: Hi Doug, it was interesting to see Ed Davis win the opening tip against Portland on Wednesday. He obviously has some serious jumping ability and perhaps he should have been given this opportunity earlier. Do they measure a player's vertical leaping ability? His short and mid-range jump shot has improved considerably and with his elevation, would seem almost unstoppable. Your thoughts?

Jim F, London

A: I’m not sure “almost unstoppable” is the way to put it; he could be pretty good if he makes a bunch of them.

And yes, they do testing on vertical jumping but it really doesn’t matter. The ability to jump when guarded or when some defender is in your face or grabbling your arm is what counts. Simply standing and jumping high might make you an athlete; doing it successfully in a game makes you a basketball player.

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Q: Among all active players can you pick two All-Star Ex-Raptors teams, one East and one West? And which team you like better?

Aries C, Markham

A: I wish I could but I can say with absolute certainty, being the all-star, Hall of Fame hard ass that I am I cannot in any way find five in each conference that are even close to worthy.

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Q: Hi Doug. Just read a great article by Tom Haberstroh about Lebron.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8812740/nba-numbers-illustrate-lebron-james-greatness-bored-it

Very interesting read that lead me to think: Are we witnessing the emergence of the greatest player the game has ever seen? I think it's possible, which is a nice reminder that I should be watching more Miami games.

Colin K, Ann Arbor

A: It was a good piece and there is no question that LeBron should be, if he isn’t already, in that discussion. It is a joy to watch him play.

However, with the game so changed since the olden days, and sure to change in the future, a discussion is all that it is. Too hard to compare generations; a nice chat to have on stools, that’s about all it is. It’s fun, though.

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Q: Hey Doug. Love your Raptors blog, read it every day.

I read this stat you had on your recent post and it made me wonder.

"Esoteric stat, Part 1: Toronto is averaging 25.8 assists (second in the NBA) and 10.8 turnovers (first in the NBA) in its last 10 games."

Where do you (you!) get your stats from? From a site, a colleague, a Raptors organization member? And is it safe for me to assume that these stats are crunched by the Raptors organization and then fed to the coaching staff? I imagine "Hey HOTH, you guys are first in turnovers over the last 10 days - take care of the ball!"

Thank you

Darrick L, Toronto

A: Mostly from the team or the NBA website. They’re pretty available to almost anyone, actually. At least ones like those are.

And, believe me, the coaching staff knows those numbers and many, many, many more that the impart to the players before every game.

The turnovers one? Actually, first is best; the 10.8 were fewer in that span than any team in the league.

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Q: Received any "Bring back Douby" comments?

More seriously, when do you think the importance of the 6th man emerged? Obviously, some of the greatest teams in history had some great 6th men but that can be more attributed to having 5 really good starters. In the present game, coaches and players, to some extent, really value this role with some 'starters' being relegated to 'the bench'. I also realize that there is a difference between being a starter and receiving starter minutes, but I think every player would still strive to be a starter and receive starter minutes. So what can you attribute to this slight change in culture? My knowledge of basketball history only dates back 20 years so I would have pointed towards Toni Kukoc? Just interested to know, thanks in advance.

Felix T, Denver

A: I think what some teams do is try to find a balance between starting units and backups and there’s no doubt that some players who you’d think “should” start (Manu Ginobili comes to mind) come off the bench for that reason. But in those cases – and look at stats for Amir Johnson, for instance, those guys do seem to put up “starters” minutes.

And it’s generally conceded that that first prominent Sixth Man was John Havlicek of the Boston Celtics.

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Q: Given the current lack of bigs due to injury, do the raps think about signing someone to a 10 day contract or two to help them weather the storm? My first thought was who are they going to bring in that would be any help, let alone get up to speed in 10 days, but then it occurred that maybe Jamal Magloire might be a reasonable stopgap option - at least better than anything else they might pick up from the D-league. He knows the team and the system, he's a vet with legit NBA experience and he should be good for a few hard fouls a night. Or does his current role with the Raps limit him from playing.

Thanks, appreciate all your hard work.

Tim S, Anderson

A: Teams can’t sign players to 10-day deals until Jan. 10, for one; and the Raptors have a full roster and would have to waive someone to do it. That’s not something they’re inclined to do.

Just the start of the weekend mail

Okay, folks, here’s the thing.

I had great intentions Saturday night of puttering around and getting this all finished and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Then the couch got comfortable, dinner was being digested and naptime came up very quickly. And after naptime, it was bedtime.

So, there’s lots I didn’t get to, I have a bunch of stuff to do here this morning before the game so take these 3,000 words worth of stuff and I’ll be back with about the same amount later tonight or tomorrow.

Sorry about that.

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Q: Hi Doug. As a long time student of the game in particular and of life in general, I've wondered about with whom in the Raptor's history I'd like to spend time with talking about both. Mitchell, Embry and Wilkens seem to be the most intriguing. From your experience, who among the non-players, from assistants to GM's and advisors, would you choose to chat with about the game, and about politics, culture, society? You can list two groups if you wish.

Regards,

Frank B, Toronto

A: You mean the proverbial dinner party? That’s always a good one.

With the proviso that all could speak the King’s English (that’s in the players’ spot) and that they all worked for the Raptors at one point, I’ll give you these:

Management

John McLendon.

A consultant in the early years, Coach Mac actually knew James Naismith. Fascinating man I spoke with often when he was around but not nearly enough.

Wayne Embry.

Yes, we’ve spoken often about many things but in the context of this night, it’d be incredible, I bet.

Maurizio Gherardini.

He has worked all over the world, has stories of international basketball that are wonderful. He’s also worked for some of the richest men in the world at a very high level.

Isiah Thomas.

With all he’s done and all he’s been involved in, wouldn’t he be a natural?

Players

Hakeem Olajuwon

Sure, his years here were a failure on the court but what a life he’s led.

Lloyd Daniels

Another part-timer, I hope he’d open up about opportunity wasted and lost and provide some cautionary tales I could impart to others.

Mengke Bateer

What was life like in Mongolia? How strange a trip was he on.

Charles Oakley.

Just because.

And, thanks, this has given me a few ideas of how I’d like to expand some takeouts on current players if I can convince my bosses to invest the space.

Much appreciated.

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Q: Hi Doug. Now that people are back on, would you "cast" the broken ankles, or use a couple of screws for all those band wagon jumpers?

What is a band wagon? Is it like the old mini-van?

Is JV working on shooting with his non injured hand?

Bob E, Kanata

A: Bandwagon? Or chuckwagon? And when someone says chuckwagon, what do you think of?

Rawhide!

(Aren’t you worried about how my brain works? I am).

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Q: Any news on the injury front? Is super son still out of action? Maybe he can visit dad at work and get some therapy!

John P, McLeod Hill

A: Thanks for asking.

He’s working out, doing his rehab like a dutiful patient. Sax playing has resume but buggy pushing for a living hasn’t and if I know him, the thing will flare up every time there’s snow to shovel.

Too bad for Super Wife, isn’t it?

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Q: I know how much you hate discussing trades but i was wondering if you would chime in on the recent reports concerning the Lakers. Pau Gasol for Josh Smith? Also, have you ever considered Champix. I know a few people who swear by it. Terrence Ross is exciting for a one dimensional player isn't he?

Racket R, Toronto

A: Dude, or dudette, I’m not sure. I hate doing trade rumour stuff involving the team I cover, I’m sure not branching out into others. Sorry

And Ross is more than one dimension; I’d say one and half, he drives it okay for a rookie.

No, after consulting with my physician, Champix was not an option for a variety of reasons.

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Q: Hey Doug. Could you and your intrepid research team give us an idea of when Team Canada will be playing again, and when the next major international events are?

I know it will be a little while but there are a ton of really exciting kids coming up right now and I can't wait to see how they look in red and white.

I'd also love to see some more coverage of the kids and their college exploits, most ball fans have heard Andrew Wiggins name but I think Stauskis Bennett and all the rest could still use some more local support.

I truly believe by the next Olympics we should be a force to be reckoned with.

Cheers,

Dave W, Toronto

A: Lots of interest all of a sudden this week on the national men’s and women’s teams. Each will play in qualification for the 2014 world championships later this summer. Dates and sites have yet to be firmed up and we’ll get ‘em to you when we can.

And I guess you missed the huge takeout we had in the paper this week on the Canadian men in the NCAA? Too bad, it was pretty good. Am sure if you search our site’s basketball page you’ll find it; sorry that with all your apparent interest in it that you missed it.

All of the weekend mail on a Monday

 

Yeah, sorry I’m late with this. Baseball coaches meeting took me out of the loop Sunday night and I got caught up on some sleep.

Take care tonight, folks. Be safe and happy.

See you in the New Year.

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Q: Johnson firing. Doug, we hear it so often: "We ALL have to get better". Coaches say it about themselves. But HOW do coaches actually get better? It seems unlikely DURING a season. Maybe, for coaches, we should be asking, "Get better at what?" Keeping star player happy? Keeping top brass happy? If you were advising an NBA GM and team owner what 5 things to look at when evaluating a coach mid season, what would they be?

Charles N, Toronto

A: I guess the easiest way to put it is they get better at managing, basically by trial and error, through the course of a season. They improve in managing specific game situations, they get better by figuring out which combinations of players work best together and they get better at handling the various personalities in their charge.

Some more than others, of course.

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Q: Doug, a question about the really good pass-first point guards: what role do teammates' personalities (or lack of same) play in ball distribution decisions? We've seen Jose make some great feeds to Amir and to Ed Davis that allowed those guys to make massive dunks, and in each case they've visibly acknowledged the good pass on their way back up the floor. If their reactions had consistently been more self-centered (pounding their chests for the camera, etc), would Jose (or Nash, or Rondo) feel less inclined to set them up for the highlight reel next time there was an opportunity? Or do the floor generals just look for the highest-probability scoring opportunity every time up the floor, regardless of how the recipient reacts?

Mike D, Toronto

A: We have seen familiarity, for sure, between Jose and Amir mainly, kind of like Stockton and Malone, only different.

But it’s not personalities, per se, it’s more about style of play and consistency. Jose, for instance, knows to look down the lane after Amir sets a screen, just like he knows to look behind the three-point line for Andrea or in the lane if DeMar’s coming off a weak side screen.

I think that’s it more than personalities.

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Q: Hello Doug! Well, today's breathless reports on the NHL lockout seemed more optimistic than usual and maybe - just maybe - this nonsense is really over and all those millionaires and billionaires involved have found a way to share the wealth - ensuring, of course, that the rich will keep getting richer. But my question for you isn't about the owners and players, it's about the members of the media, who might have to now shake off the dust, the rust and the crumbs and get back at it. So, as someone who's been there and done that - and just about the same time last year - what advice do you offer to hockey reporters to help them 'hit the ground running' and quickly get back into game shape? Bearing in mind, of course, the added challenges/pleasures/pressures of a shortened season! Hopefully you haven't exorcised all of last season's fun from your mind! Thank you.

Lorie P, London

A: Kiss the family goodbye and tell ‘em you’ll see them in April. Seriously. What I remember most is the frenetic pace of games, you can’t really prepare for it other than to get ready to write a lot of game stories in a hurry. But one thing I would tell them is to never, ever quote a manager or a player or an agent suggesting they’re sorry for costing part-time workers months of employment and bars and restaurants tons of cash while they played their petty economic game. People don’t want to read it and I would not believe them if they said it.

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Q: Over the years, there have been amnay Raptors players with the same last name. In fact, the Raptors have had many duplicate names at the same time. Watching the Raptors NOLA game, I was struck by Anderson/Anderson matchups and Davis/Davis matchups in the same game. So, which team has the most potential for name on name matchups for the Raps? To make it more difficult, was there ever a 3 Williams' team that could have matched up against the Raps?

Sheila C, Ottawa

A: Wasn’t there a time when there were three Williamses here? Aaron, Eric and Alvin? Or was Alvin done by then, I can’t remember.

And a quick glance at the rosters – very quick – makes me think New Orleans is the best match for this group. That was pretty cool, wasn’t it?

And didn’t New Jersey or Atlanta once have three Williamse’s? Maybe it was two but it happened about four or five years ago.

Gimme a day or two and we’ll get this in the regular blog with more research.

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Q: Hi Doug. I wanted to ask you what you feel is the best way to teach young basketball players how to play offence. I coach a group of 13-14 year old boys and often find that once they gain possession of the ball, their natural instinct is to run. Often times they get caught in 1 on 3, 1 on 4, and 1 on 5 situations and try to do everything on their own. I've tried to implement simple isolation plays and pick and rolls along with simple offensive systems but I find they often forget what they need to do in the midst of the game and revert back to old habits. Any suggestions?

Thank you.

Joe D, Mississauga

A: My opinion? Teach them every facet of the game. Teach them all to pass and shoot and dribble and make them aware that the fastest way to move the ball is by passing it.

Tell them you don’t want a shot taken until four or five passes are made and stick to it.

Oh, and point out that spacing the court is huge; that they can get open on the weak side with one fake and a move. It’ll be easier for them and perhaps more fun.

But what you want to do more than listent to me is to go to basketball.ca and see what kind of coaching tips or clinics my friends over there have for you.

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Q: Hi Doug. Sorry about your Christmas travel adventures, I hope the new year goes really well for you.

I am going to pull a reverse Jeopardy and ask a question in the form of an answer. On the tank issue I decided to look at the record and find teams that drafted number one who then won a championship with that player still on the roster. I started semi arbitrarily the year after the ABA stopped playing (1977).

I found 4 teams out of the 35 champions: Portland with Walton (drafted while the ABA was still running), Lakers with Magic and Worthy (picks acquired by trade), Rockets with Hakeem, and the Spurs with Robinson and Duncan. Nobody since then.

Did I miss anybody?

There are several players (Shaq, LeBron) who won after changing teams.

I would suggest that this is evidence against the idea of tanking.

Do you have any thoughts on why the results look like this?

My thought is that winning requires management competence that's incompatible with winding up at the bottom of the league.

James R, Toronto

A: Good research, I cna’t come up with any others.

And it is as I’ve said a zillion times: It takes good drafting, good free agent signings, astute personality management, solid scouting skills and an awful lot of luck to put together a championship team, a single draft – even with the No. 1 pick – is a small, small, small part.

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Q: Morning Doug. If you're Casey, what do you do with Bargnani when he comes back? If history holds (Fields and Lowry), he should go to the bench. Did you ask Casey or anyone connected with the team about it?

Paul C, Mississauga

A: I haven't asked specifically because we are weeks and weeks away and who knows what the situation will be then. It's not worth asking at the moment, to tell you the truth. But you're right, if history holds Bargnani will come off the bench.

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Q: Hi Doug. As well as the Raptor's have played this month, they're still 9 games under .500 on the season. In fact, they're only .500 for the month of December.

Seeing as the 8th seed usually needs to have about 41 wins (or a .500 record) what does this do for Bryan Colangelo?

In order to get to .500 for the season, the Raptors will have to win 70 percent of their games between now and the end of the season. For perspective, they will have to finish the season with the same winning percentage that the Knicks have started the season.

Does management honestly believe that's possible with this roster?

My real question is, if you're the GM, do you begin planning for next year or do you go into the trade deadline continuing to try to make the playoffs this year?

Thanks!

Peter L, Acton

A: It doesn't "do" anything to Bryan except validate his long-stated opinion that this group is capable of growth and challenging do for the final playoff spot in the East and would mean he continues to make the moves he things will move them further close to that goal. If anything, the recent spate of success would suggest they are on the right path.

As for the win totals and what they need to get to, I bet the eighth spot will go to a team below .500 but we have no idea.

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Q: Hi Doug. This is the first time I've posed a question for you, even though I've read your blog daily for over 3 years. I recently read about DeMarcus Cousins' latest antics in Sacramento and the team imposed suspension. The few times I have seen him play, I've been extremely impressed with his talent and potential (although his maturity level is clearly not up to par). It seems to me that both him and Bargnani are in need of a change of scenery (even though I'm all for giving Andrea another shot at working within the new found team system the raps have shown the last few games). Do you see this as a potential trade?

I am of the opinion that with the right mentorship, Cousins has All-Star potential. I believe Sacramento has had enough of his attitude, and they would welcome an established scorer in Bargnani. Let me know what you think.

Thanks for your time and insight.

Andi K, Toronto

A: I'm sure you know I rarely deal with rumours but this thought needs to be squashed and believe me, you are not alone in this suggestion.

First, not only doesn't the money work and there's not much else in Toronto that Sacramento would want back, I will ask you this question:

What does Bryan value more than anything, perhaps even talent at some level?

Character. And Cousins has been questionable even before he got to the NBA. At this point, Cousins has shown, at times,abundant talent. He also shown an equal abundance of disruptive behaviour.

The end of the weekend mail

Told you there was more. Probably too much but once I got rolling answering, it just took off.

Enjoy this if you can this evening, I’m taking the night off to chill with Super Son and Super Wife and coast a wee bit now that the shopping is – I think – over.

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Q: Merry Christmas Doug and the best to you and your family. NO ONE makes me chuckle more during the year than you do. This being the season of joy, love, friendship and so on and since I know you love lists can you give us a list-any length you like-of the real good sports world people you've dealt with over the years. Not the best or most entertaining interviews but just real good people that you've been happy to meet and know. They can be fellow journalists, athletes, front office types, the odd "chicken" etc.

Richard B, St. Williams

A: You know, I am a bit loathe to do this simply because I know so many truly good and admirable people that no matter what length of list I give, I’ll leave someone off entirely by mistake.

But there are few players I appreciate more as men and people than Alvin Williams, Morris Peterson, Dell Curry and Charles Oakley. They are genuinely good people. And I truly believe Jose Calderon and Ed Davis should be on that list. Good, good guys.

My life is better for having known Glen Grunwald, who is least disingenuous and genuinely nice people I know and you’d have to be an idiot not to like him. Same with Jim Todd and Jay Triano and Doug Collins and Brian James.

The writers? Too many to mention, actually. KC Johnson in Chicago is a great guy I value as a friend as is Stumpy from the Sun. But that’s doing disservice to the likes of Dave D in Newark or Steve Ashburner at NBA.com and dozens and dozens of others.

I’m just lucky, actually, that I’ve met so many good people; and have been able to avoid, or get away from the knuckleheads.

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Q: Doug, a HWSNBN question. What if Carter had stayed with the Raptors way back when? What would it have meant for his personal career and for the Raptors fortunes? With his then-team mates could they have been contenders? Cheers.

Ron F, Toronto

A: It being the season and all, if ifs and buts were candies and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas.

No clue what would have happened but it would have probably been fun to watch.

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Q: Season's Greetings, Doug! (It's not too early this time!!!)

Your gentle poke at the joy some of us experience at World Junior Hockey time is acknowledged and accepted - but I will counter by saying that the watching and enjoying of it has become part of our family Christmas Tradition. Heck. We love all the season's tourneys - we even watch Spengler from Davos! But these traditions are special to me as the kids grow up and move away and then return home for the holidays.

Now, one other kind of wacky tradition we have is that after the gifts have been opened, one of the daughters will haul out the Die Hard Box Set and we watch 'em all. Yup. That's a whole lot of Bruce Willis on a Christmas Morning. And we do this because for some reason over the years, these movies have become Christmas movies for my family. (And one of the few things all three of the kids have ever agreed on is that Die Hard 3 is their favourite...so we watch that one twice.) So, I guess all families have them...those quirky unique-to-them traditions that are part of their celebrations.

How about you, Doug: something from now or perhaps from when you were a kid that was a special part of your own Christmas Celebrations? Thank you. And thank you for all you do, all the time. And Best Wishes for a Very Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.

Lorie P, London

A: We weren’t all that traditional, to tell you the truth. Certainly not to the Die Hard level! Die Hard??? Cool, I guess. Hope you and the daughters enjoy them this year, too.

But Super Wife and Super Son and I generally try to fire up It’s A Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve and a nice big greasy bacon and eggs breakfast while admiring new toys is there. And then I think about seven of the last nine years or so, I’ve had to go to the airport.

As a wee lad, the folks would often have people over on Christmas Eve for a bit of an open house; we’d go crash early and try to figure out what toys or games they were getting frustrated to trying to put together.

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Q: Hi Doug. I'm surprised to hear you call the NCAA an "arbitrary evil organization that pays lip service to education while making billions of dollars off the backs of these kids." I agree, but I'm surprised because I believe you've also stated you support the NBA's policy of not drafting 18-year-olds. That policy ensures that this arbitrary, evil organization gets a great chance to exploit the most talented basketball players for at least a year. Sure, they could go to the D-league or play in Europe for a year, but how realistic are those options? Whatever else the age limit does, it delivers 18-year-olds to the NCAA.

The best thing, I think, would be for the NBA to draft players at 18 and then have a real minor league system where they could develop, but I think that'll never happen. It's too easy for the NBA to farm out their development to the NCAA, and of course, the NCAA has every reason to fight to keep the next generation of Lebrons, Durants, and Daviss in their orbit.

Best.

Tim M, Kingston

A: I do support the policy and it has nothing to do with denying kids access to employment, there are leagues all over the world they can go play in and I wish they did: They’d be making a salary and learning to be independent adults, which in some cases is the most significant flaw in kids coming out of college.

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Q: Being tired of hearing players being slagged for "not living up to expectations", I ask myself who sets these expectations. If it is the coach and/or GM that’s fine. If it is the fans expectations, then those are expectations that are being set by people who were never good enough to play the game at this level. Bargnani is a case in point. Everyone wants him to go inside and rebound. You have said it so many times its pitiful. That is not his game and never will be. He played well last year before he was injured, and if DC stays with stressing defense the same way this year he will likely play well again.

I just think that for the first part of this year he just did not know what his role was supposed to be, and he was lost. Fans have to accept that he does best when coaches use him in a role that fits him rather than trying to fit him into a role he is not comfortable with. Of coarse I may well be wrong as I know as little about the game as anyone else here and less than most. I do however know people, and how easy it is to screw someone up by trying to get him to do things he just cannot do.

Gerry T, Halifax

A: I think too often “expectations” come from fans who equate draft position and salary to levels of predicted success. It’s unfair but, sadly, the way it is. And far, far, far too often – and I heard my man Sam Mitchell say this on TV Saturday night – people focus on what a player can’t do, rather than what he can.

I do think GMs are sometimes exaggerate a bit when it comes to what a player they’ve drafted or signed should be able to do but that’s a lot of covering one’s bum.

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Q: Hi Doug. Merry Christmas to you, superson, superwife, superdog, and the rest of the superfamily! I don't know if this has been asked before so please forgive me if it is a repeat but could you please elaborate on how NBA referees work?

Often teams rush to the airport to catch their charter plane right after a game but I believe referees fly commercial albeit first class (or what passes for one in North America). Who arranges their tickets? Do they carry spare uniforms as I am sure the one they just used has not had a chance to be laundered yet. What happens if there is a flight delay?

Thanks!

Patrick A, Mississauga

A: Referees do fly commercial, I’ve seen hundreds over the years schlepping through airport check-in and security lines right behind or in front of me. They do most of their own booking, much of it on-line like I do, but there is assistance at the league office if they need or want it.

And I tell you, it’s my experience that refs are the greatest packers in the history of travel, they rarely check bags and always seem to have spare stuff with them if needed.

As for delays, they are inevitable but rarely do refs work back-to-back nights so it’s not that huge an issue.

I remember sitting with three refs after a playoff game in Oklahoma City last year, it was late – like 1 a.m. or so – and a couple of them, and me, had 6 a.m. flights and the accompanying 3:45 a.m. wake up calls. We headed to our rooms to have “night naps” as one of the officials termed our sleeps.

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Q: Since you have been around the team from the beginning and you saw Vince in his Rookie days, how does Ross compare? I know it is difficult to compare players, but do you think Ross can be a highlight reel as Vince was? Does he have similar hops? Can he excite the fans the same way? I really like what I see so far.

Dave B, Cornwall

A: I’m trying to recall Vince’s lockout-shortened rookie year – it was a looooooooong time ago – and it strikes me that he was more powerful and had a more varied game than Ross does in his first year.

But I don’t remember, really, a more potentially electrifying Raptors rookie since Vince; even DeMar wasn’t at this level, I don’t think.

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Q: Merry Christmas Doug! Do ever hear / sense any negativity when a player like AA who has been a significant contributor with small contract is out performing others on the roster who say make 3 or 5 or 10! times his salary? I don't hear a lot of complaining at least publicly from players in the NBA regarding salary. Has any player complained to you privately? There also seems to not be very many "hold outs" in the NBA vs NFL - do you think there is a reason for this? Are you going to be not blogging for any days over the holidays? As much as we want you to have some quality super family time we irregulars are a selfish bunch and need a daily read while WE are on holidays! Thanks again Mr Smith.

M C, Winnipeg

A: Here’s the thing about NBA players that I’ve found quite interesting: Rather than begrudging teammates who might produce less for making more money, they are happy when “guys get paid.” Honestly, I’ve never had one even privately complain about the disparity in salary. Now, I’ve had some privately worry about “not getting paid” but never in terms of what they’re teammates are making.

And I have yet to totally figure out the next couple of days but, trust me, I’ll get some down time and I appreciate the kind words.

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Q: Merry Christmas Doug. Hope you have a deserved break - and enjoyment with family. There is a little dissension tho - no question A Wonderful Life is in the top two - my lovely wife ( 39 yrs- got an early start ) - and I agree that Miracle on 34th might be the second.

Basketball Q as well. I am sure many are asking - if you were the coach - with things seeming to go well ( based on wins - not on the way they have played - likely played as well in some earlier losses) - how would you get AB and Lowry (who might have to adjust to being the second best pt. guard?) back in the games when they get healthy - is there a bit of positive dynamic with the current crew?

BTW - if you know of someone who likes good beer - the Hockley tester pack is a good try out for another small Ontario brewer - you could suggest starting with the black and tan Ymmmm.

Bill W, Dresden

A: If it’s me – and I’m waaaaaaay below Dwane’s paygrade – I wouldn’t start either and I would have them on entirely short leashes when I did use them. They would have to show they are capable of playing with the same team goals this group has and that Kyle has changed some of his defensive gambling ways and that Andrea is more “engaged” at each end he has been.

I think the team could be better with them both playing a different role and style but it would be up to them to prove it to me.

The start of the weekend mail

You people have done it again.

Here I was thinking there wasn’t all that much mail as I futzed around on it and all of sudden there’s 3,500 words or so here and probably this many questions still to get to.

No way I expect you to sit and look at it all in one fell swoop so have this now and I’ll get the rest out tonight.

(Besides, I don’t have them all answered and I could this afternoon to finish).

Have fun.

Happy shopping.

If you see in me a mall, direct me to a stool; I’ll need it.

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Q: Hey Doug. I know we are all giddy with excitement with the changes that AA has wrought with the TOD. I'm excited as well and looking forward to the next few years. However I'm wondering how different this is from the Heat and the big 3 from a couple of years ago and how we all felt about that? Yes, there was a trade involved along with some free agent signings but regardless of how it happened, the TOD is now seen as a stacked team. Are the Jays now the Heat of baseball and how do we feel now that the shoe is on our foot?

Another question if you don't mind. Landry Fields appears to be on the way back. Big if, but what if his nerve problem was what led to his poor second year in the league, could we now expect him to be more like the player he was when he first came into the league? If so, with the emergence of Anderson, how is he going to get into the rotation?

All the best to you and Super Family for the holidays?

Dave M, Puslinch

A: I don’t see any correlation between the Jays and Heat; all the Toronto moves were trades orchestrated by a general manager who had obtained enough desireable assets to make them possible and there was no collusion among players to all descend on one franchise.

I have no clue what Fields will be like if and when he cracks the current rotation. And I don’t even know when that will be, Dwane said Friday morning that he’s not about to disrupt what’s going so well. But I do know that, if he plays, Fields will play more freely without having to worry about the oddity that the hand “twitch” was before the surgery and we all know how much confidence can do to boost a player’s production.

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Q: Hey Doug. My 8-year-old is really into basketball (I know, go figure!). He wasn't around when the Grizzlies were here but he knows of them. I told him I was sure I had some TV games of them playing the Raptors and he was excited to see them. So I went down and rooted through the old VHFs and found one. It was from the 1999-2000 season, a game in Toronto the mighty Grizzlies won. In my memory, the Grizzlies were horrible always, and yes, their record that year was 22-60, while the Raptors were 45-37.

But check out their rosters. Both teams seem better (on paper, anyway) than many teams today. The Grizzlies had Shareef, Bibby, Antoine Carr, Michael Dickerson, Grant Long, Dennis Scott, Milt Palacio, Country, Doug West, Brent Price, and Felipe Lopez among others. And the Raptors were positively stacked with Vince, Oakley, Antonio Davis, Alvin Williams, Muggsy Bogues, Dee Brown, Doug Christie, Dell Curry, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Willis, Yogi Stewart and Haywoode Workman, among others.

Do you think either of those teams' records would be much improved if they were playing in today's league? It just seems like there are more crap teams now, roster-wise. Or am I glorifying the past?

G M, Vancouver

A: Even knowing that my default position is to glorify the past, I agree with you. And there are more crap teams now, I think, because the disparity in the talent deployment. It’s my opinion, solely, that there are more far better teams now which means there are more far worse teams, if you know what I mean.

I’m not sure what went on with that Grizzlies team but it sure strikes me as one with more than 22-win talent.

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Q: Doug, just wondering as a writer how many hours a week do you tend to work? Do you get normal vacation - I can't remember the last time you didn’t write something in a given week.

George B, Kitchener

A: How many hours are there? I keed, actually. Yeah, I work a lot but it’s not “real” work if I’m sitting on the couch watching TV and working on mail or if I’m on a stool chatting with the barkeeps and doing mail or if I’m laying on the couch watching an episode of Criminal Minds for the fourth time while every now and then checking blog comments.

Besides, I have no life and on those rare occasions where I have things to do, I do them.

And, no, I haven’t shut things down for a week in a while; I’m figuring with all the vacation I’m saving I can retire about … HEY, I CAN RETIRE ABOUT NOW!!!!!

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Q: Last night on the Pistons broadcast, their colour man said, "What do TJ Ford, Jarrod Jack, Bayless, and Lowry have in common? They all came here to take this man's (Jose Calderon) job and couldn't.

Why is Jose consistently underrated and undervalued? Jose with Kobe and Howard on the Lakers would be an all-star.

I think Calderon is one of the best veteran point guards in the league with the likes of Kidd and Nash.

Why not lock up Calderon and have him here as the team continues to add young players? He seems like just the kind of unselfish experienced point guard you'd want for a rebuilding team.

Oliver N Toronto

A: I’m going to take this as representative of the dozens of Jose Calderon questions I got this week because it will allow me to hit on all the salient points.

First, the only place Jose Calderon is “consistently underrated and undervalued” is – as I’ve said too many times to count over the years – among the team’s fans.

He has a stellar reputation as a man and a player among teammates, coaches, opponents and opposing team’s coaches and management. I’ve said that so many times, I’m almost done hitting my head against a proverbial wall put up by disgruntled Raptors fans. It’s tiring, actually.

The dude has been on teams that have won two Olympic silver medals and a world championship gold, he can play and everyone involved in the game closely knows this.

As for locking up? I think they will – and I think they unquestionably should – do everything in their power this coming summer to re-sign him. They should not trade him this year, they should look to keep him as a valuable veteran on a team that’s starved for “old heads” and as someone who has never spoken a disparaging word about the franchise or the city and someone who considers Toronto a second home.

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Q: Hi Doug. A winning streak is always fun, but I wonder if this is due to the quality of the opponents or the improvements of HOTH. Will we see an apparent reversion to old habits when facing better teams?

Colin K, Ann Arbor

A: I can’t really say except anecdotal evidence would suggest they will play hard and well. And I would also suggest that Dallas and Houston are not chopped liver and could be seen as “quality” opponents.

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Q: Hi Doug. James Johnson was traded to Sacramento for a second round draft pick for 2013. Yet, when I look at the draft sites, Sac still is listed for the pick. Could you please clarify?

Thanks,

Frank B, Toronto

A: It’s because there is a “protection” on the draft pick depending on where it falls. I believe it’s protected into the 50s so until we see the final standings and where it lands, it will remain, technically, Sacramento’s.

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Q: So the world didn't end (or at least hasn't yet, as of this writing), but imagine you're composing your final grunt meal. The dishes or chefs will be flown in at no expense to you. What will you cobble together, some gumbo from the Big Easy, Texas barbecue, or some pasta from that place down a back alley in Italy? Feel free to add as many refreshments as you like.

Jonathan M, Toronto

A: The thing with me is that it’s often about the company as much as the food but since you asked …

I’m pretty sure I’d have a nice well-marbled ribeye from The Palm in Philly, I really like the Gator bites as this little dump called the Cajun Cabin in New Orleans, that might be a nice appetizer. The fish dish would absolutely come from that place just off the Vatican Wall in Rome and I will never remember the name of the joint but there’s a tapas place just up the road from the Westin Prince in Madrid that had the best thinly sliced ham and sausage I’ve ever had.

Oh, and the ribs at Blues City Café in Memphis, I like them a bit more than Rendezvous, to tell you the truth.

But as long as it’s a big table with good friends, some spirits and fun stories, the food is almost secondary.

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Q: Hi Doug. What do players think of the Christmas day games? It seems to be the same teams every year with a few additions/subtractions depending on "rivals.”

Does the league approach teams to see who is interested in playing on Christmas or is it just another game on the schedule and teams have no say?

I don't believe the Raptors have ever played on Christmas day.

Thanks Doug!

Martin H, Kingston

A: I’ll probably get into this a bit more Monday but I think there are too many games on Christmas; five seems to me to be ridiculous. I can understand one as a way to give people who don’t celebrate the holiday – and even those who do – a distraction but they’ve overdone it, as all leagues and teams do.

There are no “invites” per se, teams get the schedule from the league and have very little say; they could ask to host but it might not be a wish granted. I do like the tradition of the previous year’s finalists meeting, though, and think that should probably be the only game.

As for the Raptors, they have played once, on Dec. 25, 2001, in New York. They got drilled and it was one of the worst games ever, no life, no enthusiasm, just a flat afternoon all around.

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Q: Doug. I infer that questions of firing and trades increase as the team does poorly. Personally, when the Raptor's struggle I tend to read less about them. I was wondering whether the blog and your articles' readership/hits tend to fluctuate in a similar manner (and if so - hope hits are off the charts riding a 4, hoping for 5 game winning streak). To add a question to this - do they fluctuate with the teams fortunes?

Geoff H, Toronto

A: It actually doesn’t, it tends to hold pretty much to average however the team is doing. In fact, we saw a little spike this year when things were at their worst, likely because the doomsayers wanted to have a place to vent at a guy who had the temerity to suggest calm at one point early in the season.

Now, as I recall, we get a bit more traffic if things are going very, very well, but we haven’t been there in a while.

The end of the weekend mail, and there's lots

 Told you there was more.

Lots more, as it turns out.

Am about to shut this down for the night, have a good evening; will try to get on the usual morning schedule this week.

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Q: Happy Weekend Doug. What is your opinion of the move by Memphis to hire ESPN basketball analyst John Hollinger as their VP of Basketball Operations? Do you think this is the start of a trend to emphasize statistical analysis as a more complete way of evaluating talent and the make up of a basketball team? Are you breaking out the math books Doug?

David W, Oakville

A: I’m very glad for John, who I count as a friend; it’s a great gig he’s got and I’m sure he’ll do well in it.

But as for a “start” of a trend? No, not at all. The trend has been developing for years and years and years and practically every team puts some stock in advanced metrics. This is just a hire of a guy everyone’s heard of to do a job anonymous men are doing in the majority of franchises.

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Q: Hi Doug. Just had a question about scouting. I'm sure over the past 18 years you've seen some changes in how/when/what teams look for when they scout prospects/other teams. I was wondering if you could comment a bit about how scouting has evolved.

Sohail G, Collingwood

A: It’s far more technogical now than it ever was. Just Sunday afternoon, I saw a couple of scouts in the press room after the game editing video on their laptops to go along with their e-mailed reports. That kind of immediacy you never got in the past.

But what they’re looking for hasn’t changed much. It’s play calls and what counters teams might have off them, tendencies not only of the players but of the coaches in such things as out-of-bounds and late-clock plays and any new wrinkles a team might have put in.

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Q: Doug. I am just curious to know if you now much the players read about themselves?

With so much time on their hands and instant access to everything, do they devour everything that is written about them? Do you know if any of the players/coaches are regular reader of your little corner of the web?

Thanks

A T, Niagara Falls

A: Like with many things, there’s no clearcut answer. Some read voraciously and mention things you’ve written, often jokingly and there those who profess total ignorance to all that’s out there. I find that claim dubious because someone close them have always read and will pass things on.

I would say it’s been my history that most know what’s out there about them.

And I do know there are people connected with this team at every level who read every word because they’ll make a point of commenting some days.

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Q: Hey Doug: Congratulations! You've just been named GM of an expansion NBA team! You're going to be able to take five players off any teams you would like. There is one stipulation, however - the players you choose must be ex-Raptors. Who do you take?

Thanks for all of your hard work for us!

Tim H, Windsor

A: Let me get this straight: Players who are in the league today and once played in Toronto? Hmm, you know what, there aren’t an awful lot of them.

I guess I’d go with Chauncey Billups, even though he’s hurt, which makes me think Jarrett Jack, who is having a pretty good year in Golden State might get some love.

How about wings of Vince Carter and Carlos Delfino and you have to go with Chris Bosh and, I suppose, Matt Bonner up front?

Am sure I’m missing an obvious one, or maybe two, but it’s been a long few days.

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Q: Hey Doug. For anybody to think that firing Casey would solve the team's problems I think they should think again. I'm not sure the firing BC is a solution either. Yeah, he's missed on attempts over the years but overall his moves have not been terrible (although his man crush on Bargnani is getting embarrassing). He just hasn't hit it big on any of them. Well, neither have most other GMs as it's the nature of the business. I get the impression the BC is well-regarded around the league as is Casey (unlike say, former GM Babcock). I would be more worried if both coach and GM were ridiculed by the rest of the league. That said, which Raptor regime was the least-regarded, least-respected in the league? I feel you have special insight into this.

Danny P, Montreal

A: Again, that’s impossible to say with any certainty because I don’t check in with every other team often enough.

I will tell you this: Bryan is well-regarded around the league for his body of work; there were some who wondered if the Raptors had reached a bit too far with the hiring of Rob Babcock. Other than that, it is as you’d suspect: Some other GMs like Toronto is doing, others question it.

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Q: Bobcat calling for trading and firing of everyone BUT one thing he did say was how about re-hiring Butch Carter to which Coach Jake said "Will never happen". Why not, he seems like a hard nose guy which is what these guys need and I don't agree with any player movement or GM firing at this time and they do seem to have lost their way, which is the coaches job. So why not Butch, did he leave in that bad a cloud that even though no one is left from his last stay that he cant get rehired?

Jody L, Lunenburg

A: He is one of the best in-game and most prepared coaches I’ve ever come across, no question about it, and he could help many organizations. I don’t know all the inner-workings of his relationships with people who would have been here when he was but I think that might be something that needs to be smoothed over. Not saying it won’t be, or can’t be, but I think that’s the stumbling block, the departure wasn’t smooth.

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Q: Hello Doug. Bll Walton was quoted as describing Arvydas Sabonis this way: "a 7'3" Larry Bird due to his unique court vision, shooting range, rugged in-game mentality, and versatility".

From what you've seen of Jonas Valanciunas' skills, do you think he's got the potential to be as impressive - or perhaps an even more impressive - a basketball player than Arvydas? And do you know what Sabonis' opinion is of Jonas as a player? Thank you.

Lorie P, London

A: While I think Valanciunas has a chance to be a very good player, in his prime Sabonis was one of the top 10 players on Earth, that’s a lofty goal I cannot imagine Valanciunas reaching.

And in a little while, or tomorrow morning, there'll be a Sabonis story on our site.

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Q: How would you describe Mr. Colangelo's managing style? Does he micro or macro manage? How empowered is Mr. Casey? Last year with no camp & Sterns' hellacious money grab there was a general competitiveness for a talent challenged team. This year both gentleman have appeared before the board any idea if the relationship has been strained?

They both are probably working extremely diligently to get where they want to go.

But coach/gm have to be on the same page at the end of the day.

John C, Mississauga

A: Of those two, he’s far more on the micro side than the macro; he’s involved in almost every decision to some degree. That said, he does give the coach all kinds of latitude, I’m sure there are suggestions offered but not demands made.

And I think by the very nature of the relationship there will be moments of creative tension but nothing that truly gets in the way of the big goal, which is to make the team better and maximize skills.

They do have to be on the same page or chapter, but not the same line or word.

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Q: Minnie seems to have given up on Derrick Williams for at least this year's rotation. Most scribes seem to think if he makes it, it will be as a 3. Would you take a chance on him as the Raps?

Gary M, Ottawa

A: For a cheap salary and a short-term deal as long as it doesn’t cost you anything of significance, probably would. I also don’t think he’s a very good NBAer so there’s that to take into consideration.

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Q: Doug. I noticed how well Jose has played when starting this season versus when coming off the bench. However since Lowry was a major acquisition I don't see them bringing him off the bench.

My question is with the absence of Andrea can Raptors try Lowry, Calderon, DeRozan and then their best 2 defensive bigs?

I am not sure who the two best on defence are and but Coach Casey should know and I suspect you have an opinion?

Oh as an aside please, please get the IGBT working for us Apple users.

Thanks

Freddy W, Cambridge

A: They actually have used those three at times in most games when they’ve been healthy and in some instances to success. But I don’t think you can manage the point guard minutes effectively if you used them as a starting unit. All moot, of course, until Lowry gets back.

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Q: All things considered, who is having the worse season: Lakers or Raptors?

David H, Mississauga

A: Given pre-season expectations – the Lakers to challenge for a championship, the Raptors to somehow get in the race for eighth place in the East – I’d say Los Angeles.