There's never a dull moment with this organization

I’ve been telling people for an awful long time that in the eons I’ve been around this basketball team that it’s almost always been a better story than a team.

And here we go again.

We all knew what was going to happen yesterday, the story had been out and reported for about 24 hours but, still, it was an odd, odd day.

Kind of in keeping with the way the Raptors have operated consistently for years, a group that’s far more entertaining to talk about most seasons than to watch.

The president stays but doesn’t have total basketball control, there is no general manager and no one’s quite sure who’s coming, the coach is basically in limbo, the rest of the front office is trying to do basic summer tasks not knowing if they’ll be employed in a month and the assistant coaches should probably be polishing resumes because there’s no guarantee any of them will be back.

And fans?

Fans are, I presume, alternating between scratching their heads and throwing their arms up in despair as the off-season unfolds. I’m seeing about a 70-30 split between “what the hell are they doing” to “this had to be done” and that’s not surprising either.

Can it work?

Who knows? It’s so unique that it just might. I honestly cannot think of a similar situation anywhere in sports – I presume there is one but my mind can’t recall it – and maybe because it’s so off-the-wall odd it might work.

Maybe the new GM – and Masai Ujiri remains far and away the No. 1 choice but that’s not nearly a done deal yet – can operate with total autonomy and not feel at all threatened.

Maybe the new CEO – who certainly talks tough about what might happen – can massage personalities and balance this thing and give the support that’s needed so that it works.

Maybe.

But here’s a point someone connected with the franchise made the other day that’s quite valid:

Most of the heavy lifting as already been done. They were as far down as they could get two seasons ago, the building process is well on the path and there just needs to be some tinkering done rather than major reconstructive surgery.

And maybe because they’re at that point, it’s not as hard as it would appear.

Give ‘em credit, though. This might be the only organization in all of professional sports that can turn the possibility of management change into a head-scratching process that no one’s ever heard of before.

Yep, better story than a team.

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This works today, right?

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I have no idea why this happened but one day recently I’m sitting on a stool somewhere in front of a bank of televisions (Hello, Jack Astor’s at Square One!) and was trying to see what was on that could have been marginally interesting.

(Obviously there wasn’t a pucks fixture to catch my attention)

And I’ve got to tell you, this Cash Cab thing looks pretty wacky.

Now, I tend to hate reality TV with, as they say, the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns because as real as they try to make it, it’s edited and contrived and I’d rather watch some Criminal Minds or NCIS episode I’ve seen a few times.

But here are two shows that could be recommended in that genre:

Cash Cab

Dude gives out money in some kind of rolling trivia game that covers the streets of New York. (Now I learn it's in countries all over the world. Cool!) I have no idea why it caught the eye and what makes it intriguing but it does.

Duck Dynasty

You ever see that one?

Highly recommended by people who know what they’re talking about, it’s a classic.

The crazy hillbilly-esque clan with the beards?

No idea why but once I heard about it, it was sort of fascinating, and hugely entertaining.

Anyone agree?

Now, there was time when the Amazing Race and – as we all recall – DWTS – would have been right at the top of the list but they’ve been supplanted; reality TV is still not destination viewing at even the slightest level but if I’m prone on the couch and clicking through the dial, I at least have a couple of choices that aren’t off-putting.

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You folks are beating me to the punch.

Checked the mail this morning and there are probably half a dozen questions there.

Not enough, mind you, so let’s start the weekly plea. It’s askdoug@thestar.ca in case you’ve forgotten.

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Now, no one really expected the Raptors to move up to one of the top three spots in the lottery, did they?

Things like that just don’t happen to this franchise so when they stayed at No. 12 and gave the pick up to Oklahoma City.

That in itself is no real big deal, as we’ve said repeatedly this draft is rather weak, they don’t need another young player with a three-year contract and I don’t imagine there’s a GM in the league who’d turn down today a chance to get Kyle Lowry and his now-expiring contract for No. 12 in this draft.

But still, things probably couldn’t have turned out much worse for the lads.

Seeing Cleveland get the No. 1 pick, Orlando fall to No. 2 and Washington jump all way to No. 3 from No. 8 had to put a sick feeling in the stomach of everyone involved.

No, it’s not a great draft and the presumptive top pick, Nerlens Noel, is coming off ACL surgery and who knows when he’ll be ready but three Eastern Conference teams picking one, two, three?

Yeah, that has to kind of suck given where the Raptors are and where they want to go.

Even if you operate under the premise that the draft is not the be all and end all of building a franchise – and it’s not – having three playoff rivals pick up significant assets at the lottery was like kicking sand in the face of the Raptors.

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If you give up two in the bottom of the last inning – the first on a bases-loaded, two-out, full-count walk and the second on a two-strike wild pitch – it truly is a kick in the gut.

But as we’ve told the Mighty Navy Tigers since the first practice, baseball is as much about managing failure as anything (best hitters in the game make outs six of 10 times, everyone makes errors, every pitcher gets lit up), we see it as a character builder.

That’s the right thing to say, right?

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Raps want to hit a home run? They've got Babe Ruth here now

So, what next?

Well, I hear were going to get the full gory details of whatever new role Bryan Colangelo has coming to him sometime this morning – was still no official word on what precisely it was when a long day came to end last night – but that’s about it.

No new president, no new general manager, I’m not hearing about any shuffling of any hands at the moment.

The Flavour of the Month, Masai Ujiri, isn’t going to talk to Tim Leiweke before Wednesday or so people who would know are telling me so we can put that one away to rest for 48 hours or so.

And who knows if it works out anyway, not sure Denver won’t come back with some equally-lucrative offer to keep their top executive.

Masai’s repatriation is not slam dunk at all, at least that’s what I’m hearing in the last 24 hours or so.

But as I’m thinking yesterday – and it was actually a long day of thinking and typing and being like a constant alarm clock (Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!) to some people – whatever happened to the concept of hitting a home run with whatever new guy comes on board?

Some big name that’ll catch everyone’s attention; that idea seems to have drifted away in the weeks since Tim Leiweke first came on board and everyone got in a kerfuffle because he knows Phil Jackson.

Well, here’s one for a home run that makes so much sense it doesn’t have a chance at happening.

If I’m Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, I’d certainly give it my best shot to convince Wayne Embry to become the team’s president, let he and Ed Stefanski run the show with Dwane Casey and see where we go.

You cannot imagine the respect with which Wayne is regarded around the NBA; he is an icon and a legend and has done everything imaginable in the game. Cannot be understated.

I know for a fact he loves Toronto – he once told me that outside of championship seasons in Boston this has been the most enjoyable stop of his long and illustrious career – and in eight years here he knows where all the bodies have buried and has walked many a minefield.

He massaged the Rob Babcock-Sam Mitchell relationship, he’s been a sage to everyone who works at the joint for the past half decade and when this thing was headed entirely off the rails last December, you know who was here to have meetings and private conversations? Wayne.

He knows the game, the people in the game, he knows people and how to get the most of out them, how to make diverse personalities work for a common cause while putting aside any differences of opinion.

He’s a presence.

I don’t know who is going to be hurt the most in this changeover, how it shakes out cannot be even guessed at for certain right now, but if Tim Leiweke has a brain in his head, he will not – cannot – let a valuable resource and a great man like Wayne Embry get away.

And if the board and ownership and whoever take the time to try to convince Embry to take on an even more significant role right now, that will be the best time they can spend.

(Yes, I floated the name – entirely off the top of my head and a thought that came right of nowhere – of Russ Granik on the radio yesterday but that was just silly and should be taken as the rambling of a madman)

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Ray Manzarek?

Yeah, he had some music chops.

RIP

I know more than a few people were stung by the news of his passing yesterday.

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Here’s a Did You Know.

Did you know that if you settle on the deck to start typing about 10:30 in the morning that you have to shift around the table three times before 7:30 p.m. to make sure the sun doesn’t shine in either your eyes or on your screen.

Not that I’d want to do that more than, say, once a year, but at least now we know.

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I’ve got a thing this afternoon that means I can’t drink coffee this morning and you know those people to say they get grumpy when they don’t have their morning coffee?

They’re 1,000,000 per cent right.

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Super Dog digression; and a reason why this little Boston is among the goofiest, most coddled dogs in the world.

Or course she’s outside for most of the day on a leash that allows her access to the deck and the yard lest she try to bolt to chase a bird (no, not the brightest).

Well, it’s time to do business, she wanders over and starts jumping up like she’s inside and, yep, have to take her off the leash and walk around the yard until she goes.

Then it’s back to the leash, happy as a puppy.

Weird. Weird. Weird.

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So, we’ll all be glued to the TV tonight to see the results of the lottery, I presume.

Yeah, right.

I can remember actually going to cover a few of them – seeing Glen Grunwald sitting in the media tent at Secaucus, sipping a beer, dejected, after not winning the LeBron year remains a vivid memory – and now it’s a bit of a yawner, no?

But I guess there is a chance they could move up to the top three in what everyone considers a so-so draft so a little bit of attention has to be paid.

We know the details, right? Unless they get a top three pick (and those are the only spots the lottery is for) they have to forego their selection, it goes to Oklahoma City through Houston in the Kyle Lowry deal.

Why should fans want them to win?

Because it’s an asset, not a great one but at least an asset and while the last thing this team needs is to get younger – and there is no franchise-altering player in the draft – having a top three pick to put in a package may make a summer trade easier to accomplish.

If whoever’s in charge could go out to market with a high pick to put with, say, Andrea Bargnani, I bet he could far more easily net something significant in return.

The Raptors, today, don’t need another kid, but they might need the value a kid at the high end of the draft could bring back.

So pay a bit of attention but certainly don’t get bent out of shape if they lose the pick, it’s not worth the anguish.

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There's a human element that has to be considered

Today?

Who knows?

When I first heard last week in Chicago that May 20 was the contractual deadline to deal with the option year on Bryan Colangelo’s contract, it sure sounded like it’d be a busy weekend culminating in something newsworthy.

As the day arrives and after talking most of the weekend with a whole bunch of people, I now fear we’ll be sitting around waiting for nothing today and perhaps for the next little while.

(Yes, that’s entirely me trying to jinx it so that news breaks later this morning and we can get it over and done with).

But, really, if they’ve gone this long trying to find some amenable resolution to all, why wouldn’t they just take their sweet time.

All kinds of theories are being kicked around in conversations (a couple of them are laid out in Sunday’s make-work story) and I think the one that makes perhaps the most sense is that they’re trying to find a way to add to the front office staff, perhaps shift some responsibilities while keeping things as intact as they can.

That’s not a hard and fast fact but it would make some sense, wouldn’t it?

But here’s one key point to consider when all of this shakes out, and don’t diminish it at all:

No one wants anyone get hurt in all of this; these are all honourable men who have given their best efforts in whatever jobs they’ve had or have. They have families and lives and are owed a measure of respect for what they’ve done and soft landing if that’s the case and that has to be among the biggest of considerations.

There are relationships that have been built over years, loyalties that have developed and making sure you do the right thing by people you know, like and respect has to be one of the things at the forefront of minds.

Sports – and big business smart HR Ladies will tell you – can be a bit of a ruthless world sometimes and I get it has to be at some level.

But these are also men of great character we’re talking about in this situations and in one of my conversations with a man a greatly respect over the weekend, one phrase came up that cannot be lost:

This is a “human issue” not just sports and people need to remember that.

It’s all well and good for someone to say, “oh, that guy should be fired, that guy should be gone” and it’s another thing entirely when you look at the totality of the situation.

I’m not suggesting change should never be made, that’s ridiculous; I am saying that if change is made, it should be made in respectful, well-managed ways that takes everything into consideration.

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Have no idea where I heard this but heard this is Joe Cocker’s birthday.

Dude’s pretty good, no?

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It was only one game and there’s still lots of time left and adjustments to be made but, man, did the Spurs ever look good yesterday.

Yes, the Red Mamba went crazy (x three pointers in that cool over-the-shoulder form) but the thing that impressed me was the way San Antonio absolutely took Memphis’s big men out of the game.

And if the Grizzlies don’t find someone who can make perimeter shots with regularity, all San Antonio will keep doing is packing the paint and daring them to shoot and this one might not be as a competitive as we thought.

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I know it’s Victoria Day and the May 2-4 weekend and the first one of the summer and there’s all kinds of reasons to think it’s the most special of times.

Good friends, good times, old stories, barbecues; what’s not to like?

Oh, and the day off work – unless you have a lot to do and spend a bunch of the day in the backyard with a computer doing it – is pretty nice.

But if you’re ranking them, like we are here, here’s how it goes:

Canada Day

Don’t care that it’s one day perhaps stuck in the middle of the week; part of the reason we have holidays is to celebrate stuff and what’s better to celebrate than the country?

Besides, isn’t it cool to have a day off in the middle of some week?

Victoria Day

No, I don’t do cottages and that might be a reason it’s second. The fact it falls when it does kind of interferes with Birth Week and we know how I feel about attention being taken away from me.

Christmas

Yeah, family and presents and turkey and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I believe that I’ve had to fly on about eight of the last nine Christmas Days so …

Still, it’s pretty nice, except for the chance of bad weather.

Simcoe Day

Yeah, I don’t mind the August long weekend at all, it seems to be pretty low key, which is just fine.

Thanksgiving

Another family thing and that’s still nice and all that; but how come it seems every single year there’s either a training camp to be at or a pre-season game to cover?

Takes totally away from it.

New Year’s Eve

Amateur Night. ‘Nuff said.

Easter

The kids like it a lot because of the four days of no school, the whole chocolate factor makes it okay but it’s not really my cup of tea, Earl Grey or any kind.

Family Day

Bogus.

That’s about all I’ve got, how’d we do?

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Hey, here’s one for you:

The NBA Draft Lottery TV show is tomorrow night (that it’s a TV show amazes me and makes me realize the depth of broadcast depravity) and this front office Raptors paralysis is hitting it, too.

According to people I’ve talked to, the team has yet to inform the league who will represent it on stage.

Usually it’s the GM or coach or an unlucky player who has to sit there and look a bit silly but they can’t even decide who’s going do it a day before it happens.

I have one suggestion:

THE UNKNOWN EXECUTIVE!

A cousin to this guy.

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The end of the weekend mail

Okay, let’s get this out of the way before the deluge of “what’s going on with the Raptors” calls, e-mails and texts begin.

Have fun.

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Q: Greetings, Mr. Smith. How long do you think it will take for the NBA to dub Toronto's/Texas's big Myck "El Kabongo"? Or maybe just "Quickdraw"? "Baba Louie"?

Maybe a Top Five list of your all-time coolest NBA nicknames?

Thanks for the great blog!

David M., Ottawa

A: Wow, so many to choose from, it’s virtually impossible.

But I’ll do it because that’s what we do, with one codicil: Nothing with “Big” in it can count, those are simply too easy; if we had to pick just one I’m going with The Big Dipper because, well, because it’s Wilt.

So here are five and you Irregulars go at the others:

Chocolate Thunder Darryl Dawkins.

Magic Johnson.

Pistol Pete Maravich.

Clyde The Glide Drexler

And how about Dollar Bill Bradley?

Yeah, I can live with that as an interesting list off the top of my head.

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Q: Hi Doug,

I know you're often trying to highlight women's sports (which is a very good idea, at least in my estimation), so have you seen this? Andrea Blackwell is a family friend, and quite an amazing athlete (she'd kick our butts on the golf course, for example). Did you ever get to see Andrea play?

Ken M

A: I had the pleasure of seeing Andrea play for Canada at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, a disappointing tournament for a lot of reasons (and I believe you’re quite familiar with all of that) and since I was actually on the voting panel for induction into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame this year, I’m quite glad she made it.

And think any Canadian athlete – female or male – whose Olympic appearances span the era from 1984 in L.A. to 1996 in Atlanta – deserves every honour she or he can get.

It’s just truly too bad that the Canadian women’s team, ranked third in the world I believe, didn’t get to Seoul; that group could very well have won a medal. A true regret.

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Q: Hello Doug,

Since you are watching drills at the combine, I thought I would ask if anyone really turned your head at one of these events. Is there an opportunity for someone to really stand out?

Thanks,

Niels.

A: I didn’t sit and watch the five hours of workouts each of the two days, unfortunately, because I needed time to do interviews for the Olynyk and Kabongo pieces as well as shmooze some NBA types and some sources for the Raptors story that came out of there.

But two names I did hear an awful lot were Shane Larkin and Tim Hardaway, Jr., and Cody Zeller caught some eyes as well.

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Q: I asked a similar question last week but it didn't make the cut. In light of Wiggins' comment about T-Mac in his prime being a better player than Vince, I've decided to re-phrase the question and ask it again.

Who is the best player to ever wear a Raptors Jersey regardless of when and where they played their best years

Who is the best player to play his best years in a Raptors Jersey.

Who is the best "Leader" the Raptors have ever had.

Who is the best player on the Raptors right now.

Thanks!

Jeff, Saint John

A: Hakeem Olajuwon, Alvin Williams, Charles Oakley and probably, today, Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan would be tied.

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Doug

I do not want to rewrite history so correct me if I am wrong (probable) but wasn't there some talk in BC’s first year, (fairly decent) that this wasn't Colangelo’s team but it belonged to the previous GM. If the Raps hire a new GM and have a successful season, we will have that all over again I believe.

I guess I am just saying that for a new GM, if the team is successful - it was Bryan’s team. If they are not successful, then new GM will get the "lousy manager" treatment.

If I were an established GM, I would say no. This is too much of a lose/lose situation. They don't have much cap room to

go looking for FAs and they have a record of futility over the last few years. If they make the playoffs next year the congratulations could and probably should go to BC as the guy who actually put the team together. If they don't make the playoffs, then I would be the goat who couldn't get them

into the playoffs even though everyone thinks they have enough talent to have made it.

And pity a new GM with no experience. The very first 4 game losing streak would have just about every tv talking head calling for his scalp.

I think that if the new head man were to keep Bryan for this year, it might irritate the masses, but it would give him a chance to find an established GM who might be willing to come to Toronto. But then as I say to my wife at least once a day "What do I know"

Gerry T.

A: Actually, Bryan joined the organization in the middle of a season and had a few months to figure out the lay of the land. And his first full summer on the job was a great opportunity to remake the team immediately, he added, I believe, nine new players and put together a roster than won 47 games and a division championship.

But that was a unique situation, new GMs coming in to most franchises need at least a year to weed out remnants of the old regime – if they want to – and put their own “stamp” on a roster.

Given the contracts and personnel in Toronto currently, if there is a change, it’s going to take the new guy a while to make significant alterations to the roster.

Who gets credit or blame for whatever transpires is really hard to figure out but your points are valid and probably bang-on.

.

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Q: Do the Raptors have a second round draft pick this year?

Dave B, Cornwall

A: Not at this point, no. And no real desire to acquire one at the moment, either.

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Q: Hi Doug.

How much would a D-League team value a player like Wiggins for one year? Is there any way pre draft eligible players could end up there? A lot of the D-Leaguers are young and not as old and grizzled as in Europe so the physical side of the game shouldn't slow their development and the schedule is only about 10 more games than the major college teams play so the length of the season shouldn't be a big issue either. Do many kids go the way of college because that's just the way it is or is there a benefit to the college system that a pro team couldn't provide? Are there conflicts of interest with some D-League teams' affiliation with NBA teams?

Thanks

Scott Rogers

A: I don’t know that there’d be an awful lot of benefit to doing it that way but players can forego the draft and join the D League; a couple have gone there right from high school with not a lot of success.

It’s an option for a kid who either doesn’t want to go to college or can’t find a way to get into one, that’s about it.

The start of the weekend mail

Looks like it’s going to be a nice day in these parts for the long weekend, hope it is wherever you’re going to be.

Here’s some stuff to get you started, there’s a bit more for tomorrow (you can still get in on the fun if you want) and I’ll have some time after Mighty Navy Tigers practice and a couple of NBA West preview things get written to putter around so feel free to send some more.

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Q: I was reading a Raps article that had various clips of turning points in the season...While watching the Bobcat's clip from early in the season I was struck, not by the non-called foul, but how quickly Bargnani's star has fallen. I mean here he was, early in the season, the go to guy for the last second shot. Last season he averaged something crazy like 26 points a game before getting injured. He had plays called for him every time down the floor.

I'm wondering at which point in the last two seasons did Bargnani's stock start to fall... was it after his injury last year? This year? After his second injury this year? I know BC has said he has value, and I'm not getting into the Amnesty debate.... but there has been an obvious drop from Star and game closer to "Boo'ed at home/non-option on offense"

Any thoughts on when this declined started and why his star fell so quickly?

Jeff

A: Well, he got hurt and came back to pretty much a different team with his role changed and it took some getting used to. And when he did – or at least did a bit – he got hurt again and then Rudy Gay arrived and things changed all over again. It was a different team and he was asked to do different things; not sure “star has fallen” is the right phrase, “things changed” might be more apt.

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Q: Hi Doug...Why do so many fans spend ridiculous sums to wear the uniform of some conglomerate's team? Wouldn't a cheap hat do the trick? How about a small pin with the team logo?

Remember Bill, the spaceman, Lee's theory about the great snow ball? 100,000 years from now ( or maybe 10) when the earth is a great snowball hurtling through space, who gives a rats' tail about all those "little things" that we presently consider so important. ( Like the Leafs latest loss)

Carpe Diem

Bob E, Kanata

A: I can honestly say I don't believe I have ever purchased a jersey of any player or team in any sport for myself so I don't get it myself. I'd go for hats, though.

And I seldom sweat the small stuff, hardly worth it.

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Q: Hi Doug,

I've been thinking about Ed Davis. Given what you know of him, do you think he's happy to be a bit player on a team doing so well? Or do you think he just wishes he got more playing time? It's been a shame to hear that he's riding the pine in Memphis -- that's got to slow his development. At the same time, it's got to feel good to be doing so well in the playoffs.

And another thing: it sure seems like the Grizzlies are better off without Rudy Gay. Were they just using him wrong? Do you think the Raptors will be able to plug him into their system a little better and reap the benefits?

Thanks, and keep up the hard work!

Tim

A: I'm sure he'd want to be playing more, if he didn't he wouldn't be normal. But at some point when he gets a playoff cheque he'll feel all right.

I guess you could say they're better off because of where they are but if Russell Westbrook doesn't get hurt and the Thunder knock off the Grizzlies, we're not having this conversation, are we?

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Q: Hello Doug!

Well, it's that time of year again - no, not a certain someone's Birth Month. And seriously, it requires an entire month to celebrate you??? I'll bet once upon a time it was a single day. And, I remember when it was a week. Now, an entire month is required to glorify Our Favourite Beat Grunt?

Wow. Soon you'll be demanding an extension to a full year and then it'll just be all about you all the time. Oh, wait. That's kind of your reality anyway, isn't it? :)

No, what I'm referring to here is the approach of Father's Day and my annual challenge to find the perfect book (while outdoing my sisters, of course; we may be older, but the sibling rivalry continues!!!) for my Dad. And because I've had such a terrific response from Irregulars in the past when I've asked for book suggestions, I hope you'll indulge me once more. Now Dad enjoys books and reading, and he reads a lot. And he reads a wide range of subjects, particularly history.

(Previously, it was mainly about the 20th century, but this past year he became interested in genealogy, traced the family tree back to the 17th century, discovered our ancestors arrived in Massachusetts not long after the Mayflower delivered the first pilgrims, and now he's eager to learn all he can about the early history of New England.) But, he will happily read on a wide variety of topics. (On a recent visit, I noticed that his "to be read" stack of books included one on Wallis Simpson's jewellry

collection, another on colour photography from Russia in the early 1900's and still another on the history of the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City.)

So, Irregulars, what do you have for me - and my Dad, of course this year? Thanks. And thank you, Doug for allowing me to do this.

Lorie P, London

A: Folks, what have you got?

And I was kind of joking on Birth Month but am deadly serious about Birth Week, which began whenever I woke up Saturday morning (am typing this Friday night at O’Hare) and continues until the following Saturday.

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Q: Hi Doug

This is a tricky one. I have the utmost respect and admiration for Jason Kidd. Chandler is exactly my kind of player. So is Kurt Thomas and non-Raptor Camby. I wish the Raptors had somehow secured Iman Shumpert. I loved Amare on the Suns and think he's shown some real maturity in offering to take a bench role, if it helps the team. Heck, when I first discovered basketball, I became a New York fan. So why do I hate the Knicks so much now?

Thanks!

J H

A: I have the utmost respect for Glen Grunwald and like Jim Todd and Darrell Walker and know Mike Woodson a bit and just ran into old friend and Knicks scout Walker Russell in Chicago and kind of feel the same way.

I think it’s because for all the chatter about them, they’ve done nothing to deserve any accolades. In the last decade they have now won as many playoff series as the Raptors, who have actually been in more post-season games than New York since 2001 and have had absolutely no success that would make them be able to crow about stuff.

That they think they’re good kind of rubs people the wrong way.

Hate’s probably a strong word but I don’t get the sense of accomplishment the franchise puts out there.

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Q: In an interview following Andrew Wiggins’ announcement, Kansas coach Bill Self didn’t even pretend he was getting a “student-athlete.” He acknowleged with refreshing candour that Andrew was there for one year only.

In your opinion, is this the best way to prepare young player for the NBA? Are they better off spending an extra year on a professional roster or pretending to be college students. I suppose, arguably, programs like Kansas are professional anyway.

James A, Victoria

A: I think allowing teenagers to spend a year sort of autonomous – they have a large measure of freedom but not total – is a good way to start the transition to adulthood.

And I don’t know that there’s a better way, to tell you the truth.

And because I’m sure someone will ask why they aren’t able to earn money in their careers in the NBA, it’s simple and makes entire sense: The NBA isn’t precluding them from making a living playing basketball, they can go to the D League or Europe; the NBA is just laying down ground rules for employment in that league. I’m fine with that.

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Q: Hey Doug

With the recent decision by Andrew Wiggins on his college choice I have a question in regards to the rules about contact with him by Canada Basketball? With Canada basketball having NBA ties (Nash, Gherardini, etc...) is there a protocol they must follow? Also how much involvement will Canada basketball have with him during his college days - or any other current Canadian College kids?

And when are you going to write the feature about how the impact of the NBA in Canada is finally starting to pay off for both the men's and women's program? Also has there ever been any consideration of bringing the WNBA to Canada? - I have a daughter and I think its important that she sees positive female role models in sport that are not only men; Lebron maybe the best basketball player in the world but Brittney Griner deserves attention also.

Thanks,

Ollie H, Toronto

A: That really is a sticky situation about contact. There are no hard and fast rules laid down, it’s kind of like an honour system where they deal with international play separate from NBA. Impossible, really, to monitor.

And we’ve made mention and written about the NBA’s impact on this generation of Canadian basketball players so many times in so many stories, it’s not even funny. And I’m sure we will do in a few more times in the future.

The WNBA was briefly considered years and years and years ago and they decided it wasn’t a prudent business move. Asking people to buy tickets to watch women’s basketball in the summer in Toronto would be hard sell for sure. Too bad, I’d like to see ‘em try it at Ricoh but I fear it wouldn’t succeed.

The combine's like a festival of basketball

Our usual Friday of little things that may or may not matter and sorry we’re a bit late, sleep got in the way until 7 a.m. my time.

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So what’s this draft combine like?

Well, we finally got to find out first hand and it’s like a festival of basketball and front office schmoozefest.

For the past few years, the prying eyes of the media were shut out of the actual workouts, the facility wasn’t big enough to hold us all, the teams and front office personnel wanted some privacy and we’d all wait at a hotel for the players to come back to do media interviews in some stuffy ballroom.

Not any more.

The gym’s huge – three full courts – and the players are broken up into five groups of about 10. Each group goes through about an hour of workouts – shooting drills, sprints, rebounding drills, agility tests – and then we get them for 20 minutes or so in a backroom; has to be about 150 credentialed media here so it’s a real circus, everyone’s trying to talk to their locals or the guys their teams might draft so getting private time with any of the athletes is basically impossible.

That’s the toughest part of it, if you’re in a group of 10 writers or broadcasters talking to a player, you really have to work to get your questions answered, knowing full well that the stuff you’re seeking will end up in someone else’s story or report.

That seems to be the way the business is going, unfortunately, and you really have to put in time to get to know people so that maybe – maybe – you can get a private moment walking out of a gym if you need it for a specific question you want answered. The chance for one-on-ones runs from slim to none, which is why a lot of the stuff you’ll read will sound eerily similar.

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Oh yeah, the best part of the day?

The wandering around amid 100 or so NBA executives, coaches and scouts, stopping here for a minute and there for a minute and catching any little piece of gossip you can.

And, believe me, the HOTH are right at the front of everyone’s mind given the uncertainty surrounding the team.

Off the top of my head, there were half a dozen GMs and a more than a dozen other front office types who sought me out to try and find out what was going on.

The overwhelming sentiment?

Bryan should be treated a bit better, some decisions should have been made before this camp began and it’s a tough situation for all.

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I have no idea precisely why this came into my head this morning but it did. Gotta make some of you happy, I hope.

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Oh, who’s here for the Raptors?

Don’t think I missed anyone and saw Bryan, Ed Stefanski, Wayne Embry, Marc Eversley, Alex McKechnie and my man Alvin Williams, all huddled on the sideline scoping things out.

No one from the coaching staff, which isn’t unusual for a team without a pick and, actually, the only coach I saw was Mike D’Antoni.

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Gotta love guys who can bluff.

On a stool in the lobby down from three guys who are watching late afternoon TV when ESPN shows the story about David Beckham retires.

There’s a line about the number of caps Beckham’s won and one guy has no clue what that means and asks his buddies.

The guy at the end of the table, sounding like Sammy Soccer who knows everything immediately pipes up, with absolute authority:

“It’s the number of playoff games he’s been in, championships and playoff games. Games for England.”

The guy who didn’t know nods, “ah, okay, that’s what I thought.”

I order another.

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Mail? Kind of lost a bunch of yesterday hanging around with cronies so I’m a little bit behind but here’s a last call to get me through the weekend.

You know the drill, it’s askdoug@thestar.ca and we’re open for business.

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So in the run of business at this combine, teams go through an interview process with a handful of players they fancy. They have their psychologists and doctors and front office personnel around to chat, ask questions, poke and probe physically and mentally and it’s a huge part of the draft process.

The Raptors, even without a pick right now, have been doing all entire list but I do know they had the Shabazz Muhammad in for a chat the other night, among others they’ve talked to.

It’s funny that everyone tries to keep all the chats secret, it’s as if no one can know the group of players any team is talking to.

We were chatting with Myck Kabongo yesterday (you’ll see the fruits of that labour up here later on today) and he was asked which teams he’d talked to.

First thing he said?

“Am I allowed to tell.”

We mentioned that, yes, other players have actually offered the information and it’s not like some secret code, despite what teams were saying.

So, Myck saw Orlando, New York and Portland the night before last and had more sessions set for last night.

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Hands up everyone who had Spurs-Grizzlies as the Western Conference final when the season began?

Yeah, didn’t think there’d be many of you.

Best thing about where we are today is that we know now exactly when the conference finals will start. The West begins Sunday – and that gives me tomorrow to work on a Grizzlies story and a preview box – and the East won’t get going until next Wednesday thanks to New York’s win last night.

That’ll give the Heat another week off between series, just like they had after sweeping the Bucks, and that’s going to be perfect for Dwyane Wade’s sore knee and will make the Heat all the more dangerous.

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The NBA does what the NBA does, protect its own

This was a rise like a Phoenix.

The NBA’s decision yesterday to deny a relocation bid from Sacramento to move the Kings to Seattle ends – probably – one of the longest dragged out sagas of recent times.

And says a lot about what the league’s priorities are with its franchises.

We will forget for a second the personal choice because anyone who would pick Sacramento over Seattle given the choice would have to have her or his head examined, the cities are nowhere close to each other in that regard.

But the NBA has always said it wasn’t a Seattle issue; it was a Sacramento issue and if the people there could come up with a way to keep the team, it would stay, despite the stated intentions of the owners.

The NBA has always taken pride in its abilities to keep smaller market franchises operating, it structures its collective bargaining agreements to make that possible, it shares revenue to make that possible, it’s why teams in relatively tiny markets like San Antonio, Memphis, Charlotte, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, Minnesota and, yes, Sacramento find a level of “protection” in situations such as these.

(That said, watch for Milwaukee to be the next “target” because there are some issues there)

So when the civic leaders in Sacramento – and Mayor Kevin Johnson being a former NBAer who knew the landscape pretty well sure helped – found a way to get a buyer and do an arena deal, it was pretty much a no-brainer that the team would stay there.

I didn’t think – and a lot of people didn’t think – that Sacramento could do it, we’d been down the road towards a new arena and different ownership so many times it became almost a running joke.

But when they got it all together, I don’t think there was much doubt that the team would stay, it’s how the NBA – and commissioner David Stern – operates.

And, yes, there have been franchises that have moved – Vancouver and Charlotte come quickly to mind – but there was always an issue in those cities like ownership that precluded them staying. And we know that Stern considers the loss of Vancouver as one of the great failings of his era.

Seattle? Sorry it didn’t work out – sorry like you can’t imagine – but when it comes time to expand in the next three or four years, you know they’re at the top of the list.

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Not entirely sure why this popped into the head but it did.

Now I want to go somewhere where the guy cooks food at your table.

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So one of theories being espoused by some of us who chat daily about this whole Colangelo matter is kind of intriguing to me.

I will preface this by saying I have no clue if it it’s true, it’s just been chatter between me and some friends and colleagues, but we wonder if Leiweke might not be clandestinely interviewing replacement candidates while he lets Bryan dangle.

I wasn’t sure what I thought of that chance; the immediate reaction was I didn’t seem to be a respectful thing to do by anyone, the guy doing the interviewing or the people being interviewed for a job that’s not open.

But wise sages with a knowledge of high end HR stuff – the kind of stuff I have no real clue about – suggests that getting a short list, working quickly and discreetly might be more commonplace than I thought.

The things you learn …

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Okay, you’ve done well on the mail so far, my good friends, but there’s always room for more.

And since I should have a fair amount of down time during a long day in the gym watching kids do drills (sounds delightful, no?) the askdoug@thestar.ca place is open for business.

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I find a saloon close to the hotel here with a lot of TVs (yeah, I’m like a Grunt Lewis and Clark) to settle in and watch Bulls-Heat.

But it’s also Blackhawks-Red Wings in the pucks and it was a pretty interesting night.

The TVs were split about 40-40 on the hoops-pucks with some baseball on the other 20 per cent (yeah, saw TOD go nuts, again); the Bulls started early so the sound from that game was blaring.

After the first half of the hoops, the sound went on the pucks, when that period of the pucks finished the sound went back on the basketball, end of third quarter of the Bulls sound when back to Hawks, end of that period it was back to the basketball until the game ended.

Hadn’t seen that before (probably because I don’t think there was television the last time two Toronto teams were in the playoffs at the same time) and it was interesting to see that the crowd was split about half and half.

Saw a bunch of Blackhawks jerseys (it would appear this Toews bloke is popular) and a fair number of Bulls shirts.

Must be nice, eh, to live in a city with such sporting riches.

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Some people …

This is named to the dude in the golf hat at Pearson yesterday.

Yeah I walked by you because you were lollygagging and dilly-dallying before we walked in the Customs hall and, yep, I got one spot ahead of you.

If you’re going to go all passive-aggressive behind me with sotto voce comments like “I guess you can just walk by people” and “I thought the line was behind us” if I turn around and say “Sir, is there a problem?” don’t turn and stare off into space.

Be a man and either talk or shut up in the first place.

Man, I hate some people.

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A good way to make a big announcement

I don’t know Andrew Wiggins at all but I totally admire how he handled himself yesterday with the college announcement thing.

Low key with just family, some friends, some teammates and one reporter from the local newspaper on hand to chronicle it.

We, as a sporting society, endow too many teenagers with too large a sense of entitlement and fame far too easily, we make them out to be far more significant pieces of the societal puzzle than they should.

Breathlessly hanging on their words, trying to sniff out any number of irrelevant facts, holding them in such high regard when they’ve actually accomplished very little in their short lives kinds of irks me, to tell you the truth.

These are kids, accomplished kids, mind you and kids who appear to have bright futures ahead of them in their chosen sports.

But they are still teenagers and too many of them get put on pedestals far too early in their lives.

I think it says more about the adults and teens who working themselves up into a lather over the decision than anything. These people need to get lives and allow teenagers to live theirs; I’m sure there were all kinds of cheap shots and mean-spirited criticism from “fans” at the three schools Wiggins didn’t pick and that’s terrible.

By any indication I’ve ever had from anyone who’s had interaction with him on more than one occasion, Wiggins is a well-grounded young man who seems to shy away from the hype too many people want to foist on him.

Good for him.

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Okay, this is one of the all-time debates.

Haagen Das or Ben and Jerry’s? Or Chapman’s?

And what flavour? Chocolate? Phish Food? Those little vanilla and chocolate squares?

Came up the other night and while there is no real right answer, if you said Haagen Das, you’re right.

Of course, nothing really trump Decadent Chocolate Chip cookies but that’s a whole other story for another day.

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First trip in a while, it’s a great city with great blues.

Like this.

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I definitely need mail, folks.

Got a flight and that means airport time and that means time to kill and what better way to kill it than answering questions.

(That’s rhetorical, there are probably a thousand better ways).

But it’s askdoug@thestar.ca if you want to say hello.

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And so it begins.

The flight’s to Chicago for the draft combine that kicks off tomorrow and that’s the unofficial start of the workout season that some of us are thrilled about.

(No, really. Thrilled. Can’t wait for the first “I think I’d be a good fit, I just want to go somewhere and work hard and do what the coach needs, especially play defence” quote; I’ve got noon tomorrow in the pool)

But this draft is entirely different at this end this year.

Unless there’s some lottery miracle next Tuesday night, there’s no reason for any HOTH fan to get at all worked up but that doesn’t mean we won’t be working and you won’t be reading.

There’s every chance at three Canadians being drafted, which would be historic and is the prime reason for the quick jaunt to Chicago.

Even recovering from surgery and out for four months, Anthony Bennett is lock to be a lottery pick, Kelly Olynyk could give Canada a second top-10 pick and Myck Kabongo looks like he’ll get selected, too.

Not bad.

The Raptors?

Well, I’m told the whole front office is headed to the camp, mainly to answer questions about the dithering ownership that’s left everyone in an uncomfortable situation as the new guy tries to make up his mind.

There are all kinds of theories as to why – mostly fanciful musings of guys like me with too much time on their hands – but the simple fact is that unless something startling happens in the next six or seven hours, Bryan and the Henchmen will show up in Chicago unable to really commit to anything because of the questions surrounding their futures.

Not sure but to me that’s a bogus way to run a professional franchise and out of simple respect for the men involved, The New Guy At The Top should get something done.

Trust me, NBA people notice the way people in other organizations are treated; no one is looking good in this entire affair.

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Jason Kidd of the New York Knicks has not scored a single point in eight straight playoff games.

Analytically, that sucks.

That’s more than 170 minutes of professional basketball without making a shot or a free throw or layup.

Astonishing, isn’t it?

And while I fully expected the Pacers to beat the Knicks (honest, I did; it’s written here), not sure anyone could have predicted the ease with which Indiana is controlling the series.

So, if the Knicks go out in this round, they will have won exactly as many playoff series as the Raptors since 2001.

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The pucks are gone, the hoops are on hiatus, the soccer team can’t finish a game to save its soul and it’s still a month from the football season.

I’d say it’s time to get back on the TOD bandwagon, no?

And given the three wins in a row, signs that the offence is coming around and a patchwork rotation that’s getting the job done, maybe it is time to get excited, no?

One of the great things about the grand game is the enduring quality of the schedule, it may seem like they’ve been playing forever but it’s not even the May 24 weekend (Birth Week starts Saturday for all you people wanting to do some shopping).

So even being 6 1-2 back, and 10 back in the loss column, isn’t that big a deal, to tell you the truth.

And now might be the time to start tuning in again.

Wonder if the TV broadcast is back showing shiny happy people in the stands at every chance?

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It's a big price fans pay and a truly Cool Canadian comes home

Wow.

We all know I don’t have a lot of “fan” in me, it’s hard to imagine the passion any one sports team could evoke because I’d rather cheer for the game than the result.

But, wow.

To all you pucks fans out there who sat through that thing last night, total condolences.

But here’s a question:

Lot of people are tossing around the “choke” word today – headline writers, columnists, talking heads, fans on the street – but was it a choke job? Or was it a stirring comeback?

Yes, it does depend on your perspective to a large degree – not sure anyone in Boston is talking “choke” while they laud the Bruins – but that late comeback can at least at some level be seen as a credit to the winners as it was a failure of the losers, no?

But the night, despite the result, was an excruciating example of why we love sports, wasn’t it?

Incredible highs. Unimaginable lows. An emotional ride that some may never experience again.

When we give our hearts to a franchise – and I’m going on what I know to be true from the experiences of others, not from anything I feel specifically these days – we give it completely and that can be a dangerous thing at times, it sets everyone up for abject disappointment far too often.

Let me ask this to those who were shattered by the turn of events last night?

We always hear that all losses are just losses, that it doesn’t matter if you lose by 20 or you lose by one; the end result is the same.

I get the feeling not many of you would agree with that today, that having hearts ripped apart like in the last 90 seconds of the third period and six minutes of overtime was far worse than losing, say, 5-1 and knowing the end result with a period and a half to go.

But it’s kind of what fans sign up for, isn’t it?

You will revel in the good times, despair in the bad; it’s the investment you make when you become so attached to a uniform and the men and women who wear it.

I imagine in the good times it’s fun and exhilarating; I would think today it’s not so much. But I admire fans, admire their passion, admire the way the “give” themselves to a team.

And today I feel bad for them.

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Okay, sad news that Dr. Joyce Brothers passed away yesterday and she was an accomplished psychologist who furthered that field tremendously.

But who among us, when we heard of her passing, didn’t immediately think of The Gong Show?

Yeah, I watched waaaaaaay too much crappy TV back in the day.

(And I’m not even going to mention the year I played The Unknown Comic on a float in the Niagara Falls Blossom Festival Parade).

But that was entertainment, no?

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Catching up with some old stuff I mentioned near the end of the Raptors season, I see from my friends at Raptors media relationships that DeMar DeRozan and his fiancée Kiara are proud parents.

Well done, and congrats.

(Yes, we try to keep up with all the inane stuff we do here)

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Long rant, sort of. Pardon the digression:

Remember a couple of months ago when we went over a little list that Griff and Gumby and I came up while on stools one night in Phoenix?

It was the “Coolest Canadians” and it was kind of fun.

We forgot Leonard Cohen and a couple of others we were gently reminded of eventually but the whole indefinable notion of “cool” made it interesting.

(I’ll reiterate: Cool is not necessarily famous, cool is not necessarily accomplished, cool is not necessarily rich. Cool is cool and you just know it when you see it.)

Anyway, we had Chris Hadfield on that list and now that Canada’s most famous astronaut is back on earth, he might have leapt to the top of the list.

If you hadn’t been paying attention to him, you missed out entirely. He did incredible things in his five months up there to advance science and to educate the world. Taught us how astronauts wash and drink water and exercise in space; the pictures of Earth he sent back every day were breathtaking, he became a rock star.

Almost literally since this was one of his last transmissions from space.

Now, I was a bit of a space geek back in the day of the Apollo missions and the Gemini program and remember doing a presentation in front of the class one time on how space ships “docked” while orbiting the earth.

When Neil Armstrong walked on the moon I – like millions of others – was glued to the TV.

My point with this dithering?

My point is that in this day an age we pay far too much attention to people who make no true significant contribution; we listen to what singers and actors and entertainers say like it matters.

I don’t toss around the word “hero” very often so I’m not going to go there but Chris Hadfield is someone everyone should have been paying attention to the last five months or so. He had contributions to make in the scientific world and made it easy for run-of-the-mill Canadians – and run-of-the-mill citizens of the world – to learn and have fun doing it.

Not sure what they’ll do for him when he’s finally back home and normal but when whatever level of government honours him, you all need to pay attention.

And, yeah, he’s cool. The definition of cool.

Welcome home, Commander. And thanks, I hope more than few youngsters around the country and the world take heed of what you’ve done and taught them.

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It's time to make a call, one way or the other

Well, they’ve dilly-dallied enough at the very top of the MLSE sports empire that they could very well be about to screw themselves at the first major event of the NBA summer.

Unless there’s resolution to the Bryan Colangelo situation in the next 48 hours – and by extension the Dwane Casey situation, as well as with pretty much every other member of the basketball operations organization from Bryan’s assistants to Dwane’s assistants to the people who do things like book travel and scout – the team’s representatives at the this week’s draft combine will be hamstrung.

Now, it’s not that anything officially gets done this week in Chicago but a lot of groundwork for future transactions gets laid at an event attended by every significant front office executive in the league.

And if you’ve got a front office and coaching staff that has no clue whether it’ll be employed at the end of the week or the end of the month, they aren’t going to be able to get a lot done.

Of course, if they decide on a change at the top that leaves another gaping hole but at least people would know what’s going on.

As it, unless there’s resolution today or tomorrow, everyone connected with the Raptors will spend more time in Chicago answering questions about what’s going to happen rather than questions about basketball.

Like I said, it’s not hugely critical to future player moves but that’s a factor simply because the new guy has taken his time coming to any kind of decision. There may be a legitimate reason for the delay – perhaps three weeks isn’t enough time to make a decision although I’m dubious about that – but, as the saying goes, they need to crap or get off the pot pretty quickly.

No one knows what the ultimate decision or answer will be – we all know how everyone feels – but it’s got to get done sooner rather than later.

The last time I was able to speak to anyone intimately involved in this process, everyone told me it was business as usual, things were getting done and they were just waiting.

The wait has to end today or tomorrow not only for the sake of the men and women whose jobs are in the balance but for the reputation of the franchise.

NBA people notice things, trust me on that; they are noticing nothing but questions about the future here.

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Yeah, this is pretty good and I hadn’t thought about it until Friday and thanks for jogging the old memory banks.

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Well, they absolutely nailed it with the national women’s basketball program.

It went under the radar on the weekend – other things kind of overtook the news – but new coach Lisa Thomaidis filled out her staff and hit a home run.

Bev Smith, one of the most accomplished basketball players this country has ever produced and a former national team coach, and Shawnee Harle, a former national team assistant and a CIS icon, got the gigs late last week (read about it here).

I’m going to tell you a story about Bev and how good she was.

Not sure if you’ve ever heard of Jim O’Connell, one of the great college and international basketball writers of this or any other era when he worked for the Associated Press. Jim covered a thousand international games, I’d bet, and is not one easily impressed. He told me this story:

The only person he’s ever sought out to compliment them on the way they played the game came in 1987 at the Pan Am Games in Indianapolis – and this is a guy who saw Sabonis and Oscar and Marta and Dino Meneghin and more great international players than any one person I know.

The player he sought out?

Bev Smith.

There isn’t higher praise.

Anyway, that’s a helluva staff and my affinity for the women’s program is greater now; and yours should be, too.

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Of course I go into the Apple store out here in Hazelville to pick something up and of course I have to put on some headphones to see what some of the display items are playing because that’s what people do, right?

And, of course, The Hockey Song is playing.

That time of year, I guess.

But here’s what I don’t get.

How in the world can they play back-to-back games at such a significant moment as Games 6 and 7 in a playoff series?

That’s utterly ridiculous to me, it’s unfair to the players and the organizations not to have at least one day for recuperation, travel, preparation between the two biggest games of the year.

And in the case of Toronto and Boston, it’s not arena-driven (it’s not like the Raptors and Celtics are clogging up availability in either city) and, yes, TV calls the shots but if they’ve decided this, they don’t get it either.

Just silly to me.

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This is terrible news, just terrible.

Because he needs treatment for an undisclosed illness Dr. Jack Ramsay is calling it a career as a broadcaster and the radio waves – and the world of the NBA – is far worse off for it.

One of the highlights of so many NBA Finals was running into Dr. Jack either on the court or in some lobby; you’d always get a story or two, some valuable insight into what was going on and, if you’re a guy with my background, a chance to tell some old Buffalo Braves stories.

A great time, always, and it won’t be the same.

He’s an icon and I’d hazard a guess that a few Irregulars Of A Certain Vintage think of him fondly as a coach.

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Oh yeah. We crushed the wing thing on Friday night, it was a great time and the Rotary Club of Toronto Skyline is now my favourite Rotary Club in the world.

The judging was totally blind – I still don’t know who I voted for in either “classic” or “exotic” categories but Hooter’s Downtown won the classic and Hey Restaurant on Roncesvalles wins the exotic. Real Sports won the fan voting for the 500 or so folks who were there.

Anyway, I can’t thank the good folks at Rotary enough. A great night.

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