Notes from the coach's corner

Jim Todd, the former Raptors assistant coach who endeared himself to Raptor fans with his frank halftime assessments of the team's performances during many a TV broadcast during his three-year run in Toronto, is possessed of a New England lilt and a way with words. For a while last year, he wasn't so sure if Andrea Bargnani knew more than a word or two of English.

Working with the Italian centre in practice, "it was always one-word answers."

Like any good coach, though, Todd took time to observe his pupil in his natural environment – the locker room.

"He was speaking in paragraphs," said Todd. "I'd been punked."

It's been an interesting time for a lot of former Raptor coaches. On Tuesday night, Larry Krystkowiak, the Bucks head coach, was with his wife Jan at a local hospital welcoming baby twin girls who arrived, a couple of five-pounders, just after tipoff. That which meant one-time members of the Raptors family tree saw their responsibilities increased. Tony Brown, once a Raptors assistant under Kevin O'Neill, was named the replacement head coach – which meant Toronto, who saw Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau step in for Doc Rivers on Sunday after Rivers left the team in the wake of his father's death – lost to a clipboard understudy for the second straight game.

And the other day O'Neill's picture was in the sports pages of USA Today. An assistant coach to Lute Olson at the University of Arizona, he has been promoted to interim head coach while Olson takes an indeterminate leave of absence.

In any event, Todd, who left the Raptors to return to Milwaukee, another former professional home, offered a few insights to the travelling scribes.

He said Yi Jianlian, the Chinese forward who was drafted sixth overall by the Bucks in the June draft, reminds him of Bargnani, and not only because Yi may or may not be holding back in his use of English. "They're almost twins. They’re a carbon copy of each other," said Todd. "They both came into the league young. They both shoot the three-ball. Andrea probably has maybe a little more range. They both can play inside. They’re both learning how to play defence. They both got in foul trouble as rookies." (Yi outplayed Bargnani, not to mention most of the Toronto frontline, on Tuesday night, X).

He predicted that Bargnani, several years down the line, could be an MVP candidate. "What can’t he do?"

He said the Raptors are unmatched in the league in their surplus of perimeter shooters. "Nobody in the league has the weapons they have. Nobody has that. They've put all good guys together … They could drop 25 threes on you without blinking an eye."

He joked that he only gets to address Milwaukee’s television audience once every few games (the Bucks assistants rotate the halftime-interview duties) because "they don't realize my talent yet."

Dave Feschuk

Thanks, but Oliver Miller doesn't play for us anymore

SUSAN WALSH PHOTO

Rome rolls out the welcome jersey for the Toronto Raptors as they arrive at the airport with Jacob, a member of their entourage, on Thursday, October 4th.

I've got a fever ... and the only cure is more basketball

Dave Feschuk is in Italy covering the Toronto Raptors at training camp.

ROME

Arriving in the Eternal City, you realize the ancients didn’t design the place for automobiles. The place is chaos. Taxis and buses dodge reckless Vespas and pedestrians. The drivers turn two-lane roads into five-laners. You sometimes wonder why you don’t see an accident scene at every corner, but you don’t. Still, the smart folks take the Metropolitana.

FRANCE DEBERNARDI/AP

If Anthony Parker is paying attention, he might want to save a pair of those and use the Metropolitana.

The Raptors, of course, are lucky enough to be equipped with the only thing short of a helicopter that can beat the traffic - a police escort. Roman cops on motorbikes are clearing a path through traffic to get the team from their luxury hotel in the historic centre to their various obligations at the outlying arena and the like. Consider it a gift from the mayor, Walter Veltroni, who is a dedicated fan on the hoopworld.

"I am almost sick for basketball," Veltroni said back in February, when he was in Las Vegas at the all-star weekend press conference that announced Toronto’s impending trip to Europe. "I really am into it, a lot more than soccer."

Veltroni is not only the mayor of one of the world’s great cities. Polls say he is also the frontrunner to win the leadership of the newly formed Democratic Party in national primaries on Oct. 14, which could put him in line to become his country’s prime minister. And imagine: The man is not exactly a soccer fan in a country where the beautiful game’s gigantism overshadows all else.

"I did like soccer, but since some years, for various reasons, as Italians, we are less passionate about soccer now," said Veltroni at the all-star game, speaking of the corruption scandals that have marred the sport. "Soccer is a wonderful sport but has to go back to its roots and find back its real soul."

As busy as the man is, running a campaign that could make him prime minister and all, he has said he won’t miss the Raptors’ pair of games here, Saturday against the Celtics and Sunday against local heroes Lottomatica.

"You will not see the mayor at the game," said Veltroni told the Boston Globe through a translator earlier this week. "You will see someone else. Don’t pay attention. I do things that I’m not supposed to do. Basketball is not really a sport. It’s more like a disease. It’s like a fever you cannot get rid of. The fun side of my life is a lot smaller than it used to be, but most of it is taken up by basketball."

Dave Feschuk

Notes from a scrimmage

Dave Feschuk is in Treviso covering the Toronto Raptors at training camp.

TREVISO, Italy

Nice scene at the Palaverde tonight, where the Raptors are doing their first public work of 2007-08, an intrasquad scrimmage on the 6,000-seat home floor of Benetton Treviso, the Italian-league powerhouse.

Three members of the Raptors travelling party were greeted particularly warmly by the crowd of a couple of thousand. Toronto’s Italians, Maurizio Gherardini, the Raptors assistant general manager who made his name as Benetton’s architect, and Andrea Bargnani, the second-year 7-footer from Rome, both received warm ovations.

But the biggest outpouring was reserved for a Spaniard, Jorge Garbajosa, who played here for four seasons from 2000-2004. Garbajosa got a standing ovation from a large portion of the crowd that must have lasted 30 seconds. Not bad for a preseason intrasquad scrimmage. Garbajosa knew the European thing to do. He applauded right back, his hands held high in appreciation. Both Gherardini, Garbajosa and Bargnani were also presented with crystal vases.

And so the scrimmage has begun. The white team consists of what will likely be the Raptors' starting lineup when the season begins Oct. 31. Bargnani is at centre, Chris Bosh at power forward, Jason Kapono at small forward, Anthony Parker at shooting guard and T.J. Ford at the point.

The second unit has Rasho Nesterovic at centre, Kris Humphries at power forward, Joey Graham at small forward, Carlos Delfino at shooting guard and Jose Calderon at the point.

Dave Feschuk

Jorge the conquistador

Dave Feschuk is in Treviso covering the Toronto Raptors at training camp.

TREVISO, Italy

When Spain held the European basketball championships last month, they advertised the tournament with large billboards bearing the image of some of the most famous members of the resident national team, the reigning world champions.

So there he was on the side of a building: Jorge Garbajosa dressed in a conquistador’s helmet and sword. And there was the caption, loosely translated: "The crown is at stake."

"That’s to give you the picture. He is the warrior. And that’s why people love him … That’s his nature. He’s not going to hold back," said Maurizio Gherardini, the Raptors assistant general manager. "Garbo is a very special person. If you remember, we were talking about him a year ago and I was telling you, this guy has no fear of anything. And he showed you after his injury, what I meant a year ago. It’s not a surprise. You just cannot hold the guy back."

Indeed, Garbajosa has been playing on a broken left leg since the Raptors gave him consent to play for Spain in the Euro tourney – this after the Spanish federation forked out the cash for an insurance policy with a premium of about $1 million (U.S.). The leg – specifically the fibula - is still broken, the result of his horrific season-ending fall in Boston in March, and doctors have told the Raptors that it is unlikely to heal without corrective surgery. But Garbajosa has exercised his right to refuse the procedure. And so he’s just another player on the training camp floor – albeit one whose lower legs are wrapped in medical compression socks and an alarming amount of tape.

"I am running like all of my teammates, I am jumping like them," said Garbajosa the other day. "So I don’t think I have to take the surgery."

The actuarials will tell you, it’s unlikely this will end well. And the Raptors, though they are secure in the knowledge that they’re economically protected should Garbajosa reinjure his leg, will have a difficult time replacing Garbajosa’s unique skill set should he fall. Still, it’s difficult not to marvel at Garbajosa’s seize-the-day zeal.

"He’s a man all the way," said Bryan Colangelo, the Raptors general manager. "As much as he may be limited physically, whether it’s because of injury or just because that’s just what he’s been gifted with athletically his entire life, he’s just the kind of player who makes a team better. Every team he’s played on, he’s been considered the glue guy. Mike D’Antoni (who coached Garbajosa here in Italy) told me countless times in Phoenix, he wasn’t my best player, but he was the reason we won championships. It’s obvious what he did for our team last year. It’s obvious we were missing that component down the stretch and in the playoffs. It’s great to have him back on the floor."

Dave Feschuk

Basketball (way) beyond borders

Doug Smith is in Treviso is in Treviso covering the Toronto Raptors at training camp.

TREVISO, Italy

A guy comes to find a few good basketball stories and a chance to see some rich history in this gorgeous land and discovers perhaps the greatest invention of the modern age.

In the restaurant that’s part of the La Ghirada complex of the Benetton sports empire is a table, a normal restaurant table for six or eight, you think. And there it is, right in the midde, for all to use:

A beer tap!

Fresh draught beer poured by patrons for patrons. No waiting for servers. Just reach over, pull the handle and, presto!

What a civilized country.

IT GETS BETTER

The Relais Monaco Hotel and Country Club is some swank place.

Not only does it have a great restaurant, what they tell you is a nice spa (spas aren’t something I do) and a cold but beautiful swimming pool but wine is never too far away.

That’s because the front lawn – acreage actually – is a vineyard. And the red wine produced by the grapes on site is pretty darn tasty.

TICKETS AND A BONUS

Wanna go see Benetton Treviso play in Italy’s Serie A?

Best season ticket in the house for a season that could run to 30 or more games (depending on the team’s success in various Cup competitions) goes for 1,400 Euros (about $2,000 Cdn) and the cheapest goes for 300 Euros.

Included, of course, is a chance to hang with the Raptors are tonight’s special scrimmage at the team’s 6,000-seat stadium.

Doug Smith

Calderon makes an excellent point

Dave Feschuk is in Treviso covering the Toronto Raptors at training camp.

TREVISO, Italy

There are those who don’t envision Jose Calderon lasting the season with the Toronto Raptors. The backup point guard, after all, has a contract that runs out at season’s end, around which time he will almost certainly have no shortage of suitors offering generous contracts and, above all, an opportunity to be an NBA starter.

And so it seems perhaps logical that the Raptors, who have T.J. Ford locked in as their No. 1 with a four-year contract that will pay him $8 million (all figures U.S.) to Calderon’s $2.5 million this season, might be best advised to trade Calderon before he becomes a restricted free agent in the summer. It’s a valid argument, if, indeed, Calderon has his heart set on being an NBA starter. In that case the Raptors, though they’ll have the opportunity to match the offer of the highest bidder and retain Calderon’s services, might be making a mistake in holding Calderon back from his goal. They’d risk employing a disgruntled (and highly paid) No. 2.

But Calderon, though he has spoken of his wish to make it difficult for Sam Mitchell, the Raptors coach, to choose the starting point guard, said he is open to the idea of re-signing in Toronto to remain Ford’s backup. The idea, he said, is "not ridiculous."

"I feel great with these teammates and the coaches and Bryan (Colangelo) and everybody. Why not?" he said. "I feel great. I think we can do really good things in this team. I’m really comfortable in this team right now. We’ll see what’s going to happen. You never know. It depends on a lot of things, but it’s not ridiculous right now."

Demand for Calderon’s services is considerable because competent point guards are hard to find. "There were trade offers for Jose all summer leading up to the draft," said Colangelo, the Raptors general manager. "He was the most coveted player on our roster."

Colangelo, for his part, sees merit in keeping two point guards on the roster.

"We have 48 minutes of a game that is above-average point-guard play. Very few teams can make that statement," he said. "Arguably (Calderon) could start for a number of teams. So is he a valuable free agent out there? Absolutely. The market will determine what his value is, or, if he really wants to be here, we can negotiate a deal and just get it done. But the beauty of restricted free agency is it’s a deal you’ll likely want to match. And we can."

Said Calderon, offering an expressive shrug along with his selfless philosophy: "Everybody wants to be a starter, but if you are important on a good team, I think that’s better. In the league you have really good players coming from the bench. They are big stars in the league. It’s not the most important thing. I think if you enjoy your role, you’re comfortable with your role, maybe you’re okay. Everybody wants to be ambitious. But for me, I don’t know what’s going to happen next. I don’t want to think too much. It’s just wasting time right now."

Dave Feschuk

Autographs ... Please!

Dave Feschuk is in Treviso covering the Toronto Raptors at training camp.

TREVISO, Italy

Though the Raptors still anticipate a certain amount of Bargnani-mania when they arrive in Rome for Saturday's pre-season opener against the Celtics, their reception here, in a city of 86,000 a five-hour train ride from the capital, has been decidedly low-key.

Andrea Bargnani, their Roman 7-footer, has been interviewed faithfully by the half dozen members of the Italian media covering the camp. But the buzz in the papers and on TV has been difficult to detect. In part, that speaks to basketball's place in the pecking order of Italian sport. The front page of today's edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport — which is but one of three national daily sports newspapers in this game-loving nation — was devoted to countryman Paolo Bettini, who won gold at the world championship of cycling, and to the soccer power Juventus, which won its Sunday match with rival Torino 1-0. Basketball aficionados were not surprised.

"In a 24-page newspaper, usually basketball is on page 21," said Bryan Colangelo, the Raptors general manager, scanning La Gazzetta dello Sport over the shoulder of a scribe.

Actually basketball was on page 11 of yesterday’s 46-page edition of the pink paper in the form of an ad for Saturday's Raptors-Celtics game that included a postage-stamp sized picture of Raptors forward … Morris Peterson. (No matter that Peterson made an off-season move to New Orleans). For actual basketball coverage one had to flip to page 41, where the top story detailed Milan's win over Naples in their Italian-league opener and the NBA's trip to Italy was relegated to a tiny box mid-page, with the Raptors mentioned in passing. But the team expects interest to surge toward week's end, when some 60 members of the European media are accredited for the Raptors' pair of games in Rome.

"Basketball is still very, very small in Italy," said Bargnani in a conference call with members of the media last week. "Compared to soccer, everything is very small so it is very difficult for basketball to be like soccer."

Still, in a country with 34 professional basketball teams – 16 in the top Serie A and 18 in the notch-below Serie B – there are plenty of plugged in students of the game. Yesterday Colangelo interrupted an interview to heed the request of a school-aged Italian who had approached the GM shyly for an autograph.

From Dave Feschuk

Gotta be good to be lucky

This is how good lucky Bryan Colangelo is: He's not even in the NBA draft lottery and he still wins.

ELISE AMENDOLA/AP

Celtics coach Doc Rivers, left, and general manager Danny Ainge speak with the press after the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday, May 22, 2007. Boston had the second worst record in the 2006-07 season, but fell three spots to the fifth pick after the lottery.

You can bet the Raptors president and general manager and his merry band of basketball advisors were gloating last night when Portland and Seattle bumped Boston out of the top two spots in the NBA draft lottery, leaving the Western Conference to deal with Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, the two saviours of the draft this year.

The Celtics, an Atlantic Division rival of the Raptors, won't get either of those studs to add to Paul Pierce and Al Jefferson. The C's should get a good player at No. 5 but not the best.

And you don't think they think they're cursed in Boston? They went in the tank in 1997 trying to get Tim Duncan, lost the lottery and ended up picking Chauncey Billups; they went in the tank in 2007 and got shafted again.

The only Eastern team to really do anything big was Atlanta, which hung on to No. 3 (if they had slipped to four or lower, the pick would have gone to Phoenix) and added No. 11 from Indiana. Of course, they're the Hawks so they'll probably ignore all the point guards out there and pick from small forwards and shooting guards.

All in all, a pretty good day for the Raptors.

Related:
Trail Blazers win draft lottery

Doug Smith

Basketblog: Vote notes

Okay, I'm not going to go off on my brethren and sisteren who vote on NBA awards but, really. No Jason Kidd on the all-star team? I can almost rationalize leaving Shaquille O'Neal off for Dwight Howard, which is what happened, but how in the world can Kidd not be a third-team all-star at least?

It'd be tough to figure out who to leave off but I can make the argument that Kidd is more of an all-star this season than Gilbert Arenas or Chauncey Billups. I'd listen to arguments the other way, and there'd probably be a lot of them, but they wouldn't sway me.

Other all-NBA team oddities: Eddy Curry got two votes? Are his mom and dad writers or broadcasters? Tyson Chandler? Paul Pierce, who played, what, eight games? Really.

About last night:

Bored of one-game nights? Me, too. Especially when the games are dogs … What’s better? ESPN, which we saw last night? Or TNT, which we get nearly every other night? I’m a big Mike Breen fan, and Mark Jackson is coming around; their work last night was good. But, please, that halftime show? Ugh. There is not a better basketball pre- or post-game show in the world better than Chuck and Ernie and Kenny and whoever … Does Ben Gordon fouls almost as much as Rafael Araujo? … Okay, the more I watch this game, the more it comes to me: Ben Gordon is a Mike James in training. Next assist might be his first … How good are the Pistons going right now? Astonishing … And the big question now is: How bad was Miami to be swept by that bunch?

On the menu

Okay, now I'm torn. Love the Warriors, watching Baron Davis walking around like an 800-year-old man just before he sprints and makes a huge three-pointer is great. But after what Derek Fisher did the other night? How can you not cheer for the guy? Any parent can only imagine the stress Fisher felt, the hopeless feeling but for him to get back from New York after his infant daughter's surgery and do what he did? Amazing. … Best part about watching games in Oakland: Those crazy yellow We Believe shirts. Bet they knew before the playoffs that no team they could meet would wear yellow road jerseys. … Warriors also have the best retro uniforms in sports, the ones with The City and the cable cars. Outstanding. We need a W's win, too, to add some juice to what should be the best series of the four.

Related:
Hoops takes back seat to daughter's health for Fisher (ESPN.com)
A collosal cave-in you had to see to believe (Chicago Tribune)

Doug Smith