There was an announcer that used the line "If You Didn't Like That You Don't Like NBA Basketball". Well if that line every applied more to anything it is the Bulls vs Celtics series. I admit that I could care less about the Celtics or the Bulls. That being said the games and the battles they are having have been unreal. Another instant classic last night as the two battled in a triple overtime thriller. It was just as exciting as the 6 OT game between Syracuse and UConn and the way it was going it looked like it could go 6 OT's. Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose have been both very special in this series.
If that was not enough for you. The Magic with no Howard who was suspended and Courtney Lee who was injured(By Howard) took on the Sixers and won in a blowout. At this time I would like to say sorry to Marcin Gortat. I joked around yesterday and said that he could not get it done. I doubted the new Polish Power for the Y2K. He had I think was 11 and 10 and that is about half of an average Dwight night in the playoffs. So the Magic move on and will get the team that survives Game 7 between that Bulls and Celtics. The Magic have not performed at a high level in round 1. Could the fact that the Bulls and Celtics are taking everything the other has to offer end up benefiting the Magic? Just a thought.
Ray Allen is getting it done when it matters the most for Celtics and is a big part of why this series has been as much a classic as it is becoming. Also it makes me laugh that there was talk earlier in the year if Vinny Del Negro was going to last as coach of the Bulls. I think win or lose in Game 7 it is safe to say that Vinny will have a job next year. That being said I am stunned the Michael Curry is going to remain as coach of the Pistons who went out in flames to the Cavs that will wait to get the winner of Hawks and Heat series. It is crazy to think that Curry keeps his job after the season the Pistons have had. I am much more willing to give Jay Triano a chance than I would be Michael Curry. It is not that I have been a supporter of the Triano return. I have not been. But Curry clearly was part of the problem in Detroit. However Joe Dumars was the guy that but him in that situation by trading Billups for Iverson. While Billups plays on with the Nuggets as they destroyed the Hornets. Allen Iverson was MIA for the playoffs. That was not Curry that was on Dumars. Still Curry just never looked like he had control or the respect of his team and that seemed clear to me. Triano for what it is worth had the respect of the Raptors and the endorsement of the star play. I think if you took a straw poll in the Pistons Locker Room I am pretty sure Curry is voted off the island so to speak.
Despite all of this excitement that has been going on the end of the story remains the same for me. It seems clear that we are heading towards a Kobe vs Lebron Final. That as far as hype will be an epic battle. That being said the Bulls and Celtics have put on a show that will be hard to top. Can Game 7 be as exciting as the first 6? Last year the Hawks pushed the Celtics to 7. The Game 7 ended up being a real stinker with the dirty birds getting destroyed. I do not think the Bulls will meet that same fate as the Hawks. They may not win but they will show up.
Fans of basketball have been rewarded with a lot of excitement in this year's NBA Playoffs. There has been a really nasty edge to some of it as well. I have liked that. NBA needs to let them play. The talk of guys getting suspended and being not in games like Howard last night and the whole mess with the Suns and Spurs a few years ago in my opinion takes away from things. The NHL finds ways to bend he rules to fit what makes sense. Why not do the same in the NBA. Unless it is something that is truly awful I say let them play. Rajon Rondo does not play in game 7 based on tossing Hinrich into a score table it will be fans that lose. Not just Celtic fans but all fans. Back in the 80's go watch some classic games and you will see lots worse things happen to players and I don't recall anyone being suspended. We become to hyper sensitive in the sports world today. If I sound like Charles Oakley so be it. The stars of basketball in the 80 and 90's must chuckle at what gets considered a big deal now a days. That reminds me Pros vs Joes is starting again soon what NBA oldschoolers will be on the show. Ex-Raptors Kevin Willis and Charles Oakley have been on the show. There are a few other I likely have forgotten. There is no better way to kill an hour than watch an episode of Pros vs Joes.
4/30/09
Dirty Birds Still In Flight
If you have read this blog for a longtime you know that the Dino Blogger is not a fan of the Atlanta Hawks. I have referred to they as the dirty birds. Well last night they gave an example of why I do not like this basketball team. Josh Smith in what had been a rough and heated(No Pun Intended) decided to try to practice for the dunk contest in the playoffs. He tried to do the dunk that Vince Carter did putting it through his legs. He missed the dunk and it only will add more fuel to the fire of what is becoming a nasty series. Every time you looked away someone was going down. Al Horford was taken out and you will hear no sympathy from me for him. I think he is reason the Raptors have gone totally off course. He was the guy that sent T.J Ford crashing to the ground and the Raptors have never been the same since. But back to the series, Dwyane Wade took a hard fall and from that point this game changed and the Heat got taken out of their game.
You had Toronto's own Jamal Maglorie trying to be tough guy and causing a lot of pushing and shoving. To be honest for those of you that are hockey fans out there, Heat and Hawks is the series for you. Lots of that non-sense that you see in hockey with push and shoving and general nasty stuff. If the Heat want to win this series they need to focus on playing basketball and forget about the nonsense. The Hawks are a team that lacks discipline and leadership. However if all this nonsense leads to the Hawks winning a series will anyone care how they did it? One last thing on the Hawks. If you have ever watched a regular season game from the ATL you have to be like me and shocked at where all these people came from. They must have had to have someone go through the area to dust off all those seats that are now filled for the playoffs.
Meanwhile the Hornets fell hard again. There have been a lot of bad loses to reflect back on in this Raptors season. One of them was against the Denver Nuggets. It cost Sam Mitchell his job. Did a over 50 point lose in the playoffs do the same for Bryon Scott? I don't think so. But it is clear that the Hornets have some major re-tooling to do. Denver beat them again in what was not as bad a blowout. But after being tied at the half the Nuggets rolled in the second half. Add another player to the list of people not named T-Mac that have advanced to the 2nd round. Carmelo Anthony was 0-5 in round 1. But he now can say he to is one up on T-Mac. That is unless you count the fact the Rockets may advance without T-Mac. But I don't think that counts does it. Besides if the Rockets lose in game 6 in Houston they may not advance anyway. Game 7 at the Rose Garden I am all over the Blazers. That is a big reason why I picked the Blazers in 7. That being said I picked the Hornets in 7 for an upset. Well not so much on that one.
Which D-12 elbow will hurt the Magic more. There was the one that landed on Sam Dalembert that got him suspended for Game 6 in Philly. There was the other one the injured Courtney Lee who was having a good series for the Magic. I think if the Sixers can not win this series they really have no one to blame. The Magic have given them chance after to chance to win this series. The biggest of those is this game 6 to extend the series to 7 games. Gortat as much as he may have a growing fan base. Not since Ivan" Polish Power" Putski was in the WWF has there been a more famous Polish person. Wait a second, there was Pope John Paul II, ok so make that most famous Polish person in sports. But there is no one in Poland and perhaps on the planet earth like Dwight Howard. After all he is Superman. If Stan Van Gundy can some how get the Magic a win we should demand they re-open the coach of the year voting. No Howard and No Lee is odds that seem very long for the Magic indeed. Blue and White Ignite cause Game 7 is coming soon to Orlando.
As far as the Raptors go not much to talk about for now. Bryan Colangelo is over in Europe on a scouting mission. The MLSE Board will met sometime in early May he will likely recommend that Jay Triano is kept on as head coach and they will ponder and agree with Bryan. So you can expect an announcement probably prior to the NBA Lottery happens. Colangelo has a lot of work to do this off-season. You talk to the casual fan and they have concluded that the Raptors Suck. It is hard to give people a logical explanation to say that they do not. Bosh or no Bosh and all the rest of it. Perhaps the most interesting thing will be the draft as Colangelo has made it known that he will be shopping for another pick in round one. Raptors also may be bringing in an old draft pick next year in Giorgos Printezis. He was traded for by Colangelo in the second round a couple years ago. It was a trade with the Spurs as I recall. He was on the Greek Roster for last season in the Olympic Qualifier and the Olympics. He did not see much time and is still just 23 years old. So he is not going to fix the Raptors. However he could be a small part in adding to the toughness that Bryan Colangelo made clear needs to be added.
You had Toronto's own Jamal Maglorie trying to be tough guy and causing a lot of pushing and shoving. To be honest for those of you that are hockey fans out there, Heat and Hawks is the series for you. Lots of that non-sense that you see in hockey with push and shoving and general nasty stuff. If the Heat want to win this series they need to focus on playing basketball and forget about the nonsense. The Hawks are a team that lacks discipline and leadership. However if all this nonsense leads to the Hawks winning a series will anyone care how they did it? One last thing on the Hawks. If you have ever watched a regular season game from the ATL you have to be like me and shocked at where all these people came from. They must have had to have someone go through the area to dust off all those seats that are now filled for the playoffs.
Meanwhile the Hornets fell hard again. There have been a lot of bad loses to reflect back on in this Raptors season. One of them was against the Denver Nuggets. It cost Sam Mitchell his job. Did a over 50 point lose in the playoffs do the same for Bryon Scott? I don't think so. But it is clear that the Hornets have some major re-tooling to do. Denver beat them again in what was not as bad a blowout. But after being tied at the half the Nuggets rolled in the second half. Add another player to the list of people not named T-Mac that have advanced to the 2nd round. Carmelo Anthony was 0-5 in round 1. But he now can say he to is one up on T-Mac. That is unless you count the fact the Rockets may advance without T-Mac. But I don't think that counts does it. Besides if the Rockets lose in game 6 in Houston they may not advance anyway. Game 7 at the Rose Garden I am all over the Blazers. That is a big reason why I picked the Blazers in 7. That being said I picked the Hornets in 7 for an upset. Well not so much on that one.
Which D-12 elbow will hurt the Magic more. There was the one that landed on Sam Dalembert that got him suspended for Game 6 in Philly. There was the other one the injured Courtney Lee who was having a good series for the Magic. I think if the Sixers can not win this series they really have no one to blame. The Magic have given them chance after to chance to win this series. The biggest of those is this game 6 to extend the series to 7 games. Gortat as much as he may have a growing fan base. Not since Ivan" Polish Power" Putski was in the WWF has there been a more famous Polish person. Wait a second, there was Pope John Paul II, ok so make that most famous Polish person in sports. But there is no one in Poland and perhaps on the planet earth like Dwight Howard. After all he is Superman. If Stan Van Gundy can some how get the Magic a win we should demand they re-open the coach of the year voting. No Howard and No Lee is odds that seem very long for the Magic indeed. Blue and White Ignite cause Game 7 is coming soon to Orlando.
As far as the Raptors go not much to talk about for now. Bryan Colangelo is over in Europe on a scouting mission. The MLSE Board will met sometime in early May he will likely recommend that Jay Triano is kept on as head coach and they will ponder and agree with Bryan. So you can expect an announcement probably prior to the NBA Lottery happens. Colangelo has a lot of work to do this off-season. You talk to the casual fan and they have concluded that the Raptors Suck. It is hard to give people a logical explanation to say that they do not. Bosh or no Bosh and all the rest of it. Perhaps the most interesting thing will be the draft as Colangelo has made it known that he will be shopping for another pick in round one. Raptors also may be bringing in an old draft pick next year in Giorgos Printezis. He was traded for by Colangelo in the second round a couple years ago. It was a trade with the Spurs as I recall. He was on the Greek Roster for last season in the Olympic Qualifier and the Olympics. He did not see much time and is still just 23 years old. So he is not going to fix the Raptors. However he could be a small part in adding to the toughness that Bryan Colangelo made clear needs to be added.
4/29/09
Avoiding International Incidents
Jose Calderon has surgery done on his dislocated finger and is said to be out of commission for 6 to 8 weeks. Hopefully the timing of this was not to be ready to play for Spain this summer. Jose needs to take a pass on playing for his national team this season. I am rapidly becoming someone in the camp of Mark Cuban on this whole issue of international basketball. Cuban has long been against the idea of players under contract in the NBA playing in international ball. I am beginning to totally agree. However to be realistic about it, there is no way the NBA is going to pull a 180 and back away from FIBA and not allow it's players to play. David Stern sees the idea of Olympics and to a lesser extent World Championships as a way to market the game globally.You can debate how much good that actual does or does not do for the league. However I am just going to suggest a compromise of sorts. Steve Nash would love this one as it comes from a sport he enjoys...Soccer. In Soccer for the Olympics they have an age limit on who can go to play at the games. I think the age is 25 if I am not mistaken. If you are over 25 you can not play simple as that. Nash as he got older decided to say no thanks to Canada. I was one of few that did not agree with that choice by him. However with this rule there would be nothing to debate on that issue. It would be cut and dry and at least if someone were to be injured playing internationally at least they would be younger and in most cases more likely to heal quicker and hopefully have no long term impact on them. I have said in this blog that it is unfair in a lot of ways to make players decide between country and team. I hear the argument that you are being paid by your club team and that is who you should be loyal too. I tend to agree with that.
However if you were to use hockey as an example and the Washington Capitals or Pittsburgh Penguins wanted to Ovechkin or Crosby not to play in the Olympics it would cause huge debate in this country. In the case of Crosby I could see Pittsburgh jersey's being burned in the streets. Also with the hockey example there is far less time where the players practice as a national team. In Basketball it is an event that goes on yearly basis each summer. When players play for their national teams the club teams get very little say if any in how practices and training is done. They also may want players to focus on certain aspects of the game that may not be the same as a national team would want from them. In hockey basically it is a group that gets thrown together for an event like the world championships that are going on currently. There are not long training camps leading up to that. In fact in some cases if players are eliminated from the NHL Playoffs they are quickly added to the line-up and just join the exsisting team.
If David Stern can determine how old you must be to enter the NBA draft. Why is it not reasonable to have him cap the age in which a player can play for his country while he is under contract to the NBA. It is the best compromise for all. Players would not feel the pressure to decide between country and team. For those who play in Europe and International players it is very hard to say no when the national team calls. Not unlike it is for players in Hockey in this country. If a player of any great skill or talent said he was going to take a pass on the upcoming Olympics in 2010 in Vancouver in hockey in this country he would be public enemy number 1 if he happened to be Canadian. So take the choice out of their hands and cap the age they can play till. It may not make everyone happy but it is the best was to solve the problem.
Speaking of injuries former Raptor Jamario Moon is done for the rest of the playoffs. He has a sports hernia and is set to have surgery which will bring an end to his season. Moon will be a free agent in the summer and will be looking to sign a deal somewhere. He has had a nice run with the Heat and developed some chemistry with D-Wade so Miami may want to have him back. We will see come the off-season.
As for the Heat they are locked in a battle with the Hawks tied at 2. However the series of the playoffs has been the Bull and Celtics. It has been high drama and last night was no different. The teams could not decide things in 48 minutes once again and went to overtime. Celtics ended up in the winners circle and even if they some how get out of this series it seems highly doubtful the will be able to defend their NBA Title. The Spurs joined the Pistons in sitting on the sidelines for the playoffs losing to Dallas is round one in 5 games. The Pistons were swept aside in the East in 4 games to the Cavs. You wonder if in both cases we are seeing the end of eras. The Pistons only managed 1 lone title in the run they had and Spurs have won 3 or 4. They also may not be done as they still have the same 3 core players and could perhaps re-tool and with some luck and health have one last run at it. But the bottom line and feeling you get from the playoffs is that this is Kobe and Lebron's party and everyone else are just guests that will eventually leave.
Both Bryant and James have been for this epic battle it seems all year. They were the 2 front runners in the MVP Debate which should be announced soon and I am thinking with go to Lebron. However most feel that will only serve as motivation for Kobe to win a title. Like he needed anymore after losing last year to the Celtics and looking pretty bad by the end of that series. It is going to be fun to watch and unless Denver, Orlando or someone else have a Magic trick in them it is going to happen.
So hope you are enjoying the playoffs and getting a chance to enjoy some great basketball even if it does not involve the Raptors.
However if you were to use hockey as an example and the Washington Capitals or Pittsburgh Penguins wanted to Ovechkin or Crosby not to play in the Olympics it would cause huge debate in this country. In the case of Crosby I could see Pittsburgh jersey's being burned in the streets. Also with the hockey example there is far less time where the players practice as a national team. In Basketball it is an event that goes on yearly basis each summer. When players play for their national teams the club teams get very little say if any in how practices and training is done. They also may want players to focus on certain aspects of the game that may not be the same as a national team would want from them. In hockey basically it is a group that gets thrown together for an event like the world championships that are going on currently. There are not long training camps leading up to that. In fact in some cases if players are eliminated from the NHL Playoffs they are quickly added to the line-up and just join the exsisting team.
If David Stern can determine how old you must be to enter the NBA draft. Why is it not reasonable to have him cap the age in which a player can play for his country while he is under contract to the NBA. It is the best compromise for all. Players would not feel the pressure to decide between country and team. For those who play in Europe and International players it is very hard to say no when the national team calls. Not unlike it is for players in Hockey in this country. If a player of any great skill or talent said he was going to take a pass on the upcoming Olympics in 2010 in Vancouver in hockey in this country he would be public enemy number 1 if he happened to be Canadian. So take the choice out of their hands and cap the age they can play till. It may not make everyone happy but it is the best was to solve the problem.
Speaking of injuries former Raptor Jamario Moon is done for the rest of the playoffs. He has a sports hernia and is set to have surgery which will bring an end to his season. Moon will be a free agent in the summer and will be looking to sign a deal somewhere. He has had a nice run with the Heat and developed some chemistry with D-Wade so Miami may want to have him back. We will see come the off-season.
As for the Heat they are locked in a battle with the Hawks tied at 2. However the series of the playoffs has been the Bull and Celtics. It has been high drama and last night was no different. The teams could not decide things in 48 minutes once again and went to overtime. Celtics ended up in the winners circle and even if they some how get out of this series it seems highly doubtful the will be able to defend their NBA Title. The Spurs joined the Pistons in sitting on the sidelines for the playoffs losing to Dallas is round one in 5 games. The Pistons were swept aside in the East in 4 games to the Cavs. You wonder if in both cases we are seeing the end of eras. The Pistons only managed 1 lone title in the run they had and Spurs have won 3 or 4. They also may not be done as they still have the same 3 core players and could perhaps re-tool and with some luck and health have one last run at it. But the bottom line and feeling you get from the playoffs is that this is Kobe and Lebron's party and everyone else are just guests that will eventually leave.
Both Bryant and James have been for this epic battle it seems all year. They were the 2 front runners in the MVP Debate which should be announced soon and I am thinking with go to Lebron. However most feel that will only serve as motivation for Kobe to win a title. Like he needed anymore after losing last year to the Celtics and looking pretty bad by the end of that series. It is going to be fun to watch and unless Denver, Orlando or someone else have a Magic trick in them it is going to happen.
So hope you are enjoying the playoffs and getting a chance to enjoy some great basketball even if it does not involve the Raptors.
4/28/09
15 Years Ago Was A Lot Different
Well I had planned to bring back the Round Ball Review today. It had been awhile but I thought it be fun to bring back J.B Superstar and Joey G. Unfortunately the site is down so the return of the Round Ball Review will have to wait for another day. I enjoy doing those cause they add (Hopefully) some humour to the mix. We all love basketball and are passionate about it. That being said at the end of the day it is just sports. No one lives or dies and if we can not have a laugh about things every now and than you might be taking things to seriously. The point is that was my plan for today and it unfortunately is not able to happen.
So what should I do instead? Here is one thing that comes to mind. This next season no matter how the off-season works out will mark the 15th season for the Raptors in the NBA. It really does not seem that long and it is just another reminder that I am getting old. However it really has been great to have NBA basketball in Canada. Prior to the Raptors coming I had never been to an NBA Game. It was something I always wanted to do but it makes for a long trip to go see a game as the closest team to me would have been the Pistons which is a 6 hour drive. I did make that trip to Detroit to see my Cowboys play back in 1992 which turned out to be a pretty good year for the Cowboys. So just the fact that I can go just less than an hour down the highway to catch an NBA game is something to be thankful for. I think we forget what it was like prior to the Raptors arrival to Toronto. I would imagine some of the younger readers are not even old enough to remember what that was like. I do complain about the lack of coverage the sport of basketball gets in this blog. However as much as I might complain in comparison to things prior to the Raptors it is not even a comparison. That reminds me does anyone else remember that Doc Rivers did T.V up here in Canada prior to the Raptors first season on CTV. I think that is why even though he coaches the hated Celtics that I still had a smile for Doc Rivers last year when the Celtics won. He did a great job on the T.V side of things up here back in those days.
If not for the Raptors coming who knows where the sport would be on the scale of things in this country. I actually may watch hockey if they had not. I mean could you imagine watching hockey in Canada. That would just be so awful. I seriously may be one of the few people in this country that have not watched one sec of the NHL Playoffs. I use to watch Hockey but I find that the coverage or over coverage of the sport has driven me away from it. There is more to life than Hockey. I know this will be a shock to some in this country. But look around and you will see that it is true. People are expressing love of lots of things. I mean would anyone have predicted the success of Toronto F.C? Not me and to be honest I still don't get the whole soccer craze and never will. But thanks to the world we live in people are not just tied to what the Sports Networks deem we want to hear. The rise of the UFC is another example of the public showing interest in a sport long before the main stream media did. I am not a UFC junkie at all as well. I will watch GSP and that is about it. However just the fact I know who that is proves that UFC is on the map in the main stream of sports. The days of some group of folks in a meeting room deciding what is important to you as a sports fan is slowly changing. Thanks to blogs like this one and the Internet in general you can find a ton of info and opinion on whatever you are passionate about. The world is changing and the media is having to change with it. That can be proven in the fact that everyone and their brother and cousin have got on to Twitter. I am there as well with the Dino Nation Blog. The days of people reading newspapers is slowly changing as well. That is why you see the evolution of what I like to call the professional blogs. These are done by folks in the already established media. I enjoy reading those as much as I do others in my shoes.
I guess the point to all of this is the world is changing at a fast rate. The fact that almost 15 years ago the NBA returned to Canada was a great moment for people that love basketball in this country. Would we still get the same amount of NBA coverage if not for that? It is hard to say in the world we live. I guess that was what is most frustrating about the entire TSN 2 issue. The NBA is not the UFC or some fringe sport. Yet scrambling around this year trying to be able to find games on some Internet feed just made me feel like the NBA had taken a giant step backwards. That being said it has taken some major steps forward since 1994/95. I may not agree with a lot of what I read and listen to on sports talk radio. However no matter if I do or do not, it makes me smile to hear people that are passionate about the Raptors and basketball. That is something to celebrate for sure. In this off-season we will see if the Raptors add to those reasons to celebrate this season. That gives me an idea of something to do over the summer and maybe take a few days to reflect back on the journey that has taken us to this point. Point is as upset as you may get with the Raptors ask people in Vancouver if they would not like to be complaining about the Grizzlies. Those who are basketball fans would say YES. So as bad or as good as it may be or get. The fact there is a team to get angry about is something in and of itself. People in Seattle would tell you that as well. So when your head is about to explode out of frustration from the Raptors for whatever reason, you might just want to remember that to calm you down.
It was not as funny as J.B and Joey G but hopefully it was something worth reading.
So what should I do instead? Here is one thing that comes to mind. This next season no matter how the off-season works out will mark the 15th season for the Raptors in the NBA. It really does not seem that long and it is just another reminder that I am getting old. However it really has been great to have NBA basketball in Canada. Prior to the Raptors coming I had never been to an NBA Game. It was something I always wanted to do but it makes for a long trip to go see a game as the closest team to me would have been the Pistons which is a 6 hour drive. I did make that trip to Detroit to see my Cowboys play back in 1992 which turned out to be a pretty good year for the Cowboys. So just the fact that I can go just less than an hour down the highway to catch an NBA game is something to be thankful for. I think we forget what it was like prior to the Raptors arrival to Toronto. I would imagine some of the younger readers are not even old enough to remember what that was like. I do complain about the lack of coverage the sport of basketball gets in this blog. However as much as I might complain in comparison to things prior to the Raptors it is not even a comparison. That reminds me does anyone else remember that Doc Rivers did T.V up here in Canada prior to the Raptors first season on CTV. I think that is why even though he coaches the hated Celtics that I still had a smile for Doc Rivers last year when the Celtics won. He did a great job on the T.V side of things up here back in those days.
If not for the Raptors coming who knows where the sport would be on the scale of things in this country. I actually may watch hockey if they had not. I mean could you imagine watching hockey in Canada. That would just be so awful. I seriously may be one of the few people in this country that have not watched one sec of the NHL Playoffs. I use to watch Hockey but I find that the coverage or over coverage of the sport has driven me away from it. There is more to life than Hockey. I know this will be a shock to some in this country. But look around and you will see that it is true. People are expressing love of lots of things. I mean would anyone have predicted the success of Toronto F.C? Not me and to be honest I still don't get the whole soccer craze and never will. But thanks to the world we live in people are not just tied to what the Sports Networks deem we want to hear. The rise of the UFC is another example of the public showing interest in a sport long before the main stream media did. I am not a UFC junkie at all as well. I will watch GSP and that is about it. However just the fact I know who that is proves that UFC is on the map in the main stream of sports. The days of some group of folks in a meeting room deciding what is important to you as a sports fan is slowly changing. Thanks to blogs like this one and the Internet in general you can find a ton of info and opinion on whatever you are passionate about. The world is changing and the media is having to change with it. That can be proven in the fact that everyone and their brother and cousin have got on to Twitter. I am there as well with the Dino Nation Blog. The days of people reading newspapers is slowly changing as well. That is why you see the evolution of what I like to call the professional blogs. These are done by folks in the already established media. I enjoy reading those as much as I do others in my shoes.
I guess the point to all of this is the world is changing at a fast rate. The fact that almost 15 years ago the NBA returned to Canada was a great moment for people that love basketball in this country. Would we still get the same amount of NBA coverage if not for that? It is hard to say in the world we live. I guess that was what is most frustrating about the entire TSN 2 issue. The NBA is not the UFC or some fringe sport. Yet scrambling around this year trying to be able to find games on some Internet feed just made me feel like the NBA had taken a giant step backwards. That being said it has taken some major steps forward since 1994/95. I may not agree with a lot of what I read and listen to on sports talk radio. However no matter if I do or do not, it makes me smile to hear people that are passionate about the Raptors and basketball. That is something to celebrate for sure. In this off-season we will see if the Raptors add to those reasons to celebrate this season. That gives me an idea of something to do over the summer and maybe take a few days to reflect back on the journey that has taken us to this point. Point is as upset as you may get with the Raptors ask people in Vancouver if they would not like to be complaining about the Grizzlies. Those who are basketball fans would say YES. So as bad or as good as it may be or get. The fact there is a team to get angry about is something in and of itself. People in Seattle would tell you that as well. So when your head is about to explode out of frustration from the Raptors for whatever reason, you might just want to remember that to calm you down.
It was not as funny as J.B and Joey G but hopefully it was something worth reading.
4/27/09
Playoff Excitement and Spend Raptors Spend.
Well what an exciting Sunday in the NBA. You had Lebron James go off and lead the Cavs to a sweep of the Pistons. You have to think Michael Curry may have coached his last game for the Pistons. It also may be the start of a major changes in Detroit. Rasheed Wallace is a free agent and Allen Iverson will come off the books. The Cavs meanwhile march along to the next round and wait for the winner of the Heat and Hawks. You had a double overtime thrilling win for the Chicago Bulls over the Boston Celtics. This series has been the best of the first round by a wide margin. The Celtics are beyond banged up at this point and even if they some how get past the Bulls they may have nothing left for round 2. That being said the Orlando Magic have struggled along battling the Sixers. They blew an 18 point lead in game 1 of that series. Yesterday they had a 9 point lead heading into the 4th. It would take a clutch 3 point shot from Hedo Turkoglu to save the Magic and tie the series heading back to Orlando. It is all very exciting stuff. None of which involves the Raptors. But as a fan of basketball in general you got to love it.
In Raptorland things are pretty quiet as we wait for the first shoe of the off-season to drop. That should be the announcement the Jay Triano will remain as the head coach of the team. That will be followed most likely by announcing that Mike Evans and Alex English have been let go. Followed by the hiring of Marc Ivaroni and another person to the staff. Least that is what is said to be the plan. Bryan Colangelo met with Triano last week and he did say he wanted the coaching issue settled sooner than later. The longer the wait till Triano gets announced as the head coach may cause people to speculate but it would be a shock if he is not the guy given what Colangelo has said.
Some Options out there for the Raptors in guys like Rasheed Wallace, Hedo Turkoglu, Ron Artest are all guys that could replace a Marion on the roster. It is unclear if any would be of interest to the Raptors. However I have been thinking about things and think this is a time for the Raptors to take advantage of who owns them. That would be the folks of MLSE.
It has been reported that up to 17 teams in the NBA are in serious trouble in terms of economics. So I think that is a chance to use the resources that MLSE have and take advantage of the fact they are secure money wise. Colangelo also pointed out that only about 4 or 5 teams will have money to spend this off-season. Charlotte and Detroit are two that come to mind. But here is my idea. Granted I see this as doubtful in happening but none the less it makes sense.
We all heard how close to the tax threshold the Raptors were last year. It was seen as this great concern and there was not anyway the Raptors would go over the tax number. Well the Cap and that Tax number are going to be coming down. Teams are going to be in a crunch trying to scramble to fit under that number whatever it becomes. Here is my idea. The Raptors should say screw the number and just spend what is needed to build a roster that can win. It seems crazy to suggest given the way MLSE tends to work. But if they honestly looked at this as a chance to spend money to make money it could make sense. I mean they spent money to build all those condos right? So why not invest in you team making the playoffs and in turn keeping your best player happy and with the franchise. If you erase the thought that the Raptors will refuse to go into the tax threshold it opens up possibilities.
You have an off-season in which few teams have money and even fewer are likely wanting to spend it. I am not suggesting that the Raptors go nuts and over pay for players. Just saying that they should get in the mix and offer the most competitive and attractive deals to the players they desire. If this team makes a long playoff run next year through this spending it will pay for itself. Is there risk in what I am saying? Sure there is but it is risk worth taking. There may never be a time in NBA where you have a situation where the Raptors would or could have a major advantage in the free agent market.
So my message on a Monday is SPEND SPEND SPEND. I may sound like that guy that wants to buy your gold at this point. Russell Oliver I am not. But if you think about it can you imagine another set of circumstances like this that will come along. You have teams sitting waiting for 2010. You have 17 of those teams looking to cut costs not increase them if they are losing money that only makes sense. If Colangelo can operate without the handcuffs of hitting a number that is set by the league in the tax threshold, what could he do?
Sadly knowing the way the folks at MLSE tend to operate I don't think we will get to find out. But they really are missing out on a chance that may never come along again.
In Raptorland things are pretty quiet as we wait for the first shoe of the off-season to drop. That should be the announcement the Jay Triano will remain as the head coach of the team. That will be followed most likely by announcing that Mike Evans and Alex English have been let go. Followed by the hiring of Marc Ivaroni and another person to the staff. Least that is what is said to be the plan. Bryan Colangelo met with Triano last week and he did say he wanted the coaching issue settled sooner than later. The longer the wait till Triano gets announced as the head coach may cause people to speculate but it would be a shock if he is not the guy given what Colangelo has said.
Some Options out there for the Raptors in guys like Rasheed Wallace, Hedo Turkoglu, Ron Artest are all guys that could replace a Marion on the roster. It is unclear if any would be of interest to the Raptors. However I have been thinking about things and think this is a time for the Raptors to take advantage of who owns them. That would be the folks of MLSE.
It has been reported that up to 17 teams in the NBA are in serious trouble in terms of economics. So I think that is a chance to use the resources that MLSE have and take advantage of the fact they are secure money wise. Colangelo also pointed out that only about 4 or 5 teams will have money to spend this off-season. Charlotte and Detroit are two that come to mind. But here is my idea. Granted I see this as doubtful in happening but none the less it makes sense.
We all heard how close to the tax threshold the Raptors were last year. It was seen as this great concern and there was not anyway the Raptors would go over the tax number. Well the Cap and that Tax number are going to be coming down. Teams are going to be in a crunch trying to scramble to fit under that number whatever it becomes. Here is my idea. The Raptors should say screw the number and just spend what is needed to build a roster that can win. It seems crazy to suggest given the way MLSE tends to work. But if they honestly looked at this as a chance to spend money to make money it could make sense. I mean they spent money to build all those condos right? So why not invest in you team making the playoffs and in turn keeping your best player happy and with the franchise. If you erase the thought that the Raptors will refuse to go into the tax threshold it opens up possibilities.
You have an off-season in which few teams have money and even fewer are likely wanting to spend it. I am not suggesting that the Raptors go nuts and over pay for players. Just saying that they should get in the mix and offer the most competitive and attractive deals to the players they desire. If this team makes a long playoff run next year through this spending it will pay for itself. Is there risk in what I am saying? Sure there is but it is risk worth taking. There may never be a time in NBA where you have a situation where the Raptors would or could have a major advantage in the free agent market.
So my message on a Monday is SPEND SPEND SPEND. I may sound like that guy that wants to buy your gold at this point. Russell Oliver I am not. But if you think about it can you imagine another set of circumstances like this that will come along. You have teams sitting waiting for 2010. You have 17 of those teams looking to cut costs not increase them if they are losing money that only makes sense. If Colangelo can operate without the handcuffs of hitting a number that is set by the league in the tax threshold, what could he do?
Sadly knowing the way the folks at MLSE tend to operate I don't think we will get to find out. But they really are missing out on a chance that may never come along again.
4/24/09
Friday Freelancer
I don't really have a lot to say today. It happens every now and again. Lots of little things to consider. So here is a list of what is rambling around in my brain. So with that off we go.
1. Rajon Rondo is the second best player in Boston. Bulls and Celtics series is showing you why.
2. I am a closet Blue Jay Fan again how did that happen? Oh yeah the Jays are winning.
3. Thanks to EA Sports for giving me something to do with my free time for the last 20 years or so.
4. I will miss John Madden. Great announcer and is part of many of my NFL memories.
5. Go Curry Go. Not sure if he fits with Raps but he is in the draft and I was huge fan of his dad Dell
6. What is wrong with the Hornets you are making me look bad come on CP3!!!
7. I have a new nickname...Mr Blowout. In my live blogging with The Score I am getting blow outs. Hawks and Heat on Saturday someone is winning BIG!!!
8. NFL Draft is Saturday...I watch it not sure why but I do.
9. Wonder If I am only person in Canada that has not watched a single NHL Playoff game.
10. CBS had a story about Joe Dumars having a restraining order on head coach Michael Curry. I guess safe to say he is getting fired?
11. K.G is not a guy I like but the Celtics without him show you who was the biggest factor in winning them a title.
12. Lots of guys getting in the NBA Draft it is going to be interesting. Rubio is in but it is going to cost him a ton of cash if he wants to play next season. Some people mention him if Raptors get a lotto pick. I am not thinking Mr.Calderon would be thrilled with that. I just don't think they like each other that much.
13. Western kid in NFL draft. over 300 bounds and runs a 4.89 in the 40 that is insane.
14. I just don't get the appeal of soccer. I mean Toronto FC won 1-0 how can that be exciting and how can you take a sport serious with a team name like that team they beat? Civas? I am not sure if I spelled that right and do not care if I did.
15. Belated happy birthday wishes to Scott Carefoot of Raptor Blog fame. Not sure how old he is and don't want to know cause he is likely younger than me.
16. Shout out to Basketball Jones guys. Tas is one of the live bloggers on The Score with me and I enjoy checking out his stuff.
17. Ron Artest on the Raptors? It might be interesting. I would like to see it.
18. Return of Rasho....Like to see that as well
19. Lebron James and Kobe Bryant are fun to watch and forget who is better it is a joy to watch both.
20. The time for MLSE to take advantage of being rich is now. Will they take advantage of it? History suggests no but hopefully I am wrong.
That is it. If you have things on your mind let's hear them or if you have a comment on any of my things here feel free to chime in as well. I love to hear from you folks. Leave a name if you leave a comment. It does not even have to be your own. But I would prefer it. Have a great weekend and I think so will yours truly so I will likely just do one weekend edition of the blog for the off season. Unless there is reason to do more like breaking news. But not much of that right now. Enjoy the nice weather if you are in Southern Ontario. If you are elsewhere hope you have nice weather to enjoy the weekend as well.
1. Rajon Rondo is the second best player in Boston. Bulls and Celtics series is showing you why.
2. I am a closet Blue Jay Fan again how did that happen? Oh yeah the Jays are winning.
3. Thanks to EA Sports for giving me something to do with my free time for the last 20 years or so.
4. I will miss John Madden. Great announcer and is part of many of my NFL memories.
5. Go Curry Go. Not sure if he fits with Raps but he is in the draft and I was huge fan of his dad Dell
6. What is wrong with the Hornets you are making me look bad come on CP3!!!
7. I have a new nickname...Mr Blowout. In my live blogging with The Score I am getting blow outs. Hawks and Heat on Saturday someone is winning BIG!!!
8. NFL Draft is Saturday...I watch it not sure why but I do.
9. Wonder If I am only person in Canada that has not watched a single NHL Playoff game.
10. CBS had a story about Joe Dumars having a restraining order on head coach Michael Curry. I guess safe to say he is getting fired?
11. K.G is not a guy I like but the Celtics without him show you who was the biggest factor in winning them a title.
12. Lots of guys getting in the NBA Draft it is going to be interesting. Rubio is in but it is going to cost him a ton of cash if he wants to play next season. Some people mention him if Raptors get a lotto pick. I am not thinking Mr.Calderon would be thrilled with that. I just don't think they like each other that much.
13. Western kid in NFL draft. over 300 bounds and runs a 4.89 in the 40 that is insane.
14. I just don't get the appeal of soccer. I mean Toronto FC won 1-0 how can that be exciting and how can you take a sport serious with a team name like that team they beat? Civas? I am not sure if I spelled that right and do not care if I did.
15. Belated happy birthday wishes to Scott Carefoot of Raptor Blog fame. Not sure how old he is and don't want to know cause he is likely younger than me.
16. Shout out to Basketball Jones guys. Tas is one of the live bloggers on The Score with me and I enjoy checking out his stuff.
17. Ron Artest on the Raptors? It might be interesting. I would like to see it.
18. Return of Rasho....Like to see that as well
19. Lebron James and Kobe Bryant are fun to watch and forget who is better it is a joy to watch both.
20. The time for MLSE to take advantage of being rich is now. Will they take advantage of it? History suggests no but hopefully I am wrong.
That is it. If you have things on your mind let's hear them or if you have a comment on any of my things here feel free to chime in as well. I love to hear from you folks. Leave a name if you leave a comment. It does not even have to be your own. But I would prefer it. Have a great weekend and I think so will yours truly so I will likely just do one weekend edition of the blog for the off season. Unless there is reason to do more like breaking news. But not much of that right now. Enjoy the nice weather if you are in Southern Ontario. If you are elsewhere hope you have nice weather to enjoy the weekend as well.
4/23/09
Pops Likes Us He Really Likes Us.
In my recent interview with Jack Armstrong, he and I got talking about how the mentality of Toronto needs to change. Well I failed in that I admit it. I can't help it think it is programed in my brain at this point. My mom is a fan of the Blue Jays and watches them quite a bit. The combination of their great start and the Raptors season being done has lead me to watching them a little bit. It is also a way to spend time with her which is always a good thing. Anyway as you may know already Pops Mensah-Bonsu was at the game last night. He said about 3 or 4 times that he hopes to be back with the Raptors next season. Anytime a player says he wants to be a Raptor you get warm and fuzzy feelings. I think we all get that way as most of us feel that players would not come to Toronto or want to be here. I am sure we all have a mental list of players we NEVER would think would come to Toronto. Here is mine off the top of my head.
Lebron James
Kobe Bryant
Andre Iguodala
Brandon Roy
Lamarcus Aldridge
Dwyane Wade
Chris Paul
Shaq
Kevin Garnett
Carmelo Anthony
I am sure you have your own list as well. Anytime that anyone says they like Toronto and want to play here is like a shock. However why should it be? We have a great fan base. The city itself is better than a lot of others in the NBA. Sure it is a different country but it is not like we are like guys going to play in Europe.
So Pops likes us and wants to stay. He has never even had a long run in the NBA why would he not want to stay? We need to have some confidence and walk taller. However if you buy into the fact that Toronto is limited in who will come here. That means you also need to cut Colangelo some slack. If he is limited on who he can get to come here than he is playing with a disadvantage.
I find that the negative far seems to out weight the positive in Raptorland. I am not just talking now but all the time. Even when things go well people wonder if we can keep players if things are going to stay together. I refuse to believe the only way you avoid this problem is turn the Raptors into a Euro Team to do it. That seems to be the path Colangelo took to get team going in right direction when he got here. He brought in Garbo, Parker and Bargnani. Delfino was another although he is not from Europe. I think all fans in Canada still remember a pouting Steve Francis when he drafted by the Grizzlies. It was a slap in the face to people in Vancouver and to a lesser degree all across Canada.
I say enough of all of this. This sport is invented by a Canadian and Canada is a great country and Toronto is a great city. Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Chris Bosh or whoever comes along is lucky to be here in Toronto and in Canada. That is how we need to start thinking. People in New York just assume that everyone wants to play there. You know if you can make it there you'll make it anywhere. However not everyone wants to play in New York. It is a myth that is created out of confidence. We here in Toronto need that confidence.
Lebron James
Kobe Bryant
Andre Iguodala
Brandon Roy
Lamarcus Aldridge
Dwyane Wade
Chris Paul
Shaq
Kevin Garnett
Carmelo Anthony
I am sure you have your own list as well. Anytime that anyone says they like Toronto and want to play here is like a shock. However why should it be? We have a great fan base. The city itself is better than a lot of others in the NBA. Sure it is a different country but it is not like we are like guys going to play in Europe.
So Pops likes us and wants to stay. He has never even had a long run in the NBA why would he not want to stay? We need to have some confidence and walk taller. However if you buy into the fact that Toronto is limited in who will come here. That means you also need to cut Colangelo some slack. If he is limited on who he can get to come here than he is playing with a disadvantage.
I find that the negative far seems to out weight the positive in Raptorland. I am not just talking now but all the time. Even when things go well people wonder if we can keep players if things are going to stay together. I refuse to believe the only way you avoid this problem is turn the Raptors into a Euro Team to do it. That seems to be the path Colangelo took to get team going in right direction when he got here. He brought in Garbo, Parker and Bargnani. Delfino was another although he is not from Europe. I think all fans in Canada still remember a pouting Steve Francis when he drafted by the Grizzlies. It was a slap in the face to people in Vancouver and to a lesser degree all across Canada.
I say enough of all of this. This sport is invented by a Canadian and Canada is a great country and Toronto is a great city. Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Chris Bosh or whoever comes along is lucky to be here in Toronto and in Canada. That is how we need to start thinking. People in New York just assume that everyone wants to play there. You know if you can make it there you'll make it anywhere. However not everyone wants to play in New York. It is a myth that is created out of confidence. We here in Toronto need that confidence.
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