"NBAz in 7 Dayz"

LeBron James kept his promise. When he agreed to participate in "The Decision" last summer - his hour-long special detailing how he was joining the Miami Heat - he wanted money raised for different Boys and Girls Clubs across the United States. He is finally seeing the fruits of this controversial tv production - all 3 million dollars worth. On Wednesday, the LeBron James Family Foundation opened a newly refurbished gym in Miami to the tune of 100 screaming kids. Now, not all the money raised is going to this particuliar gym. It will be spread out to other Boys and Girls Clubs in the U.S. There will also be work spaces with new computers courtesy of Hewlett-Packard and furniture from the HomeCourt line James designs with his girlfriend, Savannah Brinson. He says he regrets certain aspects of "The Decision" but believes the money raised made it more than worth doing. Let's hope this is the final proof needed to show naysayers some good actually came out of it. Let's talk about other decisions being made in the NBA like Mike Bibby taking his talents to South Beach, the Jazz signing a new Head Coach, and the NBA playing overseas.

A Bit of a Stretch

This weekend's road trip for the Raptors and Nets will mark the NBA's first ever regular season games played in Europe. While I am excited Europeans will get to experience what the NBA has to offer, I am shaking my head at the pieces of pie the league decided to share. The games being played between two teams far off the playoff race is not exactly a big ticket match-up. The Raptors are 17-44 and 13th in the East and the Nets are really no better sitting at 17-43. I am gathering it has something to do with the culturally eclectic brand of the Raptors: Andrea Bargnani and his Italian roots, Jose Calderon and his Spanish heritage, Brazilian Leandro Barbosa, Lithuanian Linas Kleiza and Alexis Ajinca of French decent. It will be easier for friends and families of these guys to bring more friends and family to fill the stands (and the NBA's pocketbook). I have serious reservations if this is going to work. I realize this is all a part of the NBA trying to spread the sport's popularity on a global scale. However, if the goal is to eventually expand and establish an on-going NBA presence in Europe in the form of an actual team, red flags go up. Sure, basketball is one of the biggest events in any Summer Olympics, especially when big name NBAers are involved, but the sport has no grassroots appeal in London. There is definitely a strong hierarchy when it comes to professional sports in Europe and basketball is no where near the top. No doubt organizers of the 2012 London Olympics are thrilled to test out their facilities and host the players, staff, sponsors and some season-ticket holders who have travelled to England. Plus, FIBA hasn't decided whether Great Britain will get an automatic spot in either the men's OR the women's Olympic tournaments in 2012. If staging this weekend's event goes well, FIBA may decide in Britain's favour. There is also a concern out there the Brits don't deserve it because they would be excessively over-matched but denying a spot to an Olympic host would be the first time it's happened. Although NBAers like Chicago's Luol Deng, Ben Gordon in Detroit and even former Raptor Pops Mensah-Bonsu are all passport-carrying British, the level of basketball talent in Britain at the grassroots level still has a long way to go before being considered competitively Olympic. I'm not saying the games this weekend in London shouldn't be happening but rather reminding fans to take a step back and see the bigger picture.

Bibby Takes his talents to South Beach

It should come as no surprise Mike Bibby signed with the Miami Heat Wednesday night. On Tuesday, the Heat let go of former Raptor Carlos Arroyo which cleared a roster spot. Even though there are NBA rules for formally announcing these things, several players including James and Wade said they expected to have Bibby in Miami soon. Plus, when he was traded by Atlanta to Washington last week, there was talk right away concerning Bibby seeking a buyout from the Wizards. Then after the not-so-secret court side chat between LeBron James and Mike Bibby after a game last week, now things seem to make sense. The icing on the cake? Bibby agreed to walk away from the $6 million that was guaranteed to him next season to get out of his deal with Washington and join a championship contender. Then in walks the Heat. So in a week he's traded, clears waivers, becomes a free agent and is now looking for real estate in Miami. Nice. Bibby is expected to join his new teammates Thursday when the Heat host Orlando. Then we will get to see how this all plays out.

"We walked the walk" Utah Jazz CEO Randy Rigby

This storyline makes me laugh. So, the Utah Jazz signed Head Coach Ty Corbin to a multi-year contract on Wednesday less than a month after he took over for Jerry Sloan. This is where things get a little shady. Think back about 4-6 weeks. Jerry Sloan signed on to be Head Coach of the Jazz for at least another year. You would think this means management thought Sloan was their guy. He resigns shortly after signing and all of a sudden, he's not their golden boy anymore? This is the part which gets me. Jazz CEO Randy Rigby said it would have been easy to tell Corbin to ride out the season but "We don't believe in putting a coach in that position". Really? How about giving Jerry Sloan the reins only to set him up to fail. That's like saying 'Yeah, here's the wheel, Captain' just as the titanic hits an iceberg. Ty Corbin does have the experience by serving as an assistant to Jerry Sloan for the past 6 or so years and now becomes the seventh Head Coach in Jazz history. Good luck.

Thanks for joining me this week. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Keep them coming by following me on Twitter (@ddegraauw) and on Facebook (Danielle de Graauw). See you on Tuesday for more NBA coverage in "NBAz in 7 Dayz".

Oh My Bosh!!!

This was so funny I had to share it with you all in the DNB:

Onion SportsDome

See it isn't just me that makes fun of Chris Bosh!!!

DNB Top 10 - Guest Host James Borbath

Ok Ryan has exams in school so maybe he forget it is Wednesday? Heck I am having a hard time remembering it is with no Raptor Game. So allow me to fill in for Ryan and with 0 preparation and come up with a top 10 list. Ryan's are usually more serious and what not. I will go for some humour. Seeing as the Raptors had a long flight to England it likely gave some people some time to think. So our top 10 will be....

10 Things People may have thought on way to England?

#10 Solomon Alabi: " Maybe by playing in a different continent I can get some playing time"

#9 Jay Triano: " I do know the international game better wonder if I can convince David Stern to have these games played under international rules?"

#8 Sonny Weems: " Maybe they have not heard of James Johnson over here in England this is good"

#7 Amir Johnson: " If I could learn to speak French for Montreal, I can learn to speak British"

#6 Andrea Bargnani: " If I wear my Italian soccer jersey, will people in England beat me up?"

#5 Matt Devlin " Is sneaking Tim Horton's coffee into a country illegal?"

#4 Eric Smith " Better than Memphis....better than Milwaukee too."

#3 Jose Calderon " I am back my friends...Uno....Dose....Ole...Ole.....and Deron Williams is hurt...VIVA JOSE!!!!"

#2 Bryan Colangelo " If we win both these games, I am going to pitch it to the board that the team was undefeated outside of North America. That should get me at least another Million on my contract extension. MLSE board will buy that, my team has under 20 wins and I am being offered an extension what would I have to do get fired? I am all powerful here in Canada. Bosh was stupid to leave you don't even have to win and you get paid. Oh and got to remember to ask to be paid in Canadian Dollars too!!!"

#1 Demar DeRozan " Finally Heir Canada is going to London baby!!! and the real one not that fake one in Ontario. That was not cool last season. Damn pulling pranks on rookies. How was I to know London Ontario was an actual place?"

Hornets Get Swarmed At The ACC

It be nice to head to jolly old England on a positive not. But I would not be holding my breath for it to happen. Hornets are in the thick of the playoff race in the West and it makes games like this for them must wins. Bargnani is back as his flu like symptoms did not turn into actual flu? No idea. But he is playing. Reggie Evans was out on floor pre-game again but will not go tonight word is. Hornets us to be my team back before there were Raptors and before they moved to New Orleans from Charlotte. Raptors have never really player well against them. Last Season they swept the Hornets but this is a much different season I am sure we all would agree. Hornets tonight will look to sweep the Raptors for the 2010-11 season. Bayless, Jack and Belinelli all have some extra motivation for this one.

The James Johnson show continues to be the new hit show as he gets a big block and scores on the other end and ties the game at 2. Demar DeRozan the bucket and a foul and makes the and 1 giving Raptors a 7-5 lead with 9 to play in 1st. Bargnani missed on an open 3 but DeRozan scores and he has it going early. Johnson at the line ties the game up at 11. Calderon was off to a good start with 4 assists but then stuck a 3, maybe that will get his confidence going as a shooter. He was fouled as well and had a chance at the rare 4 point play. Made the free throw and he in only play is now 4 and 4 for the game. Demar was cooking early to a easy score in the paint and he has 7. Calderon matches his 7 with making another 3 and Un Dose..ETC was happening. Raptors as a result led 20-17 with 4 to play in 1st. Raptors off to a nice start 25-19 with just under 2 to play. Raptors brought it home and led 27-20 after 1. Shooting 52% and holding Hornets to just 38% a nice start for sure but they had one of those versus Dallas Right?

Jarrett Jack was in and Hornets got on a bit of a roll as Jack sticks a jumper to make this a 4 point game 29-25 still in favour of the Raptors. More Jack after a Raptor score as he kept it as a 4 point game. Jack in the box popping jumpers and the Raptors lead was down to 31-29. Jack was 4-4 and had 9 points and point to prove and game was tied at 35. Amir Johnson draws 2nd foul on Oakfor but could not drain the and 1 free throw but count the basket. Raptors kept battling and re-took the lead and Jack finally missed on a reverse lay-up with Raptors leading 43-39. Sonny Weems having a good night off the been which is good to see he had 10 off bench after a couple free throws. Fellow Young One for now Demar Derozan the turnaround in the paint and Raps had built up a 8 point lead on strength of a 10-2 run. Make that a 12 point lead and 14-2 run with buckets from DeRozan and Bargnani. Sonny Weems with a nice dunk in transition then after that Weems and Johnson came together both hit deck and Amir got the worst of it. Amir would get up as he always does and Raptors would keep chugging along and by the time halftime whistle blew lead 57-42 and closed half on a 20-5 run.

As the first half started so does the second with James Johnson with a nice spin and score. There was a crazy up and down pace to the start of this half and Raptors had a bit of slippage as a result with some silly mistakes. 61-49. Raptors were playing well and the Hornets just were not. Raptors were scrappy on defence but the Hornets were trying to crank it up to match. James Johnson is starting to convince me, I know am last to the party, but he hits a 3 and then a 2 and Raptors lead 70-53. Only down note was Bargnani but Jay gave him a seat on the bench where he belonged. The Raptors were playing good maybe even great defence without him. A late Marco 3 would make this a 10 point game though with the score 72-62 after 3.

Teams were trading baskets to start the 4th and the Raptors could live with that. But after a Bayless then Jack exchange of 2's a Weems miss gave Hornets the chance to cut lead to 6 and they did. Bargnani was back on the floor and Hornet took notice. He continued to struggle shooting and Hornets took it right at him on D. Bargnani remained in and scored out of the time out. Calderon has been better than good tonight he has been great. He makes a clutch 3 to get Raptors once shrinking lead back to 8. But Jack answers that with 2 straight buckets and it is a 4 point game. Landry scores and is fouled. Hornets after a time out would be able to make this a one point game.

Hornets miss the and 1 and Bargnani gets a bucket to get lead back to 4 points. Jose is having a retro performance and taking it at Jarrett Jack. Nails the jumper and hits it. Calderon was having the best game he has had in years a clutch lay-up in transition to make it a 90-84 Raptor lead with under 3 to play. Derizan bucket made it an 8 point lead. You remember me using this one in the blog. Marco....3-Ball, and it was and a 5 point game with 1:34 to play. It was a 4 point game with 40.3 to play. Raptors hang on to win it 96-90.

Full marks to Jose Calderon. In the post game interview he pointed to his poor performance vs Hornets earlier in year as his motivation. This was the best game by Jose Calderon in YEARS. He has had big stat nights that have hidden his struggles. But tonight he had the numbers and had the Mojo to hit some key shots for the Raptors. He had 22 points 16 assists and 7 rebounds. But more important than all that he showed leadership and clutchness on the floor. Clutchness may not be a legit word but Jose defined it tonight. I am not rushing out to buy a Calderon poster and still feel he is not the point guard for this team moving forward. But on this night he showed why he was able to be considered at one time a guy that could be an all-star. Will see if this confidence travels with him to London. Raptors as a team minus Bargnani played some excellent defence. If you are an Amir Johnson fantasy owner you are very happy with his insane 7 blocks as it was huge part of a Raptor block party with 11 total on the night. Raptors average just 4.3 blocks a game on the season. Raptors now are off to England for a Friday/Saturday double dip with the Nets.

G-Tech Star Returns To Toronto

I can honestly say I was pretty stunned on the Monday after the All-Star Weekend the new came out that former Raptor Jarrett Jack had been arrested for DUI in his home of Atlanta. Jarrett was one of the more stand-up people I have come across in covering basketball in terms of dealing with the media. People genuinely liked him and respected the fact he was always willing to talk win or lose. He was regarded as a leader in the Raptor locker room in his short time with the club. So it was very sad to see this story and you hope that it is a one time thing and he can get on the right path. You are thankful that he did not kill himself or worse someone else. This is something that we all deal with in our lives NBA Star or not. Hopefully it teaches people not do this or gives someone a second thought before they step behind the wheel of a car. If you can stop one from doing it, then do it. Think why we come down on pro athletes more for this type of transgression is because they can easily afford to pay for a driver, take a limo even take a cab. Yet month after month and year after year we hear story after story of athletes getting in trouble for DUI at some point they need to learn the lesson and let's hope it doesn't take someone getting killed to learn it for others.

That may have nothing to do with tonight's game between the Hornets and Raptors but it is important to speak up and bring light to the subject. Far to many people have lost lives due to impaired driving and it is a serious matter that effects us all as people. In our little fantasy world that is pro sports it is not going good for the Raptors. Bargnani missed the last game with the flu. His status for tonight last reports I saw was still up in the air. While rumours swirl about Chris Paul eventually moving to New York, the future of the Hornets franchise in doubt with league stepping in and buying the team, it has not stopped the Hornets from being one of the bigger surprises in the NBA this season.They sit 5th in the Western Conference and as it stands now would have a first round playoff date with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The one thing you can take heart is despite the Raptors struggles, the team existence is never in question under the ownership of MLSE. That being said after 16 years Raptors fans seem fed up. MLSE even announced lowering prices on tickets next season. A response to the drop in attendance and fan interest this season. A surprising move still from a company that has not always responded in this way. Leaf fans are very jealous. But there is always that whole question of if there will be a season to deal with.

The Basics: Hornets 35-26 ( 3-7 in Last 10) Raptors 16-44 (11-20 at ACC)

When Last We Saw Them: The Raptors started the game as if they were shot cannon a 22-3 start only to fade and burnout like a comet. The Mavericks by the end of it had laid a pretty serious butt kicking on the Raptors. As mentioned the Raptors were without Andrea Bargnani and While DeRozan was good he could not take his game up a level to make up for the loss. Nor could the rest of the Raptors.

Key Match-ups: Raise your hand if you are worried about Chris Paul being matched-up with Jose Calderon. For all those that raised your hand....me too. Calderon has had some successful nights vs Paul though. One of more successful you have to go back to New Year's Eve 2007. Calderon had 17 points and 12 assists while Paul bettered his numbers with 23 points 16 assists and 7 rebounds it was the Raptors getting the 97-92 win in New Orleans. But Calderon is not the same guy now as he was then. You can argue Paul isn't as well. But an injury free season is getting Paul back in the conversation as on the best point guards in the league. In that game back in 2007 David West had 33 points to lead all scorers. He has done well in his career against the Raptors. Shutting him down will also be a big factor. Bayless, Jack, Belinelli all will be playing against former team and could have some added pep in their step. Another problem for the Raptors will be Emeka Okafor who has adjusted nicely since coming from the Bobcats to join the Hornets.

Other Things of Note: Hornets have dominated the all-time serious between these 2 with a 30-18 advantage all-time. Hornets back in January came up with a 85-81 win and will look to return the favour from last season and sweep the Raptors and surprisingly the Raptors swept them in 2009-10 season. How good is Chris Paul? Here is how he compares to 2 hall of famers in Magic and Isiah through 400 games :

• Magic Johnson Steals: 944 Points: 7248 Assists: 4097
• Chris Paul Steals:960 Points: 7576 Assists: 3982
• Isiah Thomas Steals: 934 Points: 8307 Points:4109

You can see why the Knicks might have some interest in him. This is the last game for the Raptors before they make the long trip to London for back to back games with the Nets. Who also have a really good point guard in Williams. Paul and Williams in the same division with Rondo and Holiday as well. Raptors need to upgrade at the point guard spot if they hope to compete in the new Atlantic Division. Myck Kabongo potentially could be a guy that could do that. But he has yet to even play a college game yet. Raptors would like to head to England on a positive but that is going to be difficult.

Where Is On? Sportsnet 1 ( Hockey Trade Deadline Coverage apparently is not done yet.)

"NBAz in 7 Dayz"

Restricted or unrestricted? That is our next obsession. What was arguably one of the busiest and craziest NBA trade deadlines in recent history, has now passed. Now, we shift our focus toward the playoffs and further, to another season of free agency, provided we are not dealing with a lockout - we will cross THAT bridge when we come to it. Fodder for debate quickly changes in the NBA. LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh were once on the tips of our tongues, however; before they even played their first game, discussions turned to Carmelo Anthony. Now with that "will he stay or will he go" debate laid to rest, new ones are emerging. The first one which comes to mind is Deron Williams of the New Jersey Nets with Chris Paul and Dwight Howard a close second. Their time to fuel the fire won't really come until 2012 when they actually become free agents but don't kid your self. These players and their potential General Managers are already looking into their crystal ball. According to player's from last year's free agency, 'don't keep talking about it' would be their advice. Dwayne Wade even said if he were to do it all over again, he would have taken a page from LeBron James' approach to pending free agency: answer 'no' to questions during the season. We all know questions will be unavoidable. For now, we'll put this debate on simmer and turn our attention to three things making my radar screen: Baron Davis, Kendrick Perkins and the unravelling in Detroit.

Just Smile and Nod

If you had a choice to work near the sandy beaches and warmer climate of Los Angeles or for the worst team in the NBA and all the snow you could handle, which would you choose? If it weren't for the Cavs being a part of the deal, it would be a toss up for me (I am one of those crazy people who like the snow). This is the position Baron Davis was in last week and the only difference is, he didn't have a choice. Mind you, the Clippers aren't exactly a powerhouse but they have become very entertaining as of late and Davis did get a chance to help former teammate Blake Griffin with his high-flying final dunk over NBA All-Star weekend. Being traded from the L.A. Clippers to the Cleveland Cavaliers isn't the biggest challenge for him to get over, either. It's the reunion with Cavs' Coach Byron Scott which raises some flags for me. Think back to their time in Charlotte. When Byron Scott was coaching Davis then, they weren't exactly best friends. Don't forget it was Byron Scott who was the driving force behind Davis being traded from the Hornets to Golden State. But apparently they made up two years ago as a result of Davis' apology to Scott for the way he behaved under Scott's leadership. Still, I am not jumping on the Scott-Davis BFF bandwagon just yet. According to Coach Scott, Baron Davis is questionable for Wednesday night's game against San Antonio due to a sore left knee. He will be wearing the number 85 as a tribute to his grandparents who got him into basketball and who lived on 85th Street in Los Angeles. Ironically enough, he is using LeBron James' old locker which was occupied by Jamario Moon before the trade. Let's hope the 'owner heckling player' stigma doesn't follow him to Cleveland.

Lowest of the Low

What do a Canadian alternative rock band and the Celtics have in common? Both are talented and both relate to the moniker "Lowest of the Low". I watched last year's NBA final very closely and when the Boston Celtics had to soldier on without Kendrick Perkins, I thought this is has to be a major blow to their momentum and overall team morale. This feeling has to be comparable to the mood in the Celtics' locker room presently. Neither Kendrick Perkins nor his now ex-teammates were happy with the deal seeing Perkins go to Oklahoma. Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers put on a good face but he also showed signs of "we'll just have to wait and see" mode - not exactly a ringing endorsement of the trade. This much we do know. But this is where it goes downhill for me and raises some major questions. Why would Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge trade their starting center for a backup forward in Jeff Green? Does this really make the Celtics a better team? If the Celtics really thought Kendrick Perkins was a tradeable commodity, why not wait and issue a sign-and-trade and get his replacement later. This really seems like a panic trade to me since Perkins wouldn't sign a contract extension before the trade deadline. This is hard because you would think most agree Perkins was worth keeping in a Celtics' uniform for another run at the playoffs regardless of whether or not he signed a piece of paper. But on the bright side, at least the Celtics didn't do to Perkins what they did to Baron Davis. Perkins is going to a strong team and will be called on to defend and rebound - two of his strongest attributes. Let's hope both sides are able to take a deep breath and move on.

Falling apart at the seams in Detroit

By now we have read and heard every angle there is to consider about the alleged Pistons boycott. Here's what supposedly happened in a nutshell. Tracy McGrady, Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace and Chris Wilcox missed the Piston's shoot around on Friday morning. That night the Pistons were scheduled to play the Sixers in Philadelphia and team sources were alleging the players were staging a protest. According to the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, the supposed shoot around boycott was directed at Detroit Pistons' Coach John Kuester who has been clashing with certain members of the Pistons' roster. Will Bynum, Ben Gordon, Jason Maxiell, Greg Monroe, DaJuan Summers and Charlie Villaneuva were the only ones to show up to the full shoot around, so this is why rest were allegedley benched. If you look at the box scores from Friday's game, you will notice each starter played close to or over 40 minutes each with Ben Gordon and Will Bynum playing 45 and 48 minutes, respectively. The rest were rostered but with no points or minutes played. The only one happy with the situation seemed to be Will Bynum who was happy for the extended playing time after not seeing consistent play for a month and a half. The decision to go with a 6-man rotation was the deal breaker in this game since it was clear by the end, the Pistons got tired and the Sixers never once gave up the lead. To further fuel the fire that night, coach Kuester was ejected with a pair of technical fouls with three minutes remaining in the first half. The worst part? Several Pistons players were seen laughing as Kuester was ejected.

This is a very sad situation. There were many excuses given as to why only six Pistons players saw playing time Friday. Coach Kuester even went on record saying this before the game: "We got a number of guys that have a bug, but these guys went through the shoot around the way it was supposed to. We have some things, some excuses, not excuses, but absences because of headache and stuff like that". First he indicates the group at shoot around was to play and then he retracts saying he expected "everybody to be available". This is a coach who knows his days are numbered. If the allegations are proven to be true, that this was a boycott, this could definitely hurt NBA players during Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations. The pieces don't all fit together for me. Detroit's decision to go with a 6-man rotation Friday night versus the Sixers seems like an emotional reaction to what may or may not have been a boycott. No matter how much Pistons President Joe Dumars publicly supports Coach Kuester, that may not be enough to get over the mess this event has caused. When any team is met with a clear rift, what usually happens? Do you replace an entire team or just the coach? You do the math.

Thank-you once again for joining me this week. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Please keep them coming by following me on Twitter (@ddegraauw) or on Facebook (Danielle de Graauw). Be sure to join me on Thursday for another dose of "NBAz in 7 Dayz" as we further discuss NBA news makers and look forward to the playoffs. See you then.

RaptorMania Promo

A Special Message to our Wrestling/Basketball Fans of the DNB:



So if you want to see it happen Tweet the Hashtag #RaptorMania and let them know @Stlouiswings which could be the host of this event.