It's Friday Time For 3 Up and 3 Down

It is Friday so it is time for another addition of 3 up and 3 down. A reminder to check the site later today for info on how you can come to our Draught Party for free at St.Louis Wings at the Bay St Location at the Atrium. Look for a post around 7pm Toronto time. Now on with the show that is 3 up and 3 Down.

Up

Championship Rings- Sorry Mark Cuban but Ring is the thing. Mark Cuban suggested he may not get rings and get something else. I am ok with him getting something else with a ring but championship rings are one tradition in sports I am not tired of and think belong.

Championship Parades On The Owner- I do applaud Cuban for putting on a heck of a parade and picking up the tab. Cities do not deserve the extra expense in these tough economic times but players and fans do deserve a party.

Toronto- I had not been down since the season and I had a great time being back in the city for the Raptors workout this week and to catch a Blue Jays game. It was a great time and I enjoyed being back in town.

Down

Stupid Rioting Hockey Fans- What happened in Vancouver was just a total disgrace. In the past I have supported the idea of that city getting an NBA Franchise back. You know what the heck with that. You people don't deserve it. The way people acted after the Canucks lost was beyond words. I hope every last joker involved in that is arrested and put in jail for a long time. I mean what would happen if they drafted Big Country now? Any excuse to have a riot right.

Demar DeRozan- Yes I still love Demar. But dude is on Twitter last night tweeting he is old. Young fella you are far from old trust me. You just made me and 3/4 of the Raptor fan base feel like senior citizens. Just keep working on your game and getting better and all is forgiven.

A Random Bird In Toronto- I was having a pleasant conversation with Tom Liston who writes occasionally on Raptors Republic and is involved in the #RTZ stuff the Raptors do a bit. Better known to the world as @liston and often a sparring mate with me over some issues like the future of Jay Triano. But I consider him a good friend. Anyway this bird comes along and decides to take a poo on me. Not cool. Was the bird a Triano supporter? Not sure but if I find that bird he may go the way of that seagull that met up with Dave Winfield back in the day.

That is all for 3 up and 3 down but come back on the site later for our contest to pick our VIP Guest for our Draught Party at St Louis Wings on Bay St at the Atrium. There will be specials on draft, X-box 360 in the house with 2K11 and of course the NBA Draft on the T.V's.

Thompson and Joesph Draw A Crowd.

Maybe there is hope for basketball in this country. On a day when the Stanley Cup would be decided with a Canadian team in it, still there was a massive turnout for a Raptor Draft workout. The reason why was the presence of Tristan Thompson and Cory Joesph. The two kids that turned head at Texas had made their way home to workout for the hometown Raptors. But this was not one of those token gestures we have seen in the past. Cory and Tristan had already worked out in other cities together in Houston and elsewhere.

The two are longtime friends and played together at Finley Prep then on to the Texas Longhorns. If they had decided to stay at Texas there was more Canadian content on the way. Myck Kabongo is on his way to Texas also from Finley Prep and has been a guest here in the DNB on several occasions. But Myck was supportive of Tristan's decision and encouraged it.

Thompson:

"It was tough. But he knew he wanted what was best for me. He told me himself don't stay because of me. If your ready and he thought I was ready, he felt that I should have left so that's what I did. He supports everything I do."

Tristan, Cory and Myck are all part of the first generation of kids to grow up with the Raptors in their home town. and in Canada. The fact of having the NBA here, at least in part, Thompson gives credit too in helping him make his goals of where he is today a reality.

Thompson:

"You think it is reachable having a pro team in your city. It definitely motivated me to have those three letters on my jersey."

That was something Steve Nash didn't have. But Thompson and Joseph and generation of kids have had both Nash and Raptors to inspire them. Thompson could surpass Nash as the highest drafted Canadian a week from today. However Thompson seemed unconcerned with that and more concerned with the fit of where he would be drafted. He said if he was drafted at 18th pick and in a better situation he would be happy. Nash for the record was selected at the number 15 pick. Thompson currently in most mock drafts is a projected lottery pick.

While Thompson is in a secure position in terms of being drafted, Cory Joesph is not in that same spot as Thompson. But Joesph and Thompson are working with John Lucas in Houston. Who Raptor fans know well based on his relationship with another former Texas product and former Raptor in T.J Ford. While Joesph like anyone else wants to be drafted as high as possible he is prepared for the situation if he is not drafted.

Joesph

"I would go to Europe or the D-League one of the two if I don't get drafted. Everybody thinks about that I always have to have a plan B."

Joesph says he made the decision himself ultimately and will deal with the situation whatever happens. But it does seem he was impressive in the workout with Raptors. He and Tristan have had a great relationship and taken this journey together. But on Thursday that will likely come to end at least for now. In the short term it might be unlikely for Joesph to end up with Raptors but the goal and the idea of it excites him.

Joesph

"It would be great. Growing up watching the T-Mac and Vince when they were here. It would be an honour."

An honour to play for the Raptors is something you don't hear from guys and feel they mean it after watching many come and go. But this generation of kids that have grown up with the Raptors lead by Thompson, Joesph and Kabongo offer a different perspective. It is an important time for Toronto as these kids start coming along as legitimate prospects for the NBA. When you look at Thompson as a Raptor it is a bit less clear. Thompson as player provides things the Raptors clearly lack in terms of defence and rebounding. However the position he would play in the NBA at power forward is one where the Raptors already have a lot of options. Here is what Tristan had to say on the prospect of being a Raptor.

Thompson

" It means a lot being from Canada and playing for the Raptors. It be a great opportunity. But at the same time they got do what is best for their organization. I want to be put in a position where I am going start. So if I am drafted by the Raptors I am happy. If I am not there is no hate, no bad blood. They did what they had to do. Whatever team picks me I will be excited. "

Which sums up the problem the Raptors face. Amir Johnson and Ed Davis also would be guys that are already in place to be the starter at that position. Thompson stepping in year one and starting in Toronto seems unlikely. But it is a unique opportunity for both him and the Raptors if he were to come home to Toronto and Canada. What might have happened today was more of building a relationship between the two that would extend beyond the draft. Things change rapidly in this NBA and Thompson if he is successful is always going be a player that you have to feel will have interest for the Raptors. Vancouver was in a similar position and passed on Steve Nash. But thanks to Thompson and this new generation of kids coming up the options of Canadians that could be NBA Talents is growing.

The one thing that has impressed me with Thompson, Joesph and Kabongo is the type of kids they are. They all are very humble but also very confident at the same time. It was quite a huge media turnout for both yesterday. But they seemed comfortable with it and at easy going about it all. That is something that the Raptors will or should take note of as well. Whoever the first Canadian to play for the Raptors will be someday, will be under a tremendous amount of pressure both on and off the floor. It seems that these kids are all capable of handling that aspect of being that guy in the spotlight. Thompson noted the massive turnout, and Joesph said that this was much different from his other workouts.

In the two years of covering the Raptors short of Steve Nash and Vince Carter these were some of the largest scrums I have seen. It makes you smile and hopeful as a Canadian and a fan of basketball. Both credit Ro Russell for helping them in their journey to this point. He has played a large role for them and been someone that has helped guide them along the way.

Bryan Colangelo having a desire to get a second first round pick makes the temptation to draft Tristan Thompson a lot more realistic. Milwaukee where both Cory and Tristan have worked out if you believe the mock drafts seems to be the most likely landing spot for Thompson.

It is kind of ironic that kids that grew up on the Raptors are both considered players that have a tremendous defensive skill set. That is not something they learned from watching the Raptors. Thompson said that he has always had coaches that stressed the mantra of defence wins championships. Something that has not been prominent in the Raptors history. The Raptors despite the fact it might take some work on both sides of things could do far worse than acquiring a player like Thompson. Be it a week from today or somewhere down the line Tristan Thompson is a guy that could be intriguing for the Raptors in the future. Taking the Raptors personal interests out of the mix, it is just nice to see a generation of kids that the Raptors presence has inspired starting to develop and take their talents to the NBA. However the more that come. the more will grow the desire of fans for one of these kids to take their talent to Toronto and Canada. Short of winning an NBA Championship it could be the biggest thing to impact on the Raptors nationally with casual basketball and sports fans. The dream of a Canadian Raptor is coming closer everyday, even if that day may not be next Thursday.

It has been something that here in this blog we have talked about a lot. Raptors or not these are great kids and to have more Canadians in the NBA is good for interest in the game here in Canada on all levels. Which is a good thing for anyone that considers themselves a fan of the sport.

Top 10: Things We've Learnt During the Finals

So the NBA Finals are over and we've had a few days to sit back and reflect on what transpired during those 6 amazing games and what we have learned from them. So here are the Top 10 things we've learnt during the NBA Finals.

#10: Juwan Howard still plays in the NBA.

#9: Jason Terry won't be removing that tattoo after-all.

#8: Bosh can actually play better than Lebron in games that matter.

#7: Lebron ain't as clutch as he seemed in the Boston and Chicago series.

#6: Jason Terry can walk the walk as well as talk the talk.

#5: Mark Cuban could care less about the Heat.

#4: A silent Mark Cuban can actually be a good thing.

#3: Though Lebron said he was taking his talents to South Beach he actually left 25% of those talents in Cleveland.

#2: 1 German trumps 3 All-Stars.

#1: Lebron is still "RINGLESS"

Raptor Ramblings

So now that another season is in the books we will shift our attention back to the home team. Toronto Raptors are a team without a coach as you know. Just curious if the Miami Heat are going to part ways with Eric Spoestra if he would jump to the top of the list for Raptors coaching search. I wouldn't mind having him personally. Despite being young he does have a ton of experience. He does have a defensive mindset even if he couldn't stop Dirk for most of the finals. While he might not be able to coach the three super egos in Miami he is a solid coach overall in my view. You look at the job he did the season prior with very little beyond D-Wade as evidence of that. But all that being said the Heat at least for the moment have given no indication that they are not going to bring him back next year. The Raptors appear to be looking at Dwane Casey an assistant coach for the Champion Mavericks but are not alone as so are the Detroit Pistons according to Slam. Also on both the Pistons and Raptors lists include Lawrence Frank the one time Nets head coach that beat the Raptors in the post season under Sam Mitchell. Given the narrow perspective Colangelo has given in terms of what he is looking for there can't be to many coaches that fit that bill.

Draft workouts are set to resume in Toronto on Wednesday. I will be in town to check them out. No list as come out as of yet but I have a hunch we might see some local talent in the mix. Raptors already worked out Brandon Knight and Kemba Walker who if they were to go point guard would be at the top of the list of player that could be available for them. Colangelo has been in Europe checking out his options over there. He also and stated publicly he is the market for a 2nd first round pick in the top 10. If that was to land a Tristan Thompson with it I would be all for it. If not I really can't see much point to it. If the Raptors bailed out of this draft altogether it would not make me sad in the least. Other than the fact we are having a draft party and would have no draft pick to celebrate. But basketball wise this is a weak draft class. I would venture to say even weaker than the class that landed us Andrea Bargnani at number one.

In other off-season news in terms of the Raptors it would seem Leandro Barbosa is leaning toward declining his option for 7.2 million for next season. I am not sure if this makes much sense for him. But in terms of the Raptors it would make them a team with a lot more cash to play with under a what is expected to be more restrictive CBA. Colangelo's old Suns ties were able to have him work out a sign and trade that landed as it turned out a championship ring for Shawn Marion. It also helped Colangelo pull off the move to land Hedo. While that was a complete failure the fact that Colangelo was able to work with Marion was not. Now Barbosa is looking to turn down an option but Colangelo has stated he would be interested in signing him long term. It seems Colangelo might just have been able to work with a former Sun once again to get himself some much needed cap space.

I briefly mentioned our draft party which will be going down at St Louis Wings at the Bay St location just up from the ACC. On Friday I will be giving away one VIP guest pass for our party. That just like with our Bosh Bash will give you a night out on the good folks at St Louis Wings. Food and drinks for free and a chance to party with everyone else that shows up. Also for everyone will be having X-Box 360 with some NBA 2k11 to keep you entertained in between picks. That and I am sure some other fun and surprises will be on the agenda for a fun night for all. I hope to see many of you decide to come out and spend draft night with me and folks at St Louis Wings. So Friday in the blog will have some way for you to have a chance to win. Also check on Twitter as I will post something there to make you aware of the contest.

That is a wrap for today. I will be in Toronto tomorrow so may not hear from me. Ryan should have his weekly DNB Top 10 for your enjoyment though. I will have some stuff from the workouts on Thursday. Raptors will be having workouts on that day as well but I am only heading down for the Wednesday workouts as of right now.

It Is All Over For Another Year

Well another season is done and it offered many surprises along the way. What started with a decision and a pre-season championship celebration ended with Mark Cuban's Mavs winning it all. No one could have seen that coming. Dirk Nowitzki had been known for failure more than success. He won the MVP and then his team was knocked out in the first round. He lost to Miami with Wade and Shaq after seemingly having the series under control. If anyone was going to stop the MWO and South Beach Heat few would have said it would be the under achieving German superstar. I admit I have always been one of the people that have never given the Mavs a ton of credit. They were always a team that choked in the clutch. But they are no longer that, they will forever be NBA Champions. Perhaps the most unlikely Champions in the NBA since the Pistons stunned Kobe and Shaq in the NBA Finals and won a title with Larry Brown.

Celebrate the Mavs for what they did. For the fact a number of veteran guys were able to finally win a title. Earlier in the week I heard Charles Barkley on the radio talking about why people don't like the Miami Heat. He said it was the arrogance of how easy they felt it would be to win a championship. Something that Barkley was never able to accomplish. He like other greats like Pat Ewing, Karl Malone and a list of many others spent a career chasing that elusive championship. Lebron James has been chasing a title too. After years of trying and failing with little support in Cleveland he became part of this group that decided to join forces and look for the fast track to the NBA Title. But the short cut only got them to the door step of that title. Only to see a group that they likely never expected to see celebrate on their home floor. It was suppose to be Kobe and Lakers to challenge this group not the Mavs. But the Mavs swept them away and ended Phil Jackson's career in utterly stunning fashion. They in equally stunning fashion stunned the Miami Heat.

Mark Cuban deserves great credit for taking a team that was always in second place to the Dallas Cowboys and making them relevant in Dallas. Something we can relate to in Toronto with the Raptors always being in the shadow of hockey and Maple Leafs. Cuban took this franchise from no where and ultimately has been rewarded with a championship. There is no owner in the NBA that I would be more happy for. He has been fined by the league and shot off his mouth for years with the goal of challenging this league and his team to be better. In a true act of class Cuban allowed the first ever owner of the Mavs to be given the NBA Championship. Something he has worked hard for and spent a ton of money for and yet he allows someone else to touch the trophy he has wanted for so long before him. Mark Cuban makes more money than Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh combined. Yet people for the most part love Cuban and hate them. The act of Cuban doing something classy like that is part of why. But the deeper reason is we see Mark Cuban as a fan like us. While Lebron James tells all of you that cheer in his demise that eventually you will have to go back to your actual lives. That he will be happy with his life and choices he has made. Mark Cuban is a guy that you believe if you met him in a bar he would likely have a beer with you and talk to you for 5 minute. The MWO are guys that hang out in the VIP area and would not be caught dead hanging with you common folks.

It was a great season in a lot of ways. It might have been the start of a changing of the guard in the NBA. Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin lead a new generation of superstars that are looking to take the torch from the Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and other superstars coming to the end of the line. In fact with the uncertain future of an NBA Lockout who is to say we have not seen the last of more than just Shaq when we are playing basketball again.

Ironically after one of the best seasons in the NBA in a long time and followed by one of the most interesting playoffs in years the NBA stands on the abyss of joining the NFL is labour hell. We will be lucky if we see another basketball game in the NBA in 2011. That is not exactly something anyone wants to hear but it could in fact be the reality.

Mavericks won a title the right way and although I really have no love for them, I do respect what they have done. At least I am honest about it. I never picked them to win any of the 4 series they did win. I am not going to be a hypocrite like so many made themselves by cheering for anyone that could stop the Miami Heat. Pumping up the Mavericks more as a way to insult the Heat. For those that are true Mavericks fans I offer sincere congratulations. For those of you just cheering for Miami to lose, I just shake my head. People mocking Chris Bosh for crying but applauding Dirk for doing the same. At the end of the day people that root against the Heat have become just as bad as the guys they hate. In fact perhaps more so.

Miami will be back and depending on how the CBA turns out they could be much stronger when they do. But the real story now is when will you get to see basketball again? Not even the MWO can stop a lockout. Only David Stern and Billy Hunter can get that done. It could be a long a cruel summer turning into a long and cold fall without basketball. It is a shame coming off such a great season of basketball.

It's Friday Time For 3 Up and 3 Down

I said last week will make this a weekly thing for the off-season. So here it is another star filled edition of 3 up and 3 down.

3 Up

#1 Anyone Not Talking About Lebron James- Seriously give yourself a pat on the back. I obviously can't because by mentioning him in this I am in effect talking about Lebron James. Oh well who said royalty is dead everyone is talking about The King.

#2 St Louis Wings- We love them and are happy to be working with them for our DNB Draft Party. It is going to be fun will have all the details for you on Monday. But it will be at the Atrium location on Bay St in Toronto on June 23rd the night of the NBA Draft.

#3 Miami Heat- Hey all you Heat haters be thankful this series is going 7 games because after that it is going to be nothing but labour talk for the foreseeable future. You will miss bashing Lebron James and Chris Bosh then.

3 Down

#1 Construction- I love the summer but here in Canada it is also construction season and where I live I am trapped by it. It is annoying and drives me nuts. No this has nothing to do with basketball but I needed to vent.

#2 Jason Terry Stupid Airplane Celebration- Seriously dude take that stuff and go play football for the Jets. Oh wait there is no football either. But I would love to see someone just crush him for doing that. Can we get a hard foul Miami? Or here is an idea how about you guard this guy?

#3 Joey Crawford or NBA Refs- Think it was Joey that blew this call. Lost in all the Lebron Bashing was the lousy call that he got jobbed on that lead to the Dallas run to close game 5. The rule is simple if you are in that little circle it is not a charge. Tyson Chandler was in that circle and it was a charge. Mark Cuban has not made on peep about the officials in this series. Back in 2006 you couldn't shut him up about it. So what has changed? Mark Cuban has matured and is sick of being fined? No more like a lot of calls are going his way and there is no need to complain.

I would like to give a special shout out to Charles Barkley as well for 2 things. Other day while driving around heard a story that back in 1999 Barkley who was in Vancouver for a game vs the Grizzlies was out the night before partying with the Hamilton Ti-Cats who had just won the Grey Cup. In addition Barkley summed up my thoughts on the Heat very nice. They are hard to root for. Why that is according to Chuck was the fact they figured winning 5 or 6 or even 7 titles was easy as pie. Barkley mentioned a number of great legends that never one a title in various sports and how that was disrespectful to all of them. There is only one Charles Barkley and he is just great.

Could NFL Lockout Result Help or Hurt The NBA Lockout?

I have tried to pay attention to what is going on in terms of the NFL Lockout. I am a football fan but more so paying attention in terms of what it could mean for the NBA Lockout. Now to say any two labour disputes are the same would be like saying two divorces are the same. Each and every one is unique. The NFL Season if it actually starts on time would begin in 91 days. It has largely been fought through various court actions. Recently the two sides have actually been talking with meetings in Chicago and Long Island. People seem to feel finally their is some movement toward a new CBA. How much is a mystery. While the NBA has not officially entered into a lockout if you ask anyone it is all but a certainty they are heading that way. While people boo the Miami Heat and try to convince us Dirk is the second coming it really is small in the big picture. Once the Finals are done and then the NBA Draft the focus of the NBA will be squarely on the CBA.

Some might say that if the NFL is able to come up with a deal it might help the NBA see the light. After all despite being a basketball fan first and foremost it is no secret what sports league has the largest pie of dollars to split up. The NFL far and away is the answer and you only need to look at their massive T.V deal for proof of that. I would like to believe that an NFL solution will help the NBA come to a deal that may not be realistic. The issues for the NBA are much different in their labour dispute. NBA has some franchises in real trouble in comparison to the NFL. While the Jacksonville Jaguars are likely the worst team in terms of viability they are no where close to in the trouble of a number of NBA franchises. The fact the NBA is controlling the franchise in New Orleans is an obvious example of that. The franchise in Sacramento was almost moved to Anaheim not unlike the Raiders once picked up the franchise and moved to L.A. But they appear to at least have bought some time to save the franchise in that city. But you can look to a number of other places and only need to look in the stands to see there could be other franchises that are in trouble.

The main issues of these disputes are very different as well. While at the end of the day all labour disputes at some point come down to dollars and cents in pro sports, each sport is unique. In the NBA there is a lot of concern about the movement of players so you can avoid another Miami situation. While on the surface the Heat have love them, or hate them, grown attention for the brand as whole. It also has made it very scary for small market franchises in terms of competitive balance. Chris Paul is on a team that is in trouble and the fact he wants to walk away from New Orleans is not going to do anything but make that franchise worse. Here with the Raptors we have watched many stars come only to leave. Part of that is on poor management but to have more security in terms of keeping a player could only help.

The NBA owners also want to basically tighten up the system in general and move towards a system that is more of a hard cap. Which when you say that term of hard cap it is one that will never play with a players union. Once you have a hard cap the size of the pie is set in stone. While if the business as a whole can grow so will the pie. It becomes a lot harder to do it. Also there is the whole issue of trust. The Union would likely feel that the Owners would do some creative book keeping to keep the pie from growing to big for the players side.

To get down to the basic difference in these disputes is pretty simple. The dollars in the NFL are far to big for Owners to truly let a season go by and get nothing from it. While the NBA is in a situation that is not that different from the one the NHL was in. They also have to look at the state of the NHL and pause. A league that lost an entire season still ended up with a deal that is far from ideal for the owners. The goal of helping small market teams in the NHL was not exactly realized. Also the impact it had on interest levels in U.S Markets was not positive. Out of sight can quickly turn to out of mind. The NBA will be determined to not make the same mistakes the NHL has. They have similar goals to the NHL in how they enter this lockout. I will venture to say that David Stern is going to get a better deal than his former understudy Gary Bettman.

Baseball remains the only league with out any real cap in place. But in terms of competitive balance the sport has become a joke in some ways. While a team can win with a small payroll their margin for error is slight and their are some teams that you just know have zero chance before the season starts. Part of that is their much more restrictive playoffs but it also is a huge economic imbalance.

But as NFL Fans chanted "We Want Football" at their commissioner at their draft, I would venture to say NBA fans are no different. You can come up with 100 reasons as to why this labour dispute is important for the future of the league and the game but at the end of the day fans just want to see games. Fans are always the victims in any labour dispute. They have no seat at the table as two sides in effect fight over their money.

Bottom line if the NFL is able to get a season off as scheduled it will not hurt in putting some pressure on the NBA to do the same. But ultimately the NBA is a different place and has a lot more at stake in this than the NFL does in terms of the future of their sport. It has been the dark cloud that has hung over this entire NBA season for me. The fact the Raptors were a terrible failure did not exactly help. But regardless of that this was always coming and not even a Boshtrich sticking it head in the sand can avoid it.