This isn't goodbye...
it's... 'See you later.'
As you may, or may not, have realized... I have been completely unable to keep up with this beautiful blog that has brought joy to my life for the past year and change.
I want to thank each and everyone of you who checked in periodically...
For those of you who reciprocated insight, you especially made it a pleasure.
I might decide I want to start something up somewhere else at some other time... but as of now, I'm unable to contribute creatively as much as I'd like.
This has been a wonderful experience for me, and it was an excellent exercise.
I met some great people... chatted with some great fans of the game... and even got a few free records, with my very first (and only) advertiser.
Honestly... this is not easy for me to end things... but I have to.
Thank you so very much for joining me through my bumps, bruises, and adventures.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Friday, November 24, 2006
My apologies...
Please don't feel like I'm neglecting you.
It was never my intention to hurt you.
It's just... I've been so busy with work.
you understand, right?
The winds of opportunity have been blowing my way, and I obviously can't ignore them for the sake of this blog.
It's not like I'm cheating on you.
I just feel like... if I spent too much time with you... and not preparing for these new opportunities... I'd be cheating myself.
So please forgive my absence.
I'll be coming home to you soon.
It was never my intention to hurt you.
It's just... I've been so busy with work.
you understand, right?
The winds of opportunity have been blowing my way, and I obviously can't ignore them for the sake of this blog.
It's not like I'm cheating on you.
I just feel like... if I spent too much time with you... and not preparing for these new opportunities... I'd be cheating myself.
So please forgive my absence.
I'll be coming home to you soon.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Cold-Blooded Bosh
Jordan's got “the Shot.” You don't need to remind any Cavs fans about that. And granted, last night's game against Philly meant nothing more than bragging rights and a 'W'... but when Chris Bosh drilled that 3 over Chris Webber with 6.1 seconds left... and the shot clock winding down...
Oh Dear!
My co-worker, sitting up in the press-box with me, did a dragon punch (for those unfamiliar, it is essentially a jumping, spinning uppercut)... The fellow from 'SportsTicker' sitting to my left belted out a “Holy Sh!t”... while I just smiled, shook my head, and said just above a whisper...
“Cold-blooded.”
106, 
104
Bosh finished with 29 points and 14 rebounds – his third (straight) double-double (and first that didn't come by halftime) – while Joey Graham had a season-high 16 points (3 off his career-best).
TJ Ford, on the other hand, couldn't find a bucket if it was floating in a well in his backyard. He missed about a handful of lay-ups... more than few open shots (not including the ones he didn't take)... and missed 3 of 4 free-throws down the stretch.
--
I went to practice today, but nothing eventful happened, so I'm going to bring it back to last night...
--
After the game, I spoke to Joey first... everyone asked about his confidence... I needed a soundbite.
“How about that huge three from Chris?”
“That was humongous for us. The play was kinda busted, and everybody was kinda scrambling around. So Chris came, popped-up, and made a good play for us. We definitely needed it.”
Among other questions... this would be my theme of the night. And since I'm tired, those will be the quotes I will give you.
Onto Freddy Jones. No one was talking to him, so I figured I'd slip over while waiting for Bosh. Plus, we had talked about fantasy hoops before the game, so... might as well throw a little chatter afterwards, too.
...fast forward 3 questions, to my final inquiry:
“That was quite the play from Bosh at the end there... thoughts from the bench?” (He had fouled out a few minutes earlier)
“Big shot for a big time player. I think that gave us some confidence, and made him more confident in himself... you know, that he's the leader of this team, and when it comes down the stretch... he wants those shots, and he wants us to come through him. He proved he can handle it.”
As if there was any doubt.
==
I'm going to the morning shoot-around to conduct an in depth one-on-one with Pape Sow about his injury, and his inspirational recovery process.
Wanna hear it?
I'll air it in full on my DEBUT Talk Show... Saturday night @ 8:40, on the Fan 590.
Oh Dear!
My co-worker, sitting up in the press-box with me, did a dragon punch (for those unfamiliar, it is essentially a jumping, spinning uppercut)... The fellow from 'SportsTicker' sitting to my left belted out a “Holy Sh!t”... while I just smiled, shook my head, and said just above a whisper...
“Cold-blooded.”
106, 
104Bosh finished with 29 points and 14 rebounds – his third (straight) double-double (and first that didn't come by halftime) – while Joey Graham had a season-high 16 points (3 off his career-best).
TJ Ford, on the other hand, couldn't find a bucket if it was floating in a well in his backyard. He missed about a handful of lay-ups... more than few open shots (not including the ones he didn't take)... and missed 3 of 4 free-throws down the stretch.
--
I went to practice today, but nothing eventful happened, so I'm going to bring it back to last night...
--
After the game, I spoke to Joey first... everyone asked about his confidence... I needed a soundbite.
“How about that huge three from Chris?”
“That was humongous for us. The play was kinda busted, and everybody was kinda scrambling around. So Chris came, popped-up, and made a good play for us. We definitely needed it.”
Among other questions... this would be my theme of the night. And since I'm tired, those will be the quotes I will give you.
Onto Freddy Jones. No one was talking to him, so I figured I'd slip over while waiting for Bosh. Plus, we had talked about fantasy hoops before the game, so... might as well throw a little chatter afterwards, too.
...fast forward 3 questions, to my final inquiry:
“That was quite the play from Bosh at the end there... thoughts from the bench?” (He had fouled out a few minutes earlier)
“Big shot for a big time player. I think that gave us some confidence, and made him more confident in himself... you know, that he's the leader of this team, and when it comes down the stretch... he wants those shots, and he wants us to come through him. He proved he can handle it.”
As if there was any doubt.
==
I'm going to the morning shoot-around to conduct an in depth one-on-one with Pape Sow about his injury, and his inspirational recovery process.
Wanna hear it?
I'll air it in full on my DEBUT Talk Show... Saturday night @ 8:40, on the Fan 590.
Monday, November 06, 2006
The Day After the Plan Died...
And now... for my next trick... Instead of taking you back in time, I will show you my newest invention.
It's called a time-condenser.
Essentially, what this does is, it blends yesterday and today into one single entity. And it gives you your recommended daily dose of protein, too.
OK, so that last part was a lie... but either way... here we go.
--
It's just before noon, today, and we're watching some of the Philadelphia Flyers wrap up their morning skate at the ACC. I catch up on some old times with a producer from RaptorsTV that I haven't seen since last season. Things are well. That's good.
Doors open. It's about 12:45.
After watching about 10 minutes of Raptors shooting free-throws, Sam Mitchell comes over.
He was in a pretty cheery mood, despite last night's 103-94 loss to the Spurs.
“We had a good practice. Re-iterating getting the ball out, getting into our offense. We gotta remember to push the ball. We gotta run. We gotta play the way that we can play.”
It was essentially a day of reflection all around.
I had a nice little one-on-one with Mo Pete.
“So Mo... anything interesting, or exciting happen at practice today? A lot of Sam's talk was about pushing the ball, and playing defense... and how last night, (when the Raptors led the Spurs 25-16) the coaching staff wanted you guys to keep it up... but something went wrong, and well... it didn't necessarily happen...”
“Yeah, we went over the first quarter on film – and we watched what we did right, and stuff that went wrong – and we had a hard practice today. We didn't go at it that long, but guys came in and really worked. And we got some work in, defensively.”
“What do you think happened? I mean, everything went right that first quarter – and obviously, a game is four quarters, and teams will make their runs – but, what happened in your mind?”
“Well, we knew eventually that they were going to make a run. A team like San Antonio's not going to lay down and not show any fight. That second quarter, their bench players came in, and hit some big shots for them, and kept them in the game...
(Brent Barry hit all three of his 3-point attempts in the 2nd, after connecting on his lone attempt in the 1st)
...we weren't able to match their intensity. Then, you know, they came out in that third quarter, played well, and got maybe a 10 point lead... and it was hard to try to come back against a team like that.”
“How much of today's practice was looking back at yesterday's game? Or... in contrast, how much was it looking forward to the next game, or even tomorrow's practice?”
“Well, we're looking forward now. You know, the thing about us is we saw what we did wrong, and we try to correct it and look at the big picture. We correct the things we did defensively, and that's what you have to do if you want to become a better team. When we get stops defensively, our offense comes around, because we get some easy baskets, we get a chance to push the ball up the court. But when we get into that half-court set, we're not playing our brand of basketball... now we just got to get ready to play on Wednesday.”
“Now, on Wednesday... you've got a different looking Philly team – not on paper, I mean, they're pretty much the same – but, all of a sudden they're playing out of their heads.”
“Yeah, they're playing well. Anytime you've got a guy like Allen Iverson on your team... he's obviously going to help their team, but... they got some guys playing well. Kyle Korver, Andre Iguodala... and you got guys like Chris Webber, who's been a great player for many years – they got some guys who work. And that's what it's all about. If you work hard, and play together as a team... good things will happen.”
Last night, to sharpen that point, the Raptors didn't really play all that well as a team. They didn't push the ball much, and once again, didn't take open looks. The coaching-staff-instilled goal coming into every game is shoot 100 shots (or close to). They had 45 at halftime, but finished with only 76. The Spurs shot more – 78 – and they're a slow-it-down, half-court, team.
Another problem – one which the Raptors faced a lot of last season – is that they were stagnant in their half-court sets. The shot-clock would be winding down, the ball would be passed around the wing, but no one would take a shot... meaning they'd pitch it out to TJ Ford - who's jumper is far from reliable – and he'd be forced to take a prayer. TJ was 5-14 from the field.
Chris Bosh was 8-18, for 19 points and 17 rebounds... and despite a tough day at the office, Bosh was the last one off the practice floor. Practicing screen-and-rolls with Darrick Martin, and eventually just free-throws by himself.
“Chris, you're the highest paid player... and also the sweatiest...”
“[laughs]Yeah, you know... I always believe in working hard. That's my whole thing. That's how I got here, that's how I'm going to stay here. And, you know, it works, so... the harder you work, the more you're going to see the benefits.”
“Sam was talking a lot about re-gaining focus, looking at game-tape... what did you see that you liked, didn't like?”
“We stopped running. We stopped doing the things that we're good at. San Antonio's such a good team in the half-court that – if we play half-court basketball with them... - if they play half-court basketball with anybody, they're going to win 9 out of 10 games. You know, we kinda gave into them a little bit. We just have to stay dedicated to running, stay dedicated to trying to wear down the other team, and keep running... it's hard, but in the end it pays off.”
“How much of that is a mind-state thing? Just constantly telling yourself, you need to keep pushing and pushing?”
“It's tough. It's all mental. You know, because, you know you're going to get tired. And what happens is you kinda try to reserve yourself, because you don't want to get too tired... because you want to keep giving 100% on the court, but... you kinda save yourself.”
“Isn't one of the things with this year, though, the fact that you can keep pushing – no matter what stage of the game it is – because there are guys that can come off the bench and still do the job?”
“Well yeah, that's the main thing. When the starters came in, we didn't do a good job of establishing the tempo. The second group came in, and picked the defense up, they picked the offense up and got the easy buckets... you know, we were up by 6 or 7 points after the first quarter... (9, actually) and after that... we played [Spurs] basketball for 3 quarters.”
They've got another 8 quarters coming up at home (first 4 on Wednesday, versus Philly... the next 4 on Friday, against the Hawks), before heading out for a 5-game road trip out west.
--
PROGRAMMING NOTE:
This Saturday, November 11th, from 7pm – 11pm listen to the debut of “The Coop and Cadeau Show” on the Fan 590, with my and my co-host, Dave Cadeau.
It's called a time-condenser.
Essentially, what this does is, it blends yesterday and today into one single entity. And it gives you your recommended daily dose of protein, too.
OK, so that last part was a lie... but either way... here we go.
--
It's just before noon, today, and we're watching some of the Philadelphia Flyers wrap up their morning skate at the ACC. I catch up on some old times with a producer from RaptorsTV that I haven't seen since last season. Things are well. That's good.
Doors open. It's about 12:45.
After watching about 10 minutes of Raptors shooting free-throws, Sam Mitchell comes over.
He was in a pretty cheery mood, despite last night's 103-94 loss to the Spurs.
“We had a good practice. Re-iterating getting the ball out, getting into our offense. We gotta remember to push the ball. We gotta run. We gotta play the way that we can play.”
It was essentially a day of reflection all around.
I had a nice little one-on-one with Mo Pete.
“So Mo... anything interesting, or exciting happen at practice today? A lot of Sam's talk was about pushing the ball, and playing defense... and how last night, (when the Raptors led the Spurs 25-16) the coaching staff wanted you guys to keep it up... but something went wrong, and well... it didn't necessarily happen...”
“Yeah, we went over the first quarter on film – and we watched what we did right, and stuff that went wrong – and we had a hard practice today. We didn't go at it that long, but guys came in and really worked. And we got some work in, defensively.”
“What do you think happened? I mean, everything went right that first quarter – and obviously, a game is four quarters, and teams will make their runs – but, what happened in your mind?”
“Well, we knew eventually that they were going to make a run. A team like San Antonio's not going to lay down and not show any fight. That second quarter, their bench players came in, and hit some big shots for them, and kept them in the game...
(Brent Barry hit all three of his 3-point attempts in the 2nd, after connecting on his lone attempt in the 1st)
...we weren't able to match their intensity. Then, you know, they came out in that third quarter, played well, and got maybe a 10 point lead... and it was hard to try to come back against a team like that.”
“How much of today's practice was looking back at yesterday's game? Or... in contrast, how much was it looking forward to the next game, or even tomorrow's practice?”
“Well, we're looking forward now. You know, the thing about us is we saw what we did wrong, and we try to correct it and look at the big picture. We correct the things we did defensively, and that's what you have to do if you want to become a better team. When we get stops defensively, our offense comes around, because we get some easy baskets, we get a chance to push the ball up the court. But when we get into that half-court set, we're not playing our brand of basketball... now we just got to get ready to play on Wednesday.”
“Now, on Wednesday... you've got a different looking Philly team – not on paper, I mean, they're pretty much the same – but, all of a sudden they're playing out of their heads.”
“Yeah, they're playing well. Anytime you've got a guy like Allen Iverson on your team... he's obviously going to help their team, but... they got some guys playing well. Kyle Korver, Andre Iguodala... and you got guys like Chris Webber, who's been a great player for many years – they got some guys who work. And that's what it's all about. If you work hard, and play together as a team... good things will happen.”
Last night, to sharpen that point, the Raptors didn't really play all that well as a team. They didn't push the ball much, and once again, didn't take open looks. The coaching-staff-instilled goal coming into every game is shoot 100 shots (or close to). They had 45 at halftime, but finished with only 76. The Spurs shot more – 78 – and they're a slow-it-down, half-court, team.
Another problem – one which the Raptors faced a lot of last season – is that they were stagnant in their half-court sets. The shot-clock would be winding down, the ball would be passed around the wing, but no one would take a shot... meaning they'd pitch it out to TJ Ford - who's jumper is far from reliable – and he'd be forced to take a prayer. TJ was 5-14 from the field.
Chris Bosh was 8-18, for 19 points and 17 rebounds... and despite a tough day at the office, Bosh was the last one off the practice floor. Practicing screen-and-rolls with Darrick Martin, and eventually just free-throws by himself.
“Chris, you're the highest paid player... and also the sweatiest...”
“[laughs]Yeah, you know... I always believe in working hard. That's my whole thing. That's how I got here, that's how I'm going to stay here. And, you know, it works, so... the harder you work, the more you're going to see the benefits.”
“Sam was talking a lot about re-gaining focus, looking at game-tape... what did you see that you liked, didn't like?”
“We stopped running. We stopped doing the things that we're good at. San Antonio's such a good team in the half-court that – if we play half-court basketball with them... - if they play half-court basketball with anybody, they're going to win 9 out of 10 games. You know, we kinda gave into them a little bit. We just have to stay dedicated to running, stay dedicated to trying to wear down the other team, and keep running... it's hard, but in the end it pays off.”
“How much of that is a mind-state thing? Just constantly telling yourself, you need to keep pushing and pushing?”
“It's tough. It's all mental. You know, because, you know you're going to get tired. And what happens is you kinda try to reserve yourself, because you don't want to get too tired... because you want to keep giving 100% on the court, but... you kinda save yourself.”
“Isn't one of the things with this year, though, the fact that you can keep pushing – no matter what stage of the game it is – because there are guys that can come off the bench and still do the job?”
“Well yeah, that's the main thing. When the starters came in, we didn't do a good job of establishing the tempo. The second group came in, and picked the defense up, they picked the offense up and got the easy buckets... you know, we were up by 6 or 7 points after the first quarter... (9, actually) and after that... we played [Spurs] basketball for 3 quarters.”
They've got another 8 quarters coming up at home (first 4 on Wednesday, versus Philly... the next 4 on Friday, against the Hawks), before heading out for a 5-game road trip out west.
--
PROGRAMMING NOTE:
This Saturday, November 11th, from 7pm – 11pm listen to the debut of “The Coop and Cadeau Show” on the Fan 590, with my and my co-host, Dave Cadeau.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
My Mic Smelt Like Stir-Fry...
Since words have the ability to transcend time, it's Thursday. Believe me, it is.
You are a girl who is out to dinner with me, at a fine establishment called “Sweet Lulu” (if you don't know, now you know).
Maybe it's because of the wine, maybe it's because we want to duck out soon, but either way... you can't finish your stir-fry.
Which is too bad for you, really... but great for me, seeing as how you'd forget it in my fridge later that night, and I would reap the benefits the following day.
Leftovers. The real reason for food.
Just like that, it's Friday. Apparently the Raptors have game-day shoot-arounds now. Don't know if anyone planned to tell me, but either way, I'm pretty sure the responsibility is not mine.
Let's move this bad boy further... it's 6:07pm.
I arrive at the ACC, get my bag checked, head to the media center, shake some hands, share some smiles, and grab some pizza.
Nothing new there.
One of the Raptors' staffers comes by...
“Commissioner Stern's scrum has been pushed forward. He'll be there in 5 minutes.”
I finish my slice, and head for the door. But not without a cookie. A huge cookie, at that. With big beautiful white chocolate chips.
I'm through about half of it, when I see the scrum has already encompassed the commish. I rest the greasy half-circle of joy on someone's unfortunate pile of papers, whip out my microphone and recorder... and see it's got some interesting fluid on it.
I try to wipe it off as quickly as possible, and really do a piss-poor job of it. No Matter. I had to get my mic in there.
So David Stern's talking about:
All while, I'm thinking... something smells amazing. I'm looking around, directly behind the commissioner, sniffing everywhere, and half-heartedly realizing that I may have bits of cookie on my face.
I give 'er a quick wipe. Didn't feel any crumbs. Something still smells amazing.
I lean in closer. It's my mic.
It's my mic. And it smells like the leftover stir-fry I had eaten at the station, before coming to the game.
That's what that liquid substance was on my microphone. It was oyster sauce.
I fought back the urge of doing a super-lick behind Mr. Stern's back – fully knowing that he was enjoying the aroma as much as I.
I was thinking of him, here.
So after he wraps, up all the reporters clear, and I head back to my bag, which apparently smelt just as good as my mic.
It's amazing how much destruction one little half-carton of Chinese/Thai food can do to a bag full of papers.
Thankfully, nothing else of importance was oysterized.
==
With that little tale now behind us, let's move forward to the game, shall we?
Let's.
Home opener. TJ Ford against his former team. The return of Charlie Villanueva. All good things. Charlie V gets a warm reception. I drink some water and listen as the little singer, Keshia Chante, flubs up some words in the American National Anthem. She rebounds well for us Canucks, though.
Her vocals weren't bad... but the musical moment of the night came before tip-off, actually... Matisse and the Playground, was responsible for greeting fans awaiting entrance to the ACC with live, soulful, RnB.
Anyway, so the game gets underway... the Raptors start out with steam. Chris Bosh hits his first 5 shots, and finishes with 10 points after 1. The 2nd opened with Freddy Jones posterizing someone, coming in from the baseline. Jones then followed that with a steal... and then threw up an airball from behind the arc. By the time the clock read 4:15, Bosh had his first double-double of the season - 16 points, 10 boards. The Raps led by as many as 12, but by halftime, the Bucks tie it up at 50's.
Villanueva had 13 and 9.
The Raptors opened the third with an 8-0 run, as Ford picked apart the Bucks' defense, always seeming to find someone open on the perimeter. Heading into the 4th, the Raptors led by 4... Bosh had 25 and 11. Ford had 11 and 7 assists... while Charlie V had 17, and 10 rebounds.
After 3 minutes of PT in the final frame, Villanueva's night was done, thanks to a pulled right hamstring. No matter, as Toronto poured it on, outscoring the Bucks 24-7 over the first 9 minutes (or so). Kris Humphries, Andrea Bargnani, and Joey Graham wound down the clock.
109, 
92
I think I asked only two questions after the game. And if there were more, there were only two worth repeating the responses.
The first was to Freddy Jones, who made reference to Bosh being 'the man,' selling the tickets, and getting fans in the seats... I told him that a few more dunks like his early in the third, and he might be account for a nice contribution.
His response:
“You know, that's what I'm here for. My teammates, they joke with me all the time that I haven't [done] anything... I'm a dunk contest winner, but I never get dunks in the game... I told them, 'you know, it's the regular season... I'll bring something up.'”
Over to Bosh, now...
“That 4th quarter, Chris, you guys were completely dominating... it seemed like you guys hit every shot, got every shot you wanted... while the Bucks couldn't get any rhythm.”
“Well yeah, we've been working on our defense. Coach has been preaching defense, and you know, we let our defense turn into fast-breaks. When we get that rebound, and the ball is still live, we kick it out to the guards... you know, our wings are so good at running, TJ, he's just finding people left and right... and it's helping us out a lot.”
So that's that. The Raptors handily win their home-opener... and Commissioner David Stern smelt my leftover stir-fry.
You are a girl who is out to dinner with me, at a fine establishment called “Sweet Lulu” (if you don't know, now you know).
Maybe it's because of the wine, maybe it's because we want to duck out soon, but either way... you can't finish your stir-fry.
Which is too bad for you, really... but great for me, seeing as how you'd forget it in my fridge later that night, and I would reap the benefits the following day.
Leftovers. The real reason for food.
Just like that, it's Friday. Apparently the Raptors have game-day shoot-arounds now. Don't know if anyone planned to tell me, but either way, I'm pretty sure the responsibility is not mine.
Let's move this bad boy further... it's 6:07pm.
I arrive at the ACC, get my bag checked, head to the media center, shake some hands, share some smiles, and grab some pizza.
Nothing new there.
One of the Raptors' staffers comes by...
“Commissioner Stern's scrum has been pushed forward. He'll be there in 5 minutes.”
I finish my slice, and head for the door. But not without a cookie. A huge cookie, at that. With big beautiful white chocolate chips.
I'm through about half of it, when I see the scrum has already encompassed the commish. I rest the greasy half-circle of joy on someone's unfortunate pile of papers, whip out my microphone and recorder... and see it's got some interesting fluid on it.
I try to wipe it off as quickly as possible, and really do a piss-poor job of it. No Matter. I had to get my mic in there.
So David Stern's talking about:
-Why the refs are calling so many fouls, and how he's trying to clean up the game.
-Steroid use in professional sports – and how he's becoming less and less thrilled with the antics of WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency)
-Mark Cuban's antics
-Spreading the NBA all over the world
All while, I'm thinking... something smells amazing. I'm looking around, directly behind the commissioner, sniffing everywhere, and half-heartedly realizing that I may have bits of cookie on my face.
I give 'er a quick wipe. Didn't feel any crumbs. Something still smells amazing.
I lean in closer. It's my mic.
It's my mic. And it smells like the leftover stir-fry I had eaten at the station, before coming to the game.
That's what that liquid substance was on my microphone. It was oyster sauce.
I fought back the urge of doing a super-lick behind Mr. Stern's back – fully knowing that he was enjoying the aroma as much as I.
I was thinking of him, here.
So after he wraps, up all the reporters clear, and I head back to my bag, which apparently smelt just as good as my mic.
It's amazing how much destruction one little half-carton of Chinese/Thai food can do to a bag full of papers.
Thankfully, nothing else of importance was oysterized.
==
With that little tale now behind us, let's move forward to the game, shall we?
Let's.
Home opener. TJ Ford against his former team. The return of Charlie Villanueva. All good things. Charlie V gets a warm reception. I drink some water and listen as the little singer, Keshia Chante, flubs up some words in the American National Anthem. She rebounds well for us Canucks, though.
Her vocals weren't bad... but the musical moment of the night came before tip-off, actually... Matisse and the Playground, was responsible for greeting fans awaiting entrance to the ACC with live, soulful, RnB.
Anyway, so the game gets underway... the Raptors start out with steam. Chris Bosh hits his first 5 shots, and finishes with 10 points after 1. The 2nd opened with Freddy Jones posterizing someone, coming in from the baseline. Jones then followed that with a steal... and then threw up an airball from behind the arc. By the time the clock read 4:15, Bosh had his first double-double of the season - 16 points, 10 boards. The Raps led by as many as 12, but by halftime, the Bucks tie it up at 50's.
Villanueva had 13 and 9.
The Raptors opened the third with an 8-0 run, as Ford picked apart the Bucks' defense, always seeming to find someone open on the perimeter. Heading into the 4th, the Raptors led by 4... Bosh had 25 and 11. Ford had 11 and 7 assists... while Charlie V had 17, and 10 rebounds.
After 3 minutes of PT in the final frame, Villanueva's night was done, thanks to a pulled right hamstring. No matter, as Toronto poured it on, outscoring the Bucks 24-7 over the first 9 minutes (or so). Kris Humphries, Andrea Bargnani, and Joey Graham wound down the clock.
109, 
92I think I asked only two questions after the game. And if there were more, there were only two worth repeating the responses.
The first was to Freddy Jones, who made reference to Bosh being 'the man,' selling the tickets, and getting fans in the seats... I told him that a few more dunks like his early in the third, and he might be account for a nice contribution.
His response:
“You know, that's what I'm here for. My teammates, they joke with me all the time that I haven't [done] anything... I'm a dunk contest winner, but I never get dunks in the game... I told them, 'you know, it's the regular season... I'll bring something up.'”
Over to Bosh, now...
“That 4th quarter, Chris, you guys were completely dominating... it seemed like you guys hit every shot, got every shot you wanted... while the Bucks couldn't get any rhythm.”
“Well yeah, we've been working on our defense. Coach has been preaching defense, and you know, we let our defense turn into fast-breaks. When we get that rebound, and the ball is still live, we kick it out to the guards... you know, our wings are so good at running, TJ, he's just finding people left and right... and it's helping us out a lot.”
So that's that. The Raptors handily win their home-opener... and Commissioner David Stern smelt my leftover stir-fry.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
No Finish...
Good start... Decent second and third... no finish...
102 ; 
92
Observations:
It was disappointing to see Bosh and Fred Jones try to force the issue - but for Bosh, it's a little more understandable. As the floor-leader, if you're struggling, you've got to work your way out of it. But for Jones, when his shot's not going, pull-up 3's are unacceptable (if I'm Mitchell).
The Raptors were playing the passing lanes very well... but because they were relying on steals-turned-fast-break-points, they ended up gambling a lot and giving up open looks. Any time Mikki Moore looks like a 7-foot braided Jason Kidd, you've got problems.
The real Jason Kidd definitely stood up, too... 76th career triple-double... 3rd against the Raptors. How much of a TSN-turning point was that Ford steal, turned inadvertent-whistle?? Somehow, the mistaken call has the ball given back to NJ, which at the time, sported a 4-point lead. If Ford gets the steal, assuming he sinks the open lay-in, the lead is down to two. However, the Nets end up sinking a trey for the 5-point swing.
I believe that was the closest the Raptors got, from that point on.
Oh yeah, how about that Vince Carter guy... 25 points, 11 boards... still bother you? Not me in the slightest. Forgive, don't forget.
Wait, what are we talking about again?
...Next up... BUCKS... at home...
102 ; 
92Observations:
- Mo Pete has experience playing with impaired vision. If he can do blindfolded lay-ups, he can hit the midrange jumper with a puffy eye.
- Anthony Parker's got some mean floatage ability (yeah, I said 'floatage').
- TJ Ford did a good job of getting his jumper going early.
- Chris Bosh was clearly out of his element... and brought Andrea Bargnani with him.
- Joey Graham had a case of first-game jitters.
- Sam Mitchell's half-time/time-out talks are getting received much better this year...
- The team appeared too focused on getting shots up, as opposed to getting quality shots.
It was disappointing to see Bosh and Fred Jones try to force the issue - but for Bosh, it's a little more understandable. As the floor-leader, if you're struggling, you've got to work your way out of it. But for Jones, when his shot's not going, pull-up 3's are unacceptable (if I'm Mitchell).
The Raptors were playing the passing lanes very well... but because they were relying on steals-turned-fast-break-points, they ended up gambling a lot and giving up open looks. Any time Mikki Moore looks like a 7-foot braided Jason Kidd, you've got problems.
The real Jason Kidd definitely stood up, too... 76th career triple-double... 3rd against the Raptors. How much of a TSN-turning point was that Ford steal, turned inadvertent-whistle?? Somehow, the mistaken call has the ball given back to NJ, which at the time, sported a 4-point lead. If Ford gets the steal, assuming he sinks the open lay-in, the lead is down to two. However, the Nets end up sinking a trey for the 5-point swing.
I believe that was the closest the Raptors got, from that point on.
Oh yeah, how about that Vince Carter guy... 25 points, 11 boards... still bother you? Not me in the slightest. Forgive, don't forget.
Wait, what are we talking about again?
...Next up... BUCKS... at home...
Monday, October 30, 2006
Filled With Excitement
Practice is set for 11:00am. Media is encouraged to arrive at 12:30.
I get to the RBK Court at 12:15 to a packed house.
Never have I seen so much media for a practice - before even the regular season has started!
The usual wait is filled with conversations with guys from the Score (one of whom I went to college with), Global Sports, Raptors TV... etc etc.
Catching up on old times, and stories of what was.
The door opens, and everyone floods through the big red barricade on a mission.
However, per usual, the media just watches as guys continue practicing free-throws, 3-pointers, and hit the weight room for about 15 minutes.
Between all the reporters, the list of requested interviewees is long and drawn out. In fact, the only players not requested for questioning were Rasho Nesterovic and Pape Sow.
Personally, I wanted to talk to Fred Jones and Mo Pete - on top of the usual Sam Mitchell scrum.
Now, if you didn't read Michael Grange's piece from the Globe, then you might not know of Sam's displeasure for TV Cameras. Now on this day, with about a dozen blinding lights in his face, Sam wasn't particularly pleased. Let alone the fact that it's hard to think of questions, especially when there's no drama to speak of.
So I didn't inquire about anything.
On to Jones... I wanted to talk to him about this, that, and the other... but started off with something direct:
“So how's the thumb doing?"
"It's getting better. It's a day to day process, you know, I gotta get treatment, stay on it, and be ready for opening night.”
“Speaking of which... are you a fan of the NBA, in itself? Like, will you be sitting at home watching the season openers tomorrow?”
“Oh yeah, I watch all the games. Every night, that's all I do. I got the NBA package, I watch every game I can, all night. You know, my family sometimes gets mad at me, because that's all I do.”
“Are you still talking to anyone from Oregon?”
“Me and Luc Ridnour are close... I talk to him quite a bit, and I talk to a couple of the guys that I played with on the team. We still get together once in a while.”
“So, you're somewhat new to the city... you've been here what, two months? What's your take on the vibe around Toronto?”
“It's been good. It's been totally different to what I'm accustomed to. You know, I can't get all the foods that I normally eat. And you know, they're forcing me to try new things... and I don't really try new things. That's been tough on me, but everything else is pretty good.”
“Well, like what? Maybe I can help you out a bit...”
“...Even McDonald's doesn't have sausage biscuits... they don't have biscuits, and I don't understand that.”
“Hmm... yeah, I wish I could help you out with that, I'm sorry. This may be a little out of left field,” as if my earlier questions weren't. “Do you ever think about re-entering the dunk competition?”
“Oh no. You know, I was blessed enough to win it, but I don't feel like I can compete with that anymore. You know, we got some guys in the league right now... and I'll let them take that over. I'm a little older now, and it's their time to shine.”
He's two years older, having taking the title in 2004, but thinking back now... the 'rising stars' portion means you need to be in the first three years of your NBA career to enter.
“You're one of the 9 new guys on this team... with this being a new situation for you, what kind of feeling do you get when you see all this excitement. I mean, I've never seen a practice with this many reporters here...”
“Well, everyone's excited. You know, for a lot of our guys, this is their first taste of the league. They're excited about that, and it brings a lot of excitement. They've been in situations where they couldn't perform they way they wanted to. You know, guys like myself, where, you get into a new situation... and you're excited about that. You're able to perform, and you know, the leash is off you. So I think we've got a good mixture, you know, a lot of people not worrying about anything but going out and proving themselves.”
“And it's almost a strange way that you got here, I mean... had Indiana not rescinded the qualifying offer they gave you, and had John Salmons not walked away from a verbal commitment with the Raptors... you wouldn't be here.”
“The Lord works in mysterious ways, you know... He always had a plan for me, and I never knew what that plan was until everything went through. I think he put me in the right spot – he wouldn't give me nothing I can't handle, and I'm here.”
I thanked him, and trailed over to a TJ Ford scrum... I didn't want to pester him with questions, because chances are he'll be signing a long-term extension tonight (and will have likely already inked by the time you read this)... so I'd hold off until tomorrow morning's practice.
I drifted over to the always-inviting Mo Pete... after a series of topics thrown his way... i brought it back to anticipation, and overwhelming hype this team is dealing with.
“Mo, it's pretty evident that the excitement is way up for this team around this city, but how about the team itself? Two days away from getting it going... where's the team at, in terms of the sense of hype?”
“I think mentally, guys are just staying focused... we're not letting anything on the outside distract us. You know, we're keeping everything in the locker room... Guys are working hard, pushing for each other, and as you see now, guys are staying after practice to put up shots, because we feel we weren't putting the ball up as well.”
“In terms of the hype, though? I mean... It's gotta be pretty exciting having all this attention, and for the regular season to be just a couple days away... where you'll be playing for real...”
“Oh yeah... these last 4 years have definitely been challenging. There have definitely been a lot of downs, more downs than ups, and it's good to be able to walk around the city, and you go somewhere and have people say 'hey, we're excited about the season. We can't wait for you guys to get going. You guys are looking good. Keep up the good work.' It does feel good knowing that all your hard work is starting to pay off... and Wednesday – not only Wednesday, for the season – you know, we want to play hard. Not only for us, but for the fans, because I think we owe them a lot.”
...one more practice...
I get to the RBK Court at 12:15 to a packed house.
Never have I seen so much media for a practice - before even the regular season has started!
The usual wait is filled with conversations with guys from the Score (one of whom I went to college with), Global Sports, Raptors TV... etc etc.
Catching up on old times, and stories of what was.
The door opens, and everyone floods through the big red barricade on a mission.
However, per usual, the media just watches as guys continue practicing free-throws, 3-pointers, and hit the weight room for about 15 minutes.
Between all the reporters, the list of requested interviewees is long and drawn out. In fact, the only players not requested for questioning were Rasho Nesterovic and Pape Sow.
Personally, I wanted to talk to Fred Jones and Mo Pete - on top of the usual Sam Mitchell scrum.
Now, if you didn't read Michael Grange's piece from the Globe, then you might not know of Sam's displeasure for TV Cameras. Now on this day, with about a dozen blinding lights in his face, Sam wasn't particularly pleased. Let alone the fact that it's hard to think of questions, especially when there's no drama to speak of.
So I didn't inquire about anything.
On to Jones... I wanted to talk to him about this, that, and the other... but started off with something direct:
“So how's the thumb doing?"
"It's getting better. It's a day to day process, you know, I gotta get treatment, stay on it, and be ready for opening night.”
“Speaking of which... are you a fan of the NBA, in itself? Like, will you be sitting at home watching the season openers tomorrow?”
“Oh yeah, I watch all the games. Every night, that's all I do. I got the NBA package, I watch every game I can, all night. You know, my family sometimes gets mad at me, because that's all I do.”
“Are you still talking to anyone from Oregon?”
“Me and Luc Ridnour are close... I talk to him quite a bit, and I talk to a couple of the guys that I played with on the team. We still get together once in a while.”
“So, you're somewhat new to the city... you've been here what, two months? What's your take on the vibe around Toronto?”
“It's been good. It's been totally different to what I'm accustomed to. You know, I can't get all the foods that I normally eat. And you know, they're forcing me to try new things... and I don't really try new things. That's been tough on me, but everything else is pretty good.”
“Well, like what? Maybe I can help you out a bit...”
“...Even McDonald's doesn't have sausage biscuits... they don't have biscuits, and I don't understand that.”
“Hmm... yeah, I wish I could help you out with that, I'm sorry. This may be a little out of left field,” as if my earlier questions weren't. “Do you ever think about re-entering the dunk competition?”
“Oh no. You know, I was blessed enough to win it, but I don't feel like I can compete with that anymore. You know, we got some guys in the league right now... and I'll let them take that over. I'm a little older now, and it's their time to shine.”
He's two years older, having taking the title in 2004, but thinking back now... the 'rising stars' portion means you need to be in the first three years of your NBA career to enter.
“You're one of the 9 new guys on this team... with this being a new situation for you, what kind of feeling do you get when you see all this excitement. I mean, I've never seen a practice with this many reporters here...”
“Well, everyone's excited. You know, for a lot of our guys, this is their first taste of the league. They're excited about that, and it brings a lot of excitement. They've been in situations where they couldn't perform they way they wanted to. You know, guys like myself, where, you get into a new situation... and you're excited about that. You're able to perform, and you know, the leash is off you. So I think we've got a good mixture, you know, a lot of people not worrying about anything but going out and proving themselves.”
“And it's almost a strange way that you got here, I mean... had Indiana not rescinded the qualifying offer they gave you, and had John Salmons not walked away from a verbal commitment with the Raptors... you wouldn't be here.”
“The Lord works in mysterious ways, you know... He always had a plan for me, and I never knew what that plan was until everything went through. I think he put me in the right spot – he wouldn't give me nothing I can't handle, and I'm here.”
I thanked him, and trailed over to a TJ Ford scrum... I didn't want to pester him with questions, because chances are he'll be signing a long-term extension tonight (and will have likely already inked by the time you read this)... so I'd hold off until tomorrow morning's practice.
I drifted over to the always-inviting Mo Pete... after a series of topics thrown his way... i brought it back to anticipation, and overwhelming hype this team is dealing with.
“Mo, it's pretty evident that the excitement is way up for this team around this city, but how about the team itself? Two days away from getting it going... where's the team at, in terms of the sense of hype?”
“I think mentally, guys are just staying focused... we're not letting anything on the outside distract us. You know, we're keeping everything in the locker room... Guys are working hard, pushing for each other, and as you see now, guys are staying after practice to put up shots, because we feel we weren't putting the ball up as well.”
“In terms of the hype, though? I mean... It's gotta be pretty exciting having all this attention, and for the regular season to be just a couple days away... where you'll be playing for real...”
“Oh yeah... these last 4 years have definitely been challenging. There have definitely been a lot of downs, more downs than ups, and it's good to be able to walk around the city, and you go somewhere and have people say 'hey, we're excited about the season. We can't wait for you guys to get going. You guys are looking good. Keep up the good work.' It does feel good knowing that all your hard work is starting to pay off... and Wednesday – not only Wednesday, for the season – you know, we want to play hard. Not only for us, but for the fans, because I think we owe them a lot.”
...one more practice...
Monday, October 23, 2006
Catching Up...
So apparently I'm not the only one that needs to be playing catch-up here.
It may be a bad tie-in, but it wasn't really intentional.
For the second straight game, the Raptors came back from a 13-point first half deficit, and pulled out a win.
Sure, you could say the last game was against Maccabi (and that's all we're going to say about that game – since it's so far in the past), but against a Cleveland team that was back to full strength... Make no bones about it, the Raptors put in work last night.
Especially with Chris Bosh (plantar fasciitis), TJ Ford (sore left hamstring), and Andrea Bargnani (sore left ankle) all sitting out, the depleted Raptors found success, and improved to 6-0 in the preseason, for the first time in franchise history.
A courtside seat was a beautiful thing... although I have to say, it might have taken away a little of my non-sexual love for Lebron James. The man-child now expects to get every call, and wants to be treated like royalty by his teammates (and evidently the refs, too). Damon Jones, who I never liked anyway, proved to be an even bigger pest when in ear-shot of his constant yammering. First off, the guy's shorts were way too short (maybe it's a shot at Stern's rule of having them above the knees). Secondly, every time he would be defending (or trying to) someone who was taking a shot, he'd run by then and yell 'Oh HELL no!” And lastly, the ONE shot the guy makes (1/8 mind you) was a 3-pointer, and when it flushed through the net, he looked at the Raptors' bench, and smacked his ass.
Enough of that, though... a bitter taste is only fun to talk about for so long.
What was sweet, was watching Freddy Jones conduct play on the court. I'm calling it now – Fred Jones - 6th man of the year. Just watch. And quote me later.
The guy, listed at 6'2”, had 2 game-changing blocks in the 4th, and then drilled a go-ahead 3... Jones had 22 points overall (a game-high), to go with 3 boards, 3 assists, and 3 blocks in total.
Kris Humphries once again had a solid game – 16 points and a team-high 9 rebounds... and while Mo Pete put up 16 points as well, Uros Slokar can not be over-looked: 6 points, and 7 boards (5 of which came in his first 7 minutes of play).
If I hadn't mentioned already... Slokar is a treat to interview, as well.
“How are you feeling, from a personal standpoint? I mean, you don't get too much time out there on the floor, but tonight you seemed to make the most out of it...”
“Well, yeah. I just try to use every opportunity. I knew when I came here, I didn't gonna get like 20 minutes every game. I didn't come here as a leader, I came as a guy who needs to work his way up. I just use every opportunity. I'll wait for the next one, and try to do my best. Sometimes I'll do good, sometimes I'll do bad... Today I was lucky enough, I did good... I really fought under the baskets. Also Kris [Humphries] fought incredibly well, because we saw a couple of guys that were struggling – not that they didn't want to do it – but you know, the whole momentum and everything, we just came in there and we helped the team, and we won. And that's the important thing right now for the Raptors.”
“Now what do you see as your role on the team?”
“I really try to do the things that aren't really in statistics. Like, do something good in defense, help out the guys... Because you know, when a new guy comes like me, you're never going to take the ball and just shoot the lights out with it, you know? You go there, you help the team, and if your shot comes you take it. But mainly, I was just trying to get the rebounds, play defense, and things like that.
Once we wrapped up... I thanked him for the interview, and what was strange... he thanked me back.
Funny how that goes.
While I also got some quotes from Mo, Kris, Chris, and Sam Mitchell... I want to get back to Freddy, so we can move this thing along...
“So is this how it goes? The coach sits a few of your stars, and you guys have to come in and clean up the mess?”
“Well, you know... whenever someone is out – and it's going to happen somewhere in the season, it's a long season – 82 games, injuries happen. Other stuff happens, people not playing well, it's time for other people to step up and we had a lot of good guys step up tonight.”
“What were your impressions of the difference between the first and second halfs? I mean, in the first, you guys were giving up a lot of easy points in the point... but in the second...”
“Just a little more energy level in the second half. We just needed something to go right for us. We were kind of down, you know, in the first half... we weren't making plays that we were making early in the preseason – you know, we needed something to spark us, we got that spark, and it was able to settle us down.”
The preseason comes to a close with 2 more games – both on the road.
For myself, I've got to cover practice today and tomorrow... so I have got to get dressed.
We'll obviously chat soon.
It may be a bad tie-in, but it wasn't really intentional.
For the second straight game, the Raptors came back from a 13-point first half deficit, and pulled out a win.
Sure, you could say the last game was against Maccabi (and that's all we're going to say about that game – since it's so far in the past), but against a Cleveland team that was back to full strength... Make no bones about it, the Raptors put in work last night.
Especially with Chris Bosh (plantar fasciitis), TJ Ford (sore left hamstring), and Andrea Bargnani (sore left ankle) all sitting out, the depleted Raptors found success, and improved to 6-0 in the preseason, for the first time in franchise history.
Raptors 91, Cavaliers 90
A courtside seat was a beautiful thing... although I have to say, it might have taken away a little of my non-sexual love for Lebron James. The man-child now expects to get every call, and wants to be treated like royalty by his teammates (and evidently the refs, too). Damon Jones, who I never liked anyway, proved to be an even bigger pest when in ear-shot of his constant yammering. First off, the guy's shorts were way too short (maybe it's a shot at Stern's rule of having them above the knees). Secondly, every time he would be defending (or trying to) someone who was taking a shot, he'd run by then and yell 'Oh HELL no!” And lastly, the ONE shot the guy makes (1/8 mind you) was a 3-pointer, and when it flushed through the net, he looked at the Raptors' bench, and smacked his ass.
Enough of that, though... a bitter taste is only fun to talk about for so long.
What was sweet, was watching Freddy Jones conduct play on the court. I'm calling it now – Fred Jones - 6th man of the year. Just watch. And quote me later.
The guy, listed at 6'2”, had 2 game-changing blocks in the 4th, and then drilled a go-ahead 3... Jones had 22 points overall (a game-high), to go with 3 boards, 3 assists, and 3 blocks in total.
Kris Humphries once again had a solid game – 16 points and a team-high 9 rebounds... and while Mo Pete put up 16 points as well, Uros Slokar can not be over-looked: 6 points, and 7 boards (5 of which came in his first 7 minutes of play).
If I hadn't mentioned already... Slokar is a treat to interview, as well.
“How are you feeling, from a personal standpoint? I mean, you don't get too much time out there on the floor, but tonight you seemed to make the most out of it...”
“Well, yeah. I just try to use every opportunity. I knew when I came here, I didn't gonna get like 20 minutes every game. I didn't come here as a leader, I came as a guy who needs to work his way up. I just use every opportunity. I'll wait for the next one, and try to do my best. Sometimes I'll do good, sometimes I'll do bad... Today I was lucky enough, I did good... I really fought under the baskets. Also Kris [Humphries] fought incredibly well, because we saw a couple of guys that were struggling – not that they didn't want to do it – but you know, the whole momentum and everything, we just came in there and we helped the team, and we won. And that's the important thing right now for the Raptors.”
“Now what do you see as your role on the team?”
“I really try to do the things that aren't really in statistics. Like, do something good in defense, help out the guys... Because you know, when a new guy comes like me, you're never going to take the ball and just shoot the lights out with it, you know? You go there, you help the team, and if your shot comes you take it. But mainly, I was just trying to get the rebounds, play defense, and things like that.
Once we wrapped up... I thanked him for the interview, and what was strange... he thanked me back.
Funny how that goes.
While I also got some quotes from Mo, Kris, Chris, and Sam Mitchell... I want to get back to Freddy, so we can move this thing along...
“So is this how it goes? The coach sits a few of your stars, and you guys have to come in and clean up the mess?”
“Well, you know... whenever someone is out – and it's going to happen somewhere in the season, it's a long season – 82 games, injuries happen. Other stuff happens, people not playing well, it's time for other people to step up and we had a lot of good guys step up tonight.”
“What were your impressions of the difference between the first and second halfs? I mean, in the first, you guys were giving up a lot of easy points in the point... but in the second...”
“Just a little more energy level in the second half. We just needed something to go right for us. We were kind of down, you know, in the first half... we weren't making plays that we were making early in the preseason – you know, we needed something to spark us, we got that spark, and it was able to settle us down.”
The preseason comes to a close with 2 more games – both on the road.
For myself, I've got to cover practice today and tomorrow... so I have got to get dressed.
We'll obviously chat soon.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Shooting the Lights Out
Practice on Saturday was a big bag of boring. I got there at noon, joining a half-handful of other reporters, who waited about an hour to watch the same ‘new rules’ video that we had seen days before.
After the video, however, only a few players came out (3 for a Toronto Life reporter doing a story on the Raptors being the UN of the NBA)… of interest, only Mo Pete… and really, there wasn’t much interesting.
So let’s move on to Sunday.
It’s noon again, and I stroll in to the media center (after gleefully checking press row, and seeing that I’m back to courtside, baby!). I see one of the ACC employees, and confess that the previous game I forgot her name. She forgave me, and even offered me the paid meal – for free! Yeah, apparently I wouldn’t be eating for pizza for breakfast (again).
Bacons, eggs, potatoes and a danish it was. Thank you.
Oh right, there was a game. Vince Carter was in town. He got the usual boo’s, but even afterwards (as evidenced by my fellow reporters’ clips), he wasn’t really impressed with the passion involved.
Chris Bosh would sit this one out for precautionary reasons. He had missed the last two practices with a sore left heel. We found out about 25 minutes before tip-off that Andrea Bargnani would start in his place.
Bargnani picked up a couple quick fouls, and had to head back to the bench. However, TJ Ford was keeping just about everyone else involved, dishing out 5 assists in the first 6 minutes – en route to 9 at the half. If Ford hadn’t missed 4 easy lay-ups, he stats would be much more bloated.
It is what it is.
The Raptors trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half, but brought it to 10 by the break.
Kris Humphries exploded in the 3rd, getting 5 points and grabbing 7 off the glass in just under 5 minutes. Sure, he tapped a lot to himself off of missed buckets, but the boxscore doesn’t lie. Hustle is hustle. Especially for the Minnesota Muscle (you heard it here first).
PJ Tucker was a beast around the basket as well… he shot 6-of-7 for a team-high 18 points in just 21 minutes. He was one of 7 (yes, 7 Raptors not named Bosh) to score in double-figures.
Jose Calderon was also huge, with 9 points, 6 rebounds (he seemed to be grabbing everything), and 5 assists… to go with 3 steals, in contrast to just a couple of turnovers.
Freddy Jones had 14 points, but had to leave the game in the 2nd half after falling hard on a dunk attempt. He’d have x-rays on his wrist. No word yet.
For the record, Bargnani had 11 points, 4 boards, and 5 fouls in 11 minutes.
The Raptors outscored the Nets 30-20 in the 3rd, and then 37-28 in the 4th, en route to a 119-110 win over New Jersey.
After the game, Coach Sam Mitchell was obviously pleased (you could actually see him smiling on the bench, almost throughout the entire 24 minutes). His scrum, however, wasn’t as much a scrum, as it was a press conference.
My only verbal contribution was this:
“How much of a relief is it, to see that with Chris out, everyone seemed to step in and play their role, and play it pretty well?”
“Well, I thought our guys on the bench… I thought PJ, Joey, and Kris Humphries, Jose, Jorge… you know, all those guys played well coming off the bench. I thought they just played exceptional. You know, PJ Tucker, he and Kris Humphries just bring energy and a little toughness, getting some loose balls, some offensive rebounds. I thought Jose’s been running the team really well, with that second group… and Freddy...”
After sticking my mic in front of Bosh for all of about 30 seconds, I went over to Humphries…
“It’s got to feel pretty good to get a lot of good praise from your coach… he had nothing but fond things to say about you… your hustle, how you’re active around the glass.”
“Oh yeah, you know coach… coach gives credit where credit’s due. And we all appreciate that. It definitely feels good to have someone in your corner.”
“Was it nice to have the fans in your corner as well? I can’t say I watched every Jazz game, but these fans were cheering for you pretty hard when you came out of the game…”
“Toronto has great fans… I’ve seen some hockey games… whatever sport it may be, you know, Toronto people come out and they support. And I look forward to having a sold out place, and really playing hard for all the fans here.”
Then it was on to PJ Tucker, or “Baby Mule” as coach Mitchell called him. In all honesty, I asked him a couple questions… but didn’t get more than 5 or 6 words for each. So I’ll save the space.
I went over to Jose, for a brief one-on-one…
“That was quite the game you put out there… and Sam was saying that you’re probably the guy that’s in the best shape on the team.”
“Yeah, but today, I don’t know. It’s not my best day. I help to win, but I think it’s not very good, I’m not very happy today with my work, but the best thing is the win. I feel great, though. I feel more comfortable this year. I play with confidence, and that’s it. I just try to play like a team, and have a good feeling this year. Everybody trying to help everybody, and this is a good feeling to have.”
“Now, it seems that you might be a little modest…I mean, it seemed like you were doing everything right – at least, from my perspective.”
“No, like I told you… I feel with a lot of confidence this year, and I know the NBA this year. Everybody try to help me out last year, and now I learn about all these things they talk about. I don’t know. I pray for play this year, and help this team for win.”
A little small-talk ensued, and then the long wait for Ford.
TJ was sitting, half-dressed, and talking on his cell phone for about 15 minutes while the remaining media (which was dwindling) waited. Cezary Trybanski and LaVell Blanchard were both saying goodbyes, as they had just both been let go… and about 10 minutes later, Ford was finally cool to talk.
At this point, it was just me and Raptors TV… so I let it rip… the questions, that is:
“So it is you getting used to the ball, or your teammates?”
“Ah, well, you know… it’s been a stepping stone for me. I’m just glad I was able to have a good game today. Pretty much, as far as finding my teammates, getting people open shots, and having guys knocking them down. That’s one part of my game that I’ve been struggling with the past two games, so we’re taking steps… and hopefully, within the next couple of weeks, it’ll come together just in time for the season to start.”
“Yeah, I mean it seemed like a huge turnaround for you… last game, you had 8 turnovers… this time, you had 11 assists, to just 1 turnover… I mean, everything seemed to be going right for you, with the exception of a few lay-ins.”
“It’s all about, you know, the first couple games – it just didn’t feel like I was in shape. My body was tired. Mentally, I’m at a different part right now, and I think I’m just going to continue to get better. This is part of the preseason, getting in shape, getting all the rust out, and getting used to your teammates. It’s been an adjustment that I’ve just had to make the last couple of weeks.”
“Yeah, your team had to make quite the adjustment with Chris being out, I mean… everybody seemed to be getting in on the scoring act.”
“Well that just shows you how we’re going to play… it just shows how deep this team is. No matter on any given night, it could be anybody’s night… and well, we depend on Chris, and we hope he gets well soon… I think he’s going to be fine, but it’s just gives us the opportunity to see what happens when one of your main guys goes down and can’t play. Who’s going to step up? I think everyone did a good job tonight.”
Good times were had. The lights went out midway through the 4th, and stayed at half-capacity (which was quite nice) until about 1:47 remained. When the light came back on, it was bright… but I think I handled it well.
After the video, however, only a few players came out (3 for a Toronto Life reporter doing a story on the Raptors being the UN of the NBA)… of interest, only Mo Pete… and really, there wasn’t much interesting.
So let’s move on to Sunday.
It’s noon again, and I stroll in to the media center (after gleefully checking press row, and seeing that I’m back to courtside, baby!). I see one of the ACC employees, and confess that the previous game I forgot her name. She forgave me, and even offered me the paid meal – for free! Yeah, apparently I wouldn’t be eating for pizza for breakfast (again).
Bacons, eggs, potatoes and a danish it was. Thank you.
Oh right, there was a game. Vince Carter was in town. He got the usual boo’s, but even afterwards (as evidenced by my fellow reporters’ clips), he wasn’t really impressed with the passion involved.
Chris Bosh would sit this one out for precautionary reasons. He had missed the last two practices with a sore left heel. We found out about 25 minutes before tip-off that Andrea Bargnani would start in his place.
Bargnani picked up a couple quick fouls, and had to head back to the bench. However, TJ Ford was keeping just about everyone else involved, dishing out 5 assists in the first 6 minutes – en route to 9 at the half. If Ford hadn’t missed 4 easy lay-ups, he stats would be much more bloated.
It is what it is.
The Raptors trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half, but brought it to 10 by the break.
Kris Humphries exploded in the 3rd, getting 5 points and grabbing 7 off the glass in just under 5 minutes. Sure, he tapped a lot to himself off of missed buckets, but the boxscore doesn’t lie. Hustle is hustle. Especially for the Minnesota Muscle (you heard it here first).
PJ Tucker was a beast around the basket as well… he shot 6-of-7 for a team-high 18 points in just 21 minutes. He was one of 7 (yes, 7 Raptors not named Bosh) to score in double-figures.
Jose Calderon was also huge, with 9 points, 6 rebounds (he seemed to be grabbing everything), and 5 assists… to go with 3 steals, in contrast to just a couple of turnovers.
Freddy Jones had 14 points, but had to leave the game in the 2nd half after falling hard on a dunk attempt. He’d have x-rays on his wrist. No word yet.
For the record, Bargnani had 11 points, 4 boards, and 5 fouls in 11 minutes.
The Raptors outscored the Nets 30-20 in the 3rd, and then 37-28 in the 4th, en route to a 119-110 win over New Jersey.
After the game, Coach Sam Mitchell was obviously pleased (you could actually see him smiling on the bench, almost throughout the entire 24 minutes). His scrum, however, wasn’t as much a scrum, as it was a press conference.
My only verbal contribution was this:
“How much of a relief is it, to see that with Chris out, everyone seemed to step in and play their role, and play it pretty well?”
“Well, I thought our guys on the bench… I thought PJ, Joey, and Kris Humphries, Jose, Jorge… you know, all those guys played well coming off the bench. I thought they just played exceptional. You know, PJ Tucker, he and Kris Humphries just bring energy and a little toughness, getting some loose balls, some offensive rebounds. I thought Jose’s been running the team really well, with that second group… and Freddy...”
After sticking my mic in front of Bosh for all of about 30 seconds, I went over to Humphries…
“It’s got to feel pretty good to get a lot of good praise from your coach… he had nothing but fond things to say about you… your hustle, how you’re active around the glass.”
“Oh yeah, you know coach… coach gives credit where credit’s due. And we all appreciate that. It definitely feels good to have someone in your corner.”
“Was it nice to have the fans in your corner as well? I can’t say I watched every Jazz game, but these fans were cheering for you pretty hard when you came out of the game…”
“Toronto has great fans… I’ve seen some hockey games… whatever sport it may be, you know, Toronto people come out and they support. And I look forward to having a sold out place, and really playing hard for all the fans here.”
Then it was on to PJ Tucker, or “Baby Mule” as coach Mitchell called him. In all honesty, I asked him a couple questions… but didn’t get more than 5 or 6 words for each. So I’ll save the space.
I went over to Jose, for a brief one-on-one…
“That was quite the game you put out there… and Sam was saying that you’re probably the guy that’s in the best shape on the team.”
“Yeah, but today, I don’t know. It’s not my best day. I help to win, but I think it’s not very good, I’m not very happy today with my work, but the best thing is the win. I feel great, though. I feel more comfortable this year. I play with confidence, and that’s it. I just try to play like a team, and have a good feeling this year. Everybody trying to help everybody, and this is a good feeling to have.”
“Now, it seems that you might be a little modest…I mean, it seemed like you were doing everything right – at least, from my perspective.”
“No, like I told you… I feel with a lot of confidence this year, and I know the NBA this year. Everybody try to help me out last year, and now I learn about all these things they talk about. I don’t know. I pray for play this year, and help this team for win.”
A little small-talk ensued, and then the long wait for Ford.
TJ was sitting, half-dressed, and talking on his cell phone for about 15 minutes while the remaining media (which was dwindling) waited. Cezary Trybanski and LaVell Blanchard were both saying goodbyes, as they had just both been let go… and about 10 minutes later, Ford was finally cool to talk.
At this point, it was just me and Raptors TV… so I let it rip… the questions, that is:
“So it is you getting used to the ball, or your teammates?”
“Ah, well, you know… it’s been a stepping stone for me. I’m just glad I was able to have a good game today. Pretty much, as far as finding my teammates, getting people open shots, and having guys knocking them down. That’s one part of my game that I’ve been struggling with the past two games, so we’re taking steps… and hopefully, within the next couple of weeks, it’ll come together just in time for the season to start.”
“Yeah, I mean it seemed like a huge turnaround for you… last game, you had 8 turnovers… this time, you had 11 assists, to just 1 turnover… I mean, everything seemed to be going right for you, with the exception of a few lay-ins.”
“It’s all about, you know, the first couple games – it just didn’t feel like I was in shape. My body was tired. Mentally, I’m at a different part right now, and I think I’m just going to continue to get better. This is part of the preseason, getting in shape, getting all the rust out, and getting used to your teammates. It’s been an adjustment that I’ve just had to make the last couple of weeks.”
“Yeah, your team had to make quite the adjustment with Chris being out, I mean… everybody seemed to be getting in on the scoring act.”
“Well that just shows you how we’re going to play… it just shows how deep this team is. No matter on any given night, it could be anybody’s night… and well, we depend on Chris, and we hope he gets well soon… I think he’s going to be fine, but it’s just gives us the opportunity to see what happens when one of your main guys goes down and can’t play. Who’s going to step up? I think everyone did a good job tonight.”
Good times were had. The lights went out midway through the 4th, and stayed at half-capacity (which was quite nice) until about 1:47 remained. When the light came back on, it was bright… but I think I handled it well.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Pre-season Smells Nice
The Raptors came back to the hanger for last night’s pre-season home opener…
But before we get ahead of ourselves, there is much to be told, in leading up to tip-off.
So I head to the station to pick up what will be my equipment for the year. Instead of a minidisc player/recorder, I was given what’s called a ‘Marantz’ (look it up if you want to). Essentially, it’s a big hunk of black plastic that’s about 4 times the size of a minidisc player. The advantage?? Well aside from it helping increase the raw hulking mass that represent my shoulders, I can dump the audio via download, as opposed to re-recording it onto the computer real-time.
So I get my equipment (which includes a mic that’s got a little afro at the top) and head down to the ACC for an off-the-record talk with the referee crew.
It was pretty cool.
3 refs (including the near-legendary Jess Kersey) opened up a discussion talking about some minor tweaks to the officiating. 4 points of emphasis:
You may have heard of what Rasheed Wallace is calling the “Sheed Rule…” that’s just an example of how the refs plan to speed up the game. No bickering, sulking or whining… let alone punting basketballs in the air/stands.
Players will now get sent to their rooms.
After a quick video, and ensuing discussion, the refs handed out tests… but then the answers. So mine remains in my note-book. Blank.
On to the free pizza. Good times.
En route to the media center, I head courtside to find my seat… only, there is no seat for me. Press box, or ‘gondola’ it is. It sounds like it may be for the year, too. I’ll keep you posted.
Alright, so I’ll fast forward to the game, now…
The first half was as sloppy as your usual pre-season game.
After the break, the play was cleaned up quickly. While the slap-happy Raptors were committing fouls every 2 seconds (the Celtics had 26 FT attempts in the first half alone) over the first 24 minutes, those chops turned into steals, and transition buckets.
...The final 2 minutes got pretty crazy...
Jose Calderon poetically drew a charge on Allan Ray, while Boston was running a 2-on-1...
Rajon Rondo (the Celts’ rook out of Kentucky), then drilled a 3 pointer – one of many clutch buckets to come.
Mo Pete hit an ‘And-1’ from just inside the arc, with 34.2 seconds left… and the crowd went playoff crazy (I guess that’s what free pizza does for somebody).
After a couple of Anthony Parker free-throws following a HUGE defensive rebound, Rondo hit another cold-blooded 3… this one beating the buzzer to send it into overtime.
He’d drill another in overtime… but Jorge Garbajosa one-upped him, hitting a pair from downtown, to finish with 18 points (4/8 behind the arc)…
The Raptors beat the Celtics, 118-112 in Overtime.
After the game, in which I may have bitten off every nail I could chew (the ladies love it), I went to talk to the Celtics (probably one of my last chances to talk to the away team, as this year, I’m dealing with the Raps).
First up, Coach Doc Rivers…
“Doc, it is just the pre-season, but already Rajon’s showing signs of being pretty cold-blooded,” I said.
“Yeah, he is. I mean, the 3 he made was huge. I really thought both he and Sebastien [Telfair] really, in the last 5 minutes of the game, imposed their will on the game and allowed us to get back in it. So that’s a great sign, any time you’ve got 2 guards who can do what they did, it will always keep you in the basketball game.”
In terms of Paul Pierce, like Chris Bosh (22 points, 9/11 FG’s, 4 boards), he had his way (23 points, 8/10 FG’s) with the opposition. But both barely played more than 20 minutes (in Pierce’s case, 21).
“Is it almost an unwritten rule that a team’s star only plays 20 or so minutes?”
“I guess, you know… I’m gonna play our guys a little bit more as [the preseason] goes on. They didn’t really have anyone for Paul, so I just thought it was a pretty safe move to take him off the floor. He wasn’t playing bad at the time, so I thought it’d be a good time to take him off.”
So then we stroll into the Celtics locker room… Paul Pierce is standing by himself in the near corner, fully dressed and ready to go.
“Paul, you cool to talk?”
“Umm… lets wait for our beat writers, first, then we can do it all- wait… what’s that you’re working with there?”
“It’s called a Marantz.”
“I’m not talking to you on that cheap thing.”
“Man, I know it looks like it’s garbage… but this is actually the new thing.”
”I can get one of those for $12 on the New York streets.”
“Can you pick me up an extra one, then?”
We waited another couple minutes for the other reporters to roll in… and the lights came on.
A Boston reporter got in the first question… asking about progress in the preseason… Pierce mentioned something about the team taking baby-steps.
My turn:
“It didn’t look like Rondo needed very many baby-steps, himself…”
“He’s mature for his age. He spent two years in a good system [Kentucky], he’s a high school All-American. He’s very poised for a rookie coming in, I mean, he just seems like he’s been here for a couple of years already… the way he’s calm out there, understands the tempo, and our style of play. He goes out there and dictates that. He’s doing a great job for us these first few games.”
Then it was onto Rondo, himself. He finished with a game-high 29 points, 4 boards, 5 assists, and 3 steals…
“Rajon, you’ll be seeing this court a few times this upcoming year… but you already put a big dent in it…”
“Well, you know… it’s pre-season. You know it’s all about the win, so… I think I played decent, but the win would have been better.”
Wait… the pre-season’s all about the win?? Please, I can smell bullshit on a bull's ass anyday… (I just choose not to)
“Sure, it’s nice to get a win… but coming in as a rookie, you want to build up that confidence. From a personal standpoint, this performance has got to feel pretty good…”
“The leaders on the team, you know… Paul [Pierce] and Wally [Szczerbiak], they instill the confidence in me. They go out there, and tell me to play like I’ve been in the league for a long time. And coach is giving me the green light to shoot whenever, so, you know… he thinks I’ve got a good line to see the floor, and either shoot or pass. I’m trying to work on that right now.”
I got my clips… got back to the station… and did my report quickly and without pain.
It may be pre-season, but I feel like I won this one, too.
I’m covering a practice on Saturday, and then the game on Sunday… so we’ll speak over the weekend.
Good talk. I’ll see you out there.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, there is much to be told, in leading up to tip-off.
So I head to the station to pick up what will be my equipment for the year. Instead of a minidisc player/recorder, I was given what’s called a ‘Marantz’ (look it up if you want to). Essentially, it’s a big hunk of black plastic that’s about 4 times the size of a minidisc player. The advantage?? Well aside from it helping increase the raw hulking mass that represent my shoulders, I can dump the audio via download, as opposed to re-recording it onto the computer real-time.
So I get my equipment (which includes a mic that’s got a little afro at the top) and head down to the ACC for an off-the-record talk with the referee crew.
It was pretty cool.
3 refs (including the near-legendary Jess Kersey) opened up a discussion talking about some minor tweaks to the officiating. 4 points of emphasis:
-Freedom of movement (Ferg, watch that “airplaning” – RIP Cory Lidle)
-Marginal vs. Illegal contact (discussing the delicate art of the block/charge)
-Interaction and Communication with the coaches (subs, timeouts – coaches can call them now)
-Complaining and Questioning the refs…
You may have heard of what Rasheed Wallace is calling the “Sheed Rule…” that’s just an example of how the refs plan to speed up the game. No bickering, sulking or whining… let alone punting basketballs in the air/stands.
Players will now get sent to their rooms.
After a quick video, and ensuing discussion, the refs handed out tests… but then the answers. So mine remains in my note-book. Blank.
On to the free pizza. Good times.
En route to the media center, I head courtside to find my seat… only, there is no seat for me. Press box, or ‘gondola’ it is. It sounds like it may be for the year, too. I’ll keep you posted.
Alright, so I’ll fast forward to the game, now…
The first half was as sloppy as your usual pre-season game.
After the break, the play was cleaned up quickly. While the slap-happy Raptors were committing fouls every 2 seconds (the Celtics had 26 FT attempts in the first half alone) over the first 24 minutes, those chops turned into steals, and transition buckets.
...The final 2 minutes got pretty crazy...
Jose Calderon poetically drew a charge on Allan Ray, while Boston was running a 2-on-1...
Rajon Rondo (the Celts’ rook out of Kentucky), then drilled a 3 pointer – one of many clutch buckets to come.
Mo Pete hit an ‘And-1’ from just inside the arc, with 34.2 seconds left… and the crowd went playoff crazy (I guess that’s what free pizza does for somebody).
After a couple of Anthony Parker free-throws following a HUGE defensive rebound, Rondo hit another cold-blooded 3… this one beating the buzzer to send it into overtime.
He’d drill another in overtime… but Jorge Garbajosa one-upped him, hitting a pair from downtown, to finish with 18 points (4/8 behind the arc)…
The Raptors beat the Celtics, 118-112 in Overtime.
After the game, in which I may have bitten off every nail I could chew (the ladies love it), I went to talk to the Celtics (probably one of my last chances to talk to the away team, as this year, I’m dealing with the Raps).
First up, Coach Doc Rivers…
“Doc, it is just the pre-season, but already Rajon’s showing signs of being pretty cold-blooded,” I said.
“Yeah, he is. I mean, the 3 he made was huge. I really thought both he and Sebastien [Telfair] really, in the last 5 minutes of the game, imposed their will on the game and allowed us to get back in it. So that’s a great sign, any time you’ve got 2 guards who can do what they did, it will always keep you in the basketball game.”
In terms of Paul Pierce, like Chris Bosh (22 points, 9/11 FG’s, 4 boards), he had his way (23 points, 8/10 FG’s) with the opposition. But both barely played more than 20 minutes (in Pierce’s case, 21).
“Is it almost an unwritten rule that a team’s star only plays 20 or so minutes?”
“I guess, you know… I’m gonna play our guys a little bit more as [the preseason] goes on. They didn’t really have anyone for Paul, so I just thought it was a pretty safe move to take him off the floor. He wasn’t playing bad at the time, so I thought it’d be a good time to take him off.”
So then we stroll into the Celtics locker room… Paul Pierce is standing by himself in the near corner, fully dressed and ready to go.
“Paul, you cool to talk?”
“Umm… lets wait for our beat writers, first, then we can do it all- wait… what’s that you’re working with there?”
“It’s called a Marantz.”
“I’m not talking to you on that cheap thing.”
“Man, I know it looks like it’s garbage… but this is actually the new thing.”
”I can get one of those for $12 on the New York streets.”
“Can you pick me up an extra one, then?”
We waited another couple minutes for the other reporters to roll in… and the lights came on.
A Boston reporter got in the first question… asking about progress in the preseason… Pierce mentioned something about the team taking baby-steps.
My turn:
“It didn’t look like Rondo needed very many baby-steps, himself…”
“He’s mature for his age. He spent two years in a good system [Kentucky], he’s a high school All-American. He’s very poised for a rookie coming in, I mean, he just seems like he’s been here for a couple of years already… the way he’s calm out there, understands the tempo, and our style of play. He goes out there and dictates that. He’s doing a great job for us these first few games.”
Then it was onto Rondo, himself. He finished with a game-high 29 points, 4 boards, 5 assists, and 3 steals…
“Rajon, you’ll be seeing this court a few times this upcoming year… but you already put a big dent in it…”
“Well, you know… it’s pre-season. You know it’s all about the win, so… I think I played decent, but the win would have been better.”
Wait… the pre-season’s all about the win?? Please, I can smell bullshit on a bull's ass anyday… (I just choose not to)
“Sure, it’s nice to get a win… but coming in as a rookie, you want to build up that confidence. From a personal standpoint, this performance has got to feel pretty good…”
“The leaders on the team, you know… Paul [Pierce] and Wally [Szczerbiak], they instill the confidence in me. They go out there, and tell me to play like I’ve been in the league for a long time. And coach is giving me the green light to shoot whenever, so, you know… he thinks I’ve got a good line to see the floor, and either shoot or pass. I’m trying to work on that right now.”
I got my clips… got back to the station… and did my report quickly and without pain.
It may be pre-season, but I feel like I won this one, too.
I’m covering a practice on Saturday, and then the game on Sunday… so we’ll speak over the weekend.
Good talk. I’ll see you out there.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Media Day...
I've written a couple paragraphs in this space...
Right here, right now.
Only you wouldn't know it because I've deleted, and rewritten, different variations of the same theme a few time, trying to put an interesting spin on Media Day.
The problem is, there's very little of interest.
Essentially, what it is: All the players gather in front of the media, do the hand-shaking, the one-on-ones, and talk about how great life is.
Life is always good when you're not losing, right?
Media Day is actually a good thing for someone like myself - a fan, hidden in a reporters body (a huge, hulking body at that).
After some quick conversations with fellow reporters, I joined a scrum surrounding Chris Bosh... while a lot of the talk with Bosh was surrounding what his role would be this upcoming season (on the court, and off the court), some of the chatter swayed to Andrea Bargnani.
Rafael Araujo, you'll remember, had some tough times dealing with the pressure of being such a high pick (8th overall, 2004). Chris, as you may know, was responsible for some of the Hoffa-coddling.
But with Andrea getting drafted first overall, the pressure would obviously be even greater.
Bosh's thoughts on how Bargnani would deal?
"It comes with the territory. He was drafted #1, and you know, he's going to have to deal with it. But it's not a bad thing. He just has to work hard. That's all he has to do, is work hard and play good basketball. If he's the number one pick on a winning basketball team, I think that'll hush the crowd a little bit."
Yeah, we all know winning hides all sorts of problems in the locker room. But how do you win when you've got 9 new players?? A new system, an unproven coach, and 5 guys who haven't played any reasonable minutes in the NBA.
However, despite all that, Coach Sam Mitchell doesn't really expect any growing pains with the Euros...
"Those guys have been professionals since they were 15, 16 years old... So they've been expected to carry themselves in a certain way, to conduct themselves in a certain way and to act in a certain way... and that's going to be refreshing. These guys are pros, they come to work. You know, they've been here working out for the last 2 and a half weeks, and the coaches and I just sit on the sidelines and just watch."
Apparently Sam was keeping in contact with the returning guys, as well... perhaps a little more so than he wanted to...
"They called me more than I called them in the summer time, which I laugh about... because if I don't call them back in a day, i get another phone call saying 'coach, you don't love me no more' and... it's refreshing, it's funny because, I never called coaches in the off-season. And these guys, you know, they call me on my birthday, they call me just to talk, because we haven't spoken in a couple of weeks... and I think I've got a good relationship with those guys, because we've been through some things together."
It's good that the players have his back, because if the results don't follow... Mitchell's going to be shown the door.
One of the new guys expected to make a positive impact... TJ Ford.
He's also got some lofty expectactions, after the Raptors traded away Charlie Villanueva to get him.
Ford's been in the playoffs every year since he was drafted by the Bucks, and while he says he definitely sees that streak continuing... he also understands that chemistry will be key:
"All the teams that have great chemistry go far. They're able to put on winning streaks. The teams that don't, have up and down seasons. I definitely want to put myself in the situation, where we have good chemistry right off the bat. I think that's why a lot of guys came in early, to get a good feel for each other, and build a relationship with all the guys, because we got a lot of new faces."
Freddy Jones, another newcomer, echoed that sentiment...
"I think everybody understands that we got a lot of new players... For us to hit the gate running, and win some games early... then it takes for us to come in a few weeks early to get to know each other. Otherwise, there will be a slow start to the season, which we can't get ourselves into that big of a hole."
The first month of the season is certainly no cake-walk, either... The Raptors start the season in the swamp, return home for 4 games... and then head west for a 9-day, 5-game road trip.
That could perhaps be one reason why Mo Pete doesn't want people creating unrealistic expectations... however, in one fell swoop... he sort of contradicts himself...
"I've been through a lot of different coaching changes, a lot of different general manager changes... I've been seeing a lot of players going through here... but I can definitely say that there's a big buzz going around this city, and around the NBA about this team, and we want to prove people right. We're going to have a more uptempo style... I think you can see us being a tougher team, a smarter team... and if we put everything together, and have guys on the same page... then we're going to make the playoffs... we're going to push for the playoffs."
No one would put a number on what would be deemed a successful season... but you'd have to think any improvement on a 27-win season would be warmly welcomed. The playoffs would create quite the atmosphere... one not seen in 4 years in this city.
So while we're looking for a lot from a new mix of guys... I'm looking for more from myself... and less problems with my internet, so I can get this stuff out quicker.
==
The Raptors are in Waterloo for the rest of the week, before bringing training camp back to the ACC.
Whenever I'm there, I'll bring you with me.
Season 2 for myself is quickly approaching.
Right here, right now.
Only you wouldn't know it because I've deleted, and rewritten, different variations of the same theme a few time, trying to put an interesting spin on Media Day.
The problem is, there's very little of interest.
Essentially, what it is: All the players gather in front of the media, do the hand-shaking, the one-on-ones, and talk about how great life is.
Life is always good when you're not losing, right?
Media Day is actually a good thing for someone like myself - a fan, hidden in a reporters body (a huge, hulking body at that).
After some quick conversations with fellow reporters, I joined a scrum surrounding Chris Bosh... while a lot of the talk with Bosh was surrounding what his role would be this upcoming season (on the court, and off the court), some of the chatter swayed to Andrea Bargnani.
Rafael Araujo, you'll remember, had some tough times dealing with the pressure of being such a high pick (8th overall, 2004). Chris, as you may know, was responsible for some of the Hoffa-coddling.
But with Andrea getting drafted first overall, the pressure would obviously be even greater.
Bosh's thoughts on how Bargnani would deal?
"It comes with the territory. He was drafted #1, and you know, he's going to have to deal with it. But it's not a bad thing. He just has to work hard. That's all he has to do, is work hard and play good basketball. If he's the number one pick on a winning basketball team, I think that'll hush the crowd a little bit."
Yeah, we all know winning hides all sorts of problems in the locker room. But how do you win when you've got 9 new players?? A new system, an unproven coach, and 5 guys who haven't played any reasonable minutes in the NBA.
However, despite all that, Coach Sam Mitchell doesn't really expect any growing pains with the Euros...
"Those guys have been professionals since they were 15, 16 years old... So they've been expected to carry themselves in a certain way, to conduct themselves in a certain way and to act in a certain way... and that's going to be refreshing. These guys are pros, they come to work. You know, they've been here working out for the last 2 and a half weeks, and the coaches and I just sit on the sidelines and just watch."
Apparently Sam was keeping in contact with the returning guys, as well... perhaps a little more so than he wanted to...
"They called me more than I called them in the summer time, which I laugh about... because if I don't call them back in a day, i get another phone call saying 'coach, you don't love me no more' and... it's refreshing, it's funny because, I never called coaches in the off-season. And these guys, you know, they call me on my birthday, they call me just to talk, because we haven't spoken in a couple of weeks... and I think I've got a good relationship with those guys, because we've been through some things together."
It's good that the players have his back, because if the results don't follow... Mitchell's going to be shown the door.
One of the new guys expected to make a positive impact... TJ Ford.
He's also got some lofty expectactions, after the Raptors traded away Charlie Villanueva to get him.
Ford's been in the playoffs every year since he was drafted by the Bucks, and while he says he definitely sees that streak continuing... he also understands that chemistry will be key:
"All the teams that have great chemistry go far. They're able to put on winning streaks. The teams that don't, have up and down seasons. I definitely want to put myself in the situation, where we have good chemistry right off the bat. I think that's why a lot of guys came in early, to get a good feel for each other, and build a relationship with all the guys, because we got a lot of new faces."
Freddy Jones, another newcomer, echoed that sentiment...
"I think everybody understands that we got a lot of new players... For us to hit the gate running, and win some games early... then it takes for us to come in a few weeks early to get to know each other. Otherwise, there will be a slow start to the season, which we can't get ourselves into that big of a hole."
The first month of the season is certainly no cake-walk, either... The Raptors start the season in the swamp, return home for 4 games... and then head west for a 9-day, 5-game road trip.
That could perhaps be one reason why Mo Pete doesn't want people creating unrealistic expectations... however, in one fell swoop... he sort of contradicts himself...
"I've been through a lot of different coaching changes, a lot of different general manager changes... I've been seeing a lot of players going through here... but I can definitely say that there's a big buzz going around this city, and around the NBA about this team, and we want to prove people right. We're going to have a more uptempo style... I think you can see us being a tougher team, a smarter team... and if we put everything together, and have guys on the same page... then we're going to make the playoffs... we're going to push for the playoffs."
No one would put a number on what would be deemed a successful season... but you'd have to think any improvement on a 27-win season would be warmly welcomed. The playoffs would create quite the atmosphere... one not seen in 4 years in this city.
So while we're looking for a lot from a new mix of guys... I'm looking for more from myself... and less problems with my internet, so I can get this stuff out quicker.
==
The Raptors are in Waterloo for the rest of the week, before bringing training camp back to the ACC.
Whenever I'm there, I'll bring you with me.
Season 2 for myself is quickly approaching.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Being a Good Guy Helps... just not my computer...
OK, so here's where my current mood lies: in the land of frustration.
I had just typed about 2 pages worth of today's update, when I went to go fetch my sound clips online. My (new) computer crashed, leaving my document blank... and I still can't get my clips to play.
So this is very exciting (I hope that when you read this, you get a little wet from the sarcasm dripping from my words).
I won't lie... the lack of audio will take a little wind out of my sails, since I actually had some quality quotes, but we will have to go without.
==
So here's the story, hopefully shorter than my initial draft (hey, I got things to do)...
Tuesday night I get an e-mail from my boss, asking if I can cover the media availability for Jose Calderon and Jorge Garbajosa (the two Spaniards have come to Toronto, fresh off winning gold at the Worlds')...
Obviously I would jump at the chance to do this... not only for my personal well-being, but also because this blog has run dry this summer.
So it's yesterday now (figure out how that works), I head to the station for noonish to pick up all the necessary equipment, and head down to the ACC's multi-purpose "meeting room A".
The tiny room is packed with chairs, and where the podium would be, lay a back-drop.
A Rogers back-drop. With the Raptors logo placed neatly beside the Leafs, Marlies and Toronto FC icons. Ahhh, to be a part of a monopoly.
After catching up with a couple of the reporters... Jose and Jorge filtered into the room.
I get prime positioning: Right in between the two of them.
Then comes a little tappy tappy to my shoulder.
"Excuse me, Mr. Fan, do you mind holding my microphone as well?"
Being a born nice-guy, I oblige.
Immediately, I realized I made a mistake. Holding two microphones in one hand, while focusing on my minidisc's recording levels in the other, was not a pleasant experience. My mind was focused more on ensuring that the mics did not make contact (it makes an awful BANGING noise in the recording), than it was listening to what the players had to say.
Great. So the scrum goes through about 10 minutes. I don't get one question in, and I'm pretty sure my audio sounds like crap. On top of that, my levels were weak, and I had no idea what the guys had to say.
Boo-urns, indeed.
So I get my stuff all packed up when the Global guy thanks me and tells me that his reporter never showed up.
I sympathized with him for a minute, when a former co-worker quickly two-stepped through the door. He rushed over to where I was standing, and immediately apologized.
Not to me... to his camera man.
Traffic's a bitch, ain't it?
Either way... with them having a camera, it instantly got them a one-on-one.
I asked if I could piggy-back on their interview.
"Sure man, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have gotten any of that."
Sweet, so I had another chance to get my prepared-the-night-before questions in.
We walked over to Calderon, whom I greeted first:
"Jose, man... we never got to hook up in Spain this summer..."
"I know, sorry about that. By the time you got there, I was already with the National team."
"It's all good. I guess it paid off. Either way, welcome back, and congratulations."
I let the Global guy kick off the interview, what with it being his and all... he asked something about Jose's thoughts on the infusion of the European talent...
I followed that up with a question I had been longing to ask for a while, now:
"Good chemistry seemed to get you guys through some tough times last year... but with 9 new guys coming in this year, do you think maybe there were too many moves made too quickly?"
(Keep in mind, with no audio these responses are not verbatim... it's more my recollection of his responses)
"No, I think we've got a lot of good lockerroom guys coming in. People that know how to play as a team, and as long as we've got that, we can play well, and win games."
Another Global question, before my next turn:
"At the Worlds', your shot seemed to be falling with a lot more consistancy than it did last season with the Raptors. Was it something in your workout regimen that changed, or was it just a matter of comfort?"
"Well, at the end of last season, I started working with Jay Triano a little more. We changed up some of my mechanics, and it paid off. I felt really good, not only shooting, but also with my defense and passing."
After a couple more minutes, I thanked him once again...
He said he's really looking forward to playing this season... as are the rest of the guys.
In fact, 12 Raptors are already in town for informal workouts (Rasho Nesterovic and Pape Sow are not), with training camp still 3 weeks away (It's October 3rd, Ferg).
Jose is off to New York now for the "Rookie Transition Camp."
I'm staying right here for mine... but I'll be ready.
I already got me some new shirts and ties.
What up?!
I had just typed about 2 pages worth of today's update, when I went to go fetch my sound clips online. My (new) computer crashed, leaving my document blank... and I still can't get my clips to play.
So this is very exciting (I hope that when you read this, you get a little wet from the sarcasm dripping from my words).
I won't lie... the lack of audio will take a little wind out of my sails, since I actually had some quality quotes, but we will have to go without.
==
So here's the story, hopefully shorter than my initial draft (hey, I got things to do)...
Tuesday night I get an e-mail from my boss, asking if I can cover the media availability for Jose Calderon and Jorge Garbajosa (the two Spaniards have come to Toronto, fresh off winning gold at the Worlds')...
Obviously I would jump at the chance to do this... not only for my personal well-being, but also because this blog has run dry this summer.
So it's yesterday now (figure out how that works), I head to the station for noonish to pick up all the necessary equipment, and head down to the ACC's multi-purpose "meeting room A".
The tiny room is packed with chairs, and where the podium would be, lay a back-drop.
A Rogers back-drop. With the Raptors logo placed neatly beside the Leafs, Marlies and Toronto FC icons. Ahhh, to be a part of a monopoly.
After catching up with a couple of the reporters... Jose and Jorge filtered into the room.
I get prime positioning: Right in between the two of them.
Then comes a little tappy tappy to my shoulder.
"Excuse me, Mr. Fan, do you mind holding my microphone as well?"
Being a born nice-guy, I oblige.
Immediately, I realized I made a mistake. Holding two microphones in one hand, while focusing on my minidisc's recording levels in the other, was not a pleasant experience. My mind was focused more on ensuring that the mics did not make contact (it makes an awful BANGING noise in the recording), than it was listening to what the players had to say.
Great. So the scrum goes through about 10 minutes. I don't get one question in, and I'm pretty sure my audio sounds like crap. On top of that, my levels were weak, and I had no idea what the guys had to say.
Boo-urns, indeed.
So I get my stuff all packed up when the Global guy thanks me and tells me that his reporter never showed up.
I sympathized with him for a minute, when a former co-worker quickly two-stepped through the door. He rushed over to where I was standing, and immediately apologized.
Not to me... to his camera man.
Traffic's a bitch, ain't it?
Either way... with them having a camera, it instantly got them a one-on-one.
I asked if I could piggy-back on their interview.
"Sure man, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have gotten any of that."
Sweet, so I had another chance to get my prepared-the-night-before questions in.
We walked over to Calderon, whom I greeted first:
"Jose, man... we never got to hook up in Spain this summer..."
"I know, sorry about that. By the time you got there, I was already with the National team."
"It's all good. I guess it paid off. Either way, welcome back, and congratulations."
I let the Global guy kick off the interview, what with it being his and all... he asked something about Jose's thoughts on the infusion of the European talent...
I followed that up with a question I had been longing to ask for a while, now:
"Good chemistry seemed to get you guys through some tough times last year... but with 9 new guys coming in this year, do you think maybe there were too many moves made too quickly?"
(Keep in mind, with no audio these responses are not verbatim... it's more my recollection of his responses)
"No, I think we've got a lot of good lockerroom guys coming in. People that know how to play as a team, and as long as we've got that, we can play well, and win games."
Another Global question, before my next turn:
"At the Worlds', your shot seemed to be falling with a lot more consistancy than it did last season with the Raptors. Was it something in your workout regimen that changed, or was it just a matter of comfort?"
"Well, at the end of last season, I started working with Jay Triano a little more. We changed up some of my mechanics, and it paid off. I felt really good, not only shooting, but also with my defense and passing."
After a couple more minutes, I thanked him once again...
He said he's really looking forward to playing this season... as are the rest of the guys.
In fact, 12 Raptors are already in town for informal workouts (Rasho Nesterovic and Pape Sow are not), with training camp still 3 weeks away (It's October 3rd, Ferg).
Jose is off to New York now for the "Rookie Transition Camp."
I'm staying right here for mine... but I'll be ready.
I already got me some new shirts and ties.
What up?!
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Spanish Gold / The Lone Yankee
So Greece evidently used everything they had in the tank against the US, because Spain manhandled the Greeks, 70-47.
Jorge Garbajosa led the Pau Gasol-free Spaniards, matching Juan Carlos Navarro with 20 points... however, "The Garbage Man" also chipped in 10 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, and a block.
Jose Calderon played only 15 minutes, making 2-of-7 shots, for 7 points, one rebound, an assist, and a steal.
Hopefully a few solid performances from Jose will lead to a higher level of confidence come the new season in the NBA.
Spain finished fourth back in 1982.
Garbajosa was named to the All-Tournament team, along with Pau Gasol (tournament MVP, despite the broken foot - which apparently requires surgery), Manu Ginobili and Theo Papaloukas. The lone American on the team is Carmelo Anthony, who averaged 19.9 points per game.
Jorge Garbajosa led the Pau Gasol-free Spaniards, matching Juan Carlos Navarro with 20 points... however, "The Garbage Man" also chipped in 10 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, and a block.
Jose Calderon played only 15 minutes, making 2-of-7 shots, for 7 points, one rebound, an assist, and a steal.
Hopefully a few solid performances from Jose will lead to a higher level of confidence come the new season in the NBA.
Spain finished fourth back in 1982.
Garbajosa was named to the All-Tournament team, along with Pau Gasol (tournament MVP, despite the broken foot - which apparently requires surgery), Manu Ginobili and Theo Papaloukas. The lone American on the team is Carmelo Anthony, who averaged 19.9 points per game.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Down Go the Argentines / Lonny’s Lonely
So it’s 7:47 in the morning. I had quite a bit to drink last night, and generally when that’s the case, sleeping comes in bunches. So thanks to the excessive amount of Rye, Ginger, Jack Daniels, and other friends, I was graced with the opportunity to watch the second half of the USA/Argentina bronze medal game. Or at least, whatever portions I could stay conscious for.
Right when I turned it on, the US went on a big run to boost a 6-point lead into an 11 point cushion. After drifting in an out of consciousness I saw the final score was 96-81.
Lebron James was on a tear, scoring 22 points while chipping in 9 boards and 7 helpers – many of which went to Dwyane Wade (32 points, 12/17 FG’s).
Chris Bosh apparently played 14 minutes, although I didn’t see one tick.
Either way, Team USA managed to match its Olympic output by beating the Gold-Medal winners for Bronze. Make the title drought 6 years, ladies and gentleman.
==
On to the Lonny Baxter watch… this story gets more and more interesting.
My father sent me this:
It turns out that Mr.Baxter fired those shots near the White House, because he’s one duck that doesn’t want to fly too far from mother goose (if that makes sense).
He didn’t want to play basketball in Italy so badly, that he decided spending 53 days behind bars wouldn’t be as painful.
Good job.
Just one thought, though… why sign a contract to play overseas, if you don’t want to go overseas??
I guess it sort of makes sense, though, seeing as how Lonny was never that bright. I recall one moment last season when he and the Rockets came to the ACC (the game when Juwan Howard got the boot for introducing the ball to Mike James’ face). Afterwards, I approached Mr.Baxter and said: “Welcome back, Lonny.”
His reply?
“What do you mean?”
…
Definitely a man of a complex mind. Till next time.
Right when I turned it on, the US went on a big run to boost a 6-point lead into an 11 point cushion. After drifting in an out of consciousness I saw the final score was 96-81.
Lebron James was on a tear, scoring 22 points while chipping in 9 boards and 7 helpers – many of which went to Dwyane Wade (32 points, 12/17 FG’s).
Chris Bosh apparently played 14 minutes, although I didn’t see one tick.
Either way, Team USA managed to match its Olympic output by beating the Gold-Medal winners for Bronze. Make the title drought 6 years, ladies and gentleman.
==
On to the Lonny Baxter watch… this story gets more and more interesting.
My father sent me this:
It turns out that Mr.Baxter fired those shots near the White House, because he’s one duck that doesn’t want to fly too far from mother goose (if that makes sense).
He didn’t want to play basketball in Italy so badly, that he decided spending 53 days behind bars wouldn’t be as painful.
Good job.
Just one thought, though… why sign a contract to play overseas, if you don’t want to go overseas??
I guess it sort of makes sense, though, seeing as how Lonny was never that bright. I recall one moment last season when he and the Rockets came to the ACC (the game when Juwan Howard got the boot for introducing the ball to Mike James’ face). Afterwards, I approached Mr.Baxter and said: “Welcome back, Lonny.”
His reply?
“What do you mean?”
…
Definitely a man of a complex mind. Till next time.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Sticking it to Dirk with D...
Team USA shot miserably against Germany, but still managed to win by 20 points (85-65).
The Americans shot 35% from the field, and only 25% from beyond the arc.
However, when you contain Dirk Nowitzki to the point where he's got more turnovers than buckets... you're in pretty good shape.
Dirk had 5 turnovers, to 3 made field goals (3/12 from the field).
If there were any doubts about the US' inside presence, this glaring difference on the glass should change that. Team USA outrebounded Germany, 48-34... but on the offensive side, it was a ridiculous 22-6.
Chris Bosh was once again borderline phenomenal in limited time:
10 points, 7 boards, and a block in just 14 minutes (more than Dwight Howard's 11 minutes, by the way).
Overnight, Bosh spoke to ESPN radio... and among the things he talked about was feeling like an underdog when he'd be watching Argentina and Spain in action. He obviously respects his opponents enough - which is something Coach K has drilled in from day one.
Concerning Greece, who team USA will play Friday morning at 3:30, Bosh says among their strengths, the Greek move the ball well, they've got 'good inside play', but "other teams respect them too much."
Bosh also noted that the reason why the US is undefeated, is because they frustrate the opposition. They "Intimidate people defensively."
If you've seen any of the games, the proof is in the passing lanes - which they dominate to the delight of fast-breaking basketball fans.
Steal the ball, streak up court, slam it home.
What's not to like?
==
I'm hearing conflicting reports about where we'll (the media) will be sitting once the Raptors' season starts... Originally I was told we'd be bumped up to the boxes... however, now I'm hearing that it's just tech guys and writers who will get the bump... which could mean that us broadcasters get to stay courtside.
I guess I'll know soon enough.
Talk to you after Greece.
The Americans shot 35% from the field, and only 25% from beyond the arc.
However, when you contain Dirk Nowitzki to the point where he's got more turnovers than buckets... you're in pretty good shape.
Dirk had 5 turnovers, to 3 made field goals (3/12 from the field).
If there were any doubts about the US' inside presence, this glaring difference on the glass should change that. Team USA outrebounded Germany, 48-34... but on the offensive side, it was a ridiculous 22-6.
Chris Bosh was once again borderline phenomenal in limited time:
10 points, 7 boards, and a block in just 14 minutes (more than Dwight Howard's 11 minutes, by the way).
Overnight, Bosh spoke to ESPN radio... and among the things he talked about was feeling like an underdog when he'd be watching Argentina and Spain in action. He obviously respects his opponents enough - which is something Coach K has drilled in from day one.
Concerning Greece, who team USA will play Friday morning at 3:30, Bosh says among their strengths, the Greek move the ball well, they've got 'good inside play', but "other teams respect them too much."
Bosh also noted that the reason why the US is undefeated, is because they frustrate the opposition. They "Intimidate people defensively."
If you've seen any of the games, the proof is in the passing lanes - which they dominate to the delight of fast-breaking basketball fans.
Steal the ball, streak up court, slam it home.
What's not to like?
==
I'm hearing conflicting reports about where we'll (the media) will be sitting once the Raptors' season starts... Originally I was told we'd be bumped up to the boxes... however, now I'm hearing that it's just tech guys and writers who will get the bump... which could mean that us broadcasters get to stay courtside.
I guess I'll know soon enough.
Talk to you after Greece.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
In a Rush...
What's up peoples?? So I gotta write this up quickly, because I've got to get to work... but late last night, or in the early morning, if you will... I randomly turned on RaptorsTV before I went to bed, and I was graced with the beautiful opportunity of watching the States CRUSH Australia, 113-73...
Chris Bosh was looking damn good in what I saw... (most of the 3rd and 4th quarters).
He was perfect from the field (4/4), and missed only one of his 4 free throw attempts.
All that summed up to 12 points and 9 boards in just 18 minutes.
Now Team USA has a quarter-final match against Germany on Wednesday...
==
Also, I had a dream about the Raptors' upcoming media day... I don't know when it is... but I'm excited.
Enjoy life.
Chris Bosh was looking damn good in what I saw... (most of the 3rd and 4th quarters).
He was perfect from the field (4/4), and missed only one of his 4 free throw attempts.
All that summed up to 12 points and 9 boards in just 18 minutes.
Now Team USA has a quarter-final match against Germany on Wednesday...
==
Also, I had a dream about the Raptors' upcoming media day... I don't know when it is... but I'm excited.
Enjoy life.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Bosh Demolishes the Africans...
Just 24 hours after his first DNP-CD, Chris Bosh simply dominated against Senegal (as did the rest of team USA - at least the guys that played). It was Wade's turn to sit, as the Americans rolled over the Africans, 103-58.
Bosh had a solid double-double, with 20 points (7/9 fgs), and 10 boards (6 offensive), to go with an assist and a block, in just 21 minutes.
I'm sure that performance will go a long way towards helping his confidence.
The States will next play Australia (4th place team from Group C) on Sunday
==
Looking elsewhere...
After testing team USA in a tune-up... Brazil got bounced by Lithuania - where's Hoffa when you need him?
China used a monster performance from Yao Ming to edge Slovenia, 78-77...
Yoa had 36 points, 10 boards, and 4 blocks, as the Chinese advance to the Roung of 16... Slovenia also advanced (because Italy snuck past Puerto Rico, 73-72), but in the game against the Chinese, Rasho Nesterovic had 11 points, 10 rebounds, 3 helpers, and 3 blocks in 22 minutes... Uros Slokar hit a go ahead bucked (which was later trumped, obviously) in the final seconds, and finished with 15 points, 6 boards, and 3 dimes - in 35 minutes (quality burn).
Spain remained unbeaten, and humiliated the hosts, 104-55 over Japan.
Pau Gasol - 26 points, 15 boards...
Jorge Garbajosa - 12 points, 6 boards, 4 steals...
Jose Calderon - 2 points (0/1 fgs), 7 assists, 1 turnover.
...and on the Darko watch, just because he's playing so damn well... Mr.Milicic had 24 points, 12 boards, 2 helpers, and 2 blocks in Serbia-Montenegro's 83-79 loss to the powerful Argentinians... Luis Scola had 22 points, 13 off the glass, and 5 assists.
==
Back in North America... the Newark-Star Ledger reports:
Just thought I'd put it out there for some water-cooler talk. It seems that Vince can't stay committed to anything long-term. At least, according to the report.
Bosh had a solid double-double, with 20 points (7/9 fgs), and 10 boards (6 offensive), to go with an assist and a block, in just 21 minutes.
I'm sure that performance will go a long way towards helping his confidence.
The States will next play Australia (4th place team from Group C) on Sunday
==
Looking elsewhere...
After testing team USA in a tune-up... Brazil got bounced by Lithuania - where's Hoffa when you need him?
China used a monster performance from Yao Ming to edge Slovenia, 78-77...
Yoa had 36 points, 10 boards, and 4 blocks, as the Chinese advance to the Roung of 16... Slovenia also advanced (because Italy snuck past Puerto Rico, 73-72), but in the game against the Chinese, Rasho Nesterovic had 11 points, 10 rebounds, 3 helpers, and 3 blocks in 22 minutes... Uros Slokar hit a go ahead bucked (which was later trumped, obviously) in the final seconds, and finished with 15 points, 6 boards, and 3 dimes - in 35 minutes (quality burn).
Spain remained unbeaten, and humiliated the hosts, 104-55 over Japan.
Pau Gasol - 26 points, 15 boards...
Jorge Garbajosa - 12 points, 6 boards, 4 steals...
Jose Calderon - 2 points (0/1 fgs), 7 assists, 1 turnover.
...and on the Darko watch, just because he's playing so damn well... Mr.Milicic had 24 points, 12 boards, 2 helpers, and 2 blocks in Serbia-Montenegro's 83-79 loss to the powerful Argentinians... Luis Scola had 22 points, 13 off the glass, and 5 assists.
==
Back in North America... the Newark-Star Ledger reports:
According to a close friend of the Nets forward, Carter and his wife, Ellen, recently initiated divorce proceedings, which may be a major factor in his next move.
If his wife gains custody of their 1-year-old daughter and moves back to Orlando or her own hometown in South Carolina, Carter could be motivated to sign with the Magic or Charlotte Bobcats just to stay close, as both teams have substantial cap room to sign him.
Just thought I'd put it out there for some water-cooler talk. It seems that Vince can't stay committed to anything long-term. At least, according to the report.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Bosh Sits for the States' First Scare...
I don't think it was a doubt in anyone's mind that Chris Bosh would gain more experience from just being around his teammates, than from getting actual playing time at the World Basketball Championships.
Most recently, Bosh learned what it's like to sit and watch, while his team overcomes early struggles. Sure, he did that in Toronto - but only at the end of the season, when his thumb injury kept him out. Otherwise, he was the hero.
But at the World's, he's not even a back-up... he's a third-stringer that, when the going gets tough, he keeps riding the pine.
Brad Miller was the only other American player that didn't see any game time against Italy... and for the first time this tournament, Coach K went away from his 2-squad system, and played his best players.
Carmelo Anthony eclipsed Kenny Parkers' former States record of 34 points (1990 worlds), with 35 (19 in the third), as team USA overcame an 12 point deficit to beat Italy, 94-85.
Dime Magazine printed a little excerpt where Kobe Bryant said that 'Melo is the hardest player in the league to stop... and it showed. (I'll save my ever-improving views on Carmelo, for when the Raptors play the Nuggets)
Dwyane Wade had 26 points, missing only 3 of his 13 shots, as the U.S. clinched first place in their pool.
==
Before we go on to the other games of importance... I want to say that Fiba.com screwed me. Keep in mind, this site is considered the "official scoring" of the tournament. They had it listed that Bosh had 4 assists in 13 minutes... but as suspected, it turned out to be 4 FOULS in 13 minutes. I don't know when they corrected it, but I went to air with it - overnight - on the Fan.
Never a good feeling to broadcast a mistake.
==
Ok, so back to the action...
Spain beat the tough Angolans, 93-83... Pau Gasol had a game-high 28 points, while in terms of the Raptors: the ever-steady Jorge Garbajosa had 15 points (4/7 3ptrs), to go with 4 boards. One game after Jose Calderon was on-fire offensively... he didn't even take a shot... 2 points, 2 boards, and 6 helpers.
Rasho Nesterovic had 12 points and 9 boards in Slovenia's 90-82 win over Puerto Rico. The effecient Uros Slokar had 5 points and 2 rebounds in 11 minutes.
Elsewhere...
Darko Milicic was ridiculous... 18 points, 11 boards, 4 helpers, and 6 blocks... Serbia-Montenegro beat up on Venezuela, 90-65...
Manu Ginobili had 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in just 17 minutes, as Argentina rocked Nigeria, 98-64...
Also... Greece upset Brazil, 91-80...
==
that's it for today...
Most recently, Bosh learned what it's like to sit and watch, while his team overcomes early struggles. Sure, he did that in Toronto - but only at the end of the season, when his thumb injury kept him out. Otherwise, he was the hero.
But at the World's, he's not even a back-up... he's a third-stringer that, when the going gets tough, he keeps riding the pine.
Brad Miller was the only other American player that didn't see any game time against Italy... and for the first time this tournament, Coach K went away from his 2-squad system, and played his best players.
Carmelo Anthony eclipsed Kenny Parkers' former States record of 34 points (1990 worlds), with 35 (19 in the third), as team USA overcame an 12 point deficit to beat Italy, 94-85.
Dime Magazine printed a little excerpt where Kobe Bryant said that 'Melo is the hardest player in the league to stop... and it showed. (I'll save my ever-improving views on Carmelo, for when the Raptors play the Nuggets)
Dwyane Wade had 26 points, missing only 3 of his 13 shots, as the U.S. clinched first place in their pool.
==
Before we go on to the other games of importance... I want to say that Fiba.com screwed me. Keep in mind, this site is considered the "official scoring" of the tournament. They had it listed that Bosh had 4 assists in 13 minutes... but as suspected, it turned out to be 4 FOULS in 13 minutes. I don't know when they corrected it, but I went to air with it - overnight - on the Fan.
Never a good feeling to broadcast a mistake.
==
Ok, so back to the action...
Spain beat the tough Angolans, 93-83... Pau Gasol had a game-high 28 points, while in terms of the Raptors: the ever-steady Jorge Garbajosa had 15 points (4/7 3ptrs), to go with 4 boards. One game after Jose Calderon was on-fire offensively... he didn't even take a shot... 2 points, 2 boards, and 6 helpers.
Rasho Nesterovic had 12 points and 9 boards in Slovenia's 90-82 win over Puerto Rico. The effecient Uros Slokar had 5 points and 2 rebounds in 11 minutes.
Elsewhere...
Darko Milicic was ridiculous... 18 points, 11 boards, 4 helpers, and 6 blocks... Serbia-Montenegro beat up on Venezuela, 90-65...
Manu Ginobili had 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in just 17 minutes, as Argentina rocked Nigeria, 98-64...
Also... Greece upset Brazil, 91-80...
==
that's it for today...
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Another Day... Another States' Blowout...
So the US had it's way with Slovenia, despite getting out-rebounded 37-26.
Kirk Hinrich led the States with 7 off the glass, while Dwyane Wade did the scoring with 20 points (Lebron had 19), in a 114-95 win.
Chris Bosh played distributor, doling out 4 assists (with 0 points, 0/1 fg's) in 13 minutes. In all honesty, that stat is coming from fiba.com... and they've mixed up their ASSISTS and FOULS before... so there's also a chance that Bosh had 1 assist, in reality.
Rasho Nesterovic had 14 points, 7 boards, and 3 assists in 27 minutes...
Uros Slokar 2 points, 5 boards, and 2 helpers in 16 ticks.
Kirk Hinrich led the States with 7 off the glass, while Dwyane Wade did the scoring with 20 points (Lebron had 19), in a 114-95 win.
Chris Bosh played distributor, doling out 4 assists (with 0 points, 0/1 fg's) in 13 minutes. In all honesty, that stat is coming from fiba.com... and they've mixed up their ASSISTS and FOULS before... so there's also a chance that Bosh had 1 assist, in reality.
Rasho Nesterovic had 14 points, 7 boards, and 3 assists in 27 minutes...
Uros Slokar 2 points, 5 boards, and 2 helpers in 16 ticks.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Spanish Sensations...
So Spain continues to roll at the WBC's... and normally I wouldn't make too much of a fuss... but the two Raptors on that squad simply torched the nets.
Jose Calderon had a game high 20 points (5/5 2pt fgs, 2/3 3 pt fgs), 6 ast, 2 stls...
Jorge Garbajosa chipped in 12 points (4/5 3pt fgs)...
and I can only assume that "The Garbage Man" was partly responsible to helping keep Dirk Nowitzki in check (14pts, 4 TO's in 35 mins).
Spain over Germany 92-71.
That's all that really mattered from Day 3, other than the fact that Angola managed to beat New Zealand... Argentina hammered Venezuela, 96-54; Walter Hermann (future Bobcat) had 25 pts and 9 rebs... Serbia-Montenegro punished Lebanon 104-57; Darko Milicic had 18 points off 7/10 2pt, 1/1 3pt shooting.
Jose Calderon had a game high 20 points (5/5 2pt fgs, 2/3 3 pt fgs), 6 ast, 2 stls...
Jorge Garbajosa chipped in 12 points (4/5 3pt fgs)...
and I can only assume that "The Garbage Man" was partly responsible to helping keep Dirk Nowitzki in check (14pts, 4 TO's in 35 mins).
Spain over Germany 92-71.
That's all that really mattered from Day 3, other than the fact that Angola managed to beat New Zealand... Argentina hammered Venezuela, 96-54; Walter Hermann (future Bobcat) had 25 pts and 9 rebs... Serbia-Montenegro punished Lebanon 104-57; Darko Milicic had 18 points off 7/10 2pt, 1/1 3pt shooting.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Raptors Around the World...
First off, I want to say how good it feels to be writing again...
Before the last post, I believe it had been 3 weeks - or somewhere near it. Now there's something to talk about, as the World Basketball Championships are now 2 days deep in Japan.
While I haven't been able to catch more than a glimpse of a few games... the trusty internet has given me the ability for some fine stat-tracking.
But first... I want to give you all a Lonny Baxter update...
According to the Associated Press (thanks again, fellas), the uglier half of the "Banger Brothers" (and any other grouping that involves halves for that matter) will be kept locked up until Wednesday, at the earliest because:
According to the article, his passenger (who was later confirmed to NOT be Robert Archibald) was released... but Baxter is being held in solitary confinement because of his "celebrity status."
Oh, to be a "star" in America. The maximum sentence Baxter could face is 7 years.
And by the way, remember how he was pulled over by the Secret Service? Apparently a witness to the shooting FLAGGED THEM DOWN.
I have to have a Jerry Seinfeld moment here (so put on the voice, please):
"What's the deal with the secret service? I mean, if people can tell who they are... they can't be too secretive..." (If that wasn't funny, then just think about "man hands." - wait... give it a sec... THERE IT IS!!)
OK, so... moving on.
Yesterday (Saturday) marked the beginning of the Fiba WBC's (fiba.com is great - when it's up).
Team USA was trailing early against Puerto Rico, but rebounded midday through the second-quarter to pull away for a 111-100 win. In terms of the Raptors' presence, Chris Bosh had 5 points, 2 boards, a helper and a steal in 13 minutes.
Spain, who I personally believe is the biggest road block in the States' path to redemption, stuck it to New Zealand, 86-70.
Jorge Garbajosa shared the team-lead with 16 points, contributing a team-high 7 boards, to go with 2 steals and an assist.
Jose Calderon had 5 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds.
Slovenia beat Senegal, 96-79, with modest contributions from a pair of Raptors...
Rasho Nesterovic: 4 points, 4 boards, 3 assists, 1 block (16 minutes)
Uros Slokar: 1 point (0/2 from the field), 1 block, 1 steal, 1 assist, 6 rebounds.
(Senegal has 2 M.N'Daiye's... Mamadou was solid, though: 15 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, 1 block and 1 steal)
so that was day 1...
On to today... I woke up at 6:30 this morning for some reason - partly because I stayed home last night on lockdown (brief backstory: I was biking home from work yesterday at 1pm... My napsack evidentally opened up, and I dropped my lock and keys... When I went to replace the lock: insufficient funds. Used Visa. Called Bank. Account frozen till Monday. I gotta make this $5 last until Monday. Goddamn).
So yeah, 6:30... the start of the USA/China game... Didn't register in my brain which was more focused on the "day off" aspect of my life. Back to bed it was.
I woke up 3 minutes after the game ended.
How do you say "Boo" in Japanese??
Team USA absolutely punished China (with Yao this time), 121-90... At the break, China had more turnovers (12) than buckets (11).
Bosh, according to stats at least, had another mediocre game... In 11 minutes, Bosh had 3 points (0/2 fgs), 2 boards and 2 turnovers.
Spain throttled Panama, 101-57...
Garbajosa: 10 pts (4/11 fg's, 1/5 3pts), 5 rebs, 2 ast, 1 stl
Calderon: 5 pts, 5 rebs, 2 ast, 1 steal
Rasho Nesterovic was a beast, but Slovenia lost to Italy... 80-76
Nesterovic: team-high 17 pts (8/14 fg, 1/2 3's), team-high 8 rebs, 2 ast, 2 blks, 2 stls..
Slokar: 4 pts (2/2 fgs), 3 rebs, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl
That's all she wrote for now... thanks to everyone who was kicking my ass to write more... and thanks to everyone else just for reading this.
Before the last post, I believe it had been 3 weeks - or somewhere near it. Now there's something to talk about, as the World Basketball Championships are now 2 days deep in Japan.
While I haven't been able to catch more than a glimpse of a few games... the trusty internet has given me the ability for some fine stat-tracking.
But first... I want to give you all a Lonny Baxter update...
According to the Associated Press (thanks again, fellas), the uglier half of the "Banger Brothers" (and any other grouping that involves halves for that matter) will be kept locked up until Wednesday, at the earliest because:
Baxter's lawyers asked a D.C. Superior Court judge Friday to delay a bond hearing so they could challenge aspects of the city's new crime emergency legislation that presumes anyone charged with carrying a pistol without a license to be dangerous.
According to the article, his passenger (who was later confirmed to NOT be Robert Archibald) was released... but Baxter is being held in solitary confinement because of his "celebrity status."
Oh, to be a "star" in America. The maximum sentence Baxter could face is 7 years.
And by the way, remember how he was pulled over by the Secret Service? Apparently a witness to the shooting FLAGGED THEM DOWN.
I have to have a Jerry Seinfeld moment here (so put on the voice, please):
"What's the deal with the secret service? I mean, if people can tell who they are... they can't be too secretive..." (If that wasn't funny, then just think about "man hands." - wait... give it a sec... THERE IT IS!!)
OK, so... moving on.
Yesterday (Saturday) marked the beginning of the Fiba WBC's (fiba.com is great - when it's up).
Team USA was trailing early against Puerto Rico, but rebounded midday through the second-quarter to pull away for a 111-100 win. In terms of the Raptors' presence, Chris Bosh had 5 points, 2 boards, a helper and a steal in 13 minutes.
Spain, who I personally believe is the biggest road block in the States' path to redemption, stuck it to New Zealand, 86-70.
Jorge Garbajosa shared the team-lead with 16 points, contributing a team-high 7 boards, to go with 2 steals and an assist.
Jose Calderon had 5 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds.
Slovenia beat Senegal, 96-79, with modest contributions from a pair of Raptors...
Rasho Nesterovic: 4 points, 4 boards, 3 assists, 1 block (16 minutes)
Uros Slokar: 1 point (0/2 from the field), 1 block, 1 steal, 1 assist, 6 rebounds.
(Senegal has 2 M.N'Daiye's... Mamadou was solid, though: 15 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, 1 block and 1 steal)
so that was day 1...
On to today... I woke up at 6:30 this morning for some reason - partly because I stayed home last night on lockdown (brief backstory: I was biking home from work yesterday at 1pm... My napsack evidentally opened up, and I dropped my lock and keys... When I went to replace the lock: insufficient funds. Used Visa. Called Bank. Account frozen till Monday. I gotta make this $5 last until Monday. Goddamn).
So yeah, 6:30... the start of the USA/China game... Didn't register in my brain which was more focused on the "day off" aspect of my life. Back to bed it was.
I woke up 3 minutes after the game ended.
How do you say "Boo" in Japanese??
Team USA absolutely punished China (with Yao this time), 121-90... At the break, China had more turnovers (12) than buckets (11).
Bosh, according to stats at least, had another mediocre game... In 11 minutes, Bosh had 3 points (0/2 fgs), 2 boards and 2 turnovers.
Spain throttled Panama, 101-57...
Garbajosa: 10 pts (4/11 fg's, 1/5 3pts), 5 rebs, 2 ast, 1 stl
Calderon: 5 pts, 5 rebs, 2 ast, 1 steal
Rasho Nesterovic was a beast, but Slovenia lost to Italy... 80-76
Nesterovic: team-high 17 pts (8/14 fg, 1/2 3's), team-high 8 rebs, 2 ast, 2 blks, 2 stls..
Slokar: 4 pts (2/2 fgs), 3 rebs, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl
That's all she wrote for now... thanks to everyone who was kicking my ass to write more... and thanks to everyone else just for reading this.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
When You Can't Get to Italy Fast Enough...
First of all, i want to apologize - sort of - for my lack of updating.
I was confronted by a friend/reader at the gym, pointing out that I needed fresh material.
The only problem is... there's no fresh material.
In fact, among the two topics I want to touch on... is OLD stuff.
Amid the madness that is called work, I found a little time to relax in front of the TV the other night. For the first time since some early USA vs. Puerto Rico tune-up action, I turned on RaptorsTV.
I'm sure as hell glad I did.
They're showing what they call the "Landmark Series" - the 2001 First Round playoff series against the Knicks.
Having that on television is like going back to an old fling, and having some good quality no-strings-attached fun. It's a guilt-free pleasure.
Watching the Raptors from when they were competitive.
Watching the Raptors, when the team boasted names like Charles Oakley, Dell Curry, Keon Clark... on top of your Vince Carters', Antonio Davis', Alvin Williams' (who torched New York repeatedly - as mentioned in the previous post, also nailed the "shot" (sorry MJ, Toronto fans get one too)).
Seeing the Jerome Williams', a young up-and-coming Mo Pete, and a Chris Childs before that disasterous 3-point attempt vs. Detroit, was just beautiful.
I almost cried.
There was pretty much a memory associated with every game.
Like, I'd remember watching game 1 of that series with my father on my parents couch... I remember my mother racing back in the car from Hamilton, as we listened to the start of game 3 on the radio, desperately trying to see the images from our own eyes (mother, not necessarily included)...
and fast forward a couple weeks, I remember exactly what I was doing when Vince Carter missed that basket at the buzzer, that would have beaten Philly and sent the Raptors into the Eastern Finals.
But that last one's a story for another post - perhaps.
I just wanted to share that feeling with you... and hope that you got/get a chance to see some of it, as well... because honestly, that's when this city went crazy for Raptors basketball. The bandwagon was never bigger.
And I'm sure I'm not the only one who will welcome further growth, when the on-court product is back to doing what this city demands/expects.
The past few years haven't been as kind, obviously... because of a number of reasons. Turmoil's a good word to use, I think... and turmoil's what one former player is dealing with right now.
I was catching up on what went on in the sports world between my sleeping hours, and came across this nugget: (keep in mind, the player to be mentioned signed a contract to play in Italy, just last week)
-kids... leave the guns at home-
(thanks to the Associated Press)
...this just in... Irvin Martin is actually Robert Archibald... and they actually BANG, like brothers.
Chuck, you're a frikkin' prophet.
I was confronted by a friend/reader at the gym, pointing out that I needed fresh material.
The only problem is... there's no fresh material.
In fact, among the two topics I want to touch on... is OLD stuff.
Amid the madness that is called work, I found a little time to relax in front of the TV the other night. For the first time since some early USA vs. Puerto Rico tune-up action, I turned on RaptorsTV.
I'm sure as hell glad I did.
They're showing what they call the "Landmark Series" - the 2001 First Round playoff series against the Knicks.
Having that on television is like going back to an old fling, and having some good quality no-strings-attached fun. It's a guilt-free pleasure.
Watching the Raptors from when they were competitive.
Watching the Raptors, when the team boasted names like Charles Oakley, Dell Curry, Keon Clark... on top of your Vince Carters', Antonio Davis', Alvin Williams' (who torched New York repeatedly - as mentioned in the previous post, also nailed the "shot" (sorry MJ, Toronto fans get one too)).
Seeing the Jerome Williams', a young up-and-coming Mo Pete, and a Chris Childs before that disasterous 3-point attempt vs. Detroit, was just beautiful.
I almost cried.
There was pretty much a memory associated with every game.
Like, I'd remember watching game 1 of that series with my father on my parents couch... I remember my mother racing back in the car from Hamilton, as we listened to the start of game 3 on the radio, desperately trying to see the images from our own eyes (mother, not necessarily included)...
and fast forward a couple weeks, I remember exactly what I was doing when Vince Carter missed that basket at the buzzer, that would have beaten Philly and sent the Raptors into the Eastern Finals.
But that last one's a story for another post - perhaps.
I just wanted to share that feeling with you... and hope that you got/get a chance to see some of it, as well... because honestly, that's when this city went crazy for Raptors basketball. The bandwagon was never bigger.
And I'm sure I'm not the only one who will welcome further growth, when the on-court product is back to doing what this city demands/expects.
The past few years haven't been as kind, obviously... because of a number of reasons. Turmoil's a good word to use, I think... and turmoil's what one former player is dealing with right now.
I was catching up on what went on in the sports world between my sleeping hours, and came across this nugget: (keep in mind, the player to be mentioned signed a contract to play in Italy, just last week)
-kids... leave the guns at home-
(WASHINGTON AP) - Former NBA player Lonny Baxter was arrested by uniformed Secret Service agents on Wednesday after shots were fired from a vehicle about two blocks from the White House.
Baxter, a former Toronto Raptor who played with the Charlotte Bobcats last season, was taken into custody around 2:30 a.m. after a witness flagged down a Secret Service agent and reported shots fired from a white sport-utility vehicle, said Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren.
Officers stopped the vehicle, which Baxter was driving, near the intersection of 17th and I streets in Northwest Washington.
"There were spent shell casings in plain view inside the vehicle," Zahren said. Officers also recovered a handgun.
Both Baxter, 27, and the vehicle's passenger, 35-year-old Irvin Martin, were charged with carrying a pistol without a license and other firearms charges. Police said it wasn't clear why they allegedly fired the gun.
"We're not sure at this point," Zahren said. "There may be some subsequent charges if we discover some additional information."
The two suspects are being held by District of Columbia police.
(thanks to the Associated Press)
...this just in... Irvin Martin is actually Robert Archibald... and they actually BANG, like brothers.
Chuck, you're a frikkin' prophet.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Strictly Business...
It was 11 o’clock this morning… I was at the Platinum Lounge at the Air Canada Center, awaiting the Fred Jones introduction press conference.
I could smell something was up.
I wrapped up a quick chat with some of the newspaper guys and walked over to one of the media relations guys…
“Hey, so uhh… are they waiving Alvin today or what?”
“There are a couple of things that they’re doing this morning...”
“Ahh, so you know something…”
“Maybe.”
“Can I expect some paperwork that says Alvin will be released?”
“Perhaps…”
I like these very direct interchanges.
So I hook up my equipment to the main sound board, and find a seat in the back row.
I shake a couple hands, and get re-acquainted with someone I went to college with. He’s now doing his thing at the Score. Big things.
I see Bryan Colangelo’s making his way towards to make-shift podium, so I start up my minidisc to record.
BC says there will be two parts to this morning’s presser… the first of which is the waiving of Alvin Williams.
I glanced over to the media relations guy with whom I had exchanged top secret information. I got a nod in return. Fair trade.
So Colangelo’s going on about how this move needed to be done… saying he wouldn’t rule out Alvin making a return to the organization in some capacity.
Four minutes later, Colangelo steps down from the table, and says he’ll be back with his “free-agent signing”
Fast forward a couple minutes, and as promised, BC returns with Freddy Jones and says the 6’2” former slam dunk champ has a “tremendous skill set,” and resembles “one of the final pieces.”
Jones takes his turn on the mic and says the “style of play” is what attracted him to Toronto, noting that the Pacers’ strategy was not conducive to his game.
He also said Kevin O’Neill told him to check for Toronto.
Everyone shared a laugh.
A few minutes later came the photo opportunity. Colangelo shares the jersey-hoisting duties with Jones, who will apparently wear #20.
Alvin’s #20.
A mere 10 minutes (at most) has passed since the waiving was announced, and already Alvin’s number has been jacked. What if someone wore #15? What would you think?
Personally, I felt like Alvin was the heartbeat of the Raptors for years… he played more games in Toronto than anyone else not named Morris Peterson, and this is how it goes??
Shown the door, with his remains swept under the rug?
Strictly business.
Afterwards, I got a fair amount of questions in for both Colangelo and Jones… but I want the rest of this to focus on Alvin.
Once I got back to the station, did my Freddy Jones voicers, I got notified that Alvin’s conference call would start at 2 o’clock.
Just 40 minutes after I finished my reports.
This would be my very first conference call… good times.
I got the first question in…
“Alvin, this is Zack Cooper from the Fan 590… I’m just curious, I mean, this has been talked about for a while, but how are you doing? I mean, where’s your head at?”
“Well, I was just disappointed. I still wanted to play with the Toronto Raptors, you know, if I had one more chance… but hopefully I can get with another team to continue playing. If not, just look forward to doing other things in my life.”
Skip forward a bit…
“Alvin, earlier today, Bryan mentioned that you might make a return to the Raptors organization, in a role other than a player… how much was that talked about?”
“It was mentioned, or whatever, but there wasn’t much talk. I haven’t talked to anyone from the team – other than a couple people calling me to wish me luck or whatever – but not with anyone with the team who could make that sort of decision.”
Then I had to ask the standard ‘Is there one memory that outshines the others, that you’ll keep with you forever?’ question…
No doubt any true Raptor fan will miss Alvin, in return, as I will.
I remember when he played those 5 minutes last season, and the entire ACC erupted with applause… I nearly cried.
I remember how well he played against his hometown Sixers in that push towards the Eastern Finals…
I remember how last season, when I started covering the Raptors, Alvin would always be one of the last guys out of the RBK court, still dripping with sweat, all while knowing he wasn’t going to see any game-time.
Alvin told me in the conference call that he knew this day was coming… and that he even put up his house to be sold the day the season ended.
I can’t think of a classier guy on the Raptors; He’s a guy who never played into the controversies that were so common place around this team.
I know it’s not like he died or anything… but please, leave a comment… or e-mail me some memories you have of Alvin’s time as a Raptor…
If the Raptors won’t play keep-away with his number, the least we can do is share some fond memories. He was kind enough to do the same with me.
(edit: It turns out Jorge Garbajosa will be wearing #15)
I could smell something was up.
I wrapped up a quick chat with some of the newspaper guys and walked over to one of the media relations guys…
“Hey, so uhh… are they waiving Alvin today or what?”
“There are a couple of things that they’re doing this morning...”
“Ahh, so you know something…”
“Maybe.”
“Can I expect some paperwork that says Alvin will be released?”
“Perhaps…”
I like these very direct interchanges.
So I hook up my equipment to the main sound board, and find a seat in the back row.
I shake a couple hands, and get re-acquainted with someone I went to college with. He’s now doing his thing at the Score. Big things.
I see Bryan Colangelo’s making his way towards to make-shift podium, so I start up my minidisc to record.
BC says there will be two parts to this morning’s presser… the first of which is the waiving of Alvin Williams.
I glanced over to the media relations guy with whom I had exchanged top secret information. I got a nod in return. Fair trade.
So Colangelo’s going on about how this move needed to be done… saying he wouldn’t rule out Alvin making a return to the organization in some capacity.
Four minutes later, Colangelo steps down from the table, and says he’ll be back with his “free-agent signing”
Fast forward a couple minutes, and as promised, BC returns with Freddy Jones and says the 6’2” former slam dunk champ has a “tremendous skill set,” and resembles “one of the final pieces.”
Jones takes his turn on the mic and says the “style of play” is what attracted him to Toronto, noting that the Pacers’ strategy was not conducive to his game.
He also said Kevin O’Neill told him to check for Toronto.
Everyone shared a laugh.
A few minutes later came the photo opportunity. Colangelo shares the jersey-hoisting duties with Jones, who will apparently wear #20.
Alvin’s #20.
A mere 10 minutes (at most) has passed since the waiving was announced, and already Alvin’s number has been jacked. What if someone wore #15? What would you think?
Personally, I felt like Alvin was the heartbeat of the Raptors for years… he played more games in Toronto than anyone else not named Morris Peterson, and this is how it goes??
Shown the door, with his remains swept under the rug?
Strictly business.
Afterwards, I got a fair amount of questions in for both Colangelo and Jones… but I want the rest of this to focus on Alvin.
Once I got back to the station, did my Freddy Jones voicers, I got notified that Alvin’s conference call would start at 2 o’clock.
Just 40 minutes after I finished my reports.
This would be my very first conference call… good times.
I got the first question in…
“Alvin, this is Zack Cooper from the Fan 590… I’m just curious, I mean, this has been talked about for a while, but how are you doing? I mean, where’s your head at?”
“Well, I was just disappointed. I still wanted to play with the Toronto Raptors, you know, if I had one more chance… but hopefully I can get with another team to continue playing. If not, just look forward to doing other things in my life.”
Skip forward a bit…
“Alvin, earlier today, Bryan mentioned that you might make a return to the Raptors organization, in a role other than a player… how much was that talked about?”
“It was mentioned, or whatever, but there wasn’t much talk. I haven’t talked to anyone from the team – other than a couple people calling me to wish me luck or whatever – but not with anyone with the team who could make that sort of decision.”
Then I had to ask the standard ‘Is there one memory that outshines the others, that you’ll keep with you forever?’ question…
“A lot of them. All of them. The good and the bad moments, because this was the chunk of my career – and basketball, as a lot of people know, is my passion. So, everything that happens through basketball came through the Toronto Raptors, as far as my professional career and what not. The playoffs… Whether it was the signing of Lenny Wilkins, or the firing of Lenny Wilkins… You know, just playing with guys like Vince Carter, Mo Pete, Muggsey Bogues, Oakley… like, all the guys who have been through the team… just the biggest thing for me. All the memories. And all my friends here, my family, I have thousands of stories to tell them about different guys. So, a lot of the memories throughout basketball, I’m going to cherish with the Toronto Raptors, as well as the fans… walking around the city, going to restaurants, going to convenience stores, and all the love I was being shown… It was always a pleasure, and I’ll miss that dearly.”
No doubt any true Raptor fan will miss Alvin, in return, as I will.
I remember when he played those 5 minutes last season, and the entire ACC erupted with applause… I nearly cried.
I remember how well he played against his hometown Sixers in that push towards the Eastern Finals…
I remember how last season, when I started covering the Raptors, Alvin would always be one of the last guys out of the RBK court, still dripping with sweat, all while knowing he wasn’t going to see any game-time.
Alvin told me in the conference call that he knew this day was coming… and that he even put up his house to be sold the day the season ended.
I can’t think of a classier guy on the Raptors; He’s a guy who never played into the controversies that were so common place around this team.
I know it’s not like he died or anything… but please, leave a comment… or e-mail me some memories you have of Alvin’s time as a Raptor…
If the Raptors won’t play keep-away with his number, the least we can do is share some fond memories. He was kind enough to do the same with me.
(edit: It turns out Jorge Garbajosa will be wearing #15)
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Without a Mic Line...
Bright and early… that’s how Bryan Colangelo does it.
Not once in my year and change of Raptors reporting do I recall a press conference set for 10 in the morning.
And yet, this is how everything unfolded…
I woke up at 7:40am. Confirmed the presser was going down. Had a shower, made some breakfast, brushed my teeth, and then re-read everything I’d read about Anthony Parker.
Then I took a voyage to youtube.com, and watched a little more game film.
I can’t get over how the creators of these videos either lace quality highlights with a) bad dance music… or b) bad hip-hop.
Either way.
So by now, we’re approaching 9 o’clock. I planned to be out the door by 9:15.
I gathered all my things…
Minidisc… check.
Mic Flash… check.
Microphone… check.
Microphone cord… ummm… uh oh.
A day prior to these events, I burrowed some equipment from a fellow reporter. I had my own mic, I just needed a flash (the station ID thingy that goes on the mic), and a minidisc… Sadly, I forgot to ask for a mic cord.
So I hop on the Queen streetcar to head to the ACC… I call up the station and request some assistance.
Assistance Granted.
An intern would be meeting me at Front and Bay with a recovery pack filled with all the reporters’ essentials. (Thanks Levett)
I head back to the ACC, check my levels, plug in my goods, and we’re set…
The press conference is running a few minutes late, giving me time to do a live hit on the Fan.
My phone cut out at the end, but apparently it went ok.
On to the conference… (If you didn’t see it and would like to… NBA.com has complete broadband video coverage – pssst… you can see my head as I scamper to my seat at the beginning)
So instead of running through that whole mess… I’ll just go through what I had a part in.
Anthony Parker, the reigning back-to-back Euroleague MVP, was doing his thing… about 3 questions in… I piped up:
After the press conference wrapped up, we had question and answer periods with Parker (didn’t ask him any more questions, as I saw Colangelo was gathering quite the crowd)…
I arrived just a touch late to Colangelo’s scrum… but apparently my question was not asked:
That was the first time I actually spoke to Colangelo personally… and like Parker, I came away impressed.
It also sounds like I’ll get another chance to chat with Bryan tomorrow… as the Chris Bosh extension is expected to be announced then.
This time, though… I’ve got my mic cord.
Not once in my year and change of Raptors reporting do I recall a press conference set for 10 in the morning.
And yet, this is how everything unfolded…
I woke up at 7:40am. Confirmed the presser was going down. Had a shower, made some breakfast, brushed my teeth, and then re-read everything I’d read about Anthony Parker.
Then I took a voyage to youtube.com, and watched a little more game film.
I can’t get over how the creators of these videos either lace quality highlights with a) bad dance music… or b) bad hip-hop.
Either way.
So by now, we’re approaching 9 o’clock. I planned to be out the door by 9:15.
I gathered all my things…
Minidisc… check.
Mic Flash… check.
Microphone… check.
Microphone cord… ummm… uh oh.
A day prior to these events, I burrowed some equipment from a fellow reporter. I had my own mic, I just needed a flash (the station ID thingy that goes on the mic), and a minidisc… Sadly, I forgot to ask for a mic cord.
So I hop on the Queen streetcar to head to the ACC… I call up the station and request some assistance.
Assistance Granted.
An intern would be meeting me at Front and Bay with a recovery pack filled with all the reporters’ essentials. (Thanks Levett)
I head back to the ACC, check my levels, plug in my goods, and we’re set…
The press conference is running a few minutes late, giving me time to do a live hit on the Fan.
My phone cut out at the end, but apparently it went ok.
On to the conference… (If you didn’t see it and would like to… NBA.com has complete broadband video coverage – pssst… you can see my head as I scamper to my seat at the beginning)
So instead of running through that whole mess… I’ll just go through what I had a part in.
Anthony Parker, the reigning back-to-back Euroleague MVP, was doing his thing… about 3 questions in… I piped up:
“Anthony… Do you expect there to be much adjustment coming back to the NBA, in terms of different styles of play?”
“I think so… You know, the first couple months that I was overseas, there was a huge adjustment for me. It’s almost a completely different game. I think it’ll be a lot easier of an adjustment to come back here, than it was when I went over there… but I certainly do anticipate an adjustment period.”
After the press conference wrapped up, we had question and answer periods with Parker (didn’t ask him any more questions, as I saw Colangelo was gathering quite the crowd)…
I arrived just a touch late to Colangelo’s scrum… but apparently my question was not asked:
“Bryan… Anthony’s got the tag ‘the best basketball player not in the NBA.’ Do you and your scouts honestly believe that?”
“You know what… if he’s not *the* best not playing in the NBA… then he’s certainly *one* of the best. Having seen a lot of basketball being played outside of the NBA, he clearly dominates games. He’s been considered the best European player for the last two years, winning the Euroleague MVP two years in a row… and that’s not an easy feat, given the talent that’s over there.”
That was the first time I actually spoke to Colangelo personally… and like Parker, I came away impressed.
It also sounds like I’ll get another chance to chat with Bryan tomorrow… as the Chris Bosh extension is expected to be announced then.
This time, though… I’ve got my mic cord.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Back in the Game...
I fell asleep early Thursday, in desperate need of some sleep catch-up. I had come home from the gym exhausted after a work day featuring a 6-hour turnaround (I left work at 3am, and returned for 9am).
I awoke to the familiar sound of my phone vibrating on my table-top.
Groggy, I flipped open the lid of my over-aged Motorolla V300...
I hung up the phone with my boss, and shot up like a dart.
Finally. With such a high-profile summer of top picks, trades, and rumours... this would be my first taste of officially getting back in the Raptors swing.
Surely it would be an intimate gathering.
Everyone was in Vegas.
I showered, got dressed... re-versed myself in some Ford stats... and headed to the station to pick up the mic-flash and mini-disc that I had come to know as my own (only to have returned it after the season was over).
We were reunited again.
It was beautiful.
I actually think I saw the mini-disc well up some mechanical tears.
Either way. I headed south of the Yonge line to Union, checked my watch, and saw that I was running a smidgen late.
It was 11:26. Media availability was 11:30.
I was still a good 6 minutes away.
My pace quickened, my thoughts raced. I knew what I wanted to ask TJ, and I knew I would get the chance to converse a little more loosely.
Shoot the shit, as they say.
I managed to sign in and get up to the RBK court for 11:29.
No one was there. Perfect.
I saw one of the media relations people, and tried to confirm my observation.
She unlocked and opened the door... and to my stunned disbelief it was RAMMED.
Absolutely packed with media. Outlets that don't normally make their presence felt (notably CBC) were there.
I saw some familiar faces of people I hadn't seen since April, re-acquainted myself, and started pacing around.
I knew my hopes and wishes of a somewhat intimate conversation with TJ would be dashed. Now I was thinking about positioning.
About half a minute later, a small statured man with big shoulders walked in wearing a white T-shirt. It was him.
Everyone immediately surrounded him like a pack of wild wolves about to pounce on a lonely white sheep.
It was the same old questions...
He'd answered these questions numerous times, before even stepping on Canadian soil. I'm not saying that I'm a master-questioneer (and if you're a regular follower of this blog, you'd know I'm not), but I've learned to at least TRY to keep it fresh.
I didn't want to ask about his back... I wanted to ask about his contract... I wanted to ask about his thoughts on the Raptors turning into the Toronto Euros...
I got my questions in... but the answers were of the standard, to-be-expected variety.
I followed up a question regarding his excitement about playing with Bosh, with:
(Sadly, because the answer was blahzay, I didn't keep the clip... but his response, NOT-verbatim, went something like:)
A few other reporters asked their questions... then I shot in with another:
I think he took the question to mean something else, because his response was (again, something to effect of:)
I got one more question in there, but can't recall what it was right now...
But overall, Ford seems like a personable guy. Friendly, open, and honest (even though I KNOW there has to have been talk about a contract extension).
I'm booked to cover "Free-Agency" on Friday (although chances are, Thursday will be when all the action hits - as Colangelo has said he wants to round out the roster as quickly as possible).
==
Monday, I get to cover a newser about how the Canadian Center for Ethics in Sport and NSF International have joined forces to educate Canadian athletes about what nutritional supplements they can take without getting busted for doping.
I'm hoping for a free energy bar.
I awoke to the familiar sound of my phone vibrating on my table-top.
Groggy, I flipped open the lid of my over-aged Motorolla V300...
"Hello?"
"Were you out drinking last night? Hitting the town?"
"Not Quite. What's up?"
"I need you down at the ACC. Eric was working the morning show, and TJ Ford is going to be introduced to the media."
I hung up the phone with my boss, and shot up like a dart.
Finally. With such a high-profile summer of top picks, trades, and rumours... this would be my first taste of officially getting back in the Raptors swing.
Surely it would be an intimate gathering.
Everyone was in Vegas.
I showered, got dressed... re-versed myself in some Ford stats... and headed to the station to pick up the mic-flash and mini-disc that I had come to know as my own (only to have returned it after the season was over).
We were reunited again.
It was beautiful.
I actually think I saw the mini-disc well up some mechanical tears.
Either way. I headed south of the Yonge line to Union, checked my watch, and saw that I was running a smidgen late.
It was 11:26. Media availability was 11:30.
I was still a good 6 minutes away.
My pace quickened, my thoughts raced. I knew what I wanted to ask TJ, and I knew I would get the chance to converse a little more loosely.
Shoot the shit, as they say.
I managed to sign in and get up to the RBK court for 11:29.
No one was there. Perfect.
I saw one of the media relations people, and tried to confirm my observation.
"I guess it's not open yet, huh?"
"Oh, it is... they're already inside. But TJ will be a few minutes."
She unlocked and opened the door... and to my stunned disbelief it was RAMMED.
Absolutely packed with media. Outlets that don't normally make their presence felt (notably CBC) were there.
I saw some familiar faces of people I hadn't seen since April, re-acquainted myself, and started pacing around.
I knew my hopes and wishes of a somewhat intimate conversation with TJ would be dashed. Now I was thinking about positioning.
About half a minute later, a small statured man with big shoulders walked in wearing a white T-shirt. It was him.
Everyone immediately surrounded him like a pack of wild wolves about to pounce on a lonely white sheep.
It was the same old questions...
"How does it feel being in Canada?"
"Why do you think people don't want to play here?"
"Are you looking forward to playing with Bosh?"
He'd answered these questions numerous times, before even stepping on Canadian soil. I'm not saying that I'm a master-questioneer (and if you're a regular follower of this blog, you'd know I'm not), but I've learned to at least TRY to keep it fresh.
I didn't want to ask about his back... I wanted to ask about his contract... I wanted to ask about his thoughts on the Raptors turning into the Toronto Euros...
I got my questions in... but the answers were of the standard, to-be-expected variety.
I followed up a question regarding his excitement about playing with Bosh, with:
"Like Bosh, TJ... you're also up for an extension this summer. Has that at all come into conversations, or are you just going to play, and see what happens?"
(Sadly, because the answer was blahzay, I didn't keep the clip... but his response, NOT-verbatim, went something like:)
"I let my agent deal with all that stuff... I don't really get involved in all the contract talk. I'm just here to play basketball and try to win some games."
A few other reporters asked their questions... then I shot in with another:
"With all these unknowns on the Raptors roster, and rumours of more names coming over from Europe... are you concerned at all about an adjustment period, with different styles of play?"
I think he took the question to mean something else, because his response was (again, something to effect of:)
"I just play my game. I'm going to run up and down the floor, and get guys the ball where they want it. Right now, a lot of things are a mystery... but once we get summer league and training camp in there, everything will be fine."
I got one more question in there, but can't recall what it was right now...
But overall, Ford seems like a personable guy. Friendly, open, and honest (even though I KNOW there has to have been talk about a contract extension).
I'm booked to cover "Free-Agency" on Friday (although chances are, Thursday will be when all the action hits - as Colangelo has said he wants to round out the roster as quickly as possible).
==
Monday, I get to cover a newser about how the Canadian Center for Ethics in Sport and NSF International have joined forces to educate Canadian athletes about what nutritional supplements they can take without getting busted for doping.
I'm hoping for a free energy bar.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)