I'm writing you from Spain... for a couple of reasons.
First off, I wasn't too pleased with the way I put out my last entry... and secondly, because a string of bizarre and coincidental instances have come forth during my stay away from Toronto.
OK... so i'm sitting in my room, in which I am shacked up with my brother (whom we'd be lost without (people don't speak much English here; he's the only one who speaks Spanish)) here in Seville. I hadn't heard from Jose (Calderon), and based on information I had recieved from my boy Pedro (the doorman at our hotel in Barcelona) it wouldn't have made much difference. According to the apparently not to reliable Pedro, the Spanish League is done. Finito.
Not the case.
I turn on the TV, and I finally find what is actually basketball... as opposed to an interesting concoction of hoops, dodgeball and soccer - a sport of which no one seems to know the name. So in either case, I'm watching this game between Unicaya and DKV Joventut. They're playing the series opener in the Spanish League's (ACB) semi-final. I'm watching... trying to pick apart differences between their version, and our North-American counterpart (less dribbling, more passing, less inside-play... yadda yadda). Then I see this one guy take it inside. He gets hacked. Pretty hard.
On the back of his sponsorship-filled jersey is inscribed "R.ARCHIBALD".
What the hell?
I quickly run into my parents' room down the hall.
"Dad... check this out."
I turn on the TV.
R.Archibald, on cue, hacks some other dude.
The spanish commentators fire off something about something-or-other, and say "Archibald." They do a close-up. PERFECT.
"Recognize that guy?"
"Yeah, that's what's his name..."
"Not Lonny Baxter... the other half of the 'banger brothers.'" (Never liked that name)
I thought it was too much of a coincidence. My best friend, Google, however, confirmed my thinking. A couple of clicks later, I see our former Raptor, Robert Archibald, had 7 points and 4 boards, as Unicaya took game 1, 80-66.
He was apparently the high-scorer in the series-clinching game that got their team to the semi's.
Very interesting. Very small world.
Just about 20 minutes before I flipped on the TV I finished reading the book "The Jump." (by Ian O'Connor)
(It's a great book about how Sebastien Telfair became the first point guard to make the leap from high school to the NBA)
The very last sentence says: "If the Coney Island kid (Telfair) doesn't cut it at the point, (John) Nash (the GM of the Blazers) won't last long enough to trade him."
Now this is not to say that Bassy hasn't cut it (far from it, in fact - although he screwed me statistically in every single Fantasy League I took part in), but just 2 days prior, said GM was fired by Portland.
So very interesting.
While I'm reading this book... I'm thinking about how I'd love to see Telfair in a Raps jersey. Sure, his jump-shot isn't the most reliable, but he's a great play-maker who eats competition for breakfast. I'd been in love with his game since I got to watch a McDonald's All-America game just before his draft year of 2004. He's tiny... but faster than a trip to the john after a supervalue meal.
I love his pass-first mentality, and obviously, after reading a book that gushes out all the good stuff, I fell in love with the idea of him being a Raptor even more.
While I'm catching up with all the rumours (aren't they juicy???), I see that there's talk of Jarrett Jack coming to Toronto, as the Raps are looking to trade down to Portland's 4th pick. Jack, you'll remember, was taken the year after Telfair... and obviously has the Georgia Tech connection to Bosh. While I've read they were "friends," who knows how close they were. I like JJ's game, but would love Telfair... Either way... I thought the idea was pretty crazy - after I'd been brewing up all these trades myself.
(Now there's talk about signing Jay Williams... thoughts??)
I love the prospect of trading down and grabbing Marcus Williams, in either case. I love me them play-makers. From what I've been reading here (draftexpress did a GREAT inverview with him), he's impressing everywhere he goes.
Back to the signings... there's also that rumour spreading about that the Raps are interested in snagging Spanish forward Jorge Garbajosa. A man who happens to be playing with Unicaja. Apparently I didn't see him because he got into early foul trouble.
All in all, though, I had to share how this tangled web was all coming together all while I'm staying in this far off land.
With that being said... I must say goodnight. I've got an early morning trip to Madrid. I'll be home a week from today, and will hopefully get a taste of some pre-draft workouts.
Things seem to be shaping up nicely for these Raptors, don't they?
Please, share your thoughts... we'll speak soon.
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7 comments:
hope you are enjoying the rain in spain... does that line work though? did it actually rain in spain?
dallas and miami in the finals... your thoughts?
btw, i want denham brown signed to the raps, not because i went to high school with him either...
Lene... good to see you're checking the blog, still...
I'm somewhat surprised the Pistons let the Heat get by them, but not so much with the Mavs...
Miami had to go through their annual injury report for that game 6 - Wade needing IV's?? Jordan, WHAT!? They prevailed, though... at least, through the East. But as Shaq said... "the job's not done." He's right, and I'm guessing it won't get done either... and he will retire without a 4th ring.
Dallas is just too tough on both sides of the court... they can play big, they can play small... they can play the shooting game, and they can bang (although not all that much). But given that last part... All it takes is getting Shaq in foul trouble, and there's no need to bang... just slide on through.
Wade is the man... but he can't save the Heat. In my opinion. Other than himself, Haslem, and Shaq... I really hate how that team was put together. Let's get a bunch of quasi-all-stars, and bring them over really cheap because they all want a ring. It didn't work with LA two years ago... and I'm HOPING it doesn't happen this year. Again, I don't think it will.
About Denham Brown... I doubt they'd need to draft him, if they really want him... and honestly, I doubt they'd draft him. He's a great guy, a solid player, and of great character... but I don't know how successful he'd be up against the NBA's 2's every night. I see him as a bench-player for life, assuming he did make the cut - which isn't a slight on him. But he doesn't take over games... he doesn't have the most reliable shot in the world... and his handles aren't up to NBA speed... YET.
With that being said, the Raptors do have 2 second round picks... but assuming they don't get Marcus Williams AND Jay Williams... I think they'd probably grab another PG, to go with a BIG... as opposed to another swingman - which is certainly not in short supply in the NBA.
What are your thoughts??
-Zack
i feel strangly empty with playoff developments, although by all accounts mia dal is a great finals, and games thus far have been amazing. maybe because the end is ever nearer.
for some reason i'll share a personal story.
i am expecting a kid in about a month.
being an ignorant and uneducated programmer that i am, i expect that the first thing he will learn from me (and sadly the last) will be look it up on google. that's all i ever do. look up stuff on google. i dont know how i'd live without it. i mean i'd know way less. but its so much fun. like last night. i saw eternal sunshine of spotless mind and imidiattly i spend the whole night reading c. kaufmann interviews, reviews and all other shit. my emule is now downloading all of his movies (living in serbia, i allow myself to steel that stuff)
or 2 nights ago i saw this older jarmusch movie stranger then haven with a hungarian girl in it. that night i found out that her perants ran away from communist hungary, she lived in paris and ny and california. and i listened to few songs from her 2 albums.
it's crazy.
and i am crazy.
good night.
just re-read what i posted.
stranger then paradise of course...
thats funny
love the overseas check-in (and comment on my blog - much love)
archibald, still living the dream. funny, tragic, and moving all at the same time. bravo.
i predicted a dallas championship. do i win anything?
love the updates. keep 'em coming.
Hey Japaja... I tried to reply via e-mail, but yours is not there... so here's my comment to you...
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congrats in advance on the kid! Much to be excited for. Enjoy your precious time with google while it lasts... soon you'll be occupied with diaper changing, and cleaning up vomit - or so I hear. Wow, that really painting a positive picture didn't it? Nah, kids are the best. Good luck to you and your lady.
And on more general terms... you are certainly one of the MANY people that rely on modern-age technology to get through the day. During "siesta" over here - when everything closes during the afternoon - what is there to do? Sure, I swim... sure, I lay in the sun... but I gotta stay up to date on hoops. Where would I be without the internet?
Where would we ALL be without google?
How often is it that you (or I) go to a bar, and someone starts talking shit about somethingorother... and you call them on it.
their response??
"Google that shit."
And I do.
Google owns me.
I love google.
It's a two-way street.
Again, congrats in advance on the kid... keep me posted.
-Zack
==
oh, and FERG... good to hear from you, buddy. I'm trying to put on some pounds over here (the closest I get to a gym is the pool), so look out for me in the post.
you're gonna get crunched, son.
See you at the J.
oh, and for you Dallas prediction (which the Swirks also threw out there...) you get a free dunk on the noggin, courtesy of the Coops.
Zack!! Hope you having a blast in spain while we say farewell to the brazillian beast. Colangelo just pulled off what i thought was near impossible.. i had always considered hoffa a filler in a trade but BC picked up not 1 but 2 guys from Utah for our beloved Hoffa to go back to mormon land where he had flourished earlier. I doubt we will see both Kris Humphries and Whaley in raps red next season im sure one will be waived but what are your thoughts?
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