Not the biggest of weekly mailbags but still enough here to get you through the morning, I hope.
About to head to the airport and get to Atlanta to basically move in for four nights. Wish me luck.
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Q: Hi Doug,
I am a big fan of the expression, Fish rot from the head down. Thankfully the Hoth has exemplary leadership and they are really setting themselves apart from other franchises. I feel that the continuity and stability that Masai and Dwane offer has much to do with the recent success of the team. What are some of the ways you feel Masai and Dwane have brought about positive change for the organization that might go unnoticed by the vast majority (meaning us irregulars)?
Cheers,
Andy
A: Consistency of message, by far and away is the thing. They have remained the same men through good and bad, dealing with stars and lesser lights. They treat each other and the players with respect and fairness and that does not go unnoticed, believe me.
I think the one thing people don’t see is how much quiet interaction there is. Masai, or Bobby, will have private chats with players about nothing more than how things are going with their families, their lives, they existence away from basketball. Same with Dwane. Those little conversations add up and mean something.
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Q: Doug,
Great point about the all-star team names. Why not take it a step further and allow LeBron and Curry to not only name the teams, but also design snazzy new uniforms. Probably a good way to make a quick buck for the league, no?
Thanks for all you do,
Gavin.
A: That’d be a great idea but I presume the time it would take to design and make would be an issue.
But I wonder how sales of jerseys are going to be because of what it will say on the front. I can’t imagine many fans would buy a jersey with “Team LeBron” on the front and “DeRozan” on the back.
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Q: Hi Doug:
Great game against the Spurs, a team the Raps should try to emulate for sure. Minnesota will be a challenge.
Reading some comments about 905 players, and a couple of writers suggest that Lorenzo Brown and Kennedy Meeks are playing well enough to be in the NBA.
Question is, if other teams besides the Raps choose to engage any of the 905 players, can they do so, and can the Raps do anything about it?
Brown is on a 2-way contract so he is protected, or is he?
If Raps were to trade Lucas and Bruno, could they call up Meeks as a back-up centre?
Wondered if the Cavs would have any interest in Meeks since they appear to be looking for a good centre, although they seem to be interested in a deal for Jordan.
Here's a fun thought - I can see Lucas in a Cavs uniform as a great rim protector, and his defensive liabilities could be offset by the great passing of Thomas and James who could set him up for easy baskets.
In a trade, I would do Lucas and Bruno for Frye or Korver. Ok, so I'm a little crazy……:-)
Raven
A: Any of the 905ers who aren’t on two-way contracts with the Raptors – Miller and Brown – or who aren’t on NBA contracts and there on assignment – Bruno – are free agents and can be signed by any NBA team. That includes Toronto, of course, but the Raptor don’t have any advantage.
I don’t think any of the money in that Cleveland scenario works, sorry.
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Q: Hi Doug,
Thanks for being an ex-pat's bets resource for raptor info.
I know DD got fined for his 5 on 8 remark, but I never did hear any blowback about his comment on the out of bound play review.
I thought he was correct in that the final call didn't come under the scope of the review since it happened prior to the out-of-bounds call that was being reviewed.
I was just wondering if the Last Two Minute review from the league had made any reference to it.
Also, I heard speculation lately of who originated the "Euro-step".
I can tell you that I first saw it back in the 1960's on the Bloor Collegiate Senior basketball team.
We had one guy who you always had to look twice at. It was like his drive was in slow motion, with each step in a different direction. I was always amazed that he was never called for traveling, even though it was perfectly legal. So don't let anyone convince you it is a recent phenomenon.
Les
A: The Last Two Minute report, which I totally dislike, had quite a statement about it. I think it’s here, if my linking skills are up to snuff:
http://official.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/01/L2M-GSW-TOR-01-13-2018.pdf
And, oh yeah, the Euro Step’s been around for years, maybe even before your buddy’s time.
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Q: Doug,
Even with the use of instant replay, the players and even coaches seem to be complaining about the refs more than ever these days. Basketball is probably one of, if not the hardest sport to officiate, and there will always be questionable calls made that will go against the favour of every team in the league. Are you tired of guys complaining post-game about the refs on almost a daily basis, and do you think that it will ever go away? What, if anything, can the league do to dissuade this type of behaviour towards the refs?
Thanks,
Dr. Justin
A: I’m very tired of it and everybody is. As I wrote in Nothing But Net this week, there is something of a summit scheduled during the all-star week between the league, the players’ association and the referees to try to find some common ground of respect.
You’re never going to get all the emotion and immediate reaction of complaining out of the game, nor should anyone expect that, but refs, player and coaches all need to dial it back.
I don’t know if fines are the answer but it might be a way to get somebody’s attention.
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Q: Hi Doug, I hope you and yours are doing well.
A couple of things.
Bruce Arthur (I am feeling foggy, do you have a name for him?)
https://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/opinion/2018/01/16/manic-monday-throwback-to-nbas-nastier-past.html missed some of the history of clamping down on fights in the NBA. The real key is when Kermit Washington almost killed Rudy Tomjanovich.
Before that fighting was tolerated. My understanding is that Tiny
Archibald was the most feared fighter while he was in the league. I recall reading a reference to him knocking out Wes Unseld.
The other thing is that Joel Embiid really ate the Raptors lunch the other day. Can anyone in the league defend him straight up, or am I overestimating Jonas Valanciunas post up defence abilities?
Thanks for all the good stuff you do.
Jim Rootham
A: Joel Embiid, if he stays healthy, is going to be a load for everyone, no question about it. It’s going to take creative defensive schemes to limit what he does and I bet once teams get a better chance to scout and see him, they’ll figure something out.
I was a bit surprised that there wasn’t more mention of Washington-Tomjanovich during the week, too. From anyone who wrote about fighting in the game.
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Q: Hey Doug,
We are at the halfway point of the season and the Raptors have set a new franchise high for wins to this point, DeRozan has once again expanded his game and the bench is bringing excitement every night. Life is good in Raptorland!
Two things I would like your thoughts on at this point.
Where do you think Dwayne Casey sits at this point in the Coach of the Year discussion? Managing the culture reset, getting buy in from the stars, giving the bench enough rope to learn but not to hang themselves, all while keeping the team at the top of the league. Outside of Brad Stephens there isn’t another candidate that stands out for me. Right now who would you put in the top 5 for that discussion?
An extension of that is Casey’s ability to utilize the full rotation. In my opinion, that has been where he has really shone this year, not being afraid to use all of the available pieces as the situation demands. Now, the accepted truth is that rotations have to shrink down to 8 or 9 in the playoffs but I’m not sure that is the best idea for this team. The playoffs are all about defence and defence is all about matchups, energy and intensity which is what we have consistently had with the bench group. I’m a believer in the old adage that you "dance with the one that brought you”. Do you think we might get to see the Raptors continue to go deep into the bench in the playoffs, playing to one of their big strengths in the face of conventional wisdom?
As always, thanks for the good work.
Steve
A: I think Dwane will get much consideration in coach of the year voting if things don’t go totally off the rails. I’d probably put Spoelstra, Thibodeau, Doc and Stephens on the list and there’ll likely be some love for D’Antoni as well.
I’ve long thought that paring down the rotation to eight, maybe nine, was the way to go in the post-season. All things being equal and with no injuries, I think this roster works best at 10 and maybe 11 so not sure they should change. Maybe cutting back the minutes of the last two or three would work but not leaving them entirely out.
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Q: An Atlanta theme since you will heading there. I have driven by the city skyline many many times on the way to Florida but have never stayed. An Atlanta Layover by Anthony Bourdain got me momentarily motivated although pundits have said food scene has improved. I like searching under a cities "Hidden Gems" to find comfortable shoes or wonderful...moms/pops...The food choices and some places looked interesting in this article..Which seemed pretty genuine...
Ran across that Grant Hill is an equity partner of the Atlanta Hawks. Not sure how many former players are owners/partners besides MJ. For sure that number will grow in time. Wonder how he feels moving from the players side to the owners side. Stay out of the dressing room! Grant is eligible for the Basketball Hall of Fame this year along with 1st time nominees Jason Kidd; Steve Nash; Ray Allen; Ex Raptor; Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton to name a few. Good player but not a generational player but The Duke brand is pretty strong. Never a shortage of stool talk.
When you watched these athletes play college ball and they are eligible for the HOF! Yikes!
Would you vote yeah or nay for Mr. Hill?
Johnnyc
A: I can’t think of another ex-player with even a small stake, either. I believe Magic divested himself of his ownership stake but I might be wrong.
As much as I love Grant Hill, I’d be a nay. Didn’t play long enough – simply because of injuries – and that keeps him out, in my books. But my books seldom balance.
Thanks on Atlanta, I’ll look it up and also call my old friend Sam Mitchell for a recommendation. We’ll have two nights – get in late tomorrow and I figure a bar and football – to kill.
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Q: Dear Doug,
I follow along on your blogs and articles as a Raptors fan. I have to say, though, I found your Jan. 19, 2018 post regarding the NBA All-Star Game selection process and your query at the end, "...if they're not going to take it serious, why let them do it at all?" a little misleading and disingenuous.
First, the number of votes cast in favor of the players mentioned is so low relative to both total votes cast and votes cast in favor of the top 10 player ranked vote-getters in each category that they are irrelevant and outliers. Hardly the sort of activity and certainly none with the sort of material impact that we should query why players should get a vote at all.
Second, the selection process is designed to provide a check and balance against an easily manipulated fan-only starter selection process. Who exactly is better than the guys out on the floor each day, practicing and adjusting based on team scouting and film sessions and actually playing with and against the players to make that assessment? Frankly, giving the media a greater voice than the players is, to me, the greater travesty. Note: I appreciate the weighting is 25% players and 25% media, but with a media voting panel of, I think, 98, each media vote does count for more than each player vote. Sure, the media is invested in the game overall and you do develop a good sense of the players and the dynamics of the game, but you're not players and you're not all endowed with any real basketball IQ.
Third, each of the players got some level of fan vote. So somebody likes them. In any event, the checks and balances appear to be working.
I think you would have done us a better service if you analysed and drew some conclusions (or at, least, hypothesized) on the discrepancies and differences between Fan, Player and Media voting among the top 10 players generally ranked for each category. I found Tim Cato and Matt Ellentuck's article in this regard quite interesting/entertaining:
The 8 most bizarre and hilarious takeaways from NBA All-Star voting
Otherwise, I generally enjoy your pieces and do follow.
Best,
Francesco
A: I didn’t say it had any material impact, I said it showed a lack of (a) maturity and (b) respect for the process. And, yeah, I could have done what Tim did but I didn’t.
Not endowed of any real basketball IQ? Wow. Cheap shot extraordinaire and, frankly, you have no clue what we know nor who was on the panel.
But thanks for being a regular reader.
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