Linkage – July 8
The most interesting thing about the Raptor roster is that they’ve only invited two guys –John Lucas and Daniel Ewing — with even a scant chance to get that 13th spot on the real roster.
I suspect it’s even more likely now that Bryan is going to sit back and wait to see who falls through the cracks of free agency to find that one-two, ball-handling shooter he wants for his last spot on the team.
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So, no Jamario?
The way it was explained to me is that they think Moon needs to be in a gym and a weight room, working on his ball-handling and shooting, rather than be playing five or so games against marginal competition.
Makes entire sense, actually. Over the course of his minor league career, Moon’s probably playing in 500 games against summer league-type competition, there’s really nothing for him to get out of games that he can’t get in a gym working on his own.
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So, why Joey?
For the same reason Moon’s not there, actually.
Graham needs to work on his game skills, decision making in competition, knowing that if he gets the ball and wants to go left only to see a defender there, he should make a quick decision and go right. That’s the kind of stuff he doesn’t do in NBA games and he more times he plays, maybe the basketball instincts he lacks will improve.
I don’t hold out much hope – it’s hard to become instinctual so late in one’s career – but he needs to be in games rather than alone in a gym.
And, yes, Andrea Bargnani is not playing in Vegas. He never was going to, he’s spending his summer working on his game on his own in Italy before heading to a training camp in Vegas later this month.
That’s where a lot of his work is going to get done, working out once or twice a day against other NBA players.
Yes, that was Matt Bonner hanging around the Canada game on Saturday night, chatting up Canada Basketball CEO Wayne Parrish and a raft of other ne’er-do-wells Matt met during his time with the Raptors.
And yes, he made a joking comment about getting himself a Canadian passport and playing for the national team.
I have no idea how immigration really works in this country but I’m sure someone in the upper echelons of Canada Basketball will see if the move is possible.
Anyway, I’m told Delfino has had at least one very financially lucrative offer in Europe but that he wants to remain in the NBA if at all possible and there are a couple of teams sniffing around and perhaps willing to pay him close to what he wants.
I’m not sure what his salary goal is but he made about $1.8 million last year so I’d think a three-year deal for around $7 million might be around is asking price.
Another guy to keep an eye on is Daniel Ewing, the former Duke star by way of the Russian league.
The Raptors are looking for a biggish guard who can play both the one and the two to fill out thier 13th roster spot and Ewing might fit that bill. Also on the roster is Bosh — Joel Bosh, younger brother of Chris — who finished at Alabama State this spring. Based on his numbers I’m thinking this was kind of a courtesy to the family.
Anyway, no word on Hassan Adams yet.
2008 SUMMER LEAGUE ROSTER
(As of July 7, 2008)
Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Birth Date School/Country
Hassan Adams F 6-4 220 06/20/84 Arizona
Deji Akindele C 6-10 240 04/03/83 Chicago State
Sean Banks F 6-8 210 01/20/85 Memphis
Rod Benson C 6-10 235 10/10/84 California
Joel Bosh F 6-7 185 03/11/86 Alabama State
Coleman Collins F 6-9 236 06/22/86 Virginia Tech
Daniel Ewing G 6-3 185 03/26/83 Duke
Thomas Gardner F 6-5 213 02/08/85 Missouri
C.J. Giles C 6-11 240 09/25/85 Oregon State
Joey Graham F 6-7 225 06/11/82 Oklahoma State
John Lucas G 5-11 165 11/21/82 Oklahoma State
Head Coach – Sam Mitchell
Summer League Head Coach – Eric Hughes
Summer League Assistant Coach – Micah Nori
Assistant Coaches – Alex English, Jay Triano and Mike Evans
SUMMER LEAGUE SCHEDULE
Saturday, July 12 vs. Sacramento* 4 p.m. (ET)
Monday, July 14 vs. Denver* 6 p.m. (ET)
Thursday, July 17 vs. Philadelphia* 8 p.m. (ET)
Friday, July 18 vs. L.A. Lakers^ 8:30 p.m. (ET)
Saturday, July 19 vs. Golden State* 6 p.m. (ET)
The younger brother of Raptors star Chris Bosh was named to the 11-man roster for Toronto’s summer league team on Monday.
Joel Bosh, 22, will make his professional debut following a four-year playing career at Alabama State.
A lot has already been written about Adams already by the local media but here’s a few things I bet most people didn’t know.
1) His nickname is Hot Sauce, something he got during his days as a Wildcat.
2) Adams actually played a great deal of power forward and small forward at Arizona because of his strength and athleticism and despite being under 6-5, averaged almost six rebounds a game for his college career.
3) The reason Adams’ stock may have slipped in the 2006 draft was because he was unable to continue workouts after he suffered a foot injury during a pre-draft workout. The foot injury came at the hands of…none other than eventual Raptors’ second-round pick PJ Tucker! (Somewhere I can hear Alanis Morissette singing about rain on a wedding day…)
This kid in many ways is like Jamario Moon, a player who just hasn’t perhaps gotten the chance to show enough of what he can do. From the brief glimpses we saw of him at camp here in Toronto prior to the draft, Adams just looked like an NBA player, as opposed to a player trying to catch on in the NBA.
I’m still hoping that BC thinks outside the box and throws some cash to a guy like Horry. His 7 rings, ability to hit the big shot, high Bball IQ, and ability to give 15-20 quality minutes a night backing up Bosh would be a HUGE addition to this team. And since there isn’t a huge marketplace for 38 year old players, you have to think a multi-year deal a 3 mil/year would be more than the veterans minimum and more than he would get anywhere else. I know it would be overpaying for what he brings on the court, but think about what he brings to the dressing room.
As for solving the wing problem - I’m happy with Kapono and Moon splitting time at the 3, and would rather see the team go after a slashing 2 guard who could create off the dribble and start so that AP could come off the bench.
I met most of the Raptors coaches before we got to work. They were all pretty nice guys to be honest. I first met Jim Kelly — he kind of reminded me of Officer Barbrady, but obviously not wearing a police suit or looking for the Chicken Lover — who may have been the nicest of them all. He used to live in my hometown of Cardiff. I’m not sure if he knows that I’m the best player to ever come of Cardiff or not.
The second was Alex English. He came up and introduced himself to me. I told him that I used to wear his jersey when I was in college. I think everyone did, actually. The Nuggets jersey with the rainbow and the city on it was one of the tightest throwbacks. He asked me where I was from and I told him San Diego. He then asked me a question I’ve never been asked before.
“Oh, San Diego, huh? Do you know Cliff Levingston?”
“Not exactly,” I told him. “But I did date his daughter.” It was true, I did. Never thought it would come up.
“Really? I don’t think he would let an NBA guy see his girl.”
“Well, sir, I’m not an NBA guy. I aspire to be one though! For now I’m just an irresistibly handsome, smart, funny guy. Parents approve of that.”
We laughed.
The fun and games were over though as it was time to get to work on the court. I did the things I always do. I got boards and played hard D. It was still hard on my body considering the long few weeks before and the travel schedule I had just endured, but defense is mental, so I made a point to focus on that.
Toronto: The addition of Pacers power forward Jermaine O’Neal makes the Raptors downright scary on the blocks with All-Star Chris Bosh. Yet, Toronto remains a perimeter-oriented team playing a purely international style. That’s a fatal combination that has never worked in the NBA. If general manager Bryan Colangelo can add a big, physical guard, things may take a turn for the better.
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