Fun fact for your next Zoom party: Patrick Ewing has a 49-46 record coaching Georgetown in the last three years.
The Bulls have agreed to a deal with Arturas Karnisovas to be the team’s executive vice-president of basketball operations, according to numerous reports. Karnisovas spent seven years with the Denver Nuggets, first as assistant general manager, before being elevated to GM under president Tim Connelly. Karnisovas helped build Denver into a top team in the Western Conference and previously worked for the Houston Rockets and the NBA’s basketball operations department.
The connection to the Raptors comes from his playing days. Karnisovas, a former European Player of the Year, played for Lithuania (winners of bronze medals in both 1992 and 1996, with help from Karnisovas) against the Dream Team in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and was a star for Seton Hall, including for two years alongside Nick Nurse’s lead assistant with the Raptors, Adrian Griffin, who replaced Karnisovas as Seton Hall’s top player after he graduated. Both are members of Seton Hall’s hall of fame.
The Raptors denied the Bulls permission to speak with general manager Bobby Webster for the job that eventually went to Karnisovas, but it isn’t expected they would stand in the way of a promotion and homecoming for Griffin, who played for the Bulls and was an assistant coach there from 2010 to 2015. The team, whether it’s Nurse, other coaches, or the front office, has long touted his future as a head coach.
“I mean, he is awesome,” fellow Raptors assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren told a few beat writers in February, ironically before the entire staff went to Chicago, for the NBA all-star weekend.
“He has a great demeanour, he’s going to be a great head coach in the NBA,” Bjorkgren said. “He’s got a nice calming presence about him when he’s showing film to the team when he’s talking to the team. So just his overall feel and approach and knowing how to talk to the players is probably his number one strength.”
Griffin coached the World Team at the Rising Stars game at the United Center and talked about his Windy City ties afterward.
“A lot of memories here obviously — five years coaching, three years playing, D. Rose MVP year. All that stuff comes back when I walk in this building,” Griffin said.
“It always feels like home. I raised my children here. So it’s just a special place, and it’s just a great city, the fans and the community. That’s what I miss the most.”
Maybe he won’t be missing Chicago for too much longer?
In hindsight that quote fits the character of Leonard, a man of few words who lets his play send his loudest messages. But it was also that of a man who knew that there was another level to reach if the Raptors were going to slay the giant.
The two-time defending champs – injuries and all – weren’t going to simply roll over and hand it to the Raps on a silver platter. You can’t just casually waltz into the ring and win a ring. Not against that team.
Leonard’s emphatic statement demonstrated an awareness that something deep inside the soul of the franchise needed to change. The gutsy Game 7 win over the Philadelphia 76ers and the comeback from 2-0 against the Milwaukee Bucks hinted at a team ready to shake free from its checkered past of laissez-faire behaviour. But they still had to go out and finish the job. For over two decades, the Raptors were just happy to be there and willing to take whatever the league would give them. A U.S. national TV game here and there, a player or two in the all-star game, some end of season awards.The dreams of one day being crowned NBA champions were just that: dreams.
Even as the Raptors won the Eastern Conference Finals and then Game 1 of the NBA Finals there was cautious optimism. When the Warriors took Game 2 and home-court advantage with them back to Oakland and Oracle Arena momentum in the series shifted with them. The Raptors were the better team on the court but the Warriors had history on their side. Not just their winning history, but the Raptors history of failure as well.
https://twitter.com/cbcsports/status/1138236549634637824
Can the N.B.A. Learn from Taiwan’s Basketball Bubble? – The New York Times
The only people allowed inside, beyond the teams playing and the referees, are camera operators for the television broadcasts, officials found at the scorer’s table, and journalists at a press-row table behind one of the baskets. Many working in those capacities, as well as various team staffers and inactive players on the bench, wear masks — with some forced to watch in socks if they forget that only rubber-soled shoes are permitted inside. Grey curtains hang over the windows behind the opposite basket, covering the glass from an adjacent weight room so it stays hidden from TV viewers.
“It feels like an adult league,” said Charles Garcia, Pauian’s star American import.
“It’s a rec center,” Metcalf said, “for lack of a better term.”
Playing without fans, to Garcia, is the big turnoff. The well-traveled Los Angeles native, who played professionally in 11 countries before leading the Taipei Fubon Braves to the Taiwanese title last season as finals M.V.P., strongly backed the recent assertion by the Lakers superstar LeBron James that playing in an empty arena would be unacceptable for the N.B.A.
“No way, no way, no way,” Garcia said. “You need the fans. Where you going to find your energy? I can’t even imagine that in the N.B.A. That would be really tough.”
Of course, as Metcalf noted, while “it may be tough to imagine” James and the Lakers performing without an audience, such is the spread of the coronavirus on N.B.A. soil that “at this point there really doesn’t seem to be any other way.”
So perhaps there is something for the N.B.A. to glean from the S.B.L.’s experience, even accounting for the Taiwanese league’s much smaller scale.
When they arrive at the HaoYu door, S.B.L. players are greeted by league officials who check their temperature with a forehead thermometer and record the information next to each player’s name. It is assumed that a confirmed coronavirus case in the league would lead to an immediate suspension of S.B.L. play, but no Covid-19 testing is done on site. Any player with a temperature above 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit is refused entry to the facility.
Metcalf said high-fives among Pauian players have been “outlawed.” They have rubbing alcohol sprayed on their hands as soon as they exit layup lines and during timeouts by Penny Peng, the team’s athletic trainer. Peng also makes the players wash their hands thoroughly at halftime and after the game, but such mandates may not be universal. In Pauian’s recent loss to first-place Taiwan Beer, opposing players could be seen on a Twitch broadcast exchanging high-fives during pregame introductions.
3 greatest Toronto Raptors teams in franchise history
3. 2017-18 Raptors
The Raptors won 59 games in the 2017-18 regular season and were first in the Eastern Conference standings. All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry were playing the best basketball of their respective careers and it showed in Toronto’s win-loss record.
DeRozan averaged 23.0 points per game in the regular season, while Lowry put up 16.2 markers.
The Raptors began the 2018 playoffs by defeating John Wall, Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards in six games in the first round.
Next up was Toronto’s nemesis.
LeBron James had been a thorn in the Raptors’ side for years in the playoffs, but Toronto was confident this was the season they were finally going to get past The King.
That confidence didn’t do much for the Raptors, unfortunately. They wound up getting swept by James and the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
It was sad to watch the Raptors get swept like that because they were such an elite team in the regular season. Despite this squad not winning it all, though, they are still one of the best Toronto teams ever.
Five NBA things I like and don’t like, including a Milwaukee Bucks mystery
The Gregg Popovich we know and love — the version coaching a team with a chance to do anything of consequence — calls an angry timeout and reams DeMar DeRozan. This Popovich, resigned to San Antonio’s uninteresting mediocrity, slumps his shoulders, points toward Joe Harris, and halfheartedly reminds DeRozan: Yeah, he’s a really good shooter. I didn’t think we needed to review that. Try to avoid leaving him wide open.
San Antonio finished the pre-suspension season 25th in points allowed per possession — an unthinkable low for a franchise that has built defense-first for 20-plus seasons. A little of that was bad luck. San Antonio’s opponents outperformed their expected effective field goal percentage — based on the location of each shot and nearby defenders — by one of the largest such differentials in the league, per Second Spectrum.
But that expected mark is higher than it used to be. The Spurs gave up more 3s and shots at the rim. They suffered more un-Spursy hiccups in communication.
They showed very little chemistry on defense. It’s tempting to chalk that up to the Spurs being a mishmash of young and old, but that was the case a year ago — when they won 48 games and ranked closer to league average on defense.
LaMarcus Aldridge lost a quarter-step patrolling the lane. Jakob Poeltl emerged as a legitimate rim deterrent, but Popovich decided — not without reason — the Spurs could not score enough with Aldridge and Poeltl on the floor together. That left few minutes for Poeltl. (Popovich also probably worried Aldridge could no longer defend opposing power forwards.)
Rudy Gay fell off a cliff. DeRozan had perhaps his worst defensive season since he was a rookie. He might as well have been holding a red cape.
San Antonio’s last game was a spirited win over Dallas, but for most of February and March the Spurs looked like a team that had let go of the rope. They went 5-10 in their last 15 games, falling into a three-way tie in the loss column with New Orleans and Sacramento for 10th in the West. The two games before that Mavs win — a close loss in Cleveland, and an embarrassment in Brooklyn — were hideous defensive performances.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee’s special bond – Sports Illustrated
But Giannis is sweeter on another of Milwaukee’s enduring loves: professional wrestling. The late Reggie Lisowski—known to 20th-century wrestling fans as the Crusher—is commemorated in bronze in his native South Milwaukee; he’s holding a beer keg on his right shoulder, his left arm perfectly positioned for photo-op headlocks. On a cold day in February, someone has placed a Packers hat on his head.
“Always, always,” says Thanasis, of the brothers’ enduring ardor for piledrivers and camel clutches, kindled via TV during their Athenian childhood. “There was a lot of people [we admired].” He exhales deeply, loath to choose a favorite. “I could give you a top five: Undertaker, Stone Cold, the Rock, Eddie Guerrero—he was amazing. So many, so many. . . .” He gets a faraway look, lost in wrestling reverie, and forgets to names a fifth. But that night, before the Bucks take the court, in the neon-lit tunnel outside Milwaukee’s locker room, Giannis busts out the Cobra, the signature finishing move of the WWE’s erstwhile intercontinental champion Santino Marella, and applies it to teammate Robin Lopez.
They do this pantomime of professional wrestling before games, Giannis, Lopez and company, betraying no signs of anxiety over last year’s conference final exit to the Raptors, or of the unspoken F-word that is free agency. Giannis said before the season that he wouldn’t talk much about his contract, and for the most part he hasn’t. “When I thought about it this summer when I was sitting down with Thanasis and my family on the couch watching shows and all that, I feel that if you have a great team—and our goal is to win a championship and be the last team standing and get better each day—I think it’s disrespectful toward my teammates, talking about my free agency,” he said in September.
Staff Picks: The Toronto-area businesses we miss the most right now – The Athletic
Burger’s Priest (463 Queen St W.) @burgerspriest
For the past five or so years I had a weekly Saturday routine: go to Burger’s Priest and get a New York’s Finest Taxi Cab, a Low Priest, or a Red Sea (if I’m feeling adventurous). All doubles, of course. That tradition has carried on from my days living in Mississauga to now, living in Toronto. It’s gotten to the point where I’ve become a regular at three separate locations. They’re still open on Uber Eats, thankfully, so the tradition continues. But it’s just not the same as going inside the familiar locale and being greeted by the awesome staff, who I swear were so close to knowing my “usual” order. The best burger in Toronto, hands down. — Dom Luszczyszyn
Vince Carter’s Best Games as a Toronto Raptor | Complex
When you think about dominance in the NBA in any era—let alone the 2000s—one of the first names that comes to mind is Shaquille O’Neal. The Big Diesel evoked fear in the paint like no other, and on this particular night, Half-Man, Half-Amazing turned into Half-Man, Half-Shaq.
Primarily guarded by future teammate Jason Kidd, Carter posted the guard up, beat him up off the dribble, spun around him for alley-oops—leaving Kidd and his teammates no choice but to foul him to the tune of 27(!) free-throw attempts. By the time the night was over, Carter finished with 46 points (22 courtesy the charity stripe), six rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block. During his entire tenure as a Raptor, only Shaq attempted more free-throws in a single game (thrice!).
Why Vince Carter’s final Toronto game would’ve still been bittersweet – Sportsnet.ca
There’s been a lot of talk over the years that Carter should be the first Raptor to have his number retired by the team. But not from me.
Not only do I not think Carter’s number should be retired first — I don’t believe No. 15 should ever hang in the Scotiabank Arena rafters.
It’s funny — over the past five years, this has gone from a nearly ubiquitous take to a highly unpopular one. But I stick by it.
Why? Because even as I can acknowledge his legacy in Toronto — and the type of solid, unselfish mentor he grew into late in his career — I just can’t bring myself to reconcile what he did to the Raptors and by proxy, myself as a then-young fan.
It’s easy to remember the good days of Carter in Toronto.
He was, after all, an electric player who legitimately looked destined for greatness. There’s little denying his impact on helping establish the Raptors as a proper NBA franchise as well as the growth of the sport of basketball across the country.
These are all facts, and have rightfully been pointed to as reasons why many Toronto fans have turned many of those old post-departure boos into cheers.
But time doesn’t always heal all wounds.
It certainly hasn’t for me, and especially not after the truths Carter revealed in that infamous 2005 interview with John Thompson shortly after he got his wish to be traded from the Raptors and made his way to the New Jersey Nets.
Among some of the bombs he dropped, Carter admitted on national television that he didn’t always give it his all for the Raptors.
“In years past, no,” he said, responding to a question about whether he always gave max effort on the court. “I was just fortunate to have the talent.”
Up to the point of this infamous interview, I remember vehemently defending Carter’s actions to anyone who would listen.
After all, it wasn’t his fault he got injured, and who cares if he was at a Nelly concert during rehab? And I just couldn’t come close to believing the rumours that he may have been tipping off Raptors plays to opponents.
Soccer’s Never-Ending Season – WSJ
The head of Spain’s La Liga, Javier Tebas, said that even if games could resume tomorrow with full stadiums, the losses for his league would exceed $160 million. That number swells to $325 million in the more likely scenario of games behind closed doors, and $1.1 billion if games don’t resume at all—though Tebas ruled out the option of abandoning the 2019-20 season.
“We are not considering at all that we are not going to get back to playing matches,” he said in a call with reporters this week. “What I can’t assure is whether it will be with or without spectators, but I’m sure that the leagues will be finished.”
Most of the burden will fall on the clubs, even those at the top of the food chain. For all of their annual profits, which can run into nine figures, their business is more fragile than it seems. Owners complain that every extra dollar gets pushed straight into player salaries, which are now their biggest liabilities.
Unlike athletes in U.S. sports, European soccer players are not bound by collective bargaining agreements. So when it comes to sorting issues like exceptional pay cuts, the details are handled on a club-by-club basis.
While some squads, like Real Madrid, volunteered to sacrifice 30% of their salaries so that club staff could keep getting paid, others have waded into public relations disasters. In England, Tottenham drew the ire of supporters last week when it imposed a pay cut on all club employees except its players. Liverpool, meanwhile, planned to use a government furlough scheme funded by taxpayers to pay its staff before reversing course due to public outrage. The leagues are powerless to apply a single solution across the board.
“It’s obviously very complicated to get the players to accept less money,” Tebas said of the situation in Spain.
The players disagree. The fallout of an ugly, complicated and political fight in England between the players’ union, the league, and the clubs this week was players simply taking matters into their own hands. On Wednesday, they unveiled a new initiative to funnel a portion of their salaries directly to charities for Britain’s National Health Service.
