How to paint a Raptors logo on your wall.
What if the Sixers had traded for Tracy McGrady in 1999? – PHILLY SPORTS NETWORK
We’ve all probably heard about it by now, that fateful night in 1999 where the Sixers were mere minutes away from acquiring Tracy McGrady (in a trade via the Toronto Raptors). With the deal agreed upon by both sides, and reporters already calling it a done deal (Stephen A. Smith), the Raptors backed out.
The possibility of an Iverson & McGrady super-team duo was gone, and the Sixers would fail to ever come close to giving A.I. a legit co-star. McGrady was traded to the Orlando Magic instead, and Iverson would obviously stay in Philly for quite some time. The two would combine for six scoring titles and 18 All-Star game appearances. However, neither would ever obtain the ultimate prize of winning an NBA championship.
What if, in an alternate timeline, the Raptors in fact didn’t back out. Larry Hughes and a first-round pick would be shipped away to Toronto, and McGrady would join Iverson in the city of brotherly love, creating one of the greatest scoring tandems in NBA history.
Now the obvious question that needs answering when it comes to this scenario, how would the addition of McGrady have affected the Sixers chances in the 2001 Finals?
Iverson was playing at an MVP level during the 2000-01 season. Averaging 31.1 points per game, there was no question on who “the guy” was in Philly. Even with the addition of someone like T-Mac, this likely doesn’t change. McGrady had yet to fully break into his own yet, averaging just 15.4 ppg during his final year with the Raptors. While playing next to Iverson would have no doubt helped the Sixers title chances, it likely would have stunted McGrady’s growth a bit.
Even then, McGrady averaging 15-20 as a firm number two option would have been leaps and bounds better than what the 76ers had in ‘01. The team surely would have found themselves squaring up with the Lakers in the Finals regardless, possibly even shaving off a few games in the previous series.
Where things maybe get a little bit easier for Sixers fans to stomach, is when it comes to rationalizing that even with the addition of T-Mac, the team had no shot against the Lakers. Spearheaded by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, the 2001 Lakers were borderline unstoppable. The 76ers would still, unfortunately, have no one to guard Shaq down low.
Post 2001, the duo of Iverson and McGrady would in theory have run the eastern conference for years to come. Barring no frustrations arising over touches, having two Hall of Famers in their prime on your team is normally a recipe for success.
The Sixers likely would have had a rematch or two against the Lakers in the early 2000s, and maybe even met up with the Tim Duncan-led Spurs later down the road. While it’s possible the partnership of McGrady and Iverson would have been good enough to steal a ring, there were some incredibly good teams coming out of the western conference during those years. It’s not unreasonable to assume that the duo would fail to ever win a championship together.
The Coronavirus Doesn’t Care When Sports Come Back – The New York Times
The N.B.A. has been ascendant on social media platforms, but even before the virus prompted a shutdown, the league was considering ways to address declining television ratings, such as changing the length and timing of the season as well as adding an in-season tournament.
The league had already lost hundreds of millions because of its rift with China last October, and it doubled its credit line to $1.2 billion in anticipation of an extended shutdown. One team owner, Tilman Fertitta of the Houston Rockets, reportedly sought a $250 million loan to keep his restaurant and casino empire afloat after furloughing 45,000 workers.
On Friday, the N.B.A. said it had agreed with its players union to gradually reduce player salaries if the 2019-20 season is lost. And after a meeting with team owners, Commissioner Adam Silver said the league did not know when it could even talk about restarting.
“Our revenue, in essence, has dropped to zero,” Mr. Silver told reporters Friday night. He added: “There is a strong recognition that there are thousands of jobs impacted by the N.B.A. Not just the ones that fans see, meaning players and the basketball staff, but when you include the day-of-game arena workers, the N.B.A. is responsible for roughly 55,000 jobs.”
Ideas for a basketball comeback have largely centered on whether a “bubble” could be created in a place like Las Vegas, which hosts numerous college basketball tournaments, the N.B.A. summer league and a showcase for its developmental G League each year, using giant hotels with arena and convention space.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has a facility in Las Vegas that it could use for mixed-martial-arts bouts. But state regulators in Nevada suspended all fights there, prompting the U.F.C. president, Dana White, to search for other options, including a private island.
Baseball Without Fans Sounded Crazy. It Might Just Work. – WSJ
He said last week, “We have to get our sports back. I’m tired of watching baseball games that are 14 years old.” Officials inside government and baseball recognize the role that America’s pastime could fill in showing that the country is back on its feet, with some thinking back to the first game in New York after the Sept. 11 attacks. A July 4 opening day, for instance, would fulfill those dreams.
Manfred is one of several sports executives invited into the large coalition that will advise the federal government on how to reopen the economy. He has met with Trump several times since Trump’s election, golfing with him as recently as October.
“We don’t have a plan,” Manfred said. “We have lots of ideas. What ideas come to fruition will depend on what the restrictions are, what the public health situation is.”
One of those ideas makes Arizona the epicenter of the baseball world, a role state officials appear to welcome. Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican who was relatively late to issuing a stay-at-home order in his state, said last week that “Arizona, at the right time, is very open-minded to hosting whatever Major League Baseball would like from the state.”
In some ways, Arizona is the ideal location for baseball to create its quarantine zone. In addition to Chase Field, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ downtown stadium, the Phoenix metro area has 10 spring training sites already used by MLB teams and several colleges with high-quality fields. It also has ample hotel space to keep people isolated.
Unfortunately, the MLB “Biodome” wouldn’t be climate controlled — leaving baseball to figure out how to play games outside during the extreme heat of the desert summer.
Another idea would be to include Florida, the other state with MLB spring training facilities. Gov. Ron DeSantis, also a Republican, has added professional sports to the list of essential services in his state, paving the way for games in empty stadiums. MLB has acknowledged that playing in Florida “is one of many ideas that has been discussed.”
In addition to the governmental issues, MLB will also need to negotiate with the players’ union to finalize any plan. Besides economic considerations, players have expressed concerns about what would happen if somebody were to contract the virus and whether their families would be allowed to join them — adding hundreds of additional people that would need to be monitored.
Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout, the best player in baseball, said in a recent interview with NBC Sports’ “Lunch Talk Live” that “there are a lot of red flags” in regards to having a season. Trout’s wife, Jessica, is pregnant and due to give birth in August, leaving Trout to wonder what would happen if he left the quarantine zone to be with her and then came back.
“The mentality is we want to get back as soon as we can, but obviously it’s got to be realistic,” Trout said.
2020 NBA Draft: 5 senior sleepers who could become the next Eric Paschall – The Athletic
5. Sam Merrill | 6-5 guard | 23 years old, senior | Utah State
It irks me that conference rules prevent me from showing you film of Merrill. It irks me because his highlights are among college basketball’s best. His game-winner against San Diego State is one of the most memorable plays from the abbreviated season. It was also classic Merrill: Slick handles in isolation, culminating in a dead-on contested 3.He will be in his mid-20s on draft day and has a tax accountant’s body, but my word, he is filthy. He’s one of the best shooters in college basketball and he so often does it off the bounce, with step-backs and hesitations. He’s not just a 3-point shooter, either. Merrill can create and score in the paint. What Merrill will not be able to provide, in all likelihood, is defense. Because of this, it will be an uphill battle for Merrill to make it in the league. Still, I’m holding out hope for the guy who torched Nevada for 39 points in March. I think he just might have the skill level to crack a rotation. Perhaps what he needs to do is improve as an off-ball threat. In other words, Merrill’s NBA future might depend on his turning into a J.J. Redick type, versus the Luka Dončić imitation he pulled off in the Mountain West Conference.
It’s sort of a surprise that Hollis-Jefferson has become the multi-faceted defender that he has for the Raptors considering how the season started. Despite being healthy, he logged only three minutes through the team’s first eight games after Raptors head coach Nick Nurse called out him and Stanley Johnson – the two newcomers – for not understanding how the team plays defence.
To Hollis-Jefferson’s credit, it didn’t take him long to learn. It appears as though Johnson, on the other hand, still hasn’t.
The problem with Hollis-Jefferson is that he isn’t nearly as versatile on the other end of the court. Because of his limitations, he has to function as a centre on offence, even when playing alongside Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka. Of the 139 shots he has made this season, 128 have come in the paint. He’s only 9-for-22 from midrange and 2-for-17 from 3-point range.
The combination makes Hollis-Jefferson perhaps the most paint-bound player his size in the entire league.
Hollis-Jefferson is lucky that both Gasol and Ibaka can play outside the paint, otherwise it would be much harder for him to find consistent minutes. And even then, it hasn’t been pretty. According to NBA.com, lineups with Hollis-Jefferson and Gasol in them have averaged 105.6 points per 100 possessions, a rate equivalent to the second-worst offence in the league. Lineups with Hollis-Jefferson and Ibaka have been only slightly better, scoring at a rate of 105.7 points per 100 possessions.
Fortunately for the Raptors, those lineups have still been in the positive because of how stingy they’ve been defensively.
That’s sort of the push and pull with Hollis-Jefferson. While he’s been the most versatile defender in the league this season, if there’s one thing he can’t do defensively, it’s protect the rim at a high level. (Hollis-Jefferson is averaging only 0.4 blocks per game and opponents are shooting a 61.1 percent against him at the rim, which isn’t great). As a result, he’s at his best when he’s paired with someone who can do that. The problem? Pairing him with another centre doesn’t make for the cleanest of fits offensively, even if that centre can space the floor.
Toronto’s most used lineup with Hollis-Jefferson doesn’t actually feature Gasol or Ibaka, but you probably won’t be surprised to hear that those lineups have been dynamite offensively and porous defensively.
Even with all that in mind, Hollis-Jefferson has been a pleasant surprise for the Raptors this season. He might only play 19.2 minutes per game, but they always seem to be minutes filled with high energy. He’s played about as well as the Raptors could’ve expected when they signed him to a one-year, $2.5 million contract in the offseason.
Grade: B
Sportswriting in a pandemic, Masai’s future and more in this week’s mailbag | The Star
Q: Hello Doug. I hope all is well. With the Raptors being the only NBA team in Canada. Do they have any type of relationship with CIS/U-Sports? I’m just curious because I think it’d be a great relationship. Thank you.
Napolean G
A: No, they don’t and can’t. It could be seen as tampering with players who are not yet draft eligible, just any other team can’t have a hands-on relationship with any school or conference.
The Raptors are a very big supporter – financial and otherwise – of Canada Basketball and some of that support and knowledge would trickle down to U Sports.
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Q: Good evening Doug,
This may have been asked before and I did not see. I am sure your upcoming book will be right up there with the top sellers once it hits the stores. My question is simple – will the book be available on-line?? I want two 0 one to send to brother in Calgary and want to make sure I am able to purchase. If not do you know what book stores or outlets will carry the book.
Bob
A: Oh, I am sure it will be, through one of the major retailers. I’ll definitely let you and others know how to do it as soon as I know. But we’re months away from the point at the moment.-
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Q: Hey Doug,
Would the league ever consider giving all 30 teams equal lottery odds if the season was canceled? Seems like a fair way to compensate the teams that tried to compete this year.
Sam
A: Can’t see that happening, no With about 80 per cent of the season completed when things were suspended, slots in the lottery were pretty well determined.
