Tuesday July 26 2011 – 5:56pm Eastern – Toronto, ON

“Ouch” is putting it mildly.

The Canadian Senior Men’s Team got hammered in Pau, France earlier today … losing 106-44 for the French National team in exhibition play.

What happened?

I wish I could tell you.  I didn’t see the game myself – so I’m stuck reading the various recaps and reviews online, like many of you.  I’ve placed a call in to head coach Leo Rautins, but haven’t heard back since.

For what it’s worth … the Canadians should be cut SOME slack for the fact that it was their first game and they were missing their go-to guy in Joel Anthony.  Cory Joseph wasn’t in uniform for Canada either.  And the French team is sprinkled with veteran and NBA’ers.

But how do you sugar-coat a 62-point loss?

You don’t.

Heck, last summer at the ACC, Team France came to down – before the World Championship – and was beaten twice by Team Canada (beaten HANDILY in one of the game).  So what exactly happened earlier today is hard to say!

Levon Kendall and Denham Brown each had 8 points to lead the way for Canada.

Canada shot just 29% for the game and was held to 17 points in the first half.

Frenchman Boris Diaw (Charlotte Bobcats) sparked the attack for France with 16 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds.

The two countries will battle again on Wednesday before Rautins and Co. head to Italy for exhibition games on July 29 and July 30.

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ON ANOTHER NOTE …

Something more positive to talk about …

The Under-19 Canadian women have improved to 5-0 at the World Championship with a 68-60 win over Japan.

This win for Canada secures a berth in the quarter finals for the young ladies.

They’ll take on the U.S. tomorrow (in Chile) in their final 2nd round game.

E. Smith

Friday July 22 2011 -  11:57pm Eastern – Toronto, ON

As I sat back last night and watched the drama unfold in the National Football League … I wondered if the Collective Bargaining Agreement in the NFL would have any impact on the National Basketball Association.

Though the NFL players have yet to vote on / ratify the deal that the owners voted in favour of (31-0), it is expected that everything will be complete by Monday and Training Camps should open by mid-to-late next week.

Assuming the deal is struck, here a few of the ‘highlights’ – or key components – of the NFL’s 10-year deal:

- The Players’ share of league revenues is going down from 53% or 47%
- The Salary Cap will drop from about $128 million to just over $120 million
- Players will see a rise in pension/benefits and they’ll get lifetime medical coverage
- Rookies will see their entry-level salaries cut drastically, with players signing 4-year deals (with team options for a 5th year)

All things considered … that’s not a bad deal.  The cap is only dropping by approximately $7.6 million – TOTAL – and though the cut of the revenue pie is dropping by 6% for the players it’s still close enough (by my standards) to “50/50″ to not lose a ton of sleep over — especially when you factor-in the added benefits of the pension and the medical/drug plan.

But what does that mean to the NBA and its on-going Lockout?

The NFL has a ‘hard’ cap while the NBA has been dealing with a ‘soft’ cap for years.  Though the salary cap number for 2010-11 was about $58 million, it’s hard to know exactly where each team stood when you accounted for a WHACK of ‘exceptions’ like:

- Mid-Level Exception
- Larry Bird Exception
- Early Bird Exception
- Non-Bird Exception
- Bi-Annual Exception
- Rookie Exception
- Minimum Player Exception
- Traded Player Exception
- Disabled Player Exception

In fact, because of those loopholes, the League’s dollar-for-dollar “Luxury Tax” did not kick-in until teams hit the $70.307 million mark.

So … let’s do the math …

Roster sizes in the NFL stand at 53 while the max roster size in the NBA is 15.  But though NFL teams have more than 3 times as many players as NBA clubs, the payroll/cap clearly favours basketball.

Who wouldn’t take $70 million for 15 players versus $120 million for 53?  That’s a no-brainer!

But it doesn’t end there …

Now that NFL Players are about to agree to a deal that would see them earn 47% of the league revenue … it would seem crazy to think that NBA owners won’t fight like mad to bring down their players share of “basketball related income” (BRI).  In 2010-11, NBA Players got 57% of the BRI (which is calculated on ‘gross revenue’ – not including any expenses).

One would have to think that the NFL has set a tone or precedent that could make things difficult for the NBAPA in the negotiating room.  While both leagues and unions are clearly separate entities and businesses, the NFL makes more money at the gate and via its TV deal than the NBA does.  Heck, the NFL brings in $600-$800 million in the PRE-SEASON!  Those figures can’t be dismissed when the NBAPA attempts to say that its players deserve even more than their 57% share of the BRI and their ‘soft’ cap should stay exactly where it is.

It just doesn’t seem to make economical sense.

The greatest challenge, however, may be getting the players to agree to such a decrease in earnings and revenue.  It would have to be a gradual shaving-down process; not the bullish way the owners are allegedly pushing … requesting that a HARD cap be implemented around $45-$50 million and the BRI  go down to the high 30′s / low 40′s (from where it stands now at 57 per cent).

The owners’ cuts seem too drastic but the players’ earnings / potential earnings have ballooned too high – especially when compared with the Kingpin (the NFL).

Let the battle ensue.

E. Smith

Tuesday July 19 2011 – 3:22pm Eastern – Toronto, ON

Though the NBA is currently dealing with the mess of a labour war (having locked out the players while trying to negotiate a new Collective Bargaining Agreement), the league has released its schedule for the 2011-12 season.

Here is how things will (should?) unfold for the Toronto Raptors:

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Christmas Day in CLEVELAND?  Ugh.

Thanks folks.

E. Smith

Monday July 18 2011 – 11:53pm Eastern – Toronto, ON

It has been a couple days since I last checked-in; busy with a couple of golf tournaments over the course of the weekend (one of which I’ll post some pictures from in tomorrow’s blog).  But I wanted to get back into the swing of things (pun intended) with some thoughts on the NBA Lockout and the Toronto Raptors.

QUICK Q & A

The moderators recently passed along this question from regular “Rap” poster, ‘Brento’ …

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E — why in the world have you completely avoided the Bryan Colangelo out as GM news that emerged this past week?

Shockingly, the TO media as a whole have avoided it like the plague?  Any idea why?  Have the Raps become that irrelevant in this city we call home?

Obviously, the idea has me tickled pink. Unless, of course, Colangelo simply hires a yes guy and continues to run the team into the ground (which, we all know, is one of his master skills).  But, at least this one fan is praying he completely removes himself from all on-court/player decisions and leaves the job to someone who has the slightest inkling as to how to build a winning NBA franchise.

But, why no posts about this?

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The simple answer, Brento, is that there’s very little to say.  Plus, this is not ‘new’ news.  Dave Feschuk first reported the possibility of Bryan Colangelo giving up the ‘General Manager’ title more than a month ago.  It’s an issue that has been talked about.

Further to that … while I don’t want to alienate folks that just read my work here on this website … I have discussed Colangelo and the GM duties many times on the air many times.  So I haven’t ignored the issue at all.  It’s been an radio topic on multiple occasions.

In a nutshell here is what I believe about the idea of a new hire coming in and taking over the GM role …

Colangelo will still have the final say on all transactions (free agent signings, trades, etc).  I can’t imagine he gives up that ‘power’ and hands the basketball operations keys to someone else.  I’d be shocked if that were the case.  Long-term?  Maybe.  Heck, perhaps current assistant GM, Marc Eversley, could be groomed to take over one day.  And maybe Colangelo could be focusing more on the ‘President’ role … with visions of taking over that title for all of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (with Richard Peddie moving on at the end of this year).  Anything is possible!  But those are just my wild theories … and at the end of the day … if the Raptors are adding more basketball knowledge and experience to their front office / management team … that can only be a good thing.

But until we know what the role is, who has actually been interviewed, and how much power that position will ultimately hold (and what the hierarchy of the front office then looks like) … most of what would be said or written would be speculative at best.

SPEAKING OF SPECULATION

We’re not even three weeks into the NBA Lockout and there are already thousands of theories about what might happen to the 2011-12 season.

Charles Barkley believes the entire year will be lost while others, like me, think we could still season the league play a full 82-game schedule (I’ve predicted Dec. 1 as the starting date).

One thing is clear though:  It’s too early to tell.  The players may be united right now but it will be interesting to see how unified they are three months from now (for example) when the $10-$20 million guys are still preaching about how strong the union is and how they must fight the good fight for the long-term strength of the Players Association … while the $1-$5 million guys are truly facing the reality of the financial pinch and the fact that they don’t quite have the nest-egg that the wealthier players boast.

And let’s not forget about the owners as well.  After struggling for a number of years, major markets (major *TV* markets (which is hugely important)) like Chicago and New York are ‘back’ in the NBA.  The league, let alone those respective franchises, won’t want to lose the momentum of the past season or two … ’cause they’re worried about being cost-conscious, long-term, for the Memphis’ and Milwaukees of the world.

It’s early.  There’s still a long haul – and many heated (and hopefully productive)  negotiations – ahead.

GOOD NEWS

In spite of the current labour situation, the NBA is going to release the 2011-12 schedule on Tuesday afternoon (at 2pm).  Of course the sked will be based on an 82-game season starting on-time in late-October and it could face further revisions down the line if the Lockout forces a later start-date, cancellation of games, or an interruption to all or part of the season.

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I’m back on the air on Tuesday … 2pm-4pm … Tune in to Sportsnet Radio, The FAN 590

E. Smith

Saturday July 16 2011 – 1:18am Eastern – Toronto, ON

The Canadian Senior Men’s National Team tipped off Phase 1 of their 2011 Training Camp on Friday evening and there were a few notable additions — a few surprising absences as well — on the roster.

Gone from this year’s team are:

Olu Famutimi
Tyler Kepkay
Jermaine Bucknor
Ryan Bell

Head coach, Leo Rautins, has opted to look at some fresh blood instead.

Unfortunately, the injection of new faces will not include Tristan Thompson – the highest Canadian ever drafted into the NBA.  Word is that Thompson, who was selected 4th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers this past summer, has expressed interest in playing for Team Canada in the very near future but Rautins says it won’t be this year.

“Tristan is not going to play,” he said.  “The whole draft process took its toll and (Tristan) would like to take some summer classes as well.”

But Thompson’s close friend and former collegiate teammate, Cory Joseph, may be donning the red and white very soon.

Though his name did not originally appear on the Training Camp Roster, Rautins explained to me Joseph could be training with the team at Ryerson as early as next week.

“We’re trying to figure out…finalize the insurance and (Cory) has given every indication he’d like to play,” said Rautins.  “We’re hoping that can happen soon.”

Sources indicated that the insurance is all-but done, it’s simply a matter of crossing a few T’s and dotting a few I’s at this point.  So, barring an unforeseen setback, fans should expect to see Joseph in camp by early-to-mid next week.  In fact, though the Spurs are not allowed to comment on any of their players (due to the NBA Lockout / on-going Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations), sources have said that San Antonio may have been quietly hoping that Joseph suited up for Canada — to get a little more schooling and experience in preparation for his rookie season with Gregg Popovich and Co.

Speaking of the NBA … Canada’s biggest ‘name’ and biggest question mark, Joel Anthony, IS going to play for his homeland this summer.

There were major doubts that Canada Basketball would be able to come up with enough money to securely insure the $14+ million Anthony has remaining on his current contract with the Miami Heat.  But apparently that hurdle has been cleared and Anthony will lead the Canadians into the FIBA Americas Championship in August/September.

“We’ve taken care of the insurance issues,” said Rautins – who admitted that the process hasn’t been completely finalized as of yet.  “He (Joel) wasn’t going to play in the 1st phase of Training Camp anyway, but to show you what kind of pro he is, he’s already in camp.  He wants to be here to go through all of our offences and (plays) wants to be up to speed.  He’ll even participate in some drills and non-contact stuff.”

Phase one of camp started on Friday evening and it will wrap up next Saturday before the team leaves for 2 weeks of exhibition games in France, Italy, and the Czech Republic.  Phase two doesn’t start for the Canadians until August 12 so Rautins believes there is no reason to think that Anthony’s insurance won’t be finalized by then – if not much sooner.

The good news continues to roll in as well … as insurance has been secured for New York Knicks guard, Andy Rautins (who still has 2 years remaining on his contract with NYK).  Coach Rautins said his son is healthy and ready to go.

Matt Bonner (San Antonio Spurs) has still not be able to secure his Canadian citizenship, so he will not be representing Canada this summer.  He remains hopeful of doing so very soon though.

Canada will be missing two more familiar faces this summer … as Kris Joseph recently underwent knee surgery and is physically not able to play and Robert Sacre is “trying to get his body and game ready for his final (NCAA) year” according to Rautins.

“It’s been a tough year for him,” said Rautins.

The FIBA Americas run from Aug 30 – Sept 11 in Argentina.

E. Smith

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Here’s the Training Camp Roster for Team Canada (*not including Cory Joseph):

Friday July 15 2011 – 10:07pm Eastern – Toronto, ON

The Canadian Senior Men’s National Team has officially opened up camp in Toronto … beginning their quest to the FIBA Americas tournament (Olympic Qualifier) in Argentina later this summer.

Canada’s training camp roster includes:

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Camp began earlier tonight with the Canadians’ first practice at Ryerson University and Leo Rautins and his staff will continue to work with the team until next Saturday … with two workouts per day for most of the upcoming week.

When camp wraps up on July 23, Team Canada will head overseas for a handful of exhibition games in Italy, France, and the Czech Republic (July 24 – August 5).

The Canadians will then head back to Toronto for a little bit of rest and relaxation before being a 2nd round of training camp from Aug. 12 – 20 … including 2 exhibition games against Belgium in T.O. on August 13 (at Ryerson) and in Hamilton (at McMaster) on August 14.

The FIBA Americas Championship begins on August 30 in Mar Del Plata, Argentina.

E. Smith

Thursday July 14 2011 – 3:55pm Eastern – Toronto, ON

After leading Lithuania to the gold medal in the Under 19 World Championship earlier in the week and winning the tournament MVP award as well, the folks at FIBA put together this highlight pack of Jonas Valanciunas.

For Raptor fans starving for anything and everything related to Toronto’s 5th overall pick, check out this link and see some of Valanciunas’ standout plays from an impressive two weeks overseas:

Valanciunas averaged 23 PPG, 13.9 REB, and about 3 BLK at the Under 19′s and he shot  just under 60% FG and 81% from the free throw line.

Rumblings out of Lithuania say the young big man could suit up for his homeland’s senior team when they compete in Euro Basket 2011 later this summer.

E. Smith

Tuesday July 12 2011 – 6:03pm Eastern – Toronto, ON

This NBA Lockout is sure killing the “news” that is out there for basketball fans, isn’t it?

Slim pickings!

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ROTH RETURNS

As I wrote yesterday (and last week) Scott Roth will be back as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors.  He’ll join returning coaches Micah Nori and Eric Hughes as well … and new head coach Dwane Casey will name Johnny Davis as his lead assistant too.  An official press release could come this evening but if it doesn’t, I’d expect to see the news made (finally) on Wednesday.

Roth has also been named to Leo Rautins’ coaching staff for the Canadian Men’s Team (who open camp in Toronto later this week) and he joined me on “The Eric Smith Show” earlier today to talk about his new gig(s):

Download

If you didn’t actually take the time to listen to the interview (shame on you!), Roth said that he turned down an assistant’s job with the LA Lakers and spoke about looking forward to being a part of the ‘building’ process in Toronto.  He also touched on his job with Team Canada and his experiences in international ball via coaching positions with Turkey and the Dominican Republic.

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INSURANCE ASSURANCE

Something else I touched on yesterday … that I thought I’d go into a little bit more detail on today …

Insurance.

It’s going to be the primary reason/factor why NBA players do or don’t play for their respective countries this summer at various Olympic qualifiers like the FIBA Americans (for Canada), Euro Basket, and so on.

With the NBA’ers locked out, there’s no money coming in.  Guaranteed deals – and paycheques – are on hold.  Thus, does a guy like Joel Anthony risk playing for Canada and putting the $14+ million he still has coming to him from the Miami Heat in jeopardy?

Not without insurance.

But can the Canadian program come up with enough insurance to cover Anthony’s deal — either the entire contract, or the 2011-2012 season at the very least (assuming IF he got hurt … that he only missed 1 season or less, and not more) — or will they have to go on without him because of … money?

And what about youngsters Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph?  Both were 1st round picks in June’s Draft but neither have a signed deal right now.  In fact, no 1st round pick has a deal … for two reasons:  (1) the Lockout came only July 1st, before anybody was able to sign with their respective teams, and (2) without a CBA it’s not yet known what figure these (and other) players will be looking out.  How long will the rookie contracts be?  How much guaranteed money?

If, for example, Thompson and Joseph were signed under the now-extinct CBA, they would have received 3 years with a team option for a 4th.  Thompson, for instance, would have made $4+ million per year for the first 3 years of his career.  But under the new CBA (whenever that comes) will their only be 2 years and an option for a rookie or 3 years and an option but significantly less money?

Nobody knows.

Thus, it’s hard to say what sort of ‘insurance’ a country would have to come up with to appease a young player and his agent.  Let’s assume that Thompson will be on tap to make at least $10 million under the new CBA (roughly $3 million (at least) per year) … and Joseph gets slotted for about $4 million total … would Canada Basketball have enough money/insurance to cover their deals AND make sure J. Anthony is protected as well?

To be clear though:  this is not a dilemma for Canada alone.  It affects ALL countries.  But some nations are already seeing a few key players making commitments … with Joakim Noah saying he’ll head to France and Enes Kanter (selected 3rd overall by Utah) indicating that he’ll play for Turkey.  Word is Raptors pick, Jonas Valanciunas, will likely be named to Lithuania’s roster as well.

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CHEAP PLUG

For those that have been listening … thank you.  For those that are unaware:  I’ve been hosting the 2pm-4pm slot on Sportsnet Radio the Fan 590 for the past few weeks.

If you’d like to download the show or listen to it in podcast form, you can check out “The Eric Smith Show” here:  http://www.fan590.com/onair/more.jsp?content=20110712_141910_9260

Or subscribe here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/EricSmithShow

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I’m off to softball now.  I hope Gord Stellick and Elliotte Friedman et al are ready to bring their ‘A’ games … we’ve got to bounce back from a tough loss last week!

Have a good one folks

E. Smith

Monday July 11 2011 – 10:54am Eastern – Toronto, ON

This has absolutely nothing to do with basketball or the NBA, but I had to post it anyway … to get your Monday rolling in style.

While I think this ‘tradition’ is beyond ridiculous (and some will call it inhumane or insensitive to the animals (and I don’t entirely disagree)), the “Running of the Bulls” has started again in Spain and a guy in his ‘birthday suit’ … got OWNED.

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CASEY’S CREW

As I first reported weeks ago, Scott Roth will be re-joining the Raptors as an assistant to Dwane Casey.  And that news could become official as early as today.  If not, expect T.O. to release the news some time this week.

Roth is expected to be joined by fellow assistants (as reported by David Aldridge):  Micah Nori, Eric Hughes, and Johnny Davis.

I wrote a more detailed account of the coaching staff back on June 29:

http://blog.rogersbroadcasting.com/ericsmith/2011/06/29/coaching-staff-complete/

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ANOTHER GIG

Roth will be quite busy this summer – even though he won’t have many/any Raptor-related duties during the lockout.  He has been named to Leo Rautins staff for the Canadian Senior Men’s National Team.

Roth is the latest NBA assistant to sign on with Rautins … following others in the past like Mike Malone and Jim Todd.

The Canadian men are opening camp this week in Toronto as they get set for the FIBA Americas tournament in Argentina from August 30 – September 11.

Team Canada – like most countries – will likely be severely undermanned if the NBA Lockout has not ended.  Due to insurance issues that would exist for players that are technically without a contract, NBA’ers would not suit up.  It’s unlikely that teams, like Canada, could come up with adequate enough insurance policies that would cover (for example) Joel Anthony’s $15+ million that the Miami Heat have committed over the next 4 years.

Anthony and Andy Rautins will probably be sidelined and IF Tristan Thompson or Cory Joseph were even being considered for the team, they’d probably sit out as well because they wouldn’t want to jeopardize their 1st round contracts (that will eventually come) from Cleveland and San Antonio.

Matt Bonner still hasn’t had his citizenship issues resolved (which is an absolute joke (ya telling me that it wouldn’t have been done long ago if Bonner was a hockey player?)) and as we’ve talked about ad nauseum, Steve Nash’s run with Canada is long gone.

One player who MIGHT consider playing is Jamaal Magloire.  Magloire may not have the same issues with insurance that other players would have because the money he’d likely make – these days – at the NBA level would be a low enough figure that insurance could come close to covering.  Plus, Magloire may have a chance to showcase his skills … as a veteran, free agent big man wanting to prove he still has some game left in his tank.

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BIG M(V)P

Speaking of national teams …

The Under 19 World Championship wrapped up yesterday and Raptors draft pick, Jonas Valanciunas, was the talk of the town.

The 7-footer lead Lithuania to the gold medal over Serbia.  Valanciunas led all scorers with 36 points.

Drafted 5th overall by Toronto in June’s NBA Draft, Valanciunas was considered a steal by many … though some are still taking a wait-and-see approach with the big man.  Some want to write-off his accomplishments in this tournament … saying the level of competition is sub-par (playing against 18 and 19 year old ‘kids’).  I think that’s bogus.  And it’s hard to argue with these numbers during the Worlds:

23 PPG
13.9 REB
about 3 BLK
just under 60% FG
81% FT

Those gaudy totals earned Valanciunas MVP honours.

The youngster MAY suit up for Lithuania again – on their Senior Men’s team – later this summer at Euro Basket 2011.  That tournament will likely give folks a greater sense of how ready (or not) Valanciuans is to compete against MEN in the NBA.

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Don’t forget folks … I’m on Sportsnet Radio the FAN 590 all week … hosting the afternoon show:

Monday – 1pm-4pm
Tuesday – Friday – 2pm-4pm

Thanks … have a good one!

E. Smith

Thursday July 7 2011 – 5:10pm Eastern – Toronto, ON

I had a chance to speak with Andre Levingston (interim President and CEO of the National Basketball League of Canada) on my radio show yesterday and came away from the interview with more info on the NBL for all of you.

Though a formal announcement will still be made in a couple of weeks, Levingston did confirm to me on the Fan 590 that the league will be expanding to Prince Edward Island, Oshawa, London (ON), and Moncton. He did say, however, that there are a few wrinkles still being worked out in Moncton but he expects things to be finalized shortly … and all is good in the other 3 markets just mentioned (with solid ownership groups in place, franchise fees (well into 6 figures) paid, and venue leases already arranged).

Levingston also confirmed that the NBL will operate under a hard cap of $150,000 for each franchise (10-12 players per roster). When questioned about that relatively low number, Levingston said that he believes the figure is fine; on-par with a similar league like the NBA’s D-League … where the max contract an individual can make is $28,000. Plus, like many minor leagues (in many sports) accommodations and vehicles may be taken care of by a local business partner or sponsor … so many times the players may ‘only’ be making $20k (for example) but they’ll be living pretty-much expense-free.

There is one ‘catch’ to the cap though … as it relates to the NBA lockout. Levingston has let it be known (to agents and players) that the NBL will be open to any and all out-of-work NBA’ers and teams in the NBL will be free to negotiate with the players without having to worry about the cap. Franchises will be permitted to go above the $150,000 cap for NBA’ers.

Levingston, owner and President of the Halifax Rainmen as well, acknowledged that the kind of NBA player that may be lured to the NBL would not be of the “super star” variety … but more likely bench/depth players.

He did not say what the contractual set up may be — if an NBL team signs an NBA’er — but I can’t imagine that there wouldn’t be an “out clause” for a player to be permitted to leave the NBL and return to the NBA if/when the lockout ends.

E. Smith