Toronto Raptors

I like Alvin Williams as much as the next guy and hope he lands somewhere because he is the ultimate ‘nice guy’. Seeing him unemployed doesn’t feel right, yet at the same time there’s something about this move that is quite different than what we’re used to seeing from the Raptors. There’s an element of ruthlessness in it that is surprising, and dare I say it, refreshing. [Related: Alvin Williams' interview on TSN Radio (a little sad, still says 'we')] The value that Alvin Williams brought was always debatable from a fan standpoint, but a frank conversation about him was never had, mostly because it seemed a very minor role – almost like an internship. Low risk, low expectations. I doubt his departure has created a significant void of any sort; or maybe we’ll regret it in a few years when he’s become a super-scout and close to becoming a GM? I don’t know, but here and now, this appears to be culling of excess. Despite the media faithful lamenting the loss of a friend and calling it a bad PR move (Star, Post, Sun), I would contend that the organization should focus on making decisions with basketball value in mind, not PR. This also gets me to thinking that if a loyal servant of the organization such as Williams is shown the door in this cold-hearted manner, what chance does someone like Andrea Bargnani, or for that matter any overpaid, under-delivering employee have? None, I would suggest. Where does this leave guys like Linas Kleiza or Landry Fields, questionable signings that have provided little to negligible value? Masai Ujiri’s firm hand has shown that he does not intend his management team to have any ties with the organization’s past, which makes Bryan Colangelo’s move to his new role essentially insignificant. Ujiri’s certainly proven that he’s very good at firing people, and these exits will win him support among frustrated fans, and even sell a few season tickets to those who gave up a while ago, since nothing sells like hope. With each departure, though, the anticipation of Ujiri’s first real move grows. The draft, this space would suggest, provides an opportunity to make a move for improvement. Dennis Schroeder is my pick in the teens, but even if the Raptors don’t intend to partake in the draft, it presents a platform to get involved as a third team. Whether it be shedding Andrea Bargnani or scavenging around other developments for opportunities, this is where Ujiri has a chance to make an early mark. Any time a GM inherits a situation as rigid as the Raptors they are going to get some leeway and time to settle in, but as it stands there is a necessity for certain moves to be made just to field a roster! With $66 million in salary tied to 12 players, you have to wonder how the Raptors can even field a 15-man roster, especially if the amnesty is exercised. Acquiring a teen pick and paying a salary of around $1.5 million seems like a sensible way to add a player while keeping costs low. Easier said than done, of course. If all else fails, the following I figure is the “backup” plan: Amnesty Andrea Bargnani if there are no takers Flip Linas Kleiza’s expiring contract for a teen pick Draft with the pick, assuming it’s a teen pick, the net savings considering Kleiza’s contract are $3.5 million At this point, the Raptors would be under the cap at $54.9 million, giving them a chance to actually sign someone I’m not going to speculate on more drastic options such as trading one of DeRozan or Gay due to their games being similar. That’s a debate for later. So…final word is regarding Alvin Williams: Let not our emotions affect our judgement of Alvin Williams’ departure.

Doug Smith is actually openly criticizing the Raptors, specifically Tim Leiweke. This is a first. In what I think is a terribly short-sighted move that will rankle as many people as anything he does, Leiweke has told Alvin Williams that his services are no longer required. Yep, the chief executive officer of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment – on the job for less than a month – has jettisoned one of the great guys ever associated with the franchise and a man who wanted nothing more than to spend his entire career with the organization in some way, shape or form. Source

As Tim Leiweke stressed the need for improvement for an organization that wasn’t good enough and Masai Ujiri talked about building his own small staff here in Toronto, many of us were able to foresee the organizational house cleaning around the corner. So when guys like Ed Stefanski and Jim Kelly were let go, I don’t think anyone around the team was exactly floored. But I don’t know how many people saw this coming, as fans and media alike were surprised to hear the news on Monday that former fan-favourite Alvin Williams had been relieved of his duties as a scout. In addition, Doug Smith reports that CEO Tim Leiweke made the decision and that General Manager Masai Ujiri never spoke to Alvin. On the surface, the decision is tough to swallow for Raptors fans. Williams gave every ounce of his body to the team during the only legitimately successful period in franchise history and was adored by Toronto basketball fans because of it. His hiring as an assistant coach in 2009 and his subsequent move to the role of Director of Player Development later on (Williams was most recently a scout for the Raptors working out of his hometown of Philadelphia) were celebrated by those same fans who simply loved the idea of “Boogie” still being associated with the team. From that angle, Leiweke’s decision is an unfortunate one as you could argue that even if Williams’ scouting services were no longer valued or needed, the organization could have found some role for him to fill with the team. After all, if Bryan Colangelo was protected from a full-on firing, why couldn’t Alvin Williams be? On the other hand, the big name hires of Leiweke and Ujiri were met with celebration and hope themselves, and part of their new jobs consist of making cold business decisions as they look to finally forge a new identity (and a successful one at that) for the Toronto Raptors. Whether fans agree with it or not, whether they understand it or not, at least one of Leiweke/Ujiri obviously saw this as one of those decisions. As much as we love the guy for what he gave to the franchise on the floor, we have no idea how good, bad, great or awful Williams was a scout. And again, a new CEO or new General Manager shouldn’t exactly be faulted for cleaning house and making tough decisions like this (though I am curious about the fact that Ujiri reportedly never made contact with Alvin about it). After watching and sticking with this franchise for 18 mostly pathetic seasons, all I ask of Tim Leiwke and Masai Ujiri is that they oversee the transformation of the Raptors from a league laughingstock to a perennially successful, winning basketball team. If they can do that, then as heartless as it may seem now, we won’t be bothered or preoccupied by otherwise insignificant decisions on the job status of team scouts, no matter how beloved they might be. Many people will make today about sympathy and nostalgia, but it’s important to look at the big picture. Tim Leiweke and Masai Ujiri have been entrusted with building a successful basketball program here, and they shouldn’t be faulted for wanting to build it exactly as they see fit. On a basketball level, many will make this day about the future of Kyle Lowry, who was close with Williams from his time at Villanova. In reality though, the connections and panic are likely greatly exaggerated. If Ujiri doesn’t believe that Lowry can be part of that aforementioned future success, then he’ll explore his options (the Raptors could look for trade options or could even buy out the final year of Lowry’s contract for $1 million up until July 15), but I’m fairly certain that they wouldn’t have fired Williams just because they may not see Lowry as part of the future. And if Lowry does stick around, has a great season in 2013-14 and is offered a worthy financial commitment from the Raptors as a result, I highly doubt he’ll turn it down just

Name: Andrea Bargnani 2012-13 Key Statistics: 35 games played, 28.7 minutes per game, 12.7 points, 39.9% from the field, 30.9% from three-point-range, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.7 blocks, 11.2 PER. Comparison: Pitchfork Reviews It was the summer of 2006. I remember it quite clearly. One of my best friends had told me about a slew of new music releases to check out, including the critically acclaimed band, "The Knife," and their latest release, "Silent Shout." "Pitchfork gave it an 8.6 so it should be pretty solid!" he exclaimed. Aaaah Pitchfork. At that time, I wasn't too familiar with the website. I knew it was a site dedicated to music, particularly of the "indie" variety, but that's about as far as I got. Many of my friends swore on it as the go-to bible for all things music, so if an album received critical praise from the site, hey, it had to be a sure thing right? However I wasn't exactly a fan of "The Knife" after a few listens. In fact, the more I listened to it, the more I hated it. But how could this be? After all, in the review that garnered the 8.6 out of 10 mark, Pitchfork had noted: An early contender for best record of the quarter, here's hoping Silent Shout inspires similar imagination and pushing outwards; after all, no matter how heady and interior electronic music allows itself to become, it could never get as scary as the world outside. So how I could I... ...wait. What the hell does that even mean? Similarly, reviews for other critically lauded albums around that time, Grizzly Bear, Destroyer, Matmos, all met a similar fate as The Knife when placed into my CD player (hey, it was 2006, the iPod didn't find its way into my clutches until 2007.) Not only did I not enjoy the bulk of these albums, but I also started to become increasingly annoyed with Pitchfork's seemingly never-ending determination to present more and more obscure and abstract sonics, as if they were the second coming of Revolver or Pet Sounds. Sure there were moments when our respective musical tastes were aligned. But through the years these became increasingly few and far between to the point that I eventually just gave up on them, tired of trying to sort through passages like the following, hoping to discern some idea of whether or not the reviewer enjoyed the album, or just wanted to hear him/herself pontificate about the meaning of life: Actually, to be honest, that temptation remains. Khan's aesthetic is such a perfectly struck balancing act between earth mother hippie mystic and post-modern Gen Y art student (see: the cover for her latest single "Daniel", which depicts her on a beach, shivery and windswept, with a painting of The Karate Kid's Daniel LaRusso adorning her entire naked back) that it's difficult to forget about the sheer workaday craft that must go into constantly seeming so effortlessly, artfully rumpled. In a similar fashion I gave up a long time ago on Andrea Bargnani. I wanted to believe. Hell, I even penned this amidst his now-infamous 14-game flurry of intriguing play during the 2011-12 season. But from the moment he was drafted to be the team's center of the future I had my doubts (although it should be noted that I wanted the team to choose Tyrus Thomas), and those only grew to the point where after three seasons, I preferred the team dealt him while he still appeared to have some upside. However as we know, the opposite occurred, the team extended him once, and now is stuck with what could be an immovable piece. Bargnani is perhaps the biggest reason Bryan Colangelo's attempts at team building were unsuccessful, and now somehow new GM Masai Ujiri has to figure out a way to get some value in exchange for the one known as "Il Mago," or else it's likely on to Plan B - the Amnesty Clause. And I'd be fine with that. It's certainly not ideal, but at some point you simply make a decision; whether it's refusing to believe friends' gushings over a certain mus

Well, if Tim Leiweke wanted to make significant changes to get away from the Raptors past, he’s picked the right guy to fire. In what I think is a terribly short-sighted move that will rankle as many people as anything he does, Leiweke has told Alvin Williams that his services are no longer required. Yep, the chief executive officer of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment – on the job for less than a month – has jettisoned one of the great guys ever associated with the franchise and a man who wanted nothing more than to spend his entire career with the organization in some way, shape or form. Alvin had spent last season scouting for the team, based out of Philadelphia, but he was far, far more than just an employee picking up a cheque. He loved the organization and the city, he was a link to some of the best times the team has ever had, he is a great guy who’d show up every now and then and sooth some antsy players, offer a unique perspective and be a valued confidant to many. Fired. Not by the general manager who never spoke to him, but by a CEO who seems hellbent on getting his fingers in every decision at some level. It sucks. Look, we all know that keeping people around this team forever is hard; there has been too much change, too many people discarded. I’d say that if you’ve got someone the fans love, the players trust, the coaches appreciate and who wants to be part of it, you don’t cast him adrift. You keep him around somehow, let him keep scouting, let him keep coming around every month or so, let him do his job. It’s not like Alvin was going to demand a seven figure salary and a say in all major personnel decisions. He wanted just to keep working, to be part of the Raptors. There aren’t a lot of that kind of guy around, I cannot see the harm in keeping him, if for no other reason that what he represents. Everyone knows how hard he played, what he gave to the team – hell, I bet he cut his career two years short by playing through bad knees because he wanted to win and for the franchise to flourish. As messages go, they just sent a crappy one. And people will notice. - Good way to end a San Antonio trip, no? - A week in San Antonio can be a long, long time. Things we like Rosario’s For Tex-Mex, try the three-taco combo with chicken, beef and pork and the Dos Equis draft, please. The Riverwalk Good people watching and the Irish pub across the river and around the corner from the hotel. St. Arnold’s summer pilsner Don’t know that I’ll have it again, but it’s a tasty delight should try. Things we didn’t like Torrential rain On five of the seven days, always in the late afternoon, early evening, the skies opened. And I’m not talking sprinkles or showers, I’m talking deluge. Post-game traffic Know how the Leaves People clog Yonge Street? Well, double it, cut a lane off the width of the road and you’ve got it. Sat in the bus after Game 3 dead stopped for about 15 minutes before we all finally got out and walked the final five blocks or so. Beat the bus by 20 minutes. The heat No, not the Heat, the heat. Was mid-30s every day and as some of you might have realized, I’m not built for mid-30s. Mid-20s, maybe. - So, is this the week? Remember how everyone waited for some resolution to the Colangelo situation with the HOTH? Well, we’re in the same holding pattern with respect to the coaching staff and I’m hearing from a couple of spots that this has to be the week they decide on who’ll work with Dwane Casey next year. I do know that Casey and Masai have met and talked several times over the last few days as they try to figure out just what they’re going to do with the staff and with the summer league coming up quickly. I don’t know if the changes will be wholesale but I do think a couple of Johnny Davis, Micah Nori, Tom Sterner and Scott Roth will be gone. Why? No particular reason – it’s not like they did b

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Well, here we go again. Enjoy, folks.

Sorry I’m a bit late, folks. Was enjoying a loafing morning here for a change. Long day ahead; don’t forget to be back around 8 p.m. for the IGBT and a Happy Father’s Day to all. - Q: I'm upset that a couple of the texters on your noon gig yesterday did NOT include Amir as a core player. What's the single top priority of any member of a basketball ball team supposed to be? Winning, period. Which two players were on more than half the winning 5-man units last year? DeMar & Amir, NOT Rudy NOR Kyle! This stuff drives me to the edge, I tell you ... Can you explain it away for me? Bo K, Mississauga, ON A: No, can’t really. And, yes, Amir was a key member and energetic player for a team that won 38 games and missed the playoffs and should be considered part of the group that should be given time to grow together. I personally think he’ll end up being a very valuable third big who brings energy off the bench if his body holds up. - Q: Hey Doug, love all the "reporting" from all aspects of the final. Going down to Philly and Camden NJ August long weekend for Yestival, a one day festival headlined by Yes, with The Musical Box, Renaissance and Cal Palmer's ELP Legacy. And taking in the Phillies and Braves. In all your trips to the area are there any establishments, food and beverage that should be on our to do list? Oh yeah, any reports how Super Son is doing on the roads back home? Looking forward to the reports the rest of the way. And hopefully the Spurs have the kid back for the Anthem before game 5! Scott M A: Well, I’m not sure where you’re staying but if you’re in downtown Philly, where I tend to stay, the Reading Market is a great spot for lunch, there’s a really good sports bar right under the arch there called The Field House and if you don’t drink Yeungling, we might have issues. If you can’t get that, Stoudt’s Gold works in a pinch. If you’re looking upscale at all, The Palm in the Sheraton, I believe it is, has a nice bar to eat in and if Michelle is working and you tell her that Billy King’s friend the sportswriter from Toronto says hello, I’d appreciate that. Oh, and Second Avenue is always worth a walk to see if you can find a nice eating spot. - Q: You answered a question about not knowing how the Mavs handle the fare for their beat writer. I assumed it didn't matter because the Mavs own their plane. It has their logo on it. The reason I know is I have flown with the team on it. They used to (not sure if they still do) sell dream packages to fly with the team and stay with them in the hotel, watch their shootaround and seats to the game. Prices depend on length (we flew to Minnisota and back) and prices started at $5000 (according to other ppl on the trip). I won a promotion and didn't pay that much. We flew sat at the back of the plane with trainers, therapists, tv ppl etc. Watching Avery Johnson disect the game film of that nights game on the little screens. Mark A: It matters because no self-respecting newspaper would take some of such value without paying, it would put you in a compromising position. So some money would have to be paid, even if it was, say, a donation per flight or something, to the team’s charitable foundation. - Q: For me, one of the most intriguing things about the hiring of Masai Ujiri is the fact that he tailored his roster to George Karl's style of play. Assuming Dwane stays the coach and Ujiri similarly tailors the Raptors' roster to him, what does that roster look like - can you name a few players in the league that you view as "Casey-style" guys? Note that I'm not asking you how we would actually get them, because I know you hate trade rumours. Thanks, Mike D, Toronto A: Is it fair to say the Casey-style players are the good ones and he’d take any of them. But a tough guy like Reggie Evans sure catches his eye, older guys who’ve been around are his type of

A mailbag worthy of an NBA Finals, folks. And enough left over to meet back here tomorrow; in fact, room for lots more if there’s stuff on your mind. Going to be a quiet day in San Antonio with some afternoon stool time so load ‘em up if you’ve got anything left. Enjoy this. - Q: Hey Doug, here's a quick one for your mailbag. I heard Jeff Van Gundy blasting the 2-3-2 format that the NBA switches to for the finals, which has always seemed strange to me -- both the NHL (2-2-1-1-1) and MLB (2-3-2) keep their 7-game formats consistent in all series. So I'm curious, putting the travel concerns aside (which is obviously why they switch for the finals), in your opinion which 7-game series format is better: 2-3-2, or 2-2-1-1-1? Do the players and teams have an opinion on this one way or the other? I wouldn't think that a format change could affect anything in a series, but then again I don't play in these games so I have no idea. Thanks for all the great work. Simon S-G, Toronto A: I think the players, in their hearts, don’t mind this format at all because it cuts down on the number of flights they have to take; and it takes a bit of a toll if, for instance, you had to go coast-to-coast. Don’t know that there’s any appetite for change, the logistics of moving everything from one city to the other one or two more times would be a nightmare. And I was told by an NBA executive who would know that part of the reason for the change in the mid-80s was the then-escalating price of jet fuel and charter costs; the economy did play a role. - Q: Hey Doug, Just wondering if you've heard how Kayla Alexander is adjusting to being a pro. Thanks, Kim A: I was actually quite disappointing that the Silver Stars have been on the road the entire week I’ve been in San Antonio because I wanted to either see a game or a practice and do a story. I did run into someone from the team in the arena one night – a player who wasn’t on the trip and I can’t for the life of me remember her name right now – and asked how she was doing and was told she’s handling her rookie season quite well. - Q: Hi Doug, Your mention of St. Arnold's summer pilsner gave me an idea for an off-season top 5 list - how about a "my 5 favourite local micro-brews" list inclusive of the accompanying cities... Clay, Toronto A: Well, some of them might not be completely local as much as regional and we know my top choice would be Yeungling so I’ll leave that off. And if we went through a five-pack of with Harpoon from the Boston area, Stoudt’s Gold in Philly, Fat Tire that I first had out in Denver, I believe, Shiner Bock and the St. Arnold’s in Texas, I’d be okay. Now, I do know there have to be a half dozen more – I’ve totally left out the Portland area because I can’t remember the name of what I had this past season – and it’s usually a case of me getting to whatever local I have on the road, asking the person behind the bar for a good local micro-brew and going “oh, yeah; I had that the last time I was here.” I need to keep a note of the names in the phone; a task I’ll try to keep up with next season. - Q: There is a increasing speculation in the papers that Dwight Howard and Chris Paul want to sign with the same team this summer. When Bosh, Wade and James did this, was there talk at the NBA level about player collusion concerns and equality of playing field? I know that star power doesn't guarantee championships (as the Lakers have shown us with the Payton/Malone year and the current Nash/Howard experiment) but do you think this is a trend that threatens the competitiveness of the NBA as a whole? Thanks Doug Rob, London A: I don’t think two is a trend and I’d be shocked in the Howard-Paul thing works out. And given that the Heat lost a final, won a final and are in a dogfight with a team that’s been together forever – along with the two you ment

Oh yeah, crazy late today. And I’d like to tell you I was sleeping like a baby for hours but I can’t. Funny how time gets away from you when you’re in a hospitality suite and all of a sudden it’s two freaking o’clock in the morning and you desperately need four or five hours of sleep. Anyway, the usual little stuff on a Friday, some of which might catch your fancy. - I’m not going to lollygag but I’m not going to sit around and read the novels of Susan Sontag because I think they’re self-indulgent over-rated crap. I’m going to work on a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter because I want to announce my presence with authority. I need a rainout so I can go shopping for some candlesticks or a live rooster. Now, I know at least a few of you would understand what I’m talking about and all I have to say is that we need a bit of a celebration this weekend. Tomorrow, June 15, is the 25th anniversary of the premiere of Bull Durham, which is the best sports comedy movie ever in the opinion of some smart people. I’ve got it in a virtual tie with Caddyshack but probably slightly ahead. So you should do yourself a favour sometime over the weekend and watch it; it’s a classic. And I think there’s only one slightly bad word here; took forever to find a clip for a family-friendly blog. - Mail? Please. Not much there, two weekend mornings to get through and I need some help. It’s askdoug@thestar.ca and ask anything you like. Besides, the teams have today off, only availability is with the head coaches so there’s a bit of extra time to lounge around perhaps a stool in the lobby and putter on work. - Not sure what kind of fuss it created back home, or if anyone even knew about it, but a bit of an uproar over the young boy who sung the national anthem down here for Games 3 and 4. He’s a Mexican-American lad – did a bang-up job on the tune – but the internet trolls were all over him for his heritage and the Spurs for asking him to sign after Game 1. You know the kind of people I’m talking about, the gutless pukes who have nothing better to do than spew vitriol while sitting at the computer. The world would be better off without them, in many ways. Anyway, the Spurs heard about it, brought the kid back to sing before Game 4 and he was introduced at midcourt by the mayor of San Antonio, who I’m told is quite popular. And Gregg Popovich, bless his curmudgeonly soul, went off when asked about the story before game. We know Pop can be a bit acerbic and terse but when he get son a roll he can be brilliant, and he was when asked about the post-Game 3 reaction to the young kid: “Well, I would like to say that I would be shocked or surprised by the comments. But given the fact that there's still a significant element of bigotry and racism in our nation, I'm not surprised. It still plagues us, obviously. And what I was surprised by was how proud these idiots were of their ignorance, by printing their names next to their comments. “ What would he tell the kid? “He's a class act. Way more mature than most his age. And as much as those comments by the idiots saddens you about your country, he makes you feel that the future could be very bright.” Pop gets a free pass for a very long time with that stuff. But you know how we could avoid all of this? Take my longstanding advice and dump the anthems before sports events, it in some way trivializes songs that shouldn’t be, too many crooners don’t treat it with the respect it deserves and if it was only played at truly national events – country vs. country maybe – I’d be all for it. - We all know that Dwyane Wade and LeBron James rose to the occasion in Game 4; they were outstanding with the season basically on the line. And at the other end of the spectrum: Manu Ginobili. I love the guy and the frenetic way he plays and we all know how skilled he is and how many