NBA
How Drake gives the Raptors more urban appeal
The Toronto Raptors' hiring of rapper Drake as their new "global ambassador" may give the franchise more 'urban' appeal, something that may benefit them in the long run.
Young Kia Nurse a bright star for Canadian basketball
With the retirement of longtime Canadian women's basketball floor general Teresa Gabriele after last year's London Olympics, the job of point guard has fallen into the very young, but increasingly capable hands of Kia Nurse, writes CBCSports.ca basketball contributor John Chick.
NBA
Canada's basketball momentum stalled at FIBA Americas
After looking like one of the best teams at the FIBA Americas
tournament through three of its first four games, it all came apart for
Canada, writes basketball blogger John Chick.
Canada's basketball team all set up front for FIBA tourney
You may think it's a case of viewing the glass as half full, but not
having Canada's two newest NBA players available for the FIBA Americas
tournament has made senior men's national coach Jay Triano's job a bit
easier. With No. 1 overall selection Anthony Bennett and No. 13 pick Kelly
Olynyk out with injuries, it's crystallized the front court situation
very quickly.
NBA
NBA moves range from big to weird
From Dwight Howard signing with the Houston Rockets to Andrea Bargnani being traded to the New York Knicks, the scope of NBA off-season moves is as puzzling as it is impactful.
NBA
Andrea Bargnani trade could be just the start for Raptors
After unloading former No. 1 pick Andrea Bargnani to the Knicks, what the Toronto Raptors do next is anybody's guess. But there's a palpable sense that a bigger shoe may be about to drop.
NBA
More promise than star power in NBA draft
This year's crop of eligible players may seem underwhelming, but what the NBA draft lacks in star power it more than makes up for in promise and potential.
NBA
LeBron James lives up to king-sized comparisons
While LeBron James is no Michael Jordan, he alone is the reason he's a two-time
NBA champion. Perhaps observers were waiting for this moment where he answered the bell and dominated
the competition when the chips around him were down.
NBA
Andrew Wiggins still keen on Canada Basketball
Andrew Wiggins' commitment to Canada Basketball remains strong, even though he opted not to join the national junior men's team at next month's FIBA under-19 world championship.
NBA
Spurs have the horses to challenge LeBron's Heat
The good ol' Spurs are back in the NBA Finals,
and match up well with the Miami Heat. In fact, when throwing around the term
"Big 3" in this series, it applies first and foremost to the San Antonio
trio of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.
NBA
Masai Ujiri has his work cut out for him
The city of Toronto didn't exactly sit on pins and needles for the past week waiting for Masai Ujiri to become the Raptors' newest general manager, and on paper, he seems like the definition of a good hire.
NBA
Raptors ought to rebrand for post-Colangelo era
The Raptors teams of the Vince Carter and Chris Bosh era were relevant and almost overcame the stupidity of naming
the franchise based on the early-1990s dinosaur craze. But it's time to rebrand, as incoming MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke alluded to on Tuesday.
NBA
Andrew Wiggins blazes own trail with Kansas decision
Andrew Wiggins's poker face and taciturnity do Canada proud. In an industry and
an age where everything leaks, he evidently kept his decision to attend the University of Kansas -- with
attention to it snowballing in two countries for the last six months --
completely to himself.
NBA
Raptors stand to benefit most from Leiweke hiring
Given his NBA roots, the surprise hiring of Tim Leiweke as president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment last Friday might well benefit the Toronto Raptors most.
NBA
First round of NBA playoffs promises fireworks
There will be fireworks when James Harden and the Houston Rockets take on his former team, the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
NBA
Expect Raptors to stay on path to sustained mediocrity
The Toronto Raptors finished with a 34-48 record and out of the playoffs this season, but rather than make wholesale front-office changes, will likely stay on the path to sustained mediocrity.
Canada's women's basketball team hard-pressed for attention
Canada's women's basketball team has no problem getting players to commit to the program, but getting Canadians to pay attention is another story.
NBA
Andy Enfield's Eagles soar to Cinderella heights
The Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles coached by Andy Enfield have provided the textbook definition of a March Madness Cinderella with a story so out there that they have completely overshadowed the other surprises like La Salle University and Wichita State.
NCAA's March Madness more unpredictable than ever
The caveat is the same from everyone: It's a crapshoot filling out an
NCAA March Madness bracket in any season, but this year it's even more
unpredictable.
Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk grows into starring role
Had you told anyone three years ago that Canadian Kelly Olynyk would be a favourite
for the John Wooden award as the top NCAA player -- and leading a No.
1-seeded Gonzaga squad into March Madness -- you probably would have
raised a few eyebrows.
NBA
NBA teams see game in new way through SportVU system
What does the ability to track how many rebound opportunities Amir
Johnson gets in a game have to do with missile defence in Israel? Nothing, really. But the technology behind SportVU, the evolving data
collection system used by half of the 30 teams in
the NBA -- including the Toronto Raptors -- was born out of that military application.
NBA
Andrea Bargnani booings overanalyzed
Whether it's his laconic play, blase appearance, his aversion to
rebounding, or his overplayed pasta
commercials, Andrea Bargnani has earned the wrath of many Raptors fans. In typical Toronto fashion, however, there has been way too much introspection on what fans' recent booings of Bargnani mean.
NBA
Andrew Wiggins as Canadian as maple syrup
Canadian basketball phenom Andrew Wiggins returned to his native land last Sunday, showing glimpses of why he is the top-ranked prep school prospect in the United States.
NBA
Canadians should care more about Andrew Wiggins
Canadian teenage basketball phenom Andrew Wiggins, who plays for a prep school in West Virginia, is such a compelling story that he should be better known in his home country.
NBA
Pro and cons to Raptors trading for Rudy Gay
A two-game sample size of the Rudy Gay era with the Toronto Raptors has shown some very positive results.
NBA
Should the Raptors tank for Andrew Wiggins?
Because the Toronto Raptors likely aren't "bad enough" this year to keep their
top-3 pick, they will watch somebody else draft Brampton, Ont., native
Anthony Bennett. That's life, but Bennett is not a once-in-a-generation player. Andrew Wiggins, the presumptive No. 1 pick in 2014, is.
NBA
The Clippers are the best team in L.A.? Is this 'Bizarro World?'
It's not like it should come as a complete and total shock to NBA fans
that the Los Angeles Clippers are 29-9 on Jan. 15. It is a good
basketball team, as evidenced by their 17-game winning streak to end
2012. But therein lays the shock: The Los Angeles Clippers are a good
basketball team
NBA
Magic's Canadian forward Nicholson truly homegrown
There's something significant that sets apart Orlando Magic rookie Andrew Nicholson from the up-and-coming bumper crop of top-level Canadian basketball talent. Unlike compatriots Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph, Myck Kabongo, Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins, Nicholson is truly homegrown.
NBA
In defence of O.J. Mayo's Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks rank a lowly 26th in turnovers this season and, though the main culprit is O.J. Mayo, it is hard to fault him for trying to step up offensively with Dirk Nowitzki injured.
NBA
What if the Raptors had kept Vince Carter?
In the midst of the Raptors' gong show season, it once again begs the question of what could have been if Toronto hadn't traded Vince Carter to New Jersey nearly eight years ago, on Dec. 17, 2004.
NBA
Lakers might better mask Andrea Bargnani's deficiencies
Andrea Bargnani would likely be a better player on a better team than the Toronto Raptors. Play him next to, say, Dwight Howard of the Los Angeles Lakers and he might be incredible.
NBA
Knicks-Nets rivalry brewing in Gotham
The New York Knicks started off the season 6-0, but they've come back down to earth since and now the Brooklyn Nets are emerging as a threat. In terms of who's better between the Gotham teams, it's close, but it's going to be fun watching this storyline develop in the fight for the Atlantic Division, writes John Chick.
NBA
Propensity for silly choices part of Bynum's world
Philadelphia 76ers centre Andrew Bynum apparently tweaked his left knee while bowling -- the opposite appendage of the bruised right knee that has kept him out of the lineup so far this season.
NBA
Lakers' Mike D'Antoni hire drawing mixed reviews
From a basketball standpoint, the decision of the Los Angeles Lakers to hire Mike D'Antoni as head coach is not completely crazy. What's odd is the story that's come out in the past week that describes a
situation where the owners met with Phil Jackson, essentially offered him
the job, gave him a few days to think about it and then hired D'Antoni instead.
NBA
Steve Nash, Landry Fields struggling to fit in
Off-season acquisitions Steve Nash (Lakers) and Landry Fields (Raptors) are not producing as hoped by their new teams.
NBA
Lakers will unseat Heat for NBA title
With Steve Nash's and Dwight Howard's moves to L.A. and James Harden's
deal to Houston tilting the balance of power out west, here's a
division-by-division breakdown of the entire NBA heading into the 2012-13 season.
NBA
Despite optimism, Raptors are no playoff team
A young team with some pieces, the Toronto Raptors' die-hards (not as numerous as the
Leafs or Jays, but significant) are somewhat split on whether this is a
playoff team or not. The reality is however -- on paper at least -- that this is not a playoff team this year
NBA
Steve Nash already delivering as Canada Basketball boss
The early benefits to having Steve Nash in charge of the senior men's national basketball team became abundantly clear last week in Toronto.
With the long-expected return of head coach Jay Triano on Thursday and a subsequent players' camp with close to 30 of the country's best, Canada - the nation that historically has had to pull teeth to get its best basketball players in one room together - planted some very important seeds at the Air Canada Centre.
Olympics2012
U.S. Dream Team not invincible
When Kobe Bryant said that
this incarnation of the "Dream Team" could beat the original 1992 version, he
was rightfully eviscerated. The statement was
as much gamesmanship as anything else, and given the perception (real or
imagined) after various injuries that this American team is not as sound and
gold-guaranteed as previous versions, it probably didn't hurt internally to
stir the pot.
Olympics2012
Canadian women could make some noise in London
Canada will be cheering for the senior women's national team at the
London Games as the squad makes their first Olympic appearance in 12
years. However, like most other Olympic sports, many won't think about
everything that went in to getting there.
NBA
Steve Nash owes Toronto Raptors absolutely nothing
Let's summarize two distinct facts as we see them late on Wednesday night.Steve Nash is a Los Angeles Laker. Canada's inferiority complex is still very much intact, and it's clear as ever that it always will be.
NBA
Does the 'Steve Nash factor' explain the Raptors' draft strategy?
Toronto's first-round selection of Terrence Ross Thursday night brought
out all the usual cries of consternation from the fans Raptorland. In a
decade and a half of watching this franchise -- as a rabid fan, as a
disgusted bystander and as a member of the media -- I've come to expect
certain things. One of them is that draft night is never what anyone
wanted it to be.
NBA
2012 NBA lottery mock draft
With the NBA Draft going Thursday night, what better time
than to throw out a final lottery mock draft, which really signifies nothing
when you throw in the monkey wrench of the trades that are likely to go down.
NBA
LeBron James earned the respect
It wasn't overwhelming, but many of us who follow basketball closely noticed something of a shift in the attitude towards LeBron James around 11:45 p.m. ET Thursday.
Nobody can say the LeBron haters are gone -- a quick scan of Twitter or the dreaded sports comment boards (the Thunderdome of the Internet) show that the hostility is still alive and well.
NBA
The NBA's good, bad and ugly
If you ever wanted a crash course on every good, bad and comical aspect
of the NBA, the past week should have sufficed quite well.
NBA
LeBron haters never satisfied
From a fan's standpoint, it's not difficult to dislike LeBron James.
This is not news. However, one thing abundantly clear after his beatdown of the Boston Celtics on Thursday night is that no matter what, many fans in the Twitter age are still going to be haters.
NBA
NBA draft lottery fuels conspiracy theories
Wednesday was NBA Draft Lottery day, and NBA fans watched yet another conspiracy theory evolve when the New
Orleans Hornets made the unlikely jump to land the first pick in the
draft and take Kentucky's Anthony Davis.
NBA
Heat, Pacers too much fun not to go 7
A week ago I said the Miami Heat would win their series against the Indiana Pacers handily, and that the best Indy could hope for was stealing a game at Bankers Life Fieldhous.
NBA
Heat, Thunder on collision course
It's probably too early to draw conclusions, but there's two things blatantly clear from Game 1 of the second-round playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder -- Oklahoma City is up for this one and it clearly didn't matter that it had a long layoff before Monday's triumphant opener.
NBA
Still in search of better NBA basketball
Almost two weeks ago, I said the basketball would be better with the NBA playoffs starting. I could not have been more wrong.
NBA
Nash gives Canadian men's basketball credibility
Steve Nash was named general manager of the senior men's national basketball team on Tuesday, representing a gigantic step in the climb back to credibility from a national program
that has struggled to take steps at all in the past decade.
NBA
Knicks quick to punch out
It's one thing for Knicks star Amare Stoudemire to lash out in frustration following two sub-par playoff performances in Miami. But it's quite another for New York tabloids to humiliate him.
NBA
Holding to Heat-Thunder in NBA Finals
I'm not as married to it as I was on Christmas Day, but I'm holding to the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder meeting in this year's NBA Finals. To be resolved starting Saturday.
NBA
Raptors coach Dwane Casey deserves recognition
Dwane Casey won't win the NBA coach of the year award. You
need to get in the playoffs to earn consideration, and while the Toronto Raptors
are still a fair distance and a couple of lucky breaks away from that, the
culture change he has instilled in the team is worthy of some kind of hardware.
NBA
Tristan Thompson draws raves reviews from Tim Duncan
There are some serious learning curves in adjusting to a professional
game. While doing so with the position of NBA big man is nowhere near
say, that of an NFL quarterback, it's still a process that involves hard
work, repetition and learning quickly from mistakes.
Fortunately for Cavaliers rookie Tristan Thompson, he's progressing - and drawing praise from a certain future hall-of-fame forward.
NBA
Are the Miami Heat still the villains of the NBA?
The Miami Heat have gained the respect of
many who feel that athletes -- especially African-American ones -- need to
speak up on the myriad social issues that affect that community by showing their support for Trayvon Martin and his family.
NBA
Draft stock: Harrison Barnes and the Canadians' edition
The trials of Harrison Barnes this past weekend are actually
something of an oddity in college basketball. Not all that often does a player
so highly skilled and highly hyped essentially fall flat on his face on a stage
like the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament.
NBA
Heslip and other standout Canucks in March Madness
Brady Heslip's rainstorm of treys vs. Colorado Saturday has evoked some
memories of another Canadian who once played in the NCAA Tournament by
the name of Steve Nash.
NBA
Raptors what-ifs and March Madness talk
As if Raptors fans had nothing else to look back upon with regret, late
last week came word that former GM Glen Grunwald could have traded Vince
Carter and Antonio Davis in 2001 for Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash.
NBA
Does Kris Joseph transcend the basketball border?
Being famous for playing on a basketball team that is consistently one
of the top college programs in the United States is not surprising at all, but John Chick can't help but wonder if Syracuse's Kris Joseph would even be recognized in his hometown of Montreal.
NBA
Wade's gamesmanship towards Kobe refreshing
It took until the all-star break, but everybody can gossip about the Miami Heat now thanks to Dwyane Wade's breaking Kobe Bryant's nose.
NBA
NBA mid-season awards
With all NBA teams close to the 33-game midway mark ahead of All-Star
weekend in this truncated season, it's time to toss out some mid-season
awards, even if they mean absolutely nothing. Don't worry. Jeremy Lin is in here somewhere.
NBA
Linsanity all about time and place
To say that the stars are currently aligning perfectly for Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks would be like saying water is wet. The hysteria of "Linsanity" -- a word that didn't exist a mere eight days ago -- is the product of all the random, moving parts that have come together for this young man at the exact same moment in time.
NBA
Kobe climbs the ladder
Kobe Bryant's passing of Shaquille O'Neal for fifth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list Monday night brings to mind many things.
While it would be fun to rehash their legendary feud (one that warrants its own Wikipedia page)
and take sides -- it always seemed easier to take Shaq's -- let's put it
to rest and accept that they will at least be cordial now, even if you
can be certain they'll never be close. From a personal standpoint (which
means nothing) though, I have to give Kobe credit for evolving into an
assassin of a player, and in the process becoming more respected.
NBA
Griffin and the dangerous Clippers
On Tuesday morning by 11 a.m. ET, one of the YouTube videos of Blake Griffin's absolutely disgusting posterization of Kendrick Perkins had garnered 440,000 views in less than 11 hours. Dunk of the year so far? Duh.
NBA
The evolution of LaMarcus Aldridge
LaMarcus Aldridge may not make the U.S. Olympic team this summer. Given
the deep talent the States has up front, slighting him wouldn't be
considered a crime. However his continued growth as player could make an Olympic appearance
a certainty at some point.
NBA
Howard trade rumours & Olympic team contenders
You can't exactly call it expanding his horizons, but news
Monday that Dwight Howard had added the Los Angeles Clippers to the list of
teams he'd be willing to be traded to provided about one minute of banter before
everybody realized it's not likely to happen.
NBA
Delonte being Delonte & Nash's choice
Even with a guy like Metta World Peace today, the era of wacky and entertaining basketball personalities is sadly, for the most part gone. However we still have Delonte West.
NBA
Raptors' Bargnani playing with authority
Raptors head coach Dwane Casey used the names 'Dirk Nowitzki' and 'Andrea Bargnani' in the same sentence. Casey said after
Monday's win in New York that Bargnani, like Nowitzki before him, has
learned how to adjust to defensive switches.
NBA
NBA's opening weekend dampened cynicism
At the risk of sounding naïve, you can't stay mad at these guys (as a whole, more on David Stern later). It started with TNT's goosebump-inducing Christmas Day broadcast intro, the finest NBA-related piece of manufactured TV since Nike's MJ Jumpman commercial of 2006.
So, I'm a sucker for slick packaging, even with the random pairing of
Jason Terry and Rolando Blackman or the reaching one of Andrew Bogut and
Brandon Jennings with Kareem and Oscar Robertson.
While I tried to stay nice and cynical throughout the lockout, the
finishes of the Celtics-Knicks and Bulls-Lakers games on Christmas Day
also reminded me why I'm a fan of this imperfect professional sport.
NBA
NBA 2011-12 season preview: the younger, the better
Due to the lockout, this year's compressed NBA season means team will average 3.7 games a week. The effect? Age will play a bigger factor than it has in years, and younger teams with more stamina will be the ones on top when it comes playoff time.
NBA
Chris Paul and the hypocrisy of David Stern
It wasn't so much the unintentional comedy of David Stern attempting to
restore "sanctity" to the business of basketball that was so galling
when he kyboshed the Chris Paul-to-the-Lakers deal last week. It was the
NBA's incompetence in botching what was a good trade for the
small-market, economy-still-affected-by-a-2005-natural-disaster
league-owned Hornets.
NBA
The NBA is back, and little has changed
So after a 149-day lockout, let's just say I'm trying to convince the
composite template of an NBA hater that the league isn't that bad. If
they can get over the usual hockey-guy complaints about the sport
itself, let's say they take a peek to see if anything has changed.
NBA
NBA sides felt pressure to end lockout
Two weeks
ago, when the prospect of having an NBA season appeared impossible, David Stern said he'd
always still be willing to answer a phone call from players' association
executive director Billy Hunter. And that's
how Saturday's deal ultimately got done.
NBA
NBA labour update: Time of death edition
The NBA season is all but gone.
For the past two months I've been reminded why I have never had any interest in being a business reporter.
NBA
NBA on the brink of new deal, lost season
It's easy to assume that the NBA Players' Association simply called a
bluff of sorts by David Stern Tuesday night by categorically rejecting
his "ultimatum" of what is essentially a 50-50 split of
basketball-related income (BRI). Come Wednesday afternoon however, we will see where this leaves us.
NBA
Bargnani cheated out of a deal?
Noel Biderman just wanted the name of his website -- AshleyMadison.com -- on the front of Italian basketball team Virtus Roma's jerseys. The fact that he was trying to do it while the NBA is locked out and Raptors centre Andrea Bargnani was in need of insurance cash in order to play for the team was purely coincidental, the Toronto native said.
NBA
NBA meetings mirror NHL lockout
I've been saying for months that the parallels between this situation
and the NHL lockout of 2004-05 are identical. There is no question that
NHL owners at that time accepted the fact there would be no season -- in
September
John Chick
Almost as cynical as a Toronto sports fan can get, John Chick has been around the NBA and other sports in one capacity or another for a decade, working at outlets such as Metro News Canada, Sun Media and TSN. He blogs on the NBA for CBCSports.ca and wishes Charles Oakley still played.
