Introducing… Ed Davis

TORONTO – The selection of 6-10 power forward Ed Davis by the Toronto Raptors in the 2010 NBA draft was not expected. Fitting then, that most observers see much of Toronto’s summer going the same way with so many question marks hanging above the franchise. For now though, Davis has been tapped as a possible answer to the team’s defensive woes despite not having worked out for the Raptors during his pre-draft tour. Word out of New York - where Davis was present at the draft - was that Davis and his reps might have been unpleasantly surprised when the Raptors made him their top choice.

“I worked out for teams seven through ten,” said Davis on a conference call with the media shortly after his selection. “I didn’t really know exactly where I was going, but then a lot of people are surprised. That’s what this draft is about.”

The Raptors have selected a big man in six of the last seven drafts they have participated in and it isn’t the first time they’ve chosen a frontcourt player that didn’t work out for the team. That much beloved beef and yet still no real big man coach to speak of? It may only be a minor issue in the grand scheme, but relevant since the Raptors frontcourt just got smaller and younger should Davis stick.

“I think my game is just going to transfer,” said Davis. “Where I’m rebounding (and) running the floor to block a shot. It’s things like that that always translate.”

The mood around the Air Canada Centre was amusingly light in the back room media centre where a larger than average group of local beaters had gathered to witness the 2010 NBA Draft proceedings. With general manager Bryan Colangelo pacing the Raptors’ war room floor down the hall - his 13th overall pick in play - the uncertainty of what was to unfold before him was surely enough to preclude any definitive plan of attack. Outside of the free agency (Chris Bosh), trade demands (Hedo Turkoglu) and the sudden youth movement that seems to have crept up on the Raptors, the business of this draft represents the first domino to fall in what is guaranteed to be one of the busiest of Colangelo’s career.

The first end of the draft played out the way most predicted with Kentucky point guard John Wall, Ohio State forward Evan Turner and Georgia Tech big man Derrick Favors being selected first, second and third overall by Washington, Philadelphia and New Jersey respectively. Going deeper the big men continued to get taken off the board with Derrick Favors, Wesley Johnson and DeMarcus Cousins the next to be selected. Slowly, as the considered elite of the draft were pulled out of the pool, the first of Toronto’s realistic desirables – Baylor center Epke Udoh – was taken by the Golden State Warriors with a surprising sixth overall pick.

That’s when things got predictably wacky.

“Maybe his injured hand held him back a little bit this past season,” said Triano trying to offer some reasoning behind why Davis’ stock seemed to drop on draft night.

“I think more than that is that everybody expected him to go a lot higher so he didn’t work out for teams below a certain number. When he doesn’t work out for teams, teams don’t get a feel and he slides. You guys have seen part of the workouts, what do they really show you? It’s the scouts who watch games all year and evaluate these guys. We were surprised. We really didn’t have him on our radar because we didn’t think he fit into the five players that were going be available at thirteen. We thought he’d be long gone. To have him keep sliding – we kept crossing our fingers that he’d slide one more and one more and he falls right into our lap, which is great.”

With names like Kansas center Cole Aldrich and Fresno State biggie Paul George taken off the board next, freshmen guards Avery Bradley and Eric Bledsoe remained on the Raptors’ short list and were available, Colangelo’s selection trickled through the wire when the eventual 13th pick came around. League commissioner David Stern announced North Carolina’s Davis as Toronto’s final answer and the determined rebounder with a defensive edge took the stage and shook Stern’s hand in the traditional rookie introduction. The Raptors are no doubt hoping that Davis can aid their limited stopping power and who knows what kind of domino this son of an NBAer represents and how his selection and skill set will effect the summertime movement party the Raptors have almost been forced to throw.

The 225-pound Davis first came under the national spotlight when the University of North Carolina won the NCAA championship in 2009. Following that triumph he averaged 13.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks over 23 games for the Tar Heels in 2010. The kid knows winning with two state championships as a high-schooler under his belt and a father - Terry Davis – who played in the NBA with Miami, Dallas, Denver and Washington.

“He taught me a lot about this business,” said Davis of his senior. “It’s really helping me just understand how it is to be a professional and how to be a man.”

By selecting the big man what does it say about the plans for free agent power forward Chris Bosh? Perhaps little since the Raptors frontcourt, even with Bosh on board, lacks the depth up top to compete with the better teams of the conference. Maybe it means more since at best, Davis represents improved rebounding and defense; the most glaring weaknesses in Raptorland. Ironically, Davis called Chris Bosh his favorite player so there is some comfort for him, though it’s more likely that the two will be headed in opposite directions in Toronto should they cross paths. In recent days the speculation that Bosh will bolt from Toronto has increased and with strong words coming out of Miami and Chicago the envelope looks just about sealed. Colangelo took to local Toronto airwaves and admitted as much, calling Bosh’s free agency situation “the perfect storm” for him to depart, calling the possibility “likely”.

After making sure that his hand is healed properly Davis will play for the Raptors’ summer league entry. No doubt a training regime will be presented. The left-handed big man has modeled his game after Bosh in some parts though nowhere near the reputation Bosh had coming into the NBA. There’s more work to do with Davis but as it seems to be turning out, the youth movement in Toronto may be just what Davis needs. Despite the looming shake-up the Raptors appeared confident, even lucky, to have Davis on board.

“When you look at the free agents we have,” explained Triano. “Chris Bosh, Amir Johnson, Patrick O’Bryant… that’s four bigs. The fact that we got a big (in the draft) is great. Regardless of who signs, who comes back and who plays he’s a big body and he’s athletic and he fits the trend of what the NBA is starting to move towards. That’s what we want to be.”

With that, young Mr. Davis will be charged with helping to ring in a new era amid the chaos that is sure to ignite yet another overhaul of the Raptors roster that just began with him.

“Rock” Leads Underdog Canadians

At the podium for a Basketball Canada press conference at the Air Canada Centre the Senior Men’s team managing director Maurizio Gherardini and head coach Leo Rautins sit patiently. They are there to push Canada’s ever-evolving warm up schedule that will include China and a set versus France at the ACC as preparation for their appearance at the upcoming FIBA World Basketball Championship in Turkey this summer. The internationally renowned Gherardini has helped engineer this as part of a new committee designed to improve Basketball Canada’s programs and global presence. Both he and Rautins have substantial name power on the Canadian hoops scene, but right now they are listening to the man they flank in front of the gathered media. They are listening to Jermaine Anderson.

“Growing up in the Downsview park area, now to have a chance to play where the Toronto Raptors play, is definitely a blessing,” says Anderson. His voice creaks but doesn’t crack.

“It’s been six long years and you can hear it in my voice. I sound timid but at the same time I’m excited.”

Anderson is talking about the long and winding road of the Canadian Men’s basketball program, one he has traveled unflinchingly as a player for over half the decade. It has, in most ways, been a journey back to respectability after the program peaked with a seventh place finish at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Since then the celebrated Jay Triano has been replaced by Rautins as bench boss and the hoops hero of those Olympic games – NBA icon Steve Nash – has all but retired from international competition. The Canadians have not even played in a FIBA World Championship since 2002.

“Rock kind of exemplifies what our team is about,” Rautins told the assembly in reference to Anderson. The nick “Rock” was bestowed upon the 6-2 guard because of his chiseled frame and cool demeanor in the crunch. Both have been developed over time and Rautins has seen and, at times, guided the growth.

“He came in and he’s developed every year and gotten better to become one of the premier point guards that is going to be out there playing this summer.”

At 27 years of age Anderson will be entering the prime of his career in 2010, one that has taken him through Germany, Poland and in 2009-10 to Croatia. Like many of his Team Canada mates the European leagues provide both a living and the international experience to help battle the world competition. Last season with Cedevita Zagreb Anderson was their standout guard, leading the team in assists and serving as a solid scorer and defender. His shot selection is a big selling point and his physical conditioning allows him to stay frenetic on both sides of the ball.

“When you’re playing against the best in the world there is no choice but to get better,” explains Anderson. “When you’re playing against USA, Greece, Turkey… it just helps you. For us, going over there, learning the European game and then coming back over does wonders when playing in the summertime.”

A two-guard for most of his career, Anderson was persuaded by Rautins to play the point position for a Canadian squad that was lacking floor leadership along with speed and strength in the backcourt. There was also a lack of available talent at the position. From that generalship Anderson has not only begun to emerge as the point guard the coaching staff envisioned but also as the heart and soul of a team he can now call his own.

“We put so much into it as individuals and as a team and it’s such an honor to play for your country,” says Anderson. “For me, I give so much of myself during the summers – working out, doing yoga, lifting and running – while I should be resting. My teammates do the same thing. Hopefully we can shock the world.”

Again.

The first surprise came when Canada defeated the Dominican Republic at the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship in Puerto Rico to secure their spot in Turkey. Beating a Dominican team that featured NBA bigs like Al Horford, Francisco Garcia and Charlie Villanueva to snag the last ticket for the World championships provided the kind of swagger that can only be provided by success.

“We lost the Uruguay game and we felt that we were done and thought that we had lost our opportunity,” Anderson recalls. “(Then) we beat a team nobody thought we could beat and one that was definitely more talented than us on paper. Hopefully that gives us confidence going into the (FIBA) world championship.”

Anderson was the truth in that game, connecting on five of his eight three-point attempts and finishing with 21 points. Just as big were his five assists and play in the crunch alongside Syracuse schooled shooting guard Andy Rautins. It was the type of game-saving point guard performance not seen since the days of Nash and unfairly, Anderson has had to listen to observers and talking heads pine for the return of “Captain Canada” while he reconfigured his own game to replace him. His spot-clinching performance in Puerto Rico at least slowed the critics.

“Everybody said we couldn’t do anything without Steve,” says Anderson. “To have some success without having Steve here, it’s more for the younger guys. You can be successful as an individual or as a country without having a guy like Steve Nash on the team. We don’t have any superstars, we just have a bunch of guys that work hard and we believe in the system that the coaching staff draws up for us and we go out there and try to execute it. Right now it’s gotten us to Turkey.”

The next step will be tricky. Despite Anderson’s confidence in his band of generation “next-ers” he admits that the addition of some big league talent wouldn’t hurt. Canada fields one of the youngest teams on the circuit and adding veteran experience is vital to their underdog shot of earning at spot in London for the 2012 Olympics. Miami heat forward Joel Anthony has been a regular while San Antonio Spurs forward Matt Bonner is in the process of becoming a Canadian citizen and could eventually play. Long time hold out and NBA veteran Jamaal Magloire remains a long shot. Anderson however, sends a call of caution.

“None of those guys are Steve,” he warns. “The guys we have – Joel and hopefully Bonner’s going to play - are guys that buy into the system. They don’t say, ‘Well, because I’m an NBA guy I’m going to do this or my own thing’. They’re just like everybody else. When you have guys like that who believe and work hard it helps us.”

When Anderson talks about belief he isn’t referring to Sacramento Kings center Samuel Dalembert. When his attitude began to rub teammates and coaches the wrong way (the word “entitlement” has been the polite description) Rautins booted Dalembert out of the program in the middle of the FIBA 2008 qualifying tournament in Greece.

“It’s disappointing for sure,” said coach Rautins at the time. “But I think you have to have players who are a 100% committed to it. 



“If not, it’s not going to happen for us.”



Canada failed to make the cut for the Beijing Olympics that summer and the loss of Dalembert was noticeable. Despite the disappointment the more important message of team unity had been sent and was a powerful motivational tool in Puerto Rico. Anderson in particular, has carried that message well.

“When you look at him from the outside he seems quiet but he is very passionate,” says Rautins moments after leaving the podium. “He’s been through a lot. For years it was like: “You don’t have Steve? Well, who do you have?” Here’s a guy who wasn’t a natural point guard. We had to develop him into a point guard and he is at a point now where he can play with anybody. He’s had this tremendous commitment to playing for Canada even when people weren’t necessarily supporting him. It was a great moment (when) he stepped up as big as anybody in the biggest game, which tells you what he’s all about.

“It’s been fun to see the growth.”

Look beyond the well-honed physique and the stone cold clutch play and the tag “Rock” has come to mean so much more for Anderson. He may never be the most talented or naturally gifted player on the court but his approach ensures that nobody will be working harder and few will be more prepared when called upon to perform. The name “Rock” has now mostly come to represent the piece of foundation that Anderson’s game, sacrifices and attitude have contributed to the national program, helping to give it something new and fresh to stand on heading into the world championship.

“I don’t think a lot of people expect us to do anything at this tournament but I think we’re going to shock a lot of people,” Anderson spouts confidently. “It’s going to be a great tournament for us.”

Team Canada To Talk FIBA

Canada Basketball, after qualifying for the FIBA World Basketball championships on three different levels, have recently been holding a string of press conferences to keep the consciousness. Last week it was the Men’s Cadet team (under 17) at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel and this week it is the Men’s Senior team holding court for the media at the Air Canada Centre. The women have qualified for both categories as well, in addition to both men’s and women’s teams qualifying for the Junior (under 18) division.

For the Senior Men’s team, the biggest brand of the bunch, the FIBA tournament is the next step in trying to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. The championship event features 24 countries divided into four six-team Groups. Canada has been designated to Group D, which includes France, Lebanon, Lithuania, New Zealand and powerhouse Spain.

Despite their success in Puerto Rico last year at the FIBA Americas championship tournament the Canadian team is a young bunch. Adding some more NBA grit has always been a priority for the program and is essential for them to make waves in a deep international pool of talented teams. Names like Steve Nash, Jamaal Magloire and American transplant Matt Bonner have made the regular rounds and with scorer Rowan Barrett now retired, veteran leadership is lacking as well. Much of that comes from their head coach Leo Rautins, the former professional player and television personality who has guided this unlikely bunch through both talent and financial shortages.

Rautins, who two years ago cut NBAer Samuel Dalembert for his squad over philosophical differences, has go to know how vital it is to have some NBA blood on the floor. While Nash has mostly stepped back from the program Rautins has been at him to give him one last run. Magloire, who has refused to suit up for Team Canada in the past, seems more open to the idea than ever. Joel Anthony of the NBA’s Miami Heat is really the team’s only fully committed major leaguer, which won’t be enough in the long-term against the world’s best.