Raps up for best original score
I was just reading about the holiday track Jack (Armstrong) and Eric (Smith) recorded. Please tell us who, among the current and past Raptors, has the best potential for producing a successful record (excluding Master P, who is a great trivia question). As a singer, that is! From the ads I’ve seen, I know Powell produces music. — Sportschic Of the current ones, I’d probably go with Norm Powell only. He seems to have some interest, although C.J. Miles dabbled in some music composition early in his career. All time? That’s a tough one because so many guys have come and gone, but I do remember — outside of P, that is — that Acie Earl did some music production. Not sure how serious it ever got, but it was a thing with him. Doug, you’ve said it before, but it bears re-examination: Will this Raptors team “only be judged” by playoff performance? “Only” is a big word … When it comes to how teams are judged, we are up against human nature and all that goes into the idea that WINNING is all that matters. The Raps are giving us exciting, engaging moments. How can we learn to appreciate them more? — Charles N. I’m probably too guilty of looking too much forward and basing the success or failure of this season on the coming playoffs rather than considering the journey, the nightly excitement and disappointments that come with an NBA season and, yeah, the stories that emerge. I guess it’s just the times in which we live or something. But I think we should appreciate the developing stories rather than the ultimate end, which odds say will be disappointing if a championship is the only stated goal. It appears that some employees of teams are allowed to suggest, hint or outright talk about players on teams other than the team that they work for. Is this true? Are not the players employees of the team that they play for? … It seems that the players are allowed to do it, but the teams get huge fines if any improprieties even appear to have occurred. — Nick from Niagara Players are allowed, ownership and management are not — it’s actually just that simple. Here was a league statement to ESPN in the wake of LeBron’s Anthony Davis comments last week: “In general, absent evidence of team coordination or other aggravating factors, it is not tampering when a player makes a comment about his interest in playing with another team’s player.” In the game Monday evening between the Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves, Taj Gibson tried to block a shot — with his shoe in his hand. Was that legal? Should the refs have called goaltending? — Phil The use of a shoe is not — as I understand it — legal, and had it been actually involved in a play on the ball a foul would have been called. James Dolan has suggested he’s had “feelers” for the Knicks at “upwards” of $5 billion. Is this a pipe dream? — Paul M. The Clippers sold for $2 billion in 2014. I have no doubt the Knicks in 2019 would be in the $5-billion range.
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