Simmons Comment: Inviting Kevin Durant to Toronto is like Masai Ujiri's favorite challenge.

Masai Ujiri's Championship Vision Questions Not Just .. But the great and capricious Kevin Durant was looking for a suitable place to complete the NBA's legacy.

So why not the Raptors, not Toronto?

This is not how Ujiri manipulated Kawhi Leonard from San Antonio for the Raptors' great championship season. This is Durant's loud declaration that he wants to leave Brooklyn, but he's still the NBA's most dynamic and probably unstoppable player, looking for at least four more seasons, and the possibilities for the Raptors are endless. It's big.

What we know about Ujiri: As Durant is blocked, Masai is putting together some kind of offer to seduce the net. He may not be Durrants' first choice — usually looks like great weather, great team spots like Miami and Phoenix are at the top of the 7-foot list — but the Raptors have some depth. The result trade of Durrants, while maintaining a roster sufficient to compete for the NBA Championship, which has a body that is strong, strong, and capable of making.

This is a game that Ujiri loves to play. Please wait for a while after telling him that you can't do anything. He told him he wasn't at the ballpark and instinctively found a way to climb a mountain that looked impossible. Toronto is not the Mecca of the NBA. In most cases, where to play is not the first choice for everyone. It was Ujiri who came to the Raptors and promised a championship mantra, and when he signed his latest contract, much more was promised.

Ujiri's ability is to put together a package for Durant, one of the best players in NBA history. Will it include Pascal Siakam and more? probably. Or Scottie Barnes and many more. perhaps.

Probably not. But it's the Masai and it's the longest shot. Therefore, he will never be excluded.

This and that

Is there more than Durant wants in the indictment of NBA coach Steve Nash? .. I hate to see his reputation criticized as Nets unfolds ... The Durrants deal will pay him $ 42 million to $ 53 million over the next four seasons. It sounds huge, but it's actually fair value in the NBA. This is less than the amount Golden State pays for Stephen Curry. This is less than the deal Karl-Anthony Towns recently signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. This is the price to do business at the NBA's highest level ... Curry is the NBA's top player for $ 48 million. Connor McDavid is the NHL's top player for $ 12.5 million in each of the following four seasons. Patrick Mahomes leads the NFL for $ 45 million in the season, and pitcher Max Scherzer is the top baseball player for $ 43 million this year ... When the NHL reached the salary cap in 2004, the top player was They were Jaromír Jäger and Peter Forsberg, respectively. $ 11 million a year. The salary cap at that time was $ 39 million. Since then, it has more than doubled in 18 years, but the best players have grown from $ 11 million to $ 12.5 million. Mid-career salaries have gone out of control in the NHL: and it happened at the expense of unpaid superstars to match what greats in other leagues pay ... of the upcoming NBA The salary cap season is 50% higher than the NHL's corresponding season. However, top basketball players are paid four times as much as McDavid earns in Edmonton. And by the time his contract expires in four years, it's going to be more ... It's a big week for Montreal basketball. This is not what you often say. Benedict Maturin was the early first choice for the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Draft, and a few days later, undrafted children from Montreal, Chris Boucher and Rudolt, who didn't know each other would grow, were their NBA team. Signed a free agent contract with Toronto for only $ 122 million in Toronto and Memphis ... Last Sunday I wrote: You're O. G. Anunoby. I need to fix it. O. G. Do not trade unless you are trading with Durant.

Listen and there

Department of Cheating: San Jose Sharks head coach after the opening of all NHL coaches I fired Bob Bowner and his staff full. The shark is trying to name GM and he wants to clear the slate of the next boss. That's nothing wrong. But waiting to fire Boughner for this long, two months after the end of the season, is a bad way to do business ... a very annoying story — Maple Leafs' defenses aren't enough. Probably not. However, in recent final elimination playoff games, Reefs scored one goal against Tampa Bay and one goal against Montreal, not against Columbus. Is it the most important thing, problematic defense or lack of attack? … The types of players Reefs can use this summer: players such as Nazem Kadri, Zack Heiman, and Connor Brown. You shouldn't hate salary caps as much as Reefs fans ... Daniel Alfredson goes to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He's not always convincing, but it's great. Still waiting: Jeremy Renick, Alexander Mogilney, Keith Tokachuk, Theo Fleury—all, if not better than Alfredson, were equal and had more goals in the NHL. When choosing a player for the hole, first vote for Mogilney, then for Renick, and then discuss between Alfredson and Kachuck. And then maybe Rod Brind Amour and Fleury ... what a week for the Bownes family! Dad Rick has been appointed coach of Winnipeg Jets. His son Ryan has been appointed Deputy General Manager of the Senator ... I understand why the underfunded Tampa Bay Lightning wants to move defenseman Ryan McDonagh. He is 33 years old and is almost different from the players who ran in Tampa and New York in the previous Stanley Cup. If Lightning could convince McDonald to abandon his immobility clause, it would be another roster victory for general manager Julian Brisboa.

I heard the scene

This is when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finds out that he is really happy about Canada Day. When he decides to play in Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic instead of the Dominican Republic ... One day it costs more than $ 100 million to pay Bo Bichette, Alejandro Kirk, Santiago Espinal, Jordan Romano and Gabriel. Probably. Moreno. This year, the total is $ 4.4 million. The Blue Jays have to hit it hard when economics works in their favor. Even in a year when Hyun-jin Ryu, Yusei Kikuchi, and José Berríos are paying $ 46 million, and even if they pay a lot of money, they don't get much ... Anyone like Berríos. That's a good thing. Berríos allowed the most pitchers in the American League and the second most home runs. Tomorrow must be better for him than today ... This New York Yankees season is unmatched. Canada's Jameson Taillon has the worst stats of any New York starting pitcher, with an ERA of 3.32 and 9-1 ... how to see Matt Chapman play on the Blue Jays' third base. I'm happy. Scott Rolen was terribly good in two seasons in Toronto, but Chapman's arm is the best we've seen up close ... these aren't the Tampa Bay Rays of recent seasons. Not even close ... Statistically, the Blue Jays bullpen is the 13th best in the American League. Given that Jaze scored first slugging percentage, first on-base percentage, third home run, second hit, and second goal, next month's Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins requirements invest in Bullpen. To ... There's no reason to scream about this fraud anymore: Donovan Bailey has finally been awarded a Canadian order. Everyone can guess why the Atlanta Olympics were held in 1996 and it took so long.

Others

Joe Sakic was introduced shortly after Luke Richardson was hired by the Chicago Blackhawks coach. I won the Stanley Cup as GM of Avalanche. And why is it important? Only if you are interested in the history of the NHL Draft. In 1987, Reefs was named seventh in the draft. Scout Federation Floyd Smith wanted to choose Sakic. Head coach John Brophy wanted a tough defenseman. The owner, Harold Ballard, was on Brophy's side. Reefs chose Richardson to take over Sakic. Richardson played four of his 20 NHL seasons in Toronto. Sakick was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Nordix Avalanche ... One of the great things about the professional sports media dining room is that you might end up eating sideways. He became acquainted with Jim Papin in the Maple Leafs dining room.He had a great talk about leading the Reefs in the playoffs in the year of the 1967 Stanley Cup and the problems he had with Punch Imluck, who traded him to Chicago a year later. Papin, who just died at the age of 82, was a professional scout for many NHL teams and a naturally entertaining man with a good sense of humor. I am very happy to hear him and spend time around him. It was like being at the forefront of Toronto's sports history ... Over the last two seasons, the combination of Dane Evans and Jeremiah Masori has led the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to the Gray Cup. Currently they are separated. Evans begins in Hamilton and Masori begins in Ottawa. Their total record for this CFL season: 0-7 ... When I told Tampa's Uber driver that I was Canadian, he asked if I had heard of his dad, Dave Ritchie. I did. I told him, I think there is a move to put his dad in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. He thought it was great. A few weeks later, longtime coach Ritchie was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and an Uber driver is laughing somewhere in Florida ... Bianca Andreesque's post-match press conference makes me uncomfortable. It's like a therapy session. She's very hard ... Brett Hart (65), Teemu Seläni (52), Joe Thornton (43), Jose Canseco (58), Coco Laboy (82), Moises Alou (56), Jarmo. Kekaranen (56), Hakan Loob 62), Robert Thomas (23), George McPhee (64), Brett Cecil (36), Frank Tanana (69), Tom Cruise (60) ... and what happened to Milan Hejduk?

Paul Henderson should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame because he is in love anyway

The Hockey Hall of Fame is the last in the 2022 class The name of Paul Henderson is left behind many times on Monday announced in, and there is a reaction every year.

Maybe more than ever this year.

The 50th anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union will take place in September. And it will be everywhere. In the book, many of them. Documentary format. On TV special. And Henderson will have all sorts of Henderson, especially given the situation, as Canadian hockey players have had the best week ever.

And there is a begging the question. Why is Henderson not in the hall? I don't know how many times he was nominated in the hall's voters' secret wall, or whether he was nominated for years. So I don't know if he's approaching the election or not at all.

This is Henderson's split. He was a good NHL player, not a good player. He was a good WHA player, not a good player. His career as a whole is not a Hall of Fame career. But his seven goals in eight games against the Soviet Union during his Team Canada Week are not historic.

And if this was only the Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame, there is no doubt that Henderson's whereabouts are. But this is a hockey hall and is important for all sports and all countries. His goal is important. Whether Mike Eruzione's goal was important in the 1980 miracle on ice, Team USA at the Lake Placid Olympics.

The Hockey Hall of Fame is a museum. You can't write the history of hockey without writing about Henderson and Elzione. Team Canada won the championship in 1972, but it wasn't a miracle in 1980. What the hall should do is an international setup of exhibits on the main floor, highlights of Henderson's goals, highlights of Team USA's victory, and highlights of the Czech Republic's Olympic victory. In 1998, Dominik Hasek was already an elected member.

That way, Paul Henderson can be inducted into the Hall of Fame without actually electing him.

Trader Joe's leads AVS to the Stanley Cup

Samporok's philosophy of trading was pretty basic. The team with the best players wins every deal.

The Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche is certainly an example of a deal like Pollock. General manager Joe Sakic picked up six key players on his way to winning the Stanley Cup, but in return he never gave up on a truly important roster.

He gave up on the draft topic and the prospect of starting goalkeeper Darcy Kaempfer. He exchanged two draft topics in exchange for the top pair of Defense Devontoes. He exchanged two players for Maple Leafs in exchange for Nazem Kadri. The best of them is Alex Carfoot. He welcomed Artturi Lehkonen from Montreal, who scored the goal to win the Stanley Cup, and did not part with the roster. It was the same kind of deal he made for Josh Manson, the top four defenseman who scored extra time goals in the Avs playoff run.

Sure, Avalanche was great in the draft before and was certainly lucky when Kale McCarr exceeded all expectations and became a generation player. However, Avs is Sakick.

Brakovsky was huge in the early rounds of Avalanche. Kadori scored a winning goal overtime and had the best professional season in Colorado. The coach's son, Rekonen, was a huge addition to Avalanche's top line. And while Kaempfer didn't necessarily look like a Vezina Trophy winner on his way to the Stanley Cup, he started 73 games and lost 20 of them.

The deal went very well for Avalanche. Somewhere, the late Sam Pollock will certainly agree.