I was able to chat with Dwane Casey about the importance of training camp with limited practices during the NBA season, why he left the Dallas Mavericks after winning an NBA Championship to join a rebuilding Toronto Raptors franchise and what position Andrea Bargnani will play this season.

I was able to chat with Amir Johnson tonight after a Toronto Raptors practice and he told me his goal for the upcoming NBA season is to win Defensive Player of the Year.

I had the chance to chat with Will Blalock about where basketball has taken him since he left the Detroit Pistons, the highlights of playing basketball overseas, how he landed up playing basketball in Canada playing in the NBL, mentoring Shabazz Napier and if he will consider being a coach once his playing days are done.

I was able to chat with Lamond Murray about what he has been up to since he retired from the NBA and his new role with NCSA.

I had the chance to chat with Akeem Wright about how playing against a former NBA player serves as a measuring stick for where his game’s at, what brought him to the NBL and what he learned while playing for Bob Huggins at Kansas State.

I was able to chat with Brandon Robinson about the mental shift from starting to sixth man, the transition from playing college ball to in the NBL and what it’s like living with all of his teammates.

I was able to chat with Oshawa Power point guard Tut Rauch about how tough it is to learn the tendencies of new teammates, why living together has helped build camaraderie among teammates, how the NBA lockout effected his chances of playing in Europe this season and what it’s like playing on a team that is being built from scratch.

In a change of pace, I was able to chat with Mark Stoddard about his art exhibit called “Voices From The Past” that is currently on display until October 30th, 2011, in Toronto, Ontario. Some of the topics during our chat include what inspired this exhibit, why he chose the athletes he used in his exhibit, and why he used Sport Magazine as his inspiration.

This afternoon I was able to chat with Morgan Lewis about being the first pick in the history of the NBL, how playing in Iceland and Germany helped him grow as a player and the challenges in playing on a team that is being formed from scratch with only a few weeks until their inaugural [...]

I was able to chat with Joel Anthony after a Canada Basketball practise about his role on the national team this summer, mentoring younger players on this team and how tough losing in the NBA Finals was on him.