Q: I was wondering why, whenever you post a Rank Comment from a Toronto fan, it's inevitably from one of the spectacularly, unreasonably delusional Toronto fans. First in the East? Vince Carter for MVP? Clearly, these people are lunatics. With our never-ending parade of injuries, we're getting into LeBron James raffle territory. But there must be more reasonable voices speaking out for the Raps. As it is, your comment choices paint all of us fans up north as clueless, basketball-ignorant chumps. We have a bad enough name already from the likes of Charles Oakley and certainly don't need you pitching in. There are plenty of people in Canada (especially Toronto) who deeply love and understand basketball. Frankly, I think that the widely held belief to the contrary -- particularly amongst players -- is ultimately going to kill our obviously struggling franchise. Please don't help that happen because that theory is wrong. Vancouver was a mistake, but Toronto is a basketball city.
Karl Ang
Toronto, Canada

	Toronto fans don't deserve a bad rap, but VC's knee does.

A: No one is rooting for Canada harder than me, Karl. Toronto and Vancouver were my two favorite stops on the NBA map as a tourist. Canada combines the best of wondrous England and the United States. Trading British Columbia for Memphis, in terms of pure aesthetics, was one of the worst trades in NBA history. So I don't want to see the demise of the Raps any more than you do. There are nonetheless much bigger problems at present than what NBA players think of your country. The Raps signed or re-signed every guy they wanted two summers ago and haven't been able to keep any of them healthy. Vince's knee has a much stronger bearing on Canada's NBA future than the fans' rep.

Q: Could you please tell me what Antonio McDyess says in the ESPN commercial when they ask each other to choose between Dr. Pepper or Mr. Pibb? No one I know could understand him and now everyone is dying to find out. I know this isn't really a basketball question but I don't know whom to turn to.
Joey Joseph
Norwich, Conn.

A: Lucky for you I just saw this commercial the other day. Dice, far as I can tell, says "Fanta." My brother loves it, too, but I'm strictly Coke or Pepsi. RC, in a glass bottle, also works.

Q: Please set the record straight. I have a bet with my Irish friend about the nationality of Pat Burke. Web sites and editorials go back and forth. So, is he Irish or what?
Misha Segal
Washington, D.C.

A: Bad news, Misha. Burke was born in Ireland and immigrated to the States as a toddler. He considers himself an Irish-American and carries both passports.

Q: How is an assist officially scored? Does an assist depend on how long the player who receives the ball has it in his possession before he shoots? Or the number of dribbles he takes? Or is it left up to the official scorer to determine what an assist actually is, like an error in baseball?
Brent Celmins
Glendale, Calif.

A: The rule states that the pass must lead "directly" to a bucket. But it's the official scorer's call, like in baseball on an error, to define "directly." If the receiver dribbles the ball, that doesn't necessarily rule the assist out.

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here.