<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>While the Raptors brain trust spent yesterday morning presiding over yet another workout for prospects in the furious lead-up to Thursday night's NBA draft, an established NBA asset loped into the Air Canada Centre to keep in shape. Matt Bonner, who has been employed by the San Antonio Spurs since the Raptors traded him a couple of summers ago, isn't simply living in Toronto during the offseason; he's getting married here in August. Bonner was scarce with the details, but he did offer that his bride-to-be's name is Nadia, that she grew up in the Beach, and that they've known each other about two years. "I never knew her when I played here," said Bonner, 28. "It's a long story. I'm not going to let the tabloids have the details ..." Bonner laughed, and then he talked some hoops, providing a post-mortem on the Spurs' five-game bow-out to the L.A. Lakers in the Western final. "I don't want to make excuses, but we caught a tough break with the scheduling," he said, noting that San Antonio, after winning a seven-game Western semifinal against New Orleans, was forced to spend the night on a team plane beset by mechanical troubles. "We had half a day on no night's sleep to prepare for the Lakers, who'd been waiting for five days ... and we blew a 20-point lead (in Game 1)." And as for Manu Ginobili's bum left ankle: "I think it was worse than he lets on. When I was watching (Boston's) Ray Allen go right by (L.A.'s Sasha) Vujacic and lay it in every time (this after Vujacic hamstrung Ginobili) I was like, `Yeah, it must have really been hurting.'" Bonner, who said his wedding's guest list is expected to number about 140, about half as many family and friends as he'd like to invite, can scratch one could-be invitee. Sam Mitchell, the Raptors coach, said that while he is more than happy to open Toronto's gym to an old friend, he's not so sure there's an opening in his August schedule. "I don't think I'd want to go to Matt Bonner's wedding," said Mitchell, chuckling. "It would be Dorkville." Indeed, Bonner does little to play down his image as the league's resident geek, a rare proponent of public transit over private jets, Timex over Rolex, old-fashioned rock over new-school rap. Some NBAers come to Toronto to frequent various late-night hotspots. Said Bonner, nodding his head: "I've already hit Tim Hortons and Mr. Sub."</div> The Toronto Star
