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Somebody once asked Georgie Best, the troubled soccer genius of a generation ago, why he chose to spend the summer in Ontario. Because he explained, he saw a sign that read, "Drink Canada Dry." It was then that we learned how our Northern friends make some fine beverages, particularly those of the adult variety.

But there is much more to admire about this vast white suburb of Detroit. For one thing, Canada is our favorite trading partner, because we always seem to get the best part of the deal.

They provide us with these magnificent gusts of fresh air in the spring and fall, we provide them our acid rain to pollute their lakes. They send us Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot and Second City TV, we send them Kathie Lee, John Tesh and Baywatch

Now, however, the imbalance has gotten shameless. They have overextended their generosity by auctioning off the best basketball player they've ever had (you know, after Leo Rautins). For some lucky NBA team, the Damon Stoudamire Sweepstakes will be one of those once-in-a-decade acquisitions that makes it a force, and it's all because the Raptors are under a crushing debt load.

We have a great sympathy for Glen Grunwald, the G.M., who has no good choices in the matter. He must trade the one player who has been identified with the franchise since its inception, knowing that he cannot re-sign him this summer, and all he gets are insulting, exasperating offers.

You heard them last week. As TSN went to press, the Rockets were offering half their roster and some draft picks. The Knicks were offering everyone but Allan Houston, the only player Grunwald wants but one whom Darrell Walker wants no part of The Lakers were said to be offering Nick Van Exel and Widen Campbell, but how they'd get their combined salaries ($8.9 million) to add up to Damon's $1.7 million would change most laws of mathematics. The Blazers were interested, but only for a vastly inferior product (Kenny Anderson).

None of those seemed to be a fair return for Toronto, but then, the Raptors are not used to being treated fairly anyway. For nearly two years now, the NBA's playing field has been uneven in regard to how Canada's teams can compete--on the floor, in the market and at the negotiating table. And nobody knows that better than Grunwald--and fellow expansionist Stu Jackson, the Grizzlies president--that getting to a competitive level will require a Herculean climb.

Unless the Canadian teams receive some relief from the NBA, they'll be stuck in reverse for a while. And it has nothing to do with the fact they're still ineligible for the top draft slot this summer, though that doesn't help.

Mostly, it's an economic issue: The Canadian dollar continues to depreciate--it's worth about 69 U.S. cents now--suppressing the two teams' ability to generate revenue. The Raptors are losing money--some say millions--every day, as the new arena they're building has turned into a white elephant. Attendance at Skydome is off by 11 percent, and a record-low 14,000 showed up for that Sacramento game the other night. Even the Grizzlies haven't had a single sellout this year--not even against Seattle or the Lakers.

"A piece of paper came across my desk a little while back," Jackson said. "It said there are some instances where it takes us four games to generate the sort of U.S. dollar revenues that Madison Square Garden does (in one night). It's not easy."

You'd think David Stern would be concerned about the new kids on the block, but he doesn't sound it: "What (Jackson) said is as true in Milwaukee as Vancouver," the commish told us last week. "It's not just a Canadian value. Yes, there is a dollar issue. But the Canadian teams aren't even at the bottom of revenue generation."

Then there's the perception that Revenue Canada--that's their IRS--is going after athletes. RC used to hit non-resident NBA players with a higher tax only for games played in Canada. Since a ruling in November, a non-resident athlete will pay taxes at the higher rate for every day he is present in Canada--including training camps, practices, off days, and offseason team commitments.

Noah Croom, the Grizzlies' assistant G.M., believes that will keep prospective free agents away. "This is not just an issue for current players, but it's perhaps a bigger issue for the future players who may not want to come here," he said.

Even if the Raptors convinced Stoudamire to stay and paid him his fair-market value ($9 million?), they'd never be able to explain how they'll make money over the next seven years.

So Grunwald was faced with these options last week: He could get an up-and-comer for Stoudamire, but that player probably won't stay long once he sees where the tax laws are going. He could get draft picks for Stoudamire and free up enough cap space to sign a big-name free agent--they can get as much as $15 million under this summer--but then they would have to overpay that player to such an extent that they wouldn't have much left to fill in the roster with a serviceable supporting cast. He could trade for a veteran, but that's no way to build a franchise.

Any way it shakes out, the Raptors lose. And as has been the case since the league crossed the border, Canada loses, too.

Marshall is golden

There must be something in the water out at Golden State. Donyell Marshall now admits that he almost pulled a Spree last year, when during a December practice he tried to get at George Irvine, with intentions of rearranging the face of the Warriors' assistant coach. Rick Adelman got between them, Marshall cursed them both out, got a one-game suspension for his trouble and was buried on the bench until late March.

"Sometimes I look back at that, and I look back at the Sprewell incident," Marshall says. "That could have been me last year, when I went after George. When you look back, it's scary now, to see how I reacted like that, knowing that I had the same frustration with George that Spree had with P.J. (Carlesimo)."

Instead, Marshall has resurrected his career, which until this year was defined by one term: "The $40 million bust." If Antoine Walker and Kobe Bryant weren't blowing everyone away, Marshall would be the top candidate for Most Improved this season. He's averaging a shade under 16 points and 9.5 rebounds, and shooting 35.3 percent from downtown. Last year, the numbers were: 7.3, 4.5 and 31.5.

The difference, of course, is the playing time created by the Chris Mullin deal. And believe it or not, P.J. seems to push his buttons well: "I'd rather continue to kick him in the (butt)," Carlesimo said. "I don't know that he needs to read nice things being said by me about him as much as he needs to be reminded of things he needs to get better. Plus, it probably will throw him off."

Says Marshall, who believes P.J. is a softie compared with UConn's Jim Calhoun, "Sometimes I feel like it's my rookie year. I'm playing the way I'd always thought I could play if I had a chance to play."

Dave D'Alessandro covers the NBA for the Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger. E-mail him at daved @sportingnews.com.

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