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Thursday, July 9, 2009
Raptors Off Season - Bryan Colangelo:Jedi Master
Well wasn't that a turn of events!
Go to sleep thinking the best the Raptors would do in the Marion Sign and Trade would be a 2nd round pick. Only to wake up today to see that in some crazy turn of events Colangelo has managed to involve Orlando (who get a HUGE 10 million Trade Exception) and retain the Mid Level and Bi annual exceptions as well as obtain Antoine Wright and Devon George.
The deal which isn't finalized yet breaks down like this (from Fanhouse):
The trade involves the Mavs, Raptors, Magic and Grizzlies. It sends Marion (5 years, $39 million), Kris Humphries and Greg Buckner to Dallas; Jerry Stackhouse (gonna be waived), Quincy Douby and cash to Memphis; and Hedo Turkoglu (5 years, $53 million), Antoine Wright and Devean George to Toronto(both have expiring deals). The Magic get a trade exception in exchange for Hedo, and Toronto gets to keep their mid-level exception money since Hedo becomes a trade acquisition.
Basically Colangelo saved this team.
He can build a bench now likely adding Carlos Delfino. The departure of Humphries likely means the return of Rasho Nesterovic. He will in all likelihood have money to also get a decent backup point guard as Jose insurance.
The lineup from what I gather will happen and I'm just speculating will look something like this:
PG Calderon, Ukic, Free agent, Banks
SG Delfino, DeRozan, Wright
SF Turkoglu, George
PF Bosh, Evans
C Bargnani, Nesterovic, O'Bryant, Jawai
Now I realize that is too many bodies so hoping for a backup point might be a bit much to ask but still!
Regardless I am amazed that Colangelo was able to Jedi mind trick 3 other teams into helping him.
So today I bow to you Mr. Colangelo. I Bow to you and say thank you. Thank you and congrats on your 3rd EOY!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Raptors Off Season - Another 5 years of Lasagna
The first big signing this off season for Brian Colangelo and Company isn't the Hedo Turkoglu deal. Raptors fans woke this morning to learn that their favorite Italian has reached an agreement for the next 5 years for $50 million.
Raptors fans jumped on the forum's and blogs and are chastising this move by the club as dumb and a waste of money.
My question to them is why?
What about signing a multi-skilled 7 foot big man in his early twenties to a reasonable contract makes this a bad move?
Yes Bargnani had a poor sophomore season but that had more to do with the coach than anything else. He was constantly being jerked around from center to PF,starter to bench guy. Its hard to develop if you don't know where and when your minutes are coming to you.
Bargnani flourished last season with consistent minutes at center under the tutelage of Jay Triano. His post game is ever improving and he can no longer be called a defensive liability.
I don't think its fair to judge Bargnani as a bust because he was the first overall pick in the draft. Nobody in that draft knew that Brandon Roy would be the best of that class. To label Bargnani a bust would be just wrong. He is what he is a solid solid player that is continually improving his game and as far as I'm concerned he's a relative bargain at the contract he just signed.
To prove my point look no further than Andrew Bogut. Last off season he signed a 5 year $60 million extension to stay with the bucks. 10 million more than Bargnani. And so I ask you this. Who would you rather have? Starting 7 footers aren't easy to come by in this league.
I Can Has - Reebok Pump Twilight Zone 2010
The Reebok Pump Twilight Zone is set to release in the OG White/Acid and traditional Black/Orange Pump colorways in 2010.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Raptors Off Season - Making the Case for Iverson
Ok I know the free agency period is just about to get going again with the mid to lower level players set to land on teams throughout the NBA.
I know that Brian Colangelo isn't done with this Raptors roster and is trying to be as creative as he can to create the space needed to add depth to this roster. Based on reports its obvious he is trying to do what he can to keep either Anthony Parker or Carlos Delfino (my personal choice would be Delfino).
That said I'm not sure he's going to be able to complete the needed Sign and Trade transaction that's required to pull this off.
So where does that leave the Raptors? Well it leaves them with a gaping hole at the SG position. With only the rookie DeRozan to play that spot it makes you wonder what is going to be available for the Raptors once the Free Agency smoke clears.
Sure it would be great to see them sign guys like Matt Barnes, Von Wafer, Dahntay Jones however I have to figure those will be the first guys swooped up especially considering the Raptors will in all likelihood have only minimum contracts to offer.
So then what?
Well the one thing the Raptors can offer that a lot of teams can't is playing time. Which to somebody looking to prove them self and earn a bigger contract is invaluable.
Which leads me to this. Its clear that Colangelo is going for broke when signing Hedo. Its clear he wants to win now. So if this is the case why wouldn't he take another risk and offer a vet min contract to Allen Iverson to start at Shooting Guard? Iverson would have something to prove and can get the playing time he wants in the starting lineup while they bring DeRozan off the bench.
Don't get me wrong I know this would be a MAJOR MAJOR gamble. It messes with chemistry and does nothing to help them with rebounding or defence.
It does help with the backup PG spot and gives them depth at SG. It's also scoring insurance in case one of their go to guys ie. Bosh, Calderon, Bargnani or Turkglu get injured. Would signing Iverson to a one year deal be the motivation he needs?
Depending on how everything shakes out I'm not sure how else they are going to add the depth they need. And to me this move would make sense if BC has exhausted all other options. It would certainly be better than Quincy Douby or the second coming of Will Soloman.
Let me know your thoughts on this.
I know that Brian Colangelo isn't done with this Raptors roster and is trying to be as creative as he can to create the space needed to add depth to this roster. Based on reports its obvious he is trying to do what he can to keep either Anthony Parker or Carlos Delfino (my personal choice would be Delfino).
That said I'm not sure he's going to be able to complete the needed Sign and Trade transaction that's required to pull this off.
So where does that leave the Raptors? Well it leaves them with a gaping hole at the SG position. With only the rookie DeRozan to play that spot it makes you wonder what is going to be available for the Raptors once the Free Agency smoke clears.
Sure it would be great to see them sign guys like Matt Barnes, Von Wafer, Dahntay Jones however I have to figure those will be the first guys swooped up especially considering the Raptors will in all likelihood have only minimum contracts to offer.
So then what?
Well the one thing the Raptors can offer that a lot of teams can't is playing time. Which to somebody looking to prove them self and earn a bigger contract is invaluable.
Which leads me to this. Its clear that Colangelo is going for broke when signing Hedo. Its clear he wants to win now. So if this is the case why wouldn't he take another risk and offer a vet min contract to Allen Iverson to start at Shooting Guard? Iverson would have something to prove and can get the playing time he wants in the starting lineup while they bring DeRozan off the bench.
Don't get me wrong I know this would be a MAJOR MAJOR gamble. It messes with chemistry and does nothing to help them with rebounding or defence.
It does help with the backup PG spot and gives them depth at SG. It's also scoring insurance in case one of their go to guys ie. Bosh, Calderon, Bargnani or Turkglu get injured. Would signing Iverson to a one year deal be the motivation he needs?
Depending on how everything shakes out I'm not sure how else they are going to add the depth they need. And to me this move would make sense if BC has exhausted all other options. It would certainly be better than Quincy Douby or the second coming of Will Soloman.
Let me know your thoughts on this.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Raptors Off Season - Explaining the Raptors Cap situation
I found the following HERE. It does a good job of explaining what the Hedo Turkoglu signing means to the Raptors Salary Cap.
Signing Hedo will take up all (or almost all) the cap space. If we had re-signed Marion and gone over the cap, we would've been able to use the MLE since we had Marion's bird rights. Since we are spending all the cap space on a new player, we cannot use the MLE. Note also that there is quite a bit of room between the cap and hitting the luxury tax, which is designed to let teams re-sign their existing players, so there is really no chance of us hitting the luxury tax.
If we sign Turkoglu, there are only a few options:
1) Biannual exception; should be around $1.5-1.8 million
2) Minimum contracts
3) Sign-and-trade AP, Delfino, or Marion for a pick and a trade exception. Then flip the pick and trade exception for a player. In a sign-and-trade, we cannot take on any salary because it would prevent us from signing Turkoglu, so that's why we would have to make use of a trade exception.
BC must have something else up his sleeve, or else this roster is going to be extremely lacking in depth.
Signing Hedo will take up all (or almost all) the cap space. If we had re-signed Marion and gone over the cap, we would've been able to use the MLE since we had Marion's bird rights. Since we are spending all the cap space on a new player, we cannot use the MLE. Note also that there is quite a bit of room between the cap and hitting the luxury tax, which is designed to let teams re-sign their existing players, so there is really no chance of us hitting the luxury tax.
If we sign Turkoglu, there are only a few options:
1) Biannual exception; should be around $1.5-1.8 million
2) Minimum contracts
3) Sign-and-trade AP, Delfino, or Marion for a pick and a trade exception. Then flip the pick and trade exception for a player. In a sign-and-trade, we cannot take on any salary because it would prevent us from signing Turkoglu, so that's why we would have to make use of a trade exception.
BC must have something else up his sleeve, or else this roster is going to be extremely lacking in depth.
Raptors Offseason - Hedo Loves TO (and Pizza)
The Raptors shocked the world last night when Hedo Turkoglu made an eleventh hour decision to snub Portland and sign with the Raptors. The deal is reported to be for 5 years and $53 million and came about when Hedo and his wife decided that they would rather be on the East coast 5 hours closer to his homeland in Turkey in a multicultural city.
Since reading about this late last night I have gone through a number of emotions and reactions. At first I had a WTF moment. Then I warmed up to it. After sleeping on it I returned to WTF. However I think I will try to be patient to see how the rest of free agency period goes for Colangelo and the Raptors.
My take on the deal is the same as others, make no mistake this is another swing for the fences type move. It adds a scorer, shot creator and late game go to option on the wing that Toronto hasn't had in years. The only problem is that he is 30 years old. Now that said the reported deal to Marion was for 4 years making both players the same age (35) at the end of their deals. Would I rather have a more skilled guy at 35yrs old than a player that relies on his athleticism 95% of the time? My answer to that is YES. They sacrifice a bit on the defensive side losing Marion as he was a better one on one defender and a much better rebounder but I think they can make up for it with a good team defensive scheme.
This move represents a decided change in philosophy for the Raptors as it was my understanding that they were looking to push tempo and use atheleticism to help them win games. Adding Hedo means that its going to be much more half court oriented with the Raptors spreading the floor and using pick and roll a tonne. This I am ok with provided this is the direction they go now.
Overall this is only a good deal if Colangelo can find USEFUL min salary guys to fill the end of the bench. Doug Smith mentioned some names this morning in his blog that might slip through the cracks given the way free agency has panned out. Adding a Matt Barnes would be a huge score for this team but I suspect he will sign for more somewhere else. Hell I'd even welcome Jamario Moon and Pops Mensah-Bonsu back at this point.Only so I wouldn't have to watch the putrid gang of scrubs currently on the bench. Perhaps Moon and Tyrone Lu would make sense as min salary guys coming off the bench.
As for the cost and length of the deal, well its not my money and it appears as though Chris Bosh likes the move (as per his Twitter account) so at least we know how he feels. The Raptors would have the Mid level next year to add depth and there is always trade and the draft. If this doesn't work out then they can flip bosh for a couple of useful pieces so its not too bad.
So welcome to Toronto Hedo Turkoglu, hopefully Bosh can show you where to get a good slice of Pizza.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Raptors Offseason - Is David Lee the answer?
The Free agent season is upon us in the NBA and to say that things have developed slowly in the first 2 days would be a bit of an understatement. Sure some signings have happened but its taken a lot more time than in previous years.
That said there are a number of major players that have made decisions on their new homes. Artest in LA, Ariza in Houston Gordon and Villanueva in Detroit. All of these pieces are key to what Brian Colangelo and the Raptors do.
This is the offseason that will shape this team going forward. The plan thus far has seemed to be to try and surround star Chris Bosh with better talent and show him that they are serious about contending. This is great in theory but so far the biggest move they could make would be to renounce their free agents (Marion, Parker and Delfino) to get enough money together to pay the Pizza loving Hedo Turkoglu who is rumored to be looking at a 5 yr deal for between 10-12 million a year. This to me is the worst idea ever. BC learned last year not to put all your eggs in one basket (hello J O'neil). I cannot foresee a circumstance where he would do this. It would be suicide.
The most rational option seems to be to try to resign Sean Marion to a reasonable contract and then use the Mid-level exception to sign some depth to the roster. Linus Kleiza's name has been circulating as a target for the Raptors and of course bringing back Delfino is also a strong possibility. Although if they did this I would like to see them try to move Humphries for a backup PG like K Dooling.
This would at least make the team competitive although I'm still not sure it'd get out of the first round in the playoffs.
The last option circulating is that BC has shown interest in restricted free agent David Lee. Lee is also looking at around 10 million a season which is certainly a lot of money. When i first heard this I figured it was just one of those rumours that get floated out to generate interest in a player and drive up his valuve but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. Signing Lee would spell the end of Bosh in Toronto. He is basically the same player without the mid range game. He could fill in at PF immediately and allow the Raptors to trade Bosh for Maximum value now. Trading Bosh would surely net the raptors a starting SF and a backup SG or PF as well as a draft pick. I could see a deal to Chicago for Deng (or Hinrich) and Tyrus Thomas and a first rounder for Bosh. Or to Miami for Beasley, Haslem and a Pick. Heck if BC is smart he'll insist on including Banks in any deal involving Bosh. That would be glorious.
As much as I don't think trading bosh is the answer I think getting value for him now before next season or even this year's deadline is crucial. If the Raptors do end up netting Lee this offseason I think we would all see the writing on the wall.
Needless to say these next 48 hours will be interesting.
That said there are a number of major players that have made decisions on their new homes. Artest in LA, Ariza in Houston Gordon and Villanueva in Detroit. All of these pieces are key to what Brian Colangelo and the Raptors do.
This is the offseason that will shape this team going forward. The plan thus far has seemed to be to try and surround star Chris Bosh with better talent and show him that they are serious about contending. This is great in theory but so far the biggest move they could make would be to renounce their free agents (Marion, Parker and Delfino) to get enough money together to pay the Pizza loving Hedo Turkoglu who is rumored to be looking at a 5 yr deal for between 10-12 million a year. This to me is the worst idea ever. BC learned last year not to put all your eggs in one basket (hello J O'neil). I cannot foresee a circumstance where he would do this. It would be suicide.
The most rational option seems to be to try to resign Sean Marion to a reasonable contract and then use the Mid-level exception to sign some depth to the roster. Linus Kleiza's name has been circulating as a target for the Raptors and of course bringing back Delfino is also a strong possibility. Although if they did this I would like to see them try to move Humphries for a backup PG like K Dooling.
This would at least make the team competitive although I'm still not sure it'd get out of the first round in the playoffs.
The last option circulating is that BC has shown interest in restricted free agent David Lee. Lee is also looking at around 10 million a season which is certainly a lot of money. When i first heard this I figured it was just one of those rumours that get floated out to generate interest in a player and drive up his valuve but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. Signing Lee would spell the end of Bosh in Toronto. He is basically the same player without the mid range game. He could fill in at PF immediately and allow the Raptors to trade Bosh for Maximum value now. Trading Bosh would surely net the raptors a starting SF and a backup SG or PF as well as a draft pick. I could see a deal to Chicago for Deng (or Hinrich) and Tyrus Thomas and a first rounder for Bosh. Or to Miami for Beasley, Haslem and a Pick. Heck if BC is smart he'll insist on including Banks in any deal involving Bosh. That would be glorious.
As much as I don't think trading bosh is the answer I think getting value for him now before next season or even this year's deadline is crucial. If the Raptors do end up netting Lee this offseason I think we would all see the writing on the wall.
Needless to say these next 48 hours will be interesting.
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