The only move that can save the Raptors season

Reports are out that Chris Bosh won't be returning to the Raptors next season.
This should not be a surprise to anybody that follows the team. Chris earned the right to choose where he wants to play and has never been anything but a professional during his time with the Raptors.

Bryan Colangelo however, did not seem too impressed with Bosh during his interview last night on Fan590. Colangelo said Bosh has been "persona non grata" lately. I truly believe Colangelo thought that Bosh was going to keep him posted on where he wanted to play next season and if that wasn't with the Raptors he would tell him and allow him the proper time to make a move in order to bring something of value back to the Raptors via Sign and Trade. Colangelo stated that Bosh has been consulted on every major move the team has made since he arrived as the GM. I think Colangelo expected that respect to be repaid by Bosh during this off season. And clearly that has not been the case.

But as we all know, sometimes life is not fair. Colangelo should know that by now.

All that said an interesting rumor (I stress rumor) was reported late this afternoon. It says that Colangelo is working hard with the Lakers to push a sign and trade with Bosh. The Lakers, according to the rumor are on board but Bosh obviously would have to sign off on it. The trade would see the following happen:

Toronto Trades

Chris Bosh (signed to a max contract )
Jarret Jack

Traded to the LA Lakers for:

Lamar Odom
Andrew Bynum

Now with salaries and such needing to match I would presume there would be other pieces involved here but the meat of the deal are those 4 players.

Reports state that the Lakers are one of the teams Bosh is willing to play for however we all know the rumors are rampant that LeBron James and D Wade want to play with Bosh as well.
Bosh has also stated that he wants to play Power Forward wherever he signs and with Bynum gone Bosh would have to play center as Pau Gasol isn't going to handle those duties. That, to me, is what makes this deal a real long shot. However the lure of playing in Hollywood with the 2 time defending champs vs a team with 3 all stars and 8 min salary players has to be tempting. Not to mention still being able to play with one of his best friends Jarret Jack. If I were Bosh I would seriously consider this.

This trade would also set the Raptors up as a team that could potentially contend for the 6-8th seed in the east. Considering the top 5-6 seeds are likely to be Chicago, Miami,Orlando,New York,New Jersey, Boston.

The roster would look like this baring any other transactions

Starters

PG - Jose Calderon
SG- D DeRozen
SF - Lamar Odom
PF - Andrea Bargnani
C - Andrew Bynum

Bench

Hedo Turkoglu, Amir Johnson (resigned), Ed Davis,Sonny Weems, Marco Belinelli, Reggie Evans, Marcus banks

Presumably Hedo could run the offense with the 2nd unit and his play making skills would be in full effect with the absence of a true Point guard on that unit. The team would be young and instantly better defensively in the post with Bynum vs Bargnani at center. Johnson and Davis bring athleticism and youth off the bench. Evans brings some muscle when needed. Weems showed promise last season and proved he can also have an impact. Bargnani could slide to his natural position at forward and Odom's versatility could also help by playing and defending multiple positions.

This team wouldn't win any titles but it could compete.

This is likely a long shot and at the end of the day I can't see the Lakers making this deal simply because Bosh is too similar to Gasol. Not to mention disrupting the chemistry of their team.

I'm sure there will be a bunch of people saying its time to rebuild but with Bargnani and Hedo signed long term I'm not sure that is really an option. I also understand that some would think that Odom may not enjoy going from LA to Toronto. I certainly see the merit in that argument. Odom has long been a player who believes he can be a go to guy and not a 5th option. He may surprise and accept a more prominent role on a team and if he doesn't then certainly you can get value back in a trade.
What do you think?

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Raptors - Toronto Meet DeMar 'Skywalker' Derozan

Raptors Offseason - Day before the draft Trade thoughts

24 hours until the draft and its pretty clear that the Raptors have narrowed their choices to 5 guys. Holiday, DeRozan, Johnson, Hill and Henderson.

To me none of these guys help this team win now. Sure there is upside and down the road they could be contributors but in a draft full of backups I would try to flip the pick for somebody that can start.

Therefore I propose the following deal.

Toronto Trades:

#9 overall pick
Kris Humphries (3.2 million 1 yrs remaining)
Nathan Jawai ($442,000 only partially guaranteed)
Quincy Douby ($1.42 million 1 yr partially guaranteed)
Marcus Banks (4.2 million 3 yrs remaining)

Detroit Trades:

#15 overall pick
Richard Hamilton (10.8 million 4 yrs remaining)

Now this deal looks like a steal for the Raptors but keep in mind Hamilton's contract is terrible. He is probably at or a year past his prime and his contract in a couple years will be tough to swallow. Detroit wants out of the deal and would immediately renounce the options on Jawai and Douby saving themselves 2 million this year to help sign Gordon and Boozer. They'd gain a top 10 pick as well.
Banks Deal while awful is shorter than Rip. Humphries can help off the bench and his deal as well is only 1 more year at a reasonable rate.

To me one of the biggest concerns for the raptors is that they have 4 million on the books for 3 yrs with banks ANYWAY. So consider the first three years of Rips contract to be at 6 million (because they'd be paying banks 4 if he stayed).
Plus they could grab a backup PG like Lawson with the 15th pick.

If the pistons aren't willing to bite then BC should buy a late first rounder and flip that pick to the pistons in the deal.

Just a thought.

We'll all be watching tomorrow.

Raptors Offseason - Coming up on Draft night

The Raptors surprised nobody yesterday when they announced that they had tendered a qualifying offer to restricted free agent Count Chocula err I mean Carlos Delfino.

The offer at this point is nothing more than a formality for the team to retain Delfino's rights. Meaning should another team want to make him an offer they now have the right to match it.

Colangelo was on the Fan590 morning show today and said basically that its almost a lock that Delfino is back and that the only issue would be figuring out the numbers.
If they can get Carlos under contract for say 10 million over 3 yrs then this is a good deal. Delfino adds depth to the bench at a position they were very weak at last season.

Yesterday also marked the cities introduction to the newest Raptor Reggie Evans. Evans said all the right things and I believe that he is going to have a huge impact on this team. He has no idea what he is in for with the fans here if he just plays the way he has in his career. Toronto Fans LOVE his type of game. Just look at how they loved Oakley, Garbo and JYD. Evans is a player in that mold and exactly the type of player they need.

This leaves only a few roster spots available for the upcoming season as they are likely to add to their depth on draft night a week from Thursday. On the Fan Colangelo basically narrowed his selection to 5 guys. DeNar DeRozan, Gerald Henderson, Johnny Flynn, Jrue Holiday and James Johnson. Unless something happens in the top 8 where a team swaps a pick or the Raptors move up I fully expect one of those names to be called at 9 when the Raptors pick.

This leaves the team with only a few options and the most intriguing to me at least is what they should do regarding Sean Marion. Marion is likely to command a salary in the 7-9 million a year range. I don't think of the teams out there with cap space (Memphis, Detroit, Portland, Utah) that he would fit with those teams so regardless of whether he likes it or not Marion's best bet it to sign with Toronto and hope for the best. I don't see Colangelo going after anyone else with this money so Raptors fans better get ready for 3 or 4 years of the matrix.

The last thing that will have to be determined is what to do to fill out the bench. Its unclear whether Douby and O'bryant will in fact be back but considering they were in working out in Raptorland yesterday I am venturing a guess that they will be back. That said there would be only a couple of roster spots left to fill and not a lot of money to do it with. There have been rumblings that they are interested in bringing Rasho Nesterovic back and I'm hoping they can do so with the vetern's minimum.

I am also hoping that they can bring Anthony Parker back. AP showed us last season that although he may no longer be a starter in the league his diverse skill set would make him a valuable bench guy. I expect teams like Cleveland and possibly Philly to take a long look at AP and if this is the case he may sign elsewhere for more money.

Overall the biggest thing for Colangelo this off season is that he HAS to get the draft pick right. He basically HAS to get somebody that can start at SG/SF or at least play heavy minutes and contribute. If he doesn't then this team will be in the lottery again next year.

Raptors - Off season begins

Brian Colangelo finally righted another wrong this week sending Jason Kapono to the Sixers for Reggie Evans. Two seasons ago Colangelo spent the teams mid level exception on Kapono even though it was clear the team needed an athletic wing player. At that time players like Pietrus and Matt Barnes were available and after watching Pietrus in the playoffs if soured me even more knowing that Kapono was here instead of him.

Getting value back for Kapono is nice to see. Evans brings a lot of things that this team is lacking. Rebounding, Grit and toughness all at a reasonable salary. He's not a flashy player and hasn't won any three point shooting contests but he WILL help this team. The only downside I can see with Evans is that his offensive game is a liability and he is a terrible free throw shooter which makes it difficult to have him on the floor late in close games. Overall though I am happy with this deal.
It fills a huge need for the Dinos and saves them some cap space as well.

What I'm not happy with are the rumors and BC's statements that he intends on bringing Marion back. Unless its for 5-6 million a season I don't see this as a good move. If Marion gets 8-10 million a season for 3-4 seasons I view that as a terrible investment. Marion can't shoot or create his own shot. He runs the floor well and is a good rebounder for his position but I can't see how investing that kind of money on a guy who rely's mostly on his athleticism is a smart idea. Marion is getting older and his legs aren't likely to be the same 2 seasons from now and the back end of a contract on a guy like marion could be similar to the Kapono deal all over again. I like marion in Toronto but it has to be at the right price and I have a feeling that BC is going to have to overpay to keep him.

The Draft is certainly going to be interesting as I fully expect BC to buy a second late first rounder. Having 2 picks in this draft is a great way to add depth to the roster with reasonable contracts.

The other major question mark is at Shooting Guard. BC has made it clear that he is seriously looking at bringing back Delfino and again I'm not sold on this idea. I think if BC wants to do that it has to be at the right price. Delfino to me isn't that big of an upgrade over Anthony Parker. Speaking of Parker I am hoping that he is willing to take a pay cut to stay with the team. He seems like he is a great locker room guy and would be great to have coming off the bench. I hope the same for a guy like Rasho Nesterovic. Bringing him back to backup Bargnani at Center would be great to see.

My final thought is regarding the rumors on Bosh. We all knew there would be a lot of trade rumors regarding CB4 and I was not surprised that he isn't extending his contract and will wait until 2010 to make a decision. I do think that BC is being closed minded to not consider dealing Bosh. This is an opportunity to make a deal to get 2 or 3 KEY players and possibly draft picks. Bosh stock has never been higher and you will NOT get better value for him at any other time. If I were BC I would look at a deal with Miami for Beasley, Haslem and Blounts expiring contract (8.5 mil) and a first or 2nd round pick for Bosh.

Bosh is pretty much going to give you 20 and 10 every year. I think Beasley can be a 17-8 guy possibly better (he avg 14 an 5 last yr in 24 min a night). Why wouldn't you make this move? What do you really lose other than a big name. The Raptors would get a guy to replace Bosh who is younger and has the potential to be great. They Gain Cap space for 2010 and they get Haslem and possibly something of value in the Draft.

Raptors Offseason - Fun with the ESPN Trade machine

Not much going on in Raptor-land these days. The announcement that they are bringing Triano back as head coach is likely the only thing that going to happen anytime soon.

I wasn't able to watch the Cav's dismember the Hawks last night thanks to TSN 2 so I figured I would look into some trade ideas on what the Raptors might be able to do to address the gaping holes in their lineup.

I maintain that I am still against the idea of trading Chris Bosh but if Colangelo is going to blow all of his cap money this summer on resigning Marion I think this team is likely to hover around the .500 mark which means Bosh is likely to leave town as soon as he can.

So that said I thought it might be fun to mess around with the Trade Machine and see what the Raptors might be able to get for Bosh as I'm sure lots of teams will be calling.

Keep in mind when I didn't really take much into consideration other than my own greed as the deals listed below are all pretty one sided. Especially considering that Bosh isn't signed to a long term deal. But still this was fun.


Trade 1

Charlotte trades to Toronto:
PF - Boris Diaw
SG - Raja Bell
PG - D.J Augustin

Toronto Trades to Chalotte:
PF - Chris Bosh
PG - Marcus Banks

Trade 2

Washington Trades:
SF - Caron Butler
SG - Nick Young
FC - Andre Blatche

Toronto Trades:
PF - Chris Bosh

Trade 3

Phoenix Trades:
PF - Amare Stoudamire
SG - Leandro Barbosa

Toronto Trades:
PF - Chris Bosh
SG - Jason Kapono


Trade 4

Sacramento Trades:
SG - Kevin Martin
F - Andres Nocioni

Toronto Trades:
PF - Chris Bosh

All of the above trades fill holes in the Raptors line up allowing them to use the entire cap space created by marion's expiring contract to fill other needs such as toughness, rebounding and also fill out the bench.

Raptors Offseason - More trade thoughts

My last post regarding a deal of bosh to Detroit for Rip and Prince isn't really likely to happen because I think Dumar's would trade one of those two but probably not both. And if I'm Colangelo I don't make a deal for one player and a pooh pooh platter to make salaries match.

Watching the Bulls/Celtics series last night I got to thinking about what teams are most likely to contact the Raptors (seriously) about acquiring Chris Bosh in a trade.

I can guarantee you that the Bulls are HIGH up on that list.

What they needed to advance in that series was a low post scorer. Somebody to throw the ball to on the low block that can score. Without a low post presence they can't succeed and they know that. They have the perimeter pieces and the stud point guard but in a slow it down, half court playoff game, Chris Bosh would have made this a different series.

That said, they are also one of the only teams that have NUMEROUS pieces that they can afford to move to get a deal like this done.

Toronto would covet a number of players on the Bulls roster. And I certainly could live with a deal that looked like this:

To Chicago:

Chris Bosh - PF
2nd round pick

To Toronto:

Luol Deng - SF
Joakim Noah - C
Tyrus Thomas - PF
Anthony Roberson - SG (to make salaries match)

What I'm suggesting here is using the raptors biggest asset, Bosh to get 3 players that posses skills that this team lacks. Wing scoring, Rebounding, toughness and energy. Not to mention that all the players involved are young and have reasonable contracts going forward.

In Deng they get their starting SF. Noah is the energy rebounder they could bring off the bench and amp up the ACC crowd. AndThomas gives them a shot blocker and rebounder at the PF spot. He isn't the scorer that Bosh is but I think that Bargnani and Deng can fill that role in Bosh's absence.

Some might suggest that this is too much to give up for the Bulls but consider that Deng didn't even play in their 1st round series and bosh would be a huge upgrade over Thomas and so really all they're losing is Noah.

Toronto could then add their 1st round pick (likely a PG or SG). Bring back Delfino and Parker and then sign another free agent SG or PG (whatever they don't find in the draft)

The team would look like this:

Calderon - PG
Deng - SF
Bargnani - Center
Delfino - SG
Thomas- PF

Bench

Parker - SG
Noah - Center
Kapono - SF
1st round pick
Humphries - PF
Ukic - PG
Roberson - SG
O'Bryant - C
Banks - PG

Again just something I'm putting out there. Do I think it will happen? Hell no.

Let me know your thoughts.

Raptors Offseason - I'm just putting this out there

First of all...THANK YOU to Chicago and Boston. Their game today and their game's 1 and 2 of this series are as good as any I've seen ever in a first round.

Anyway with Detroit now out and looking to rebuild I had a thought.

What if the Raptors traded Chris Bosh and Jason Kapono to the Pistons for Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. I would think Toronto would also have to swap 1st round picks to make this happen but it would address both the starting SG and SF issues. Give Toronto now 2 go to scoring options instead of one with bosh. Also it adds length and rebounding at the SF position and gives Toronto a slasher in Rip.
I would certainly try to get this deal done without swapping picks with the Pistons which might work considering the length of Rip and Tay's contracts. Keeping the pick, likely to be around 9, could shore up the backup PG spot landing the Raptors a PG like North Carolina's Ty Lawson.

The Raptors would also STILL retain the cap space they gained with Marion's contract coming off the books which they could use to lure somebody like Charlie Villanueva (16 pts 7 reb last season in 11 less min than bosh) , Lamar Odom or Mehmet Okur to Toronto to start in place of Bosh. They could then look to sign Anthony Parker to come off the bench at SG and also run the point as he did this season in a backup roll.

Not sure how much cap space they'd have but they could look at bringing Rasho or Delfino back or try to add a guy like Walter Hermann who is a free agent.

A starting 5 would look like this

PG - Jose Calderon
SG - Richard Hamilton
SF - Tayshaun Prince
PF - Charlie V/Lamar Odom/Mehmet Okur
C - Andrea Bargnani

Bench

Anthony parker or Carlos Delfino
Rasho Nesterovich
Kris Humphries
Roko Ukic
Marcus Banks
Nathan Jawai
Quincy Douby
Patrick Obryant
1st round pick

Obviously the biggest obstacle is signing somebody at a reasonable rate to replace bosh. Then using the rest of the money to bring in guys to round out the bench.


Just a thought and probably a real long shot.

O'Neil For Marion - Done and Done

The Raptors Traded Jermaine O'neil and Jamario Moon to the Miami Heat for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. The rumor of this deal has been around for a while now. I also suggested it as the best possible scenario for the Raptors even before the rumors were around.

What does the deal mean? Well its a salary dump for Toronto. The O'neil experiment was not working here and Colangelo realized it and did everything he could to gain some cap flexibility for this upcoming off season. For Miami it means that they gain a formidable inside presence to pair with Dwayne wade in the hopes of making a deep playoff run plus 2010 cap space.

Lets not forget however the bit pieces in this trade. The Raptors are taking on a more than hefty salary (4.26 million for 3 yrs) in Marcus banks. In turn they GIVE up their best contract in Moon (1 yr 711,000). Banks will be used to shore up the point guard position but his contract is a bad one and he isn't really going to impact this team at all. He will likely be relegated to 3rd string PG behind Jose and Roko. The Raps lose some size in the middle and until Humphries is back I think its going to be a struggle some nights to defend the paint. Plus now raptors fans will be forced to watch Marion toss up ugly jumpers instead of moon. Lets just hope Marion takes it to the rack and rebounds instead of flicking up jumper after jumper.

The thing about Colangelo is that he isn't afraid to takes chances. But perhaps the BEST thing about him is that he is also quick to admit when he was wrong and do something to correct it. He gambled with the O'Neil and it didn't work. He traded him. He signed Fred Jones, it didn't work , he traded him.

Ultimately this deal comes down to a 27 game audition for Marion. The Raptors get to try him out on the wing and see if he fits. Their starting 5 of Jose, Bosh, Bargnani, Marion, Parker, if healthy does now look rather formidable. The Bench is still awful though and does not get any better with this deal. If Marion doesn't fit in or doesn't resign then BC has 17 million in cap space to use on the 2009 free agent market.

I do wondering however, if Colangelo wants the cap space from Marion's contract so he can make a trade in the off season instead of trying to sign a free agent. If rumors are true and no big name players want to sign here in the it makes sense for BC to try to get somebody that is already under contract here via trade. Remember if a team is UNDER the salary cap they don't have to trade contract for contract they can take back a player for as much as they are under the cap. Word is that in the tough economic times teams will be looking to shed salary and BC thinks he can get a quality player for basically nothing. Not really a bad strategy.

I will leave you with this however. Would it not be ironic if the Heat used the cap space from O'neil's contract to sign Chris Bosh away from the Raptors in 2010. Stranger things have happened and Bosh would probably like the chance to play with Wade out in Miami.

Update - Miami Sun Sentinel is reporting that the raptors included a conditional 1st round pick with this deal. That is stupid if they did but probably necessary to get a deal done. After all there probably weren't a lot of teams looking to take on O'neil.

Raptors Recap - The "Roko B Ware" Edition

The Raptors finished the first half of the season on a high note beating the Spurs at the ACC. Just so you don't think this is a joke I'll repeat it. The raptors finished the first half of the season beating the Spurs at the ACC. Just like I had predicted yesterday the Raptors defended their home court admirably against arguably one of the best teams in the NBA. What makes this win even more surprising is that they did it on the second night of a back to back while severely short handed.

The Raptors were once again without Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon. Also Joey Graham injured his shin early in the first half and couldn't go the rest of the way. That left basically 7 guys to finish the game (we don't count Jawai or Solomon cause they suck and would only play in an emergency).

So how'd they do it? They were able to neutralize Duncan somewhat with JO who had a nice game with 10 rebounds and 6 blocked shots. He was also able to guard Duncan one on one. This allowed the raptors to close out on shooters and not have to help. Jo gave them a gritty performance in 38 min after playing 43 min the night before in Minnesota he was off from the field but brought it defensively.

Tony Parker got to the rim at will early in the game but late in the second half the Raptors tighten'd up their defense and made tony drive and pull up for jump shots. Ginobli had a great game seemingly scoring at will but when the time came for him to win the game the Raptors defense came up huge again.

Andrea Bargnani hit some HUGE shots late in the game and also gave them a gutsy performance in 43 minutes of work with 23 pts and 8 rebounds. Kapono was on again as well shooting 9-16 for 21 points.

But this night belonged to rookie Point guard Roko Ukic (9-13 fg 22pts 3 assists). Roko took the ball to the rim strong all night. He finished at the rim on some very tough shots. Twisting and twirling in the lane. He made floaters and layups and showed us that he has the potential to be great. The biggest surprise however was his outside shooting. Roko NAILED a couple of huge shots including a late three ball to help the raptors get this win. Hitting those big shots should go a long way with Roko. In previous games he seemed very hesitant to take even wide open looks and making those shots last night late in a close game should hopefully help him gain the confidence he needs. If he can develop a passable jump shot he is going to be a tough player to defend.


The raptors now enter the all-star break on a 2 game win streak. I don't know what this means for the second half of the season. With the trade deadline next Wednesday I don't think we are going to see the same players on the court when they suit up to play Cleveland. But all in all its a good win. And it helps to take some of the sting out of the first half of the season.

Raptors Recap - The "a win is a win is a win" edition

The Raptors finally picked up a W last night over the T-wolves. The game wasn't pretty. The Raptors almost coughed up another double digit lead and lost it but they got it done down the stretch with solid play from JO on the Block. Also Joey G was on fire to start the game going 5-5 in the first 5 min of the game. It also appears as though Kapono has taken Triano's advice and went nuts from the field going 7-10 and 18 pts.

The Raptors get the Spurs tonight at home and I think that they can steal this one before the all-star break. I don't know why but I just have the feeling that the Spurs might be looking past the Raps towards the all star break. We'll see.

I mentioned yesterday that the Raptors have been active in trade talks. I made the point that I think trading Bosh would be a bad idea however I suggested that if they were going to deal him they should look to get something of everything they need (a decent player, cap space, draft picks, a good prospect).

I read this morning that Portland has offered the Suns Aldridge, Bayless and Lafretz expiring contract plus a 2nd round pick for Amar'e Stoudamire. If I'm Colangelo I am taking a good hard look at that deal and maybe wondering if it would make sense to call Portland and offer Bosh and Kapono for the same deal. I would then make the deal with Miami for Marion and BAM!!!! BC has what he needs to get things done. If he made that deal he'd have 2 GIANT expiring contracts (approx 30 million!). Lafrentz contract is almost entirely covered by insurance for the rest of this season so that would save MLSE more money. He'd get a young star in Aldridge that will give them 17 pts and 8 reb a night to replace bosh. He'd also get an upcoming star in Bayless and a second rd pick. He would essentially be throwing in the towel on the season but this team would be deadly next year. The cap space is even greater when you factor in Parkers 4.5 mill expiring deal and losing Kapono's contract.

Its just a thought but I don't think its crazy.

Raptors Game Day - Another day, another rumor

The Raptors are in Minnesota to face the T-wolves tonight. The wolves lost Al Jefferson the other night for the season with a knee injury. The Raptors are also going to be without their best in Chris Bosh. So that makes for an "interesting" game. Both teams best players are out and both teams are terrible. I am sure the TV audience will be huge!

Anyway, the Trade deadline is quickly approaching (8 days away) and there are SO many rumors floating around regarding not only the Raptors but now with Amar'e Stoudamire.

From what I can tell the Heat offered Beasley and Marion's expiring contract for Amar'e but the Suns wanted nothing to do with Marion. Not even if it was for half a season. This bodes well for the Raptors because that means that the O'neil for Marion deal is likely still the best offer the Heat have.

I've heard rumors about Bosh and although both BC and Bosh have denied anything I can't say that I would be surprised to see him traded. I don't think the Raptors should trade bosh. I think they need to build around him better. Which they can do with the cap space provided with Marion's contract.

That said if they were going to deal him I would only consider deals that bring back the following: a first round pick, a great player or Cap space, at least 1 young prospect. For example:

Trade bosh to Detroit for 1st round pick, Tayshaun prince, Jason Maxiel.
Trade Bosh to Portland for 1st round pick, Rudy Fernandez, Travis Outlaw and Raef Lafrenz expiring deal.

I don't think there is a chance these deals will ever happen. I think unless they unload O'neil this team is doomed and Bosh will leave in 2010. I also think the Amar'e situation is likely to shape everything that is done at this year's deadline.

Stay tuned.

Raptors Recap - The "gamble that didn't pay off" Edition

The Raptors lost in convincing fashion again last night. Triano took a gamble and started the three bigs Bosh, Bargnani and O’neil. As soon as I heard of the change I wondered why he decided to do it. It removes any athleticism they had at the wing with moon. Athleticism that is needed to guard Lebron James. James took advantage early making his first 5 shots and scoring 16 first quarter points.

Personally I would have started Graham on the wing to defend James and brought JO off the bench. Graham did a nice job on James at some points last night and I’m not sure going to a zone defense to start the game with 3 bigs and no athleticism was the best idea. The raptors don’t play zone well. They’re late on rotations and don’t help well enough.

The atrocious shooting from Calderon, Kapono, Moon, Parker and Graham was also largely to blame for the loss. They shot a combined 22% from the field.

Watching the game last night I wondered what exactly this team is built to do. They don’t have an identity. Clearly Bosh is their best player and they run a lot of screen and rolls as well as iso’s for him but past that they have nothing. Teams know how to defend the Raptors and unless they are just on fire from the field they are going to lose.

Up next is Kobe and the Lakers tonight. Which I’m sure will be another ACC boo fest!.

Raptors Recap - The "Skin of their Teeth" Edition

The game last night in New Jersey was as close to a must win game as you can get before the all-star break. If this team has any sort of shot at a playoff spot they had to get that game last night. Back healthy and with the backup PG spot sorted out this team is poised to go on a run.

However the Nets had other plans. Toronto weathered the storm and somehow got the win last night. They withstood 16 first quarter points from Vince Carter, who hit 4 three's in the quarter. They withstood another huge late game run by the nets and narrowly escaped defeat when Devin Harris missed a WIDE open jumper after breaking Joey Graham's ankles. A couple things struck me as odd on the play however. Harris had 20 seconds and the ball and waited until about 7-8 seconds were left to make his move. Also Laurence Frank didn't call a timeout to run a play. Sure they got a good shot but I honestly think the Raptors stole one last night.

How'd they do it? Anthony Parkery and Jose Calderon that's how. I don't know whats gotten into Ap but since being slotted in to backup Jose he has been on fire. I think that ANY notion the Raptors may have had to trade him and his expiring contract before the Feb 19th deadline have to be forgotten. This team needs him.
Calderon was awesome again running the point posting another double double.

Bargnani had an off night and I think we can contribute that to him trimming that beard of his.

JO has been ok off the bench. He needs to find his legs though. I can't see the Heat making a deal for him or anyone until much closer to the deadline. The Heat are going pretty good right now and I think they want to see where they are playoff wise before making a deal.

The Raptors have another must win tomorrow at home against the BUcks and hopefully can parley that into maybe a 2-2 record once they face the magic,cavs, lakers and hornets starting Sunday.