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 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 - 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.

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 "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 - O'neil for Marion?

Over the past five games Andrea Bargnani has averaged 22 points, 5.8 reb and 1.8 block per game)as the Raptors starting center.

Many have wondered if it's the consistent roll as a starter that he's been given that has contributed to his success.

I believe that while Bargnani is the type of player that will thrive once the Raptors stop jerking him around. I still don't know if he can average the numbers he has been putting up.

That said I would still like to see him be given the chance.

I mentioned way back in early December that the best move for this team was to trade Jermaine O'neil.

I maintain this stance even though several others have now jumped on the bangwagon.

It is truly the only way to improve this team before the 2010 season when Bosh can leave as a free agent and lets not kid ourselves here HE WILL leave if they don't improve. As much as he says he loves the city I cannot imagine a scenario where he would get the chance to play with Lebron in the biggest market in the NBA and say no especially if the raptors are as awful as they have been this season.

That said, I've thrown around a lot of scenarios here lately. All of them to this point have basically been pipe dream best case scenarios.

But to make a trade the deal has to work for both teams (unless of course you're Kevin Mchale).

What the Raptors need to do is find somebody that is paid close to or as much as O'neil that makes sense for BOTH teams and then make that deal.

So after scanning the NBA rosters I believe that there is only 1 player that fits that bill.

Hello Sean Marion.

Why Marion? The answer is three fold

1. He is making 17 million a season and expires after THIS season
2. He has a history with Colangelo so he'd know what he was getting.
3. He plays the position they covet most right now. Marion can start on the wing right away and give them some of the things they need.

Marion isn't the ideal candidate that is for sure but he gives them just enough that the deal would work for the raptors. He can't create his own shot but I think working with Jose in pick and rolls will open things up for him a bit.

Why would Miami do this?

Miami gets a starting center to put with D wade right away thus helping them continue their push to the playoffs. We ALL remember what happened the last time the Heat paired Wade with a legit Starting Center. Not to say that I'm comparing O'neil with... well... O'neil, but he is better than what they've got now.

Also Marion's contract expires at the end of THIS season while we all know that O'neils doesn't expire until the season after. Regardless the deal works for both teams cap wise because the Heat will have cap space for 2010 and the Raptors will get it this off season.

We have to be honest with ourselves and realize that the Raptors, even with a tonne of cap space were never really going to be major players in the 2010 Free agent frenzy. So I ask why not take the 17 million this off season and spend it on guys to surround Bosh with?

Realistically with the 17 million in cap space they could do so many things. For example they could bring back Delfino for 4 million a year. They could resign Rasho (who LOVES toronto) as a backup center for 2 or 3 million a year and STILL have 10 million to sign a starting wing and a backup Point guard if Roko can't do the job next season. The 17 million doesn't even take into consideration Anthony Parker's 4.5 million expiring contract which they can use to either resign him or get another SG.

This to me seems like a no brainer. I'd make the deal today and let Bargs finish the season at center sink or swim.