1. What have you seen to this point to indicate that any of:

DeRozan
Weems
Johnson
Belinelli
Davis
Albai
etc.

fit the description of being “a good young player” for a team which can grow into a championship calibre outfit down-the-road?

[i.e. IMO, none of these 6 players has yet shown that he can be a legit No. 2 option for a Top Notch team in the NBA.]

2. What gives you any sort of hope that Bryan Colangelo has any intention, whatsoever, of trading Bargnani and Turkoglu this summer?

[i.e. IMO, he has zero interest in doing this now that it looks like CB4 will not re-sign with the Raptors.]

3. When the OKC Thunder began their re-build they had seasons with the following win totals:

05-06, in Sea
- 35-47
- had Allen/R, No. 5 [overall] Draft Pick/1996
- had Collison/D, No. 12 [overall] Draft Pick/2003
- had Ridnour/L, No. 14 [overall] Draft Pick/2003
- had Lewis/R, No. 32 [overall] Draft Pick/1998
06-07, in Sea
- 31-51
- Rick Sund/GM was fired
- Sam Presti/GM was hired, from the SA Spurs
- fired Bob Hill [head coach]
- hired PJ Carlesimo [head coach]
- did not re-sign Lewis/R
- traded Allen/R to Boston
07-08, in Sea
- 20-62
- added Durant/K, No. 2 [overall] Draft Pick/2007
- added Green/J, No. 5 [overall] Draft Pick/2007
08-09, in OKC
- 23-59
- fired PJ Carlesimo [head coach]
- promoted Scott Brooks [head coach]
- added Russell Westbrook, No. 4 [overall] Draft Pick/2008
- added Serge Ibaka, No. 24 [overall] Draft Pick/2008
- added Thabo Sefolosha, No. 13 [overall] Draft Pick/2006, via trade with Chicago
- added Nenad Krstic, via UFA signing
09-10, in OKC
- 50-32
- added James Harden, No. 3 [overall] Draft Pick/2009
- added Eric Maynor, No. 20 [overall] Draft Pick/2009

4. Realistically, do you see something like THAT ever happening in a market like Toronto, under the direction of a GM like Bryan Colangelo, for an ownership group like MLSE?

And I don’t think the Raptors have to “tank” for the next few years. I think, if Bargnani and Turkoglu are traded this summer, and if the Raptors can somehow grab Rubio, I can see the Raptors competing for the playoffs in a year or two. Obviously that depends on the quality of lottery pick they get next year and when Rubio comes over. That may be optimistic, but I think the Raptors are ahead of where the THunder were when they drafted Durant. I think there are only two players from the team that drafted Durant that are still on the roster today. The Raptors have a number of good, young core players, already.

If the Raptors trade Marcus Banks and Reggie Evans this summer … as their expiring contracts … in exchange for a player [or two] who can play in the team’s rotation this season, will this effect your opinion of how Bryan Colangelo feels about re-building the Raptors vs fielding the best team possible for this coming season?

i.e. IMO, Bryan Colangelo has not shown the signs that he is in favour of undergoing a total re-build with the Raptors, which would require tanking for the next few seasons and trading current assets for future ones.

I don’t think MLSE will have much to do with what happens with the Raptors, and if they do, I think Colangelo will leave, as he did in Phoenix. I think MLSE trusts Colangelo more than any other GM they’ve had and basically give him leeway to do what he wants. Hopefully Colangelo feels the way you and I do about rebuilding. So far, his moves lead me to believe he very well might.

J,

I think, if it hadn’t been so late, I probably would have thought through the trades a little more, but the gist of what I want is there. I’d certainly love to get Derrick Favours, and I think he and Davis would be quite a unique and intimidating pairing eventually. Favors is only 18, and if he grows any more, I think he’ll be able to play center. He very well might be able to right now.

Rubio, obviously, is the other guy I’d really love to get. I mean, if there wasn’t a better match than Rubio and the Raptors, I don’t know what it is.

It’s funny how contracts seem to immediately change the minds of fans. Everyone loved Amir when he was making $3 million a season, but at $6.7 million (averaged out), he’s getting a lot of hate, as you well know. The thing is, his contract might very well be structured so that he’s making $5 million next season, and then $9 in a team option year 5. No one knows, at this point. It’s all speculation at how the contract is laid out, and without knowing that, it’s hard to really evaluate it much. I though Bargnani making $10 million this season was a little too much, but he’s making $8 million, with the numbers going up each year. I like that much better (especially since I’m hoping the Raptors aren’t going to be paying him for most of it).

I do wish Amir had been signed to a cheaper contract though, if only because the size of the contract is what defines a player as good or bad. Turkoglu for $10+ mil a year is bad; Turkoglu for $5-7 mil a year is good.