About Me
Basketball Links
The “R” Word
Posted on | July 15, 2010 | 18 Comments
Is it safe to write this, yet? The Turkoglu trade is finally official, so I’m guessing it is. I had written another version earlier this week I had to scrap after Michael Jordan got cold feet and decided not to take Calderon, or more precisely, not to give up Tyson Chandler (in this trade, anyway). I understand his misgivings. I think Calderon would have been a good addition to the team, but Chandler and Boris Diaw are a little too much to give up for him. Especially with his contract (Of course I would rather have taken the trade with the Raptors than the junk he got from Dallas, but that’s another story).
That’s why, despite my affection for Calderon’s game, I liked the trade overall. I have, however to say I’m not disappointed that Jose is still a Raptor. I just wonder for how much longer. It now seems there are rumours about him heading to Indiana for Roy Hibbert, although someone else would have to be added. I did find it incredibly ironic that Calderon was going to be replaced by Chandler, one of the best ally-oop finishers in the game, by really the only player on the Raptors that can throw them effectively. Calderon, for all his weaknesses, IS the perfect PG to play alongside young players like DeRozan, Weems, Johnson and Davis because he is an adept passer and knows where to give it someone to put them in a position to score. Plus his steady hand would offset the turnovers that a young team like the Raptors are no doubt going to rack up next season.
I do think the aborted trade did give a glimpse at the overall plan of Colangelo. The Turkoglu for Barbosa trade could mean anything. Raptor fans are just ecstatic not only to get rid of Turkoglu, but for a player with not only a much better contract, but who can actually contribute. Even better is that if Barbosa has a good year, he could opt out of his contract next summer, making his essentially an expiring contract. Barbosa may not be a real PG, but the fact that he plays that position means that the Raptors have a glut at that position, and that means one of them has to go.
The inclusion of Charlotte in the deal gave you a sense that it might have been Barbosa’s contract that was most appealing to Colangelo. If Calderon had been dealt for Diaw and Chandler, the Raptors would have cleared the books of the two worst contracts on the roster, without bringing back any long term contracts. Calderon would definitely be the better PG to play on this team, especially with Barbosa backing him up, but the fact that Calderon is now apparently being shopped tells me one thing.
Ah, yes, the “R” word.
“Rebuild” is the dreaded word that no GM is ever supposed to mutter. Even if it’s what they mean. In his discussions with the press after the press conference for Amir Johnson, Colangelo accidentally used the “R” word, and then backtracked, instead opting for the word “re-tooling”. He even preferred the word “re-engineer”. Anything but rebuild. The reason is not that Colangelo doesn’t actually wish to rebuild. It’s that a GM cannot use the word rebuild without ramifications. Even if that’s what he’s doing.
The reason Colangelo cannot use the dreaded “R” word has nothing to do with his intentions, but of perception. Admitting you are rebuilding scares away both ticketholders and corporate sponsors, cutting deep into the bottom line. Ownership wouldn’t be very happy about that. Raptor fans criticize MLSE, but as long as they stay in the black, they pretty much let Colangelo do what he wants.
That’s why Colangelo has to give the perception that the Raptors are going to compete, and his aborted deal actually would have brought in players who look like they could have helped, but in actual fact, would have had a negligible effect in the win/loss column. That was the genius of this move. Barbosa, Diaw and Chandler are all talented players. It was not necessarily their talent that Colangelo was after, however. It was their contracts.
If Colangelo were simply retooling, as he claimed, then he would not have worried about getting shorter and expiring contracts, and would have focused on trying to acquire impact players, none of which describes the players he attempted to acquire.
I’ve debated the merits of rebuilding versus retooling among Raptor fans, and the fact that so many fans are against rebuilding is a good indication why Colangelo backed away from that statement. The thing, though, is that many fans seem to be confused by what rebuilding would entail. The fact is, though, the Raptors ARE well on their way in the rebuilding process. Most teams that rebuild don’t have the pieces that the Raptors have. Rebuilding usually requires the team to turn over it’s roster, get rid of any big contracts and acquire younger players and draft picks.
Currently, the Raptors are one of only three teams without a player making 8 figures (Minnesota and Oklahoma are the others). If they trade Calderon, they will have gotten rid of all their bad contracts, and the roster consists of 9 players 26 years of age or under. If the Raptors are rebuilding, they’re already halfway there.
The fear that most fans seem to have is years of losing while acquiring pieces and developing players. The fact that the Raptors are one move away from financial “flexibility” and already have acquired quite a number of talented young players means they are well ahead of the game.
When the Thunder/Sonics drafted Kevin Durant, they only had Jeff Green. It took them a few more years to acquire Westbrook, Sefolosha, Harden, Serge Ibaka and now Cole Aldrich. And still, the situation was completely different for Sam Presti. With the team’s lame duck status in Seattle, he had the luxury of not having to appease fans or corporate sponsors since the team was on it’s way out of town. Colangelo simply doesn’t have that luxury.
If Colangelo wants to rebuild, he has to make it appear to the fans and corporate sponsors that the Raptors are at least going to be competitive. At least reasonably.
Now, admittedly, I’m making a rather large assumption but it’s one that seems to have some basis in fact. The fact that Colangelo has so far refused to use the rather large trade exception they got when Bosh left for Miami shows that he’s not simply willing to do what a team like Utah did, and use it to try and simply replace Bosh. Hopefully Colangelo has realized what many of us have, and that’s that the roster, even with Bosh, was flawed. Simply trying to plug a hole with a lesser talent, like Monta Ellis or Al Jefferson, would have been disastrous. It would have doomed the Raptors to mediocrity. Something that both Charlotte and now Utah seem content on doing. For a fan like me, this is like death.
Instead, Colangelo seems to be attempting to rebuild, yes rebuild, the roster with players that fit better together and hopefully do what it takes to win. With Turkoglu gone, and Calderon apparently next, the Raptors seem to be ridding themselves of below average defenders, something I wholeheartedly applaud. And if that’s the case, Colangelo can’t hold onto Bargnani any longer. Losing Turkoglu and Calderon will only help so much. If you’ve got a weak link in your front line defensively, no matter which position he plays, it will hurt you.
Personally, I was hoping the addition of Chandler meant that Bargnani had become expendable. Sure, they certainly could use his front line scoring, as he’s the only big man on the roster that has any real hope of scoring double digits, but what they need even more is a front line that can protect the hoop and rebound the ball. That’s how you win in the NBA.
So Raptor fans, don’t be afraid of the “R” word. It’s not as scary as you might think. A year or two of losing while building the right kind of team is far, far more appealing than a decade of mediocrity.
Cleaning Up After The Fall Out
Posted on | July 8, 2010 | 6 Comments
So Bosh is in Miami, LeBron is in New York, Miami or Cleveland, Amare is in New York, Boozer is in Chicago and Joe Johnson and Wade stayed with their teams. I haven’t seen so many big names switch teams since Tom Cruise’s annual Mardi Gras party. All that’s left to do now is clean up the mess.
Okay, the Raptors are officially one of the losers of the free agency period so far. Even though Chris Bosh is now among the pantheon of most hated ex-Raptors among fans, losing him was a very big blow for the franchise. It doesn’t mean the Raptors simply should slink back home licking it’s wounds.
While the Raptors aren’t going to get nearly as much for Bosh as some hoped (if anything at all), they can still try and take advantage of the situation. The Raptors aren’t the only team that have lost out. Both New Jersey and the Clippers had hoped they would be able to land a big name free agent, and that didn’t happen. Even Minnesota was hoping to land, at the very least, David Lee.
With the prospect of trying to actually compete thankfully dim, the focus, as I’ve said before, needs to be on the future. Teams like the Nets, Clippers and T-Wolves may very well be desperate enough to make a questionable deal that will help them immediately, giving fans the comfort in knowing that all was not lost. With Carmelo and Durant all but locked up, no one on the horizon has the allure of this free agent crop.
The first team the Raptors need to focus on are the Nets. With the third most amount of cap space, and nothing to show for it, they have to be hurting. The new Russian owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, has to be feeling like the fat kid at the prom, right now, wondering why no one will dance with him. Apparently Boozer didn’t even offer them a chance to match the offer from the Bulls, who were obviously higher on his list. Even David Lee looks like he might be going to Golden State, if rumours are correct. That’s got to sting. Now they have nearly $40 million in cap space and hardly anyone to spend it on. That’s less than $20 million in salaries. In other words, they need to start spending money just to reach the NBA minimum of $41 million.
So with the Nets not apparently high on their third pick in the draft, Derrick Favors, for some unknown reason, it’s a good bet that he might still be available. Depending on how desperate the Nets are, would they be willing to trade him for Turkoglu? No, probably not. Maybe Turkoglu and Jack? Would they take on both Bargnani and Turkolgu and give up Favors and the Nets other first round pick, Damion James? That would be one hell of a salary dump for the Raptors, and a way for the Nets to compete for a playoff spot next year. They’d still have enough left over to sign another free agent, believe it or not. That’s the great thing about having nearly $40 million in cap space available.
Losing nearly $20 in salary and getting two young studs in Favors and James would give the Raptors a head start in their rebuilding process.
There are also the Clippers, who delusionally believed they actually had a shot at LeBron. Now they are looking at overpaying guys like Mike Miller, who probably won’t want to sign, anyway. Do they want to start the season $25 million under the cap with their only small forward on the roster being Al-Farouq Aminu, a rookie. What they need is a veteran presence, and who better than….(drumroll, please)…Hedo Turkoglu?
It’s actually a perfect fit for both. The Clippers need a small forward who can initiate the offense since Baron Davis is more of a scoring guard than a point guard and Turkoglu needs to go somewhere he’s not hated. Hell, he might even help them get to the playoffs.
And if the Raptors can get Aminu out of the Clippers, it might very well be the best return the Raptors could even hope for.
Then, of course, there are the T-Wolves. Apparently spurned by David Lee, they apparently are looking for big men who don’t play defense, and what better guy than Andrea Bargnani? The T-Wolves are another team team that will be under the minimum salary cap if they don’t spend more money, and could simply absorb his contract, returning Ricky Rubio’s rights, of course.
So just because the Raptors have not done all that well so far, doesn’t mean they can’t turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse. Or at least in a nice polyester knock off.
Bosh Is Gone, But Will They Getting Anything Back?
Posted on | July 7, 2010 | No Comments
Okay, it is now official. Bosh is going to Miami, probably the last place fans wanted him to go because of the lack of assets they could get back. Reality has a way of coming crashing through the window wrapped up in a Hummer being driven by a liquored up 85 year old grandmother with Alzheimer’s. After warning people for months at how little the Raptors will likely get back in a sign and trade for Bosh, even I started to drink the Kool-Aid a little, with visions of Derrick Favors dancing in my head. Unfortunately, that’s not to be.
So there are reports that Colangelo might refuse to do a sign and trade with Bosh. I can understand the reasoning behind it. Colangelo hasn’t been happy with how Bosh has handled his free agency and doesn’t want to do him any favours (no pun intended). I wrote a post talking about whether or not Colangelo should simply give Bosh a list of teams he would do a sign and trade with, and tell him to choose one, or he’d get no deal. Now, if Colangelo did that, and Bosh picked Miami anyway, then he should stick to his guns and refuse to deal. Colangelo looks bad enough. If he goes back on his threat, he’ll simply look gutless.
Now, if Colangelo didn’t make any such threat, then obviously doing a sign and trade with Bosh is the best option for the Raptors. The question is, what should the Raptors ask for back?
The three things that I think everyone can agree upon is Mario Chalmers, the Raptors draft pick back and a big trade exception. At this point, I’d be happy with just that. Since Bosh has already announced his intentions (he can’t sign anything until the 8th), Toronto is not exactly in any position to demand anything.
And then there’s Michael Beasley.
I’ve been against the notion of accepting Beasley back in a sign-and-trade mainly because he’s an awful fit for the Raptors. His lack of defense is the absolute last thing the Raptors need, especially if Bargnani stays on the team (please, no!). After a discussion I had on Raptors Republic, though I had, if not a change of heart, at least a moment of pause.
With the Raptors in a bad position in terms of negotiating, the idea of taking Beasley back might very well give the Raptors a little leverage in the negotiations. Beasley has offensive skills, to be sure, and in the right situation could average 20+ ppg. That situation is not Miami, however, and a guy who does little more than score is the last thing Miami needs at this point. They need role players who can defend their position and do the little things. That doesn’t describe Beasley.
Taking Beasley back would allow him to showcase his skills while being the first option, and give the Raptors an asset with the potential to increase in value. When rebuilding, it’s always best to get assets with increasing value. And because he’s not much of a defensive player, or a guy who’s going to do the little things, it’s not likely he’ll help the Raptors win any more games, anyway. If he does well, the Raptors have a piece they could use in a trade. If he doesn’t do well, the Raptors could simply not pick up his team option after the season.
So the question is what is Miami willing to give up in exchange for the Raptors taking on Beasley? Would they agree to accept Turkoglu in exchange? They could certainly absorb his contract and having a veteran like Turkoglu might help them, but I wouldn’t count on it. He’s not really a role player and needs the ball in his hands to be effective, something not likely to happen on a team with Wade. And would Bosh even agree to that? Still, I’d certainly take Beasley back for one season if it meant unloading Turkoglu.
And while I’m obviously in favour of keeping Calderon, I might be tempted to take Beasley and Chalmers back if Miami agrees to take him and his contract. Calderon works well with Bosh and would be the type of pass first PG the Heat would be looking for. If I were the Heat, I’d certainly take back Calderon if it meant getting rid of Beasley. For the Raptors it’s a salary dump, plain and simple. Calderon is a good PG, but he’s in his prime right now and while I think he would be an asset to the development of the younger players, it might be the only way the Raptors can get anything of value back for Bosh.
If Miami agreed to give the Raptors Beasley, Chalmers, the Raptors pick and Miami’s unprotected pick next season, as well as the $20 million trade exception, I would do it. Another advantage is that it would prevent the Heat from signing another big free agent and weaken them a little, making their draft pick next year a little better.
I think agreeing to take Beasley back is possibly the only leverage the Raptors have at the moment. Bosh has agreed to sign with them, so if you’re Miami, why on earth would you give up something you don’t have to? The Raptors could end up with only a $16 million trade exception out of the deal, and while that’s not horrible, I think all Raptor fans would like to see a little more coming back.
Loading ...Blog Particulars
- Subscribe
- About This Blog
-
Latest Comments
- Tim W.
on Have I Missed Much? - khandor
on Have I Missed Much? - Tim W. on Have I Missed Much?
- anonymoo
on Have I Missed Much? - Al
on The “R” Word
- Tim W.