Archive for the “Transactions” Category


Well, the hits just keep on coming. After last week’s monster moves, Colangelo continued working on the weekend, signing Jarrett Jack to an offer sheet. The Raptors also lost one of their all-time good guys when free agent Anthony Parker officially signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Now, the Jarrett Jack “signing” is only an offer sheet - since he is a restricted free agent, Indiana has until next week to match the offer and retain him. However, it’s presumed they won’t because doing so would put them over (or at least near) the tax level. No firm details of the offer have been released, but it’s believed to be in the four years, $20 million range.

I’ve liked Jack since he first came into the league; in fact, I was hoping the Raptors would find a way to draft him in 2005. He’s big for a PG at 6′3″ and 200 pounds, and he can play the two as well. He’s a solid defender, a decent shooter at 45%, he’s shown he’s comfortable starting or coming off the bench, and he’s coming off a career year (highs in points, rebounds, assists and 3-pt FG%). He’s a versatile player who should fit perfectly on this newly-constructed Raptors team.

Nevertheless… one could argue that $20 million over four years is a little much for a sixth- or seventh-man. Especially since, as far as I can tell, there were no bidding wars going on for his services. I can’t help but think a three-year deal for $12 or $14 million might have made a little more sense…

Still, we all know Bryan Colangelo is a guy that simply goes after what he wants. He wants Jack - and he intends to get him.

Unfortunately for us in the blogosphere, we now have to wait for Indiana to either renounce Jack or simply wait for the seven days to pass without matching the offer. They’ll surely do the latter. Which means the Raptors won’t make any other moves in that time frame, including signing Carlos Delfino or Rasho Nesterovic, because they need to know for sure where there finances stand. So it should be an uneventful week.

But one event can’t pass by without some acknowledgement. The Cavaliers officially unveiled their newest acquisition yesterday, free agent Anthony Parker. The multiple-Euroleague-MVP award winner joined the Raptors in Colangelo’s first summer on the job, and was a huge contributor in the Raptors 47-35, Atlantic Champion 2006-2007 season. Over the past three years he hit a number of clutch shots (I remember a falling, lunging banked-in three pointer from the top to seal a win against Detroit late in the 06-07 season, and who could forget the tip-toe-corner three he nailed to tie the game against New Jersey last year - one play before Vince Carter won it on the dunk at the buzzer?) and provided steady, generally mistake-free basketball. He was a deadly three-point shooter from the corners and had a penchant for making that incredibly difficult fade-away jumpers.

Unfortunately, he lost a step in the last year, and it showed; he was our best perimeter defender for two years but last year, was just another pylon in our porous defense. He also had a habit of going 1-2 at the line in clutch FT situations. But he was asked to do more than he should have been for a completely undermanned and underwhelming team last year.

In Cleveland, where he can settle into a role as a shooter and big guard alongside LeBron James, he should have a great year. I expect his role in terms of actual stats will go down, but he’ll play a big role in the overall complexion of that team, in terms of providing relief for James, clutch shooting, steady ball-handling, and as a bigger guard to match up with Orlando and Boston (as opposed to the under-sized West-Williams backcourt).

I wish him luck and look forward to Raptors fans giving him a big round of applause when he returns.

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Wow. It’s done. According to Doug Smith, the league has approved the deal, with one small change - Nate Jawai is now going to Dallas, and Memphis gets a second round Raptors pick in 2016. Quincy Douby will stay here for now.

Hedo Turkoglu will officially be announced as a Raptor at 4pm this afternoon, at which time I’m sure BC will deliver the rest of the details. But as it now stands, it looks like the Raps roster fills out like so…

1. Chris Bosh
2. Andrea Bargnani
3. Jose Calderon
4. Hedo Turkoglu
5. DeMar DeRozan
6. Reggie Evans
7. Antoine Wright
8. Devean George
9. Roko Ukic
10. Quincy Douby
11. Patrick O’Bryant
12. Marcus Banks

Still in flux are Joey Graham and Carlos Delfino; as far as I know, they have not been “renounced” and can still be resigned with their bird rights by the Raptors.

Anthony Parker has not been renounced, but appears to be on the verge of signing in Cleveland.

I’m not sure of the status of Pops Mensah-Bonsu, but I think he is renounced, as is Jake Voskuhl.

As you can see, the Raps have a 12-man roster and, thanks to this deal, can re-sign Graham or Delfino, can add a free agent via the mid-level exception, and can add a second free-agent via the bi-annual exception. They can also add as many veterans-minimum deals as they need.

My initial research indicates that this 12-man Raptor squad comprises just over $57 million - in other words, pretty much right in line with the salary cap.

But what that really means is they are $12 million below the tax threshold - and as they’ve shown, they’re not afraid to use that money.

Let’s say they sign Carlos Delfino for $5 million a year over four years. They can use the some or all of mid-level exception ($5.9 million) on a second player (Matt Barnes? Ramon Sessions?) and the rest, or the bi-annual exception, on another (Rasho?). Bingo, you’re up to 15 players. Of course, they may stick with 14, and try and save a little coin for next year. But the flexibility this deal provides is amazing.

It also provides some small flexibility for next year, since Wright and George will be FAs.

Basically, this sets the Raps up in great shape for this upcoming season, provided that Colangelo uses the remaining money on valuable players. If he gets a 2-3 and a backup 5, this might be the best, most balanced Raptors roster ever assembled. I can’t wait to see what further moves come down the pipeline.

More as it happens…

Quick Update: At Hedo’s presser, BC confirmed there were “more roster moves on the horizon.” Can’t wait…

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Well well. Looks like the Golden Child might finally be doing something right! A four team trade with Toronto, Dallas, Memphis and Orlando that brings in Hedo Turkoglu, Devean George, Antoine Wright, preserves the MLE and biannual exceptions, and means we don’t have to renounce Carlos Delfino’s rights. And all we give up is Shawn Marion, Kris Humphries and Quincy Douby.

This is apparently the confirmed deal, pending league approval (sometime today). I’m not going to get it into it too much until it’s official - I’m scared shitless Orlando will back out - but if it stands, I’m a happy Raptors fan.

I won’t call it a “masterstroke” as Doug Smith has until I see what, if anything, Colangelo does with the exceptions and Delfino. But at this point - it’s looking like a fantastic move.

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Well then. Now that the most hated ex-Raptor is in Orlando and (arguably) Orlando’s MVP of the past two seasons is in Toronto, is it possible Orlando will replace New Jersey is our arch-rival du jour??

We can hope. Though I somehow doubt the Magic fans will have the same disdain for Hedo Turkoglu that Raptors fans have for Vince Carter, since even the most casual of fan can see losing Hedo is strictly a financial decision…

On the other hand, it looks like Hedo and the Raps haven’t made any new fans in Portland…!

But seriously, this is a pretty big coup for the Raptors. Hedo was arguably the biggest unrestricted free agent available this year; he might just be the biggest free agent signing the Raptors have ever made. And, although he isn’t the super-athletic wing we need, he can score from anywhere, he’s not afraid to drive (his 389 attempts last year would put him second on the team, behind Bosh), he can initiate the offense, and most of all, he seems to thrive with the ball in his hands in the clutch, a trait no other Raptor has.

And, you know, he’s got big game experience. Think about it. He was a bit player on those great Sacramento teams. He spent a year in San Antonio. And he made it to playoffs four out of five years in Orlando, including the finals this past season. The Raptors have been desperate for a guy who can take and make big shots for years. There’s no doubt in my mind that Turkoglu can be that guy.

Of course, signing him means we can’t sign anyone else to fill out the bench - not even Parker and Delfino - so we’ll likely be saddled with 2009 versions of Will Solomon and Hassan Adams. So there’s that to look forward to.

Also, he’s 30 years old, and played in 193 games the past two seasons. Last year he also shot below his career averages from the field and from 3pt range. Will he hold up for the length of the contract? And, he’s not a great defender (nowhere near Marion’s level).

Still, as a fan, I appreciate that the Raptors are making a splash and going for it. Even thinking longer-term, I guess the idea is, if Bosh leaves a year from now, they will (should) still have a decent core in Turk, Bargnani, and Calderon (and hopefully DeRozan), and cap space from Bosh’s salary to sign multiple guys.

Well. I do hope Colangelo is not done wheeling and dealing, but I am glad to see he’s not just sitting by while everyone else gets better.

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My final tally on Vince’s time with the Nets is below. I started tracking this last season, notably after he obliterated the Raptors’ season and ended Sam Mitchell’s coaching career on That Night in November (remember how often Colangelo kept bringing it up right after he fired Sam? Yeah, death warrant). After That Night, where Vince was, as usual, booed incessantly, it seemed most people decided the booing needed to stop because it only made him play better.

I didn’t think that was true, since I’d seen every game the guy had played against the Raps and almost every game he played with the Raps, and noticed no difference whatsoever. But I decided to check the stats, and thankfully, the stats backed me up. Check it:

Stats as a Net

Games

FGM

FGA

3PM

3PA

FTM

FTA

REB

AST

PTS

Totals

374

3126

6987

638

1723

1944

2404

2152

1762

8,834

Per game averages:

8.36

18.68

1.71

4.61

5.20

6.43

5.75

4.71

23.62

Shooting percentages:

44.7%

37.0%

80.9%

Vs. The Raptors

Games

FGM

FGA

3PM

3PA

FTM

FTA

REB

AST

PTS

Totals:

24

212

476

45

121

102

147

160

108

571

Per game averages:

8.83

19.83

1.88

5.04

4.25

6.13

6.67

4.50

23.79

Shooting percentages:

44.5%

37.2%

69.4%

In New Jersey

Games

FGM

FGA

3PM

3PA

FTM

FTA

REB

AST

PTS

Totals:

12

99

219

21

54

60

85

71

53

281

Per game averages:

45.2%

38.8%

70.5%

5.9

4.4

23.4

In Toronto

Games

FGM

FGA

3PM

3PA

FTM

FTA

REB

AST

PTS

Totals:

12

113

257

24

67

42

62

89

55

290

Per game averages:

43.9%

35.8%

67.7%

7.4

4.6

24.1

So you see, the stats are virtually identical. His numbers were incredibly similar overall, vs. Toronto, and at home and away. In Toronto, where he hears the boos, his shooting percentages are down slightly, but his scoring and rebounding are up slightly, so it’s a wash. His free throw shooting is down across the board which is odd, considering he’s normally a great free throw shooter, but it’s likely just an aberration.

The only thing I really notice is the free throw attempts vs. field goal attempts in Toronto and Jersey. He seemed to take some more contact in Jersey, with 23 more FTs attempted in the same amount of games – and settled for more jump shots in Toronto, with 38 more FGs attempted.

Relevant? Probably not. The Nets won 13 of the 24 games during Carter’s time there, which is the most important thing, including 4 of the six playoff games of course, and that’s not a surprising thing considering they had the better team and coach most years.

In Orlando, I expect Vince’s stats to be down across the board as that team is pretty stacked and doesn’t need him to be the focal point of the offense; plus he’s not as young as he used to be. In the flip side, because they are a good team, he should probably experience his greatest team success there. I look at that roster and, assuming they fill out the bench with a couple decent guys, I have to believe they’re the Eastern Conference favourites – at least as long as Cleveland plans to head into 2009-2010 with the same undersized backcourt and under-athletic frontcourt (I fail to see how adding Shaq addresses the flaws exposed in the Orlando series).

So the question remains – will Vince be booed here in Toronto? Yeah… probably. Maybe not quite as much – New Jersey was a fun team to hate. But I’m sure they’ll still be plenty audible. And I’m OK with that. Most people seem to think it needs to stop… but really, who cares? Everyone loves a villain, and Vince brought it all on himself by quitting on the Raptors five years ago. As you can see above, it has zero impact on his play, so if people enjoy booing… I think they should go ahead and do so.

Quick Free Agency Update: Looks like Ariza’s going to Houston. That means, as far as I can tell, it’s all but a lock Shawn Marion will be back next year, and the Raptors will go into the 09-10 season with at least four of the five starters the same. Hardly a great recipe for improving on a 33-win team…

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All right, it’s the offeason, but, as you know, there’s still lots going on with the Raptors. Some quick thoughts as free agency heats up:

The Draft. DeMar DeRozan was the right pick at that spot. He’s raw and he probably won’t contribute much right away, and he might never contribute anything - but he has the potential to be really, really good. And he plays a position (swingman), and has a physical dimension (athleticism, length, leaping ability) that the Raptors currently are lacking. Who was left on the draft board was a better fit? Who on the draft board was going to contribute right away? No one. (Heck, who was in this draft at all, besides Blake Griffin, that is going to contribute to his new team right away? Make no mistake, this is an awful, awful draft).

DeRozan is the right fit in every way. Whether or not he turns into anything remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt he was the right, and only, pick.

Carlos Delfino. I’ve said it about 100 times, Delfino wasn’t used properly his one year here and I am certain he will benefit from consistent minutes and a consistent role. He’s also a much better defender than Anthony Parker at this point in their careers. I also expect Triano will not be afraid to let Delfino initiate the offense, much as he did with Parker last year; for some reason, Sam Mitchell was afraid to put Delfino in that role, even though he’d done it for Argentina, one of the best basketball teams in the world. Does he start? I think so, though that of course still depends somewhat on who is starting at the three (Marion? Someone else?). I have no problem going in to this season with Delfino as the starting two-guard.

Shawn Marion. Very little word at this point on whether the Raps have offered anything, whether Marion’s asked for anything, whether other teams are calling… very quiet on the Marion front. I’m still super-torn on what to do with him. Yes, he fits the team well; he rebounds and defends from the three spot, something very lacking before he got here. He’s also the best on the team at moving without the ball. But, like everyone else on the team, he’s not a guy who can create/initiate his own offense, and the Raptors could really use that from the SF spot. And there’s the question of money… obviously the guy wants to get paid, but do the Raptors have the coin - and is he worth it? Especially at age 31? If he could be had super-cheap $3 million a year? Over 3?) of course he’d be worth it. But there’s no way he takes that deal. So I can’t say I’ll be thrilled if he comes back and is taking a large chunk of the salary cap.

Hedo Turkoglu. Word is he’s interested in the Raptors - and of course the Raps are interested in him - but there’s likely no way to work out the money situation (no, he doesn’t like us THAT much). He earned a big payday with his play this past year, and the Raps don’t have the coin. And frankly, I’m not sure he’s worth it. I’m not sure he can put up the same stats without that particular cast around him - including, obviously, Dwight Howard. He’s a year younger than Marion, and in many ways, Marion’s exact opposite - he can create his own shot and score from anywhere, but he’s a non-factor on defense. I’d be excited to see what the Raps could do with the starting lineup of Bargnani, Bosh, Hedo, Delfino and Calderon (wow, that’s the whitest, most international line-up ever) but I can’t get to used to the idea, because I can’t see it happening.

Trevor Ariza. Financially, a much better fit than Hedo (and maybe better than Marion too). And really, his skill set is right in between the two - not as good a defender as Marion, not as good a scorer as Hedo. And he’s young enough (24) that he has room to improve in both areas. The only question is, is he ready to come in and be a full-time starter and contributor to a winning team? Or will he just ride a solid playoff performance (11 points, 4 boards, 50% from the field, 47% from downtown) to a fat payday?

David Lee. Supposedly the Raptors are interested… really, another power forward who doesn’t play on the blocks? No thanks. Love his game, but not with Bosh and Bargnani already here…

Which brings us to this: Is Bryan Colangelo trying to trade Chris Bosh? I see the argument for it, I really do - Bosh has a chance to walk away next summer, and at this point - given the team’s lack of success - he probably will, and who will blame him? Thus the argument, trade him now so you can get something in return. But I don’t believe Colangelo will do that. For one thing, BC appears confident - and he should, I want a confident upper management - that he can surround Bosh with better players this year. He also seems confident he will be able to replace Bosh, should the time come. I like that in a GM. Also, trading Bosh would be admitting defeat - that he didn’t get the job done - and while I don’t know Bryan, he really doesn’t seem like the type to admit defeat.

And the fact is, even if you get some value for him, you’ll never get fair or equal value. Whether you truly think Bosh is a “franchise player” or not, he is this franchise’s franchise player - we’ve built our team and marketing presence around him, he is the face of the franchise. He may not be a “a” superstar in the broader definition of the term, but he’s “our” superstar. Can we get a superstar back for him? Not likely.

I honestly think it’s better to play it out and either try and re-sign him, or sign someone else, next summer. There’s a good chance the cap space you’d get next year is more valuable than whatever package you can get for him in trade right now. There’s going to be plenty of FAs available, after all…

And if the team does have a great year? If the promise of Bosh, Calderon and Bargnani materializes into a 50-win team? Then I have confidence Bosh’ll stick around, and that we’ll all be better for it.

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Same old story, same old act
One step up, and two steps back.
–Bruce Springsteen, One Step Up

Well, it’s official, the summer of 2008 has gone down as one of the worst in Raptors history. Every player BC acquired (Adams, Solomon, O’Neal) is now gone. Didn’t even last a season. Unlike Ukic, a Babcock draftee signed this year, remains). As I was saying the other day, when BC makes a mistake, he cuts the cord, damn quick. Well, as long as that mistake’s name isn’t Andrea Bargnani.

When you consider that Jason Kapono has also been a complete bust, is it now fair to say that every move Toronto has made since the end of the ‘06-07 season has made the team worse? Obviously, the summer of 2006 was a winner - our step up - but the last two? Duds, our two steps back.

Let’s take a look at the moves, and also note, this is just a list of transactions, and doesn’t include the most ridiculous thing the Raps did in the summer of 2007: Allowing Jorge Garbajosa to play on a broken leg for the Spanish national team in an Olympic qualifying tournament (even though Spain had already qualified for the Olympics). Argh.

  • Bad: Re-signed Sam Mitchell. Should have brought in his own guy when he had the chance.
  • Bad: Let MoPete walk away
  • Good: Traded for Delfino, but bad because he couldn’t be re-signed
  • Bad: Signed Kapono
  • Good: Signed Jamario, good, only because of the size of the contract - they absolutely got their money’s worth. It’s not Jamario’s fault that a CBA cast-off was the best option the team had at SF and he was forced to play 35 minutes a night.
  • Meh: Picked up option on AB
  • Meh: Picked up option at Joey, although we could have used that $2.5 million last summer
  • Meh: Signed Hump. Not a bad deal for an 8th man
  • Meh: Dixon-for-Brezec
  • Bad: Bought out and released Garbo and his expiring contract. Bad. Awful. Terrible. Worst move he’s made.
  • Bad: Traded Rasho, TJ, Baston and pick for O’Neal; not a bad deal at the time, but this grade is based on final results, and the results are a 21-34 record during O’Neal’s tenure. Very bad.
  • Meh: Drafted Jawai; don’t expect much from second-rounders.
  • Good: Signed Jose, although if he can’t stay healthy, this’ll change.
  • Bad: Signed Adams; as a result of O’Neal’s fat deal, this is what they were limited to. But Adams couldn’t even play.
  • Bad: Signed Solomon; but he was terrible and cost them at least two games single-handedly.
  • Good: Signed Roko Ukic. Couple mil for a promising young PG, can’t go wrong.
  • Bad: Fired Sam Mitchell. About a year and half too late, and this just made it obvious Sam was never his guy, so… why re-sign him?
  • Meh: Signed Jake Voskuhl
  • Meh: Dumped Adams
  • TBD: Traded O’Neal, Moon and a pick for Marion and Banks.
  • Meh: Dumped Solomon for O’Bryant.

So in the final analysis, he’s made about 21 moves; I think it’s safe to count about 8 of them as the “non-impact” type moves that teams make all the time (like signing Hump to an extension): the “Meh” moves, that neither hurt nor help the team.

As for the others? Some may have seemed good at the time, but in the end, there’s only four that I count as good moves - and two of those are no longer with the team. (Not only that, but Delfino and Jamario both got bad raps - Delfino never got consistent PT and had his minutes jerked around, and Moon had to play so far over his head, he ended up hurting the team as much as helping it.)

Four moves, out of 21, that made the team better. Eight that had no impact. And eight that made them worse. Oh, and one TBD (the Marion trade).

Now, obviously, no GM has a perfect record and I don’t expect BC to have one either - not every move is going to work out. Some will fail, that’s the nature of this thing. And of course his record in his first year was pretty good. But still… you wanna be batting at least .500, don’t you? This is not good, folks.

Again, I’m not calling for Colangelo to be fired or Bosh to be traded or any of that crazy crap. I just consider it a slump, albeit an extended one; I have confidence that he will break out of it and start making some solid moves. And enough with the “we don’t have anything to make moves with!” Look at the Knicks, one year after Isiah left - a completely different team and who the hell wanted anyone from that crap pile? It can be done. It will be done. That’s what this summer is all about. In the meantime…

Well, in the meantime, we’ve got 26 games remaining in this here season. Each loss puts the playoffs further and further out of reach, and even though, technically, the Raps are still only five-and-a-half games back, realistically… there’s no chance. Look at the next 10 games:

@New York
New York
Minnesota
@Phoenix
@ Dallas
@ Houston
Miami
Utah
@ Philly
Detroit

Sure, the Knicks are struggling and the T-Wolves are not very good, so three straight wins isn’t impossible - although I think a split with New York is more likely.

But then it’s seven straight against +.500 teams. Yikes. Sure, the final 16 are a little easier - only 3 against +.500 teams - but still… that’s tough. I’d say the Raptors need to beat NY twice, Minny, Houston, Miami, Philly and Detroit to have a chance. That’s right, they need to go 7-3.

Yeah, that’s not happening. Throw in the fact that the Bulls and Knicks - both currently ahead of the Raps - improved their teams on deadline day, and Milwaukee and New Jersey are chugging along at slow-but-still-better-than-the-Raptors paces…

I can see Charlotte and Indiana falling back behind us, but the rest? That is one tough, uphill climb.

Anyway, enough about all that. Back to the action! It will be nice to finally see Marion play, and to see the Raps with their full lineup, and to see, well, the game - it’s on regular TSN! Hallelujah!

First meeting between these teams this year, and the Knicks, although they only have one more win than the Raptors, are a feel good story because no one expected them to win much at all (whereas the Raps are a huge disappointment). Donny Walsh has done a good job of acquiring players that fit D’Antoni’s system, much the same way that Colangelo did in Phoenix (conversely, since we have no system here, it’s harder to find the right kinds of players!). They run, they score, they’re aggressive in transition, and well, those are things that the Raptors are weak at. Could be a long night!

I just have to hope that the injection of Marion, and the Knicks’ lack of defense, can keep the Raptors in this one. But in the end, it’ll be the Knicks. By 9.

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… you won’t be missed. Scrub.

Welcome, Patrick Fitzgerald O’Bryant! I’m sure you’ll join in the fine tradition of virtually useless Toronto big men, like Uros Slokar, Pape Sow, Mamadou N’Dyai, Nathan Jawai, Eric Montross, Rafael Araujo, Alex Radejovic, Jake Voskuhl, Acie Earl, Primosz Brezec, Robert Archibald, Mengke Bateer, Nate Huffman, Sean Marks, Jelani McCoy, Loren Woods, and of course, the immortal Yogi Stewart…

Good God, that is one depressing list, and I didn’t even mention The Corpse of Hakeem Olajuwon.

It’s gotta be depressing for the guy with the most Irish name in the history of the NBA to be traded away from the Celtics. And this guy went 9th in 2006! More proof that the 2006 NBA draft was the worst of all time…

Well, all in all, another disappointing deadline day. Not that I expected the Raps to do anything, but it would have been nice to see some big names get moved (like Vince Carter). Ah well.

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Finally, it’s official (well, almost, pending league approval): Jermaine O’Neal is off to Miami, Shawn Marion is headed to the T-Dot. We’re also getting Marcus Banks and losing Jamario Moon.

This was surely the most anti-climactic trade in recent memory. I can’t remember a trade ever taking this long to happen. Unfortunately, too much time has passed - when this was first reported in mid-January, the Raptors still had a shot at climbing back into the race. Now? Way, way too late. 27 games left, and how many will it take the new team to gel? And how badly is Bosh hurt, and will Jose ever get healthy? Nah, it’s too late. You’d need to add Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan to this team to help it make the playoffs.

As for next year, well… it remains to be seen what Colangelo will do in the summer, but he now has a lot more options. Instead being ~$10 over the salary cap, the team will now be about ~$10 under the cap (even with Marcus Banks). That not only means they have more cap space for free agent signings (welcome back, Mr. Delfino) but also, and perhaps more importantly, they are free to make trades that don’t require the “salaries must match between 20%” rule. Again, we’ll have to wait and see what’s out there, what’s available, etc., but I have regained some trust in Colangelo. Yes, this season was a waste, but he’s realized his mistake and no goes from weak bargaining position to a strong one next summer.

Will he get enough talent to make a deep playoff run, the only thing that will keep Bosh around past next summer? That is the question. Here’s the list of free agents for next year but as I said, keep in mind the key may be the trades BC is now able to pull off.

As for Miami, well, good thing Pat Riley isn’t actually coaching or he might have Jamario whacked after the 19th time he shoots a three with 18 seconds on the shot clock, which should be sometime next week. But O’Neal, well, he’s a Riley type player through and through. If he can stay healthy, he might help vault Miami into fourth place in the east and make them a tough out in the playoffs - but as Toronto fans now know, that if is a big one.

Overall, the O’Neal era in Toronto can only be classified as a disappointment. He played well - not great, but OK - when he was in there and in the groove. The problem, obviously, was that he missed too many games, and with each block of games (including the very start of the season) he needed to work his way back into shape. If he was making 8 million a year, that kind of production would be OK, but, unfortunately, you need to get a little more from the guy taking up a third of your salary obligations. The Raptors will miss his intensity, but again, for a guy that only played in a third of your games, that’s not enough.

And I still don’t understand why he couldn’t sit on the damn bench for games! I’m sorry, I know this shouldn’t bother me, but it does. I see Bosh out there every game, even on the road, why the hell wasn’t O’Neal there? Now that he’s gone, will the real story finally come out?

In any event, it’s onward and upward. The Raptors have a much improved (on paper) starting lineup for the next 27 games and a much improved salary cap situation for the summer. I won’t call the trade a blockbuster win or anything, but I’d say the Raptors are in a better place today than they were yesterday.

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So, no Jermaine today. I cannot see any reason why he would not be playing unless a trade is imminent, but, hey, what do I know. Maybe he really is Mr. Glass and he can’t play. I’m sure he won’t be bothered to show up on the bench though, even though he traveled to Atlanta.

Also, no Jose, as we expected. Kapono is back but Humphries is out. And Nathan Jawai makes his debut (on the active roster at least).

I won’t be able to watch the game but I’m sure I’ll have some thoughts to post later on/tomorrow regardless, on both the game and the slowest developing trade in the history of trades.

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