RJ to TO unlikely + Bargnani’s mouth breathing + Nicolas Batum
Posted by Arsenalist on May 22, 2008
OK, nothing much Raptor related going on but we have confirmation that Carmelo Anthony will not be traded. Great, what this means is that Kiki Vandeweghe who had expressed an interest is heartbroken. Maybe he’ll turn his attention to the Raptors and be willing to part with Richard Jefferson for something other than Andrea Bargnani. That’s unlikely because they already have a good young point guard in Devin Harris and have no need for TJ Ford, they also wouldn’t care much for Jason Kapono and that’s all the bargaining chips we have. The Nets also don’t seem to be interested in selecting 10th and might be looking to deal the pick.
Bryan Colangelo feels picking 17th still isn’t too bad and feels he can get a player who can contribute at that stage (ahem CDR). Good to also see the boss acknowledge that the East got better last night:
“A couple of teams in the East will end up with some pretty good players and Chicago made a big jump and will be able to add a player to a roster that is already pretty deep, which will give them a chance to get back on track faster than expected. And Miami didn’t fall back too far and will get a good player, too…..The draft is pretty deep, picking 17th is not like picking No.1, obviously, but it is a draft that we believe will have some very good players available later in the first round.”
There’s only one mock draft you need to look at and it’s NBADraft.net, they have us selecting Nicolas Batum and I have no reason to believe otherwise. Here are his strengths:
Agile forward with size, an incredible wingspan, and great all around skills … Has a natural feel for the game, and great physical attributes … Competitive … Team player, but also knows when to take over … Clutch player. Shows the ability to raise his level of play in big games … Makes his teammates better with his vision and ability to create … Has a diverse offensive game with the ability to pull up off the dribble, hit from outside, and penetrate to the rim … Shows a good stroke from outside, and excellent confidence to shoot through cold spells … Has 3 point range … Quick hands and feet, plus athleticism make him a potential lock down defender … His foot speed and first step is very quick … He has huge upside but needs to gain more experience …
I like what I read, here are the obligatory YouTube clips.
Anthony Parker had some surgery on his middle finger which he damaged when giving Sam Mitchell a finger after his Game 2 last-second play call. Andrea Bargnani went through surgery too and had his “adenoids removed and his deviated septum repaired”. Whatever, let’s just hope he starts breathing through his nose again because its damn aggravating to watch him clank three after three and then pose for Blowhole Weekly.
Parker’s contract, well-defined skill-set, and veteran leadership is the stuff made for a championship team looking to add a key role player. It makes no sense for him to be our starting shooting guard next season because of the Raptors youth movement and his value as trade-bait. He should be added to the list of Raptors headed for a probable exit.
The Magic want to resign Keyoon Dooling, the Raptors series proved that their point guard situation isn’t that bad after all. With Jameer Nelson already locked up long term it doesn’t look like the Magic will be biting on the TJ Ford bait. Good for them. When I think back to how our point guards were supposed to dominate that series I realize how foolish we all were and how we overrated our PGs. Blast!
You can add Shaun Livingston to the Clipper-to-be-had list. With Miami looking for a power forward, Elton Brand’s name pops up which would make the East even scarier. Corey Maggette’s going to demand a high salary and has too much trade value to remain in LA and he along with Artest is another player that brings something the Raptors are desperate for: toughness. With Livingston on the outs, here is a team that actually needs a point guard and has assets that interest us. Logical trade partner indeed.
You know who would make a good coach? Jeff Hornacek would. He always struck me as a high basketball IQ guy that played the game the right way and never feared anyone, not even Michael Jordan. Of course any long-serving player with above average intelligence coming out of the Utah system is naturally a good candidate for a head coach in the NBA. He’s on his way to becoming an assistant soon and it’s not going to be long before he’ll take over a head coaching role somewhere. If Sam Mitchell could make it, there’s no reason Jeff Hornacek can’t.
Kobe took it to Bowen last night which was great, next he should carve open a wound on Bowen’s knee cap and step on it with cleats. It’s those cunty Celtics again tonight, here’s hoping for some Deeeetroit Basketball.
Till tomorrow. Also, tell your friends about this blog. Feed.
This entry was posted on May 22, 2008 at 7:00 am and is filed under Raptors, Sports. Tagged: andrea bargnani, bryan colangelo, Corey Maggette, Elton Brand, Jeff Hornaceck, Kiki Vandewegh, Nicolas Batum, richard jefferson. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 22, 2008 at 11:07 am
Next season I don’t want to see the following on the Raptors:
Bosh
TJ
Graham
Moon
The team needs to be refreshed from top to bottom … and clinging to Bosh only creates a constipated team.
May 22, 2008 at 11:36 am
I like Livingston, but it would be nice to see him in action post knee shatter.
My “pack your bags” wishlist:
Jose
Parker
Delfina
Joey
Rasho
May 22, 2008 at 12:27 pm
FAQ
Bosh is Colangelo’s Franchise player, no way he will move him.
Moon is the best deal available @ $712k, and off the bench next year will be improved with a years experience.
TJ Ford and Graham are trade bait, but not till after draft for TJ.
May 22, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Arsenalist:
I like Batum’s skill set, but @ 19years old he is very young and inexperienced, and not likely to help next year.
May 22, 2008 at 1:07 pm
can we just not draft based on potential? that would make me hapy.
May 22, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Even if we draft this guy, I doubt he comes over here right away. He’ll be shipped to Siberia somewhere, never to be heard from again like most European picks. I mean, what happened to that Greek dude?
I swear they draft guys just so other teams don’t. And then they let them play for some team where they get some huge contract, if they are any good, that makes it impossible to buy him out with the dollar being as shitty as it is. Not to mention, they realize life is good as it is, why go to the NBA anyway.
May 22, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Right on fluxbrand … why should Euro bballers who can earn an easy Million$$$ come to the NBA for a million and a half to get beaten up, not like the culture, and not understand the hiphop language and mentality to boot.???
That’s why an ‘international’ Toronto Raptor team could be the best transition into the NBA if they so chose. I hope BC doesn’t continue to foster a ‘clash of civilizations’ by not rationalizing the Raptors.
May 22, 2008 at 2:13 pm
And I swear the above description makes him sound like Jordan.
Arsenalist, where are the weaknesses?
*he needs to work on his ball-handling skills, he has a tendency to turn the ball over a lot.
*not afraid to be aggressive, however it does get him into foul trouble
*huge known weaknesses is when he uses his left hand.
*Needs to improve his three-point accuracy. Needs to work on his shooting mechanics – needs to follow through more.
*consistency and aggression level have been questioned.
I’m sure there is more. Plus he seems undersized to me for a forward in the NBA. I wish BC would put the Euro BS to rest for a few years. We are turning into a farm team for the NBA.. oh wait that’s exactly what we are.
May 22, 2008 at 2:18 pm
FAQ.. I’m telling you, if I were an Euro-baller, unless I dominated everyone and the competition was weak while I felt, you could not pay me enough to come over here. They get everything provided to them over there.. cars, apartments, the girls are hotter, culture oh about 10000 times richer, food 10000 times healthier. I mean unless you had something to prove to yourself personally competition wise.. you’d be a straight up idiot to come over here.
May 22, 2008 at 2:27 pm
^^^^ fluxho … while I felt … you could be right and I could be wrong .. but I doubt it .. so let’s wait and see what BC is forced to do in his reality.
May 22, 2008 at 2:28 pm
FAQ.. wouldn’t Canada joining the EU and the Raptors joining the Euroleague be much more logical. I vote YES, please!
May 22, 2008 at 2:30 pm
oh don’t play the wait and see game with me now, Mr. Think out of the box! Mr. 100% speculation!
May 22, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Couple of things, on the issue of the draft; we obviously have the #17 pick now, though I heard rumors that we are moving up (TJ+#17 for a top 7 pick?)but I will be completely happy if we stuck with #17 and draft CHRIS DOUGLAS ROBERTS. Nbadraft.net doesn’t seem to be a real professional site, I’d prefer draftexpress and this is what has been said on Batum:
Weaknesses:
• Ball-handling skills improvable
[b]• Streaky perimeter shot[/b]
[b]• Lacks aggressiveness offensively[/b]
[b]• Avoids contact/Soft?[/b]
• Confidence/intensity wavers
• Willingness to dominate opponents
[b]• Gets extremely passive at times[/b]
[b]• Not a go-to scorer[/b]
[b]• Poor rebounder[/b]
• Still a work in progress
Now, currently the Raptors squad is in terrible need of toughness and this will not do us any justice if it is a fair analysis. How would our needs be filled in anyway?
CDR is EASILY the safest bet. NBA ready, skilled, smart, crafty scorer, good slasher, works in the paint, and can play good D from what I’ve seen. We would be total fools if we pass him up. He will fill the SG need once Parker is gone.
There is so much talk about this Batum kid, I think he has high potential, but don’t we have one of those already? As well, who has actually seen him play? It’s absurd to hear people jumping on his bandwagon from watching his high-lite clips and hear of his so called ‘potential’.
#1 I would draft CDR #17
#2 Trade TJ + fillers for Maggette
#3 Buy a draft pick in the late 1st/early second round from teams such as Seattle or Portland to nab JOEY DORSEY (2nd coming of Ben Wallace - high energy, intensity, SERIOUS TOUGHNESS AND SHOTBLOCKING and doesn’t conflict with Bargnani’s growth)
#4 Get Ukic over from Europe to back up Calderon
———————–
If necessary and able - Get Mike Miller for Garbo/Parker/Rasho expiring + future draft picks (09′ 1st/2nd)
FIRE SAM MITCHELL and hire a defensive coach.
and sign Delfino for cheap.
I’m a realist and this is probably the best outcome coming in next year.
PG Calderon/Ukic
SG Miller/CDR/Kapono/Delfino
SF Maggette/Moon/Graham
PF Bosh/Humphries/Bargnani*
C Bargnani/Dorsey/Baston
Our offensive arsenal will be able to fire from all cylinders so we wouldn’t need to worry about that, then we have a good system of lockdown D and actual defensive schemes and we are set.
/Dream
May 22, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Arse??!!! *mad face*
May 22, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Why can’t we all just get along?
RaptorsFan, can’t say I disagree with your plan. Yesterday I posted a link about Mike Miller and how the Rockets wanted to acquire him but Memphis wouldn’t accept anything less than Luis Scola - which is more than what they asked for Gasol. As much as TJ Ford for Maggette makes sense I don’t think we’ll be in the running for the guy.
CDR is a good looking player but I’m not sure if he’s as NBA ready as people make him out to be. He’ll need to get a lot stronger if he wants to replicate his college success in the NBA because his current body isn’t going to cut it. I think he’s still a ways away from being a decent NBA player, at best he can come in and have a Mo Pete rookie year type impact with us, nothing more. I haven’t seen Batum play aside from the YouTube clips but I like his athleticism which is one of the things we need to address this off-season. At #17 even if he doesn’t pan out, no biggie.
May 22, 2008 at 4:00 pm
@Arsenalist -
I disagree that the Gasol deal to be any less significant in value that Memphis received. They got back Jarvis/Kwame (large exp.) 2 1st’s and rights to Marc Gasol. Scola might be a good player, but he will definitely not be any more than a good role player/hustle player. We are now offering over $16 million in expiring which can be extremely valuable to a team like Memphis and giving up draft picks to build for the future, I think it’s quite a significant package if they wish to bite at it.
As for Maggette, it seems like the majority of Clips fans from RGM are in favor for a TJ/Maggette 1 for 1 swap since it helps both teams out with their needs so it does make sense (IMAGINE Clippers w/ TJ/??/Thornton/healthy Brand/Kaman as their lineup, it’s a killer)
But if TJ couldn’t get through, I wouldn’t mind doing another alternative offer where we trade Calderon/17th for Maggette and their #7 plus take a bad contract (TT). As much as I like Calderon Maggette and #7 is something you don’t ignore.
As for CDR, I like to say the same that I believe that he will be ready, mainly high on B-Ball IQ and craftiness to get through. His strength would need to grow but he is working on it. But I think he will fit in perfectly with the Raptor’s and do great with a lines of 12.3/2.2/2.3. Batum would have a higher ceiling I predict, but I’m still concerned over his ’softness’ which is VERY ALARMING to me. I don’t want to see anymore softies on this team anymore.
May 22, 2008 at 5:29 pm
I think anybody opposed to a TJ/Maggette swap should be killed. Its a no-brainer for the Raptors and a favorable deal for the Clippers, the only thing the Clippers will be apprehensive about is TJ’s injuries. The deal you proposed for Miller isn’t all that bad on further observation, they seem to like expiring contracts. I’m not sure how BC will feel paying Miller 9M/yr though.
Calderon isn’t going anywhere, without him this team is like a chicken with its head cut off. It’ll have to be TJ if we are to land Maggette.
I think 12PPG is a bit much for a rookie playing second string minutes, you might be overvaluing CDR here. I’m all for taking him at 17 but I think he’s not going to be there because the NCAA tournament rose his stock higher than it should be. The Weaknesses of Batum you posted contradict with what NBADraft.net has on him:
http://www.nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/nicolasbatum.html
My expectations are low on the 17th pick so it wouldn’t bother me if the Raptors took a chance on a T-Mac type player.
May 22, 2008 at 5:42 pm
1)fluxland and faq, when I started reading this site and eventually adding a few ill-informed comments to it I did so because this seemed like the most intellectual/least knee-jerk Raps fan site. Nothing personal, but your endless Euro/US debate has pretty much killed that for me. If you’re serious about your wild generalizations/conspiracy theories, you need to get out more. If you’re making a long (and I mean long), complex joke - you need to get out more. Try branching out in your comments because you’re both starting to sound a little crazy.
2) While I have contributed more than 1 crazy trade proposal to my comments on the site (like us getting RJ and Camby in a 3-way Melo deal), anyone who thinks TJ for Magette will or should happen should consider that the rumour is that Magette is opting out to become an unrestricted FA which means no sign and trade. We should also consider that Magette is regarded as a high quality player without TJ’s injury history. I don’t think we get Magette for TJ without throwing in something else valuable. Is a draft pick that something else?
3) I agree on CDR. I don’t watch a lot of college ball but he impressed me as did Joe Alexander who would bring many of the same skills. Brandon Rush strikes me as a solid option as well.
4) Arse, I totally agree on Anthony Parker. Wonder if we could package him to get back a decent player (maybe a declining vet who can still contribute on the court a bit and bring some championship experience to the locker room - like Robert Horry) plus a late-1st or early 2nd pick this year. It looks like Bill Walker might still be available in that range and he is more than a little intriguing.
May 22, 2008 at 5:44 pm
i agree with arse…zero expectations for a 17th pick…i’d rather trade it (package) and get some useful in return then fill a roster spot with another pylon who doesn’t understand what the 4 korners crew are yammering about during the pre-game.
May 22, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Sam.. obviously you don’t frequent this website enough to make the statement you just made. Regarding myself anyway.
And if you paid attention you would see others have much deeper discussions with FAQ about it then me.
I OCCASIONALLY play into what FAQ theorizes about because I see where he is coming from or why he may think something. Sorry, for having the, I believe, the ability to see an issue from many different angles. For the most part I do ignore what he says, but sometimes his so far out there, I have to say something cuz he is clouding other peoples perspective with unbased ridiculous statements.
I don’t like it when people theorize about trades to no end..some that make zero sense IMO …like yourself.. but I don’t blast you for it or tell you you need to get out more.
So:
No one is forcing you to come here, and you can very easily skip over the comments I make. You see flux.. move on bro!! Oh yeah.. and get laid!! Nothing personal, Champ!
May 22, 2008 at 6:32 pm
@Arsenalist -
I suggest you start using Draftexpress.com over Nbadraft.net, over the years nbadraft.net has been proven to be unreliable while moreso, draftexpress is a lot more professional.
May 22, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Will do RaptorsFan.
As for the “forcing you to come here”, please do come, in fact I force Sam to come here and check out the site :)
May 22, 2008 at 7:54 pm
For the record … I don’t ‘theorize’ as fluxload accuses me … I only fantacize which opens up so many more possibilities than those who theorize that Maggette should be a Raptor. If Maggette does join the Raptors … I will … eat my mouse ……..
And yes I will stay within the box now that the trade talks have begun … and just sit back and watch in amusement as my detractors bite the dust … !!!!
May 22, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Point taken fluxland. I’m through with wacky trade proposals (at least for awhile). But I should point out that I do read your posts that’s why the flux-faq exchange was getting tired. I’ve come to expect so much more from you guys. Maybe I just need to get out more.
May 22, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Sam… much much RESPECT to you, Sir!
Hope you keep coming back this fantastic corner of the blogworld that Arsenalist holds down!
I totally understood where you were coming from.. FAQ just drives me bananas at times. I try to make sure he is taking his meds, is all.
Your and everyones crazy trade proposals are not that wacky anyway. I see the fun in it and try to to picture the players on our team, just don’t indulge in the fantasizing as much.
I will try to live up to your requests. (no sarcasm)
Going out is over rated ;-)
May 28, 2008 at 12:59 pm
To everyone on here, this is a deep draft, and there is enough talent out there to go around, it just comes down to who the GM’s and head coach think will benefit there perspective teams. The main thing about building a winning franchise is to select players whose game compliments one another. Toronto definately needs more defensive presence in the low post, look at how Dwight Howard dominated the series against Toronto, then compare his performance in the Detroit series. (Detroit-defensive toughness, Toronto-too soft in the paint), nuff said…
May 28, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Oh, btw, some of you guys on here are “looney tunes” you guys crack me up! I enjoy reading the comments on here. But as the saying goes, “opinions are like a**holes, everybody has one.” LOL. Keep up the good work dudes…
June 24, 2008 at 9:37 am
Parker please come to Olympiacos!!!