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Friday, July 3, 2009 03:26 PM
Four years for Marion?
First things first: the latest word is that the three-year, $21-million deal that has been speculated as the Raptors' offer for Shawn Marion might be a bit light, I'm hearing. Think four years and north of $32-million; maybe as much as $34-million. If that's the case what is Marion waiting for, really?
Link to this postThursday, July 2, 2009 01:19 PM
Raptors wait on Marion
The Toronto Raptors are Linas Kleiza’s first choice in free agency, according to league sources, but landing the Denver Nuggets small forward remains contingent on what happens with Shawn Marion.
Similarly any other moves the Raptors make depend on Marion, including a report I got late last night that the Raptors have their eyes on David Lee of the New York Knicks.
Kleiza fits the Raptors need for depth and the ability to play multiple positions. At six-foot-eight and 240 pounds he can play power forward in a small lineup and shooting guard in a big lineup, though his natural position is small forward.
Not sure who else is in the mix for Kleiza, but when I reached his agent, Bill Duffy, by text, he said simply: “There’s time,” which suggested to me that he’s willing to wait until the Raptors get their ducks in a row.
Kleiza plays with an edge – “a poor man’s Ron Artest” – was one descriptive and has shown that with minutes he can score in bunches. He seemed poised to break out after a 2007-08 season in which he averaged career highs in nearly every category and was effective as an occasional starter, averaging 17 points and 4.7 rebounds in 13 games in that role. He was due a contract extension before this season but that got put on hold as Denver was manoeuvring to acquire Chauncey Billups and speculation is getting squeezed out of his deal set Kleiza back mentally.
He's also streaky and has a bit of Joey Graham to him in the sense that the talents are tantalizing, but not always harnessed. Still he's 24 and has had to play behind Carmelo Anthony for most of his career, so you can see why the Raptors are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Of course he only gets here if the Raptors sign Marion or sign-and-trade him. The only insight I have into that is that talks between Dan Fegan, Marion’s agent, and the Raptors have been “positive” whatever that means.
Which brings us to David Lee, whose name surfaced in connection with Toronto last night. He’s a restricted free agent who would require a heavy offer sheet – five years, $50-million (all currency U.S.) – to pry away from the Knicks. As we all know, the only way the Raptors can do that deal is if Marion goes away and Lee becomes the Raptors primary target.
There’s not much to not like about Lee, as his 65 double-doubles would attest. He’d be an instant crowd favourite at the ACC and a nice hedge if Bosh leaves or is traded in the short or medium term. And if you’re going to throw $50-million at a guy, probably better to do it when he’s 26 than when he’s 30 (Turkoglu), but the same question remains: does adding David Lee make you better if it means giving up Delfino, Parker, Marion and potentially Kleiza?
One other note, you can stop shopping around for a good back-up point guard the Raptors might get for the bi-annual exception. If the Raptors sign Marion, Delfino and Kleiza they’ll be nudging the luxury tax and won’t be using the bi-annual. If they don’t sign Marion and Delfino they’ll be under the cap and won’t have access to the exceptions.
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Tough start for Canada at the u-19s in New Zealand, but losing to Australia is not that surprising given the time change and travel adjustment required and that I suspect that Autralia, with the benefit of a team probably all from the Australia Institute of Sport, is a well-oiled machine at this point. Canada has a bit of that but will likely get stronger as the tournament goes on. Big game from Manny Arop, a product of the Canada Basketball’s National Elite Development Academy (RIP). He’s headed to Gonzaga this fall. I watched him at a practice in Hamilton recently and was very impressed. He’s an athletic, physical perimeter type who has a very mature game; really gets his body into people on offence, in a Kobe, MJ kind of way. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t become an impact player for the Zags.
Here’s the game report from Canada Basketball:
CANADA OPENS U19 WORLDS WITH LOSS TO AUSTRALIA - by Tanya Phillipps, basketball.ca Last Updated: July 02, 2009 AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Team Canada faced top ranked Australia in the opening day of the FIBA U19 World Championships in a tough fought game that resulted in an 88-77 loss.
Although the Canadians played a strong second half (43 points to the Australians' 46), the Aussies controlled the first quarter and were too dominant for the red-and-white.
Mangisto Arop (Edmonton) led all players, collecting a double-double with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Cory Joseph (Pickering, Ont.), Rob Gagliardi (Whitby, Ont.) and Kelly Olynyk (Kamloops, B.C.) each contributed 11 points, but Australia’s dynamic duo of forwards Cody Ellis (25 points) and Brock Motum (22 points, eight rebounds) were just too much for Team Canada.
The Australians got off to a quick 17-6 run to start the first quarter, led by 6’7” power forward Ellis. Canada’s Tristan Thompson (Brampton, Ont.) tallied four points by the five-minute mark, but the team got into foul trouble early. With just under three minutes left, Australia was leading 21-12. Canada’s wing Arop scored six and guard Rob Gagliardi added four to bring Canada to within six, ending the quarter 24-18.
At the start of the second, Canada continued to struggle offensively with turnovers, as the Australians led 33-18 with 7:30 remaining. But the red-and-white settled into a rhythm and chipped away at the deficit. With one minute left in the half Canada had pulled to within seven (39-32), thanks to a deuce and a trey by Arop and Gagliardi respectively. Arop led Team Canada on both ends of the court with 12 points and five rebounds in the first half, but the Aussies closed out strongly at 42-34 thanks to top scorer Ellis who collected 13.
Again the Aussies came out fast in the third quarter with the help of forward Brock Motum who amassed four points in three minutes of play. But Canada’s Cory Joseph responded with seven points to make it 53-43 with just over four minutes remaining. Ellis’s dominant shooting helped Australia to a 15-point lead (60-45) with 2:30 left in the quarter. Olynyk, a 6’10” guard, added four points in the period along with Arop’s deuce with 30 seconds left to make it 64-55. Australia answered back with a two to close out the quarter 66-56.
In the fourth period, Ellis continued his shooting show collecting five points. Canada responded with a deuce from Marc Trasolini (Vancouver) and a three-pointer from Gagliardi to make it 71-61, before calling a timeout with 6:30 remaining. At the three-minute mark both teams had 11 points apiece in the period, but Canada was still down by 10, 77-67.
It would take a combination of strong defence and quick points in the paint for the red-and-white to stop the Aussie combination of Ellis and Motum and chip away at the lead. Olynyk added a three and a two followed by Arop’s trey to make it 81-73 with just under two minutes left. Arop added another two and a couple of free throws to bring the game to within seven in the last minute of play but Motum collected a pair of deuces to end the game 88-77.
Defence definitely won this match for the Australians as they collected 42 rebounds to Canada’s 33. And while Canada played competitively for three quarters, the team struggled offensively from the perimeter, shooting only 26 per cent from the three-point line. Couple that with the early fouls in the first quarter and the limited points in the paint (38 to Australia’s 52), and Canada has to make some minor modifications for future matchups in this world class event.
Look to see the team make some adjustments as Canada faces Syria July 3 at 12:30 p.m. local time (8:30 p.m. ET July 2). The preliminary round closes out for Canada on July 4 vs. Spain at 5:00 p.m. local time (1 a.m. ET). The top three countries in the pool will advance to the second round.
Visit the tournament website at www.newzealand2009.fiba.com to catch the live stats and complete box scores.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009 04:11 PM
Backtracking ... for a season
Okay, quick mea culpa. As reader David Gersvovitz gently pointed out, my fantasy trade where Bosh goes to the Lakers and the Raptors get Andrew Bynum, can't really work because Bynum is a base year compensation player because he signed an extension on his rookie deal that kicks in this coming season. The BYC is complicated little bit of salary cap-ese and I'm not about to try and unravel it (but please go to this link http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#Q73 if you of the mind) other than to say the deal would have to massive, unworkable and require the Raptors to take back a bunch of bad contracts to make it work. So forget I mentioned it until next year when the Lakers and Raptors do a sign-and-trade, book it
Wednesday, July 1, 2009 01:12 PM
Raptors reach out to Marion
They made the calls, but nothing is happening yet.
That was the message out of the Raptors camp in the wee hours of the morning as the free agency season officially got under way.
This has to be killing Bryan Colangelo, who -- to his credit -- likes to force the action. The results are often mixed - see Kapono, Jason - but better an error of commission than omission, I say
First things first: Any fantasies fans might have about Hedo Turkoglu making it to Toronto are just that. As has been well-chronicled the Raptors would have to renounce the rights to about half their roster to get the salary cap space to do it and they're right in thinking that adding Turkoglo at the expense of Marion and Delfino and Anthony Parker doesn't make the Raptors better, and has them paying Hedo about $12-million when he's 35. Besides, it looks like Turkoglu is going to Portland.
My understanding is the Raptors first thrust in the early hours of the free agency was directed at reaching out to Marion, as you would expect. They were in touch with the Turkoglu camp if only because if they do bail on Marion he is their preferred alternative. I also got word that the Raptors have "put a line in the water" for Linas Klieza and my only regret is that I didn't write in recent weeks something like: "The Raptors should put a feeler out to Linas Klieza." From half a continent away I've always been impressed with this guy. Great size, goes hard to the rim and can shoot it too. This would cost the Raptors a good chunk of their mid-level, but would be well worth it. Another name the Raptors have approached? Charlie Villaneuva, who didn't get a qualifying offer from Milwaukee. I think Kleiza's the better fit and the betting is Charlie V and Ben Gordon end up in Detroit where it looks like the Pistons are goinng to try and win games 200-199.
To me there are only two options for Toronto. One is to blow it up hard -- and that means trading Bosh, which they don't want to do -- and the other is to take the steps necessary to at least be competitive. Does re-signing Marion, adding Delfino and then some additional depth make the Raptors a top-four team in the East? Let me think: Cleveland, Boston, Orlando ....and after that who? Atlanta I guess. Chicago maybe? Philly I suppose. Washington maybe. Not exactly murder's row.
The point being that Bargnani, Bosh, Marion, Delfino, a healthy Calderon, Evans with additional proven depth by way of the mid-level exception and biannual exception at least gives the Raptors a chance to be in that conversation, and who knows what kind of bonus DeRozan might bring? I think Kleiza would be good add and the Raptors should find some money to spend on the best 15-20 minute point guard they can find, no offense to Roko, because having 48 minutes of consistent point guard play is the best way to get value out of the roster you do have.
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I'm just going to put this out there, completely out of my own dreamscape. Insiders never like it when guys like me just lob trade ideas. "What is this, fantasy league?" is the typical response.
But what the hell: If I'm the Raptors I'm calling Jeanie Buss and asking if they'd be interested in parting with Andrew Bynum for Chris Bosh, along with the requisite salary filler. Lakers get a star that would likely mesh well with Gasol and would almost certainly be willing to resign in LA. Raptors get the next best thing to Dwight Howard who would fit in great next to Bargnani, I think. Am I crazy?
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If I could cover one thing this summer it would be the U19 world championships in New Zealand which starts tomorrow.
Here's Canada's details from Canada Basketball:
INTRODUCING CANADA BASKETBALL’S 2009 JUNIOR MEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
(Toronto, Ontario) Canada Basketball unveiled the official roster for the 2009 edition of the Junior Men’s National Team (JMNT) that will compete in the FIBA U19 World Championship July 2-12 in Auckland, New Zealand. The talented line-up includes elite players Mangisto Arop (Edmonton, AB) and Kelly Olynyk (Kamloops, BC) from the National Elite Development Academy (NEDA) as well as North American top 10 prospects, Corey Joseph (Pickering, ON) and Tristan Thompson (Brampton, ON).
"We have tremendous motivation this year with the upcoming FIBA U19 World Championship in July,” said Greg Francis, Head Coach of the NEDA Boy’s Team and the Junior National Men’s Team. “We have a number of extremely talented athletes from across the nation and we will be able to go to worlds with a very strong team.”
Touted as the biggest basketball event in the world this year, the FIBA U19 World Championship showcases the best players aged 19 years and younger from 16 countries and five continents. Canada, assigned to Pool A, along with Australia, Syria and Spain, will open the tournament on July 2 (5:00 p.m. local time) against the Australian Team. Canada’s opening game and the match against Spain (July 4 at 5:00 p.m. local time) will both be televised on www.fibatv.com.
The JMNT is riding high after winning the 23rd Annual Mondial Juniors de Basket earlier this month. One of Europe's premier basketball tournaments, this event is recognized as the prequel to the FIBA U19 World Championship. The Canadians had big wins over France, Puerto Rico and Lithuania to win the title, and Olynyk’s dominant performance earned him tournament MVP honours.
"Our guys really played hard throughout the [Mondial Juniors de Basket] tournament," said Francis. "It was such a great win for our team and the experience of playing tough countries outside our zone will go a long way in helping our guys prepare for the Worlds."
The 2009 JMNT has a core group of nine players returning from the 2008 team that placed third at 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championships. It was the strong performance last summer that earned the JMNT a berth in the 2009 U19 FIBA World Championships, marking the second consecutive time that Canada has competed at this event.
Francis is excited about his team’s chances. “I think we have a lot more upside for the Worlds because we brought a young team [last summer] and we have had a year to train and gain experience.”
Olynyk is just as excited as his coach. "“Being able to represent Canada on a world class level and international stage is a great honor. It’s an exciting thing to be a part of and I can’t wait to let the world know what Canada can do when it comes to the game of basketball."
New to the 2009 squad are guards Jordan Baker (Edmonton, AB), Laurent Rivard (Montreal, QC) and Joseph. Like his talented brother Devoe (who played for Francis on the 2007 JMNT), Corey gives Team Canada a strong leader at the point position. He currently ranks sixth on the North American top prospects list for 2010. Baker and Rivard give the team an added boost on both ends of the court.
As the world looks on to see the next generation of basketball stars, so will the international basketball scouts, who are travelling to New Zealand in droves. According to sources, more than 20 NBA scouts have so far been confirmed to attend the tournament.
The format for the FIBA U19 World Championship is as follows: four pools of four teams will participate in the preliminary round. The top three countries in each pool will advance to the second round-robin. The top eight teams after the second round will advance to the quarter finals (sudden-death format).
Canada has qualified for the FIBA U19 World Championships on five previous occasions, the most recent being a tenth place finish in the 2007 event. Canada also qualified in 1979 (finished 7th), 1983 (14th), 1987 (6th), and 1991 (8th). Canada finished third at the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championships and fourth at the 2006 event.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 10:38 AM
Bye Good Joey, Bad Joey
So long Joey, we hardly knew ya.
Well, that's not right. If there was anyone Toronto Raptors fans felt they knew well it was Joey Graham, the frustratingly talented small forward who will likely be playing somewhere else this season.
The Raptors have until today to make a qualifying offer the fourth-year player, but that won't happen. According to league sources the Raptors would have to offer him a one-year, $3.4-million (all currency U.S.) qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent but they aren't going to because it's unlikely Graham would get a better offer elsewhere and they don't want to have the $3.4-million they'd have to pay him on the books as they try and sign their other free agents: Shawn Marion, Carlos Delfino and Anthony Parker (who the Raptors would like to keep but may not be able to afford) in particular, and still be able to sign players using the mid-level and biannual exceptions without heading into luxury tax territory.
There's a chance Graham could be re-signed as a free agent at a lower number, but for all concerned it's probably best that Graham find his NBA fortune elsewhere.
If he goes it's hard to imagine he won't be welcomed warmly back by the faithful at the ACC.
One of the nicer guys in the locker room and a regular face in the community at various charity events, Graham became known, with some affection, for his "Good Joey, Bad Joey" trait.
Good Joey was a muscular, quick, aggressive forward who drove hard to the basket, drew fouls and shed bodies on his way to some of the ACC's most stunning dunks this side of Vince Carter. It was a sight to behold.
Bad Joey was a passive, jump shooter with average range who constantly needed to be reminded of assignments on both ends of the floor, and played with neither confidence or vigour. Drove people nuts.
The mirror images could show up from one game to the next or one play to the next (once against Charlotte he caught a ball heading out of bounds off a Bobcats player while himself standing out of bounds; it was a Grade 8 moment right in the middle of an NBA game) and no one, particularly Graham could predict when or why.
Through it all he remained friendly and accessible, if maddingly and innappropriatey confident. "God gave me this body for a reason," he would say after a good game or a good stretch of games, conveniently ignoring the fact the same ability would disappear like magic as quick as it arrived. Whose fault was that?
One of the best stretches of Graham's career came when Toronto went 8-1 at the end of the 2006-07 regular season with Graham starting in place of the injured Jorge Garbajosa. But in the Raptors' first-round loss to New Jersey, Graham disappeared and lost his starting role in favour of Morris Peterson.
Good Joey, Bad Joey. You could never see which one was coming, now it looks like they're both gone.
Friday, June 26, 2009 02:01 PM
More on DeRozan
So they didn't take James Johnson. Word is the concern was that DeMar DeRozan would be snapped up by Minnesota at No. 6 and when they went all point guard crazy, the Raptors could finally take some comfort that they were going to get the guy they wanted.
People I talked to in the organization wouldn't tell me how high they had DeRozan ranked, but it was higher than ninth. In their minds they got a steal.
Is he the right guy?
The Raptors certainly seem to think so. You have to give Colagelo credit, he's not shy about his convictions. There was no back-dooring here, no: "he might be, could be, we'll see" kind of talk.
It was a reporter who compared him to Amare Stoudemire, who Colangelo drafted at No.9 in 2002, and Colangelo didn't dismiss the comparison other than to say that DeRozan was more polished.
And it was Colangelo, in his next breath, who mentioned Vince Carter as comparable for DeRozan's athletic ability. I'll leave you to Google his various mixed tapes to judge for yourself
Just before that it was Triano who mentioned him as starter, which surprised me.
Later Colangelo went out of his way to make the point that he'll develop into his own player in his own time, but wouldn't it have been easier to say hey, the kid's young, he's got talent and we'll see how it plays out?
Under promise, over deliver?
Instead the Raptors have a 19-year-old kid who has worked out against air since he finished his only college season and he's already getting consideration as a starter and being compared to Vince Carter.
Hey, maybe it will all work out, but if all this was warranted why was he available at the ninth pick?
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From what I can gather the Raptors were working hard to try and make a deal lower in the draft when they saw that both Johnson (16th to the Bulls) and Jrue Holiday (17th Philadelphia) were sliding somewhat, but the cost was too steep. There was also an effort to get into the second round to pick up Derrick Brown (40th, Charlotte), with the asking price in the millions. Better to keep that powder dry for free agency was the thinking in the end.
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First impressions of DeRozan, based on his just completed media availability at the ACC: Mature, poised, smart, nice, friendly. Now, those are obviously very preliminary impressions, but first impressions do count, and DeRozan passed with flying colours.
Thursday, June 25, 2009 12:56 PM
Raptors have their man?
Wow. A guy covers a little horse-racing, a little baseball, a little hockey, and next thing you know all hell breaks loose.
More on this later further down, but Raptor fans should start Googling James Johnson. Right now he’s looking like their most likely candidate at No. 9 tonight, with Jrue Holiday the next best bet. DeMar DeRozan, the feeling is, won’t last that far down.
Anyway, is it my imagination or is this one of the most active pre-draft periods ever? It’s likely only to get busier as the day goes on. “It’s very unusual,” said one league executive I spoke with. “Everyone, for different reasons, is starting to act.”
Teams are loading up. I like Jefferson to San Antonio. If Richard Jefferson – even if he has lost a bit of lift, according to people close to the Bucks – is your fourth-best player, you have a pretty damn good team, and that’s where San Antonio is now.
Shaq to Cleveland? Risky given that the Cavaliers' chemistry was perhaps their strongest feature last season – well, that and LeBron. Losing Pavlovic and Wallace won’t hurt the Cavs. Wallace was done and was known to brood on occasion, and Pavlovic was perhaps the one Cavs rotation player who didn’t linger around their practice facility for hours on end with LeBron and the rest.
The bigger chemistry issue is O’Neal and his giant personality. History lesson: When Moses Malone was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1982, he went out of his way to make everyone know it was still Dr. J’s team and they went 65-17 in the regular season and 12-1 (“fo, fi, fo”) in the post-season to win the NBA championship.
Well, the Cavs already are 66-win team, and have just traded two spare parts for a Hall-of-Famer, albeit an aging one.
Will Shaq fit in? Or will he defend LeBron better than anyone ever has by taking up all that space?
As for the Raptors: You can only imagine that the sudden stir of deal-making had Raptors president Bryan Colangelo’s eyes on fire. He loves to deal and not being in on anything would be killing him.
From my poking around the sense is that DeRozan, the rawest of the Raptors targets for the No. 9 pick but also the one with the highest ceiling, will be gone by the time the Raptors are choosing. If that’s the case – and three league sources have indicated that to me since last night – then look for the Raptors to choose James Johnson from Wake Forest. And you know what? I’m okay with that.
The Raptors got tougher when they added Reggie Evans. They would get tougher still if they add Johnson, a bruising small forward who echoes Rodney Rogers with a dash of Paul Pierce, and who won multiple national titles in karate and won in his only MMA bout against a 31-year-old when he was just 18.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009 02:00 PM
Workout, schmerkout
A couple of snippets from various sources regarding the draft and more specifically the Raptors' preparation for the draft.
1. The more you talk to NBA executives and talent evaluators, the more frustration you sense about how little control they have over who they get to work out for them and when. The adjective heard over and over again regarding the pre-draft combine in Chicago last week, where prospective picks basically did some shooting and dribbling while people waiting to give them millions of dollars watched, was "joke."
2. Player agents are trying harder than ever to manipulate the draft outcome by limiting who their clients work out for. With the rookie wage scale in place, they can't impact the contract negotiations, so this is the best way for agents can prove their value.
3. The Raptors have already narrowed down their focus to four players, one of whom they are confident will be there at the ninth spot. They haven't had any of these four in for a workout yet, so all that remains is to find a fifth name -- a fall-back choice in case the unexpected happens -- to round out their list of possible picks.
4. Organizing draft workouts is expensive and time consuming and perhaps not all that vital if you already have a pretty clear plan for draft night.
All of which perhaps helps explain why:
5. The Raptors announced that they are cancelling their draft workout for Thursday.
So....
6. Watch with interest who ends up being worked out on Friday.
Also, poking around a bit, one name that is being linked to the Raptors is Demar Derozan, the athletic if unpolished freshman wing from USC.
Monday, June 1, 2009 11:44 AM
Araujo pick set off chain reaction
I've always considered the drafting of Rafael Araujo the Raptors' original sin. It set off a chain reaction the team has never really recovered from.
Araujo, as every Raptors fan knows, was picked No.8 overall by Rob Babcock, who promised on draft night that the big Brazilian was "Not a stiff.''
Well, he was a stiff. One with small hands and short arms and - quite literally - no upside.
Missing at No.8 isn't ordinarily the end of the world. It happens. And it says A LOT about the NBA that having the chance to pick the eighth - or in this year's draft - the ninth best player in the world in a given year carries with it no certainty of success.
Tough league.
But the 2004 draft had its share of good players. One of them - Andre Iguodala - was taken ninth by the Philadelphia 76ers, as every Raptors fan knows.
Which is the problem: It's not so much that Araujo was a bust, it's that Iguodala represents exactly and - short of Kobe/LeBron/Wade - I mean exactly what the franchise needs.
He slashes. He defends other wings. He's a one-man fastbreak. He's a passable spot-up shooter. He's very good playmaker and passer. He's relatively affordable, at $12-million a year, which is pretty good value for a Tier 1A wing player in the NBA.
But you know all this.
Still, I've been thinking about Iguodala as I've watching Mickael Pietrus with the Orlando Magic.
Even after Colangelo arrived and engineered the 2006-07 turnaround, the Raptors were still well short athletically on the wing. They needed some speed and toughness on the perimeter, and they had the full-mid level exception to shop with.
Here were the options as I outlined in a story setting up the free agent signing period two years ago:
* Matt Barnes, Golden State Warriors. An unrestricted free agent at the age of 27, the 6-foot-7 small forward had a breakout year playing for Don Nelson, with averages of 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds a game on 43.8-per-cent shooting in 24 minutes a game. He stands to get a big raise from the $744,000 he was paid last season.
* Jason Kapono, Miami Heat. He's not the most athletic small forward in the league, but he makes up for it with spectacular three-point shooting. He led the NBA at 51.4 per cent. He's 26 and averaged 10.9 points a game, opening the floor for Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade.
* Mickael Pietrus, Golden State Warriors. As a restricted free agent, the 25-year-old could be available because the Warriors might not be able to sign both him and Barnes and stay under the luxury tax. An athletic six-foot-six wing player known for his defence, Pietrus averaged career bests of 11.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 48.8 per cent shooting and 26.9 minutes.
* James Posey, Miami Heat. He's the oldest and most experienced player who might be available in this range. Posey will turn 31 in January, but has earned a reputation as a hard-nosed defender. With a team-first approach, his credibility was bolstered by the championship ring he won with the Heat in 2006. He averaged 7.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in 27 minutes a game last season.
It turns out Kapono was the Raptors first choice. They laid $24-million on him over four years, and there's not doubt Colangelo regrets it.
In some ways this is the Raptors second major sin, and certainly the primary blunder of Colangelo's since he joined the club in 2006.
Posey was heading to Boston - or at least a contender - regardless. So really it was choice between Barnes, Kapono and Pietrus. Barnes and Pietrus ended up with qualifying offers in Golden State. Kapono got paid. Barnes eventually found his way to the Suns, Pietrus finally got his mid-level deal this past summer from Orlando.
And watching Pietrus so far in the playoffs for the Magic it's hard to understand why a good shooting, athletically challenged team like Toronto at the time opted to add another good shooter who was defensively challenged.
Pietrus slashes. Pietrus defends. He can make the odd play. What he's done in the playoffs for the Magic - he's averaging 14.8 points a game and shooting 48.6 per cent from the floor while chasing LeBron around - is something the Raptors could still use.
And now the Raptors head into another off-season and another draft looking for something that keeps slipping through their fingers.
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Talked briefly with Henry Thomas, who represents Chris Bosh and Anthony Parker and had little luck getting him to lay his cards down, which is hardly surprising. Thomas is kind of an interesting guy in the agent business. He goes pretty light on recruiting, emphasizes serving the clients he has. Substance over style. He said he plans to meet with Colangelo in Chicago but that it was "early in the process." More pressing is trying to get a guage on Anthony Parker's immediate future. Thomas said he's had some feelers from Europe, but nothing concrete yet. "I expect there will be some interest from the usual suspects,'' said Thomas. "And he owes it to himself to listen to whatever their may be alongside whatever interest there is from elsewhere in the NBA, alongside Toronto.''
Friday, May 22, 2009 05:31 PM
Is Triano the man for the job? He is for now
It's kind of telling that the reaction to Jay Triano being retained as head coach has been muted. It says a lot actually. One thing it says is that the Canadian basketball fan has become pretty sophisticated.
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Michael Grange
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