Mark Blinch
Happy New Year Pops!
Well, maybe not. Just go word that the popular Toronto Raptors role player will be waived today rather than have his contract guaranteed for the rest of the season. If he clears waivers the Raptors have some interest in keeping him around for a 10-day contract or two as they wait for Reggie Evans to return, but Mensah-Bonsu is also getting feelers from CKSA Moscow and Real Madrid, two of the wealthier European clubs.
Not many guys with a Euro passport bring the athleticism that Pops does, so I could see him being a difference maker over there. Given he's now been through four organizations in the NBA it might be time for him to find a longer term home overseas.
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Let's presume for a moment Chris Bosh does resign with the Raptors and plays the bulk of his prime years in Toronto. In the wake of him becoming the franchise's all-time leading scorer on Sunday it's worth pointing out that he would likely set franchise marks that might never be touched. If he stays healthy (I know, I know) this year he should get to 10,500 points for his career and if he re-ups for the full six years and knocks out six straight 1,600-point seasons - which is pretty conservative barring major health issues - he should finish that deal with more than 20,000 points. There are only five active NBA to have cracked the 20,000-point plateau and they're all pretty good: Shaq, Kobe, Iverson, Garnett and Allen. Right now only 32 players in NBA history have done it, though several more are on the verge, including Dirk, Tim Duncan, Paul Pierce and Vince. Bosh will only be 32 when his next contract ends and probably good for maybe another 5,000 points which is where the air gets really rare: Shaq's the only active player to have got there and only 14 in history have.
I realize this is all candy and nuts and the wheels might fall off two years from now, but it's worth pointing out that for all the heat Bosh takes for not being LeBron - (on pace to break the all-time scoring mark by about age 36 by the way) - he deserves credit for fashioning himself a pretty special career to this point and one which no Raptor will surpass any time soon, if ever.
Providing he re-signs here, of course. If he doesn't Bargnani will pass Bosh some time in 2018. Imagine the celebration at the ACC that night.
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Not going to get drawn into the Jarrett-Jose thing just yet, though it could be an issue as soon as Calderon gets back to game speed, perhaps in another week or so. I don't think Triano has to do anything soon on the basis that Jack is playing well and Calderon needs to get his legs under him. But at this point I'd have to side with the status quo: Whether it's because Jack is playing well - and those tough baskets he scored down the stretch against San Antonio certainly helped his cause - or the schedule or what, the Raptors are obviously playing some decent basketball right now and Calderon's performance and the team's performance prior to him getting hurt don't justify simply pulling Jack. This isn't Bosh coming back to take Amir Johnson's spot in the starting lineup; the gap between Calderon and Jack isn't close to that. Triano's got to keep things rolling and it's up to Calderon to earn his way back on the floor Let's face it: if Calderon hadn't shown a propensity for injury maybe the Raptors don't feel the need to throw $20-million at their back-up point guard role. Now that they have, they might as well use him.