in my last post I listed a bunch of NBA players that have big contracts that might be of some interest to the Raps. From that list, I ‘d like to break it down into three smaller lists and address many of the internet rumors about the Raps off season moves.
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Linkage - May 30 Says:
May 30th, 2008 at 10:44 am[...] - RaptorsTalk [...]
May 29th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Yes to Kirilenko or Jefferson; no to O’Neal.
Either of the first two would help the Raptors immensely.
Jermaine O’Neal is not the type of front-court player the Raptors need to add at this point, lining up beside Chris Bosh.
khandors last blog post..Pistons vs Celtics will go to Game 7
May 29th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
i agree. o’neal is a black hole on the offensive end, and bosh is black-hole-light….offense would stagnate.
May 29th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
you’ve cited bargs in every trade. Do you really think that BC will trade him after one bad season; he did look promising after season 1, and if i have that type of outlook, im sure BC does too.
im glad you want to see them, but they are far fetched, at best.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:03 am
no doubt, that Barg’s still has lots of value around the league (and to the Raps as well). It snot that I want to give up on him, its just that I think the Raps can parlay him into a talent that better fits the needs of the team (check back next week for my next article that explores this issue more).
As for the “NO” to Jermaine O’Neil, many of the complaints about addign him are similar to the ones I read about adding Gasol (when he was on the market for the last 2 years), and Rasheed (when Portland was looking to shake things up)- and look how both of those situations turned out. JO is ridiculously talented, experienced, and a defensive (and offensive) force. His presence would make Bosh a dominat player. And its not that JO plays slow in the post, its that he has played for coaches who run a half court offence (like Jim OBrien, Rick Carlisle, etc). He can run, and becuase he can run AND has a low post game, he would fill multiple needs of this team.
Even if he doesnt come here, whereever he ends up, you’ll see what Im talkiing about. A change will do him good.
May 30th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
the only way the jazz trade AK for the aforementioned trio is if they can package: Jarron Collins, and Matt Harpring into the trade (their roster is basically full of guaranteed contracts and they have 3 draft picks this year).
but as a jazz fan I’d like to have Bargnani - i see him as an Okur in the young years; still developing - sloan would whoop his butt into shape; and they’d probably trade off Anthony Parker and Jose Garby’
I also think the jazz would make the Rap’s include a future draft pick for compensation (AK is coming off of a pretty great year).
May 30th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
WOW, great article man, must take you along time to get all this info and put it all together, best stuff I’ve read on the net. Keep up the hard work chief, it will pay off.
nimas last blog post..Preview of the French Open 2008, Seed Report and Draw Analysis
May 30th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
phd,
The Rasheed & Gasol trades are not at all like the Raptors acquiring Jermaine O’Neal.
Rasheed simply doesn’t become the player he’s become in Detroit without Larry Brown being there initially AND without 4 other high quality players being there prior to his arrival. Brown and those players set the tone for Sheed and he just plugged in to that environment for which he had a great deal of RESPECT already.
This is not the situation in Toronto.
Gasol simply doesn’t become the player he’s become with the Lakers without Phil Jackson being there already AND without Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher.
To compare the current environment of the Lakers’ team to the Raptors is a total misnomer … in my opinion.
Jermaine O’Neal to Toronto, at this time, is not a good fit, in my opinion.
khandors last blog post..This is a special team
May 30th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
i have to agree with khandor. plus gasol and sheed don’t have oneals injury history, and come with a cheaper price tag.
never mind, rasheed is one of the greatest power forwards in the league. he is a much better player then oneal, always has been.
May 31st, 2008 at 9:28 am
I like the suggestions but I think landing rasheed would by far be the best one.. I m not really sure if the things there would really land him but let’s just hope there’s a chance
Melvins last blog post..The Finals Everyone Has Waited For…
June 1st, 2008 at 2:55 am
Interesting read, here’s my take on a few of the mentioned targets:
(1) Maggette is acquirable. The Clippers have no backcourt and are desperately looking for a point guard. The Draft is unlikely to be kind to them in the point guard department. I definitely think the Clippers will shop Maggette. On the Raptors end, TJ Ford would hold some appeal. Also Al Thornton is a very similar player to Maggette at about 1/8th the cost. They both need to create minutes for Thornton and fill the rest of the roster.
(2) I wouldn’t touch Andrei Kirilenko with a barge pole if I’m Colangelo. Kirilenko is a borderline all-star when he plays Power Forward. Put him at Small forward and he’s a thoroughly mediocre player and a mediocre defender. His great strength is help defense around the rim. He can’t do that often enough from the small forward position. His man-to-man D on the perimeter is average at best so he’s not an upgrade their either. His inability to play the small forward position has killed the Utah Jazz’s championship hopes for two straight years.
Kirilenko has a lot to offer as a power forward so some team should free him from the Utah disaster area known as small forward.
I’m not optimistic about a AK-Bosh interior. No bulk, lack of rebounding, lack of post defense. Some good help D from long active athletes though sort of like the Lakers interior D right now (without Bynum).
(3) I wouldn’t go after Richard Jefferson. RJ is a fine third option but he’s no second fiddle. He struggles to create of the dribble (penetration) and he’s a mediocre jump shooter. He’s a poor passer who cannot create for his teammates. RJ wil always be incapable of being your best perimter player because of those faults. His contract would have a dehabilitating effect on the Raptors ability to acquire a legitimate second option.
(4) I like Jermaine O Neal and still have a lot of faith in his ability to resume all-star level performances. Big risk though.
(5) Shawn Marion is a more extreme case of the reasons why RJ makes little sense for the Raptors. Stay away at all costs.
……..
I think the Raptors need to concentrate on the perimeter primarily. Bosh needs his Wade or Kobe. I wouldn’t target a top tier big man to put alongside Bosh. They need that playmaker/penetrator/passer/scorer/shooter type. That multi-skilled perimeter player who can create offense one-on-one for both himself and his teammates.
The biggest thing Toronto can do this summer is upgrade their perimeter defense. The reason the Raps interior D is getting beaten so often is because opposition guards and wings are beating their man off the dribble and getting into the paint with ease. You can have Tim Duncan and KG back there in the paint and your team would still struggle defensively when penetration is that easy to get. It’s their perimter defense that’s the biggest problem defensively.
Here’s another ex-Rap - Tracy McGrady. I think Houston will consider dealing but I don’t see the Raptors having anything they would deal McGrady for. That’s the type of player they need though.
Daves last blog post..Missed Opportunities Hurts More Than Losing
June 1st, 2008 at 12:40 pm
lots of good posts here and lots of great discussion. I agree with most of what you have all written, especially Dave’s comments on AK 47 being more productive at the 4 than the 3. GREAT STUFF!
I think McGrady here would actually be a really nice fit as well, but Im not sure Houston is ready to tinker too much yet, until it knows the state of Yao and until Yao and McGrady get one more shot to try and BOTH be healthy for a playoff run. But I would gladly make a move to bring him back. He is a former scoring champ who has MVP talent on both the offensive and defensive end. And, much like many of the other guys Ive been talking about, a change of scenery to an offense where he can be the #2 guy, could really help McGrady excel again. The question is simply this: TMac has NEVER, and I mean never wanted to be the #2 guy on a team. Why would he start now?
I also like what Khandor and Rapsfan are talking about, but come on guys, Sheed was a dominant PF before he got to Detroit, and if it wasnt for one of the greatest meltdowns in basketball history, Portland would have won a ring under Sheed, and the Lakers 3peat with Shaq and Kobe would have had to wait another year before getting going (remember, Portland was up 15 points in the 4th quarter of game 7 of the conference finals). AND that is precisely the point I was making by comparing the Sheed and Gasol trades to a trade for JO- that both Sheed and Gasol were go to guys on teams that won 50+ games (for multiple years) but were unable to enjoy any REAL success until they got paired up with some other great players and were allowed to be the #2 or #3 guy on a team- (it only after they were free’d up from the pressure of being the go to guy and instead got to just play). Thats what I think JO could do here, with Bosh being the #1 guy in Toronto, JO could just play. I dont think that makes us the Lakers or the Pistons (check my column later this week for more on that topic) - but I do think JO in Toronto makes us at worst the #4 seed (behind Boston, Detroit, and Orlando) and possibly a contender for the Atlantic.
June 1st, 2008 at 2:10 pm
we need players who wont mind playing bench. i want lue n maglore frum dallas over brezec baston graham anyday