A weird night of nothing, really

What a surreal night.

We’re in the media room and everyone knows what’s happened, we all know Bryan can’t talk about O’Neal, there’s no sense in him talking about Hibbert and even the 41^st pick, as relatively inconsequential as it is, can’t evoke an official comment.

So what’s a group of grunts to do? Well, sit around and mock the draft TV coverage among other things.

Oh, and come up with little tidbits to put in here.

(If you came looking for the regular Friday mailbag, you’ll have to wait a day; seems it’s an irregular Friday Or Saturday Depending On The News And Doug’s Mood mailbag now)

-

Had chats with a couple of Raptor coaches yesterday, trying to figure out what they think of the big deal and what they were doing to figure out how to use Bosh and O’Neal together.

Reaction was overwhelmingly positive (yeah, that’s a huge surprise) but mostly because of what O’Neal might do defensively.

Now, when some flat-footed wing guy gives up one of his many blow-bys, they think at least there’s a big, ornery fellow waiting in the paint. Rasho, for all his good things, was not big and ornery and I’m pretty sure Andrea couldn’t find big and ornery with a search warrant.

O’Neal at one time was a pretty good defender, even excellent at times, and if he’s at either of those levels this time around, that’s the huge plus of the deal.

Offensively?

Well, and take this not as a true comparison but just as an example, the staff’s going back to look at vintage video of how San Antonio used Duncan and Robinson together. Not saying Bosh and O’Neal are at that level, not a chance, but as a way to figure out some plays, that’s a pretty good duo and a pretty good coaching staff to mimic.

-

Yes, there was a Gerald Wallace deal in play that never materialized because the Bobcats wouldn’t throw in another draft pick.

Wallace is intriguing, no doubt, but there are concussion issues, he’s not a particularly good jump shooter and he really doesn’t get to the free throw line all that much.

His money? Deal’s cheaper but longer than O’Neal’s.

I don’t know what I would have done had the two deals been actually on the table at the same time. Might have done Wallace and kept No. 17 but look who was there? A bunch of long-term projects. I dunno. Would have been a tough call.

Wallace doesn’t address rebounding and defensive needs, doesn’t provide the cap flexibility soon, and there are those on the staff who think he’s actually a four in a three’s body.

Anyway, it’s all water under the bridge now, they did what they did with what was actually available.

-

You watch that on TV last night?
What in the world is up with Jay Bilas and his fascination with “wing span?”

I swear, every kid had an extra forearm or another elbow or something.

Odd. Very.

-

Check out this Jermaine O’Neal quote from the interviews he did yesterday.

"You’re talking about a team that’s extremely athletic, extremely big at the wing positions, and they play defence.”

Guess he didn’t spend a lot of his downtime last season actually, you know, watching Raptor games.

-

The talking TV heads – and I really like Jeff Van Gundy – were prattling on about the odd hiring of Vinny Del Negro in Chicago and Mark Jackson lauds it because the Bulls “went outside the box” to hire a coach with absolutely no experience.

Since Mark wants some team to do exactly that with him, maybe he should put that clip in his video resume.

-

Bargnani update:

Don’t for a minute think the Raptors haven’t been keeping a close tab on him.

They sent Keith D’Amelia, the team’s strength and conditioning coach over to Italy to work him out, test him and make sure he’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing. They tell me he is.

Oh, and he’s going to the big man camp in Vegas in late July to continue his off-season work.

-

A dip into the mailbag:

Q: Doug, help me out with this: Why is everyone presuming that Delfino is gone this off-season? It seems that an athletic 2/3 with what will likely be a reasonable price tag is something we'd want to hold onto. Am I missing something? I know he's up and down, but c'mon! I think he's earned a new deal. Can you shed some light on this?
Mike K, Toronto

A: It’s a combination of two things that I imagine will drive Carlos out.

One is money, there just isn’t an awful lot to go around and the bottom three or four roster spots are going to be filled with low wage-earners.

The second is the fact there was a glut, or logjam, at the two-three spot last year and this is one way to clear it up. The rotation needs to be tightened and defined in some sort of swingman cull and this is one of the ways to do it.

Now, if he wants to come back for the minimum and they can move Joey somewhere, then I can see it happening. But neither of those things is likely to occur.

-

Free agency’s next but anyone thinking the Raptors are going to make a big splash is likely going to be sorely disappointed.

Even a little ripple might be asking a bit.

Once they do Jose’s deal, they’ll have 10 guys under contract and will have very little money to spend. Without knowing the cap number, tax level or Jose’s number, it’s impossible to tell with any certainty but I’m guessing they’ll have around $5 million to spend on two point guards and another player and that’s not going to yield a star, that’s for sure.

My best guess: They do Roko Ukic, another point guard (I know there’s been some sniffing around Jason Hart) and then a young swingman in the Moon mode. If there’s money left, then they’ll go look for another big.

Anyway, that’s all to be determined over the weekend and into the first of next week.

Which, of course, will give me something to do while it rains all freaking weekend.

Comments

[nowfocus]

Hi Doug,

I've gotta question - why weren't we on the other side of the RJ deal with Bargs? Is Bargs not viewed as valuable as Yi? Did we turn it down? Was it just Yi's marketability?

Putting RJ on the team could have made us contenders, I just can't understand it.

Blogger's note: Just because a guy gets traded, don't think every team in the league was in on conversations. And Jefferson's contract wasn't going to work here after the O'Neal deal anyway.

[Nick M]

Thanks for bringing up the wingspan thing. Bilas seems to be just as annoying as Mel Kiper. If most players have a wingspan 6" longer than their height that would cancel out the advantage!

And you have to love Knicks fans: booing at any mention of Isiah Thomas.

[Eric]

"...even a little ripple might be asking a bit"- ?!?!?!?!

To be sure, this just proves that some fans are more in tune with what the team is doing than some of those who cover the team or even the team itself. As of yesterday, Bryan Colangelo was "not done- not by a long shot."

Now "even a little ripple" on the free agent market might be asking too much!?!

Fans online and on the radio were saying yesterday, what CAN the Raptors do now? Their tradeable pieces were cut by 75% by the JO deal, they don't have any money except for the mid-level, they don't want to trade Kapono or Bargnani- how can they "not be done, not by a long shot"?

Now it turns out those fans were the voice of reason while others were fantasizing about trades and mid-level signings and getting back into the first round to "make a splash." Now they can't even make a ripple... and nothing's changed.

Blogger's note: Selective reading, I believe. Yesterday, they were not done by a longshot exploring draft-trade possibilities, which was absolutely true and was something they were working on all day and into the night.
The no big splash thing in free agency is an entirely different and separate situation.
But thanks for reading.

[Dave-MSN]

Hello Mr. Smith,

Do you feel that this deal was brought on by pressure of being ousted early in the first round, and the fact that they had a difficult time with D.Howard, If they faced Orlando again, do you think that they would have better results?

Blogger's note: It was brought on by pressure to get better, regardless of any specific matchups

[Rick King]

Doug,

Are the Raptors trying to copy the Celtics now with 3 star players and the rest being cheap fillers?

[Marc in Burlington]

Doug,

"...and then a young swingman in the Moon mode"

Do you mean a guy that takes ill advised threes on a team with two of the top 3 point shooters in the league? Or a guy who despite his athleticism can't drive to the net (the man can't dribble in traffic; all his ooooh and ahhh dunks were on the clear path fast break or from lobs to the rim) To be honest I'm not sold on his defensive skills either; how many times did we get torched by the other teams starting three?I know that Jamario was the feel good story of the year, but he gets the "Rafael Arujo award" as the least deserving starter in the NBA last year. I think that he can be an effective player in the NBA coming off the bench, but no way does he have a skill set that would place him in the starting 5. You have said here on your blog previously that he was a good fit as he didn't demand the ball a lot and he could grab rebounds ( which he did to be fair) but with J.O. coming to town and being a defensive/rebounding presence down low, do you see a change in Moon's minutes on the team happening?

Have a good weekend Dude and enjoy some adult bevvies, you've earned them!

[Kelsie]

A back up pg can be acquired. Duhon, Hart, Watson are all examples of true back up pgs with inexpensive price tags. My main concern is how do they find a wing that can defend? Moon was a decent player for us last year but should be coming off the bench as an energy guy. Parker is extremely overrated defensively. He tries hard but opposing 2 guards always have 20-25pts at the end of the night

How does Colangelo find a wing defender and have you heard any rumors of players they are interetsed in? We've improved rebounding and post defence, how can we get better defending the wing and point guard positions?

PS - For all of those questioning the acquisition of JO if you take out last year, no one would have argued with getting a veteran player of his abilities. I love TJ and he's not finished developing but I think as of today we got the better player and one that has a track record in this league.

Blogger's note: I haven't heard any names but I also don't think they'll have a lot of money to spend to get one.

[Dan]

If both trades were available I think the Wallace one was the better choice. He may not be a post defender but he is a very good perimeter defender and he a good shot blocker and rebounder for his position. He may not be a gret shooter but the Raptors have lots of those. They need guys willing to go to the basket. Then they still would have had Rashos contract and the first round pick to get them a big man. If Jermaine is in good health though he will be a better addition then Wallace.

[Jeff]

Doug, it appears your a little extra crotchety this morning. I like!

[Vince]

Jason Hart is an interesting option. I'm surprised Bryan didn't go after Mario Chalmers since he was available so late in the draft.

Here's a question though. We know there are a bevy of combo guards that come out every year...would it not be feasible to play one of these undervalued combo guards in the backcourt with Delfino, each carrying some of the ballhandling duties? Or did that idea go out the window with the Juan Dixon experiment?

Blogger's note: I think it went out the window when next year's financial picture became more in focus. And Delfino's inconsistency was a worry

[Chris S.]

Hey Doug, do you have any idea why Colangelo wasn't able to nab a late 1st or early 2nd rounder? Based on the other trades (Charlotte, Seattle, Memphis etc. all getting late 1st rounders for little) it didn't seem that difficult and with alot of guys slipping like Greene (28th) Arthur (35th) and Roberts (40) it seems like they could have addressed some needs.

Blogger's note: It didn't seem that difficult, no; but we have no idea how difficult, or why the trades were made. He tried, and didn't get anything he liked.

[dean]

I have to disagree Doug. How hard would it have been for BC to acquire at least one pick out of 6 from Seattle to get into the first round late?
I agree with Feschuk that the lustre on the Golden Boy is fading. Look at what Pritchard and LoPresti have done for their teams, and then look at BC. Are Seattle and Portland contenders? No, but they are armed with draft picks, young talent and GM's that aren't afraid to pull the trigger.
I think last night made it glaringly obvious that BC does not have the swagger or respect in the league to pull off significant deals. TJ was a no brainer trade and was going to happen no matter what.
Please tell me how we can fill the roster if its not done by filling it with DLeague cast offs and one in a million free agent signings?

[Bay Street Lawyer]

Can't say that I agree with keeping Jawai in Australia for another year or two.

The guy is already averaging 17 and 10 and is an all-star in that league. This isn't like Roko, who needed more playing time at a higher European level. Jawai has proven that he competes at a high level. Why leave him in Australia? So he can improve to 20 and 12?

What he needs is experience against NBA-level competition. His biggest adjustment will be to the speed of the NBA game. No time like the present to start that adjustment. Besides, wouldn't he be better off spending the next 2 years practicing everyday against Bosh and O'Neal than he would be tearing up the Aussie league?

I say bring him over. We have a bench to fill out (and he'll take up 2 chairs!)

[Alex]

Hey Doug, in regards to free agency, it would actually make more sense for them to overpay for Delfino and keep him, because as a restricted free agent, they could have a rotation player without dipping into their MLE.

Speaking of the MLE, wouldn't that be enough for them to make a splash via free agency? Guys like Pietrus, Wells, Davis, Duhon, Nachbar would all address needs and would likely come in around that price.

With Ukic coming over, they Raptors could simply fill the last few spots using the veteran's minimum, or go after another undrafted free agent like Moon, I hear they've taken a long look at NDBL's Rod Benson

[Stephen]

Doug, the Wallace deal would leave them stuck with a guy who (a) has health issues and (b) isn't a 2010 expiring contract. I don't see how that's beneficial to the team in any way, as I'd rather take a chance on a guy with knee issues than a repeatedly-concussed player, and, again, Wallce isn't movable next year to a lusting-after-Lebron team.

Anyway, the player they probably should have been looking at - Donte Greene as the long-term solution at the 3 - was available for the right price later on, as evidenced by the nonsensical trade between Memphis and Houston. They could presumably have pulled him away for a protected #1 and the second-round pick they added.

Blogger's note: That's an awful lot of presuming considering no one was privvy to any of the conversations that were going on.

[Paul]

Ah the knicks fans booed danillo, booed the mention of isiah thomas, booed when larry brown was on the screen got to love knick fans.

And Jay Bilas could not stop using Long, wingspan he's 6'2 but with his wingpan he's 7 feet. Or after every pick Stuart Scott updating with the regular there are now 9 freshmans picked in the first round this is themost ever, then 2 minutes later there are now ten umm I think we get the point.

Anyways can we expect Jawai to join the team for the upcoming season to take over maceo's spot?

Blogger's note: Yes, you can expect that

[Jason]

Doug, any thoughts on Nathan Jawai? Any reason to believe he could be sitting on the end of the bench this coming season, or is he likely a few years away from even that?

Blogger's note: I believe they'll bring him over and stick him on the end of the bench.

[Richard]

Hey Doug:

Tiny inquiry: do you know if BC spoke personally with TJ after the trade-to-be was agreed to? (and Rasho/Maceo?). And on that point, do you think the Pacers will waive Mace?

Bigger gripe/question: hasn't the NBA sort of made itself look silly by making it so that trades like this one can't be properly announced until two weeks after it has essentially been completed? It makes for quite an awkward situation when they force Hibbert to wear a Raptors hat and have everyone sort of pretend in news conferences with the respective teams' GM's that no deal exists. Wouldn't they be better off to change the time that a BYC player can be traded to before the draft? Or the day of the draft?

Blogger's note: I don't know whether Bryan talked to any of the individuals after the trade. I would presume he did but that's not for sure.

[Rich]

Doug,

Any idea what the Raps will do with Jawai (assuming that the "proposed" trade goes through next week)?

Will they leave him in Australia or will they try to find him a spot in Europe somewhere where he can play against tougher competition? Do the Raps have any involvement at all in what he does (i.e. will they make recommendations to his reps and/or help him find a good development situation) or do they just leave him alone until they decide to bring him over?

Blogger's note: Bring him over

[AJ]

gerald wallace doesnt get to the free throw line...i thought he did...(just by watching basketball on the league pass pretty regularly....his shot was actually much better last season if i remember, pretty good defender also....

[Alex H]

Are there any expectations for Nathan Jawai beyond making the team in a couple of years as the next Baston or Sow?

Blogger's note: No expectations whatsoever other than to be the fifth big man and hardly play

[Gali]

good analysis and you are so correct on the wingspan issue...

2 things:
1. Andrea should go to learn small ball not big man. He is NOT a big man (he is tall but he is not a big man)....work on his dribble (he cannt dribble more than once)...I cannt wait to see him "banging it" in the low post...ha
2. Gerald Wallace for TJ- WOW- and we didnt take it? we have a great 3 point shooters on the team and Wallace is exactly what the doctor ordered....and we insisted on a second round pick....

This would be the great trade that didnt happen...

[Kyle S.]

Ya, I noticed that Bilas guy also over-using the term "freak athleticism." Everybody in the draft had a wicked case of "freak athleticism"....

[Alex L]

Thats a hilarious quote from JO...apparently he hasn't seen the Raps since 2001!

Anyways, Doug with the Raps needing to fill 5 spots (or 3?) are you not disappointed that they couldnt get another pick or a player that slipped. CDR went at 40 and Darrell Arthur was traded 3 times...picks seemed to be thrown around for cash and the promise of future picks....I'm just surprised that the Raps didnt get in on some of that action to fill up the bench as the Raps do need to get some (talented) youth on the team.

I think that New Jersey made out quite well in this draft.

[dan p]

Doug, I know it's over and it doesn't matter anymore, and I know that how much you hate speculation. I also know that the 41st pick does not yield anything spectacular.

But tell me, Doug. TELL ME that if he had slipped but one more spot, the Raptors would have picked Chris Douglas-Roberts.

I know he's far from an impact player. But I also think he is a scorer who can create his own shot and play defence. You'd have to think he could make the team and play some minutes off the bench at the wing, and potentially be good.

I know that Australian kid is a beast, but CDR was the leading scorer on one of the best teams in the country.

Please Doug, tell me BC would have picked him.....

Blogger's note: They were pretty set on taking a big but if Douglas-Roberts had been there, it might have changed their mind. We'll never know 'cause they don't speculate either