Winners and losers and must-wins

How’s that post-deadline hangover? All out celebrating the flurry of activity? Dreaming of Patrick O’Bryant triumphantly riding down Bay Street holding aloft not only the Larry O’Brien Trophy but the Bill Russell Trophy as well?

Well, wake up!

-

Some time over the next 24 hours, I know someone in New York is going to write the definitively spun story saying, breathlessly and without a doubt, Chris Bosh is going to play in New York in 2010.

I offer the following as a cautionary tale (and if I’ve told it before, I’m sorry to be repetitive, but it is a pretty good one):

We’re at the 2004 finals in Detroit on an off-day and Mehmet Okur is around and since he was to become a free agent that summer, there was some interest in talking to him.

A bloke from one of the New York tabs called the Post starts chatting up young Memo and the next day the blaring headline says Okur is going to New York and Isiah’s a genius and the Knicks are back and all is right in the world.

The Pistons PR staff, fresh from I believe their quiet time at a church social, heard about the story and saw fit to ask Mehmet about his apparent desire to flee Detroit at the first possible chance.

Said Okur:

“He asks me if I like New York. I say yes and he make me Knick.”

Take heed of this story when you read the dispatches from New York this week. And forever.

-

Imagine how different life would have been had Rafer followed through on his suggestion that wintry night in Boston so long ago that he might retire because he and the NBA “weren’t made for each other.”

-

They’ve got the practice gym in the Air Canada Centre and it’s been named after every shoe company except Buster Brown but after reading this gem from my man Perk, it shall forever now be known facetiously as the John Wallace Court.

I knew everything around that joint was for sale, I hadn’t had confirmed the fact guys back in the day had to bring in their own money to get things done.

-

My, how times have changed.

Michael Jordan announces his un-retirement with a fax:

“I’m back.”

Chris Bosh announces his un-retirement, sort of, with a tweet.

“I’m back.”

(And that will be the last time I speak of Michael Jordan and Chris Bosh in the same item).

Speaking of Bosh, wasn’t it interesting timing? I guess I first heard about this tweet, or twit, or whatever it is (although I do see it in my future, I fear) sometime just after 9 a.m. yesterday.

Interesting in that Bosh has always said he needed a full practice to know for sure that he was ready to come back and had told us on Tuesday he would give it a run on Thursday before deciding about Friday.

Interesting in that the Raptors didn’t start practice yesterday until 10:30 a.m.

Or maybe it’s not interesting at all. You decide.

But if he knew Thursday at 9 a.m. he was going to play Friday, maybe he should have made same determination Wednesday at 5 p.m.

This is what Chris said yesterday about the five games off:

“I’m trying to play at a high intensity. I’m trying to play my best basketball of the year right now. In order to do that, I have to be healthy. It does no good if I play a game and then I have to sit out four more because of the damage that I’ve done. I want to make sure that I’m fully recovered.” “I’m not scared. Even if I’m tired I’m still going to get back on defence. That’s how you get your legs back as quick as possible.”

-

In that blockbuster Raptors-Kings-Celtics move yesterday, I got the money wrong. It goes from Boston to Sacramento, which I guess eases the Kings cost of taking on Will Solomon.

Doesn’t make a difference, I still say the Raptors won the deal.

-

Speaking of winners and losers off the day:

WINNERS

Orlando

Rafer looks like he’s grown up (the fact that neither he nor Jeff Van Gundy are in jail for homicide after being player and coach tells me that) and if continues to act that way, he’s a huge boost for the Jameer Nelson-free Magic. Not enough to win the East, but certainly enough to give either Cleveland or Boston a tough run in the second round.

New York

Knicks got rid of four guys, only one of whom was even remotely a factor, and added two in Larry Hughes and Chris Wilcox, who should at least provide depth.

LOSERS

San Antonio

Not so much because they didn’t do anything but because they didn’t do anything and then lost Manu Ginobili for three weeks, which might just be enough to keep them from finishing second overall in the conference and take away homecourt in the second round of the playoffs.

Memphis

So they facilitate a trade that makes Orlando better and probably helps Houston as much as it hurts them, take on Chris Mihm to show that whatever spell Mitch Kupchak holds over them from the Gasol trade remains and they pick up Orlando’s first-round pick in 2010, which figures to be somewhere in the mid- to late-20s. Yeah, they got it going on down there in Memphis.

-

A sign? Maybe.

I’m finishing this up about 16 hours after the big Solomon-O’Bryant deal went down and in that time I haven’t had one request to find out what number the new guy is wearing. I’m presuming there wasn’t an extra overnight shift in some sweatshop stitching his name on replica jerseys.

-

I’d tell you what they said about the trade in Sacramento and Boston but why in the world would any of you care.

-

So, is tonight a must win?

Or a must, must win?

Or, heaven’s forbid, a must, must, must win?

I’m not sure where it fits on the continuum but seeing how the Raptors can ill afford to lose to any team immediately ahead of them in the standings, it’s pretty dang big.

Of course, I’ll be watching from the comfort of Casa Doug, it’s been a long week already, there’s Phoenix-Dallas-Houston coming up starting next Wednesday and it’s a welcome respite.

Still, we’ll be here with the usual antics if anyone wants to stop by.

-

Besides ripping on them for losing to Cleveland and busting on Bryan for not turning his roster into a gaggle of Kobe Bryant’s at the trade deadline, I’m noticing the mail contributiosn are a bit lacking. And with Sunday being mail day this week, and me having no life, why not send one if you’ve got some time.

Comments

[dallas]

"Interesting in that Bosh has always said he needed a full practice to know for sure that he was ready to come back and had told us on Tuesday he would give it a run on Thursday before deciding about Friday.

Interesting in that the Raptors didn’t start practice yesterday until 10:30 a.m.

Or maybe it’s not interesting at all. You decide.

But if he knew Thursday at 9 a.m. he was going to play Friday, maybe he should have made same determination Wednesday at 5 p.m. "

Hmm, what are you insinuating here dear sir? Hmmmmmmmmmm????

In my opinion Doug is, and Doug please correct me if I am wrong, wondering why Chris says he need to go through practice before he plays, yet knows he can play before the practice. Like why if he knows he can play on Thursday morning at 9am, which is before practice, why couldn't he play on Wednesday? He did practice with the team that day? When the next day you see him talking about every game being a must win, you wonder why he would sit out on Wednesday and them proclaim that he can play again the next morning? You kind of scratch your head and wonder what could have changed from Wednesdy night till 9:00 am Thursday?

I found the whole injury puzzling to be honest; "a mild sprain and bone bruise" when CB himself said "nothing specific happened and that it was general wear and tear". If not for Chris's own words I wouldn't question it, but how to you sprain your knee and get a bone bruise from general wear and tear, aren't those specific events? If he or the team was holding him out before the trade deadline, I don't get they would do that seeing as reports are he hadn't asked to be moved, and they didn't want to move him and every win counted?

Like Doug said, it could all be nothing, but it does make me raise my eyebrows.

[Kevin]

A few thoughts on the Raptors situation.
1. I'm wondering if Bosh is a good investment for top dollar money. He is worth a lot, but probably not top dollar. Of course he likely goes elsewhere if he doesn't get a max contract. I think the possiblity of a sign and trade gets bigger every day.

2. I like AP as the seventh or eight man but I would be against bringing him back in his current role. The team needs an upgrade or a young player who has the physical assets and could grow into the role.

3. Joey only works on a team with depth. With Bosh out he has become too high an option.

4. Andrea could be deadly as the fourth best player on the team. As a first or second option I think we will constantly be disappointed.

5. I think players will come here if there are dollars available. I wish I knew that for sure.

6. Does Jay survive the season? I just don't see this team spending a ton of money to get an experienced coach.

7. How the hell does New York jump past this team and still have some financial options for 2010?

8. Will the streaming be better tonight because I still don't have TSN(?)?

Back to real life.

[SY]

Hi Jack, here I am, just some thoughts after the trade deadline yesterday -

I believe B.C. got a break there w/ the Marion trade, otherwise, we'd probably end up similar to Washington w/ a losing team paying luxury tax next year. Personally, I like most of the trades done by B.C. but I just don't have a lot of confidence in B.C. signing free agents - he seems to have a tendency to overpay them - Kapono, Jose & Humphries?!? Given that MLSE would never want to pay luxury tax, he really needs to manage those contracts well in order to have any chance of building a championship team. So, this summer is going to be a big summer for B.C. Whether to resign Marion, Parker, Graham and at what price? What to do w/ Rasho, Delfino? Any sign and trade? Too bad there aren't very much good free agents out there this summer or else we'd be at a significant advantage given the cap is probably lower next year and not a lot of teams have caps to sign free agents.

-SY

[Tim W.]

Jack,

The apart from the owner, all the decision makers that were in Vancouver have been replaced. Yes, amazingly enough, one group of complete morons were replaced by another group of complete morons. Interesting side note is that Stu Jackson, who was the President and GM most of the time the team was in Vancouver, and around Vancouver is rightly known as one of the men mainly responsible for the demise of the team, was handpicked by David Stern to run the franchise. Obviously Stern didn't hire him, but he recommended Jackson to, then owner, Arthur Griffiths. He did such a good job destroying the franchise that, when he was finally fired, David Stern made him Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for the NBA. Wonder why Stern didn't hire away Rob Babcock?

[Sivart]

7. New York actually has young talent still on their rookie scale contracts (David Lee and Nate Robinson), and they have one of the best coaches in the league.

My biggest complaint with Colangelo in general is that he seems to really undervalue draft picks, in my opinion draft picks are the easiest way to fill out the depth of a team with cheap young talent, that if you draft well can actually contribute. As San Antonio has proven it certainly isn't the only way to achieve success, but I think it is one of the better ways. Colangelo throughout his years in Phoenix and Toronto has shown that he doesn't value those picks at all, often trading them in salary dumping moves.

[Rob V.]

Hey SY, your a staple on this blog.. a STAPLE baby!! That's awesome, I think I need a handle.

Anyway, I agree with your point about this being a big off season and that we have overspent on free agents. It's interesting because eveyone talks about Banks' salary however do you think Colangelo would like a do over on JK's deal?.

The one thing we should give Colangelo credit for though is his ability to correct his mistakes. This guy is the master of back peddling... in like super light speed... blink of the eye fashion!!

Here are a few, I may be missing some.

Fred Jones - Corrected this one quickly.

Juan Dixon - Watch how fast I'll trade you - if you really dont want to be here - gone!

Smitch - Was never really his guy and the COY award forced his hand to offer the new deal however... first opportunity that looked "reasonable"... Poof!!!

J.Moon - We gave you a chance to play kid - - and you repay us by not working hard in the offseason... Asta la vista!

J O'neal - Sorry however unless your name ends in Wade, Bryant, or James, we made a mistake... 20 million + is ludacris for that kind of production - Smack!!

Hasaan Adams - I got nothing here... we hardly knew you

Solomon - Aka - New Jack City!... same thing!

Colangelo definitly knows how to lay the hammer!!!. What's amazing is how the players seem to LOVE this guy (maybe Doug can confrim or deny this point?). Colangelo is the "smooth assasin"

Personally, I'd target Trevor Ariza as our SF, and A Varejao as our first big off the bench. My guess would be Marion's contract will start somehwere in the 7-8 million range (although I'm sure he'd want more) so why not offer Ariza a 5 year at starters money and put the Lakers on the hot seat to match.

Varejao, is a gritty, hard nosed SOB! (with the ability to take charges) and could certainly help us on the boards as well.

I guess time will tell us what we have in Marion and how that works... should be an interesting 26 games

[PM]

Dear Doug,

Why do fans ceaselessly complain about how MLSE is too cheap to go into the luxury tax? There seems to be this myth about how teams can only be good if they've broken that $69 mil mark? Have they never heard of the Utah Jazz or San Antonio Spurs? Do they really think spending an extra 20 million a year would bring us a championship? Just curious.

Really, what the Raptors need is a real coach. I like Jay but is it just me or does he remind you of Stephane Dion a little bit more every day? He always seems to have that look in his eyes, that "Why did I ever want to do this?" look. It's not a good look for a coach to have.

Any chance of the Raptors bringing in a real, honest to god coach this off-season?

[Eric]

Doug,

I have a question: where do you think the Raptors rank in the NBA in terms of "fight-back" factor (the ability to fight back emotionally, physically when confronted with any kind of adversity)? If it's not right at the bottom, can you at least name some of the teams who you believe are worse?

Thanks.

Blogger's note: I don't see the other teams nearly enough -- and I don't think anyone does -- to answer that question. The Raptors are low, yes. Worst? Who knows.

[JJ]

I can see the headlines now: "Twittergate 2009! Chris Bosh Wants Out - Cryptic Tweet Proves It"

I guess you do like the "well if Bosh isn't being shopped, why did this person say this, or that person say that?" speculation after all. I kid...

The only major question I have about the Bosh thing is regarding the NBA's policy regarding missing the All Star game. I recall last year that Kobe played despite being injured because he was told by the league that if he were to play in the game prior to, and the game following the All Star game, which he intended to do despite his injury, he would receive a 1 game suspension. Since Bosh missed the game before and the All Star game itself, wouldn't playing against Cleveland have resulted in a 1 game suspension? I tried to find the official NBA policy online, but to no avail. Is that how the rule works? Or by going to the All Star weekend anyways, and attending all the media events, did Bosh in fact fulfill his All Star obligations and would have been eligible for the Cavs game (if not for the injury, of course)?

[Jonathan]

They don't do stitching on replica jerseys, sir.

[Tim W.]

Sivart,

Although I've defended Colangelo on many occasions, that was one of my beefs with him when he was hired. He hurt the future of the Suns by basically giving away a top 10 pick in order to sign Quentin RIchardson. The pick turned out to be Luol Deng, but could have been Andre Igoudala, both of which would have helped the team a lot more than RIchardson did. He also gave away Nate Robinson, who would have been a good backup for Nash and saved him some wear and tear.

In order to get Joe Johnson, he gave up what ended up being the 22nd pick in the 2001 draft, but I have no idea when or why that picked was traded away.

A lot of people, however, seem to think that Colangelo was responsible for giving up Rajon Rondo, Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Rodriguez. He was the Raptors GM when those events happened, so he's not responsible at all for those.

Of course, other than Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire, Colangelo's draft picks have been lacklustre. Colangelo seems to be a better judge of more mature talent- Joe Johnson (while in Boston), Boris Diaw (while in Atlanta), Jorge Garbajosa etc, than of younger players.