Key conversations are coming

Hey, March Madness starts in a week or so, right?

Guess it’s almost time to begin paying close attention to college basketball; after all, there are going to be brackets to fill out and I’m sure Super Son is going to want some help.

But, before then, we’ve got these guys to worry about.

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Okay, so you’re Bryan Colangelo and it’s April 16 and time for the regular exit interviews.

You’re sitting there with your braintrust and coaching staff and in walks Mr. Bosh.

What do you say?

After all the niceties about the season and whatever, how about this:

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

Chris Bosh will be listening this off-season.

“Hey, Chris, here’s what I want you to do.

"Trust me.

"For next few months, trust me to do something to get this thing turned around. Trust me to do a sign-and-trade with Shawn to find someone with a better offensive game who’s a bit younger and still a force on the boards.

"Trust me to turn the roster spots of AP and Joey into something; either one of them and Delfino or two new guys entirely.

"Trust me to make a good coaching decision, maybe I keep Jay and bolster his staff, maybe I get someone new.

"You trusted me three years ago when you signed the extension and we had a pretty good run. Remember the division title? The playoffs?

"Yeah, we’re off the rails at the moment but I can get it done. I’ll have some money to spend and pieces to offer, we have no idea what the economic picture is going to look like exactly but having versatility is better than not having it.

"If we’re in this same predicament next fall, come and see me and I’ll move you to a contender in the middle of the season, you can maybe win a ring and cut a more lucrative free-agent deal in 2010.”

If you’re Bosh, do you trust him?

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It looks like at least one of the Raptors from back in the day took to the local custom. Courtesy of once of Canada's pre-eminent junior hockey writers, check this one out.

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Here’s one thing everyone who’s dead certain they should re-sign Joey in the summer might want to think about.

There is no question, as was pointed out in today’s yarn in the paper, that Joey’s thrived under Jay and that’s the argument many use for bringing him back.

But what about Jay? While there is a large group of bigwigs with decision-making power who think he’s done a good job with what he’s had to work with, what if the coach isn’t here and they hire someone more Sam-like?

Then what of Joey? Does he continue to thrive under someone else?

Personally, I think there’s a chance he would and I think they should go to great lengths to try and bring him back for something like two years and a third at a team option. But then they have to make sure that if there’s a different guy calling the shots, he better have some patience for a guy they’re locked in to.

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A quickie from the mail:

Q: Hey Doug, in a previous blog you had mentioned that the Raptors may buy a first round draft pick in the year they have to give up their pick to Miami as part of the O'Neal trade.

I was wondering, is there some kind of rule that prevents teams from buying first round picks every year?

Joseph C, Toronto

A: No, there’s no rule at all about acquiring any number of picks; the only limit is that no more than $3 million can change hands in any transaction.

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We had such a good time with the top five at each position last week, let’s extend it today to the benches and try to come up with the best coaches all time.

And this is hard, very hard.

Is it only wins? Can’t be, because then it would be easy.

Is it only coaching the best players? Can’t be, because then it would be easy.

Longevity? Has to play a role.

Differing styles? Sure, that’s got to be part of it.

How hard is it to cross eras, is someone from the 50s a better coach than someone from the 90s because they had fewer great athletes to deal with? I’m not entirely sure.

But here’s one man’s subjective top five list:

Red Auerbach

One team, all those titles, he kept re-making his championship squads

Phil Jackson

All those rings have to mean something; but there’s the Jordan and Kobe-Shaq factors.

Okay, now it gets really, really dicey and subjective:

Gregg Popovich

When you’re considering all-time success, his last decade’s been pretty damn good.

Larry Brown

Tough to put him on the list because of his peripatetic nature but the man can coach.

John Kundla

A throw-back I never saw but check out the records of his teams.

Okay, no Lenny and no Nellie, who got their win totals simply by a matter of years, I think and once again, Jerry Sloan gets short shrift but Pop’s titles and Brown’s championship put them ahead of him. That was the toughest of them all.

How could I leave off Red Holtzman? Or Pat Riley? Or Chuck Daly? I don’t know, but I did.

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Okay, my new favourite player of all time (well, maybe more current than all-time) was at it again last night.

I’m telling you, I’ll be glad if they put an eraser on the pencil I’ll be using to fill out an MVP ballot if I get one.

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I’m told Picture Day went off without a major hitch. Only problem was that the dude they were going to use as a stand-in for Nate Jawai phoned in sick or something and they had to go find someone who was in the building doing some TV commercial to fill in.

So when you look at this year’s portrait, realize that not only wasn’t Jawai actually there, neither was the guy they wanted to use instead of him.

Oh, and it delayed things by about 45 minutes, setting us grunts back a bit of time.

Like you care.

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Comments

[anthony.mackay@gmail.com]

Hey Doug,
Didn't see any highlights yet but just read that Ariza took out Rudy last night.. any update on his health, or if Trevor will be suspended? Also did you see what happened?

Blogger's note: Didn't see it live; have seen it, was a pretty hard hit; I figure I one game suspension will be in order

[Dan]

Regarding Joey, I think history has shown that players who suddenly get something going in a contract year, particularly those who have had issues with effort in the past, should be avoided or should be given short, inexpensive contracts at best.

[Matt]

Would I trust Colangelo if I was Bosh? Really the scenario you painted is no lose for Bosh. If Colangelo turns it around quickly then Bosh wins cause he is on a good young team with an emerging talent in Bargnani, two point guards with world championship (although Delfino doesn't play the position with the Raps), and whatever Colangelo can turn his cap space into (there should be some Chandler deals to be had, even after the Thunder/Piston feeding frenzy and the Raps will be in similar draft position to Boston when they acquired Ray Allen). If not traded to a contender and once again Bosh wins.

One question about the cap though. Say a team is 10 million under the cap. Could that team trade an 8 million player for an 18 million player? My brain says yes, but there could be something it missed.

Blogger's note: Yes, they could

[Pete]

Those words might get me to stick around if I were Bosh.. especially the last bit.

[WA]

Doug, is it safe to assume that this monster of a person called "Agridome" is the biggest douche to ever read the Star?

He always responds negatively to your articles and about the Raptors in general. Yes, our team is losing games and has flaws, but this person thinks he's more holy than God and has the illusion he can do a better job than BC without ever giving us his master plan.

[Nick]

Watching D-Wade do some amazing things last night, I can't help but question myself 'What if we drafted this guy'.
Can Bosh take over a game for 40 some points to go along with something like 10 boards and 12 assists? Can he come up with a clutch steal then a buzzer beater runner to win the game?
I thought not.
People give too much credit to Babcock for getting Bosh and finding Jose but the truth is... no he shouldn't get those credit. (Not to mention the Hoffa mistake)

Blogger's note: Babcock didn't get Bosh, Grunwald did and it was the right pick at the time, the Raptors had that Carter fellow and no young bigs. A no-brainer pick, actually.

[Alex]

So Doug do they airbrush out the whole body of the guy that was missing or just the head?
In the case of "Peanut" did the picture end up with JYD's head on top of a fridge shaped-body?

If there is anyway you could post or scan that picture with Peanut in it I would be forever be grateful!!

PS. Wade has made a very strong case for MVP and personally I would put Sloan over Larry Brown.

[Matt]

For Triano, I think that the Raps next coach should be a Jerry Sloan type in that Colangelo et al commits to the coach more than the players. I would prefer a system to see a system where the players know what they are going to get when they come to Toronto as opposed to the easy-going/hard-nosed coach cycle that resets itself every couple of years when things get a little tough. I'd be comfortable with Triano being that guy, although Colangelo obviously had some chemistry with D'antoni (not available, I'll let it go.... now). Obviously the majority of Raps fans would be writing into this blog on a daily basis about how bad the coaching is (regardless of how many games are won or lost) but really, they would be doing that anyways.

[Joseph Chan]

Hey Doug,

Just to follow up on that draft pick question.

If there are no rules, what's stopping a team from buying up a ton of first rounders from other teams? Is it more the fact that other teams rarely just sell their first rounders?

Blogger's note: Lack of sellers is it and, paying $3 million and then having to pay at least three years of guranteed salaries adds up

[LeeZ]

O.K., so let's alter your Bosh/BC offseason conversation scenario in light of the increasing possibility that CB asks for a contract extension during that discussion (see http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap/2/). Doug, you're the GM. Do you a)Jump at the chance and lock up the Raps best player (by far) at a pay scale that in all likelihood will be inflated once the new cap and labour agreement come into effect? A player who, while tremendously talented, has issues with his knees and who, with the exception of the start of the season, has played only pretty well, but not at a level one would normally associate with max dollars? or b)would you tell him, nah, too many uncertainties in this new economic environment, let's wait and talk turkey in the off-season; and/or c)sign and trade, or d)trade him, or e)none of the above? Come on, Doug, this is your chance to be on Dancing With the GMs! (or the infinitely superior So You Think You Can GM)

Blogger's note: I don't think I'd ask him to take a pay cut.

[LeeZ]

Whoops, what I meant to say was "(...) wait and talk turkey NEXT YEAR". My bad.

[PK]

You might have done this before, but if not:
What are Doug's 5 all time favorite players that he has watched?

[DougG]

"If you’re Bosh, do you trust him? "

If I'm Bosh I say yes I trust you, in fact, sign me up for a max deal right now. That is apparently what agents are now advising their clients, according to certain reports. They believe the cap is going down, which means less money for the player, not to mention the money they leave on the table by going elsewhere. It also means no one will be signing two max contracts on one team in 2010, unless they want to spend a lot of money in tax, putting a decent supporting caste around them.

I don't see what risk Bosh has by signing now. He can always ask for a trade later, even if he does. He can also ask to be paid, if there is a work stoppage in 2 years.

The one question he may want to ask BC is if he intends to put himself and his management team under the microscope too, to try to determine what faults in judgment caused this disastrous year.

[T i]

Doug, I am glad you decided to omit Lenny Wilkens off of your top 5 coaches list... To me he is similar to Brett Favre of coaches.. a bit overrated.. Most wins and losses just like Favre has the most TD passes AND interceptions! In like Lenny, Favre would be maybe on a top 10 list but definately not in a top 5!

[pchu]

If I am Colangelo, I would ask Bosh for a committment. He wants to stay or not. If he said 'I don't know or 'I haven't thought about it', I am trading him.

[rob]

I dont know how true these rumours are but it has been reported that shaq wants out... if that's the case ... I have lost a lot of repsect for this guy... sure he won lots of championships ,,, but when things go tough he turns on his team and is not shy about throwing his teammates under the bus... also the whole Rupaul thing plus ripping Dwight howard and SVG were very immature and i dont think he should get a free pass with those just because he is shaq... what a shame for a great player to finish his career like that.

[Pharaoh]

Doug, I was reading an article in another paper this morning and came across the following statement: "After Bosh and Bargnani, the most reliable fourth-quarter performer on this team might be Roko Ukic..." After contemplating this for a few minutes and checking the Raps win-loss record, this might not be that far from the truth. The Raps have really only beaten two teams of consequence this season - the Magic and the Spurs (three if you count the Heat). In both of those games, as far as I can recall, Roko won the game down the stretch.

My point? There are no big-time players on this team. Bosh just doesn't cut it. I know you like to defend him, as others do, by pointing out that there aren't enough pieces around him to help him out. But the whole point is that the very best players can dribble around or through double teams and still find a way to get to the rim. Bosh is a very good player, and would make a good second or third option on a strong team, but there is no way he can carry a franchise. The fact is he just can't score down the stretch in close games.

[Matthieu]

With regard to the top 5 coaches: isn't it surprizing that Phil Jackson was only chosen once as coach of the year? I know there's the Jordan // Shaq-Kobe factor, but still. I mean, even Don Nelson got 2 such awards !?!

[E Hansen]

Hey Doug, I find it interesting that you include Popovich in your top 5 all time coaches, while leaving out Jerry Sloan. I agree, but in your in-game blog survey on Sunday you said you voted for Jerry Sloan as the better coach over Pop. Did something change your mind in the last 2 days?

Blogger's note: Just considered entire careers more closely. But it was a very, very tough call

[Gregg]

great list ... suprised that we'd see Larry Brown over Jerry Sloan

[John]

Why didn't they just use you as Nate's stand-in?

Surely photoshop could darken your skin, and we know you've got the pipes, Doug.

J.

[E Hansen]

Where does Pat Riley fall on your list? I'd think 5 titles puts him up there.

Blogger's note: Maybe 5A, 6 or 7.

[Jerry C]

Great list. I think the top 3 are exactly right. Don't know much about John Kundla. Would vote for Sloan over Brown. I know Brown has had more success but Sloan has been consistently great over a long period of time.

[GM]

I think your proposed speech is very convincing. What does Bryan say if Chris responds, "Yeah, but I just can't take the fans constant booing"?

I'm not sure I understand your list. You said you can't just look at wins and you can't just look at coaching the best players, because that would be easy. And you say you have to look at longevity. Yet you put Phil Jackson on because of his rings and coaching some of the best players of all time, and don't include Lenny Wilkens because he got all those wins due to longevity. You think he would have had the chance to coach for so many years if his teams sucked? It's a chicken-egg thing here. You think if Sidney Lowe or Brian Winters were given the same number of years, they'd get the same number of wins?

Blogger's note: It's subjective, as I said; you can't look at anything like wins, talent of players, longevity alone. And, yes, Lenny got to coach an awful lot of extra years on his reputation, not his ability or work ethic. That I absolutely know first hand

[Sean]

Where does Darrell Walker fit on your top 5 coaches list Doug?

Blogger's note: Somewhere just outside. Ok, maybe more than "just."