A late night but maybe little movement

RICK MADONIK/TORONTO STAR

Not everyone will be back after the free agents fall.

Big day?

I’m not sure, actually. I know it’ll be a late one in case we find out some things right after midnight tonight but the people I talked to around league and Raptorland yesterday made it sound like nothing was going to happen with these guys at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow.

That said, things have a tendency to come together quickly in free agency, one signing happens (or one agreement is reached might be a better way to put it) and other stuff can fall into place rapidly.

As one guy put it to me yesterday afternoon, concerning the Raptors and the league:

“There are so many different balls up in the air right now, it’s hard to guess what’s going to happen.”

He probably should have added, “or when it might happen.”

Anyway, looks like we’re in for a bit of a long day.

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Marion, of course, is the first.

Here’s what I know, or at least what I’ve heard from people who are paid to know these things.

As they’ve been saying all along, they’d like to get him back at a reasonable number over a few years or, as I suggested yesterday, they might try (futilely, I imagine) to get him on a big-bucks one year deal.

About “four or five” teams have expressed some interest in exploring sign and trades if there’s no deal to be done here.

The only names being speculated on – and it’s true speculation right now – are Dallas and New Orleans but they are very cursory talks and nothing is, or was, too serious. And, sadly, no names at the moment. And, as I mentioned the other day, I’m virtually certain Bryan will – and should – call Orlando to see if there’s a Turkoglu deal to be done.

I would think he should call Houston, he should call Utah and probably Sacramento to see if there’s a deal to be done. Chicago’s loaded and while there may not be a fit there, it’s at least worth a cold call to see what the Bulls might be thinking.

I do know from various people that if you’re looking at Portland, there is no interest there in dealing away the one guy who might fit, Travis Outlaw. So let’s put that one out of mind at the moment.

But, as you should realize by now, some people keep things very close to the vest until they’re actually done or imminent so ferreting out information long before something happens is uber-difficult.

We’ll try, though.

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Now, before anyone rushes out and buys replica No. 44 The Legend jerseys, please consider this:

The offer sheet to Pops Mensah-Bonsu yesterday meant nothing. The offer is entirely non-guaranteed, it doesn’t mean they are dead set in bringing him back but he’s like an insurance policy in case something else goes down.

Because it’s not at all guaranteed (worth a little bit more than $1 million), no one in the organization thinks he’ll sign it because if he does and something else comes up, all they’ll do is waive him and have faced no risk.

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On the other hand, we have our friend Mr. Graham.

If they had extended a qualifying offer to him, it would have had to have been worth about $3.5 million, it would have been fully guaranteed (under rules pertaining to qualifying offers) and, as one guy with a brain said last night:

“If he gets an offer for $3.5 million guaranteed, he’d sign it in about 10 seconds.”

Now, Joey may get some offers out there in the league (although I bet he’s a late-July, early-August signing after all the big moves are made) but I also can’t fathom it being for that much money.

And, this way, the Raptors don’t have that money tied up in a guy they can get -- if not him, a cheaper facsimile – any time this summer.

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Got your BayHawks jersey yet?

Yes, the new D League affiliations are out and the Raptors are now hooked up with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Erie BayHawks.

It doesn’t mean much except that travel costs are down significantly from last year when they were hooked up with the Idaho Stampedes.

And I will say this, I may never have been in Boise but I have been in Erie and the Raptor sure didn’t upgrade the scenic nature of their affiliation.

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The Raptors haven’t finalized their summer league roster yet – I know they expect DeRozan, Jawai, Ukic, Douby and O’Bryant there from list of returning players – but I will tell you this:

They want Marcus Banks to play and the last time I spoke to anyone with power in the organization, the request was being greeted with resistance.

I imagine Banks, with six years in the league, might think he’s above playing in the summer league, which is absolutely the wrong thing to think.

Here’s a kid who’s played about 1,200 regular season minutes over the last three years (my abacus says that’s the equivalent of about 25 48-minute games) and a kid who needs to show a little bit of what he can do, even under messy summer league conditions.

Not only that, if Banks wants to have a chance to earn some time with the Raptors – or even show 29 other GMs that he’s got some game – it’s imperative he plays.

Stay tuned on this one, because if he ultimately bails, I can’t imagine it’s going to make his bosses happy.

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From Digression World, we offer this:

Remember the Marathon of Golf thingy way back when, the 100 holes in a day charity fund-raiser for the Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association?

Well, got a note that says the final tally was about $43,000 raised and I know that some of you had something to do with that.

Again, thanks. Very much.

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You know who I’m not sure I want to be?

Kris Humprhies.

Now, I like Hump and think he’s got some promise but I can be pretty certain in saying that if Bryan’s out there trying to make multi-player trades, one of the guys he’ll offer in a package and one of the guys other teams might look at is Hump.

He’s 24, shows some promise some time, has a very manageable contract ($2.9 million this year, $3.2 million in 2010-11) and if there’s a chance to make some that might include a big man coming back along with something else, Hump’s got some value.

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Comments

[kazbid]

hey doug..quick comment and question

i agree with the ppl yesterday saying you should stop posting eric's msgs...it's not that he's completely off-base..it's that he never offers any positive alternatives..he's completely negative and doom and gloom all the time..its not helpful

question: have you heard any raps brass talk about marquis daniels..unrestricted FA..i'd say he's worth the MLE..solid rebounder and defender..and definitely has no issue about driving to the basket

Blogger's note: Nothing specific on Daniels, who really didn't set the world on fire in Indy.

[Mando]

Why do people keep putting Derozan in the starting lineup, he's never played an NBA game yet. I'm sure he's good etc. but who knows how he'll do in the bigs. I can't believe that so many people are such willing victims of the hype machine.

Blogger's note: Mostly because his coach said last week he could envision using him as a starter for seven or eight minutes at the beginning of the first and third quarters.

[sackman]

doug -- what's goin' on with walter hermann?

Blogger's note: I suppose he's waiting to see what tomorrow brings

[jamie]

Charles, you need to grow some thicker skin. I don't think that comment would qualify for Doug's "Top 50 snarky remarks".

[Tim W.]

Apparently people missed (again) my comments on Villanueva. Here's why the Raptors should never, ever sign Villanueva:

1. He's a PF. He's not a SF nor will he ever be one. It's why Colangelo traded him away. As bad as Villanueva is defensively at PF, he's even worse at SF. And when your team is near the bottom defensively, as the Raptors are, you DO NOT get more players that are below average defensively. Not if you want any chance of winning. And his offense doesn't make up for it when his man is going to get to the hoop whenever he wants, putting Bosh and Bargnani into foul trouble because it will be up to them to cover Villanueva's mistakes and neither is going to be mistaken for Dwight Howard.

2. Since the Villanueva is a PF, why would a team with three PF's (not including Bargnani or Pops) want another one.

3. The Raptors were near the bottom in terms of inside scoring, and VIllanueva scores most of his points from outside, and that's when he played PF. The last thing the Raptors need is ANOTHER outside shooting big man, especially one who can't get to the line.

4. On a Bucks team that was hurt by injuries, Villanueva played fewer minutes at PF than Luc Mbah a Moute, a 6'6 SF with no offensive game to speak of because Villanueva struggles defensively and disappears on both ends of the court frequently.

5. Did I mention he's a PF?

Cleveland and San Antonio, who I gather have interest in him, are two successful teams that would not require him to start or play more than 20-25 mpg, and have the type of team atmosphere that can get the most out of him, The Raptors are not.

He would be an extremely bad fit on a Raptor team that would not be able to hide his weaknesses, of which there are many, hence why Milwaukee not extending him an offer sheet despite having a conspicuous lack of PF's on the roster.

Please let's let this Villanueva talk go, shall we?

[Tim]

Its unlikely Charlie comes back to the team. He loves Toronto, but this is what he had to say about BC. This is from his blog a while back.

Its funny to read some of these articles at times. Honestly, it doesnt bother me one bit. I mean anything can happen. I learned that the hard way as a Raptor. Im not sure if I ever told you guys how things went down when I got traded, but lets just say if someone tells you one thing, yet does the exact opposite, literally the next day, its hard to look that person in the eye again and respect them. Sorry guys, I wont get further into it.

http://my.nba.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5800018368

[Rob]

With Iavaroni being known as a "big man" coach (at least thats what I read a few times), do you think that with the potential Hump has shown in the past that Iavaroni can make a difference in Humps game this year?

Blogger's note: Getting better in on Hump. You and I and anyone who's ever seen him play knows what he needs to do, it's not a matter of specialized coaching, he's had good coaching every day he's been here.

[Calvin]

not sure if this has been asked.. if we denounce all of our FAs and sign a player (lets say Turk) for $9mil/year as a free agent and get ourselves dangerously close to the salary cap. Do the raps still get the mid level exeption and biannual exeption?

Blogger's note: If they are under the cap, they do not have the mid-level exception.

[Darko]

"I would think he should call Houston, he should call Utah and probably Sacramento to see if there’s a deal to be done."

Doug, any particular names here. Any chance of getting Ron Ron,
in the light of Yao announcement (and Houston's chances at the
title becoming worse than Raptors).
One can only hope that BC will have better summer than previous two.

Blogger's note: I can't imagine Houston letting Artest go, that'd be absolutely gutting the team. But stranger things have happened.
Maybe in Houston they look for some big deal like Lowry or Brooks or a Chuck Hayes, I don't know.

[Andre]

Wow Charles, your nuts man... Think of yourself as ODOM... WOULD YOU LEAVE A TEAM THAT JUST WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP TO PLAY FOR A TEAM THAT DIDNT MAKE THE PLAYOFFFS?? come on man... please.

And where did all these CHARLIE V Lovers come from? OMG.. this is grosh... ppl please stop.

Hey Doug when will the set the salary cap? or has that been done? and I'm also wonder what the raptors got to do to get the All-star game? thanks.

Blogger's note: Cap number released the night of July 6 this year; moratorium on signings lifted July 7

[spend $]

u can talk about Turk at 10 mill but someone mentions Odom at the same price and its supposed to be some sorta pipe dream like the raps cant possibly afford 10 mill. but paying a washed up O'neal 24 mill last year was no prob. i have listended to all the explenations and im not buying any of it, the cav, magic, rockets, and lakers seem to be able to find ways to spend and still pay and keep their players. it's time MLSE does the same.

[aditya]

morris almond....gotta give him a chance...i believe he is an unrestricted free agent

[Tim W.]

Doug, I'm wondering if it would be possible to give a list of how much cap space each Raptor free agent is occupying? I vaguely recall you doing this, but went back and couldn't find it. I ask because I'd like to see how much cap room the Raptors would have if they renounced everyone but Delfino. If the Raptors would be able to keep Delfino and sign Ariza, I think the Raptors really wouldn't lose much depth.

Thanks.

[Calvin]

"Blogger's note: If they are under the cap, they do not have the mid-level exception."

Just a follow up comment... I vaguely remember a year ago on tv that if signing a play with the mid level exeption would push the team over the salary cap, then the team can use the mid level exeption. I guess its possible I heard wrong then. Anyways, thanks for the great help!

Blogger's note: Yes, if, for instance, a team is $4 million under the cap, it can spend up the limit of the mid-level.

[Andy]

Hi Doug.

I know speculation on individual players can be an exercise in futility, but with talk of guys like Turkoglu, Ariza, etc. I think there's a guy out there that may be flying under the radar...

Are you hearing any buzz on the street regarding Linas Kleiza? I know they were pretty high on him in Denver, but I can't imagine they'd match an offer involving most of our MLE (is he worth that?). If we could sign Marion to a 3 year deal, I think Kleiza could be a fantastic backup swingman and insurance policy for injury.

[Tim W.]

spend $: "u can talk about Turk at 10 mill but someone mentions Odom at the same price and its supposed to be some sorta pipe dream like the raps cant possibly afford 10 mill. but paying a washed up O'neal 24 mill last year was no prob. i have listended to all the explenations and im not buying any of it, the cav, magic, rockets, and lakers seem to be able to find ways to spend and still pay and keep their players. it's time MLSE does the same."

You need to learn how the economics of the NBA works before jumping on MLSE for not spending money they are currently incapable of doing, even if they wanted to.

[doug]

hey Tim W if people want to talk about Charlie V then so be it...that's what a blog is all about, Charlie V wasn't released by the Bucks over his play it was strictly money, as they have a fair amount of cash tied up and plus Sessions is to good a player to renounce....but Charlie V will never play in Toronto under BC as that situation is what it is and I don't get a feel of to much love there....in terms of his being a perfect match in Cleveland I have my doubts as I feel they are now putting Brown in a untenable position by having to many pieces to juggle adding Charlie V would just complicate matters more....I could see him with the Spurs or even the Celts for that matter be a far better fit...

[Chris]

Doug et al.

I just read on the Houston Chronicle, that the rockets will be targetting Chris Bosh this year. (Doug's response: and so will the other 28 teams).

That I know. But how is it feasible short of trading tmac's mammoth contract (setting aside the PR nightmare of tmac in toronto again). The article suggested that bosh would be perfect to replace yao. Also, the article stated that the rockets may not bring back artest.

I think this is just a case of a local sports beat trying to uplift the "beaten" locals.

p.s. I like us pursuing Daniels and Marvin Williams. However, I think we wont be getting either.

Blogger's note: I can't imagine the Rockets have any package that Toronto would for Bosh that wouldn't absolutely gut their team and make it ridiculous that they'd end up with Bosh and garbage for one year.

[Joe Dumars]

Hi Doug,

I want us to meet to discuss a sign and trade involving marion for my guy tayshaun prince.

would you entertain it? if not, at least evaluate it.

I think my pistons are a good partner for any S&T due to our caps space.

Blogger's note: Sure, I'd entertain it but I believe you would be hospitalized from the obvious brain problems you have since you have money to simply go and get Marion without losing one of your top players.
Other than that, it makes entire sense.

[doug]

I find the timing of Michael's Curry's dismissal interesting...may not be anything to it just coincidence but here it is on the eve of free agent signing period, the Pistons have a lot of money to spend and they release their coach...a coach a lot of their veterans weren't to happy with, not a popular coach, and players talk, so just wondering if Dumars was getting a vibe that with Curry still as coach their foray into the free agent market was not going to be as he was hoping...could be a good fit for Sam...

[Andrew]

What do you make of the report that: "Ukic is reported to be displeased by his playing time in the Toronto Raptors" and "According to various sources from Greece, Croatia and the US, Olympiacos has made an offer to Roko Leni Ukic, worth 3,5 million euros for two years."

http://www.talkbasket.net/news/olympiacos-offers-ukic-a-contract.html

Blogger's note: I make nothing of it; the Greek team talked to him, he made it clear he wants to be in the best league in the world and I put absolutely no stock in it whatsover right now.

[Juan]

Re: Kleiza I sem to recall he and Jay needing to be separated in a shouting match during a game in Denver a couple of years back. Perhaps not a good fit?

[Darko]

Doug, tonight at midnight you are doing live blog, right.

Blogger's note: Hahahahahahahaha.
Um, I mean, no, I think I'll wait and see what transpires since nothing that happens at midnight is going be (a) final or (b) anything that can't wait until morning.

[petro]

Doug... here's a far fetched question...

Any chance that the Raps entertain signing Euro free agent centre Nikola Vujcic?

He's been an all Euro League 1st team all star several times and is 5 years younger than Rasho.

Gotta give props to my country men when I can.

Blogger's note: I've got to say there's never been any indication they have any interest in a guy from Europe and with all the bigs they have, that goes double for a centre.

[Vincent Lam]

Of the teams with significant salary cap room you mentioned in your column - Detroit, Memphis, Portland, Oklahoma City and Atlanta - are any interested in Turkoglu? He is giving up about 7 million in salary by opting out this year. It would be terrible for him to get only the mid-level. But how else can he make more? Orlando would probably not want a sign-and-trade 'cause they already have so many salary obligations.

Also, John Hammond was such a hot commodity (he was a possible candidate for Raptors GM I believe) and he chose to go to the Bucks as their GM. Now that CV is out of the picture, they have Redd, Bogut and youngsters. That's some serious rebuilding. Granted, the owner might make things tough for him. But if he were in Toronto making similar roster moves, he'd be run out of town.

Blogger's note: Portland has great interest in Turkoglu, I'm told, and I imagine Detroit does, too