Let the signings begin. With Andrea

Quiet day, quiet night. Calm before the storm?

We, as they say, shall see.

-

I will say this right here: If the numbers are right and the Raptors have locked up Andrea Bargnani for five years at $50 million – and I have no suspicion that those numbers are wrong – they got a bargain.

Maybe not a bargain in relation to real life but in the context of pro basketball, getting a 24-year-old, 7-foot centre-forward with Bargnani’s kind of skills on a contract like that is a deal.

We’ll be summoned to the Air Canada Centre for a big shebang this afternoon and I bet people in the organization will be crowing.

Regulars here will know I’ve always thought Bargnani had a chance to be very good and his play last year showed some flashes that would make even the greatest of naysayers at least take a look.

No, he doesn’t rebound like Dennis Rodman, or even Dennis The Menace some nights, but it’s undeniable that he was better at boxing out, taking care of his man and going to the boards last year than he was in his rookie season and especially his lost sophomore campaign.

He’s a good shooter who’s getting better, his mid-range game is improving and this contract is going to look pretty darn good in a couple of years, I suspect.

And now, having Bargnani and Hedo Turkoglu locked up for at least five years and with Jose Calderon under lock and key through 2013, there’s a pretty solid core in place.

I imagine Chris Bosh has noticed.

-

So, what happened yesterday? A bunch of stuff, I guess, but nothing really newsworthy leaked out.

Dallas is the sole focal point for Marion at this time, the Raptors won’t take any money back, they need a third team, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. All of which we knew 24 hours ago.

But there had to be other stuff being kicked around for other guys, I imagine.

The silence was deafening from people who usually will at least chat electronically for a minute or two.

Not sure when we’ll get to the gist of what Bryan was doing all day, I imagine it’ll be sometime tonight or tomorrow morning and it now looks like the Hedo thing won’t happen until Thursday.

But watch around the league today to see what teams renounced who or said they were not going to re-sign this guy or that guy.

This story from Paul Coro’s kind of interesting, Matt Barnes is one of the guys who the Raptors thought might fall through the cracks.

There will be others and we’ll endeavour to find out who they are.

-

Hey, how about them Canadas?

Check this out, find out that the Under-19s beat Argentina and now move to the quarter-finals of the world championships and understand that’s a pretty significant win.

Not that they are guaranteed to be top eight in the world – although that’s quite an accomplishment – but because the kids on the team now get a rather significant reward for their work and it’s another way to show them that being involved in the national team program is a worthwhile summer endeavour.

The one thing that Wayne Parrish and his band of merry advisors (and put The Big M – Maurizio Gherardini -- right at the top of that list) have done is provide excellent programs for the kids who are the future of the senior national team and having them have some success means they’re moving in the right direction.

There’s no telling how this tournament will wind up – a medal sure would be important – but the challenge now is to make sure these youngsters stay with the program through their early 20s so that when they become ready to make a big step on the senior stage (which probably takes until their mid-20s or even later) they’ve got some more recent international experience to draw on.

-

Hey, how about that salary cap?

It’s $57.7. million this year and the tax level’s $69.97 million and no one I’ve talked to is much surprised at that since it was based on last year’s revenue and while the economic crunch hit during the season, most of the big-money sponsorship deals and the like were already in place.

But – and it’s explained quite well here in Marc Stein’s story – the real crunch is going to come a year from now because if anyone thinks there’s lots of money out there for corporate deals this year, they sure haven’t been paying close attention.

And that might mean teams with their eyes on two maximum-value deals might want to blink.

-

Hey how about them Yankees? I know at least one of you cares but the Mighty Yankees suffered an ignominious defeat last night, I think it was 19-16 or something like that.

Wasn’t a lot of gold glove defending, that’s for sure, and a mental blip or two on the bases proved, um, costly but what the heck, we’re 8-3 and that doesn’t stink.

And, as one of the guys I was corresponding with during the game on NBA matters (yeah, work really never does end this time of year) put it:

“Dammit. I hate a heartbreaker like that.”

-

Comments

[gdr]

Another day of constant refreshing. Hopefully today brings more news than yesterday. Thanks for the good work Doug! Keep it up.

[Courtney]

Does the Bargnani signing put the Raps over the cap, thus giving us the MLE?

Blogger's note: No, no, a thousand times no

[Prophet2k]

I am suprised that Andrea would agree to an extension. He wasn't exactly treated well in his first couple of seasons here(though they got rid of smitch and triano seems to like Bargs). I had been concerned that Andrea would have tested the 2010 cash fest as a restricted free-agent. So many teams clearing space for that year and they all can't get LBJ, Dwade, or CB4. This move is a classy one by Bargnani, he could have gotten a better offer if he waited it out but signing an extension this season sure makes things more do-able to bring Bosh back next year.

I've never been a fan of lumbering oafs at the 5 and Andrea is one of the better skill guys at the position. His drives are often the ugliest things to witness on the court but they work.

Good deal...

[chili]

Hey Doug,
What kind of contract does Marcus Banks has? Everyone here is trying to trade him to another team. Is there a provision in his contract about a buy-out? If there is, can the team just buy him out? What are its implications to the salary cap?

Blogger's note: No. A buyout does nothing. Two years, about $9 million left and you can't get it off the cap

[Jacques]

Doug,

I just wanted throw out a quick question before I start my vacation down south to Myrtle for a week starting tomorrow. Is there any chance that BC is looking at Grant Hill to help us fill the 2 position? that will give us some leadership role, which we still lack and he could start for us too. I'll miss you!!

Blogger's note: No money for Grant with New York and Boston in the mix

[Thane]

Wouldn't a low salary cap year be the best time to sign multiple people to max deals?

At 30% of cap, that makes it a huge bargain, especially if the cap goes up the next year, no?

Blogger's note: I'll point you to other comments.

[PM]

hey Doug, hear anything in the back rooms of bringing in a guy like Von Wafer for some off-the-bench scoring and some Juan Dixon-esque pouting? I think he's exactly the kind of player we could really use, pouting aside: a confident slasher/shooter who's fine with coming off the bench and can play good defense in a system. I guess I fell in love with a number of the Rockets players this post-season, but Von seems like the type of player BC should at least call up before offering 4-5 mil a year to Delfino.

Blgoger's note: He'll be looking for work, I'm sure. How he fits? I'm not sure. If you followed them that closely, you'll remember the night in the crucial playoff game that Rick Adelman banished him to the locker room during a game. That cannot be a good signal

[Matt W]

Hey Doug,

In lieu of the salary cap announcement for this year, it's become obvious that the cap for the following year will put a crunch on the much dreamt about summer of 2010. With most teams unable to sign 2 star level players (like a LeBron and/or Wade, Bosh, etc.) without gutting their rosters - doesn't it make sense for some of these guys to sign their extensions this summer?

I'm talking mainly about a Bosh-type player. Surely, there will be interest outside but if the Raptors can offer more than any other team, doesn't it make sense to sign the deal BEFORE the cap goes down? I ask because it is my understanding that players may make a certain percentage of the teams cap - if the cap goes down, so does the salary... right?

I'm sure there's something I may have forgot to consider, but I'm very curious to hear what you think. Especially, do you think any of these players will be pressured by their agents to take a deal now?

Matt

Blogger's note: The extension, and the percentage of the cap it takes up, won't be set for a year; no sense of urgency now

[Ryan M.]

love the bargs signing, i still think he has all-star poetentail (and if it weren't for that man-child in Orlando and a voting deficit for Toronto players I think he could start too). What it does more than anything is show CB4 that we're serious about winning with Bargnani and Turk on the books for he next 5 years. Doug, do you think with his new found boxing out ability (vastly under-rated) and marion's departure that Bargnani can average 8+ rebs this year? or will the fact he spends a lot of time around the perimiter on the offensive zone hamper those numbers?

Blogger's note: I won't guess at numbers, and I don't much stock in them anyway

[petro]

I see the vision... there is a plan... a Plan A i.e. with Bosh and a Plan B if Bosh moves on next year.

Either way... BC has secured a core that is solid for years to come.

And I truly think BC has a gem in store and will round out this roster with one more impact player... how he does that remains to be seen but I totally trust there is one more very tangible deal.

[Peter]

Steve Aschburner - INSIDE THE NBA - July 7, 2009

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/steve_aschburner/07/07/iverson/index.html?eref=T1

"Not sure why Toronto would bother doing a sign-and-trade involving Marion, since the Raptors would be forced to take back salary obligations they rather would avoid. Doug Smith of the Toronto Star sees at least one benefit: greasing the agent."

Your response Mr. Smith?

Blogger's note: As I've said, somewhat repeatedly, a deal that does nothing to harm their salary structure or cap flexibility is fine. They won't, and cannot, take back money; it's very simple. And if they can do that and it makes a significant agent happy, how can that hurt in the future?

[Tony]

Don't know abot Barnes being much help here. One comment really struck me was the fellow who said he had a tendency to hoist up alot of bad shots with Allstars standing arond him watching. Also his high turnover rate.

[Kevin]

Doug, what is the penalty for going over the salary cap but remaining under the luxury tax threshold?

Blogger's note: Ability to sign free agents

[dean]

I must say that the overall net coverage of this day has been sad to say the least.

As of 8:00AM, CNNSI, ESPN and CBSSPORTS had absolutlely no NEW posts, stories or feeds on the 12:01 AM offical signing period beginning.

Must be nice to be Rick Buchler or Adande or Ian Thompsen, they write one story a week, and get called professional basketball writers, although they never seem to be able to break news faster than Adrian Woj. at yahoo.

I will bet by the end of the day, they still won't have anything new....................

Blogger's note: Did it ever occur to you, even for a second, that maybe there's nothing of substance going on. Just because you'd like breathless hourly updates, sometimes there is simply nothing new to report.
I don't imagine a lot -- if any -- teams went to the trouble of finalizing verbal agreements in the middle of the night.

[Lavi]

Hey Doug,
In my pursuit to understand how things go down on your end, I was just wondering how ESPN got a report of the Bargs signing before you did? Is it fair to assume that if it had come from anyone related to the Raptors management, you'd be the first one to report it? And since it came from Bargs' agent, am I right in thinking he preferred to go national with the news, rather than talk to a Toronto reporter specifically? I suppose my actual question is: Does the fact that you didn't get a heads up on this before ESPN frustrate you at all?

Blogger's note: Frustrate? No, not really. It's a matter of who gets a call back when and from whom

[Jim S]

I'm sure you'll say, "Let's worry about next year, next year", but let's say the cap drops to 53.5 or 56 million with the tax threshold closer to 61 or 62 million, you have 3 players for 29 million, with Bosh another 17-20 million (49million), and at least 2 other players at close to 5 and 6 million. Wouldn't that be consecutive years of "rent-a-bench"?

Blogger's note: That's exactly what I'm going to say, mainly because your Bosh number is so out of whack it's crazy. It's 30 per cent of the total cap level; if the cap is $53 million, the max value is less than $16 million.
So, please don't stress until this time next year.

[jesse]

If Bryan Colangelo was ever fired the it would be the biggest travesty the Raptors organization would ever endure. Even when he has screwed up (Kapono, Jermaine, Fred Jones, he always manages to correct it, and quickly. He has been worth as much to this organization as a Chris Bosh and if he can make us a contender, he would rival the likes of a Vince Carter. Once you witness the genius and skill of a GM, they become as important as any player who steps on the court.
I hope we never let him go anywhere else.

[Henry]

I'm not sure why BC don't want to take any salary back. If the Raptors were to trade Marion and Banks for Stackhouse.

1) We clear enough cap to sign Hedo
2) We have a solid 6th man off the bench who can produce at the wing position. The also have the option of starting him at the 2 and have Demar come off the bench.
3) I'm not sure if any team out there would to take on Banks and his contract.

What's your take?

Blogger's note: He doesn't want to take salary back because it may not leave enough room to fulfill the Turkoglu offer. It's really quite simple and has been reported as such quite often.

[Jim S]

Wouldn't it behoove Mr. Bosh to consider signing an extension this year, based on this year's cap, rather than waiting until next year when it may be as low as 50 million? Or are max contracts contingent on next year's cap number no matter when they are signed?

Blogger's note: The latter

[John Jordan]

What I don't understand about this deal is why now? Why not wait until next year?

I know Andrea's a Restricted Free Agent (RFA) next year -- but look at the landscape in the NBA right now -- RFA's are essentially radioactive. Only one got signed to an offer sheet last year (Josh Smith) and it promptly got matched. David Lee and Paul Millsap have essentially been ignored on this year's market. No one seems to be going anywhere near RFAs. So I don't buy any premise that says this move was to protect the Raptors next year.

Second, the salary cap and luxury tax are about to drop majorly. Money is going to be harder to come by. The logical impact of that is salaries decreasing. Mark Cuban keeps talking about a Nuclear Summer. Why dish out extra money on what could be the eve of a nuclear summer? Why not wait to see if market value drops? At the very least, they could have gotten him at the same price next year (or pretty damn close).

As far as this deal being a bargain. I don't see it. For what Bargnani did in the last 46 games, it's market value. Mehmet Okur (the go Bargnani comparison) is just finishing up a 6-year $50 million contract -- signed five years ago. Add in 5 years worth of inflation, and Bargnani's deal is about on the same level. If Bargnani slightly improves, it's still market value. He'd have to take his game to the next level for it to become a bargain.

But here's where I have the most amount of problems with this deal. The Raptors are essentially awarding a $50 million contract based on 46 games of work for a 33-win team. The list of NBA players who have gotten ridiculous contracts based on only playing well for a season or less is too long to list here but think of guys like Jerome James, Marcus Banks, Tim Thomas, etc -- all of whom cashed in majorly after a short run of success.

Now I'm not trying to suggest for a minute that I think Andrea will be in that camp. But again why risk it? Why not wait a year and see how he does in 2009-10? See how well he plays with Hedo, DeRozan, etc. See how well the new line up plays together. Because by signing Andrea now, he's basically untradeable for the next two years (Poison Pill and Base-Year Compensation problems).

I write all this as a guy who likes Andrea's game and believes the best days are still to come. I'm fully in the same pro-Andrea camp that Doug is. But I just can't get over the why now question/the why not wait a year question -- I hope that at the press conference to announce BC provides some answers or somebody asks him the question...

[Jenuwine]

Hey Doug,

Question, how many veteran minimum contracts can we offer? I believe the veteran minimum is 2 million?

What do you think of Tyrone Lue, Matt Barnes to fill out our roster?

Thanks Doug.

Blogger's note: The veteran minimum ranges from about $450,000 to about $1.3 million for a 10-year veteran; you can have as many as you like and I am not at all a fan of Lue and Barnes would be okay on a very cheap deal
Did I answer this quickly enough?

[AAAA]

I'm very pleased to hear about the Andrea extension and am happy you were the first to get the news.

My question is what would the max contract for Andrea been? In other words, APPROXIMATELY how much does B.Roy get next season?

Blogger's note: 25 per cent of the cap

[chops]

Doug,
Do you think there is any possibility, even the slightest, that Portland can be the third team and we can somehow land Rudy Fernandez??
Please say yes!

Blogger's note: Yes.
Or no.

[Damian]

So did BC sign Turkoglu after Marion rejected a contract or did BC sign Turkoglu before Marion could accept?

Blogger's note: Not sure yet. May never find out, that's not the kind of stuff they like to let out there

[Dan]

To Jesse:

You have no problem with BC giving up TWO first round picks to correct his TJ Ford, and then his JO mistake?

Wouldn't it have been nice to have our 17th pick in last year's loaded draft? How about next year's draft?

Colangelo has been great at times. Other times, not so much. Giving away first round picks to correct mistakes is bad, even if it was necessary at the time.