Three spots and plenty of options

Relatively short and sweet today because it was a night of decompression and a morning filled listening to violent thunderstorms and – at this moment – Super Son committing some kind of musical mayhem on Rock Band.

Heckuva day ahead.

But, there were some questions asked Friday that I said I’d answer Saturday so what the heck.

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Okay, who now?

Three spots, all kinds of money and – most important – playing time at the two, three and backup five.

That’s what Bryan’s got and the one quick dispatch I got from Vegas last night suggest that he’s likely to sit back for a couple of days before getting back into the signing mode. After all, why be in a rush? There doesn’t seem to be a lot of action league-wide except for suggestions Utah’s trying to move Carlos Boozer somewhere so they can match a big offer sheet to Paul Millsap, who, to my everlasting credit, I haven’t called Ronny in months.

Guess it now comes down to prioritizing the names and I’m sure the braintrust is working on a list that they aren’t quite ready to share with me, lest a guy who’s four or five be hurt because he’s not No. 1 or No. 2.

Personally, given circumstances like chemistry, roles, finances and the like (all of which have to figure into this), here’s the list I would make. And I bet it doesn’t surprise.

Carlos Delfino

He knows the team and most of the players, has a great relationship with Jose, respects Jay, can pretty much play three spots in a pinch and isn’t that bad a defender. Sure, the year he was here he had some inconsistencies to his game but he’ll tell you that was because he never really got a defined role from Sam. Might have been a wee factor but that is a troubling history.

Rasho Nesterovic

Another guy who wants to be here and fits perfectly into the locker room. And, I tell you, that’s a big a thing as anything. Think back to the 47-win team. Great chemistry. Think to the 41-win team a year later? Not so great, there was some disconnect between T.J. and Bosh (I’m not entirely sure why, but it was there), Bargnani wasn’t nearly as outgoing as he was in the locker room last year and as he was with Rasho, who’s a good friend and mentor.

And do this math: There are 96 minutes a game to split between the fours and fives. If you’ll have Bosh and Bargnani for, say, 37 a game (and that’s maybe even a bit low), that’s 74 and even my math skills tell me there’s 22 a game left over.

If you can’t get 22 good minutes out of Reggie Evans, who wasn’t obtained so he could sit on the bench, and Rasho, you’re in trouble.

Now, the third spot’s the tough one.

If you get Delfino, does he satisfy the need for a 2 and a 3 and therefore send you looking for a combo guard who can play some 1 and 2?

Or do you like Douby on the court with Turkoglu and Turkoglu running the offence?

Same thing with Roko. Can you play him with Turk and take that penchant for over-dribbling away from him?

What are you going to get out of DeRozan, who now doesn’t have to score?

Does Antoine Wright get a shot at starting and would he be okay as a backup?

And there’s Bryan’s statement that he doesn’t want to give out longer deals to all of these three so he can protect himself against a tax hit a year from now.

A tough call.

Me?

I’d see if I could Jarrett Jack on a one-year deal, although I know that might stunt Roko’s development a bit more and it would take Indy renouncing him and I don’t think that’s going to happen.

If you can’t get him, here’s a name that came up in a comment yesterday and one I have heard around the team, although not for a month or so.

Bostjan Nachbar.

Can do a few different things on the court; I am told he’s one of the all-time good guys so he wouldn’t be a locker room problem and he might take a one-year deal to re-establish his bonafides in the NBA.

I know there will be people in the organization who like him.

Anyway, only after that would I go looking at guy like Kleiza (I’m not a huge fan because I’m not sure what he does well enough to make a difference) and, perhaps, take a quick look at Josh Childress, who Atlanta could very well match on.

One other thing to think about:

To make an offer to a restricted free agent with a full qualifying offer from his current team that deal has to be for at least three years and I honestly don’t see Bryan offering anyone a three-year contract.

That could change for the right guy but that would surprise me.

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Tough times in New Zealand for the Canadian Under-19s, as you can read here.

A two-point loss to Puerto Rico at the buzzer leaves them to play for seventh and eighth.

As we’ve been saying, when they went down there, a top-eight finish was the logical goal with a shot at a medal not out of the question.

I’m sure there’ll be some disappointment but I think they got where they should have and, had they had a better draw in the quarters, we might be talking medal.

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Remember the mail bag?

Well, I’ve been trying to get one together for a while but stuff like free agent signings and news kept getting in the way. Just checked the inbox and there’s a billion questions there but they’ve pretty much all been asked and answered over the course of the last couple of days.

So …

I’ll leave it up to you fine folks to find some others and send ‘em in and we’ll get to one sometime tonight or tomorrow. After all, looks like a miserable day here, the barbecue plans seem to be dashed so Super Son can goof on his Rock Band and I’ll sit and type.

Comments

[petro]

Doug... I know I've thrown this name by a few times... Dahntay Jones.

Don't you think he would bring the kind of athleticism, toughness, grit on defense and energy the Raps are looking for at the 2 and 3?

What I don't know is if he would he be a good fit in the locker room... would he?

Blogger's note: Jones has a four-year deal in Indy

[kelsie]

I hope BC tries to upgrade us defensively next. I like Delfino and Nachbar is alright (quite a bit of International flavour to this team no?) but I hope he focuses on some dirty, in your face, pesky defence like a Dahntay Jones from Denver.

We know where the shots are going this year so why not take a small investment on someone who will focus on stopping the swings on other teams and not worry about his own scoring, which sometimes worries me about Delfino.

AP was a classy player for us but we continually got torched by opposing 2's and 3's last year and I hope BC invests some money into someone who will be a pest, who opposing teams dislike with a passion and hate playing against, and takes up the defensive challenge every night.

Any word about his name being tossed around by the Raptor brass Doug?

Blogger's note: Jones? Got a four-year deal in Indy

[BrianV]

I would love the Raps to take a run at SF Matt Barnes. With us having the Bird Rights to Delfino (his salary does not count against the cap) it would be like throwing away money/capspace, not signing him as a SG.

There are other SG's out there who might be better but their salaries will come out of our capspace, meaning we have less money for other players.

Whomever we do take a run at must be a better than average defender. As currently constituted, if this finesse team needs to make a stop to win a game, as happened on so many occasions last year, they will not be able to make a stop unless it is a lack of execution by the opposing team.

[Dave]

I think we should give the whole MLE for one year to Josh Childress. Tell him he has the starting job on openning night as long as he doesn't dog it, and that will give him a chance to showcase himself to the league for the summer of 2010. They should be able to get Rasho on a veteran's minimum. They paid him $9 million when he was here the first time, and he was only worth $4 mil.

[Clutch]

The idea of Nachbar being signed to a one year contract is intriguing, his nba stats are very similar to Kleiza's. Nachbar was a good 6th man for NJ in '08, whereas Kleiza was essentially stuck behind Carmello last season. A big knock on Kleiza is that he isn't much of a playmaker. He did drop 41 points on Utah a couple years back though.

It's still interesting hearing BC at the Turk presser discussing the fact he was "the most popular GM in the league this morning"..I wish we knew an actual number of agents calling him up to sell their players worth.

[Tim W.]

"To make an offer to a restricted free agent with a full qualifying offer from his current team that deal has to be for at least three years and I honestly don’t see Bryan offering anyone a three-year contract."

Only the first year needs to be guaranteed, so it's still an option.

[petro]

Smart minds think alike Kelsie.

[Douglas Rodger]

Hi Doug,

I've only subscribed to the blog for a few weeks but I'm hooked! You do a great job - mind you i have to sneak inside to catch up - I'm supposed to be building a deck - here's hoping the Major-General doesn't notice my absence...

Yes to Delfino - and I would NOT give up on Roko - I think that kid will be terrific before long. I love what BC is doing.

Dudley DoRight

[sean]

I was impress with Nachbar back a few years ago when he was lighting up the Raps with NJ in the playoffs. Personally, the acqusition of Wright and George are win / win situations: Depth at 2/3, expiring contracts. It would be great if we could get a veteran like Bobby Jackson for a 1 year deal, he would be a great back up to Calderon.

[aditya]

i like nachbar since he has the toughness i think, not scared to get into people's faces (from what i remember from this new jersey days), he would gladly come to the NBA (Although not sure if he would come on a 1 yr deal, possibly wanting a 2 year deal)

kleiza, my friend, is an advanced version of nachbar with more athleticism that nachbar, a touch more erratic than nachbar....i can see him coming for a 1 yr deal for a little bit more money (around $4.5-5 mil) to offset any of the cleveland's $3 mil remaining from its mid level.

i love pops though, he just got rebounds rebounds and more rebound, albeit in small minutes, but got the crowd energized....

[aditya]

one more comment, yesterday you mentioned you would take barnes and delfino instead of kleiza and delfino...you can substitute barnes with nachbar ....

but, the thing is kleiza can guard 4's, which neither nachbar (too thin) nor barnes can do

i see it as a slam dunk for delfino coming back for $4 mil that was reported earlier ($3.8 mil) and hopefully kleiza on a one year deal for over-market value or a multi-year deal

[gabe]

is there any reason that Bryan would rather sign the 3 players now instead of waiting some time for one of them. For example, if he signed Delfino and Nesterovich, couldn't he wait for the season the begin, see what he's got and then make a decision on what's most important for this team? The money would still be there right? And there might be some newly available players as teams start establishing their rotations and specific needs.

thanks doug, love the blog.

Blogger's note: Sure, the money would still be there but the players might not be

[Marc]

Doug, it appears Carlos Delfino has a shoulder injury that could take between 1-6 months to heal. Do you think this may factor into resigning Carlos Delfino. Personally, I dont think signing Delfino is worth the risk that he may miss some games...have you heard any other names like a Marquis Daniels.

Also, I disagree with signing Nachbar, we have enough mediocre wings as it is...do you remember last year with Ukic...we desperately need a solid back up PG and I think thats whats BC is looking for which we can get for cheap..anthony carter/ronnie price or sign Jarret Jack for MLE.

Blogger's note: One month is no big deal, neither is two. Believe me, they'll have the doctors check him out

[Rick]

Doug, miserable here in Ottawa too! Anyways, is BC waiting it out because he wants other teams with money to use it up and then he can get better deals on the remaining FAs?

Blogger's note: That's part of it, and he was also so caught up in that zany trade, some other things went out of his mind. But if he knows he wants a guy, he might make an offer in the next day or two but there is no rush

[Raps Fan]

What about Dahntay Jones? (I keed I keed)

Rasho, Defino and Smush Parker

Why because all these players can help us the Raptors and I said Smush Parker because he is a Vet that can guy in foul trouble and the way he stepped in the D-League he stepped with experience!

*Doug do you think the raptors will get 4 players or 3 players?

Blogger's note: Seeing as they already have 12 guaranteed contracts, four is out of the question

[Lee]

BrianV: ANY player you sign no matter who they are counts towards the Salary Cap - Delfino included. Because he's a restricted free-agent, however, the Raps can sign him while already OVER the cap, without having to use their Mid-Level Exception to do so. (The Bird Rights you mentioned)

That's the real benefit of signing Delfino - you still have the MLE and BAE which is more than enough money to fill the remainder of the roster with serviceable (if not better) players.

I also think you're confusing the Salary Cap with the Luxury Tax threshold, but you don't seem to be alone in that.

The Raptors are approx. $12M under the tax level for this season as they stand right now and have close to $8M available to spend in exceptions. Unless they spend much more money than I'd expect on whomever they retain with Bird rights, the tax shouldn't be too much of an issue. For this upcoming season at least.

[doug]

you raise good points about Delfino..there were a few blurred roles on that team such as Barg's, Graham etc, so that is a valid point...he gives Jay some versatility, flexibility, like I said before nothing he did while he was here stood out in my mind...I still think another trade is coming...Rasho would be a excellent pick-up...I have this personal philosophy if I were to rebuild a team I would re-build with new guys, not bring players back as to me it's the same old same old...but I can see the rationale for bringing back both those fellows...I like looking at unrestricted free agents that are available after the upcoming season...as teams may be interested in dealing players instead of getting nothing for them when they walk...Raja Bell is unrestricted next year, would love to get that guy in a trade, remote possibility but guys like that, situations like that are worth a call...

[LeeZ]

Only thing I'd change in your assessment of Delfino: "isn’t that bad a defender". Actually, based on his year in Toronto, he is without doubt a damn fine defender. I remember remarking during his year that after a while, opposing 2s and 3s didn't even both trying to blow by him any more, seemingly because they knew he wouldn't let them. And if that sounds atypical for a Raptors defender, well, you're right, it is. Yes, he fell in love with his jump shot too often, although to his credit he was one of the few Raps to take it to the hole on a consistent basis. He's definitely an upgrade on AP defensively (not the AP of old, but last year's slower model) and maybe even offensively as well. An excellent piece to the puzzle, and I would feel very comfortable having him start for a year while Double D gets his feet wet.

[Chris]

Calderon/Ukic/Banks
DeRozan/Delfino/Robinson
Turkoglu/Wright/George
Bosh/Evans/Pops
Bargnani/Rasho/O'Bryant

With Banks/George/O'Bryant on the inactive list.

Doug, what do you think about Nate Robinson? He's a possibility, isnt he? And whats going on with Pops - Is he on the team. And how about Douby - will he be on the rsoster? Also, what do you think about a guy like Leon Powe???

Blogger's note: Personally, I would avoid Nate Robinson like the plague and Leon Powe is out for perhaps the season with a knee injury, he's not a factor

[Matt Kovacs - Age 12]

We need Jarret Jack. I do not think Roko is ready!!!!

[jesse]

Hi Doug,

I agree with Rasho and I guess Delfino. How about Marquis Daniels?

Blogger's note: He'd be down my list, I'm not entirely sure what he does well enough to find time on the court.

[Alex]

Doug...you are a legend! You've outdone yourself this week.

[BrianV]

I hadn't heard about Delfino having a shoulder injury until i read this translated interview, in which he says it could take 1-6 months to heal:

http://raptorsrepublic.com/blog/2009/07/11/delfinos-interview-translated/

If this is true (translation correct?), I'm sure not what the Raps want to hear.

[sunray]

Hi Doug,

Has it been established around the league that Americans do not want to play here. Delfino, Nesterovic, Nachbar... Why is it that only non-North American players are getting a look or have a shot for that matter. If so, will this ever change or are the Raptors destined to be the United Nations of the NBA from here on out.

Sonny

Blogger's note: No, it has not been established.

[aditya]

ekene ibekwe - he got something