A whole lot of stuff, and a pick for a favourite dancer

As I sit here wondering when the phone will ring or the e-mail will arrive to signal another transaction, this stuff comes to mind:

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What do we all make of this trade, which certainly gave a boost to a rather boring day, didn’t it?

Let’s just say this: It clears up a glut at point guard, address a minor need for a fourth or maybe fifth big and saves a bit of money starting next summer.

I’d have preferred it not include Ukic, who I still think is going to be a pretty good NBA point guard, but he was a distant third here, Douby’s cheaper and his contract expires next summer (Roko has a player option at $1.45 million in 2010). So, as much as it’s sad to see the kid leave, it makes entire sense.

Johnson? Well, he’s relatively raw, never quite panned out after the Pistons gave him that three year deal but he’ll push Patrick O’Bryant to be fifth behind Bosh, Bargnani, Rasho and Reggie Evans and that can’t be a bad thing.

Weems? Well, if they get anything from him, it’ll be a bonus but the fact they don’t need to get anything from him, really, makes his addition at a minimum salary a no-brainer. Can’t hurt, even if he can’t help.

Milwaukee does all right, except in the money part.

Carlos likely starts at the three and Roko will be insurance behind Brandon Jennings and Luke Ridnour, plugging a couple of holes in that roster, too.

This isn’t a deal that’s going to change the balance of power in the East but it does give each team something it needs, which is always the best kind of transaction.

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Here’s one thing when dissecting this deal that everyone should keep in mind:

The thing Carlos wanted more than anything was playing time. And, with the additions of all the swingmen, he simply wasn’t going to get it here.

It’s not as simple as saying, “why didn’t the Raptors just sign him?” when they couldn’t guarantee him the one thing he wanted.

Why would he come? To back up Hedo and maybe Wright and perhaps DeRozan and have to split two-guard time with Belinelli? It wasn’t going to happen and the fact they were able to sign-and-trade him for any piece that will fit a wee bit better is significant.

They have now invested less money on a shorter deal on Johnson, whose trade kicker takes his one-year salary just over $4 million; and have a minimum contract guy in Weems who, even if he can’t play, becomes pretty good cap ballast in some February transaction.

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I notice with great envy that my man T. Enlund is suspiciously absent from the pages of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, but here’s how Charlie played the deal today.

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Oh, and for all the concern about this trade not being able to be done as a 2-for-2 deal until Aug. 23 because Johnson was traded on June 23, here’s how it actually went down:

There are two separate transactions: Delfino and Ukic for Johnson and Weems for no one since minimum-contract players can be dealt with no repercussions.

Just another wrinkle to that zany CBA.

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Yankees! Yankees!

Yes, the lads came up with a big one last night, squishing bugs and hammering hits and rolling to some unfathomably comfortable win.

It sets us up to go for the whole shebang tonight in a one-game, winner-take-all championship final.

That’s if these dopey thunderstorms get in and out of the area this morning.

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Here’s an interesting angle I read from more than a few people yesterday: “Yeah, Amir Johnson’s only 22 and you know that young big men blossom late.”

I hope these are not the same people who have spent most of the summer telling me how horrible Patrick O’Bryant is and how he’s a bust.

O’Bryant’s less than a year older, taller, longer and probably as – if not more – athletic.

Yet people want to run him out of town and yet are willing to see how Johnson develops?

Odd.

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Here’s one for you:

I know for a fact Bryan’s trying to trade Marcus Banks and is working all his GM buddies to see if he can get something done.

What he’s going to have to do, I would surmise knowing how money-conscious GMs think – is find some team that is willing to take on two years of Banks to get rid of three or four years of someone else.

And if you’re Bryan, unless the guy coming back makes less annually than Banks in the next two years, I think you have to resist the urge to pull of a deal.

But – and this is a big ‘but’ – the fact that a handful of the current contracts expire after this season or next may allow Bryan to do just that.

If he can find a team willing to take two years and about $9.4 million of Banks, and take back, say, three years and $12 million of someone else, that’s the kind of trade he has to swing.

Can he do it? I wonder. But in these economic times, being able – because of other transactions – to add payroll two or three years out from now makes it a lot easier than not having that flexibility.

One thing about Banks, though, that you should now: It’s not that he’s a bad guy who disrupts the locker room or the chemistry on the team. In fact, he was a relative non-entity during his short tenure here and there’s been no suggestion from other places he’s been that he’ll cause issues.

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Who do we like among the latest DWTS roster?

Tough to handicap until we actually see them twist and twirl (although it will be absolutely killer if Donny Osmond were to, oh, let’s say, faint during a performance) so I guess it’ll be sentimental selections at the moment.

Can’t, in all good conscience, pick one of the athletes and I have no idea who a couple of those contestants are.

So …

Let’s all back Debbie Mazar just because she’s on Entourage, which is one of the top handful of shows on the tube these days.

Besides, she was in GoodFellas, one of the all-time great flicks, too.

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Comments

[Mezz]

"One last scenario, is Banks/Weems or O'Bryant for... James Posey."

LMAO...your readers are hilarious Doug!!....is this guy managing some Drunk League Team??

[John]

Doug

We still have 3 guys left from last year. Maybe we can trade out 1 or 2 more before trading camp. Good luck to the coach and the fans trying to keep track of who actually plays for the team.

Is this type of turnover common in the NBA ?

Blogger's note: No, not common at all

[RS]

Hey Doug,

MoPete twittered that #24 is back. Does this mean that he may be coming back to Toronto or did he get his number changed to #24 (apparently this is quite a process in the NBA)?

Blogger's note: I'll refer you to the kabillion or so times where it's been mentioned the Raptors have absolutely no interest whatsoever in bringing back Mo