A deal gets done but it won't likely be the last one

Seriously, something’s going to happen today.

Honest.

Of course, it’s something you know about so I don’t know exactly how we’ll write it but still …

It’s something.

Until then …

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I don’t think we’re ever going to find out the full, unabridged version of what transpired between the Raptors and Bobcats over the past 48 hours because there may be some time the two teams want to do business again and no one wants to air all their dirty laundry in public.

I will say this as a statement of fact: There was a deal agreed to at some level around mid-day Monday, so much so that the players involved where informed by teams and their agents that they were moving, one sure sign that there was abundant confidence at both ends that something was about to become official.

I don’t know when Dallas swooped in to start the process of acquiring Tyson Chandler; maybe it was after word of the impending deal leaked out, most likely there had been some previous communication between the teams that hadn’t amounted to anything.

But I will say this: It looks bad on the Bobcats, regardless of precisely how things unfolded. As I was told by one league guy during the whole schmozzle: “This is the first time something like this has happened” and all I can think back to is last February’s trade deadline when they pulled out of a TJ Ford trade about five minutes to the deadline.

But, no, there is nothing the league can do about it. As we keep saying, nothing is official until it’s official and the Raptors-Bobcats thing hadn’t progressed to the absolute drop-dead time, which is the trade conference call with the league to make sure the transaction works under the arcane salary cap rules.

It didn’t get that far so there’s nothing to do but close the book and move on.

I’d imagine, though, that it will likely be a little while before Bryan calls Rod Higgins with some other proposal.

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In the ‘moving on’ department, it makes things a bit dicey but not terribly so.

I’m sure Bryan has other irons in the fire (I was told at least one team has big interest in Jose) and I guarantee you he was working the phones and the room at the Vegas summer league for most of yesterday.

I can’t give you a when, or even a where, but I do think Bryan’s decision to trade Jose earlier this week means that he’ll do everything he can to move him in the next couple of weeks.

But, if there’s not a good deal out there, I can also see them having both point guards in camp in October. And I don’t know that it’d be such a bad thing if that happened.

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Let’s take our first shot at the mail this week and try for some variety, keeping in mind the Charlotte stuff will be eons old by the time we get to the Sunday morning reading.

Click away right here to get to where you want to go.

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How do you think Tyson Chandler feels?

Twice now, he’s been traded and yanked back, once when he was going from New Orleans to Oklahoma City because of worries about his foot and then in the whole Toronto-Charlotte debacle.

It could give a guy a complex until he realizes he’s got a $13 million contract and I guess you could put up with some inconveniences every now and then.

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Al Harrington at five years $34 million to tax-troubled Denver makes little sense to me, but this whole free-agent year’s been making little financial sense so what the heck.

What it does mean is the Raptors are like 99 per cent sure to land Linas Kleiza on that offer sheet he signed.

Unless, of course, Michael Jordan finds some way to mess it up.

Now, if Kleiza only signed his offer sheet last Thursday, which is the day we got to chat with him, it means Denver likely didn’t get a copy of it until Friday at the earliest so that means this Friday is when it becomes official.

And if they didn’t get it Friday, it’ll be Monday before it’s finally done.

Gotta love the waiting around, no?

And now with Turk gone and Boris Diaw not coming, I can see a situation where Kleiza becomes the starting small forward this season.

Or – and this is a bit of a stretch having talked to a few members of the staff – they may want to start Weems in that spot and really get out and run with him, DeRozan, Jack, Bargnani and Amir Johnson.

That, my friends, is not the basketball version of the ’27 Yankees and leads me to think Bryan’s still got some work to do.

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Can I just mention, since I haven’t in a while, that the Beloved Seattle Storms are 16-2, have won seven straight, are unbeaten at home and on a roll to beat all rolls?

Yep, I know how to pick ‘em.

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Speaking of Yankees, the passing of George Steinbrenner sure created a bit of a buzz, didn’t it?

Now, it’s a tad out of my bailiwick but, really, to hear him lionized as some great man kind of strikes me as odd.

He was a bully and blowhard.

He would belittle players and managers and had a “hey, look at me!” manner about him that irked me.

And the way he treated George Costanza sometimes? Yeesh. Of course, he was broken up that one time George died and he did try to keep him from having to go back to the chicken company but still …

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I know at least one of you (hi, Mike!) will be over the moon at the news The New Legend Joey Dorsey had 13 points and 12 rebounds as Toronto beat Houston 100-91 at the summer league Tuesday.

And, it being summer league and all, that’s all I’ll say about that.

Oh, maybe I will mention there was 57 fouls called in a 48-minute 40-minute game and 60 free throws shot.

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In case you were wondering, and after the teen boys caught the imagination of some last week you probably should be, the Canadian teen girls start their worlds Friday in France.

Canada’s in a tough group with the USA, France, Turkey, Russia and Japan; same format as the boys with five preliminary round games and the top four advancing to knockout quarter-finals.

Comments

[Ray Ray]

"What it does mean is the Raptors are like 99 per cent sure to land Linas Kleiza on that offer sheet he signed.
Unless, of course, Michael Jordan finds some way to mess it up."

Ha! I always look forward to your zingers!

[Karthick]

Jose is a class act and a good offensive player but he is not what our TEAM NEEDS right now! You can't have our #1 point guard get beat up by pretty much every other player in the league night in and night out and simply say we still gotta keep him because is a wonderful person.

Can't win in the NBA with just nice guys on a roaster and I SWEAR TO GOD that's all we've been stuck with here for a long long time well except HEDO THE JERK!

[CA1]

"All of you guys who are Trashing MJ, if the situation had been reversed and BC had a better deal which became available at the last moment that made more sense to his team in the present and most importantly going forward would you tell him to take it?"

First of all, apples to oranges. MJ is an owner, BC a GM. And if BC had done this, I would still say that it's a shady way of doing business. I have no problem with a team making the best deal possible, but pulling out of a deal after it's basically been agreed to is not the proper way of doing business. How would we feel if Larry Tannenbaum had stuck his nose in and vetoed a trade BC had brokered? And to say the deal made no sense for the Bobcats is wrong; they need a PG, and despite the ridiculous over-hype of Jose's defensive deficiencies, Calderon is a great, not good, great PG in the NBA.

[Ian]

Do you find it odd that Bosh seemed to be the trigger man in the big 3 signing in Miami? Even in their interviews it seems that LeBron and Wade are kind of looking up to Bosh as the main guy in all of this. He seems to be the focal point. Did we underestimate his pull and talent?

[elwyn jennings]

Curious to know why you believe JJ starts over Calderon.

Blogger's note: Let's see who's here

[CA1]

"How could there be a team in the east interested in Jose when almost everyone has a PG? The only team that doesn't is Charlotte and that ship has sailed."

Miami still needs a PG. Or has that ship sunk? :)

[Joe]

Doug,

Where you able to listen to Bosh's interview on the Fan 590 yesterday? Your thoughts?

Seems like there's a lot of hate on for Bosh from Raptor supporters. Don't understand why. The manner of his departure wasn't classy but chalk it up to a 26 year old kid caught up in the Hollywood hype. Overall, the good he did in his 7 years far exceeds his so called, "sin".

Blogger's note: Heard a little bit; some of it rang hollow. But he's a good kid at heart

[jc]

@AC
"How could there be a team in the east interested in Jose when almost everyone has a PG? The only team that doesn't is Charlotte and that ship has sailed"

Check out the Pacers lineup...lots of backup PG's..no starters

[Jacques]

Doug, would you like to guess on who this team in the East is that wants Jose? what about New York or Detroit.

[CA1]

Hey Doug, what's your interest level for the FIBA Championships coming up? Any idea of TV coverage in Canada?

Blogger's note: The men's? No clue about TV but I'll be in Turkey so my interest is pretty high

[Dr. Tamias]

Hi Doug. Just saw that Chris Paul may be available in a trade from the Hornets. Any idea if BC has the assets or interest to acquire an elite-level point guard? Anyway that Toronto can be a player in acquire CP4?

Love the blog!

[erc]

How can you compare a slug like Dorsey to one of the all-time-great-Raps-who-never-got-a-fair-shake, Pops?

[matthew]

Blogger's note: Considering the Bobcats can't trade Dampier in a multi-player transaction for 60 days, I am a tad dubious

Doug why is it then that Quentin richardson was traded 3 times in a month last season and darko was sent around twice? does it have to do with Dampier's contract not being guatunteed?

Blogger's note: Cannot be put in a multi-player trade; can be dealt on his own.

[gdr]

Doug, quick question. Was Linas Kleiza offer sheet signed for the FULL MLE?

Blogger's note: No, some was saved to give Alabi a bit of a boost from the minimum to keep some control over him.

[Lorie]

Hey Doug,
Strange days, eh? Well, at least you're able to work in the pleasant comfort of Casa Doug: I hear the weather at St. Andrews is decidedly "Summer In Scotland v.2010". It's apparently raining sideways and 54 degrees Farenheit.

Blogger's note: Bet Perk's having a ball

[pain777pas]

@Tamias

Chris Paul will not be going anywhere except to NY Knicks to form a big three with Amare and Carmelo. There is a quote that he stated this at Carmelo's wedding last weekend. What would NO want from the Raptors except half the team in exchange lol?

[Andrew]

More than a few ESPN twitterers (and writers) are suggesting the Raptors camp were more than anxious to say the deal was done while the Bobcats had their reservations. Do you think there is any truth to that?

[Peter]

I think people need to put their sources in their comments. The whole "I just saw that this or that player is available" or "I heard a rumour about this or that trade happening" If people actually read something online somewhere, show us the link. No point sharing it if it's really old, or entirely fabricated.

[pain777pas]

@ Tamias

CP3 would like to form a big 3 in Newyork with Carmelo and Amare. The raptors would have to trade half the team for NO to part with him. He's too young to trade, too much talent, a team changing piece.

[Karthick]

@CA1

When it comes to MJ he is Everything! Owner, GM, Coach he's got his hands in everything so not really a apples to oranges comparison there. Just stating the fact. If you believe Calderon is a great, not good PG in the NBA then you are certainly in the minority there. He is an average to Good PG on certain nights and his defensive deficiencies are not over exaggerated he simply cannot stop his man period.

[Justin]

"Doug, quick question. Was Linas Kleiza offer sheet signed for the FULL MLE?
Blogger's note: No, some was saved to give Alabi a bit of a boost from the minimum to keep some control over him"

Excuse the ignorance but if we draft Alabi, why do we want to give him more money than the required amount? Can he go elsewhere? What do you mean by "control over him"?

Blogger's note: Give him a bit of extra money to get a team option on a second or third year on his deal.

[Jacques]

Doug, with the signing of the big Z in Miami, what does the future hold for our Canadian boys Joel Anthony and Jamaal Magloire.

Blogger's note: Don't think Jamaal ever figured in their plans; they have rights to Anthony still

[Mat]

Hollinger ESPN:

"I'd like to congratulate Michael Jordan on being the first executive in history to avoid saving money in a salary dump. Tyson Chandler and Alexis Ajinca have one year left at a combined $14.1 million, while Eduardo Najera and Matt Carroll are owed a combined $17.1 million over the next three years. Throw in cash (presumably the maximum allowable $3 million) from Dallas, and the Bobcats managed to break even while giving away their starting center for two guys who will occupy seats 11 and 12 at the end of the bench.

I honestly think the Jose deal would have been better for the Bobs. Jordan is an idiot GM. He had a great GM in Chicago who build a team around MJ that was comprised of the perfect peices needed to get him titles. I mean Tony Kukoc was one of the most sought after FA out of europe and he got him for MJ. MJ didnt even aknowledge that GM's work and contribution during his Hall of fame induction. MJ probably thought that the GM in Chicago wasnt the reason he won all of those titles and figured since Mj is MJ he could do just as good a job. Way to go MJ

[Jacques]

what about the 4ys 18 million for the Red Rocket, good deal or not.

Blogger's note: Good for Matt. Bit of a raise, not crazy money, probably a fair deal all around

[david]

Good Morning Doug,
You believe that Charlotte's 'image' has faltered - TJ Ford deal, Diaw & Chandler for Calderon & Reggie non trade. I think it was LaJoie on the Fan590 this morning said that Jose's stock plummetted with the failed transaction and we will be lucky to get players due to his contract and underacheivement? I think he's definitely an impactful player on any given PG needed team - but is LaJoie in any way correct? I would hate have Jose leave or even have his trade value diminished in any sort of way.
Thanks.