More fun and games as The Summer of Change (again) rolls on

Well, that was a day, wasn’t it?

And it’s not over. It’s never over. Ever.

Gotta love it, eh?

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So, what’s new?

Well, as of this writing, am sure some of you heard that Yahoo reported overnight that maybe Michael Jordan’s having cold feet on the Chandler part of the deal.

Word I got from Raptor and league types last night was that there were issues but no major snags and things are in negotiation and, as we know, nothing is done until it’s done.

I will say this, though: Tyson Chandler told my good friend Marc Spears at Yahoo that he’d been traded to Toronto, my own sources said he was coming and Reggie Evans apparently tweeted or twitted his own good-bye message to the folks up here.

Jose? I presume he was still celebrating Spain’s soccer victory and tending to the little fella and I couldn’t reach him yesterday.

So what’s going to happen?

I presume the phone lines will be burned up again today and something will get finalized sooner rather than later and if it isn’t in precisely the same form as we expected Monday afternoon … well, that’s what negotiations are all about.

And what’s it mean for the Raptors? Well, it means they’ll be quicker with the arrival of Barbosa, a little bit bigger with the arrival of Diaw - and I’ll say Chandler, too, because I think that will eventually get done - and it’ll be a vastly different team that takes the floor in October.

I know Jay will want them to run a lot more because they have no offensive anchor to build much halfcourt stuff around and that might make them more entertaining to watch.

The negatives of the guys coming in are this: Barbosa’s play dropped off sharply last year thanks to injuries and off-court issues that sent him back to Brazil for a bit; Diaw has some conditioning issues and Chandler’s constantly hurt.

But even with that, this is a good deal.

Turk had to go, no question. Yes, he could have made his peace with Jay and Bryan and the staff, I’m sure; but he is such a lightning rod of discontent among the fans and wouldn't that have always been in the way of any progress he could have made?

Jose? That’s the tough one. You know how I feel, he’s far better than many fans think and he runs an offence smoothly and efficiently. No, he’s not the greatest on-the-ball defender in the league as we all know but the guy can play and he will be missed. Trust me on that.

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So, is this Bryan panicking or fixing mistakes or what?

You know what it is?

It’s a GM doing what a GM is supposed to do, try to make his team better.

As we’ve mentioned several times, building a pro sports team is an inexact science, you take your shot and if it doesn’t work, you try something else.

The Turkoglu experiment failed, no question, for the one year and who knows what might have happened this time around. Bosh is gone through no wrongdoing of anyone here and that’s a fact that has to be dealt with.

We knew at the end of the season that Bosh would be gone, we figured one of the point guards would get moved and we knew when Turk made those statements back home that he was likely to be moved.

Well, they’re gone and no one should be surprised.

The buzzword around the Raps the last few days has been “evolve” and that’s exactly what’s happening.

Whether it evolves for good or for bad is the unknown and that’s the fun part of the business of being a fan, isn’t it?

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Hey, remember when the guy told me and I told you that it was almost time to “fasten the belts?” Guess he know what he was talking about, eh?

Who knows what else is coming, and who knows what ultimately happens with this big trade that I expect to be finished sometime today, but you’ve got to admit: This franchise continues to be a better story than a team most times, doesn’t it?

Makes for long days over here but it’s fun just the same.

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My man Steve Russell, shutterbug extraordinaire, has done it again.

Remember the very cool Bosh photo thingy? Here’s one dedicated to Jose. Click here to check it out.

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While we’re on the topic of plugs, don’t forget about the concert that Matt Bonner’s hooked up with on Friday night featuring, what I’m told, are two very good bands, The Hold Steady and The Whigs.

I think if you click here you should find the details you need to make some money for a pretty worthy cause.

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Okay, so David Stern’s miffed at Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert for that rather over-the-top rant the other day in the post-LeBronathon hours and hits Gilbert with a $100,000 fine.

Good for him.

It was way over the top and rather unseemly; yes, it summed up the feelings of some fans but I don’t think it’s the way a team owner should act.

Yes, James’s TV thing was ill-advised and rather stupid and a narcissistic endeavour meant only to further his own agenda and “brand,” but Gilbert maybe topped him.

After all, I didn’t hear Gilbert complaining when he was counting the hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars James put in his pocket or when he was looking out over 20,000 people a night for seven straight seasons in his arena.

Sure, James handled himself horribly with that hour-long, stage-managed, puke-inducing “Decision,” but Gilbert was almost as a bad with that ill-advised screed.

Luckily, James made him enough money that the $100,000 won’t be too hard to find.

This whole episode stunk from high heaven and if we never, ever have to go through it again, it’ll be too soon.

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Comments

[Young James]

"Jose? That’s the tough one. You know how I feel, he’s far better than many fans think and he runs an offence smoothly and efficiently. No, he’s not the greatest on-the-ball defender in the league as we all know but the guy can play and he will be missed. Trust me on that".
Hey Doug,
Some fans know just as much as you about basketball and players - so your take on Jose is just about as good as a above average fan, and the fact your a "reporter" doesn't make you a better evaluator on talent. Jose's defensive liability is a huge problem that you always seem to ignore, you will acknowledge it, but you pass it off just as quick cxause he made one nice pass, or shot a cluctch three to finish the nite with a total 9pts. Never mentioning that his play he guards scored 21/5/4 - The Raps were the worst defensive team last year in the history of the NBA and you make a comment that us fans don't understand what we have as a player with Jose! Common on Doug, really!....Jose averages less then 13 points per game in his career - for a good three point shooter, and for a good free thrower he should be averaging more then 13 pts, this shows he is a offensive liablity too. If your 3's and free's are top notch then you should average 12-13 off those alone in just regular play - then add the extra's in field goals and clutch shots. He see's the court well, and makes assists, not worth 9 million agianst the cap plus the lack of defensive, plus the lack of scoring makes him a bad player. Earl Boykins has those same number (give or take), far less money and is a back-up getting less minutes, plays better D. I have seen Jose take over momments in a game, never taking over the game - not good for a top tier PG getting paid to play better then the numbers and the defensive provides. If he was paid 5 - 5.5 million at the most he would be fine and we could put up with the lack of defense (which I might add defense wins championships - not good assists and strong free throws stats guys). JJ is better at defense number are very comparable and he makes almost half of what Jose makes - therefor we could have two JJ's for almost the price of Jose. The team is better off with two JJ's then one Jose. I am just glad to see him go becuase I got tired of watching Bosh and his team mates (mainly bigs) give Jose the "death stare" time and time again during every game for lack of defensive responsablity, you could see the frustration on thier faces. Jose always stood thier staring with a dumb look on his face, hands in the air as to suggest he wasn't aware or that it was somebody's esle's problem (evertime of coarse) - it was getting sad!...I rather Boykins then Jose - same style player, alot less money, shorter but some how plays better D.

Blogger's note: Earl Boykins over Jose Calderon? Um, yeah, that's Auerbachian genius right there.

[nate]

Hey Doug, what's the lineup look like if all this goes through? It looks like the raps could possibly have a bench that makes way more money and has much more experience than their starters. You think Jay would let that happen right from the start of the season? Or are DeRozan and Sonny definitely coming off the bench?

Blogger's note: No idea but I cannot for the life of me think DeRozan goes back to the bench. But I guess that's what training camp is for

[JT]

I know it's not official yet but do you have any reservations in this deal with the players coming in? Personally, I have an issue with paying a guy around $13mil who has been injury prone the last couple years (miss about 40% of the season), can't shoot free throws, and he's the highest paid guy on the team.

Side note, I love Jose. Very very classy individual. He would always say hi when I saw him at my condo (where he, along with several Raptors have lived). Can't say the same about the others who lived there and are now no longer Raptors.

[Bill]

Any chance the Raptors try to bring Roko back?

Blogger's note: No

[OL]

To be honest, out of Gilbert, Stern "Lebron acted with honesty and integrity" (excuse me, WHAT?), Lebron, and Jessie Jackson (idiot!!) I actually think Gilbert was the most in the right, the most entertaining, the smartest and most intelligent. So sick of the crock that Lebron "earned the right to free agency" those are the rules, he hardly earned them, since everyone gets the same oppertunity. However, the guy is obviously an insensitive prick. Imagine those Cavs fans having bar parties and waiting to see if hes gonna choose them. Oh well I guess its too much to expect maturity of integrity out of a kid whos had his ass kissed by everyone hes ever met since he was 16.

[kelsie]

Good luck to Jose. Im not his biggest fan but I remember the days when Mitchell used to scream at him to "turn the corner" and he developed his game through hard work and earning it, which is more than I can say for some of the other players on this team.

I will also give Colangelo a slight tip of the cap as well, although I am a harsh critic. I won't proclaim "dying trust" in his decisions but for the first time in a long time there is an opportunity to impose some prudent planning and build a foundation for the future through cap maintenance and draft picks.

"Entertaining and being fun to watch" doesn't do alot for me as a fan if they are losing consistently and I think with the contsant roster turnover since Colangelo took over they will be subpar again this year (I thought Feschuks article was bang on this morning and a long time coming).

The notion that I am hearing from fans about "BC is back!" is pure folly, but I do respect him for shedding some bad contracts and getting some flexiblility. My main concern now is with 1 year left on his deal is he going to use that TPE to get a piece they don't readily need as they don't have top tier talent to really compete, or is he going to wait for a bit and maybe use it at the trade deadline or hopefully next year?

In the next offseason armed with a high draft pick, another low pick from Miami and a big expiring deal, phase 2 of the rebuilding could take place and serve to get this team into a position of continued winning. What do you think Doug? Does BC wait or does he try to use the TPE now?

Blogger's note: I think he should wait, but he can't wait until next summer, the exception expires

[DS]

With the trade exception more or less intact and a gaping hole at PG if Calderon goes, would this not be a perfect set up for getting Collison from the Hornets? A young quick talented point guard like him would be an awesome fit for the Raptors.

[CA1]

I've always been a Jordan fan, but isn't this EXTREMELY unprofessional? Maybe you do your thinking and have your cold feet before you sign off on the trade, before you notify the players and distrupt their lives, before the trade is basically done and becomes public knowledge? If I'm another GM in the NBA, I'm steering clear of Charlotte in future dealings.

[Mike Smith]

Doug, great photos of Jose by your colleague. At least he can spell Jose's name, whereas he butchered Damon Stoudamire's name in Bosh's photo set.

[Peter]

Hey Doug,

Is there any truth to the rumour that the Raps might turn around and trade some of their recently acquired pieces to New Orleans?

Keep up the great blog, Doug!

Blogger's note: Rumours are a dime a dozen.

[Colin]

Doug, now that the Raptors have lost another "Franchise Player" why doesn't Brian Colangelo shift the paradigm? I believe that since we are an international market to the NBA that our team should reflect international players. The international game, as we all know in the world of basketball, is a great game: with great players and abilities that bring flavour to the NBA. If Brian could tap into that market more and have his team compromised of 80% international players, I feel that this city would not have to feel its collective heart's crushed every seven years when one of its American stars wants to take his ball and go home. Comments?

[Matt52]

What Feschuk does not realize from his armchair is the Raptors and BC spent 2 years trying to win around a 'franchise' player that was not a franchise player and who ultimately did not want to be here. You cannot win in this situation - look at the roster blow ups in Cleveland the last 3 years to please LeBron. How did that work out? Think about the last week - do you really think BC/Raptors had any chance in keeping Bosh?

The dead weight is gone and a new era can begin. Look at the young players being assembled. I highly doubt there will be an overhaul next summer. There is a solid foundation in place - something that has not been since BC's first year and that blew up with Garbo's leg. I wonder if BC could get a deal set up like Joakim Noah had with the Chicago writer who said he'd be a bust in 2 years - Chicago writer was of course wrong and had to literally eat his article. Feschuk seems like a really negative person through his articles - I hope that is not the case outside of his writing. There is a difference between objectivity/skepticism and 'Toronto sports scene is a wasteland'.

[Scott]

Bryan Colangelo's longest running transaction started with Charlie V., who became T.J. Ford, who was turned into Jermaine O'Neal, who then transformed into Shawn Marion, who came back as Hedo Turkoglu, and is now Barbosa. To be continued.

[Jimbobogie]

As long as we're playing around with Phoenix (and we need a point guard), how about taking a stab at Mr. Nash?

Also, since we're dealing with Miami, why not try to get the rights to Alonzo Mourning? He wouldn't be able to run away to the Heat like he did the last time! :)

[kelsie]

"To be honest, out of Gilbert, Stern "Lebron acted with honesty and integrity" (excuse me, WHAT?), Lebron, and Jessie Jackson (idiot!!) I actually think Gilbert was the most in the right, the most entertaining, the smartest and most intelligent. So sick of the crock that Lebron "earned the right to free agency" those are the rules, he hardly earned them, since everyone gets the same oppertunity. However, the guy is obviously an insensitive prick. Imagine those Cavs fans having bar parties and waiting to see if hes gonna choose them. Oh well I guess its too much to expect maturity of integrity out of a kid whos had his ass kissed by everyone hes ever met since he was 16."

LeBron hasn't earned his right to free agency? Had he earned the right to move to another destination once his contract expired? Any employee of any company has a right to move on especially if they have fufilled their contractual obligation. OWners and GM's can trade players on a whim but a player not under contract to a team owes them something? Please!

Gilbert made millions from LeBron and LeBron owed him nothing more. The hatchet job that Gilbert gave him was uncalled for. LeBron might have picked a better forum to announce his decision but Gilbert is a sour, upset child that responded like an adolescent instead of a man.
If LeBron had of picked Clevleland Gilbert would have NEVER said anything about what a spectacle "the decision" was.

[Jamie]

im gonna need a new jersey...

[stoop]

Would the Raptors consider getting Raja Bell, or is that a dumb move?

[Jarrod]

"If Brian could tap into that market more and have his team compromised of 80% international players..."

Though I agree that it's an interesting idea, I read this blog daily and I would have to spoon out my eyes (the vile jelly) after the Brazillianth comment about the Raptors being too "Euro" or to "Afro" or too ... er ... what do you call people from South America?

[Jeff]

Hi Doug,

Thanks for all the comments and info. Love reading the blog!

[Slaw]

So, is this Bryan panicking or fixing mistakes or what?

You know what it is?

Yes, it is final proof of the Red Queen Hypothesis. It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.

[Ren]

South American?
DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[PK]

@Jarrod: Latinos?

[James]

I'm glad Stern clarified the following;
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"Our players, having negotiated for the right to be free agents at some point in their career, are totally within their rights to seek employment with any other team," Stern said. "That's something we agreed to. That's something we embrace. That's our system."
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The problem is that isn't the issue. The issue is when did Miami first make representations to the three players through any of their agents, including players acting on their behalf?
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Stern has a future in politics He is a master of deflection..

[Ryan W (Ottawa)]

No Ball.

[VikZ]

Hey Doug, I think the good fellas that format your blog should put page numbers for your comments. When there's a lot of comments (yesterday has an insane amount), I REALLY don't want to click next so many times just to continue from where I left off.
Anyways you're working great doug :)