Taking your best shot sometimes doesn't work out; time to move on

All right, everyone calmed down a little bit?

Steve Nash is a Laker, a bit surprising, a bit out of nowhere but it’s done and, finally, the saga is over.

Good for him.

Closer to his family (he shares custody of three kids and is an hour flight away), with an exponentially better chance to win a ring (hands up all of you who were clamouring for him to demand a trade to a contender the last two years as a fitting denouement to his career) and for about an $8 million haircut on the Raptors offer ($28 million according the Arizona Republic against $36 million in Toronto according to ESPN.com).

Good for him.

Life factors, chance to win, no holding one against the other for more money. What’s to complain about?

Look, we’ll never know how serious he was about listening to Toronto’s pitch (his agent, Bill Duffy said after the fact he’d have been okay with either Toronto or New York but I’m skeptical) but doesn’t it really matter?

The Raptors saw what they thought they wanted and went after it. You can’t blame Bryan for trying, can you? Guy gave it his best shot, loaded an offer financially, made it all glitzy and sweet and was told no. What’s wrong with that? That’s his fault?

It’s not a repudiation of Canada – that’s so trite it should be dismissed out of hand; it’s not a repudiation of Toronto – 100 NBA free agents given the choice of the Lakers team and this Raptors team would take this Lakers team 100 times; if anything, it’s a repudiation of a team that’s been out of the playoffs for four years and needs to get closer to respectability before it can make a bold move like this.

No, you can’t blame a GM for trying; perhaps the only thing you can do is think, ‘okay, what’s next?’ And seeing how little has worked out of late, that’s fair comment. The pressure’s on him to do something to make the team better, a big trade most likely since the free agent market’s really limited right now but that’s to discuss here later today because I have to have something to do with my day.

Can he do something significant to make the team significantly better? The next few days will tell; history would suggest the answer is no, I’m willing to wait and see because, well, because what else is there to do?

But, really, what did this whole Nash thing cost the Raptors?

Some time.

That’s it.

It’s not like a gaggle of legitimate free agent prospects signed while they were waiting (and you should thank your lucky stars Goran Dragic went to Phoenix over night for something like $30 million over four years); it’s not like they still don’t have money to spend either on a free agent or in taking on salary in trade because they still do.

And, no matter what you might think, it’s not as if Bryan and Ed and the rest of Henchman have been twiddling their thumbs since Sunday. They’ve been talking and now they can act, knowing the landscape once and for all.

Look, the Steve Nash thing came down to this:

They made a great offer and went all-in and it didn’t work out for a variety of reasons real and perceived. Tough noogies. Time to move on.

It’s not like they can, or should, throw their hands in the air and give up, there’s a roster to build, games to play and a future to worry about.

No pity parties.

For anyone.

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Totally missed this yesterday in the whole Andy Griffiths thing but an alert reader from Hazelville pointed it out.

Ben Davidson, a great football player and perhaps even a greater TV pitchman/thespian passed away.

Young ‘un aren’t likely to have any idea who he is, nor what he did on TV but, I tell you, there wasn’t much better than the series of Miller Lite commercials way back in the day.

If there is such a thing, they were destination viewing, weren’t they?

RIP Ben.

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Mail?

That’d be nice. Promise I’ll do some Nash but not too much, think everything you need to know is explained here.

You know the drill.

Click. Write. Send. Even if you have to do it in code.

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Hey, Seamheads?

Steve Nash vs. Yu Darvish.

Discuss.

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Look at yesterday this way:

No one here even paid a bit of attention to Dwight Howard.

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So, what’s up for the HOTH?

Well, they won’t get Dragic (no big loss), doesn’t look like they’ll get Lin (he’ll shop himself, Knicks wlll assuredly match whatever offer he gets) and all of that is fine with me.

However, the trouble is, and we’ll discuss this is more detail later, Dragic leaving the Rockets and Lin probably going back to New York takes Lowry out of play.

Too bad; of the three I liked him best as part of a succession plan, post-Jose, who is as good, if not better, than any of them.

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One last word on a rather hectic Wednesday.

You know my feelings on the need for immediacy in reporting, even if it’s not confirmed, and the insatiable need of people to have information now, if not sooner.

Well, it was a perfect case in point, watching the Nash thing unfold from about noon on.

He was going to New York, he was still toying with Dallas, the Raptors weren’t giving up; it seemed every 30 minutes there was some breathless update. And some of it might even have been right.

We rush too much, as a craft, as a society, and it causes untold stress and angst and, yes, work.

I’m not going to tilt at windmills and shake my head and roll my eyes because it’s a losing battle. We are where we are; I don’t particularly like it but if you don’t adapt, you get left behind and no one gets left behind.

But I still think it’s prudent to take a few minutes to provide context, to check information, to take a deep breath before any sky-is-falling or this-is-done proclamations.

Yes, the way it is now makes for interesting times, but a lot of wasted time. It isn’t right, but it’s the way it is, I guess.

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Comments

[AT]

oh please.,.....sacrificed a lot of money??? are you kidding me?
you don't think for a second that it will be relatively easy for his agent to make up the difference in an endorsement deal in LA?? If anything, he will probably come out ahead being in LA (with more endorsements)...and again, I am sorry, but when up people who are so far removed from these guys gets a paycut of 25% for 3 years, we feel it, these millionaires, not so much!! Nash and his agent used the raptors to drive up his salary.That's it. And all this Mr. Nice guy stuff screwed BC of time. Not just the last few days but it affected all decisions leading up to the draft and for sure would have changed what happened on draft night.Nash is a great basketball player and he would have done wonders for this organization. But he gets a lot more credit then he deserves in how he handled this situation. He knew where he wanted to go from day ! (and there is nothing wrong with it) but no matter which way you look at it, he betrayed a lot of people and let down a huge fan base in Canada by not saying he wasn't coming here.C'mon, he allowed a sponsor to take advantage of this process by asking his twitter follower to "check out his new team"....man that says a lot about the guy (and I am sorry he is not going to be a raptor). Sour grapes??? YUUUUUP!!!

Blogger's note: And you don't think he would have made as much extra money in endorsements in either New York or Canada???? You're kidding, right? The salary in LA fit in an Odom trade exception, there was no "driving up" despite the fact the fact doesn't fit your narrative, you and everyone else is wrong about "driving up the salary"

[DannyFromFreddy]

While I'm disappointed that Nash is not coming to the Raptors, I understand his reasoning. I would still like to see Canada's best basketball player get a ring before he retires.

People are a little too quick to hang Colangelo. There are still both free agent and trade possibilities. Let's wait and see what plan B is before we criticize.

Around January next year, we'll be able to truly comment on any moves that are made. Until then, it's still all speculation. If we have a club in January that is similar to the club that we had last January, then yes, it will be time for Bryan to move on.

[coachd]

Hi Doug,
It's been a fun few days hasn't it? Talk about life imitating art. Nash is Godot, isn't he? I think that what we saw yesterday was the pulling back of the curtain ,a la Wizard of Oz,on the image of Steve Nash. Nash has carefully cultivated this image of being "old school", "loyalty is important to me","proud to be a canadian", "I'll listen to any offer that comes along" kind of player. This image was so ingrained into our collective psyche that we all believed and bought into it. And when the Raps went after him and offered more than anyone else would, we all believed. It just made so much sense. And then we waited and waited until it all became very clear that when the curtain was pulled back a canadian basketball icon was just like everyone else. So what did he do? Did he sign with a team like the Raps? (The connections and relationships with the Raps have been well documented. No need to restate them here.) Or, did he ask Sarver to trade him to the Lakers? (a team that literally bodychecked him out of his best chance to make it to the NBA finals.)How different then is he than Dwight Howard?Lebron James?Carmelo Anthony?Vince Carter? Chris Bosh? Maybe Nash looked around and realized that everyone else was doing it, why shouldn`t he? In the end, I don't blame Nash for wanting to play with the Lakers. Being close to your children and wanting to win a championship are reason enough to pick the Lakers. From a competitive standpoint, who wouldn't want to be on Kobe's team? So why not say that from the outset? Why create such a charade and circus? Why tarnish your reputation? I'm sure there will be lots of stories published about how hard it was for Nash to turn the Raps offer down, but it will ring hollow. In the end, had Nash chosen the road less travelled and signed with the Raps he would have reached a status perhaps unparalled in Canadian sporting history. He would have truly become an iconic sports figure in this country and his image would not be tarnished. By signing with the Lakers he chose the road well- worn and in doing so he became "Just Another Guy`. Sad indeed.

[Konstantinos]

"But, really, what did this whole Nash thing cost the Raptors?

Some time.

That’s it."

Doug - it costed another overrated (in terms of $$$) player too. Fields.
(The other player who is earning more than he deserves is Amir, but this is an old sin.)

Blogger's note: Maybe, maybe not

[sam]

It's really pretty simple, and it's not personal to any extent. BC made a very generous pitch to an aging elite player who happens to come from Canada. On the court, the aging elite player would have made the HOTH marginally better. As a way to enhance thier position, BC makes an offer to a promising ball player that last year got buried behind a ball hogging star player who tends to pout when he's not the centre of attention.
The aging elite player chooses a team geographically close to his ex wife and children. Through this all no one got seriously hurt or lost anything that was there before.
Good for Nash. We don't know what Fields will become - and we have another year with Jose, who shares some similarities with Nash and his style of play. I'm certain that BC has other plans and pitches in place to build the team....
A little perspective is important. It would have been great to see Nash play for the HOTH - but it seems he made his decision based on family moreso than a bigger pay cheque. How very Canadian of him.

[Tim]

If I'm Nash, the whole Raptor thing freaked me out, seemed like an obsessed ex-girlfirend first offering the world, then when it seemed it still wasn't enough, tried to destroy the competition. Right out of some B horror movie.

[Carlos]

What are the Raptors very likely options Doug? I don't like Steve's decision, I would have rather seen him in a red and white but a family man has got to do what a family has got to do. He said his kids are his reasons, enough for me. Who are we to judge right? It's unbelievable, the kind of self-entitlement people get sometimes.

Going back to my question, Lin? I know you said Lowry's off the table, who else then? They need a point who can break down the defense better, attack the rim and turn the corner, not to mention, better defensively. Thoughts?

Blogger's note: Limited options, sure. Probably no one this year; they have a fine point guard now

[Andrew]

Blogger's note: It's an okay signing; not terrific, not terrible.

You really lose credibility saying things like this Smith. Zero chance that it's an "okay signing." I guess saying you even have credibility to lose is a compliment - you mailed the career in a long time ago...

Blogger's note: Credibility with who? You? Okay, I'll suffer that sling. It's an opinion, one you don't share. My life goes on. And the shot about the career is first-class. Must be proud with your anonymity. See ya

[Canadian Paul]

Doug, in response to your response (That he sacrificed an awful lot of money and a chance to play in NY and a chance to play in Canada for family reasons and to play for a better team?), I say this: Fact of the matter is that Steve Nash gave the New York Knicks the time of day and early afternoon yesterday, they were in the driving seat (until Kobe swooped in). How does New York give him a chance to be close to his family and a chance to contend?

Blogger's note: Not as good a chance as LA, for sure

[ET]

I know it is business. But didn’t Steve Nash have good relationship with Triano and BC from his earlier days? If he didn’t want to come here, why didn’t he tell them up front that he is not interested in coming here? I am sure BC could have avoided the Fields move, if he knew that Nash wasn’t interested in Toronto.

[Steve]

Blogger's note: And you don't think he would have made as much extra money in endorsements in either New York or Canada????

He gets the Canadian endorsement money already regardless of whether he is a Raptor or not. Who else is it going to, the big cat? :P

[David in Oakville]

@Dean, thanks for the interesting quote from SI but a little life experience would help you to read between the lines and understand what is being said and who the comment is directed at. Duffy is an agent. No smart agent burns any bridge or leaves any potential future client feeling cheated. His comment is directed at NY and Toronto to let them know that they lost out because an offer came along that checked two or three additional boxes: Close to the kids in Phoenix, Excellent chance at a ring, something on the table for Phoenix.

Here is what you fail to grasp...
1. You have no idea what Duffy told NY or Toronto about what Nash's priorities were... Did Colangelo know that Nash was trying to make a deal that would leave something on the table for Phoenix? (Likely Duffy explained that but BC felt the best offer for the Raps was a straight up free agent signing)
2. You have no idea what Nash discussed with his ex-wife regarding relocating to either NY or Toronto.
3. You have no idea when LA came into the picture and at what point Nash and Phoenix got their head around dealing with a division rival and Nash wearing purple and gold.

In the end, Nash did exactly what he promised to do, wait to see what offers were presented and select the one that leaves him in the most favourable environment.
+
For those who think it is time we gave Bosh a break for the way he left the Raps in free agency I give you Steve Nash! Knowing he was likely playing his last games in Phoenix, Nash almost managed to carry his team to one last playoff... Bosh, took himself out after the all star break, injured, and never played meaningful hard minutes for the Raps again.
Nash said he would look at all offers, did so and selected one that paid him less but left something of value on the table for Phoenix. Bosh, said he would look at all offers including the Raps, never really did, it is pretty much an accepted fact that the deal to go to the Heat was agreed upon by the big three around the all star break and in the end left the Raps in an S&T giving us a trade exception. Please don't tell me to get over the Bosh B/S when we have such a clear example of class and commitment to a fan base.

[Gerry Tanner]

the one thing I would love to see this year, is that by the end of January, Fields has found his touch from the three point line, that Terrance Ross has proven that he deserved his draft position, and that all the would be GMs who write into this blog get jobs with other teams, so that the Raptors then will have a near certainty of a championship. Oh and Q. Acy shows he belongs in the NBA would be nice too. Please Santa.

[Mr. Cook]

So everyone who clamoured for an outside shooter to, you know, actually make shots last year hates the Fields signing? Everyone who thought that we need a solid defender out on the wing hates the Fields signing (granted, he's a tad short)? Everyone that allegedly tore their eyes out at the fact that we have very little rebounding production from our 2/3 spot hates the Fields signing? And you all hate it enough to curse the opinion and career of someone who has literally nothing to do with the signing (Doug)? Toronto fans are ... uhhh .... something.

[John_S]

Just speculation but I wonder if it will be tougher for Nash / Basketball Canada to get Canadian NBAers to commit to the National Team?

Obviously Nash has to do what's best for him but I can't imagine that his sales pitch about playing for your country will resonate with players who are too young to remember his fantastic performance in Sydney, especially considering that he turned down the opportunity to end his career with Canada's only NBA team.

This just illustrates how Toronto is regarded by NBA free agents. We can boast about Toronto's ranking in world liveability studies, we can talk about how big a market Toronto/Canada is but at the end of the day NBA free agents seem to completely disregard the Raptors as a viable destination (unless we drastically overpay). Even when the Raptors were a playoff team, free agents didn't exactly flock to Toronto. This is exactly why the draft is so important for Toronto... it's the best opportunity to acquire young talent who could take the team to contention.

[bfordc]

It doesn't matter if the particular numbers that Brilliant Reader Alain Boudreau used are wrong, the point is they're still bad and all of basketball knows it. Three years for $20 million? The Fields contract is absolutely terrible unless it lands Nash. Nash didn't land. Getting rid of that contract will be almost as big a task as getting rid of Vernon Wells.

So that's what it cost. Another above-average contract given to a below-average player.

[Dadeo]

Wow people, all I can say is take a pill already!

[John]

Another day, another overpaid seventh man. Ladies and gentlemen, your Colangelo era Raptors!

[Derek]

Hi Doug,
Another question - I saw a note on "The Score" this morning that some NBA contract guru had stated that "technically" the Raps hadn't officially made the offer to Landry Fields (I took it to imply they could wiggle out of the offer if they really wanted to). Have you heard this, and is it accurate?
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Assuming the Raps have the option to wiggle out (and the desire to do so), I imagine this would reflect very negatively on the team in the eyes of players and agents alike?
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I get the impression they like Fields, regardless of whether we landed Nash or not (although we marginally overpaid to get him), so I doubt that they'd use the option (if it exists), but wanted to hear your thoughts? I know players have re-negged on deals before (hello John Salmons!), but I don't recall "teams" doing it?

Blogger's note: Nothing can be done until July 11, no way they renege; bad business and, despite the howls of many who might not be able to pick Landry Fields out of a lineup, they like him as a player

[john g]

I'm more disappointed in what this says about competition in the NBA then what it says about Nash or the Raptors.

How can a second tier franchise ever have a chance to compete if they can't ever manage to attract free agents? Even if you've got the cash you can't get stars unless you are already winning or already have stars. And in order to get stars you have to tank the season and gather draft choices, that's the only way left now.

Running a middling to poor team like the Raptors won't get you anywhere, you might luck out with a higher lottery pick, but unless you really luck out with drafting you're going to end up just where you were before. Middle to the bottom of the pack.

Boston managed to do it through one series of trades, the Thunder through years of losing and good drafts, but Miami and LA show that having stars attracts stars and may just beat all.

Where does that leave the Raptors?
Same as last year, same as the year before.....

[John]

Mr Cook, give me a break and read some stats before you spout off. Fields rarely defended 3s last year (b/c he is usually a 2), though I doubt that will be an issue. And shooting? He shot 25.6% from 3 last year! Plus, its not like everyone is just turning on Bryan based on this perceived overpay. Kleiza, Johnson, Kapono? Turkoglu??? Ya, Colangelo has a great track record throwing cash around. How dare people make inferences based on Bryan's long track record of completely screwing up FA signings.

Blogger's note: And he shot 39 per cent the year before; on a team without a ball-stopping small forward. Context, people. Context

[phdrapsfan]

Only cost the raptors some time? Huh?
How about $19 million over three years for another non-star player in an already crowded (with mediocrity) wing position? And before we get the BS that Fields is a plus-defender or a "Casey-type" player - his opposition synergy numbers (breaking down every defensive situation he was in from game-tape ) show opponents score an above-average FG% when he's defending them.
He's a very good rebounder for a shooting guard, but a below-mediocre one for a small forward (and we've already got Demar and Ross at the 2). I don't get it. Any kind of revisionist history that says Colangelo would have signed this deal in a vacuum is preposterous - in a capped league, this is a huge mistake.
This team won't have the talent to be a playoff team this year - we should be giving minutes to younger players like James Johnson and Terrance Ross.
One more note: For everyone last year who thought that "tanking" doesn't work - if we'd given a few more minutes to the young guys last year, we only needed a single win less to get Harrison Barnes. Period. All the BS about striving to finish 12th instead of 14th to create a "winning culture" doesn't matter if the players on your roster aren't good enough to form the core of a solid playoff team.

[jb]

Nash, Kobe, MWP, Gasol & Bynum are definitely contenders but I don't see them getting pass OKC unless the Lakers get Howard. Defense was one of the main issues for the Lakers in the playoffs. The Lakers couldn't defend OKC's pick and roll or their athleticism. Nash will not help them with that, in fact he will make them worse on the defensive end. On offense, he will take the ball out of Kobe's hands (which is a good thing) and get it to Gasol and Bynum more. It'll be a good series for a basketball fan and good for the NBA.
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As for the raptors, I never wanted Nash to come. He wouldn't help towards the building of a contender b/c of his age and the lack of talent on the raptors. He would have sold more tickets, made some people warm and fuzzy and all the media members can fawn over him.
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I wonder why Dave Feschuk doesn't write about basketball anymore. I enjoyed his honesty and the way he upset all the raptor homers.
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Well at least Colangelo accomplished what he set out to do with the crazy Landry Fields signing - he prevented the Knicks from getting Nash. Colangelo - 1 Knicks - 0

[Heath]

Has your patience been tested more today than any other? Feel for you bro.

Blogger's note: I lived through TJ-Jose and Turk, this is business as usual

[coachd]

Hi Doug,
I don't care how much they wanted Nash. Noone gives a 20 million dollar contract to a player they won't be using or like. I've watched Fields play. He's a good player. He can shoot from the outside, and he can defend on the perimeter. Maybe he's Iguodala or Gay, but cheaper and younger. And the fact that he's a Stanford guy means that he's probably smart. That's not a bad thing either. A good pickup by the Raps.