Built Ford Tough

I remember reading something about the Raptors being interested in Carlesimo while he was an assistaint under Poppovich in San Antonio. I also think I recall reading something about them having interest him after he was fired from Oklahoma City, but I don't remember for sure about that one. I actually don't mind this move. The Raptors have a fairly inexperienced coaching staff with Triano coming off of his first full season as a head coach. The Raptors assistaints don't have too much NBA coaching experience either. Iavaroni isn't exactly a grizzly veteran coach himself (around 7 years of NBA coaching I think, 5 of which were as an assistaint), Alvin Williams and Eric Hughes were both rookie coaches, Alex English is a good guy to have around and Micah Nori was a rookie as well (was a scout for them prior I think). Adding Carlesimo gives them a guy with 500 games of experience as a Head Coach. Sure, he didn't exactly do a great job as a head coach with a 204-296 career record, but at least he has the experience that the other Raptor assistaints don't have and can help out Triano in some situations. What I like the most about this move is that Carlesimo is a great assitaint coach. His experience working under Pop for 5 years in a great organization like San Antonio will hopefully prove to be invaluable for this relatively young staff. This also gives the Raptors some insurance in the event that Triano doesn't take the next step as an NBA head coach. He is a great assitaint coach, but the jury is still out on whether or not he has what it takes to be a head coach for the long term in the NBA. All in all, I like this move. It isn't a huge move by any means and won't knock your socks off, but I like the decision to bring in Carlesimo.

Well considering I have never stated that the blame should be relied completely upon the players and have critcized the Raptors coaching staff and management on numerous occasions, and you singled me out with your post while never actually directly mentioning who exactly it was you were refering to, I thought you were talking about the fan base. If you would've actually clarified exactly what you were talking about, rather than leaving a vauge response that can be easily misinterperted, like the one you posted, it would've been easier to understand exactly what you were trying to say. My bad for assuming you meant something that you didn't, though. Clearly. When have I ever implied that simply getting a random collection of talent that doesn't mesh well at all is the way to make a winning team? I have actually stated on numerous occasions that the Raptors team has some decent talent (although not nearly as much as some people them out to be) but Colangelo did a piss poor job of getting talent that meshses well together. Getting a player like Hedo Turkoglu, when you already have ball dominant players like Jose Calderon and Chris Bosh, isn't exactly the best idea, and I have mentioned that plenty of times over the past year here on OTR as one of the reasons why the Raptors struggled so much. The Raptors had a terrible compliment of a roster. On one hand, you have some hard nosed, physical players like Reggie Evans, Antoine Wright, Amir Johnson and Jarrett Jack, but you also have soft, no defense, all offense oriented players like Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon and Hedo Turkoglu. You have players that thrive in an open court situation like Jarrett Jack, DeMar DeRozan, Sonny Weems and Amir Johnson, but you also have players that don't like to get out on the break (or aren't as well off playing at a faster pace) in Jose Calderon, Hedo Turkoglu, Antoine Wright and Reggie Evans. The only players on the Raptors roster that you can say would fit in with any sort of system, pace or anything like that is Chris Bosh and Jarrett Jack. Obviously this problem starts with the people in charge of building the team and goes to the coaching staff and then the players itself. I'm not saying that the players are 100% of the problem and you will never hear me say that. Again, I'm not saying that the Raptors are some top notch organization that is run to perfection. I hate the way that Colangelo builds his teams and MLSE has notoriously been cheap owners when it comes to the Raptors. However, using players like Frye and Dudley as an example isn't exactly fair. Yes, part of the reason why they are so effective in Phoenix is because of the coaching staff, but a lot of that has to due with the system that the Suns run and some guy by the name of Steve Nash, who happens to be pretty good at getting players open looks. If you are a shooter, odds are you are going to thrive in the Suns system. I would be willing to bet that if Frye leaves the Suns next season and signs with a half court oriented team that doesn't have a playmaker like Nash, he is going to find himself at the end of the bench rather quickly, just like what happened with Damon Jones after he left the Heat and no longer had Shaq and Wade feeding him open looks. I don't know though, I could be wrong and somebody like Frye or Dudley aren't products of the system Phoenix runs and the coaches have developed them into great role players. Yeah... Clearly some organizations are run better than others. If you wouldn't have made such a vauge original statement, it would've made the entire second half of your post pointless as I would've actually known what you were talking about and not have to guess as to what exactly it is that you are trying to say. I'm not saying that the players are completely at fault either. There is never a situation that can be blamed 100% on management, coaching staff or the players. It is always some sort of combination between the three. You do tend to overrate how good the Raptors are though. Yeah, Bosh is a great player, but he was injured for a month which hurt the Raptors tremendously because of how much they relied on him. He also was completely hesitant and passive for the first two weeks of his return as well. Who cares that Turkoglu was the 2nd best player on the Magic last season? He clearly wasn't the same player that he was last season, whether it was because of his role being diminished, his skills declining (or just not being as good as people though), his effort and attitude not being there or whatever. The fact of the matter is that Hedo Turkoglu was an 11/5/4 player on 40% shooting who got worse and worse as the season went on. Who cares what he did last season in the playoffs when he was god awful this year? Bargnani was a #1 pick, so what? The fact of the matter is that Bargnani is an above average offensive player, a good shooter, a decent shot blocker, a lousy defender and a horrific rebounder. Just becaue he was a former #1 pick doesn't mean anything. Look at his play on the floor rather than his draft position. Calderon sucked this season and wasn't anything special last season. Again, who cares what he did 2 or 3 years ago? DeRozan was exactly that; a high-potential player. Potential. He was what you would expect a raw 20 year rookie would be this season. Up and down. Weems, Wright and Amir were all solid backups (well, when Wright wasn't chucking and thinking he was Kobe Bryant, which was the majority of the time, so he wasn't that solid). Rasho played less than half of the season and only averged like 10 minutes a game when he did play, so he is a non-factor. Anyways, since I have to go and I want to post this before I leave, I'll just leave it with this. The Raptors underachieved this season (although some can argue their expectations were just too high but that is not the poitn of this) and the blame can be placed on the players, coaching staff and management. I have never once said that it was 100% on the players and I have been highly critical of Triano and Colangelo. I don't think for a second that the Raptors organization is some epicly run machine and they have plenty of flaws that I acknowledge. I don't have a problem with saying any of this. I do have a problem with Hedo Turkoglu playing the victim and people making it seem like it is the Raptors managements fault and giving the players a free pass, because, ultimately, at the end of the day, this is a player driven league. Management and coaching play a large role, but no role is larger than that of the players because at the end of the day, management and coaching can do whatever they want, but it is up to the players to perform on the court. EDIT: One thing that I forgot to say in response to your examples of Richardson and Curry, is that it is worth mentioning both of these two had recently signed fairly lucrative long term contracts with their new teams. Richardson did get in shape upon arrival in Miami, but him being in a contract year may have played a part in that. Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

No you didn't. The only poster that "ripped" you for having Motiejunas going outside of the top 10 was Yugo. ATDI crticized your pick of having Motiejunas going to the Grizzlies because he felt it was a terrible fit for him. He didn't "rip" you for having him outside of the top 10. Having one person, two at best, criticize you for not having Motiejunas going in the top 10 doesn't mean you were "ripped" on, especially when you probably had about 12 posters comment on your mock. Most people thought it was a good mock from what I recall. Anyways, I'll try to comment on your mock within the next couple of days, ABL.

I'm not saying that the Lakers wouldn't make the trade if they do win a ring this year and I wouldn't be surprised one bit if that trade happens with the Laker repeating as NBA Champions. With that said though, you definitely have to think that if the Lakers fall short in the Finals against Boston that the odds of them pulling the trigger on the deal would have to increase. I don't think that the Lakers are too thrilled on Bynum anyways, and to be perfectly honest, even if they don't trade him for Bosh, I wouldn't be surprised if he was moved for somebody else later in the summer. You obviously know better than me, but I get the impression that they are starting to get fed up with him.

As a fan of the NBA, I want the Lakers to win. However, as a fan of the Toronto Raptors, I want the Celtics to win, as much as I hate to type that, simply because the Lakers would be more inclined to make that speculated Bosh for Bynum trade in the summer if they were to lose this series than if they were to win it. I'll probably end up cheering for the Lakers though because I simply can't bring myself to cheer for the Celtics.

The Laker fans on here do get a lot of unfair criticism thrown their way, that is for sure, but this whole "playing the victim" approach that some people on here take is completely pathetic. The Laker fan base on here get the most [expletive] talked about them, but they talk the most [expletive] by far. The way I see it, if you make comments like these, you don't have any right to complain about other fan bases "hating" on you, because face it, cocky comments deserve cocky replies. PS: Was Andrew Bynum not already talking about playing the Celtics after Game 2 of this series? I don't recall people losing it then, but I could've just missed the thead as I generally try to stay away from threads that are just asking for petty arguments, or basically anything Kobe, LeBron or Laker oriented on here, as 90% of those threads generally end up that way.

I understand where you are coming from and agree with you somewhat. However, the Rockets would need to woo Bosh in order to make him choose to go to Houston. If they do a good enough job of wooing him and he makes up his mind to go to Houston, it doesn't really matter what the Raptors think as that is where he would be signed and traded to. Its not like the Raptors are just going to let Bosh walk for free or anything like that. He will leave in a sign and trade. I would take a package of involving Jordan Hill, New York Knick draft picks (or one Knick pick and the rights to the 14th pick in this years draft) and expiring contracts like Jeffries over David Lee anyday, especially when you factor in that Lee is probably going to get a pretty sizeable contract ($14M or so?) this summer. Would you really want to have a starting power forward/center combo of Bargnani and Lee making $22-25M or so? I know I wouldn't. I like Lee, but I wouldn't him and Bargnani on the same team, especially considering what the two of them would be making. I'd take the Bynum offer over anything that Houston would have to offer though, that is for sure. Worst case scenario is Bynum is a bust (whether it is because of injuries or what) and the raptors just don't pick up his team option for the 3rd year of his contract.

Raptors are going to begin their private workouts on Monday and will hold them throughout the week. I haven't heard about any of the players that they will be working out other than Jeremy Wise, a 6'2 PG from Southern Mississippi, on Thrusday. I'm really hoping that they bring in Bradley, Bledsoe, Henry and George to work out against one another one day, and also bring in Orton, Whiteside and Aldrich to work out against each other. With all that I have read about Paul George since the season ended, he has seemed like a great fit for this team and considering he has done nothing but impress during workouts, I'd love to have him on the Raptors. Him and DeRozan would be a great wing tandem heading forward. Henry has grown on me quite a bit as well. He is NBA ready at 19 years old and I think that he can be a very good player in the league. He is already a great shooter, athletic, strong and is, if I recall correctly, the youngest player in the draft. I know that I have raved about Bradley in this thread, but I wouldn't be upset in the least if the Raptors drafted George or Henry.

So what, I'm supposed to believe that Turkoglu, who has a history of running to the Turkish media to cry about his problems? The Raptors are making up rumors about Turkoglu partying in order to discredit Turkoglu, while running the risk of completely alienating theirselves to the rest of the NBA? What exactly do the Raptors organization gain from "spreading rumors" about their marquee free agent signing? Even if Turkoglu's story is right and the Raptors are the [expletive]s in this situation, it doesn't change the fact that Hedo Turkoglu completely dogged it during the season and didn't play with any sort of heart, passion or desire (aside from a handful of games). That is my problem with Turkoglu. I couldn't care less if Turkoglu was going out every single night and getting completely wasted, playing hungover, or anything like that, as long as he gave the effort that you would expect from a professional athlete. I couldn't care less what a player is like off of the court because that doesn't concern me. Turkoglu could've sucked as bad as he did this season and I wouldn't have cared in the least as long as I thought that he was trying his hardest out there, which you could clearly tell that he wasn't. I don't care what he says to dispute that. What are you trying to say? The Raptors fan base is at fault for the team missing the playoffs? The Raptors fan base is the reason why this team underachieved? The Raptors fan base is the reason why Turkoglu gave half assed efforts all year long? Sure, that last point about Turkoglu playing like garbage may be true, but even then, as an NBA player you are expected to go out and give it your all regardless of if you are happy or not. I don't like Jose Calderon that much as a player, but you won't ever hear me complain about him not giving it his all on the floor night in and night out. One of the things that are simply inexcusable is a professional athlete not giving it his all night in and night out no matter what the circumstances are. If anybody thinks that Hedo Turkoglu did this, they are delusional. Even then, if the fans in Toronto are such a problem, can somebody explain to me why the Raptors have historically played very well at home? I'm sorry, but I don't buy the whole "the fans are the problem" BS. Sure, fans can have an outcome on the game, positive or negative, but they are not capable of being the difference between a team making the playoffs or not. That is on the players, coaching staff and management, all of which are to blame for the Raptors disapointing season. As far as Turkoglu is concerned, if I was Colangelo I wouldn't even buy him out. If he doesn't want to play for the Raptors, he doesn't play for anybody unless they make a trade for him (which I find highly unlikely considering his contract and trade kicker). If he won't play for Toronto, he can stay in Turkey. I'm not going to reward him for a year of dogging it by caving to his demands and buying him out. Hedo is trying to play the victim here and I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it. I don't care if that makes me a "problem".

I'm only going to make one post (at least about the ending of the game) in this thread so as to not get drawn into some petty argument as I don't want to take away from the great game that I just watched. Anybody who tries to argue that the last play of the game didn't involve luck is absolutely delusional, just like anybody who tries to argue that Jason Richardson banking in a straight away 3 didn't involve luck as well. Things had to work out perfectly for the Lakers to have Artest end up with the ball and enough time to throw it at the backboard. Not only did the Lakers have to get the shot up with enough time for them to be able to get an offensive rebound opportunity, but if Kobe's shot hits the rim the Lakers run out of time and this game is going in overtime. Artest did a fantastic job of out hustling Richardson to the loose ball and had the composure to know that the clock was winding down and he didn't have any options other than to throw the ball up at the backboard, but that entire play was a result of Kobe Bryant, the man who has hit 6 game winners this season and more tough shots than anybody in the NBA, to throw up an airball in the final seconds of a critical playoff game. The Lakers had basically everything go right for them on that possession and the Suns had basically everything go wrong for them when you consider that they couldn't have defended Kobe any better and still ended up losing the game because of an airball. With that said, good teams create their own luck. The fact is that the Lakers hustle and determination throughout the game is ultimately going to be rewarded at various stages. Just because something happens two or three times a game doesn't mean that it isn't still considered lucky, at least as far as I am concerned. Again, I'm not trying to take anything away from the Lakers, and the fact of the matter is that luck plays a huge part in close games, especially games decided by a single possession. I just don't understand why so many people were offended with the notion that the last play could be considered lucky. With that said, this was one hell of a game. Kobe Bryant and Derrick Fisher's experience really came through tonight. Whenever the Lakers were on their heels and the Suns were going on a run, one of these two would always come up with a big play to put a halt to the Suns momentum. It seemed like every single shot that Fisher hit was a critical shot that had huge implications on the game. As far as Kobe goes, he played exactly how you would expect him to play. His play in the playoffs is arguably the most impressive basketball that he has ever played in his career, at least as far as I am concerned. Steve Nash carried the Suns on his back tonight. He was absolutely abusing the Lakers whenever they switched on the pick and roll and was making some very impressive jumpers. His play in the fourth quarter was exactly why he is my favourite player in the NBA (well, that and he is the only Canadian worth a damn, haha). He just has such a great feel for the game and almost always makes the right decision. Those step back and fadeaway jumpers that he was hitting all game long, particularly in the 4th quarter, were an absolute thing of beatuy. It is just too bad that the Suns couldn't pull this one out as I would love to see him get a ring before he retires, and I think that his window to achieve that as a star player is quickly closing. Say what you want about his defensive issues, but there is absolutely no questioning this guys heart, desire and will to win. Great game for sure, but I can't help to think that the Suns blew their chance in this series. I just can't see them stealing game 7 on the road, if there is one, and if there was going to be a game that they took in LA, I thought it would be this one.

To get this thread back to NBA related discussion, here are some athletic testing results from Chad Ford's Twitter. Should have the full results up at DX in a day or two from what I have read. Wall's numbers are very impressive, but how about Luke Babbit? I had no idea that Babbit was so athletic. I'm definitely shocked to see him post these kinds of numbers.

Chad Ford's latest mock has the Raptors taking Daniel Orton at 13. Some other things worth mentioning. Favors up from 3 to 2. Cousins falling to 6th. Gordon Hayword going to the Clippers at 8. Aldrich falling all the way to 11. Has Udoh falling to 14. Alabi moving all the way up to 19. Motiejunas dropping to 21. Patterson falling to 22. Whiteside dropping to 24.

I'm not saying that Johnson is going to be let go for sure or anything like that, but it seems like things have taken a 180 degree turn when it comes to him. During the year end press conference, Colangelo mentioned that re-signing Johnson was one of the biggest priorities for this offseason, especially with all of the uncertainty surrounding Bosh. However, everything that I have read since then has little comments that make me think he may not be back. Basically, things went from: "Amir is one of our main priorities this summer. We are going to do whatever it takes to bring him back" to: "He is an unrestricted free agent. The Raptors would like to keep him but other teams are going to be looking at him and the price may be too high for Toronto." I could be completely wrong, and for all I know they may have some sort of deal in place already, but seeing how much the comments on Amir have changed from when the season ended to now, it makes me wonder if he wil be back or not.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/nba/raptors/bryancolangelo/article/813761--raptors-gm-bryan-colangelo-mining-talent-pool-in-search-of-draft-day-gem I imagine the 9 players he is talking about are: John Wall Evan Turner Derrick Favors DeMarcus Cousins Wesley Johnson Al-Farouq Aminu Cole Aldrich Greg Monroe Ed Davis I think you can also throw Ekpe Udoh into that group of players who will definitely be gone before Toronto picks. As far as the speculation on who he is leaning towards, I think the Raptors will end up coming out of the draft with a big man as from what I have read it somewhat seems that Amir Johnson won't be back with the team next season. That would leave only Andrea Bargnani and Reggie Evans as the only big men under contract for next season. I'm guessing it will either be Daniel Orton, Hassan Whiteside, Patrick Patterson or Donatas Motiejunas (him and Gheradini have made multiple scouting trips to watch him since the season has ended). Something that may possibly change things would be if he has a sign and trade deal in place for Bosh prior to the draft, and the Raptors are getting a big man in return for him. If that is the case, I could maybe see them going after Avery Bradley, Eric Bledsoe, Xavier Henry or Paul George. This is pure speculation on my part, but if I had to guess, I think that the Raptors draft list, in nor particular order, would be something like: Hassan Whiteside Daniel Orton Eric Bledsoe Patrick Patterson Xavier Henry Avery Bradley Paul George Donatas Motiejunas I don't really see who else the Raptors would consider taking at 13. Colangelo is definitely right when he says that after the obvious top 9 or 10 (the players I listed above) the next group of players are all really close together. This is going to be a hard draft to predict if things don't clear up a bit after private workouts.

I know it doesn't mean much and all, considering it was the Draft Combine, but I found it interesting that DeMarcus Cousins had an interview with the Toronto Raptors considering the fact that the Raptors are way out of his target range. http://www.realgm.com/src_feature_pieces/906/20100520/notes_from_2010_pre_draft_combine/ Again, I know it doesn't mean much, but I did fint it interesting that he even had an interview with the Raptors considering worst case scenario he gets picked 6th. He did blow off an interview with the Spurs. It will be interesting to see if there is any other communication between the Raptors and Cousins when private workouts and things like that start again. That would definitely raise some flags about the potential of the Raptors moving up in the draft to get him. Just thought I would share this info regardless of the fact that is is probably nothing.

Bynum is definitely a risk, but I think he is a risk that the Raptors have to take regardless of concerns about his knees. Even if he is a huge bust in Toronto and can't stay healthy, he only has, what, 2 or 3 more years on his contract anyways? Its not like the Raptors would be taking on a huge deal that will hinder their cap space for the next 6 years or anything and even if they did, they already have thsoe kind of contracts on the roster with Calderon, Bargnani and Turkoglu anyways. You aren't going to get a better offer in a sign and trade situation than an Andrew Bynum and if Colangelo was offered this, and turned it down, I don't even know what I would think. One thing worth mentioning as a downside, along with the knees that you already touched upon, is the fact that Bynum suffers from motivational issues playing for the Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson. If he has troubles with motivation there, what is going to happen if he comes to Toronto and has Jay Triano coaching him and Hedo Turkoglu as the veteran presence on the roster? Regardless, like I said above, if you are offered Bynum, you take it and don't look back. First off, just thought that I would mention that Bosh/O'Neal didn't work not because the two couldn't play together, but because of the fact that JO was a shell of a shell of himself. He couldn't stay on the floor and even when he was on the floor he was only operating at about 70% (at best) of his capabilities. In the brief games where he showed flashes of his old brilliance, the two actually played pretty well together. Secondly, Jefferson is a much, much different player than both O'Neal and Bosh. Jefferson is a throwback, old school, back to the basket big man while both O'Neal and Bosh were 15 foot, face up power forwards. Having a back to the basket big man compliments Bargnani's perimeter skills more than a 15 foot face up big man like Bosh or O'Neal are. I'm not saying that Jefferson is a better player than those two are/were, and he could very well turn out to be a terrible fit with Bargnani, but on paper, his style of play, at least offensively, compliments Bargnani more than Bosh's game ever has. And do you really think that the Bulls would offer Joakim Noah AND Kirk Hinrich AND multiple first round picks? Why would the Bulls trade away their starting center, shooting guard and multiple first rounders for a player that they could sign outright? Even if they did offer that, why would Bosh want to go to a team that is gutting their roster in order to acquire him? It makes no sense for the Bulls to gut their team in order to acquire Bosh, and it makes no sense for Bosh to go a team that is gutting their roster to acquire him. If a sign and trade were to go down between the Bulls and the Raptors, it would not include Joakim Noah (who the Bulls have basically said that they aren't going to trade from what I remember). It would be some sort of package involving Taj Gibson and James Johnson, and if the Raptors are lucky, a first rounder thrown in. I think you are grossly overestimating what kind of value you get in a sign and trade. Off of the top of my head, here are some of the more recent sign and trades that have happened: Rashard Lewis for a 2nd rounder. Kenyon Martin for 3 1st rounders. Joe Johnson for Boris Diaw and a 1st. Tracy McGrady for a 1st. Eddy Curry for a 1st. Grant Hill for Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins. Ben Wallace was basically a nobody at the time and nobody thought he would become one of the greatest defensive centers of the decade. The K-Mart scenario isn't comparable because he was a restricted free agent. Unless a multiple team trade is worked out (like the Turkoglu sign and trade last summer), the Raptors won't be getting much value in return from a team that is able of signing him outright. If the Raptors are offered a worst case scenario 17/9 big man in Al Jefferson, you take that deal and run with it. So let me get this straight, Chris Bosh is a moron for not including the New Jersey Nets, a team who's best player is Brook Lopez, a team who is coming off of one of the worst seasons in NBA history, a team who dropped from 1st to 3rd in the draft, which means they will be taking a big man and a team who's only hope of even making the playoffs is if they manage to land a prime time free agent? He is also a moron for not including a team who's status as a contender relies on Yao Ming, who might not even play more than 60 games a year? Even with a healthy Yao, are the Rockets better than the Lakers? But he is a moron for including the Lakers, a team who has arguably the best player in the game (Kobe Bryant) and arguably the premier post player in the league (Pau Gasol), who are going to be making their 3rd Finals appearance in 3 years and possibly win their 2nd in as many years? He is a moron for considering joining up with Dwyane Wade and quite possibly another semi-big name in Miami? He is a moron for considering going to Chicago to play with a 21 year old All-Star point guard, as well as the possibility of playing with LeBron james? Yeah, Chris Bosh sure is a moron. I mean who in their right mind would want to play with players like Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and/or Derrick Rose when he could go to New Jersey and play with Brook Lopez and Devin Harris? lmao, what a moron.

So then, I imagine that you think Andrew Bynum is not the answer for Toronto eithe, right? Bynum is a better defender than Jefferson, but he is no stud there either. His immense size and length provide an intimidating presence on the defensive end of the floor, but even then, he doesn't block many shots despite his size. His length plays a factor in his man defense, but, again, he isn't a great man defender either. He is a superior defender than Al Jefferson, that is for sure, but he isn't that good of a defender in his own right, at least that is the impression I have come away with after watching him over the past 3 years. As far as rebounding, Jefferson is the superior rebounder. His rebounding numbers were down this season, but he still pulled down 9 boards a game even with Kevin Love grabbing 11 a game (much like Bynum having to fight with Gasol for boards, although Bynum grabbed 8 a season). Prior to this season Jefferson had three staright 11 rebound per game seasons. Don't get me wrong, I would obviously rather the Raptors have Bynum over Jefferson, and I don't exactly think that Jefferson is the answer either, but considering the sign and trade options out there, I don't think that there would be many better options than a 25 year old big man who is capable of putting up 20/10 while being a legitimate low post presence. It may not be an ideal situation long term, but it is sure a hell of a lot better than acquiring Michael Beasley or David Lee and running with a Beasley or Lee/Bargnani frontcourt which would be even worse than a Jefferson/Bargnani frontcourt would be. I'm not going to comment on the Minnesota part of your post because, to be perfectly honest, I don't follow them enough to make a legitimate response and I'm not going to pretend to know something when I am really just pulling something out of my [expletive]. All I know is that the Wolves are looking to add a small forward to their roster and feel that Jefferson and Love can't co-exist. In this trade they manage to get that small forward that they need, and Deng is a good small forward and may be more valuable than a Rudy Gay depending on the contracts while solving the Jefferson/Love dilemma that they have. Maybe what I have read isn't true or things have changed though. Like I said, I'm just going off of what I have read.

There has been a lot of speculation among Raptors analysts/writers that if Bosh were to move in a sign and trade it would involve more than just Toronto and the team Bosh is going to, so with that in mind, is this a realistic three team trade scenario involving Bosh going to Chicago? To Chicago: Chris Bosh To Toronto: Al Jefferson To Minnesota: Luol Deng Now I haven't looked at anything salary related, but I imagine that it would work financially with the Bulls and Wolves both having cap room to absorb any extra salary (if there is any in the first place, like I said, I haven't looked at the numbers). Anyways, here are my reasoning behind this for each team: Minnesota It is no secret that the Wolves aren't too fond of the Jefferson/Love frontcourt and are looking to move Jefferson in order to land a wing player. Since they fell to 4 in the draft and lost out on Evan Turner, and if they are unable to sign somebody like Rudy Gay, who I don't think will really consider the Wolves in the firstplace, the only option that they would have to address their need for a wing player would be through a trade. They can use the 4th pick on DeMarcus Cousins (assuming Jersey drafts Favors), who will fit very nicely alongside Kevin Love's perimeter skills and passing. This gives them a new lineup of: C: DeMarcus Cousins PF: Kevin Love SF: Luol Deng SG: Corey Brewer PG: Jonny Flynn (Rubio when/if he comes over) Chicago It is pretty clear why Chicago makes this trade. They needs some more offense, especially somebody that doesn't rely on jump shots to get his points. Bosh not only addresses the need of another scorer to compliment Rose, he also fills in the need of a power forward, which has eluded the Bulls for what seems like an enternity. Bosh would be a good compliment to Noah's hustle/energy style of play, and him and Rose would be one of the better point guard/power forward duos in the NBA. There is also the possibility of LeBron James coming to Chicago and form another potential dynasty in Chicago. New lineup would look like: C: Joakim Noah PF: Chris Bosh SF: James Johnson (or LeBron James or another free agent signing) SG: Kirk Hinrich PG: Derrick Rose Toronto I think it is a pretty fair assumption that the likelyhood of Chris Bosh retruning to Toronto next season is marginal at best. It appears like Toronto is looking to acquire a big man in whatever sign and trade they do, so they will look to acquire the best big man possible. Andrew Bynum is my personal preference, but who knows how interested the Lakers would be in making a move of that magnitude after making it to 3 straight NBA Finals, and possibly winning 2 in a row. With that said, the Raptors turn their attention to another prep-to-pro big man in Al Jefferson. Jefferson, while not being a good defensive player, has a skillset that, on paper, will compliment Andrea Bargnani very well. Jefferson is about as good of a replacement that you can ask for when losing somebody like Chris Bosh in a sign and trade. Raptors new lineup: C: Al Jefferson PF: Andrea Bargnani SF: Hedo Turkoglu SG: DeMar DeRozan PG: Jarrett Jack Thoughts on this? I like I'll post it in the main forum as well, if there isn't a lot of discussion on it here. I'm mainly just throwing an idea out there to get some discussion. Not sure how thrilled the other teams would be about this, and even not sure what the Raptors would think about this.

Are you sure that Colangelo wouldn't do this? He has talked about needing to "address the point guard spot" more than one time since the season ended. I think he realizes that Calderon and Jack cannot co-exist together, and I also think that he realizes that moving Calderon would be the best move for this team. I could be wrong, and he may think that Jack is the point guard that he needs to move, but I get the feeling that if given the choice of moving one point guard and keeping the other, Colangelo would choose to move Calderon. That is just my gut feeling frrom listening to him.

I actually question how good Calderon would be in D'Antoni's system. Calderon has never been one to really push the pace as he likes to play more of a half court game. TJ Ford and Jarrett Jack have been the ones who like to push the pace and get out in transition while Calderon has usually been the one to pull it out and try to run a set offense. He isn't nearly as good of a playmaker or passer as Nash is either. People look at Calderon's assist averages and assist/turnover ratio and automatically come to the conclusion that he is a great playmaker or passer or something, but that isn't exactly the case. He isn't bad at either of these areas by any means, but his averages are more because of the fact that the Raptors run a lot of pick and roll/pop and rely on their point guard a lot. He makes smart passes and takes good care of the ball, but he isn't a great plamaker or anything like Nash is. He did look to push it more this season and did take some more risks with the ball as well, so he may be coming along in those regards. As for the trade, sign me up immediately. I would love to be able to dump Calderon for an expiring contract. Calderon would be a fine backup but his contract just kills the Raptors, especially considering the contract of Hedo Turkoglu and the fact that the two of them simply cannot co-exist on the floor together.

I may be wrong, but I don't think you are allowed to package players together in a sign and trade scenario. If you are signing and trading a player, I think that he has to be the only player involved in the deal. Like I said, I could be wrong, but I have heard that on more than one occasion. As for your second point, one thing that the Lakers have going for them is that while Bosh would be the 2nd/3rd option behind Kobe and possibly Gasol, both Gasol and Kobe are in their 30's and who may star to see a bit of a decline in their player over the next few years. If Bosh goes there, he may be the 2nd or 3rd option for two or three years, but after that, the Lakers could very well become his team. There is nothing that Bosh would love more than to be the number one option on a team like the Lakers. Second rate player at best? I agree that Bosh is not a legitimate franchise player and number one option on a championship team, but to say that he is a second rate player at best is just as laughable as somebody thinking that he is a legit franchise player. How many second options in the NBA are better than Bosh?

There have been so many hints about the alternate reality timeline and the island timeline converging into one, so I wouldn't rule it out completely just because of that. Again, I'm not saying it is some cold, hard fact or something. I don't even know if I think that the two are related. I was just throwing that out there to create a bit of discussion before the finale airs.

I thought that the Jacob/MiB episode was kind of a disapointment, but the last episode was great. Here is something to think about. At the end of last episode, Flocke said that he wants to blow the island up. Well, during the season opener, we saw a scene where the island was submerged underwater. Perhaps a little foreshadowing on the writers part? Just throwing that out there for something to think about. I am sure that many of you have already thought of a similar scenario already though. Definitely excited for Sunday. A solid 4.5 hours of lost should make for an entertaining evening.

Bryan Colangelo has basically confirmed this story. He hasn't actually mentioned teams, but he has said that it is down to "a handful" of teams. http://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/nba/raptors/article/812969--bosh-s-wish-list-bulls-lakers-heat-or-knicks

Bosh's agent, Henry Thomas, claims that this is all BS. He says that he has yet to give any sort of list to Bryan Colangelo. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-heat/sfl-miami-heat-chris-bosh-s052110,0,4558949.story Whether he is doing this because he has actually yet to send any sort of list to Colangelo, or because it would be bad business to have this kind of list floating around, who knows, but I figured I would post it anyways.