Built Ford Tough

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/66614/20100516/grizzlies_might_sign_and_trade_rudy_gay/#ixzz0oDvJo5Ik I don't really know how close the two parties are in terms of an extension or anything like that, but I never really got the impression that Gay would be back in Memphis next season and I can definitely see the Grizzlies moving him in a sign-and-trade situation during the summer rather than losing him for nothing. What are the chances that Gay is in Memphis next season, and if he isn't back, what kind of sign-and-trade scenarios can you see happening?

If you were in calling the shots in New Orleans and the Hornets somehow ended up moving winning the draft lottery tomorrow to win the 1st pick in the draft, how would you approach the draft considering you already have Chris Paul and Darren Collison on the roster? Do you draft John Wall anyways and hope that him, Paul and Collison are able to co-exist? Do you just draft Evan Turner first despite the fact that Wall is the consensous number 1? Do you trade the pick? Do you trade Darren Collison? Do you consider trading Chris Paul? I know that it most likely won't happen, but if New Orleans were to win the draft lottery tomorrow, it would be very interesting to see what happens between now and the draft.

Eric Williams, Aaron Williams, Alonzo Mourning (who wouldn't play for Toronto and had to be bought out immediately) and, wait for it, the one and only... JOEY GRAHAM! Sadly, I think Joey Graham was the best player in the deal. Oh yeah, I think there was another 1st rounder involved somewhere, but I honestly have no idea what Toronto did with it. I know that they never used it to draft anybody.

Haha, I left one LeBron in their on purpose to see if anybody would catch it. The funny thing is that I thought I left it in the 2nd part about the supporting cast, not the 3rd part, which makes me look even worse now that I think about it. I'll edit it now to avoid any further humiliation.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7_7uOI0SzVo/S-l_x2PdqHI/AAAAAAAAASg/mg4bM7AuP5c/s400/WEAINTGOINGOUT.png Here's a few reasons: 1. Canada: Only so many stars have the opportunity to play in the true north strong and free. It adds a special meaning to his impact on not only the great city of Toronto, but the entire country of Canada. He's got everything situated and it won't change if he stays here. No relocating himself. Canada is the one thing Raps fans can use to connect with Bosh. 2. The Raptors Organization: Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment are one of the richest sport organizations and have stated that they aren't afraid to spending money which will give Bosh a better supporting cast each year. Not only that, but they have a sick arena in the Air Canada Centre. The names this franchise has brought in for Bosh are endless: Mike James, T.J. Ford, Charlie Villanueva, Anthony Parker, Carlos Delfino, Bargs, Jorge Garbajosa, Rasho Nesterovic, Will Solomon, Hedo Turkoglu, etc.... He wants to be on a team that is aware of the situation at hand and is willing to act on impulse if it feels it can be better for the team. Who is better at acting on impulse than Bryan Colangelo (Bargnani and Calderon extensions anybody?) 3. The Future: Does Bosh want to leave Toronto knowing he never won a title for them? Leave unfinished business out there to never be fulfilled? He didn't waste 7 seasons in Toronto to make such a somber exit. 4: The Most Important Reason: His final home game will not be a heart-breaking buzzer beating loss to Golden State because he missed a layup. What a terrible way to go out of a city that loved you even during the bad times. Is that really how he wants to remember his final home game in Toronto? 7 years in the making leading up, not to a championship for Toronto, but to this? A heart-breaking buzzer beating loss to Golden State all because he couldn't hit a layup? Or what about his final game ever as a Raptor being only 2 minutes and 8 seconds long due to a broken face? No way that happens. There's no other way to put it. He's as big of a star as he is now. Just look at the mass media. How much bigger of a star can he really be if he goes to New York or Miami? And what do I do with that big poster of him across the room from my bed? And does he really want to go to Miami and, rather than continue his own legacy, follow in the steps of Wade and always be second fiddle to him in that city? Also, Rap fans are very loyal to Bosh. A bad game and fans still believe. If he goes to New York, a playoff performance like this could ruin his reputation even more. Maybe everyone's being reactionary because of the way the season ended so soon and in such manner, but I still remain confident that since he has unfinished business, he will return. And in case you were wondering, this is in no way, shape, or form, a dig at Cleveland's Finest....

First off, welcome to the forum. Glad you decided to join. Secondly, Bargnani averaged 17.3 ppg and 5.1 rpg on 46.4% shooting in the 13 games without Bosh this season (I included the game against Cleveland when he broke his face). Those are all below his season averages, except for the scoring which is 0.1 points per game more. However, if you take out the last two games of the season against the Pistons and the Knicks in which he scored a combined 57 points, his scoring average plummets all the way down to 12.9 ppg without Bosh in the lineup. Whether those last two games were aberrations or him finally adjusting to playing without Bosh in the lineup is unknown, but judging from the numbers, it really doesn't seem like Bosh was screwing up Bargnani's production. This goes back to what Real Deal said about Bargnani being more suited to playing off of somebody who demands defensive attention, and Bosh was that guy. Bosh may be a blackhole at times and he isn't the greatest of passers, but his presence on the floor opened things up quite a bit for Bargnani. I honestly don't think that Bosh had that much of a negative effect on Bargnani's numbers this season, if he had one at all. I'm sure we will see an increase in Bargnani's numbers next season, assuming Bosh leaves, but having Bosh around has not had a negative effect on Bargnani or his development. Lastly, in regards to your comment about Bosh being here for 7 years and not leading them past the first round yet, sure you can look at that as a negative on Bosh, but you also have to factor in that Bosh is not a superstar player like Kobe, LeBron or Wade are and he is not capable of leading a team of average to below average players to playoff victories. Since Bosh became the number one guy on this team he has had supporting casts that consist of: 2005-2006 Mike James Morris Peterson Charlie Villanueva Matt Bonner Jalen Rose was on the team but he was injured for half of the season and a lot of the games that he did play in he played with a cast on his shooting hand, which effected his play. Mike James was the second best player on this team. Think about that, Mike James. Sure, he scored 20 ppg but when Mike James is your second best player you have some serious issues on the team. 2006-2007 TJ Ford Anthony Parker Jorge Garbajosa Andrea Bargnani Jose Calderon (wasn't the same player he is today then) Morris Peterson (barley played towards the end of the season for some reason) Whe TJ Ford is the second best player on your team, you know that you don't have much talent surrounding you. This is nothing against TJ Ford as he was my favourite Raptor player at that time, but it doesn't change the fact that he is a 4th option on a good team at best. Sure, the Raptors managed to win 47 games this season, but it was a combination of playing in an absolutely [expletive]ty Eastern Conference and teams like New Jersey and Washington were hit with injuries, which derailed their season. The Nets were a better team when healthy, and they showed that in the playoffs against Toronto that season. 2007-2008 Anthony Parker TJ Ford (injured for 31 games) Jose Calderon Andrea Bargnani Carlos Delfino Jamario Moon Bargnani had a terrible sophomore season shooting under 38% from the field and was a non factor when he was on the floor. Ford was injured for 31 games after Al Horford nearly decapitated him and wasn't the same player when he returned. Anthony Parker was the second leading scorer on the team. Do you honestly think that a team with Anthony Parker as a second leading scorer is going anywhere? Bosh also missed 15 games this season and, if I recall correctly, the team struggled horribly when Bosh was out because of the fact that they didn't have anybody on the team capable of picking up the slack for him. 2008-2009 Jermaine O'Neal/Shawn Marion Andrea Bargnani Jose Calderon Anthony Parker Jason Kapono Joey Graham O'Neal and Marion had some good games for the Raptors, but in Marion's case, he didn't fit in with the team or have enough time to adjust after being traded. Bargnani had a good season offensively, but we all know how bad he is defensively and when JO was traded Bosh was forced to play center and anchor the defense again. Anthony Parker started to slow down both offensively and defensively and Jason Kapono and Joey Graham straight up suck. Calderon battled injuries all season long, which you could tell was affecting his play and when he missed 14 games the Raptors had Will Solomon and Roko Ukic getting major minutes at point guard. So yeah, Bosh has failed in a sense as he hasn't led the Raptors past the first round since taking over from Carter as the man, but can you really expect a second tier star to lead a team to a series victory when the best player he has ever played with is T.J. Ford pre-Al Horford? Now I am not saying that Bosh is perfect as he definitely has his flaws, and, to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't be all that upset if he were to leave this summer because I don't know how thrilled I would be giving Bosh a max contract with so much money already tied into Turkoglu, Calderon and Bargnani, but management hasn't exactly put him in a situation to succeed either.

Does anybody know what is going on with this guy? I thought it was a great pick when the Spurs drafted back in 07 and figured that he would spend a year or two in Europe before coming over to the NBA, but here we are, 3 years later and I have heard literally nothing about his NBA future. Does anybody know what is going on with him? He has been steadily improving each year over in Europe and from my understanding, he has become one of the best players in Europe. He put up the solid numbers this season with averages of: Euro: 13 ppg / 5.4 rpg / 1.8 apg / 53.5 FG% / 63.6 FT% in 26.6 mpg (16 games) ACB: 16 ppg / 6.7 rpg / 1.9 apg / 58.1 FG% / 79.9 FT% in 28 mpg (28 games) With the Spurs future as contenders being somewhat up in the air and the future being relatively unknown, now might be as good of a time as ever to try and get Splitter to San Antonio and hope that he can learn a thing or two from Tim Duncan before Duncan decides to hang them up for good. Anyways, does anybody know anything about his NBA future? I know that there were rumors a year or two ago about him possibly never coming over to the NBA because of financial reasons (I think it was financial reasons at least), but I haven't heard anything remotely new about him. If I remember correctly, this summer is the summer that he has an out-clause with his team over in Europe, but if he doesn't come over to the NBA this summer he will be locked into the contract until 2012, which I would imagine will close the door shut on any sort of future in the NBA.

What, no faith in Bargnani? How can you not have faith in a face like this? http://www.24sec.net/images/lib/Legal%20photos/Italy/Andrea%20Bargnani%20-%20Benetton%20III%20(euroleague).jpg http://www.binarybasketball.com/sites/default/files/images/Andrea-Bargnani.png http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos/andrea-bargnani-lottomatica-semifinali-game-2-italian-championship-basketball-series-a1-play-offs-9Iqa9V.jpg He will scare people off with his alarmingly good looks. Not to mention his amazing eyebrow raises (check the avatar for evidence) that melt the heart of everybody he comes into contact with.

Even Bargnani thinks your crazy: http://images.quickblogcast.com/81063-70964/Andrea_on_bench.jpg (I really just wanted to get to 1,200 posts before the night is over and find a semi-valid reason to post that picture )

Two latest stories about the Raptors draft situation (one valid, one Twitter). DeMar DeRozan will be representing the Raptors during Tuesday's draft lottery. http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/lottery_051410.html Paul George Tweets saying he would do damage with DeRozan Like I said above, it is Twitter and all, but it is still nice to see a player showing interest in playing for the Raptors. I think he is a reach at 13, but if the Raptors buy a later pick and he is still around, I would love to see them draft him (although Avery Bradley is still my first choice if the Raptors were to buy a pick). Him, DeRozan and Sonny Weems would be a very nice compliment of athletic wing players heading forward. Speaking of DeRozan, is it just me or does he seem to have connections with a lot of college players or, particularly, players from the Cali area?

Because he took as much money as he could, just like 99% of the NBA would in his exact same situation? What an [expletive]... I find it absolutely hilarious when people try to hate on players for trying to make as much money as they possibly can. As for the original post, I can completely agree with where KG is coming from. Being loyal and commiting to the franchise that drafted you is great and all, but if the franchise has shown that they have an inability to build a winner around you, why exactly should you be loyal to them? It is not like they have really given you anything that should result in you giving them your unwavering loyalty. I'm not specifically talking about LeBron James here either. This is basically my thoughts on any player who has spent his entire career on a team that hasn't shown the ability to surround you with the necessary pieces to win in this league. That is why I would have no ill-feelings towards Chris Bosh if he were to leave Toronto. It is not like the Raptors have really shown anything to him in terms of building a winner, so why should he stick with them out of loyalty? What have they done that Bosh should be 100% loyal to them? What good is loyalty when it gets you absolutely no where and you wind up stuck on a treadmill team? Before you know it, you are 30 years old and your window of being a star player on a championship team is startng shut, a la KG? Sorry for turning this semi-off topic with the Bosh reference, he was just the first example of a free agent this summer who fits the criteria that popped into my head. I tried to save it with the KG example.

I'm not going to post the entire blog of his but I will post bits and pieces of it. I highly recommend that you read the entire thing though as it was a good read, at least in my mind it was. On hitting the rookie wal On his relationship with Sonny Weems On his plans for getting better On his future http://rookiechronicles.com/2010/05/demar-derozan-blog-wrapping-up-my-rookie-year/ Even though he was up and down during his rookie season and didn't progress as much as I thought he would this season, I am still pretty high on DeRozan. I don't think he is going to be a star or anything like that, but if he can improve defensively while continuing to develop his offensive game (jump shot, adding range, creating off of the bounce, playmaking, etc...) I think that he can become a good starting shooting guard in the future. It is ultimately going to come down to how hard he works on his game, and judging from everything that I have read about him over the past 2 years, he seems like the kind of player who will put in the work and effort in the gym needed to elevate his game.

After seeing a similar thread on RealGM and then thinking about some of the recent events going on with some of the more promminent NBA players heading into free agency this summer having a complete change of attitude over the past few weeks or so, I thought it would be as good of a time as other to make this thread. Over the past week or so, LeBron James looks completely disinterested in the series against the Boston Celtics. Normally LeBron is one of the most passionate and fiery players in the NBA. Maybe it is because of the elbow injury, who knows, but at this point in time he looks like he simply doesn't care anymore, and this is something that you never see from James. Everything from his demeanor on the court, his non-chalant interviews and overall lack of passion is just not something that we are accustomed to seeing from LeBron James. Some comments he has made in interviews are basically saying that he has carried this team on his back and, say what you want about James being arrogant, that is simply not something you would normally hear from him. With Chris Bosh, he has seemingly gone nuts on his Twitter account over the past few weeks and some of the "Tweets" (is that what they are called?) he has made are completely out of character for him. Over the past 7 years Bosh has been a consummate professional for Toronto, but these comments from him make him seem like he thinks he is bigger than the team and what not. Flash back to stretches during the season when the Raptors were struggling and under scrutiny, Bosh would make disparaging remarks about his teammates and basically throw them under the bus, which, again, is completely out of character from the Bosh that Raptor fans have watched over the past 7 years. Much like LeBron James, he also looked completely disinterested during points of the season. From my understanding, Joe Johnson has always been more of a quite leader. A guy that doesn't like to talk all that much and would just go out and let his play do the talking. Ever since the playoffs started though, Johnson has made some very questionable comments about his status as a free agent, his desire when it comes to money and things like that. He has been much more vocal as of late. On the floor, he was playing completely selfish during the Orlando series (not sure about the Milwuakee one as I didn't watch much of it) and looked like he was just out there to get his and who cares about what else happens. So it begs the question, how much of a factor do you think that outside forces play into the mindset, attitude and all of that of future free agents? How can a team control these factors and keep them to a minimum? Feel free to ad your own two cents to this as I am not really asking any specific question, but just wanted to have a general discussion on this kind of subject.

Do you actually think that the trade would simply be the 13th overall pick though? I'm sure that the pick would simply be one part of a package that would include other assets such as the expiring contracts of Marcus Banks and Reggie Evans (combining for around $9-10M) and young players on cheap contracts with potential (how much depends on the team making the trade I would imagine) like DeMar DeRozan, Sonny Weems and Marco Belinelli. I don't think that anybody is naive enough to believe that the 13th pick by itself would have anything remotely close to the value of a 2nd option perimeter player, but if expiring contracts and young players are added to that pick, it may be good enough for teams that are looking to clear some cap space like a Philly or a team looking to clear up a possible log jame like a Golden State (especially if they get John Wall or Evan Turner in the draft). I do question if an Andre Iguodala or a Monta Ellis would be enough to entice Bosh into re-signing with the Raptors though. I can definitely see Golden State having soured on Monta Ellis considering the emergence of Stephen Curry over the last half of the season along with the possible addition of a John Wall or Evan Turner in this years draft. I think it is pretty clear that Curry and Ellis isn't exactly an ideal long-term backcourt for Golden State, especially once Don Nelson leaves. I could see them liking DeRozan because of his size at the two guard and his game complimenting Curry's more than Ellis does. In regards to Andre Iguodala, it ultimately comes down to whether or not the Sixers want to blow things up and rebuild, or if they think that Iguodala is worth keeping as a part of the future of this team. If they want to completely blow things up and start all over, I can definitely see a package involving DeRozan, draft pick and expiring contracts enticing them to pull the trigger. Another factor though is that you have to assume that if Iguodala is in fact on the table and the Sixers are offering him, there are going to be more teams looking to acquire him than the Raptors, and there is a good possibility that the other teams can offer a better package than the Raptors could. The thing is that I am almost certain Bryan Colangelo's idea of a big name player is different than my idea of a big name player. Based on recent history, Colangelo's idea of a big name player has been Shawn Marion, Hedo Turkoglu and a broken down Jermaine O'Neal. While I don't think we are talking about a legitimate all-star here, I do think that a borderline all-star like Iguodala or Ellis type of player is reasonable to expect. I just pray that he isn't talking about somebody like Rip Hamilton.

Now I am not talking about his value in terms of whether or not he is going to make the max this summer because I think we all can agree that Chris Bosh is going to be given a max contract this summer (whether he deserves it or not is another issue in itself), it is only a matter of where he will be earning that max contract. However, what isn't so black and white is whether or not Bosh not being named to any of the three All-NBA Teams will have a negative effect on his value in a potential sign and trade situation for the Raptors. Do you think that when discussing potential sign and trade deals teams are going to use the fact that Bosh wasn't an All-NBA player in an attempt to possily low-ball Toronto in a deal, thus, lowering his value around the league? What do you guys think?

I was going to just post this in the draft thread that we have in the Raptors forum, but I figured I would make a new thread so that people who probably don't go into the draft thread would possibly notice it. http://www.torontosun.com/blogs/courtside/2010/05/11/13905831.html Honestly, I don't know what I think about Colangelo trading the draft pick this season. On one hand, I would love to see Colangelo swing a deal that would land the Raptors a legitimate second option wing player like a Monta Ellis or an Andre Iguodala to pair up with a newly re-signed Chris Bosh and obviously the Raptors 13th overall pick in this yeras draft would be involved in that trade. Not only would Ellis or Iguodala give Bosh far and away the most talented teammate that he has ever played with, it would finally give the Raptors a legitimate threat on the wings for the first time since Vince Carter left. If he can make a trade involving something like: DeMar DeRozan/Sonny Weems Marcus Banks Reggie Evans 13th overall pick for Andre Iguodala/Monta Ellis and then later on in the summer he is able to dump Jose Calderon for something (anything really, as long as the contract isn't as bad as Calderon's) and then use the MLE to sign a backup center (not sure of who is available) and buy Atlanta's pick to use on Avery Bradley to play behind Jack. A lineup of: PG: Jarrett Jack/Avery Bradley SG: Andre Iguodala or Monta Ellis/DeMar DeRozan or Sonny Weems SF: Hedo Turkoglu/DeMar DeRozan or Sonny Weems PF: Chris Bosh/Amir Johnson C: Andrea Bargnani/MLE signing should definitely be a playoff team in the East. However, the question is, does this lineup ever have the ability to actually contend in the East, or will it be an Atlanta Hawks situation where they are clearly a playoff team and good enough to win a series, but clearly not good enough to actually contend? This leads me to my concerns about trading the pick away. Does trading away the pick and other assets in exchange for an Andre Iguodala, Monta Ellis or a Devin Harris really make Toronto good enough to be more than just a treadmill team that goes through first or second round exits year after year for the duration of the respective primes of the core players on the team? Or would the Raptors simply be better off blowing it up and trying to rebuild the team, in which case there is nothing more valuable than draft picks and the cheap assets that they represent? There is also the possibility that Colangelo's idea of a big-name player could be somebody like Rip Hamilton or Tayshaun Prince or somebody like that, in which case I would absolutely loathe the idea of trading away the 13th pick for somebody like that as they clearly wouldn't make Toronto any better than they were last season. I really don't know what I would want to see happen. One part of me wants to see the Raptors go for broke and try to swing a huge deal to acquire a legit second option to compliment Bosh, but another part of me just wants to just say goodbye to the Bosh era and rebuild. Whatever happens though, I won't criticize Colangelo for whatever decision he makes, which is saying something because I criticize basically everything that he says. Anyways, enough ranting on my part. I was basically typing all of my thoughts as they came into my head in this thread, so I'll stop here or else I may never stop, haha.

I'd join if it is a retro league. I've always liked retro leagues more than current leagues assuming that people actually stay active in them. It is a lot more enjoyable using actual players rather than made up ones. Using made up players takes a lot of the fun out of the leagues if you ask me as they get boring after about the 4th year when half of the players are all made up and fake.

Jordan Hill, Knicks pick(s) and expiring contracts like Jared Jeffries and/or Shane Battier? As a Raptors fan, I can definitely say that I would be happy with that trade. In fact, that is one of the best sign and trade scenarios that I have seen floating around in regards to Bosh aside from the Bynum rumor, which I don't really buy. You have to take into consideration that if the Raptors are making a sign and trade for Bosh, they probably won't exactly be looking for the best package talent wise, but more so a package that gives them more flexibility for the future and help them rebuild, and this package would definitely do that. You would get a young, cheap asset like Jordan Hill who could possibly blossom in Toronto with a more extended role as the primary backup power forwar. Even if he is a bust, he is on a relatively cheap deal and won't tie Toronto's hands with a large contract like somebody like Monta Ellis or Kevin Martin would. The Knicks picks could end up being great if they don't land anybody in free agency, and even if they do, it is never a bad thing for a rebuilding team to stockpile on picks, especially a team like Toronto who has traded away their fair share of picks over the last few years. As far as the expiring contracts, I wouldn't say that they have no value, even though you are right when you say that the free agency period everybody is talking about is this seasons. The Raptors could potentially combine the expiring contracts of players like Battier or Jeffries along with the contracts of Marcus Banks and Reggie Evans (about $15M or so probably) and acquire something next season in a three way trade or something. They may not have as much value as they would have this season, but expiring contracts always have value in this league, especially if you factor in the uncertainty around the CBA. But the thing is, do you really think that Chris Bosh would even consider playing in Golden State or Philadelphia next season? He has stated on numerous occasions that he wants two things this summer: 1) To be on a playoff team. 2) To be looked at as "the man" and not a second fiddle. While he would definitely be considered the man in both Philadelphia and Golden State, he still would be in the same situation as he is currently in in Toronto, which is a fringe playoff team with no realistic shot at contending. Remember, in a sign and trade situation it's not like the Raptors are going to be able to dictate where Bosh goes, as Bosh holds a lot of the power in negotations here. The Raptors do have some leverage, but not nearly as much as they would've had they traded him at the deadline or soemthing. Also, how much do you think Toronto would want somebody like Monta Ellis or Andre Iguodala if they don't have Bosh on the roster? If Bosh was on the team I agree 100% that they would be great fits, but considering they would be acquiring one of these two (or a similar player) in exchange for Bosh, they really aren't accomplishing much. In fact, I think they would be taking a step back when you consider the fact that they would have around $40M tied into a core of Bargnani/Turkoglu/Calderon/Ellis (or Iggy). They would bascially be in the same position as they are in now, which is a team not good enough to make the playoffs but also not good enough to get any great draft picks either. That is why I think a package like what Houston would offer would be more enticing then one single player like an Iguodala, Ellis, Kevin Martin kind of player, who is undoubtedly good, but doesn't really help the Raptors considering the rebuilding direction that they would inevitably be heading in. I think that one thing Houston has in their favor is that they consider Bosh to be Plan A and not Plan B or C like a team like Chicago, Miami or New York consider Bosh. Bosh may see the fact that the Rockets goal this offseason is to acquire him and since they already have an established core that Bosh would be joining, unlike if he were to go to some place like New York or Miami who would still have to bring in plenty of players to surround Bosh and Wade/LeBron, it may appeal to him and he will jump at the opportunity. This is purely specualation on my part and just a possible scenario that I thought I would throw out there. I do think that Bosh will probably wait until the LeBron/Wade dust settles before coming to a decision on his future. How often do teams actually trade away a core piece in a sign and trade deal though? I can maybe see Aaron Brooks involved in the deal, but I would be absolutely in shock if Houston doesn't start the seasn with Yao, Bosh, Ariza and Martin on their roster (assuming, of course, that they are where Bosh goes). Who knows though, I may be underrating the value of a possible sign and trade deal, or you may be overrating it. Nobody really knows at this point.

Avery Bradley would be who I would want to see them buy a pick and take. He is a very talented player, but he just happens to be stuck in between positions and that could wind up hurting his stock. If he does end up sliding and manages to turn into more of a point guard, I think that he could easily become one of the steals of this draft. There is no denying his talent and he is still very young. I love his defensive ability on the floor the most though. I think that he is going to stick in the NBA simply because of his ability on the defensive end regardless of whether or not he is able to make the transition from more of a two guard to a point guard. It would be such a joy to see a Raptor guard actually playing great defense for a change instead of seeing Jose Calderon running around like a chicken with his head cut off randomly clapping his hands. It is worth mentioning that his lack of point guard skills may not be as much of an issue if he were to be on the Raptors though, assuming Hedo Turkoglu decides that he actually wants to play basketball next season and not just collect a pay check. Bradley would bring the ball up the court and can initiate the offense, but with a playmaking small forward like Turkoglu, he can afford to hand Turkoglu the ball and allow him to run the offense while he looks to be more of a scorer/shooter than a playmaker. Of course, this is assuming that Turkoglu actually does something productive next season and doesn't play like he did this past year, which is anything but a safe assumption.

Posted on his Twitter account. "Been wanting to ask. Where should I go next season and why?" Just noticed this newer post on his Twitter account though. "Ok... Let me rephrase the question. Should I stay or should I go?" You can interpret this however you want to, whether it is a clear indication that Bosh is leaving Toronto and his second post was just him doing damage control, or as a joke on his behalf, or whatever you want. I just thought it was worth posting. It could also not even have been him who posted this on his Twitter account because as far as I know, he isn't the only one that uses it.

Found this on RealGM and have absolutely no idea how valid it is, but I thought that I would post it here anyways. To me, Orton definitely looks like an intriguing prospect. He looks like he can be a very good defender who has nice size and length. From what I have saw/read (mainly read) he looks like he can be a good post defender who can also be a presence down low contesting and altering. He doesn't have much to show for his freshman season, but after undergoing knee surgery that kept him out for the majority of his senior year in high school and dealing with his mothers death, this past season could not have been an easy one for him. He's big, athletic, and will alter shots with his defensive presence. There are obviously some huge question marks surrounding him as well. He isn't really proven at the collegiate level which could scare some people off. He has already had surgery on his ACL which brings up some concerns about his knees heading forward. He is still very raw both offensively and defensively, and who knows if he is ever going to amount to much on the offensive end of the floor. With all of that said though, I definitely would not be angry if the Raptors selected Orton. If they could manage to trade down, possibly gain another pick in the process, and still manage to land Orton (or another big man) along with a combo guard like Bledsoe, Bradley or Warren, or a wing like George, Crawford, Pondexter or Ebanks, I would be very happy with the draft.

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/2036/charlottefishin.jpg http://i43.tinypic.com/1r8ylv.jpg That is about all I can contribute to this thread as I don't think that I watched one game all series long. Carry on.

There are rumors going around that Atlanta is looking to sell their first round pick this season, which is the 24th overall pick in the draft. Do you think there is a chance that Colangelo and MLSE will go and buy the pick? I remember when the Marion/JO trade was made, Colangelo said that he would use the money that was sent to them by Miami to buy a draft pick to replace the pick that he sent to Miami. Then again, if I recall correctly, he used the money that he got in that trade last summer in the Belinelli/George trade. I could be wrong though. Anyways, if the Raptors end up trading the 13th overall pick in the draft this year in an effort to land that 2nd option shooting guard that they desperately need, I think it would be a good idea to try and buy this pick from the Hawks and pick up somebody a guard like Eric Bledsoe, Avery Bradley, Willie Warren (despite his issues, he is talented), Elliot Williams, Jordan Crawford or a big man like Daniel Orton or Soloman Alabi. There are more possibilities, these are just the first names that came to my mind in regards to players that might potentially be available around this pick. Oh yeah, here is the link: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AsMx17pG_FxcLClpe_eKLYq8vLYF?slug=aw-brown042610

I would be surprised if Bosh does go to Oklahoma City. Bosh has stated on numerous occasions that he doesn't want to be looked at as somebodies sidekick and if he were to go to OKC he would be looked at as Durant's sidekick. It is the same reason why I don't think that he will go to Miami because he would be seen as Wade's second fiddle. I don't think that Bosh's ego will allow him to go and play second fiddle to somebody like Durant or Wade and I have said it multiple times on here, and Bosh has said that he wants to be a player that teams build around, not a player who is a piece to the building around of another (if that makes sense lol). If Bosh leaves Toronto I think he will either end up in Chicago or Houston. While Chicago and Houston both have star players in Rose and Yao respectively, I don't think that anybody would call Bosh the 2nd option of either of those teams and worst case scenario it would be looked at as a 1A-1B type of scenario. If he goes to Miami or OKC he would be looked at as a clear cut #2 option, and that is something that he doesn't want to happen. Then there is also the fact that if he were to go to Houston he would have a supporting cast twice as good as the one that he has ever had in Toronto. Brooks and Martin alone would be far and away the best backcourt duo that he has ever played with and I think it is pretty clear that he has never come remotely close to playing with somebody the caliber of Yao Ming. Add to those three players like Shane Battier, Trevor Ariza, Kyle Lowry and a potentially re-signed Luis Scola and that team blows any Raptor team that he has played on out of the water. In Chicago he would have a backcourt of Rose and Hinrich, which would be better than anything he has ever played with by far. Joakim Noah would be the best center that he has ever played with and a player that is a perfect compliment to him as well. A frontcourt of Noah, Bosh and Deng would be great on the glass both offensively and defensively. If he were to go to Chicago he would still be looked upon as the best player on the team while playing on a tough, gritty team that compliment him pretty nicely. I'm not saying that I don't think that Bosh could end up going to OKC or Miami, and I could very well be completely wrong in this situation, but judging from the comments that he has made this season and watching him for the past 7 years, I would be surprised if he were to go to a team and be looked at as a sidekick.

Best game of the playoffs so far, at least in my opinion. I absolutely love watching these two teams play each other, and it is 10X better when they meet up in the playoffs. The defense, physicality and intensity between these two teams is just awesome to watch. It is just a shame that one of these two teams are going to be out in the 2nd round, when both of them could definitely win it all this season.