On Rudy Gay and the Raptors

Tweet It is seeming more and more likely that Rudy Gay will be a Toronto Raptor in the very near future. Multiple sources (including ESPN and Yahoo) have leaked details about the trade and if these details are correct, Raptors fans should be outraged. Before getting into it, here is the breakdown of the trade:

Toronto Gets

Rudy Gay (and his 18 million dollar per year contract which runs for two more seasons after this one)
Darelle Arthur (maybe, the details are dusty on this one)

Toronto Loses

Jose Calderon (for who Memphis is trying to find a third team, more on this later)
Ed Davis
1st Round pick
Another player likely to be a throw in to make the salaries match

So Memphis sheds Rudy Gay and his crazy contract, gets a draft pick, and a young player who has emerged as a solid contributor on the Raptors. For them this is a great trade as it gives them some flexibility, while allowing them to keep the Gasol-Randolph-Conley core for the next few seasons. For the third team that will likely be involved (and my money is on the Lakers, if any team can luck into Calderon and Pau Gasol off of the bench its them) they get a very good offensive player whose contract expires at the end of this season. The Raptors? They cement Colangelo's reputation as an overrated GM who only made Phoenix a contender because it was his dad calling the shots there. Here are some reasons why.

This trade is a panic trade, plain and simple

The Raptors have (over the past few seasons) managed to assemble some young exciting talent (Val, Ross, Derozan, Ed Davis) through the draft. Remember all those "fans" who were mad at the Terrence Ross selection? Where are you now? Anyways, the key point here is that the Raptors were on he right track going forward. This trade will cost them yet another first-round pick, a young player, and could hinder Derozan's development as he and Rudy Gay have similar games. By constricting their ability to draft, the Raptors would have to rely on trades and signings (cut to Kapono, O'Neal, Marion, Turkoglu, Aaron Gray, and Pietrus sharing a laugh) to improve, and Colangelo's track record there is certainly nothing to be hopeful of. The bottom line is that this season would have a completely different outlook if the Raptors would have had some (pick one of at least 12 games that was blown in the last 2 minutes) results go their way earlier in the season. This is a young team that will struggle to win close games, but they are very competitive and despite their poor start they sit about 5 games out of a playoff spot. That does not sound like a team that needs to make a panic trade, it sounds like one that has to be patient.

The Bargnani Conundrum

By making this trade, the Raptors PF spot will be shared between Bargnani and Amir Johnson. Is there any Raptor fan alive who is happy about this? How many more chances will Andrea get here? It is very clear that he needs a change of scenery and fast! The Raptors have played much better basketball without him and keeping him here will be counterproductive to all parties involved.

Expiring Contracts are a GOOD thing BC!

Jose Calderon's contract (around 10 million per year) is set to expire at the end of the season and with it the Raptors would have much more financial flexibility. Being under the salary cap is a really good thing in the NBA. It enables a team to take on unwanted but talented players, and it helps them stockpile draft picks when other teams (like the Raptors in this case) panic. Keeping Calderon and letting him sign elsewhere would have been a far more logical move than shipping him mid-season so one team can get the benefit of his expiring contract.

Another note about this, why exactly are contenders not lining up for Jose? He is a more than capable offensive player and would be a fantastic back-up PG for a contending team. Also if he doesn't work out guess what? Just let him become a free agent. It is literally a no-lose situation. You're telling me that Western conference teams wouldn't be furious if he went to the Spurs? the Lakers? Thunder? Come on.

The Art of Negotiation

So Memphis is the team desperately trying to dump salary. Memphis is putting in the effort to make this trade happen, Memphis, Memphis, Memphis, it is all on them. So why then are the Raptors giving up a first round pick? How does BC let the Grizzlies management bully him like this? Thankfully he had the sense to make Ross "untouchable" but giving up that first-round pick just seems insane to me. What is even more troubling is that this trade would really not change much. Sure the Raptors could maybe sneak into the playoffs but what then? Are they beating Miami or New York? Answer: NO. It seems like BC feels that giving up the next two years of the draft is also an option because of the potential Val and Ross can exhibit. At this point, he is risking his career on that.

Incoherent NBA Ramblings

Tweet The other night I went to bed at a particularly late time. When you chill with friends this tends to happen and even though it's worth it; you still feel like you will fall asleep as soon as you hit your pillow. Imagine my dismay when I closed my eyes only to be woken up by the vibration of my phone. Usually I would just leave it, but I'm glad I didn't. As my brain processed the words "lockout over", I forgot everything about being tired and was literally smiling for the next 30 hours. What better way to celebrate the end of the exam period than with the NBA? We even got a 66-game season, which is a much better number than 50 (like the 1999 season had) and a WAY better number than 0 (which I had come to peace with). The shorter schedule and less cross-conference games means that some teams (especially in the East) will make the playoffs even though they would not have under an 82-game slate. It also means that some good teams will probably miss out due to coming together too late to make a playoff push. This should make for an interesting season where getting hot at the right time might be enough to win a title. Right now I don't want to get too much into season previews and predictions (you will get a lot of that later). Instead, I will just gloss over some key story lines that everyone will be talking about (which they would have already done if it wasn't for the lockout).

Mike Brown as the Lakers coach - how will he fare? How will Kobe fare without Phil? The only time in his career that he has missed the playoffs was when Phil was not calling the shots on the sidelines. Will the Lakers be able to mount one more title push with this group or will they settle for getting Dwight Howard? This franchise is probably the luckiest out of any in North America. Let's move on.

Carlos Boozer - do the Bulls regret signing him already? They did make the Eastern Conference finals last year, but found out quickly that Boozer may not be a long term solution (too bad they paid him that kind of money). Rose needs more help than Chicago has given him because they are currently in the worst possible spot: pseudo-contenders. They will always be a high seed, but I don't believe they can beat anyone (I also believe that they could make me look like an idiot).

LeBron - did he add anything to his game? Does the sight of J.J. Barea guarding him in the post still give him nightmares? Does he still have all those "mental notes" he bragged about? Does he regret celebrating like he won the title when he won certain non-finals games? I can't wait to hate on the Heat again.

Memphis Rising? Last year, they were one triple-OT game away from setting up a series with Dallas in which both teams could not guard the others' superstar. This year they bring everyone back and add Rudy Gay (who missed out on the playoff run because of a shoulder injury). This team looks very, very scary.

Has Jose Calderon learned to play defense? Has Bargnani toughened up? Has Kleiza learned to play basketball?! Raptors fans want the answers (don't count on any of these). Also, only Raptors fans will be talking about this, but it had to be included.

Can Dallas repeat? I'm going to say that if they re-sign Chandler, then they absolutely can. If they don't, then they have no chance.

Is this San Antonio's last run? Sadly yes. At least the lockout gave their old legs a rest and they can use a shorter season to mount one last run.

That is all I have time for now. Patriots and Eagles reports will be posted tomorrow, along with some other stuff this week. Cheers.