Media Watch for June 14, 2007

by RaptorsHQ - Archives on Jun 14, 2007 12:00 AM EDT in Media Watch

Halftime will never be the same again for Raptors viewers...

Raptors assistant coach Jim Todd has decided to leave Toronto to become an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks and new head coach Larry Krystkowiak.

The opening means that the Raptors will be promoting former Denver coach Mike Evans to the assistant coach role where he will share duties equally with current assistants Alex English and Jay Triano. Evans had been a scout with the Raps since 2004.

Interestingly, the Bucks continue to take on a more "former Raptor-ish" look as Todd will be joining assistants Brian James and Tony Brown, both of whom were assistant coaches at one time here in Toronto.

For us here at the HQ, Todd will be greatly missed for his half-time diatribes to the RaptorsTV crew. Todd was often quite candid in his assessment of the team’s play and his half-time speeches to Chuck Swirsky would usually go something like this:

"well Chuck, we’re getting killed on the boards. I’m not sure what’s going on tonight but the effort isn’t there. Chris has gotten some good looks on offense but they’re just not going down and we need him to make those easy ones. I thought TJ did a great job pushing the ball but our guys need to be more aggressive going to the rim when they get the pass. Sam’s probably in there letting them know about it as we speak…"

Yep, you could always count on Todd to tell it like it is not to mention take a few shots at the Swirk’s cue-ballesque dome before all was said and done!

Prior to the naming of Evans as a replacement for Todd, we did some speculation here at the HQ as to who else might make a worthy candidate to aid Mitchell. Perhaps someone well-versed in game analytics or defensive tactics like PJ Carlesimo? It looks like PJ is headed however to Seattle and now that Evans has been brought aboard, will the Raptors look to add one more assistant down the road?

From Bryan Colangelo’s recent comments it seems that things will remain status quo now with Evans in place so therefore the next bunch of changes we’ll be looking forward to appear to be of the player variety.

Speaking of which, with the draft exactly two weeks away, trade talk is heating up. One of the names being bandied about Raptor fans’ mouths is Grant Hill, who apparently has named Toronto as one of the teams on the short list that he’s considering this off-season. Hill is currently working the NBA Finals with ABC and will be an unrestricted free-agent come July 1 but is rumoured to be considering the Raptors in addition to the Suns, the Pistons, and Spurs.

I’m not sure about you, but I think the mere fact that one of the better free-agents this summer has Toronto in the same sentence with San Antonio, Detroit and Phoenix, speaks volumes as to the job B.C. has done. If someone would have suggested even a year ago that Grant Hill was considering signing with the Raptors, it would have probably brought on a serious case of the giggles.

As my favourite NBAer and a former Dukie to boot, I’d love to see Hill in Raptor red. He may have lost some of the bounce in his step and will forever be an injury risk, but with the depth the Raptors currently have, wouldn’t he be a perfect sixth man for this team? There are few smarter players in the game or more efficient ones. Hill can still get to the rim with the best of them, is a solid defender and even if he was plugged in to start at the 2/3, Mitchell wouldn’t have to play him starter minutes with the likes of Dixon, Graham, and a recovered Garbo waiting in the wings. This would reduce the wear-and-tear on his body as he probably could start games, and be saved for key situations or to close things out in the fourth. Whether he decides to choose Toronto come July of course is another story but Hill would get a solid vote of endorsement from this HQer.

Aside from free agent talk, it sounds like Jose Calderon is one of the most desirable names on the Raptors’ roster. In Michael Grange’s piece in the Globe he mentions a rumoured Calderon and Graham swap with Atlanta that would have brought Josh Childress, Solomon Jones and the number 11 pick to the Raptors. I too have heard versions of this deal floating around however it makes little sense for Toronto.

Childress hasn’t shown any more promise than Joey Graham and while we loved Solomon Jones last year…we did so as a late second round pick, not in exchange for Jose. As for the 11th pick, unless Toronto was sold on the fact that Mike Conley Jr. would fall that far to them, the Raps would probably be left to pick from the likes of Spencer Hawes, Nick Young, Acie Law and Al Thornton. There are pieces to each player’s game that I like, but right now if I’m Colangelo and looking to make that next push, none of the above are as helpful to me as Jose. Now if Atl was to throw Josh Smith's name into the mix, that would be another story...

Finally to close off the edition of Media Watch, it looks like Mike James is headed back to the Houston Rockets. It’s been reported that a deal between the Rockets and Timberwolves is being finalized that would send James and perhaps another player to Houston in exchange for Juan Howard. Last night Howland and I were discussing this deal and speculating on why either team pulled the trigger. Sure James was not a great fit in Minny, reportedly has issues with KG, and was hardly living up to his contract...but is Juan Howard, maybe a year or two away from retirement, the solution for the T-Wolves? And what does this mean for the other former Raptor point guard in this equation, Rafer Alston. Obviously after Houston’s disappointing first-round exit this year in which Rafer struggled, it looked like the Rockets would be looking to make some changes at the 1, but bringing back Mr. Space Mountain? His game is not that different in many ways from Alston and while a better shooter, is still not the pass-first type to get Yao and T-Mac the touches they need.

If anything, Howland and I pondered whether this meant that the T-Wolves were hoping that Foye could play some 2-guard at times and then praying that Mike Conley Jr. would fall into their lap on draft day. If not, perhaps now we’ll see a backcourt of Foye at the 1 and someone like Corey Brewer at the 2/3.

In any event, the trading of James comes hardly as a surprise considering I always felt he was a terrible fit for Minnesota. Maybe the only surprising thing is that Rob Babcock, the former Raptor GM who originally acquired him both in Toronto and then in Minny, is the one who’s having a hand this time in shipping him out.

FRANCHISE

Tweet Comment 23 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

JT will surely be missed. I also liked his half-time comments. Great for the Bucks. Good luck Jim!

by tfan on Jun 14, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Your hard-on for Dukies notwithstanding, Franchise, Hill is no Boozer or Brand.

Do you really want the Raps to emulate the Leafs and Jays and pick up past-their-prime superstars like Ed Belfour and Frank Thomas? The end-result is mediocrity.

Hill averaged 14.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 2.1 APG, and he turns *35* in October. He also hasn't played a full season in 10 years. Do we really want another Vince-like "will he play, won't he play" situation for the next couple of years? No thanks.

by jjdynomite on Jun 14, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Assuming the $s make good sense, I could see Hill being a great fit. He wouldn't disturb the core of the team, while at the same time, he'd be able to contribute at the 2-3 (oh my, could he ever).

Any truth to the idea that the Raptors would be interested in Papaloukas?

It struck me as nonsense given our strength at the PG spot, but it would let us move either Ford or Calderone for assets (likely to include a pick) without giving up a lot in terms of our depth.

I want the season to start tomorrow, and I still have to wait two weeks for the freaking draft?

Howland, Franchise, please don't go on holidays...

by Bedhead on Jun 14, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I'm not impressed that they let Jim Todd walk. He might have been the only assistant coach to tell it like it is. To Mitchell.

by Checka on Jun 14, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Hey
i got this idea..tayshaun prince..he's the sf we r looking for..i mean we all detroit is gonna do sumthing this off season..why not go after him..i love JC..but we have ford..we r gonna lose jc sooner or later..so i dont mind him being shipped out...anyone who thinks ford is getting the boot...u havn't been listening to BC..'our core..bargs,bosh and ford'..end quote...so lets end that debate..now if prince were to take T.Dot..n we al know..everyone is talking about us..COY..EOY..Division champs..No.3spot..i mean we r on the lips of everyone..lets make a splash to steal the east...detriot is goin down so is maimi..that leaves us and chi-town..cleveland is n't in a postion to make changes n they're gettin no better than this..we all know...wash and jersey wer wash outs..detroit just got to cocky once again...so i dont see y not go after prince....n by the way..quit witht the josh smith..u know no gm is gonna allow that to happen...so quit it already

by Keon Clark on Jun 14, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Quit with the Josh Smith... no GM will do it... We should get Tayshaun...

Uh, Atlanta has 10 talented, young SF's and is in a position to draft another. I agree that Smith is probably the last one they want to give up, but it is still WAY more likely than Dumars trading Prince. Even if the pistons decide to rebuild, it will happen around Tayshaun. They don't have the depth behind him to create a hole like that in their line up.

Check... your... head

by Robert Archibald on Jun 15, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Congratulations to the Spurs.

The King. He is good but Not the best in the league nor do I think He will be. No more comparions to MJ please.

by Davl on Jun 15, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Random thoughts...

I guess Hill at the right price would be a good fit, although I disagree with Franchise on the "solid defender" bit. Even in his prime, he was never a superlative defender. Having said that, he is a smart player who can contribute in many ways.

I heard Colangelo saying that it's very unlikely that the Raps will trade their way into the draft, so it looks like he'll be tweaking the team through free agency.

Isn't it interesting how the Raptors squeezed career years out of both Mike James and Donyell Marshall and how both those players flopped since leaving Toronto? Of course, I'm sure their contractual status had nothing to with that...

Raptor sighting: T.J. Ford outside the Intercontinental the other night. Nice to see him in town.

by Skywalker on Jun 15, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Congrats to the Spurs for another boring and efficient championship. I was hoping Cleveland would show more just to keep it interesting, but as much as there is to like about LeBron, Big Z, and Boobie, there's a whole lot of sludge on the Cavs roster to dislike (Drew Gooden's whining and being one of the L's best stats-padders, Damon Jones and Eric Snow being two of the most useless players in the league, Scot Pollard's idiotic drug-promotion, Donyell Marshall's big contract loafing).

And hey, at least The Red Rocket gets a championship ring! LOL

Re: Donyell Marshall and Mike James and their career years, being in contract years was probably part of their Toronto "successes", but a bigger part was having an opportunity to play lots of minutes on crappy (at the time) Raptors teams.

by MattK on Jun 15, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Talking about Raptor sighting. Was at the Keg on York street last nite and Chris Bosh was hanging out there with his posse. Funny thing is, 3 TVs around him was showing the final game and he did not seem the least bit interested, till the closing moments.

by Rubik Kube on Jun 15, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Congratulations to Stern, he won the championship last night. Pheonix would have been crowned if it wasn’t for those meddling executives.

jjdynomite, please don’t ever compare Hill to Carter. Hill is the greatest player there never was. He would have been compared to MJ if not for his injuries and remains one of the smartest and hardest working players in the league. He would be a great addition.

Keon man, learn to use proper punctuation. It takes twice as long to read your post as it should.

Smith would look great as a Raptor, Prince would not. He’s overrated.

by Erezona on Jun 15, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Sorry, Erezona, but I think you have it exactly backwards. Smith is a great athlete and can come up with some jaw-dropping plays, but do you see Atlanta winning any games because of him? Prince has a much more rounded offensive game and, more to the point, he's one of the better on the ball defenders in the league, and he's no slouch off the ball either.

Regardless, Detroit isn't going to let Prince go, especially with an otherwise aging roster and the probable departure of Billups. So I'm going to stick with my original suggestion of Quenton Ross.

by Skywalker on Jun 15, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Erezona, the reason I compared Hill to Wince is because they are always on-again-off-again on the DL (at least before Wince cried his way to Jersey and miraculously got healthy). Do you remember how frustrating it was being a Raps fan and hoping Wince comes back from his multiple (phantom) injuries? I know Grant has heart unlike Wince, but he's way past his peak; he'd have like a Michael Finley role on this team but the Raps need a Ginobili, if you know what I'm saying.

Anyway, the Tayshaun idea is a non-starter; he is more valuable than all Raps but Bosh and Bargs and BC will not trade either. Dumars, regardless of drafting Darko, is not a moron GM like the one in Atlanta and would not give up his best dollar-for-dollar asset for a lesser player, unless he's trying to dump salary, and he has no reason to do so as the Pistons will be under the cap in 2008-2009.

Speaking of the moronic Atlanta GM, I think Billy Knight is a perfect trading partner but I'm not sure BC wants an immature punk like Josh Smith on his team. It's not like Rafer and Wince were that bad, and Smitch came to blows with both; he and J-Smoove will take each others heads off. Might be interesting-as-a-car-crash to watch but the Raps aren't a crappy team anymore so why mess with a good thing. Childress or Marvin Williams, on the other hand....

by jjdynomite on Jun 15, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I do not agree with BC aquiring Delfino from Piston I don't think that was a good move

by Marcia on Jun 15, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Raptors acquire Delfino from Pistons:

Any thoughts on this? Can the Raptors afford to give future draft choices away? This is a low salary player, and another euro.

by Davl on Jun 15, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

No time 4 punctuation buddy
we got delfino
so that means
that BC and i must'ave been on the same wave-length
...hhmm...
man, he must have really..
went after prince..
..the possibility....drooling
while the rest of u r on this
smith tip
here iam talkin about stuff
that the gm is actually doin
...Mr.Erezona...type less..
read more...
now if we could just go after jj redick
instead of delfino...
..hmmm...

by Keon Clark on Jun 15, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Dude! Delfino and Prince are not even in the same league.

by Assistant GM on Jun 15, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Umm...at what point did you think that Delfino was even close to Prince...4get about stats..but just as all around
baller!..like i said earlier
dump delfino..jj is da man!
peace
like
chicken
grease
....

by Keon Clark on Jun 15, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Alright, Delfino may not have brought it statistically last year, but come on: did you forget who our GM is?

Delfino is a Euro, and has Colangelo had luck with Euro players as of late? Thought so.

Delfino will have a career year with the Raps... unless he plays like Fred Jones.

by Frank on Jun 15, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Anyone know how long he is under contract for?

The Raps now have the 4th pick, 8th pick and 25th pick from the 2003 draft.

Interestingly, while looking up the above, TJ Ford was picked by Milwaukee from Atlanta. It was the Hawks pick. It seems that Hawks are destined to miss qualtiy PGs in the drafts which would indicate that either they won't get Conley at the 11th spot, or they will and he'll suck!

by Erezona on Jun 15, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

you guys are telling me that you'd rather see Martin over Delfino? It's a second round pick! How many of our second round picks ended up playing in the nba after their first contract in franchise history? (quick)

Tucker, Ukic, Miralle, Van de Harre, Hullet, Wheeler, King

Hmmm.. exactly 0.

by Ustation on Jun 16, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I agree 100% with Ustation. While Delfino is not a proven first-class "euro" like Garbo or Parker were, he is still a pretty capable guy which looks to me like a decent upgrade at the SG/SF positions. He will probably never fulfill his overhyped potential (after starring in Italy, he was supposed to become another Ginobili) but he is still young at 24 and should develop into a good player if given minutes. Considering his low salary and the cost (two likely future NBDLers or benchwarmers at most), it looks like a pretty good trade to me. And I wonder if this means we'll say goodbye to JoeyG soon?

by Sergi P on Jun 16, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Maybe I'm missing something, but the Delfino trade seemed like a no-brainer?

If he sucks or doesn't fit in, it's an expring contract (better scenario than the multi-year Fred Jones deal last year). The biggest concern is obviously the ridiculous number of SG/SF bench players: Joey G, Dixon, Delfino, and Luke Jackson. I can't see any of the above being a starter, so everyone better hope that Garbojosa's ankle & leg are healing well.

Delfino seems quite similar to Pavlovic on the Cavs - fairly young, athletic, and potentially a solid starter if defense and shooting reach a consistent level.

by BC on Jun 16, 2007 12:00 AM EDT reply actions