Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post Game - Curious George

There's something very creepy about that picture. O_O

Most amazing shot of the night was one that did not count Jose making a 3 at 24 second shot clock. Caught it and shot it in one motion all in the air too late for 24 second violation. What a shot!!!!!!!!

I dont blame George actually because if you understand NBA rules he had every right to refuse the trade. The issue relates to what is called the "Early Bird" Rules. George has signed back to back one year deals (meaning he sacrificed long term gain for the sake of the team or so the thinking goes) and as such has the right to refuse trades. The rule is there to protect players from signing low ball contracts and then getting shipped out to some crap team looking for cap relief.
It is my understanding the deal is only blocked not dead. From the comments I read his agent requested the block and George and his agent are going to get together to discuss the ramifications. If George accepts the trade to NJ he will be giving up his "Early Bird" rights so NJ could turn around and ship him to one of the worst teams in the league (NY, Memphis etc) and wouldn't need his consent. Considering he has an expiring contract do you think it might be possible that they might do that? It is possible that NJ could give him assurances that they are not going to deal him in the next week and maybe extend his contract a year or something to make it work. Dalas can also just change the package to include Eddie Jones and Juwan Howard. NJ would turn around and do what they planned to do with Stackhouse and buy them both out and they could rejoin Dallas in a month. So really there shouldn't be much of a problem here.

It seems obvious to me that Carter and Jefferson were making a statement last night to Nets Management that they were unhappy with what the Nets got back in the deal. Seeing as the Nets were unlikely to keep anything beyond this year other than Haris, they essentially got about 50-60 cents on the dollar and killed NJ shot at a playoff birth this year. I would be pissed if I were them too.
I was disappointed in a few things from last night.
1. Why didn't Bargnani get more minutes, especially in Garbage time? I know he is a starter but he aint a superstar and could have used the minutes (its not like they have a game until next week or anything).
2. Dixon played like crap again. I am sorry but BC needs to do something about this. We cannot afford to have Dixon or Martin playing any minutes come playoff time (assuming we make the playoffs) and BC needs to make a deal to get help at the point (What happens if Calderon gets hurt while Ford is in and out of the lineup? Juan Dixon, starting PG. If you are not disturbed by this you may need to stop taking Prozac).
As much as the Raps dominated all game, I really got the impression that NJ could have won this game if RJ and VC really wanted to win. When NJ attacked the paint (either from the wings or their Bigs) they seemed to have no trouble scoring and considering that Boone and Swift are hardly big scorers, this really bothered me at times.

Ever since the All Star snub,Jose has been playing out of his mind.... the Arenas blog really pissed him off.Its comforting to know that when TJ is healthy...our guards are the envy of the league.I know, I'm opening a can of worms (sorry Marcia) but TJ will have to work his butt off to displace Jose from the starting point guard spot .I dont think tj has the ability to play second fiddle.It was nice that we showed no mercy last night...but if we are ever going to get more competitive,we will have to give somebody up ? the off season needs, of toughness and rebounding still hasn't shown up...something must be said for the Suns getting a lot tougher inside & a little meaner (slower mind you)at the end of the day finess is nice but doesnt win you championships.and please dont bore me with the spurs with the big fundamental...they have some bad asses on that team as well...I dont know the magic balance,but we need both to get out of the East,heaven forbid playing the west...Calderon to Moon last night...Honeymooners

Can't blame George at all - blame whoever gave him the contract. He will use it as leverage to earn a bit more coin.
Kinda the opposite of recent loss to Lakers - Lakers were on a high after trading for Gasol, last night Jersey were down from loss of Kidd.

McGateway, I'm going to have to disagree with you. I think Jersey got more than 50-60 return on the dollar. Look at this way, it's not like they got robbed like Memphis. They're receiving a robust point guard who is 10 years younger than Kidd with a better Player Efficiency Rating and cost them 5 times less. Plus, they're getting some serviceable bodies. The only thing is they are planning on buying out Stackhouse but other than that I think NJ got their monies worth.

Look again. The only players signed beyond this year are Stackhouse (who they are buying out) and Harris who is currently Injured and has shown throughout his career to be injury prone. Diop, George and Ager are all expiring contracts (so yes they free up cap space but we all know how hard it is for teams rebuilding to sign quality FA). So even though NJ is getting Harris who is yonger, Harris will never be as good as Kidd is now. Even though Kidd is getting close to retirement age and his numbers are down this year, he is still averaging almost a triple double per game. If Harris was going to be as good as Kidd then Dallas wouldn't be trading him. Of course its just my opinion.

I'm not sure the all-star snub or Arenas' blog has anything to do with Calderon's recent hot streak. He doesn't strike me as the type that pays attention to that stuff.

Costa: I think those things have motivated Jose. That's the great thing about Calderon, he says all the right things and pretends he's not affected by Arenas or the AS snubbing, but he lets his play do the talking for him. He's as competitive as they come and he let's it all out on the court. Once the mic's are in front of him, he's all class.

Mcgateway: I think you're underestimating Harris. He's got a nice future ahead of him. And even though he'll most likely never be as good as Kidd is now (not many PG's out there who fit that criteria) getting Harris, some expiring contracts and a couple 1st round picks is pretty good value given the current marketplace and the trading complexities of the NBA.

Until now, I didn't realize Diop was expiring. He would fit a nice little need for the Raps, I think.

(In reference to the previous HQ post... Observer: Did you really give Paul Jones an A+? Really? Wow. I gotta stick up for Chuck. His antics can be a bit much, but the guy knows a lot more sports than you give him credit for. Also, have you ever emailed him? He'll respond to all emails, usually pretty quickly. Think about how many emails the guy gets. He works his ass off and you can't you can't fault him for loving the Raps).

I may have gotten a bit carried away, and focused on his Fan 590 show a bit too much. True, he brings a certain positive energy and enthusiasm to the game. It definitely seems like he works insane hours. I just don't see much of substance. Smith and Jones are much more descriptive (albeit on radio), reflective, and critical (both positive and negative).

You convinced me. I'll raise the Swirsk's grade. F+. And yes, I've emailed him, was sursprised that he responded, and was not really impressed by the response. I can't remember it.

"It’s great to have TJ back but there is no doubt now that Calderon is the starting PG for this team. Not only does he take care of the ball but his shooting percentages are unbelievable for a PG"
Howland - I called that about three weeks ago.
Am worried that Sam is so protective of TJ and his starter status. Will be a true test for him to do whats best for the team, and nots whats best for his favourites.
This is no knock on TJ, but at the moment he is paired with one of the best point guards in the world. TJ will become our starter eventually, but for next few season's Calderon should start, unless Calderon's game deteriorates. Will TJ accept coming off the bench as graciously as Jose has - I have my doubts. I have always been one of Sams biggest backers - I will be watching how this scenario proceeds and whether he does whats best for the team.

Hey guys,I just read on a Nets blog,that Fred Kerber from the Post was quoted as saying the Nets arent done,,,a deal with the Grizzlies Mike Miller,for Nachbar & Magloire ?

Interesting obviously all three of those guys are starters so who will play the undersized powerforward position on that team....doesn't seem to make a great deal of sense.

Granted the Gasol deal was incredibly bad as they got nothing of real value in return however what I do like about Memphis is they realized they sucked, decided to rebuild and will have the cap space, young talent and picks do it rather quickly.

Not like these teams who hang on to being average and hoping for the best or being terrible with bad contracts and not rebuilding like the knicks, hawks, timberwolves (pre garnett trade), Indiana and others.

Next three games are all winnable games, the magic came will be a nice test and a chance for the raps to make a statement. We should blow out the knicks.

Why didn't anybody bother to ask George if he would wave his no trade clause before they decide to announce to the whole world that the trade was going to happen?

McGateway:
"Diop, George and Ager are all expiring contracts (so yes they free up cap space but we all know how hard it is for teams rebuilding to sign quality FA)".
Granted argument but remember having significant cap space is a good thing i.e. acquiring big contract players via trade. Btw, Dallas didn't want to part with Devin. I believe they initially offered Jason Terry but they had to give up something of value in order to make the deal work. Also, I won't say Harris is injury prone. Last year he missed only 2 games and the 05/06 season he miss about 30 games because of a leg injury. If that statement is true... we can say CB4 and TJ are both injury prone players... heck half the players in the league are injury prone :) Just remember Harris is only 24 years old and 4 years in the L. He's got lots of time to grow and improvement. Just have a look at his stats he's improved every year in PTS, ASTs, Steals etc.

davl that shot from Jose should have counted...why? they should actually check the shot from the player can't remember who it was that passed the ball to Jose because the ball was in air Jose caught it in air and let it fly before he touch the ground....Could someone please tell me what the name of the Dallas GM is that gave George a "no trade clause". like the Swirks would say..My Goodness.

davl that shot from Jose should have counted...why? they should actually check the shot from the player can't remember who it was that passed the ball to Jose because the ball was in air Jose caught it in air and let it fly before he touch the ground....Could someone please tell me what the name of the Dallas GM is that gave George a "no trade clause". like the Swirks would say..My Goodness.

"davl that shot from Jose should have counted"

As wonderful of a shot as it was, it was clearly not out of his hands before the buzzer. It wasn't even all that close.

"Could someone please tell me what the name of the Dallas GM is that gave George a "no trade clause""

Once again, George was *not* granted a no trade clause as part of the contract, he got it automatically as part of a provision in the NBA CBA:

" A player cannot be traded without his consent when he is playing under a one-year contract (excluding any option year) and will have Larry Bird or Early Bird rights at the end of the season. This includes first round draft picks following their fourth (option) season, who accept their team's qualifying offer for their fifth season. When the player consents to such a trade, the team loses its Larry Bird/Early Bird rights, and the player is considered a Non-Bird free agent.

Tinman: I have to agree with your concerns about the Smitch/TJ relationship.
Will TJ be as open to playing second fiddle as Jose was over the last year and a half?
I hope so.

Has anyone heard if BC has talked to Jose about an extension yet?

It's starting to concern me that the Eastern Conf. has very few quality PG's. Also a few teams are shedding a ton of salary for this off-season.

Miami and Jersey or Cleveland could make a VERY, VERY serious push for Jose even though he is a restricted FA.
MLSE has never shown any intent of paying the luxury tax if BC needs to go over.

Thoughts?

Jose is a special case. He will resign. At a fair price. Look for him and Jorge to be playing together next year.
Grass is not always greener........

I agree that shot Jose made after the shot clock buzzer was unreal.

If the Eastern talent fire sale continues.....could we be looking at a finals appearance as early as next year? (With a move or two)

Raps are already basically the 4th best team and have been inconsistent overall this year, injuries or no.

(Well there really haven't been too many consistent seasons in Franchise history. Ok none.)

Hey Sonic Super you called me out for the Vince Love the other day...So I have to say a special hello to Vince this Valentine's for your sake. He was really "sick" last night.
Don't worry I've got my loyalties straight.

I really noticed the boos last night more than usual. Way to go fans, I'd say we're getting a rep of having a bit of nasty side to our Canadian friendliness by now. I like.

Ok, I have had some time to think about the Kidd trade and I have softened a little bit. I still don't think they got more than 70 cents on the dollar (absolute max) in talent but the more I think about it the more I actually think this trade favours NJ a little. The expiring contracts are tasty but the most important element would be getting rid of Kidd who obviously wasn't playing at 100% intensity. The real clincher is the 2 draft picks they get. Yes they are late round picks but if the Rumours that NJ is shopping Wince around are true, that is a nice starting place as you have to imagine that NJ will get picks for him as well.
I still think talent wise, NJ is getting short changed over the long haul but I admit I was a little harsh.

P.S> Bosh and TJ are injury Prone. Dont kidd yourself.

It was probably a trade that needed to be done and they got a really good star player (probably not an allstar) in Devin Harris.

This team needs to deal vince...however nobody other than Isiah will probably be in the market for him. Those picks and expiring contracts could make it easier to move vince who is due 60 million over 4 years.

How ugly is the Nets' situation right now? Kidd has quit on them, meaning that for the foreseeable future, the team is built around a declining Vince Carter. Vince is starting to show the wear and tear of several NBA seasons, and he's never developed his skills to the point where he can excel without his outstanding athleticism. That's one thing that made Jordan great - when he came back after his first retirement, he was not quite as athletic, but he was arguably an even smarter, better player. That was the result of hours in the gym, something VC has never bothered with. Expect a really quick career decline.

Any chance the Raps could go after Pietrus? He wants out and could fit in nicely in TO. Just a thought...