Of Jermaine O’Neal and Boris Diaw, Some Early Trade Thoughts

by RaptorsHQ - Archives on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT in NBA Draft

Jermaine O'Neal - High risk, high reward for Colangelo and the Raptors?

Well for a while there it was pretty quiet.

Some years leading up to the draft, it seems like there’s a rumour a day concerning each team, especially in terms of draft-day trades.

This year though it was pretty quiet up until late last week.

Then suddenly Dwyane Wade was headed back to Chicago, Carmello Anthony was headed to Detroit, and TJ Ford was off to Phoenix in exchange for Boris Diaw.

While yes, at this point all of these and many more are stuck in the rumours and speculation stage, from a Raptors’ fans perspective, it’s worth taking a closer look at the Diaw idea…not to mention the latest rumour which popped up yesterday morning; Jermaine O’Neal to Toronto for TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic and the 17th pick.

Reports now are saying that trade talks between Indiana and Toronto have broken down but it’s probably still worth taking a closer look at each deal…starting with Ford for Diaw.

For starters, this deal makes a lot of sense for both teams. Diaw is being under-used on Phoenix, no longer fits with the Suns’ style, and has a contract that could be described as slightly on the "generous" side.

For the Raptors, Ford needs to go, so getting anything in return, let alone a possible option to start at the 3, is a good deal.

But there are some major issues with such a transaction if you dig deeper.

First and foremost, how does Ford take to coming off the bench again, even if it is for a possible championship contending team and in a large role behind the aging Steve Nash?

Second, is Boris Diaw REALLY the answer at the 3 for the Raps? He’s not exactly the slashing, defensive-minded small forward that Toronto fans covet.

More than anything, this would be a case of two teams looking to exchange pieces that don’t fit, hoping that in their new environments, they suddenly become more palatable. And all of that’s fine, but taking on Diaw means an additional year of his $9 Million contract as TJ has a year less on his deal. So if Boris is a bust in Raptorland, that means fans have an additional year to watch him potentially toil on the bench.

The other thing that many people are forgetting is the reluctance the Suns have had to even SPEAK to the Raptors let alone make trades. Let’s not forget that Mike D’Antoni was forbidden to have any discussions with Toronto when he was looking elsewhere to coach. So would the Suns swallow their pride and negotiate with the Executive of the Year that they let get away? Hard to say at this point.

That’s why the Jermaine O’Neal idea is even more interesting.

First of all, regardless of the draft pick being included, Toronto would need to add some pieces to the mix to make the salaries match up. O’Neal is due over $21 Million next season meaning the Raptors would need to get within $100,000 of that under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement for the trade to go through. Ford and Rasho alone would only take the Raps to about $18 Million leaving them a couple Mill short. Perhaps someone like Kris Humphries will be tossed in or a combination of smaller salaries like Joey Graham and Maceo Baston. (In fact, how funny would it be if those two went considering that Baston already played for the Pacers and had a terrible experience, and Joey’s brother Stephen is on the squad?) That would clear up two of BC’s warts for sure however as Graham and Baston have done nothing worthwhile and could easily be replaced with cheaper options via Summer League or Free Agency. (Perhaps that’s something to consider based on the recent Free Agent Camp?)

Now, let’s keep going and assume the salaries do match up. Does the trade make basketball sense?

From a Pacers’ angle it makes a ton of sense. Coach O’Brien loves to play an up-tempo game and J.O. was simply slowing things down. In fact, the Pacers probably were a more effective and deadly squad last year with O’Neal out of the lineup. Also, Jamaal Tinsley has more than worn out his welcome and the quick strike ability of Ford would be a great fit in Indiana’s new run-and-gun system.

Going past Ford, taking on Rasho’s contract makes sense as it would give the Pacers a lot of cap room to work with as early as next summer. I don’t think Larry Bird’s fooling himself, this team is in rebuilding mode and with some solid pieces like Ford, Granger, Dunleavy Jr. and a few draft picks this year, they’re off to a good start. And by dealing O’Neal’s salary and only taking on Ford and a few others, the Pacers will have at least $10 Million in free agent money to play with to speed up the rebuilding process once Nesterovic’s contract is up.

And what about the Raps?

Well if this year proved anything it’s that having a bench (and 3/5’s of your starting line-up) filled with sixth and seventh quality men, doesn’t beat star power. Toronto simply didn’t have the talent to compete with the Bostons and Detroits of the league and this move would immediately pair two of the most dominant big men in the game when healthy.

Aaaah the caveat…"when healthy."

That’s the real sticking point isn’t it for us Raptor fans?

If JO wasn’t owed over $40 Million the next two seasons we could deal with risking getting re-injured. However if Rasho goes, and O’Neal gets badly hurt, that leaves a huge hole in the middle besides Chris Bosh.

Howland and I discussed this last night and agreed that if you make this deal, you do it realizing that you’re one serious O’Neal injury away from being right back in the lottery.

So if we were in BC’s shoes and the offer came through, would we do still pull the trigger?

The answer is a resounding yes and here’s why.

First of all, Bosh needs help, especially in terms of carrying the scoring load. He’s never been the defensive stopper in the middle that the team needs and with O’Neal on board, he won’t have to be. Jermaine is a better rebounder and shot blocker and has a better back to the basket game than Bosh. This means that the two could be a killer 1-2 punch on the blocks, one playing the high post and the other the low.

This would also impact the rest of the club as now, Jason Kapono could take over at the 3 as his defensive deficiencies would be somewhat masked by the gruesome twosome waiting in the paint for slashing wings. And on offense, teams would be keyed in on the two bigs allowing Kapono and Anthony Parker, and Jose Calderon for that matter, lots of room to bomb away. Jamario Moon would be brought in off the bench, which he’s better suited for, thus giving him the opportunity to continue to develop his offense game, instead of being forced into a scoring role in the starting line-up.

Oh, and what about Il Mago? Well this trade, and the mere fact that it’s being floated around, better serve as a wake-up call to "the Magician." It seems like we’re starting to understand the level of disappointment Bryan Colangelo has in his top pick and if Bargs doesn’t at least get his scoring back to where it was in year one, forget sticking with the team, he’ll be lucky to stick in the league!

For the record I haven’t given up on Andrea yet but let’s just say that my past week in the inner sanctum of Raptors’ world did little to inject much optimism in his future development. I heard whispers of poor work ethic, inability to adjust to instruction (he’s apparently quite stubborn and set in his ways) and overall mental frailty. I’m not sure what this says about the vaunted "Calipre" test but we’ll get into this a bit more in our interview with DraftExpress.com’s Jonathan Givony.

So with JO on board, Toronto would be free to bring him off the bench to back up any of the front-court positions and the hope would be that down the road, Toronto could even play Andrea at the 3 giving them an enormous size advantage over most teams. Perhaps BC is hoping that with a legit second scoring option and big man on the roster, the reduced pressure on Bargnani will help him get back on track. Or perhaps BC has realized that Andrea is simply not the player he thought he was taking with the first overall pick in 2006. From a fans’ standpoint, we’re hoping it’s not the latter…

Now there is of course some question as to whether or not O’Neal would be ok with playing the 5 as like Bosh, he’s always seen himself purely as a 4. My response to this is that I hope he took a good look at the Celtics this year. A little sacrifice on issues like this can go a long way and frankly I think that Bosh and O’Neal will be happy enough to be playing together that they’ll care less about who is technically the "5" each night.

Of course all of this sounds nice and merry but what if O’Neal gets hurt? I mean, we’re talking about a player who has failed to play 70 games since the 2003-2004 season!

From our perspective here, the worst case scenario is that he suffers another huge injury and plays little to no games over those final two years, thus leaving Toronto devoid of a major talent and being tied-up salary-wise for an extra year. (Rasho’s contract of course expires at the end of this coming season.) This is where BC and his crew earn their keep of course, simply trying to forecast this guy’s health. But even if this worst case scenario does occur, the bottom line is that TJ needs to go and if you can get anything in return (I mean many of us were willing to settle for Malik Rose at one point) then I think you do it.

For me the real issue I have with a potential trade like this isn’t so much the "what if O’Neal never plays," but the "who else can you afford to add to the team?" question. After all, let’s say Toronto brought in Jermaine, that would likely mean that after re-signing Jose, the Raps would have approximately $44 Million tied up in three players; Bosh, O’Neal and Calderon. That’s a good chunk of the team’s salary cap and if Toronto needs to send more than one player to Indiana to make such a deal work, all of a sudden we’re talking about the team potentially having to replace six or seven players next year.

-Garbs is gone
-Martin was waived last year
-There’s no guarantee Delfino will be back
-Brezec is done

And via this trade now,

-Ford, Rasho and at least one other, perhaps two other players need to go to make the Indiana trade work financially.

Considering that O’Neal is the only player coming back to Toronto in the currently rumoured deal, that means replacing six, possibly seven players.

Can the Raptors afford to keep Delfino if they pull off a blockbuster deal like this?

That’s why if a trade like this goes down, I’m hoping that BC can either convince Indiana to let Toronto keep the 17th pick, or the Raptors somehow find a way to grab another one later in the first or early second round. Besides the mid-level exception, Toronto after a deal like this, is simply not going to have the cap space to fill out the roster. Therefore cheap talent like draft picks, and possibly players from the free agent camp, may be critical to completing the squad.

So whether or not the talks between Indiana and Toronto have really broken down, you can see that in any trade scenario, Bryan Colangelo is going to have to decide whether or not to jeopardize his original 3 year plan by taking on more salary. He’s also going to have to suddenly address the back-up point guard situation (who knows how ready Roko is) and if a "big" like JO is the eventual trade target, does that afford him some time in terms of upgrading the 3 spot?

At present you have to think that a frontcourt of a healthy Bosh and O’Neal would be a serious problem for teams in the East, especially surrounded by dead-eye gunners like Kapono, Parker and Calderon. Add in some development from Bargnani, another step by Jamario Moon, and some luck via the draft and free agency and suddenly I think we’re talking about a team that could really give other clubs some problems in the playoffs.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, over the next three days I’m sure that BC will have a lot of other offers to mull through and he’ll be closely scrutinizing each scenario.

The important thing here regardless of which trades do or do not occur, is that it’s quite evident BC is seriously looking at upgrading this club’s talent, something that bodes well for a Raptor club next year facing ever-improving divisional and conference rivals.

FRANCHISE

PS – A couple quick notes. First off, we’ll be having our annual NBA draft party here in Toronto as usual at Harbour Sports Grille, located at 10 Yonge Street. Second, we still don’t have our audio issues resolved concerning our pre-draft and free agent camp workouts but will post a note as soon as things are fixed.

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TWO DAYS TILL THE DRAFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by ktown on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I don't like JO all that much with his wonky knees and all. But I agree that if we can get him for TJames, we should pull the trigger.

But NOT if we are including our draft pick.

The thing that scares me is this: how are the raps building towards a championship team? Bosh and JC will most likely be locked up. But with only 2 years of JO and nobody else with any real upside (Bargs is still the X factor but his stock is falling), I see the Raps as floating around mediocrity -- maybe a little better, maybe a little worse -- for the forseeable future.

by SonicSuper on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

While some are crying that the JO deal squashes the acquisition of that slashing wing player, the deal actually reduces (if not eliminates) the need for such a player. As it was said, Bosh and O'Neal as bigs are going to give *lots* of shooting space. All that is needed on the wing then is defence - hopefully Moon can improves in, Parker regains some defensive form, and Kapono learns to move his feet!

So the mid-level goes towards a back-up point man. Il Mago and Hump are capable and still improving backups for bigs, and add in a big man from the draft (don't trade the 17th pick).

But what a gamble...but it may just be that only an oft-injured player is available for another oft-injured player.

by JayElZee on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Trading for Diaw I would be horirble against. He fit perfectly with that suns team when he had his break out year. Since then, he hsa been an average player at best. He bring pretty much nothing to the raptors that we are looking for. Defence? Slashing? TOughness? Rebounding?

Sure he can play 3 positions, but he's a pretty bad center, and only an average SF. We dont need his versatility.

JO really intrigues me. I would certainly be looking at the FA available in 2 years before I make this trade. The trade would satisfy the needs of trading one risk fora nother...although persionally I would see TJ as the lesser of the risks (health wise), Im not sure that other GMs see the trade. So whats the worst that can happen with this trae: JO has another meltdown in his knees and we are out of the playoffs for 2 years. We get two lottery picks (perhaps high ones?). Have a ton of capspace to sign FA, or trade for players.

Best case senario, JO is healthy, Bargs gets more time to deveop behind Bosh and JO, we have a great centre/pf tandom and we make a deeper run into the playoffs.

The third possibilty (which my opinion would be worse) is that JO has minor setbacks, and plays well 50 games...this would put us in the mediocre team range where we dont make the playoffs (or do as an 8th seed) and never get a good draft pick)

All that considered, I say go for the trade if that is the best potential you can get from TJ. I dont know who else we can get. Maybe Magette, but I dont think that is really out on the table.

by Scott on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I think the JO trade is a good one as long as the supporting staff has done their home work over the summer. Even JO does get hurt the rest of the Raps need to step up and at times we didn't see that from them last year.

Another trade I would like to see the Raps take a look at would be with Portland. TJ & draft pick for Jarret Jack & Lamarcu Aldridge (not likely but maybe even Chaning Frye).

OR more likely would be TJ for J. Jack & draft pick #13.

Just thoughts, maybe unlikely ones but who knows it's the NBA.

by Kdog on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I think we should go back and read the last 10 or so paragraphs of the post. There is too much risk here. If this goes bad the results are catastrophic for the next 2 years. That's a lot of time for a team that has been rebuilding the way Toronto has been.

True, a healthy O'Neal would create a dominant middle, but with so little cash to sign an acceptable supporting cast we're still not going to beat the elite in the East.

To summarize. JO gets injured...Raps are a lottery team. JO stays fairly healthy...raps get home court in the first round and after 2 yrs the experiment ends. O'Neal will move on through FA or probably retire (knees). Is this a success? The emergence of Jose has given Toronto the luxury of being able to unload Ford at a loss (talent wise), so I think they should aim lower.

I know everyone wants Toronto to make a big splash in the offseason. A disappointing campaign will do that to fans, but is this really the answer? You all know way more about the Raps then me, but this doesn't seem to make much business sense. I hope I'm wrong.

by bsnax on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Great breakdown Franchise, agree with you on all points.

JayElZee, great point regarding the 3 spot. I think the addition of O’Neil changes this teams make-up and therefore changes their "needs" substantially. With O’Neil and Bosh in the paint, Kapono might actually make sense starting at the three spot! (Playoff Kapono that is!!) As already mentioned you can afford to live with Kap’s defensive liabilities if your both O’Neil and Bosh are backing him up.

Another note that should not be over looked… We would finally have a team built in what I believe is a Sam Mitchell mold. A defensive, veteran laden team that should be able to play unselfishly on offense. I think it will be interesting to see how Mitchell handles this team as I think he would be in his comfort zone.

Most importantly, the fact that this deal is even floating out there shows that Colangeo has truly recognized what was wrong with this team, and how teams win in the NBA. That is, Veterans, "blue-chip players", defence and rebounding get it done. Let’s face it, two years ago, BC would not be involved in a deal centred around O’Neil being that "the NBA has changed" and "the Big Men of old are dinasours" etc. etc.
In fact the BC of two years ago would be out there today trying to move up in the draft to get Danilo Gallinari or clear cap space to sign Sasha Vuliacic to a 6 year $36 million dollar contract. Ok, OK, I’m exaggerating…. But you get my drift, I think at the very least we are heading in the right direction here.

by MAS on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

J.O trade is a terrible idea especially if we lose the draft pick...

Hopefully we can pick up Batum and work on his defense seeing that he has some of the tools needed to be a good defender.. Then unload TJ and maybe Graham or someone for Seattles second first round pick and pickup a centre that may have fallen through or even Ajinca

by Protege on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Here is 1 that good for a laugh

Three teams chasing T.J. Ford
Posted: Tuesday June 24, 2008 05:19AM ET
Sources say the Knicks (Eddy Curry or Zach Randolph), Pacers (Jermaine O'Neal) and Suns (Boris Diaw) have had some casual conversation with the Raptors concerning T.J. Ford.

http://fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/nba#

by john on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Franchise,
can you elaborate on the poor work ethinc of Andrea BArgnani? I heard there was a story (at the time used against Smich) saying Andrea used to work also at night during his first year where instead he was not during the second. Is your statement a different spin of the same news or is it a breaking news kind of story?

by renato on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Come on guys, censoring "Holy Sh**"??

I realize it might not have added to the convo but that was my reaction, so next time, I guess just go with "Gee whiz!" or something?

Remember guys, the internet was invented so we could swear and curse and not be censored.

Besides I'm pretty sure the last time "sh**" was considered a swear word was in the early 80's.

by DayOner on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Gee whiz, that's all water under the bridge now, though....

Good breakdown of the JO trade man, I'm with you there.

I hear the risks, but I say go for it if its there.

What is O'neal's detailed injury status? Does he keep injuring the same knee, or is he injury prone, etc.?

by DayOner on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

The Eddy Curry idea makes me sick to my stomach. Um...how fast can you say no thanks?

As for JO, the current reports are that he's healthy...but what does that really mean? If he's playing on two bad knees, chances are they'll break down again.

An interesting point though Sonic - if Jose is the guy BC is keeping to lead the charge, that narrows the window for Toronto's playoff opportunities due to Jose's age. So you take on JO and then you really are putting the pressure on to make a serious run within those two years.

It doesn't sound like the deal is going down anyways but just something I hadn't thought of when writing this last night.

As for Bargs, I didn't hear any one specific story. However there was many a snide remark amongst those in attendance last week concerning Andrea's reluctance to do anything other than what he wanted to do. Also, as you'll see in tomorrow's post of our interview with Jonathan Givony from Draftexpress, he had heard similar things and had similar concerns himself before Toronto even made the pick in 06...

by Franchise on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

What about Eddy Curry though? Yes hes a bum in terms of work ethic but if you put him besides Bosh wouldnt CB4's job be a lot easier? Not like this team is much of an uptempo one now anyways and you gotta get SOMETHING for Ford...

by fromlongrange on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Let us never speak of Eddy Curry in a Raps uni again.

by HOWLAND on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Has anyone ever been banned from this site? I nominate "fromlongrange". That last comment is legitimate grounds for a banning! If Eddy Curry were ever to walk on the ACC court wearing a Raptor's uniform I will begin the "Move the Raptor's Franchise to Kentuky" campaigne myself!

by MAS on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Eddy Curry is single handedly responsible for the global food crisis.....not overpopulation or anything else you may have heard.

He can't run, he can't jump, he can't rebound, he can't defend, he can't block shots. Basically he's Andrea Bargnani without the potential outside shooting and speed. Plus he's owed about 10 million for another 3 years.

A trade I wouldn't mind seeing:

TJ Ford
Anthony Parker
1st Round Pick

Daniel Gibson
Anderson Verajao

We get a backup PG and toughness and rebounding. Anderson is a lot bigger than they list him at....i've seen him standing right next to Bosh and he is a lot bigger.

by wtf on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

MAS,
Lighten up on him a bit. Curry is no more of a liability than, say Jermaine O'Neal.
I love the idea of a healthy tandem of Bosh and O'Neal on the court in theory. But Bosh is the man in this town and Jermaine is not the guy to take 2nd place like Allen was willing to in Boston.History suggests that his character pales in comparison to, say, Vince Carter! He was anything but an antidote for the Artest disease in Indiana. The deal hinges on whether he can stay on the floor and be a team player. History suggests that he'll do neither and get fat off his millions. This trade is a vote on his character. We could be exchanging an 8 million dollar problem for a 22 million one. Who thinks he's up to it? I don't. I wish he were!

by EaseMyPain on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Sorry, I posted this on the last article, but it seems more appropriate here...

I am just curious what people over in Indiana might have thought about this trade scenario? My connection is incredibly slow these days so if anyone could look around and post any indy responses that would be cool!

Personally, I think it sounds pretty good for the Raps. Yes Rasho was solid last season, but he was relegated to the bench in favor of developing Bargs and Ford also has a history of injuries. I think the pick is the only reason why Indy actually makes this trade. People keep pointing out the 44 million, but we would be sending back around 40 million over the next 3 years. If you are worried about injuries, TJ's longer contract is actually more of a long term risk. Plus, as someone pointed out, when O'Neal's deal is expiring we will all kinds of options. I think this would be a great deal for TO and I hope that it isn't dead for good.

As for Indy, I do think it is a good deal for them too. It is time for them to end their JO era, too many bad memories. They have loads of jump shooters and TJ would be a good drive and kick PG for Dunleavy, Granger and Murphy. As I said, Rasho was very good last year when given minutes - plus he is white which the Pacers seem to like.

One last point I would like to make is that this would be the type of player BC is looking at to bring in here. I think BC is far too often criticized for only liking soft Euro-jump shooters. When BC came to TO, we needed an overall talent upgrade - at every position. The best way to do this was to think outside the box. Bringing in unheralded Euro players, that were fundamentally sound and free agents that were under the radar helped to change the culture of the raps and made them a .500 squad. Bargnani might have been a stretch, but there was no clear cut #1 pick and there is still loads of potential there. However, even in Pheonix, it was BC that signed Kurt Thomas to add some toughness and rebounding. He knows that is an essential part of the game, and apparently he knows it is something the Raps are missing too. No he might not be perfect, but I hope this 'almost move' helps change the stereotype of what a BC player is. I just hope this deal can still get done!

PS He also brought in Raja Bell for his toughness and defence on the perimeter - I loved watching him and Kobe butt heads in the playoffs over the past couple of years. So please let all this talk of BC only liking one type of player please stop.

by Robert Archibald on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Also, I just read on RealGM how Larry is downplaying the rumors, but he isn't exactly denying them. I think through all of this we have to remember that TJ can't be traded until July 1. I don't know if maybe he can be traded as 'a player to be named later', but I will still be waiting for some trade to go down after the draft dust has settled.

by Robert Archibald on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

The Indiana trade is interesting, but no way do I give up that first round pick. Giving up Nesterovic and Ford I can live with, but this is still a team that's a couple of pieces away. And who's going to be a more valuable player two years from now - an aging Jermaine or whoever the Raps nab with the 17th pick?

by Skywalker on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Franchise, the current CBA says a team over the cap can trade for no more than 125% plus $100,000 of the outgoing salaries.

that means after July 1 we can trade rasho and tj for 20,625,000 worth of contracts

by raptorville on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Sorry Easmypain, I'm not backing off of this. Are we forgetting that Curry could die of a heart attack at any minute?!?!? Not only is he morbidly obese but he has a well documented degenerative heart defect! Not only a heart/motor/passion defect, but a real freaking medical heart defect! And we’re concerned about Jemaine O’Neil’s medical status?! That we're having this conversation amazes me.

by MAS on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

MAS - Ha ha...yes, Marcia has been banned. She comes back from the dead occasionally but for the most part, she's gone baby gone.

Fromlongrange - Have to agree with everyone here...Eddy Curry is one of my least favourite players in the NBA. To see him here in a Raptors uniform may cause Howland and I to shut down the site...and open up a 24 hour pizza buffet at Yonge and King.

Archibald - Some good points here. I think BC takes too much heat for the Euro thing too when in reality, he'd take the best players he thought were available, even if they were from Mars. So hearing a member of the media shout to Sam Mitchell after one of the workouts we attended to "draft someone who speaks English," just goes to show that this "Euro ideal" about BC's player choices exists beyond the casual fan.

As for the JO rumours, not sure what Pacers fans think but Indy Cornrows is a good spot to check for info:

http://www.indycornrows.com/

Also concerning TJ, I'm not sure he can actually be moved until July 8th or 9th because he's a base year contract player. That may or may not have an impact on any draft day deal...we'll see.

In any event, interview with Draftexpress.com's Jonathan Givony is now up...

by Franchise on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I wouldn`t make this trade even with the #17 not included. Way too risky and I don`t see the upside being all that positive

This isn`t the second coming of the "Twin Towers". Teams who win championships still need a true center. Even Kenrick Perkins was a major X-factor these past playoffs.

The Raps would have no true center. JO and Bosh will take some regular beatings under the basket, and with O`Neal`s health problems, he needs someone else to take the brunt.

If I`m not mistaken, O`Neal will be the highest paid player in the league in 09/10? Crazy!! With the comments he made last year about his own team (as captain!), he`s as much of a whiner as Ford. Don`t forget, if he goes down, Him and Bosh and walk hand-in-hand into the sunset with Bosh being a free agent in 2010. Just say no kids

by Acie on Jun 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

how about a trade the nuggets for Camby. we have to many scorers we need a stopper and rebounder w/c Camby and provide and he is more healthy than JO the past 2 seasons.

by ernie torres on Jun 25, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

So new reports that that JO for Ford, Rasho,#17 and change is a done deal. Should be official reports within the next couple hours with the deal hinging on health checks.

by Acie on Jun 25, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions