2 AM Draft Thoughts…

Wow Franchise I'm surprised you can hit all the right keys after all those soft drinks !!!!
I dont know about you guys ,but I'm tired of the projects,,,we have a long term in Greece,and one now from Aussie land...are we going to see either one any time soon.?
Did our friends in Jersey do their best to piss us off,some great moves on their part.
But knowing Brian is far from done.....once all the other teams pieces are put together,he will start his scavenging.
Lets hope OJ has a great healthy season,if so betw. him and Bosh they will be monsters inside.

Oops ,JO

There's something that is just not natural about having 4 power forwards (Bosh, Oneil, Bargani and Hump)on the team. It seems to give an uneasy feeling. I try to schug it off but it's hard.

CDR would've been really nice. What was really crushing for me though, was watching helplessly as New Orleans was giving away their late first rounder with Mario Chalmers still on the board, only to watch Portland sweep in and snatch up Darrell Arthur (possibly the steal of the draft, all kidneys aside). Chalmers would've been a great fit as our back-up point guard. A sweet shooting, defensive point guard with high IQ and championship pedigree. Oh well...Bring on JO.

I know this sounds a tad ignorant, but I'm really not interested in any second round picks and projects. Build through free agency and lets go win the conference.
Also can I add one more thing? Can we not be so premature with throwing Bargs under the bus? The guy had a great freshman year which means he's only had one bad year. Just give him a chance.
I absolutely love this blog, its the first one I read every morning, but we were judging the poor kid based on what this Giovany dude had "overheard"!!! Lets give him at least one more year of playing time.

As disappointed as I am, I am reminded of how excited I was about past high potential draft picks such as Martell Webster, Gerald Green, Hakim Warrick, Jarrett Jack, Sebastian Telfair. They’ve all had their struggles and despite recent praise on this site for Jack, they’ve all been a disappointment to their teams. The reality rarely lives up to the high of the potential when you are picking late in the first round or in the second.

Having said that, I would have preferred if we had a GM who wasn’t afraid to get in there and take some chances on draft picks. And if you don’t want to spend on someone else’s pics, STOP TRADING AWAY OUR OWN PICKS! You’re giving away the future!

P.S. Am I the only one who got 8 minutes of commercials instead of coverage of the 41st, 42nd and 43rd picks?

WOW

Not happy AT ALL when i saw this article... i dont think BC made the right decision if this was really a possibility... i mean they were ready with a deal straight up TJ Ford for Gerrald Wallace!... that is much more beneficial for us... leaves us with the same financial situation as when we had ford... and provides us with rebounds that jermaine is gonna get us, however, wallace is also the slasher and scorer we need.... not happy right now...

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.asp?hd=20080627&lc=NBA#STORY_9724

I geuss the only good thing is.. with jermaine we have a crapload of money in 2010.. where wallace has 4 more seasons...

Totally got OneandDone's back on Bargnani. He's played one very good season and one terrible season. We'll probably find out this year which one was the fluke. I haven't given up on him.

Ya, CDR was a punch in the gut. But I can't help but get a little excited when the first piece of info that pops up on my screen when I research Jawai is:

"NBA Comparison: Charles Oakley"

I'm so pumped for a healthy JO. Gonna be fun. Raps have always needed a guy EXACTLY like him. And a defensive beast, according to Hollinger.

Just as scared of an injured JO. If and when he goes down, the Raps roster looks baaaaaaaaaaaad. Picture last year's weak interior D and toughness, and then take away Rasho. Scary thought.

I will state up front I know nothing about the various draft candidates other than maybe the top 3 basically because of the hype machine that is ratcheted up around this time of season. I rely totally on Franchise/Howland knowledge for my education of these potential stars therefore I only get excited (or not) when Franchise/Howland says so.

So from the peanut gallery, Franchise/Howland…I feel your pain.

I think we picked up an Australian version of Rafael Arujo.

The only hope for Jawai is that he's learned a few tricks Bogut and the ever-improving Aussie players.

One interesting note: the guy didn't even take up basketball until age 15, and then was sent to the Australian Institute of Sport for "high school" (that's where all the elite athletes are sent). So, if the guy is only 21-22 now, there could be some untapped potential.

I love it when everybody jumps off BC's bandwagon.In the beginning he was treated as a God and the results were mixed (compared with expectations). Now he is seen as a mortal and the expectations are low.
We just have to put a "call to arms" to all our players: Ukic, Printezis, Jawai. Mitchell has the team suited to his coaching style. Our poor perimeter defense was not due to poor defensive players (AP, Moon, Delfino, even Calderon are average and above-average defenders) but to weak paint presence which forced our perimeter guys to over-help and collapse too quickly. Now everything has changed. I also believe that Delfino could be our slasher.
I'll see you all in the Conference finals. My confidence in BC shot through the roof after a lot of doubts.

Oh, a discussion piece…given a major trade is unlikely given our tax situation, how does Raptors look on the offense side going into next season without any notable personnel change?

Franchise,
Don't get your shorts in a knot at 2am. Rookies aren't supposed to make a playoff team that much better in the first year - especially later round rookies! As much as Bargs regressed last year, it's reasonable to blame that regression on being forced to change his game to match the Raps needs (and his body) - there were signs (occasionally) that he can become a paint presence - and those early season injuries probably set him back more than the Raps have admitted. As with every young player - no one can say for sure which one is going to develop or how fast. Patience man - you weren't expecting a finals appearance last year or a franchise player at 17 - were you?

Kris Humphries is a free agent.

At least, according to HoopsHype. That's the last time I rely on their data! Sheesh

Here are a few undrafted players (now free agents) that could fill our bench:

Gary Forbes (UMass)
Davon Jefferson (USC)
Richard Roby (Colorado)

any others?

OldSchool, that is hilarious. If more of us were really honest we would be admitting exactly the same thing. Knowing the time difference in the UK, you can imagine how late I was up following the draft. I knew Franchise would was going to go off when CDR got selected right before us, by NJ no less! The only thought I had that might be worse was if CDR was available but BC didn't pick him. I thought we would jump on Bill Walker, but enough teams passed on him there must have been reason. I must agree though that I am surprised we didn't get involved in any of these low risk draft deals going around. If you have 8 men on your roster and can buy a pick, I don't know why you don't.

Jawai once again seems to be breaking the mold of a typical BC euro jump shooter. I don't know his game, but he physically looks a lot like Jahidi White to me. Rather than worrying too much, I am going to agree with Zona and remember that there are usually only 1 or 2 picks in the second round each year that end up being significant. It will be good to know the Raps will have a big beast developing on the bench and I'll wait and see what FA's BC has coming in. All I know with BC is, once again, not to expect the expected.

Especially given our sudden lack of depth at the guard spots (at least unless Delfino is resigned), I really hope we can latch on to undrafted Jamont Gordon, one of the guys discussed yesterday as potential picks at 41.

Jawai may look like Jahidi White, but he apparently has more of a soft touch - 70% free throw shooting is pretty good for a big, powerful guy with not that many years of b-ball experience.

Uh, Old School, did you say 'without any notable personnel change'? I think adding JO is a pretty notable change.

Also, especially now I think that Flipper has a spot on this team. He adds needed depth to the wings and his salary won't cut into our MLE. Besides, though inconsistant he was a solid enough player to have coming off the bench.

ebrian, Hump isn't listed as a free agent, they just haven't posted his salary as I expect they aren't sure of the exact figure. That is why there is a blank space and not a 0 for the next two years that he was extended early this season. You can go back to having faith in Hoopshype.

With the value of the Euro being so much higher than it used to be, I really question the strategy to continue to draft guys playing overseas. Yes, I know this one was from Australia, but the trend isn't changing. Guys can make as much, if not more, money and stay alot closer to home. Look at the ridiculous money that Greek team is throwing at Parker. He has no shot of making that in the NBA. Even if the guy wants to come over, the buyouts are usually so large that the team can't afford it. It might be time to start drafting North American talent and just stashing them in the D-League. Tough to do with only a 15 man roster, but maybe you expand that a little, with the D-league guys not counting against your cap.

Chad Ford was reporting yesterday that San Antonio sent an email around to every team in the league stating that they were willing to move the 26th pick. We couldn't get that done?

We couldn't trade up higher to get CDR?, or Arthur for that matter? Really?

Bryan Colangelo may know NBA talent, but I haven't been impressed with any of his draft picks since joining Toronto. He sure seems to know the NBA talent, but when it comes to the draft, I'm not impressed.

Ding ding ding...winning comment of the day goes to Jeff.

Let me make it clear that I still have faith in BC and am not jumping off the wagon...however looking at his draft record with Toronto it's a bit of a head scratcher is it not?

Steve - I've been saying for weeks now that Toronto wasn't going to get a franchise changer at 17 and if you had to trade the pick so be it. So believe me, I had no preconceived notion about finding someone in the first, let alone the second round, that would come in next year and tear it up.

BUT

As Jeff mentions, we now have 3 foreign prospects who've yet to play a minute in the NBA. Roko "sounds" like he may come over, and Jawai too, but as pointed out, if some of these folks are going to head over here to be scrubs on the bench for a few years and maybe never stick, why wouldn't they take more money and more playing time to stay at home or play in Europe?

For me the biggest thing is that Toronto NEEDS to fill out their roster. This isn't like Portland who has 26 guys on their team now so wants to leave a number in Europe. Toronto needs guys who can come over asap, and hopefully ones without huge buyouts! No, CDR, Gordon, Walker or Hardin probably weren't going to come in and change the face of the franchise. But at least you know you can bring them in now and without any attached buyouts or politics.

As for the Gerald Wallace option, it all depends on who you like more between him and JO. Wallace would give us the athletic 3 we covet...but his contract is worse in some ways and he's hurt almost as much. Tough call. But great to see BC out there looking at some options.

So who does everyone think made out best via the draft last night?

I really like what Portland did, they are unreal with getting the guys they want, and I think Memphis, Seattle Indiana had nice nights. Gulp...oh...and New Jersey. However anyone else think Jersey could be the worst team in the East next year along with the Knicks? Bobcats improved, Hawks, assuming they keep everyone, look good, Philly solid, Bulls, Bucks and Heat should all be much improved...that doesn't leave much else for the scrap heap.

Poor Vince...

An article I read online from Australia states that Jawai's agent has been told personally by Colangelo/Jim Kelly that Nathan will be on the roster in 2008-09. Add in Ukic, who will certainly be here and Calderon, and that gives us 11 players with four spots open.

Still a lot to fill with no $ and no tradeable commodities.

I think everyone gives BC too much credit for things he has done for the Suns... Because to me he has done nothing but give away draft picks and pick up average players in return, that are only capable of bringing us to the first round.

If the problem with him drafting college players is that they have to develop why would you draft a euro player and have him develop in europe where there is less talent and athleticism and not have access to him at all...

I said this yesterday but it probably got lost in the previous post long discussion: If the Raptors are so short on players (and cap space) I think BC may turn to Europe to try bringing in some low-cost veteran free agent help (remember the Garbo and AP signings)

Let's wait and see how BC fills out the roster before we roundly criticize him for inadequately filling out the roster.

Historically he's been very good with under-the-radar smaller moves so let's give him the benefit of the doubt.

My problem is that our path to the championship all of a sudden looks muddled. I know that with a healthy JO the team looks great. And then we have a crazy 22 million coming off the books. But I'm getting the impression that the "let's get as good as we can as fast as we can" philosophy is beginning to take over the "let's build the best team in the nba so that we can win championships" philosophy.

Robert Archibald: should have written ‘without any more notable personnel change’.

Based on my understanding of the Raptors tax situation Colangelo has very little room to sign for a major player and no trade bait. So if I’m correct, how do the Raps stack up in the East with the current roster?

Portland has an unfair advantage with Paul Allen as their owner. He has no qualms paying 3 million to buy a draft pick.

OldSchool, I think adding a 20/10 guy to an offence that was already one of the strongest in the Association is plenty. Hopefully we can free Kapono now too and see some of that playoff form. What else do you want BC to do?

Sergi, I think BC has a lot of options to fill out the roster, but the people he chose from Europe weren't exactly cheap. In fact, if anything there will probably be less competition for Yankee scrubs.

I am not too worried about the sky falling with the rise of the Euro. I haven't read anything about contract buyout worries with Jawai. I think he fills the third C spot fine and will be here. Worries that we won't be able to outbid Kiwi competition are Feschukesque (new word).

My bigger concern with Roko is that he isn't good enough to be our back up. Reviews on him are mixed at best.

I do agree though that BC doesn't have a great draft record. Hopefully someone with a faster computer than mine can check his draft record going back to the PHX days.

LA'S Only, Portland has the midas touch the past three years. Roy=ROY and Aldrige, Oden-we can't forget about Oden! and they certainly made out like bandits this year too. Now we need to see them put up results. A few years ago it was Chicago stockpiling draft talent, but they never seemed to go anywhere with it (though they are stockpiling it again! what will they get for Heinrich?). I doubt Portland will have the same issues.

Franchise, seems like those Redbulls are still kicking in. Frantically worrying about our past three 2nd rounders? Show me any team that has had success with three consecutive 2nd round picks, and I'll show you someone with too much time on their hands.

SuperSonic talks sense. Lets be fans and let our GM be the GM. Lets wait and see what moves BC makes and try to get excited about the second round pick we didn't think we had.

BTW - what gives with the Bobcats. I thought they needed an offensive center to play beside Okafor, Lopez was the perfect fit. They draft a pg? I thought Felton was a pretty solid up and comer? Anyone know what gives there or is Jordan just a bad GM?

was 100% exited about the trade but I just had my first fan regret moment...

"Bobcats Charlotte Bobcats managing partner Michael Jordan confirmed to the Observer on Thursday that they were talking to the Raptors about a swap of Gerald Wallace and point guard T.J. Ford. The talks apparently hit a snag when Toronto additionally asked for a draft pick. Instead, the Raptors are moving Ford to Indiana in a trade involving forward Jermaine O'Neal." The Charlotte Observer

Charlotte wanted a true pass-first PG to share time with Felton, who is more of a scoring PG (or to free them up to deal Felton). I think they went with Augustin at 9 for a few reasons:

-He impressed them in workouts
-There was no way Augustin was going to last past Sacramento at #12
-Once Charlotte bought the 20th pick from Denver they knew they'd have a few big men to choose from at that point, but unless they were keen on Mario Chalmers there wasn't likely to be a PG who could be even a reasonably significant backup this year

Add it all up and they decided to take their man at PG first, pass on Brook Lopez (who they perhaps might not have even expected to drop to them), and choose their favourite remaining centre at 20.

I do suspect, though, that they might have thought either Hibbert or Robin Lopez would still be there at 20, so I'm not sure they were keying on Ajinca or hoping to get Hibbert and now have to spin Ajinca as a guy they had their eye on all along.

I'm putting BC on the clock to come up with
a - backup PG worth his keep and no Derrick Murray will not do but Duhon would
b - a slashing SG say someone like Pietrus
c - a servicable backup C like Rasho or mabe even Kwame - don't believe I just wrote that
All those holes to fill with the mid level - tick tick tick....

LOL ZoneD... As Opening night is usually around October 31st:
4 months, 3days, 6hrs... tick, tick, tick.
Should be an interesting summer. However, even with holes at the end of the roster, I still feel that as a result of this trade Raptors are better now than they were in May.

im really glad BC didnt pull the trigger on gerald wallace. even though he is one of my favourite players with a variety of skills, i just cant see him playing for the raps. first, he and moon would be competing for the sf spot (i believe they had competed against each other back in the days). also hes not a good shooter and if we made the trade, its not like he wouldve made our team significantly better. our 17th pick wouldve only brought us in a project just like jawai and his contract is much longer than JO. i cant wait for 2010. BC made the right move and our future looks really bright. also jawai was a pretty good pick up, its not like bill walker was going to do great with his knees as a concern, and he might just end up being just like graham (athletic bench warmer). at least jawai is a big, big, big man who we can work on and hope he becomes that big C we need to score down low and bang with the bigger guys.

i meant to say geral wallaces' contract is much longer than JO's. sorry

From: The Draft Review

"Strengths: Athletically, Jawai possesses a rare blend of power and explosiveness for someone his size … Excellent finisher around the basket where his explosiveness allows him to finish with flair … Does a tremendous job of establishing position in the post … Understands the value of keeping the ball high and away from opposing guards looking to double team … Owns a soft pair of hands that allow him to catch any passes thrown into the post … Starting to develop a good looking mid-range shot from 16 feet that he can make with some success … Consistently looks to use his power game to overpower his defender … Because of this he creates a good amount of contact to get to the foul line … Although his free throw numbers don’t suggest it, Jawai has good form and, most importantly, does not look at the ball when he takes his foul shots … Has a coachable personality and takes well to instruction … Good (but not great) rebounding in his area, but shows great promise obtaining boards out of position … Is a very good post passer due to his unselfish attitude … Long arms and body control enable him to convert well in traffic … Has quick, light feet that allow him to pull off short hops in the low post … This really comes into focus when he faces 12 feet from the basket and fakes the mid-range shot only to use his quickness to explode past his man for the dunk … Potentially, Jawai projects as a player who has yet to scratch the surface despite being a late bloomer of sorts, as this kind of projection is usually reserved for a player in their late teenage years … Owns a nice baseline spin with his back to the basket …"

So I took the liberty of looking up our 41st pick and here's some Some Nathan Jawai highlights courtesy of good'ol youtube:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=UpJszNGHjNA

I've never seen this guy before but he does a good job of using his wide frame to his advantage IMO.

Soft touch around the basket is there as advertised but his leaping ability is quite suspect.

He doesn't look too bad IMO

oh btw what I meant by his "leaping ability is quite suspect" is that his vertical does him no justice to finish up strong around the basket. He does rely on his soft touch.

We have to take a break on Bargs. The issues to face with him are about his training and drive. Dirk was farther back at this point in his career. OneAndDone is right - we need to stop fixating on the guy and let him play his game a bit more.

I think the reason that BC avoided taking on any first round picks is that he is thinking that the time is now. First rounders get guaranteed money and BC is looking for any change to pull in some vets to fill roles. If Ukic is coming, then another rookie is not really necessary.He'll take some cash. With Jose signing, and we know he will be, we have 11 players. Maybe too many already. Go mid-level on a 3 or back up big like Diop and we are at 12. The rest of the bench has to be filled with minimum wage guys(second rounders or scrubs).

Rarely do draft picks make a huge impact in their first 2 years. Those are the O'Neal and Bosh years. He needs a good mid-level exception like maybe Pietrus? Diop? We need now guys. The stashed projects can come later. BC knows what he is doing here.

to add,
An area where i think that the Raps are failing is in the coaching department. We lost a great shooting coach. Bargs needs a serious Jabaar type coach and so does Jawai. If Jawai is withthe raps, he can develop with a good coach.

I watched the u tube videos on Nathan the big Aussie,he reminds me a little bit of good old chocolate thunder Darrel Dawkins who played for the sixers ?

EasemyPain,

Well said bro.

Too drunk to type anything else, but I really agree with you.

I had a really long post planned, but I got to drunk and forgot it. There are a few key points that I would like to touch on though.

First, the Raptors were such a mess when BC took over that it's a minor miracle that they made the playoffs the last two years, so cut the guy some slack.

Second, let's see what BC does over the next couple months to fill out the roster before we disparage or praise his recent moves.

third, you only really need 9-10 guys who can play night in and night out. The rest of the roster is there for practice fodder and in case of injury.

fourth, Bargnani is going to take a long time to fully develop, let's just leave him alone for now.

And last, I'm legitimately excited about the possibilities with JO. Which is a positive change from the apathy I was feeling towards the end of the season and the first round of the playoffs.

I almost forgot, I like the Nathan Jawai pick. To me he seems very much like Jason Maxiell. I really can't see anything wrong with having a backup center/PF with exceptional bulk and strength. Even if he is somewhat lacking in skill and experience. Anything that makes the Raps tougher in the paint is a huge plus.

The Jawai pick is completely incomprehensible to me. I am currently living in Australia and have seen some NBL games - the league that Jawai plays in. The quality of basketball is really, really bad. I'll put it this way, Julius Hodge signed with a team for the final twelve games of the year and averaged 25 ppg, 9 rpg and 6 apg. He had some stretches where he was averaging a triple double. It is a bad sign for the talent level of a league when Julius Hodge is dominating. As for Jawai he only managed a shade under 18ppg and 10rpg for the year, not overwhelming numbers when going against questionnable talent. He'll have a hard time coming even close to that against half decent competition - which he doesn't face on a regular basis. Someone like Ante Tomic or even Bill Walker would've been a lot better pick at 41.

Archibald...you should have known not to tempt me with second round pick trivia at 2 am ha ha!

Check the Jazz's 3 second round runs from 2003 to 2006 (they didn't have a pick in 2004.)

2006 Paul Milsapp (and Dee Brown who at least played for a year.)
2005 CJ Miles (still with the club and still being groomed as an off guard.)
2003 Mo Williams

No, not Kobes or Lebrons, but solid value as most were picked late in the second round as well.

Also solid? Cavs.

Boozer in 02,
Kapono in 03,
and Gibson in 06 (no picks in 04 or 05)

Different management at various periods for both teams but the fact remains that some clubs do consistently grab gems late. (See San Antonio - Ginobili, Scola and Milwaukee - Flip Murray in 02, Keith Bogans in 03.)

As for Jawai, some fascinating stuff Crocodile Dundee, although it's definitely painful to hear.

Would have loved Walker or Tomic and the Julius Hodge comparison does a nice job putting things into perspective.

Yikes.

I'm intrigued by the O'Neill deal. I'm not surprised that it was the best that Colangelo could get for Ford. Ford forced his hand, and the entire league knew that TJ wanted out. Aside from his general complaining at the end, and being very immature about on and off the court, this was one of the most unprofessional aspects of the TJ situation. He substantially lowered his own trade value by essentially demanding a trade.

As for the draft, I'm not that knowledgable about all of the players, but it does seem mighty coincidental that Colangelo seems to draft Euro after Euro. Is he averse to players in the college system?

I hope that Colangelo isn't the type of person who always has to do the "counterintuitive thing" because he know something that everyone else doesn't. We all know people that like to be different because they're "in the know". Frankly I find them very annoying.

PS. I hope that Roko Ukic is the 3rd coming of the Messiah

Knowing less about college-ball than Oldschool, haven't posted in awhile. What I know I've learned from this site.

Its clear the teams we will be battling in the East got better.
Chicago, Miami, and New Jersey have made key additions on Draftnight. All three missed the playoffs last year after underachieving last season. All three probably will make the playoffs this season. That means three playoff teams from last season might not make it back to the show.

Not still sure where we fit in, we are a long ways off till opening night but here are my current thoughts
- If JO is as healthy as everybody seems to think, I like this deal. Him and Bosh up front may be the Easts best.
- Do not think TJ forced his way out. I think he would of been happy to remain. The Raptors decided TJ's fate.
- Resigning Jose is already a done deal. Here's to his continued progression and good health.
- We need a solid backup PG. And we do not have much money to spend.
- We need to add some more toughness before that slasher. Scoring, once again should not be a problem. Do not have much depth when it comes to rebounding.
- Bargnani has got to get back on track. If this guy can put up solid numbers coming off the bench our depth up front will be tough on any team. He might well be our forgotten trump card.
- Dismiss any rumours of Anthony Parker going to Greece.
- We are no longer a deep team. Our two " STARS" have had injuries past two seasons.
- We should try very hard to keep Carlos Delfino.
- Our competition in the East will be tougher.
- Following the old "whoever gets the best player wins the trade" the Raptors won the trade.(if all stay healthy).
-
- Losing Rasho hurts. Class act.
- TJ Ford has all the tools to become a great, great PG.
- Still am glad he's gone. Right now Jose is the better player.

I think the reason that BC tends to choose players out of Europe is because he is genuinely concerned about having players on the roster that look at playing in Canada as a negative. Remember AD, Alston, etc? I am a Canadian who grew up in the US and by and large, Americans have a pretty pessimistic view of this country. So, I like the fact that BC takes this into account.

Personally, I don't get the CDR love. Did no one watch the NCAA title game? CDR basically single-handedly lost the game for Memphis down the stretch. You could tell Kansas looked absolutely thrilled to have him on the line. Not a good sign.

He's not a great shooter, and will have trouble when pro defences sag off him and defend the drive. I'm just not sold on him, all the more so because of the almost universal gushing over him. If you look back on old drafts, the guy that everyone loves but slips into the second round anyways doesn't exactly have the best track record.

Also I think that, given the attention swirling around the draft, people inevitably tend to overestimate the potential of everyone involved. They tend to think more in terms of ceilings than in terms of floors. I'm sure more than half or more of the people in this draft, including many highly-touted prospects, will never establish themselves and be out of the league within a few years. In the late first round and second round, it's a crapshoot. It's easy to, in hindsight, praise teams for finding "steals" in those portions of the draft. What everyone forgets is that there's countless other supposed "steals" who don't turn out to be any good.

Tinman - In my opinion, when a player is pouting on and off the floor (even to the extent that he is letting it affect his play), and this is due to the fact that he is unable to share the spotlight with another player, or (God forbid) come off the bench behind that player, he is essentially demanding a trade. TJ was unwilling to accept his current role on the Raptors. Thus, the Raps had two options: (1) Let TJ make decisions on the team regarding playing time, who starts, etc., or (2) Trade his ass. Out of necessity they chose option 2.

The J - very good point regarding the Americans vs. Euros opinions of Canada. I hadn't thought about that.

Go Jawai!

For me the only question with jawai, is is he an upgrade over maceo baston?
I don't think it's a stretch to predict yes. He and J "detroit brawler" O also address the toughness issue in a big way. Mostly because the team can now practice their "power" games, but also in games. You think jermaine oneal would have stood idly by when moon (by swift) or ford were ruthlessly taken down in mid-air by their heads?? I hope not, because even though I didn't think much of it at the time, the more I look back, the more I can't stand the wimpyness of this team.

CDR looks like nice second round project, but he was not likely to be a saviour either. Both players need 2-3 years before they can be evaluated.

The other thing is the common theme with BC picks and trades is that the players he gets are always happy to play in toronto. This could have very well been a factor in the gerald wallace deal. If he's complaining about the metric system and such, I don't think BC makes that deal. Of course I'm totally speculating now, but I like to think that colangelo has a plan to build a team that reflects its market, wins a lot and has good vibes surrounding it because players want to be there. The byproduct of all this maybe even being a championship.

Franchise - Good find, it is true you can* add value in the second round. Mind you, as you said, none were the second coming. BC does a good job of finding those types of talents in the cheap FA market. Segue...

Crocodile Dundee- You make a good point. We should sign Julius Hodge! He was one of the many prospects we wanted a few years ago and now he is ripping it up in OZ. He'd be available for cheap. We drafted Jawai because he is 6'10", 300lbs, has soft hands and is light on his feet. We drafted the body, not the player. We are hoping to develop the player. Segue...

Ease my pain - Good point about the coaching. Not just with the big man coach we don't have. We all wanted Sam's head at the end of the season, now we all think we have a better team for him. I always thought it would be easier to replace the coach than the players, but that doesn't look like what happened. Curious how comfortable people are going forward with Sam? Now that we have a Sam style team, does this mean we can run plays out of timeouts? How short will his leash be? Segue...

FireSmitch - well said and I agree. A couple of articles ago Franchise was talking about they Jamario Moon camp and how it was full of draft busts that would probably be better now, they just weren't getting the hype. We will be loooking at a lot of these cheap FA's.

And that should bring me full circle. Howland, I hope you cooked up a nice greasy breakfast for Franchise , we're ready for some predictions about where we go next. Personally, before we look at any other position, we need to sure up our back up PG.

Axl - well said on the Baston vs Jawai point, agreed.

I haven't commeted on the Wallace deal. Wallace is one of my favorite players and I thought would have been perfect last year instead of Kapono. Comparing the Wallace deal to the O'Neal deal though, I actually think JO addressed more of our needs.

Finally, I know there has been a lot more BC bashing lately, and I admit that he isn't perfect. But he certainly does a lot more good than bad! We could be in a much worse situation, and the level of respect he has from both our ownership and around the league is welcome.

Think about it, we actually got more for TJ with a broken neck than we were able to get for Vince Carter. BC is doing it and doing it and doing it well. Lets see how he fills out the roster.

I still can't believe the little consideration that is being given to Delfino. By the second half of the season this guy was in EVERY big game when it came down to the wire. His defense wasn't stellar but acceptable, his offense was great his rebounding was great as well; and when he made up his mind to go to the hole, he had relative success. Get this guy signed, provide some proper coaching/ direction and we have our three. He's only 25.. This team has done that in the past, gone looking for peices that might already exist and they can develop, while they let some good pieces leave.

I aggree, My Call, I am a big Delfino fan, and if he can be kept for a reasonable amount at all, we should keep him. Like you say, he plays decent defence, shoots the ball well (if streakily), and in general is one of our more aggressive players. He can run the offence for short periods of time as well.
Also, he and Kapono have some sort of psychic link going on. He always finds Kap-one open at the right time.
I realize money is tight, but it would be a real shame to lose him if we don't have to.

Chill on the Second Rounders... I know you invest alot into research and such, but really... I don't think any of the players you mentioned will have significant impact on their teams this year...

We need a couple of role players to fill out the roster. I am sureBC will pull it all together.