Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post Game – Health Care

Voskuhl also brings brains to the table. Sunday afternoon vs Orlando, last play of the first half, Jameer Nelson dribbling into position for a last second three pointer ( and he was hot), Jake fouls him with 0.1 sec. No 3 points, no foul shots. Small but heads up play to end up the half.

I am a little puzzled as to what the Clippers got out of the deal. Unless the pick is protected out to the 50th spot, why would they agree to this deal if they were just going to waive him? I know Toronto gave them money, but it was just a weird deal. If I were LA I would have at least demanded an option to swap picks in the 2nd round. Weird.
This TSN2 thing is starting to irritate me. I am with Star Choice through my building so I cannot pick and choose which channels I get. My balcony faces north so I cannot switch to Bell. I hate Rogers with a passion but even if I decided to go with them it wouldn't make a difference as they don't carry it. I think TSN needs to stop messing with fans as they are pushing people to the point where they may stop caring altogether.
The reason I brought all this up is that I was curious as to why Joey G was sitting at the end of that game while Kapono played (spotlighting him perhaps?). I was looking at the numbers online and even though Joey had only 5 points, he did have 8 rebounds while Kapono had only 10 points when they subbed him in and he ended up with 12. Seeing as the Raptors were up at the time, it seemed weird that they would sub in Offense for D instead of the other way around. Did anyone who watch the game, see anything that would make this move make sense?

The only trade I'd make would be Hump and Kapono for an expiring so we can open more space for this summer to bring in Delfino or make other moves.
Hands off Andrea - we waited too much for his recent play to give up on him now.
We desperately need Jose back even though I agree the muntes earn now for Solomon and Roko could prove to be valuable in the future. It seems that AP is rounding back into shape - if we keep shooting over 50% per game we will be tough to beat. I know you can say that about almost any team in NBA however we actually have the tools to keep shooting over 50% as this was the way the team was constructed.

Franchise, in your expectation list about Bargs you forgot to mention you expected 15 min. PT due to his 5 fouls, 4 of what offensive fouls. Not to be mentioned are of course his 6 TO due to traveling. All this without touching the ball as he was basically just running up and down the court with no purpose.
The refs could not refrain to call traveling because even if he was doing nothing, he was doing it with no coordination whatsoever.....

.... is that the moment when you waked up? :))

I followed the game play-by-play on my phone since I was at my kid's swimming lessons. It seemed like all I saw was jumpshot after jumpshot and even with a big lead I thought the raps were doomed.

But watching the last 6 or so minutes on the net and then the game in a hour though I was super impressed with how they closed it out.

Bosh was great, tough drives and excellent defense, attracting attention so that Big Bucket Bargnani got wide open looks. It was surpsrising and great to see...

Sloppy game by everybody - Bosh and Bargs included -- but we won, and I guess that`s the important part.

What`s more important though, is the question of who starts, when O`Neil returns. Jay T was asked that in the post interview, and of course, dodged the question. I`d say this is his first test as coach, in dealing with personalities and egos.

Renato - God knows that Bargnani drives me as nuts as he abviously does you but I'm going to put my faith in the Triano (& Coangelo) being smart enough to continue to teach Bargs the ins & outs of the game. He's like Baby Huey out on the court but don't we all wish we were 7ft and could run without falling tripping over ourselves.

In light of the O/B starting dilemma, I had a flash dream that was inspired by last year’s JC/TJ memories. And in that déjà vu moment, I saw JO giving a pre-game interview, where Jermaine says he’s had a good heart-to-heart chat (and not with Jar Jar either) about the starting 5 position.

"For the good of the team, I’ve convinced Jay to let me come off the bench"

Smack me, so I can come to my senses.

Franchise: A good post yet again; A bit of a gloomy win? It sounds like won't be long till we start sliding to hellish depths when HQ starts quoting the likes of Friedrich Neitzsche or summoning the ghost of Alastair Crowley in the pre-game blog.

Did you notice:

1. Our payroll 'on the court' is barely above $40 Mil? In terms of bang for buck - thats not so bad....

2. I read that the second rounder we get from LAC is so conditional as to really not be a pick at all. SO the Adams trade was simply $$ based;

AND a QUESTION for HQ FOLK:

Q: Do you think we can draft both Tyler Smith AND that AMINU kid in the '09 draft?

That would really wash away any bad-aftertaste left by this season...

I'm interested to know if we could do it.

to avoid the playing time debate and potential team chemistry issues, i'd really like Colangelo to make this trade (which makes sense for both teams):

Jermaine O'Neal
Jason Kapono

to the NY Knicks for

Stephon Marbury
David Lee

imo, for the sake of Bargnani's development the Raptors have to let him start for the rest of the season.. no question about it.

McGateway,
That sucks about your building dude, Starchoice has TSN2 included with the regular sports package. You are so close.

If I didn't have it I would be livid like some of you... And if the team was remotely good or interesting this year.

Gotta pump up Starchoice Franchise, you left them out. I hate Bell even more than Rogers, so I don't want people to think that's the only option.

Not much comment on the game since I only watch a few minutes of each game now, first time in my life I've been bored of Raptor games.

I flipped back and forth between the raps game and the Davidson/Duke game. Man, does S.Curry look polished! Anyway, the wiz were in it until Bargs hit the 3 to push the lead to 9. Does anyone else cringe when AP is on the FT line? He always seems to miss when the game is on the line. I guess he is making up for it now with the hot shooting lately, but c'mon!

melon: I was being sarcastic and making fun of Franchise 3/8 expectations. I believe every (most of the) time(s), this season, he has been given a definite role and some playing time he has been producing. In general temrs, he has been inconsistent enough you can fear a 3/8 night... I disagree you have to expect it.

I worry about the grizz.
i feel like OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay are going to shoot the lights out on us. If that doesn't happen it will be a win for sure.

Bargnani is the future of the Raptors, and a star in training, whether he starts or comes of the bench is immaterial. What he needs is consistent playing time, 30/35 min per game to continue to develope his game.

The way this is handled by Triano will go a long way to tell if he is a Head Coach candidate or an assistent filling a space till next year.

pugalug - I think you are on to something... Simmons mentioned a similar thing in his recent podcast.

O'Neal
Kapono

for

Marbury
Rose

This would give the Raps approximately 28 million in cap space to go after say Ben Gordon and Lamar Odom... just a hypothetical. Thus giving the Raps the 2009/2010 season to really convince Bosh to stay... with a truly talented line up.

As cancerous as Marbury is... 20+ million in cap space this summer is tempting.

I would hate to watch Marbury on the Raps for the rest of the season, but would gladly accept the cap space this summer.

I agree with McGateway.

I don't get the Adams deal. The Clips trade nothing (a protected 2nd round draft pick - which the Raps will never see) for a guy they waive in less time than to watch back to back episodes of Raps in an Hour? Did they see Fred Jones come back from the injury and said, oh wait nevermind? Is it just for the money? Is it a favour?

Then they go and do the exact same deal for Chiek Samb?

This is where the NBA loses me a bit. Weird.

lessthanzero - another Simmons fan, I see. Good call. As for pugalug - I don't think that trade would happen, only because the Knicks are likely unwilling to give up Lee, or even Robinson for that matter. The Rose scenario seems much more likely.

Hey jermaine, how about we make you the first big off the bench?

There's a sixth man of the year award in it for you...

Jamieson - I can' wait for the day when Simmons gets to be a GM...

Grand at the GLobe just made a pitch for the exact same trade as Simmons. I don't agree with the tanking part. I think the Raps can still challenge for a playoff spot with out O'Neal... but there is some talent this summer... I wouldn't ignore it.

Ultimately, Starbury doesn't have to play for us. He can always sit out the rest of the year if he comes in and is difficult (buying him out is actually doing him a favour which is why the Knicks haven't done it yet, my guess is they will wait until he is no longer eligible to play in the post season then buy him out). As for Rose, how does that help? He might add some d and rebounding but the Raps really would be tanking in that case.

McGateway here is the answer for Rogers all the games are televised online at this site
... http://atdhe.net/...try it, and let me know.

In fact as far as trades go, this one makes more sense.

Oneal to Chicago

for
Hughes and Gooden
plus pick exchanges.

Chicago get the interior play they need and Toronto gets Hughes at the 2 and Gooden is gone at the end of this year which will free up some cap space for a mid level or something.

I think the Raps are just fine the way they are. All we need is for everyone to get health. BC did say this is the best raptor team on paper and now that they are finally finding their glitche, I say we wait it out see how far the current squad can take us and if there is a wing available at the trade deadline then package kapono with a draft choice and try and get a 15 to 20pts a night wing from a team that is building. Regarding the Maubury trade what everyone seem to forget is Starberry can go to the rim whenever he wants, he is a very good player..less you forget and his contract is almost the same as JO so that is not such a bad idea having him on the Raps...And everyone deserve a chance...Raps4Life.

Jenge – Don’t even tease me with the Smith and Aminu combo…watched Smith again last night and while his Vols squad are possibly the worst defensive team in the NCAA, he’s exactly what the team needs. Great offensive rebounder because of his athleticism, never settles for jumpers (in fact sometimes is too aggressive going to the basket), and has a bit of an edge. I’m worried that Aminu is going to go pretty high so will be out of our range. He’s got a big showcase opportunity this Sunday against Carolina so I’m sure scouts will be out in full force as both teams have a number of prospects.

Dayoner – Starchoice…hmmm…never had to deal with them but simply because of the industry they’re in, I’d assume they were bad. Why is it that once companies get to be a certain size, it’s like dealing with the government? Banks, Telecomm companies, Universities…it’s all the same thing!

Ustation – I don’t get the deal either however right after hearing the details I remembered that a) This is the Clips we’re talking about here and b) This is the same team that a year ago kept preaching about brining in a new attitude and regime via youth and then signed Baron Davis to a mammoth deal, traded for Marcus Camby and then made another move for Zach Randolph.

PS - Renato. After watching Andrea the past few games, it's hard to believe this is the same guy isn't it? He made one little drop-step set-shot last night that was positively Dirkesque.

Question - if he keeps playing at this level, suddenly don't you have to talk about him being worth of a top 3 pick in his draft class behind Roy and maybe Gay or Aldridge?

Continuing with my earlier trade, Mannix on SI suggeted a trade with Boston which if we do the Chicago deal suddenly makes a ton of sense.
Kapono for Eddie House and B Scalbrini. Two two for one deals where everyone wins.

ESPN stat this am::

• Andrea Bargnani made 4-of-5 3-point attempts in the Raptors' win at Washington despite missing his first shot of the night from beyond the arc. It was the second straight game in which Bargnani made at least four consecutive 3-pointers; he hit five in a row from downtown on Monday night at Milwaukee. No 7-footer had done that in consecutive games since Dirk Nowitzki, more than nine years ago (Dec. 27-30, 1999).

Jamieson: the Knicks are actually looking to trade David Lee, as they know they can't afford to re-sign him for the money & term that he wants this off-season..

i would take both David Lee and Malik Rose alonside Stephon Marbury for Jermaine O'Neal and Jason Kapono. maybe even throw in Jamario Moon.

and who says the Raptors would be tanking? i actually think the Raptors have a shot of being a better team:

- Marbury at the SG position actually gives the Raptors a player that can break down defenses and drive to the net, cancerous or not
- David Lee would be the perfect backup to Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani.. he would cost a good chunk of change to re-sign this offseason, but i'd be ok with it.

of course, the huge upside is that the Raptors would have maximum flexibility under the cap this offseason.. perhaps use some of it to sign Shawn Marion?

McGateway looks like he's on to something with the potential Bulls trade. And someone last thread brought up an interesting point regarding Raef LaFrentz's big expiring deal. Now that the Bulls have a franchise player (Rose) I can see them trying to add a veteran big to get on a winning track. And as long as the Raps take Hughes, there are a few options on what else they get from the Bulls. Could even be a three team deal.

With Portland, it would probably have to be a three team deal with JO going somewhere else. If we're trying to find time for Bargnani, they're trying to find time for Oden and Aldridge.

fronlongrange: That's a pretty unique stat. While I know that that 3pt shooting 7footers is a select group, the fact that any big can get that red hot from 3pt range is impressive.
I'd like to see if Rasheed Wallace or Okur has ever gone on a similar streak.

Franchise:
I will recycle a statement from Smitch (not word by word): for smaller guys it is easier to flourish if they have "it" as they bring up the ball. The bigs have to rely on other people feeding them. I have read on this board countless comments on how few touches Bargs has gotten and about the lack of plays designed to exploit his offensive strengths. Moreover he is in a team who has it's star playing at the same position. It may very well be that Toronto has indeed not (up till now) put Andrea in a position to succeed.

Lost all of my respect for you when you actually wondered why Dallas would make the move. WOW

Maybe Marbury looks like a steal to you too!

Win is a win and I was impressed with most of the guys other than the careless turnovers.

Now glad you are not the GM.

Love your articles, but the baby is now in the river with the bath water you just threw out.

Sharpy24

The Wiz shot 46% man, that's hardly sickly. Butler and James had off nights but give Parker and Solomon credit.

If I'm Calderon I take note of how Will's playing defense and how he's able to use the screen to get into the paint even if it means going going laterally for a few feet. The only time I see Calderon "turn the corner" these days is when he has a clear path. When people say he needs to "force the issue", they don't just mean push on the break.

If you wanna watch games that aren't on tv

Try:

www.atdhe.net
www.justin.tv

Arsenalist - Yeah, percentage itself didn't look bad but check the shot chart as to how they arrived at that percentage. Or better yet, how many air balls do you remember last night? I can think of at least 5 with Fresno State alum Dom McGuire leading the charge.

And Sharpy - funny thing is, a few weeks ago there wouldn’t have been a single fan who would have vetoed a deal like that to get Howard. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it’s funny to read some of the Dallas blogs and message boards to see just how inexplicable they find the deal from their side. We see Bargs all the time so know the amount of potential he has. Outside of the Raptors’ fan base however, I’m pretty sure Andrea is looked upon as a bust.

I'm not saying pull the trigger, not a huge fan of some of the contractual obligations that go with the deal as it had been rumoured, but my point is that for every Raptors' fan that yells "don't move a player with Andrea's potential," there's a Mavs fan saying "we don't want the next Darko."

An ugly win in many respects, but still a win. Ask the Celtics if they would have settled for an ugly win against the Bobcats.

Out of curiosity, is that second round pick that's coming back from the Clippers their own pick, or is it originally another team's pick? If the former, that promises to be a pretty high second rounder.

I think lost in the conversation of the bargs/JO deal is how it affects bosh.

bosh and JO play similar games, and mostly occupy the same space. usually one goes off, while the other sits back and watches.

bosh and bargs play different games and occupy different spaces. in other words, they compliment each other much better. they're both 'allowed' to go off without really affecting each others games. if anything, it probably elevates them. (this is all assuming, of course, that bargs is playing at his recent high level.)

there was a lot of talk when JO came into toronto (mostly by him) that he knew who the star was in town, (bosh) and that he was here only to help the team. whatever the cost. stay low key. be a veteran presence.

if he meant it, he would come off the bench when he back. let bargs continue to develop.

probably not going to happen though, is it?