Howland, I’m sorry, but this is not a must win game. Why? Because if we do lose it’s just a further indication that the team just needs to be blown up. The entire league will take notice that we can’t beat a team of scrubs. The league will make Toronto Raptors more of a laughing stock. The fan base will take a reality check and say, ‘shoot, we’re worse than we are we need to be blown up.’ I’m hoping that this team gets blown up. Trade bosh and Bargnani for draft picks. Sell potential.

Already, I would rather have Brook Lopez over Chris Bosh. I would rather have Devin Harris over Jose Calderon. These two players play defense. And this fan website wanted CDR, so you could argue that the NJ Nets have a better younger core than the Raptors. Oh yeah, if NJ Nets get Lebron to join his pal JAY Z then watch out they’re going to be rocking the NBA.

1. Keep the team the way it is just make minor changes
2. Trade Bosh
3. Blow up the team completely.
I’m more for blow up the team completely and get draft picks like the Timberwolves, Trail Balzers, Atlanta, and Oaklahoma City.

What were the nuggets doing before Billups arrival?… not much, maybe more than a major overhaul this team needs the addition of a talented player who can also be a leader. However if if you agree, that would question the status and contribution of the current leader)

I can’t escape the thought that this team would be much better if they could move Bargani for some one of Kendrick Perkin’s ilk. If you read Bill Simmons’ The Book of Basketball, there is a chapter on “The Secret” which talks about the secret to winning in Basketball. It’s a great chapter where he investigates championship teams and breaks down a poignant Vegas Poolside conversation with thetwo time champion Isaiah Thomas.

“The Secret” basically comes down to this: The secret to basketball has nothing to do with basketball… Really what this means (according to Simmons andother basketball minds) is that you can’t build a team by simply throwing tallented players together. You have to get guys that FIT together. Bargani does not fit with Bosh and Turk. What you need with those guys is basically Kendrick Perkins. I would definately rather move Bargs than Bosh because he is better. And no one is going to give anything of value for Turk. So this seems like the best/only option if the intent is to resign Bosh. It might even save the season

Would you trade Bosh for Noah and Deng?

I think it might to too good a trade for the Raps to be realistic, but I would do it in a second. Deng has another long contract, but he could try and play the 2 or we could just put Turkoglu where he belongs right away: on the bench.

Calderon-Deng-Turkoglu-Bargnani-Noah. That’s a hell of a lot better than what we have now.

Again, the major problem is that, while the Bulls would win more games this year with Rose and Bosh, would they do it since he’s a free agent after the year? This is where Colangelo really screwed us: Bosh should have been traded after the 2007-08 season to get maximum value. Of course, if they get hot, and make the playoffs maybe Bosh and Wade could meet up in Chicago in 2010. That would be fine with me if we can get this trade done.

It is not going to be fun watching Bargs get man handled by Brook Lopez tonight.

I would love to see that deal (Noah plus filler since the salaries don’t match), but I don’t think Chicago does it at this point. He’s a pretty big part of what they’re doing over there. The sad thing is that we could have done this deal before last season and Chicago would have jumped at it. Best we could get from the Bulls from Bargnani is Tyrus Thomas or Brad Miller I suspect.

The issue with moving Bosh is that if his new team don’t think he’ll sign long-term, they won’t give up anything of value to get him. So effectively, he does have a no trade.

I posted on yesterday’s Tip-in that I thought Chicago was the best option IF we were considering trading Bosh mid-season, specifically because I thought Chicago would give up Noah in a deal involving Bosh. I’d also want an expiring contract (Jerome James) and a first round pick, but Noah would be the key for me.

The big issue with this team isn’t talent, it’s attitude. We need to get some guys in here that will do whatever it takes to win and while I too agree with what Antoine Wright is saying, nobody is listening to one of the worst rated guards in the league no matter how right he is.

Do we know why BC felt it prudent to heap $50 million on Bargs after a few months of semi-decent play? Why does he get a pass on this?

We are going into a summer where there are at least 10 better free agents than him, teams are scared to death to speand any money with dwindling revenues and, save for a handfull of teams, no one has cap space. And the ones that do will be spending it on the real blue chippers (Bosh, Wade, LeBron, Amare, Boozer, Joe Johnson etc. etc.)!

So what was the rush to give this guy guaranteed life money COTDAMMIT! WHHYYY! We could have resigned him for less than that if we really wanted to resign him… BC basically negotiated against himself in that deal. Arghh…

Nothing wrong with the talent on this team once Calderon returns and Evans appears.

All that is needed is a commitment to working on defence for 48 minutes consistently as they have done in their wins, as 9 times under 100 pts allowed equals 9 wins. If, and it will, be done more often, it means more wins. If they can do it some times, they must ony find a way to do it more often.

Consistent TEAM defence is the toughest skill to achieve, especially with a young, new group of players, and it will take time to fit 9/10 players into a cohesive unit, like it or not.