Filling the Gaps: Mensah-Bonsu vs Delfino
by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Jul 23, 2009 6:49 AM EDT
Email
PrintWith the Raptors still looking to solidify their final roster, Vicious D takes a look at two remaining Toronto free agents; Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Carlos Delfino...
In moves that rival Colangelo's Raptors makeover from a few years ago, the Toronto Raptors are quickly becoming the NBA team that has undergone the most changes. As a result, they may be the most interesting team to watch gel in all of the NBA - no other team has really looked to adapt so much new talent at so many positions.
Still, the Raptors have money not yet spent and a few roster spots to fill.
Going by what Bryan Colangelo said at the Jarrett Jack presser, it seems that we can make several assertions:
1) Roko Ukic is not entirely happy with his situation and his agent is looking to facilitate a move. This should not come as a surprise to Raptors fans as he also felt the same way playing in Europe as a third option. As a result, every year he moved to a different European team, first to FC Barcelona and later to Virtus Roma.
2) Carlos Delfino may very well be content to head back over to Russia to keep playing for Khimki Moscow. No one knows what the Raptors have offered him, but the Euroleague and Moscow's weather do not seem to bother the Argentinian as much as previously indicated.
3) Pops Mensah-Bonsu may still be on the Raptors' radar screen as he remains unsigned. His agent has kept a constant dialogue with the Raptors but it's unsure how far apart financially or how interested the Raptors may be.
When looking at Colangelo's statements, Carlos Delfino, and Pops Mensah-Bonsu each have unique skill sets that can help the Raptors. However, Delfino may have more in common with Ukic as the addition of Jarrett Jack has made some his skillset redundant. Looking at a quick roster breakdown, the Raptors have obvious depth issues at certain positions
| Position |
Players |
| Point Guard |
J. Calderon, J. Jack, Q. Douby, R. Ukic, M. Banks |
| Shooting Guard |
D. DeRozan, J. Jack, A. Wright, H. Turkoglu, Q. Douby |
| Small Forward |
H. Turkoglu, D. George, A. Wright, A. Bargnani |
| Power Forward | C. Bosh, R. Evans, A. Bargnani |
| Center | A. Bargnani, P. O'Bryant |
It's no secret that the Raptors have covetted Delfino's skillset. Able to defend most players, make the occassional 3-pointer, and even play some point on the national team, the Raptors made heavy overtures to Delfino at the start of the summer. However, we can already see from this very rough depth chart that Point Guard and Shooting Guard positions are no longer areas that the Raptors lack depth in. Thanks to players that can play multiple positions, I'd argue that point guard and shooting guard seem to be the most solid positions for the Raptors.
Looking at Pops Mensah-Bonsu, we have a different story.
As a player that the Raptors have advised to attempt to expand his game to the small forward position, Mensah-Bonsu will not be someone who will be able to defend as well as Delfino can on the floor. In fact, if there is one area that Mensah-Bonsu may be a detriment to the team, it's on defense. Nevertheless, as a player that brings energy to the team, can rebound in traffic, draw fouls, and attacks the basket with ruthless abandon, Pops Mensah-Bonsu's abilities include many that are still not in great abundance on this Raptors team. Perhaps more importantly, if Pops is able to expand his game to cover the Small Forward position, it gives the Raptors depth at both the SF and PF positions; something that I feel is sorely lacking currently.
At the end of the day, Carlos Delfino was never going to be a guy that would be worth around $5 million and I've always questioned what Delfino believes his worth to be. In turning down the Raptors' initial qualifying offer last year, it was obvious to most of us that the Raptors' and Delfino's opinions of his worth were miles apart. A year later, the Raptors find themselves offering him less than Khimki Moscow due to the market. There's just no way that I can see the Raptors justifying that Delfino is worth as much as Jarrett Jack, especially in this economic climate.
Instead, if you haven't guessed by now, I would much rather see the Raptors take their money and spend it on Pops Mensah-Bonsu. By starting to offer $3 million a year and going no more than the $4 million a year, By offering $2-3 million, the Raptors will address some of their athleticism and depth questions. As a player who helped change the energy level on the floor at times, Mensah-Bonsu would give an almost Jerome Williamsesque presence to a team that last year suffered from lethargic play on many a night. As a cheaper alternative, Mensah-Bonsu addresses depth issues that are prevalent on this roster without affecting their remaining exeptions, allowing the Raptors to still spend their money to further strengthen their front-court with free agents.
It's anyone's guess how the final spots on the roster play out, but between Pops and Count Chocula, my vote is on the former and hopefully BC eventually feels this way too.
54 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Roster
Why is it that Raps need so many players. 12 is plenty
12
When the twelve currently includes POB, and no real full-time backup at the 3 spot, you need two more players.
by dhackett1565 on Jul 23, 2009 8:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Indeed
Pretty sure Pops might come back for just over the minimum.
Won’t get more than the minimum from any other team – just saying, a 2 year deal at about 1.5 per would be plenty.
by dhackett1565 on Jul 23, 2009 8:16 AM EDT up reply actions
Agreed. I would offer Pops $2M MAX. I love Pops’ game but wouldn’t want to overpay for an energetic depth player.
by Hungry Leafs Fan on Jul 23, 2009 9:14 AM EDT up reply actions
A bit insane
to offer $3m to Pops, when the guy will EASILY sign for $1 to 1.5M.
Unfortunately, Pops will not covert well to a SF – he’s shooting something like 30% from 2 feet (no joke), so I suspect he’ll have issues from 12 feet.
If BC offers him $3M then lock him up and throw away the keys.
Agreed, there’s no way on earth Pops gets 3 Mill! That’s just ludicris, but I guess thats what happens when you write a post at 4am???! (get some sleep man).
Rasho will only be getting 2 Mill, and there’s no way Pops is better than Rasho, he’s proven, Pops is NOT. He had a few good games while the season was done, trying to show what he’s worth. Let’s see what pops does for 1 full season of play, THEN he may earn a bigger contract. Pops at 1-1.5 Mill for 1 year is all he should get.
There’s a reason why this guy hasn’t broken the rotation of any team, just like Moon, they have some major deficiencies.
On Delfino, I don’t think he’s comin over, he wants 5 Mill from what I heard which is just insane. Too bad, we could still use his skills on D & rebounding (not scoring, we don’t need it).
Scoring is ALWAYS needed
Considering how lacking we are at the 3 (and the starting 2 for now), the team needs Delfino to round things out. Why go so far and do so much this off season and skimp out on the last bits of the puzzle?
Also, If every person on the floor can score, everybody has to be accounted for by the opposing team, making scoring easier for all members. It’s weird how people say, we don’t need this or that guy’s scoring..nobody on the roster has shown themselves of being able to handle a double team effectively, so all 5 players being able to contribute something offensively is helpful.
by HQ Interloper on Jul 23, 2009 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions
I think so too, but I think that you can’t cheat off of Pops cause he’ll burn you in so many ways if you do cheat off of him. And more importantly on this team, it’s not a question of if you can score, but how you do it.
Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com
by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Jul 23, 2009 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions
POB
What’s the deal with POB? How much of his contract is guaranteed? I think its time to let that ship sail. In reality, he will beat out Banks on the depth chart and will likely see less playing time than Jawai did last season. Cut him loose and sign Delfino, Rasho and Pops.
From what I understand from listening to BC, they will offer Delfino whatever he wants this year but are reluctant to get into any significant salary commitments going into next year. Therefore, I think they have a 1 year off out to him or a 2nd year at the team option or at a low amount. That’s probably the holdup as Delfino will need to decide between one year contract here or 2 in Russia.
Guaranteed.
All of it, as of about 3 weeks ago.
by dhackett1565 on Jul 23, 2009 10:08 AM EDT up reply actions
POB, Pops and Delfino
I’ve gotta disagree with my associate here as I’d rather have Delfino than Pops money aside. I think the 2 and 3 spots are still a bit on the weak side (does anyone think that George and Wright are REALLY going to be that much of a boost from the likes of Moon and Graham??) so Delfino would be a big help. He’s sort of Hedo 1.0 in my books but if he came at the right price then I’d take him back.
Pops to me duplicates what Evans does although is a much better shot blocking threat. What’s still needed is a legit back-up at the 5. If Bargs picks up two quick fouls in the first quarter, you can’t have O’Bryant coming off the bench. And you can’t always be putting Bosh there and playing Evans at the 4. Offensively that could make for a terrible start to the game so I’d prefer if BC got a Rasho-type who won’t be a huge liability at that spot.
That being said, I have no idea why O’Bryant is still on this team aside from his smallish contract. I was in favour of obtaining him at the deadline to see what he can do, but I think it’s pretty obvious by now that he’s way out of his league. If Pops could be brought in in his stead, I’d jump for joy.
Re Pops
You must have made a typo, $3/4 mil for Pop’s, that is the dumbest thing I have read on any blog this year. He should have accepted Rap’s qualifying offer of $1 mil as soon as they offered it, and asked where do I sign?
Nobody is rushing to offer him a contract, nor should they, nor will they. If BC signs him it will be only as a last resort, as he is strictly an inexperienced, one trick pony who duplicates Evans game.
I agree with the shortfall on the roster, but it needs to be filled by an experienced back-up C or PF who can rebound/defend and score when required.
BC seems to feel O’Bryant @ 23 & 7’ @ $855k for one year still has upside to grow into a usefull C, perhaps as a substitute project for Jawai, in any event Rap’s need an experienced back-up who can play C or PF as Nesterovic can and has in the past.
I think there’s room for all of Pops, Delfino and Nesterovic on this season’s Raptors squad. I mean, you could deal Roko for a future pick, take advantage of the half million buyout on O’Bryant’s deal, and then eat Marcus Banks’ contract (like the Pacers did with Tinsley). That’s 3 roster spots right there. Roko, O’Bryant and Banks are going to be non-factors this season anyway (along with the likes of Antoine Wright and Devean George). So why not get some proven NBA ballers in the mix?
by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Jul 23, 2009 10:46 AM EDT reply actions
Banks' contract
To clear a spot, we’d have to buy him out, which means next year we can’t trade the expiring 5 million he represents.
I’d be fully in favour of just buying out POB, which will clear enough room for the three you mentioned.
by dhackett1565 on Jul 23, 2009 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions
4am Posts
Delfino is a guy that I think is still overrated at $4 million a year, and since he’s not really justifying it with his stats and play over at Khimki (still takes away too many 3 point attempts at way too little of a percentage) and getting him now makes you about six deep at the guard positions really doesn’t make sense to me. Defensively, he’s still fairly sound, but Delfino can also take off entire possessions and can disappear for games. In my mind, I’d much rather have a player that at least was a tempo-changer.
Positionally, we’ve seen Jerome Williams and other energy PF play some SF and with the Raptors suggesting that Pops work on playing that position a little, I don’t believe it’s too much of a stretch. On this team, we need rebounders at whatever position we can get them, especially if guys such as Bosh or Bargnani are drawing their defenders out to the perimeter. In the past few years, on this team especially, we’ve seen a shift towards having SFs that can shoot the daylights out, but I don’t believe that’s a necessity, especially on this team. Having a SF that can rebound would be pretty useful to have on a team like this, whether it be Delfino or Pops, and in my opinion, I think Pops is a better worker on the boards. This Raptors team as it’s constructed, still has entirely too many players that are more comfortable playing the perimeter (Patrick O’Bryant included) and Delfino is not a guy that’s going to change that. Positionally, having all these perimeter players takes players out of position to grab rebounds, especially on the offensive side of things.
I’ll agree that $4 million is high for Pops, but I don’t believe Pops is simply a minimum contract player either. Maybe I was just exhausted yesterday morning, but I’d agree $2-3 is about all that I’d go. I think if it’s the minimum, Pops goes elsewhere or even heads overseas. I think he’s at least worth Graham’s contract from last year.
Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com
by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Jul 23, 2009 10:50 AM EDT reply actions
Andrea Bargnani is a horrible rebounder for a seven-foot centre. That fact is never going to change. And the Raptors let an excellent rebounding small forward go in free agency (Shawn Marion). The only way you’re going to balance the lack of production from the centre position is by getting exceptional rebounding from the forward spots.
They may not start this season — but guys like Reggie Evans and (hopefully) Pops Mensah-Bonsu are going to be needed to run alongside Bargnani. It’s also why it would’ve been nice to see the Raptors pick up a guy like DeJuan Blair in the draft.
by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Jul 23, 2009 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree with VD with having Pops over Delfino. It seems everyone has forgotten that Count Chucko is a ball hog. If he decides that he is going to take a shot, there is no way anyone else is seeing the ball, let him stay in Russia. Pops on the other hand, was a bright spot for the Raps fans last year, on a team that was being showered with boos, Pops came in a got a standing ovation for his effort, the fans took to him like we did JYD back in the day. I think BC should offer Pops 1.5mil for 2 years with a team option for the second year. Then use the rest of the money and sign Rasho, that way we have AB, Rasho and POB manning the centre position, I am kind of with BC on POB, the thing wihth Obryant is he is only 23 years old and 7’ if JT can let him accept his role and drill into his head what the team needs from him, he will learn he is still a kid……Raps4Life
I just don’t see how you can give 2 Mill to an unproven player man. That’s all. I say he’s lucky to get 1 Mill. If he was so great, why hasn’t ANY team given this guy a long term contract for $$$?
I think people are over excited about Pops, just like we were with Moon. Sometimes fringe players play really well in short spurts, but make them play 30 mins /night for 82 games and let’s see how well they really perform.
I’m not saying he’s bad, I think he’s better than Moon for sure, but over Delfino (who has his own problems), no way man.
Delfino is tough, a slasher, defender can play multiple positions, if a bit shot happy, so how can anyone here say we don’t need that over Pops?
This is all moot if we get Rasho, then go ahead use Pops as a 3rd option and wave Pat O B.
Moon was out of place as a starter in Toronto — but he’s going to look great coming off the bench for a 65-win Cleveland squad this season. I wouldn’t have been opposed to seeing him return to the Raptors this offseason.
by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Jul 23, 2009 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions
I don’t think that Pops is ever going to be that 30 minute guy. But if you need someone to come off the bench and give you a hustle play that energizes everyone in the arena, I can’t think of a better player, save maybe DeMar DeRozan (if he continues to play as he did in the summer league) that will do the same. Sitting in the arena while Pops does his thing makes you feel like cheering a little louder, move a little quicker and do just a little bit more, I believe.
Delfino on the other hand, is not tough, and not a slasher. I think seeing his game for his seasons in Detroit, his season in Toronto, and his stats from Khimki have played it out that he’s not going to be that tough slasher that everyone thinks he’s best suited for.
Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com
by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Jul 23, 2009 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Here we go again.
Honestly, why do people dismiss toughness that doesn’t have anything to do with chest beating or Hulk Hogan poses?
There is demonstrative tough and there is “I’m quiet but don’t mess with me” tough. Tim Duncan is tough but he is subdued and workmanlike in his breaking of his opponent’s spirit. There is a bias and misconception of what tough is. Bargnani, Nesterovic, and Turkoglu are also written off as soft players, but they are not. We have to stop fooling ourselves about this notion of toughness, especially for the likes of Turk and Rasho, given how long they’ve lasted as productive players in the league.
To suggest Delfino is not a tough player is seriously incorrect.
by HQ Interloper on Jul 23, 2009 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions
I do not believe that’s what I consider to be tough. I don’t also believe that I’ve said that Pops is necessarily a tough player, but just an energy player (too short of a career to make a determination in my opinion)
Wheret exactly do you think Delfino has show in his toughness? Can you give me some examples?
In my opinion, he’s willing to defend when he feels like it against some of the more top players. When his team is down by double digits, does he fight through it? Not from what I’ve seen in his career, and especially not defensively. Does he attack the rim and shot blockers on a consistent basis? Not really. In fact, he’s missed more than his share of dunks and layups in his time in Toronto. Now you can say part of that may be due to Sam Mitchell’s coaching, but he’s not shown that propensity to attack offensively in Detroit or Khimki either. Defensively, I’ll never forget the time when we were playing Denver, playing down double digits with some time left, and he just didn’t even bother to put up his hands against Iverson when he shot it from 3-point land. He had basically checked out of the game. It’s not the only time that I’ve seen him do it, but it’s the most memorable in my mind.
I totally agree with you that there are quiet tough players in the league. In fact, Jorge Garbajosa was one of the quietest tough guys that I’ve ever seen. But Delfino, in my opinion, is not that guy.
Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com
by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Jul 23, 2009 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions
If one equates defense with effort and some smarts, and at the same time acknowledges that Delfino is a capable defender, I count him as a tough player. He checked his man well when he was here. He has a preference for the outside shot, fair enough, but that doesn’t take away from what I would call a subtle grittiness to his game. I didn’t see Khimki play last year, but I remember a different player than you. Let’s agree to disagree and wait to watch the games.
by HQ Interloper on Jul 23, 2009 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions
I think he’s smart enough to do what he needs to do to shut down fairly good players. He did a pretty good job on Kobe a couple times and seemed to play up for those games. He’s not really well suited to play against LeBron James, but at the same time, he did try his best. However, I guess I just didn’t see the same consistency that you did. He is a talented player that can be an above average defender when needed, but I think a big part of toughness is the need to bring effort on a nightly basis in addition to being willing to do the dirty work on the floor.
But yes, let’s just agree to disagree for now.
Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com
by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Jul 23, 2009 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Vicious:
Moon was definitely not a good fit here, problem with him was his chronic underperformance and lack of bball IQ (can’t be taught!!).
As i said, I like Pops, he reminds me of JYD and I loved that guy. Problem is, I’m not convinced he can bring it every night in a long season. In fact, I remember at the end of last season he started declining and playing quite poorly. A temporary spike in performance is all we got from him. If he can do it for another year this year, then I’m all for giving him a good contract. We just haven’t seen enough of him to deserve a big contract, that’s all. Let him proove himself. If he signs for 1 Mill or so, then whatever, but no chance for 3-4, that’s insane.
Delfino not a slasher or tough?? I don’t know where you’re getting that from. I saw almost all of the games the year he was with us, he was the ONLY one on the squad who had a pair a balls on him. He took it to the rim, get thrown on the floor, played good D. Heck I think he drove to the rim more than our so called ‘max player’, cb4!
I still think we can sign Rasho/Delfine (with some luck) and Pops letting go POB or Wright or George.
by Smoothfan on Jul 23, 2009 11:31 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
He was also injured toward the last part of last season. That’s my only asterisk on the guy so far is that he may be injury prone. Let’s hope not, but last year he did have that injury.
Did he? I have a weak recollection, but let’s look at 82games.com
Jump
73% .490 79% 2% 5.5
Close
23% .469 46% 15% 1.6
Dunk
3% .737 43% 11% 0.3
Tips
1% .444 0% 0% 0.1
Inside
27% .497 44% 13% 2.1
According to them, only 27% of his shots come from the inside. So I don’t see the toughness or slasher that everyone seems to remember him as. And with only about 2 points of his average coming from the inside, it’s about one shot per game.
Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com
by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Jul 23, 2009 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Vicious, forget the stats here (personally don’t know how 82games could even obtain such data, how accurate is it?). I personally saw him many times playing ‘tough’, you can’t capture toughness as a stat. If you look at Jorge Garbajosa, his stats were awful, yet BC always talks about how the team needed his skills, he was tough, took charges, and was a glue guy. Delfino has all of those untangibles that this team needs.
Trust me, stats don’t always tell the whole story, esp in sports. I’m a statistician so I can assure you of that. :)
agree
The other thing garbo could do was read the floor and set up a mismatch for other players, and he just hit guys with the pass at the right time, making everyone better. When he was gone, the raps suddenly could hardly get the ball into post, let alone at the right time.
Are you saying the Raps should offer Pops $3-4 million? If so, that is insanity. Who do you think the Raps are bidding against for Pops services, exactly? Yup. That’s right. No one. The max you offer Pops, if you offer anything at all, is $1 million. If he thinks he can get more than that in Europe, we can only wish him God’s speed. When you start paying role players $3-4 million, it throws the whole leagues salary structure out of wack. If Pops is worth $3-4 million, then what is someone like Delfino worth? $7-8 million? Pops grew to legendary status last year, as he was the only one on the team who was not allergic to backboard glass. Please keep in mind, in the land of the blind, even a one-eyed man can be king. Just be sure you pay him a one-eyed king’s salary.
Toughness
Basketball “toughness” is one of those things that is very subjective. If you were to measure it, I’m sure it would involve some combination of games/minutes played in a season, rebounding rate, free throw attempts, inside shot attempts, opponent’s field goal percentage, etc.
Let us also create a stat called the “Oakley” – which would be hard fouls committed to prevent easy layups.
While I think Allen Iverson is one of the most overrated players in the history of the NBA, I would never question his toughness.
Whereas, former Raptors like Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady have proven at times to be not tough (mentally or physically).
by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Jul 23, 2009 12:51 PM EDT reply actions
POPS
Pops would make a good 10th, 11th, or 12th man. However if Pops is part of the regular rotation as the first or second big off the bench this team is in trouble. The second unit needs a solid 4 or 5.
Pops is an energetic rebounder, who can play above the rim, skills which this Raptor team currently need. Hopefully he’s spending his entire summer working on KEEPING THE BALL ABOVE HIS HEAD on rebounds..
Jorge Garbajosa
Hey I would love to see this guy back in a Raps uniform, just not sure how that would work and if he has totally healed. I love Jorge when he was in Toronto (last time we made playoffs) he brought his lunch pail to work and did all the little things to help TO win. Could someone shed a little light on this subject for me, if & how we would be able to get Jorge back (pipe dream I know).
Pops is okay in my books has some nice tangibles but is not worth the 2-3mill that some think, I would be hard pressed to offer a 11th or 12th player on my team 3mill, maybe 1mill.
In my oppinion we should let Delfino go and go hunting for other players, Rasho gets my vote for a return to TO, not a super reb but would work well as a backup & worked well with Bosh.
Where would delfino's minutes come from?
If we’re talking about ukic being reluctant to be a third option, I think delfino would be downright insulted at that prospect.
I think delfino’s best shot at becoming consistent – and my knock on him was always that he couldn’t string two good shooting performances together – would be heavy minutes starting or as sixth man. Just so he didn’t have to press to get his shots up, because we all know ‘chuckfino’ wants to score first and foremost.
We need a centre, period.
It’s scares me like the PG spot scared me last year – as in a couple key injuries and we’ve got an incredibly easily exploitable weak spot. A la Ukic and Soloman last year…
Delfino as a Slasher
Tough is a relative term as many have said but he’s definitely feistier than most of the other options on this club right now at the wing spots. BC has already this offseason talked about his “toughness” too so I think that’s a trait Colangelo is looking at Delfino to provide.
Also, Delfino is the closest thing this team has to a slasher right now outside of Hedo. (Unless DeMar shows us something early on.)
I did some quick math to see how Delfino ranked in terms of free-throw attempts per minute based on his last season with the Raptors.
He’d average about 0.08.
That doesn’t tell you much until you look at some of the other Raptors:
Anthony Parker – 0.05
Jamario Moon – Don’t ask…much less than Parker.
In fact of all the swingmen currently with the Raptors, only Hedo Turkoglu has a higher mark at 0.14.
Is Delfino Lebron James in terms of getting to the rim?
No.
But considering the other options out there, provided the price is right I don’t see how you can’t think he’d be an upgrade at the 2-3 spot and a much more necessary piece than Pops.
by Adam Francis on Jul 23, 2009 1:09 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Bird Rights?
Do we still have Bird Rights over Pops? I can’t remember exactly what happened with that qualifying offer. If we do, this argument makes some sense, if not we could only sign him to a min contract or reallocate the bi-annual exemption (which means no Rasho). I think Pops is a min contract guy anyways, I don’t see any team forking out much more than that given the current economics in the league.
Bird Rights
QO was withdrawn, which means he is no longer restricted, but the Raps didn’t renounce him as a Bird free agent, so they are still able to sign him without regard to the cap limitations and without using an exception.
by dhackett1565 on Jul 23, 2009 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions
If there's one thing BC has shown
with Kapono and others, is that if there’s money to be spent improving the roster, he’ll spend it even if he has to overpay for what he gets. Delfino is ‘free’ money as far as the salary cap goes, and he’s better than anyone they can afford under the cap. If he’ll come back for anything under 5 he’ll get it.
And they’ve already chosen POB over Pops, for better or for worse. I think worse – but even if they get Rasho I think they’ll need a third string centre more than an undersized power forward. And I shudder to think of Pops trying to defend against small forwards. Smoothfan had an important point – he was really poor in the last few weeks.
I've been looking at the sky
Anyone left?
Oberto 1 yr. deal with Wizards….I guess its Rasho or Rasho ?
VD's Gone Mad!!!
I generally enjoy your musings but 3-4m for POPS!!! Saying defenders can’t play off him “cause he’ll beat you in so many ways” and that Delfino is “not tough”…dude, tell me your just trying to stir up lively discussion, that’s crazy talk otherwise.
lol. 48 comments, what can I say.
I guess I was half asleep last night and somehow it made sense to me. Thus, the strike through and edit today. I’m not shameless enough to say I never wrote it.
Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com
by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Jul 23, 2009 11:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Pops vs Delfino
I say, none of the above. If you want someone to bring some rebounding and defense why not go after Desmond Mason? I have no idea what he would cost but if he had a reasonable price tag (3 mil per) he might be worth at least looking at. I like Pops energy but I just do not think he brings much more than that (and rebounding) and Delfino is simply too inconsistent and too redundant to warrant signing again (how many guards do you need on one team?).
p vs d
All he brings is “energy and rebounds”,from what I’ve been reading that would be two holes filled .
p v d
my point was that you can get that from a lot of guys (remember the first Pop?). Adding someone with a little more game would make sense.
JBen – you are right that they do not have a lot to play with but nobody (so far) is knocking on the doors of those guys who would normally get 4-5 mil per (like Mason). There are a lot of mid leve free agents who can play 15-20 productive minutes off the bench who if approached correctly could contribute just as much if not more than Pops or Delfino.
One more name to throw out there – Ben Wallace. He is old but if they could get him for cheap, maybe he can knock POB around in practice and get him motivated.
While it’s true no one is knocking on the doors of these guys, if they sign an offer sheet at that price, I’m not sure their current teams wouldn’t match. We’ll have to see what Colangelo will do, but I think this summer benefits those that are most patient when signing FAs.
But I agree that there’s no harm in reaching out and trying to get some of these guys. Whether they resign with their current teams or go to Europe for more cash, at least Colangelo tried.
Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com
by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Jul 24, 2009 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Mason and any other team's FAs
The team has a 1.99 million dollar bi-annual exception to use. The team has 1.354 million left of the MLE (Jack signed for 4.5 – MLE was worth 5.854). Other than using those 2 exceptions, the Raptors will only be able to sign guys to veteran minimum contracts.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Raptors HQ
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- Video: JaVale McGee displays his peerless court awareness
- Dirk Nowitzki doesn’t think he should be an All-Star
- Mikhail Prokhorov promises to sell the Nets if he runs Russia
- Tony Parker handles the Spurs’ rodeo road trip with food and booze
- Kobe Bryant on someone eclipsing his 81-point game: ‘One day it will happen’
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
