For countering some of the hate by showing some comparisons. Unfortunately, overpaying for high end-ish free agents is very typical for sports teams simply because they are fairly rare commodities. Part of that overpaying is going to be on dollar amounts and part is going to be contract length.

Hedo is a player with an unusual skill set and style. I also think he’s a guy who plays better the more he’s motivated and I think it’s playoffs and tournaments that motivate him.

I don’t think we’ll ever get value for money on Hedo’s contract but it’s far from the worst either. I do think he has given us the best play (even with his recent struggles shooting and spotty defense) from the 3 that we’ve had since Garbo (excluding Marion, who really never was going to stay) and we’ve seen quite a few players tryout for that position over the last three years.

Those stats are awfully similar, you’ve identified his peers well. I’m in agreement that he’s best used with the ball in his hands alot. I think that was all “BALL” was about. And it’s hard for him to put up too much of a fight. With a pass-first pg like Jose, Hedo is made somewhat redundant. He speaks with such disdain about “going through the motions, filling the wings, waiting for the ball to get to him” for a reason. He knows in that role he’s just an average player, and is unable to show why he earned that big contract in the first place.

“He’s being paid too much”
If we’re not going to use him the way he’s meant to be used, it’s a problem of resource allocation. Given time, I believe that BC will shape the roster in a manner which makes better use of Hedo’s gifts. Personally, I could live with overpaid in the short term, a contract which is two years too long grates too much for me to be okay with it. I also want to state that salary and term are linked in free agency. If someone throws you two extra years, a player is willing to lower the yearly hit. And vice versa.

That last paragraph was on point. There were only a subset of free agents that would be willing to come to Toronto (or any other city for that matter). Ariza took less money to choose Houston over Toronto. Does he dislike Toronto or really like Houston? Who knows? Hedo was interesting in coming to Toronto, and even if he wasn’t the best FA available, he was the best one that was willing to play for us. How do I know? Cause if someone better was also interested, they would be rocking the uniform and not him

I do have a counter-argument for you regarding a revamped roster (with Hedo) being better then the status quo without him. BC was willing to renounce all the Raptor free agents to sign Hedo, willing to forgo having quality bench depth, and perhaps have a few will-solomon type minimum contracts filling out the end of the bench. The fact we got a more well rounded team out of the deal was a fortunate event. This was always about getting Hedo in a Raptor uniform, at seemingly any cost.

Siggian,

It isn’t a tall order to find a player that can provide the best SF play since Garbo, its not an illustrious list. And Garbo himself was able to contribute at half Hedo’s price tag per season. Think of how messy things would’ve gotten if Garbo was signed for 5 years, not three. Ustation is right in that we can’t predict future returns on any player. However, this is not a justification for not trying to minimize potential losses due to the deterioration of a player’s skills and / or health as they age. I’m not an avid follower of the NBA at all. However, a five year contract for a 30 year old seems like more of a risk then a five year contract for a 28 year old. If your issue is five year contracts in general, then that’s one issue. If your issue is paying big money when a player is in his mid 30s, then that’s another. Adding a 30 year old on a five year contract, when the team’s core players are in their early to mid 20s, seems like folly to me. We are working ourselves up to our best days, whereas Hedo has already peaked. I admittedly don’t have any numbers or charts on player performance after 30. I do feel comfortable saying that rarely is a player able to maintain their level of performance between 30 and 35. They usually see a reduction in their role, as they are gradually (or not so gradually) phased from key cog to supporting piece. I’m sure there are exceptions to the rule, however not enough to form a majority.

There are several issues concerning Hedo, the contract, the roster fit, and the cap which any fan could have issues with. Mix them all together and I’m not surprised the signing is not looked upon favorably in some corners. The cold reality is that alot of team building is haphazard and on the fly for a reason. You never know which opportunities are going to present themselves. You never know which players will improve, and which will regress. So many variables whose results can’t be determined, only projected.

A few possibilities:

Gamble signing Hedo and Bosh stays = win. Go for broke, become a tax team. Future is now. DeRozan may be sent packing for a sg who is in his prime :-(

Gamble signing Hedo and Bosh leaves = recipe for treadmill team, always out in first round, never bad enough for a shot at a high potential player in the draft.

Status quo Bosh Stays = It was about the $30 million, NOW get cracking on this short term plan before he asks for a trade.

Status quo Bosh leaves = New 3 year plan. The new goal being to be a competitive team while the core (Calderon, Jack, Bargnani, and DeRozan) are still under contract. Semi Tank the 2011 season, and then use some of the proceeds from the Bosh S & T to trade up for a high lottery level ncaa upperclassman. Add him to existing core, and use cap space from 2011 expiring contracts (Evans and Banks) to TRADE for veterans rebuilding teams are trying to unload / drafted players they can’t afford to resign. See where that takes us. Not ideal, but not doom and gloom forever either.