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by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Jun 22, 2010 1:06 PM EDT in Daily Links

Kelly Dwyer on why the Lakers would be stupid to deal Andrew Bynum for Chris Bosh.

Former Kentucky Wildcats Patrick Patterson, Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton could all be in play for the Raptors at No. 13. DeMar DeRozan selected Orton in Chad Ford's player-driven mock draft.

Raptors Republic selected Avery Bradley in ESPN TrueHoop's mock draft while our very own Franchise picked Paul George in SB Nation's mock draft.

NBA.com's Prospect Park highlights the top centres, power forwards, small forwards, shooting guards and point guards.

The Score's Holly MacKenzie provides a quick round-up from a busy week in Toronto.

Jack Armstrong weighs in on several defining decisions that will help shape the Raptors going forward.

Anything goes for the Raptors... including blowing up the team and trading down at the draft.

NBA Focus details how to get incredible value out of the draft.

Former Raptor Jalen Rose cops the dishonour of worst dressed NBA draft pick.

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Who wouldn't want two Pau Gasol's or two Chris Boshs' on the same team. (they have identical game)

Kelly Dwyer is a dummy, lame writer. Send him to the LakeShow Raptors. In turn you’ll get Bynum and Farmar.

The RaiderLaker

by JaggerJaw on Jun 22, 2010 4:25 PM EDT reply actions

Kelly Dwyer...

Is one of the best basketball writers on the Internet. Period. If I were the Lakers, I wouldn’t do this deal because it disrupts the team’s championship caliber balance, with its true 5, and an exceptional passing 4/5. If I were the Raptors, I’d do this deal without hesitation.

by HQ Interloper on Jun 22, 2010 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Bynum and Perkins aren’t the stars of their teams, but they showed just how important they were. Big Baby/Sheed can’t hold a candle to Perkins and the stats bear this out – BB also generally makes me want to vomit when he starts slobbering, so I appreciate Kendrick all the more for keeping that guy on the bench.

The power of a true C is what makes me upset about announcers continually talking about the “Big 3”. Rondo has slowly gotten his props, but the C’s melted whenever Perkins wasn’t around to match up with the big boys. Basically, two matchups in the entire league require him – coincidentally the ECF and Finals opposition for Boston. Funny how the “big man of the future” isn’t quite the lynchpin for team success that people thought they could be back in the early 2000s. Instead, it’s the boring, defensively sound space eater that wins ballgames, how novel! Makes me wish we could transplant the bumper crop of 7-footers out of the 80s/90s to today and watch them absolutely wreak havoc.

A deal for Bynum will likely come down to how badly his knee is injured. Ruining a championship mix is putting your head out there on a chopping block as a GM. Though, he was unafraid to swap Ariza for Artest which I thought would cost the Lakers this year. I take solace in say that it almost cost em.

Back to your comment about the potential trade: We are in a rather unfortunate situation of having to get nothing, or receiving damaged goods as it’ll be the best we can get. Too bad the Raps are never in a position to dictate anything to anyone.

As for Dwyer, I don’t believe his comments were particularly sound, but he may have made them flippantly and obviously far too close to an NBA championship to say otherwise. I will say this – if there is progress to be made, the right decision for a GM is to forge ahead instead of standing pat. I imagine that time will change Dwyer’s opinion, I have not read him as often lately, but I find him to be generally sharp with a good grasp on things. He’s also a little jaded as a fellow Canuck.

by bigweeze on Jun 22, 2010 9:58 PM EDT up reply actions

He may be one of the best on the planet but to say that Gasol is better than Bosh is stupid. Bosh has had better numbers where it counts (scoring and rebounding) than Gasol and he has had less to work with over his career. Not to mention that when Bosh came here he had to defer for a season and half with Carter on the team and then had to defer when Mike James ran the show while Gasol was always the man in Memphis.

by McGateway on Jun 23, 2010 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions

You forgot my link….
http://www.wearingfilm.com/picketfence/2010/06/whispering-in-colangelos-ear-draft/

Tim W.
The Picket Fence

by Tim W. on Jun 22, 2010 4:28 PM EDT reply actions

I was just about to write a piece about value picks almost exactly the same as teh NBAfocus article. It’s bang on.

by Ustation on Jun 22, 2010 4:39 PM EDT reply actions

I agree with his key points and thought process. There’s no harm in making low risk moves like that. Someone has to warm the bench, and will get about half a mil to do so. To give another half mil to someone you like is not a big deal.

The big risks for NBA GMs are in those mid-level and upper-level contracts, the long term ones for 5+ million per season. Every team has them, the long-term deal that failed miserably. Teams are too willing to tack on extra years to secure a player’s services, and those extra years end up being cap killers if all doesn’t go as planned. We have guys like Banks, Evans, and Turkoglu, who in one season will cost more than taking four of those 5×1m flyers on guys.

In the same vein as what the author suggests, I had the idea that at around Christmas, we should have offered Weems a 5yr, 10m extension. Low risk for a solid energy guy/defender with upside, and enough money to make him set for life. My main thought process was that it may have been difficult for him to turn that down at that point, and it would be a good way to control his rights for the long-term at a low price. Obviously the clear air and big money is much closer for him now, and we may lose him next offseason or just end up paying him what he’s worth.

by bigweeze on Jun 22, 2010 9:41 PM EDT up reply actions

First off, Chris Bosh(notes) and Pau Gasol are about the same player, except that Chris Bosh isn’t as good as Pau Gasol. Secondly, the Lakers are not going to sign-and-trade Jim’s buddy for a superfluous big forward to pair alongside another big forward.

On top of that? The Lakers would be stupid to make such a deal. Los Angeles shot way up in defensive efficiency this year with Bynum healthy, and shot way down (something like Game 4 in Boston serves as a bit of a reminder) with Andrew on the bench.

These arguments are weak. The Lakers would still be good, obviously with Bosh in place of Bynum.

1. It is simple-minded to call Bosh and Gasol the same player, and then say that Gasol is better. For how long has that been the league’s consensus, or even debated? “But Pau Gasol has 2 rings, Bosh has 0, dur dur dur…” Anyway, that is beside the point, as the important thing is how well they play together, not how they stack up against each other.

2. Bosh anchored the Dream Team’s defense. He is not hopeless, just needs other motivated players around him. The Lakers’ defensive efficiency shooting way down would have alot to do with the Lakers’ super-thin bench. Sometimes, guys don’t get it done, and with limited options you are helpless. The Lakers basically had 4 players to man the 3 frontcourt spots including semi-injured Bynum and the mercurial Lamar Odom (the first and only big off the bench).

by bigweeze on Jun 22, 2010 9:27 PM EDT reply actions