I See Your Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams, and Raise you a James Johnson

by Adam Francis on Feb 23, 2011 12:25 PM EST in Feature Stories

Raptors fans are hoping they see a lot more of this from James Johnson in TO...

The HQ looks at Bryan Colangelo's recent acquisition, in addition to the impact of some huge trades that have gone down in the past 48 hours that directly impact the Dinos...

James Johnson was drafted 16th overall in 2009 by the Chicago Bulls.

Yesterday evening he was dealt to the Toronto Raptors for what will likely be a pick in the 27-30 range of the upcoming NBA Draft.

At face value, this would seem to be a good move for the Raps. As noted in the comments yesterday, picks in the 27 to 30 range rarely turn out to be even rotation players in the NBA, while Johnson already has some NBA cred, and with less than two years experience in the league, potentially a good chunk of upside. Again Bryan Colangelo is looking for a diamond in the rough; a player who perhaps didn't fit with a certain system, needed a change of scenery, or simply didn't belong in a team's future plans, that could be a key piece of his team moving forward. He's done this repeatedly in his tenure with the Raptors resulting in the likes of Kris Humphries, Joey Dorsey and Patrick O'Bryant.

However to me, this one makes a lot less sense than those other transactions.

For one, it's hard to see the upside in Johnson that BC and his crew see. We're talking about a 24 year old player here in a league where at 25, most players, regardless of playing time, "are who they are" so to speak.

Sure, it's doubtful that the pick Toronto gave up for Johnson turns into a starter quality player, but isn't it better to take a shot at a complete unknown, then a player one who looks to be pretty much set in stone in terms of his role in the league?

I'd argue this to be even more true in this year's draft, a draft that looks to be deep, but not particularly high in All-Star power. It's in drafts like this where teams can perhaps grab a player that may not have much "upside," but was a proven winner in college and perhaps has one huge NBA-ready skill set.

Paul Millsap was a great example of a player in this vein, and this year Toronto would likely have guys like Moorehead State's Kenneth Faried, the NCAA's all-time leading rebounder, to choose from.

Again though, it's certainly no sure thing, so I'm not down on this move for this reason alone.

More importantly, I just don't think Johnson is much more than a D League player.

He doesn't excel in any one area, and while Johnson has the strength, athleticism and size to be a major defensive factor at this level, it hasn't happened yet, something echoed by his lack of playing time under Tom Thibodeau in Chicago, a defensive guru first and foremost.

From a numbers perspective, his basic stats decent considering his lack of playing time, although his shooting numbers (42% from the field, 22% from 3-point range this season) leave little to be desired. But his advanced metrics are awful including a negative wins produced mark so far in his career, and a less than desirable PER average of 10.2 in his career to date.

Will these numbers jump up with extra minutes in Toronto?

I have my doubts.

Even before he was drafted ESPN.com's John Hollinger flagged Johnson as a player who could be a "potential disappointment" based on his college stats. He simply didn't excel in any one area, had a poor "pure point rating" (a measure of how well a player passes and handles the ball), and wasn't a great rebounder for someone with his size, strength and athletic ability.

And remember, Johnson was hardly a raw project coming out of Wake Forest. He was one of the Demon Deacons' top two options and a fairly dominant college sophomore. It's just hard for me to see a ton of upside here, and unfortunately I see a lot of Joey Graham in Johnson; body and skill set that look perfect for the NBA, but the inability to put it all together consistently.

In addition, considering the way Jay Triano has doled out minutes to players like Julian Wright and even Sonny Weems in the past, I have a hard time seeing how he'll get the 25 to 30 minutes a game he may need to show substantial improvement. (Or at least show if he's worth keeping around past next season, the final one on his contract.)

Finally for me, there's the timing of this move.

Couldn't BC have waited until before the draft to do this? The Bulls were desperate to open up a roster spot, couldn't Toronto simply have used part of their TPE to absorb the contract? Why the need to give up another pick, especially as noted above, in a draft like this?

And while highly unlikely, what happens if that Miami pick for some reason turns into a higher option thanks to injuries down the stretch?

Add all the pieces up and I'm left scratching my head a bit.

Do I hate this deal?

No. Frankly it's probably not worth much time getting too irritated about, and financially it makes sense considering the Raps take on essentially one year of guaranteed salary, instead of more than one via the 27th or 29th pick etc.

But for Raptors' fans, it's hard to see this move and not look around them at Toronto's competition, who seems to be improving at light speed while the Raps make transactions that look lateral at best. The Nets are now grabbing point guard Deron Williams in what could be a major coup, and of course the Knicks are 48 hours removed from hauling in Carmelo Anthony.

Factor in the improvement of Evan Turner and the Philadelphia 76ers already this season, and the Atlantic Division hardly looks like the tea party is was but 4 seasons ago.

In fact one could argue that with this move, and the cap space they'll have this off-season, the Nets now lock up one of the final two playoff spots in the East that were left untouched by Boston, Orlando, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta and New York.

Yep, rough.

In any event, I'll leave the final word on Mr. Johnson to the one and only Bullsblogger, from the legendary Blog-A-Bull...

1) RaptorsHQ: James Johnson came out of college with what looked to be some of the best potential in his draft class. Yet after less than two seasons, the Bulls are moving him to the Raptors in exchange for what nearly amounts to a second-round pick. Give us your take on Johnson in terms of where his game currently is, and what his strengths and weaknesses are.

Blog-A-Bull: Part of the issue is that we don't really know where his game is, his playing time in one and a half seasons has been so sparse that it's tough to really say his game has grown at all. His issue is always been that he has no true strengths, but is merely pretty good at a lot of things. He has size, athleticism, can shoot, can create, but does brings all of those things with a lack of excellence, or even control.

2) RHQ: Was Johnson simply not the right fit for Chicago in terms of their future, or are we talking about a player that the Bulls didn't ever see being a legit NBA rotation player?

BAB: I think he could be a rotation player, but wouldn't soon be the type of rotation player the Bulls needed. They are at a point in their roster construction where they need true role players and specialists, and Johnson was a mistake-prone (yet havoc-creating) high-usage performer when given time. He could potentially change a game, but head coach Tom Thibodeau clearly didn't want to risk him bringing his detriments to the court even for that potential, the stakes are too high.

3) RHQ: Johnson didn't get a ton of playing time in his tenure with the Bulls (11 minutes a game through two seasons), although with injuries to Luol Deng, and a shortage of depth at the 2-3 spots in his rookie season, the argument could be made that he had his opportunities. Do you see Johnson being able to flourish in Toronto if given a substantial increase in playing time?

BAB: I'm not sure he will flourish, but I'll say the only way he CAN flourish if he gets a LOT of PT. As said above, he's not a one-dimensional skill type of guy who you can count on one particular thing...he's someone who can do a lot offensively but needs the ball to do so, and a coach will have to live through the growing pains. He also has a lot of potential defensively but is prone to fouling. He'll need that time on the court to better hone what he can and can't do really well, and then focus on those things. I see his ceiling as a high-usage bench scorer, and you'd think Toronto has the environment to accommodate at least giving him a real shot. Whether he earned one or not, he wasn't going to get it in Chicago.

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tradebargnani.com HAS ARRIVED

Ok, it would have been better if I had this website done a lot sooner than a day before the trade deadline. However, this can roll over into the summer.

Please pass this along to everyone you know. Also, please use both voting mechanism on the page (the middle one, and the one on the right side of the sccreen).

http://tradebargnani.com/

Thanks all!
Nick
PS – HQ, I won’t keep posting this all over your site. Thx though.

by Nicholas_V on Feb 23, 2011 12:30 PM EST reply actions

Jumping the gun?.......BYC

Bargnani’s Base Year Compensation status doesn’t lapse until the end of this season, so there is no chance he will be dealt before the off-season. At least you will be prepared when the time comes.

by DW19 on Feb 23, 2011 12:40 PM EST up reply actions

I thought that lapsed in December?

by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Feb 23, 2011 1:04 PM EST up reply actions

BYC status lasts for 6 months or until June 30th, whichever is later. Since Bargnani signed his extension on July 8th, he is BYC until June 30th of this year.

His BYC value (effective contract value in trades) is $5,439,576. This was his salary the year before he received the extension. (The BYC value is the greater of his previous salary or half his new salary).

by dhackett1565 on Feb 23, 2011 1:17 PM EST up reply actions

I believe that BYC status also means that the money going either way in the deal has to line-up in a very strange way. Even with Fruitman on board is extremely unlikely that they could make a trade with Bargnani until after June 30.

by DW19 on Feb 23, 2011 2:06 PM EST up reply actions

For the team receiving Bargnani, his full contract is what counts. So unless they are under the cap, they have to send out at least that amount, minus 25%.

For the Raptors, they can only take back his BYC value, plus 25% at most. So, in a simple two-team trade, it can be done, but only with a player (or group of players) within a very specific salary range:

From TOR PoV: Bargnani ($5.4M – BYC, out) for Player X (at most $6.75 M, in)
Note that TOR can receive as little salary back as they want (even $0), so long as the trade works out from the other team’s perspective.

From opponent’s PoV: Bargnani ($8M – full contract, in) for Player X (at least $6.4 M, out)
Note that the other team can send out as much salary as they want, so long as the Raptors can absorb it.

Of course, to free up these restrictions, often a 3rd team (usually under the cap, but not always) is brought in to offer more flexibility for both sides. This makes the two transactions with 25% flexibility each into 3 transactions with at least 25% flexibility each.

by dhackett1565 on Feb 23, 2011 2:13 PM EST up reply actions

Forgot to note that in the above example, any player(s) with a salary between 6.4 and 6.75 million would work in a straight-up trade for Bargnani.

by dhackett1565 on Feb 23, 2011 2:14 PM EST up reply actions

Can trade exception be used?

Perhaps I am over-stating the difficulty in moving Bargnani, if the trade exception can be used. In that case, Toronto could take back up to roughly $14M for Bargnani(5.4M + ~9M exception). Is that legal? If so, then the draft would be the time to make a deal and re-shape the roster.

by DW19 on Feb 23, 2011 3:24 PM EST up reply actions

Technically, the TPE cannot in any way be combined with a player.

However, if the Raptors wanted to make a trade to avoid the BYC status problems, the TPE could indeed help a great deal. The Raps could absorb a player up to $9M in salary. This would create a TPE for the other team of the value of that player’s contract. They would then absorb Bargnani’s contract using that TPE. The BYC doesn’t then come into play.

However, it should be noted that the player would need to earn MORE than Bargnani does this year ($8.5M), but less than the $9M TPE the Raptors have. Also, only a single player, and not a package could be traded in this case, as multiple players would generate multiple small TPE’s for the other team, and not the large one needed to absorb Bargnani’s contract. Picks and rights could of course be included.

So this option creates another possibility, but there are still salary and other restrictions as to who could be traded for him.

by dhackett1565 on Feb 23, 2011 3:35 PM EST up reply actions

Sneaky…That would be a very clever move…

Talkinf fantasy bball on twitter http://twitter.com/FinalsFantasy#

by JumpShootersRUS on Feb 23, 2011 8:19 PM EST up reply actions

One more thing – depending on Bargnani’s contract value (I’ve got two values fro two sources, but I trust Sham – $8.5M this year), the possibility of the first scenario I showed could be void – if Bargnani makes 8.5M this year, his BYC status would prevent a trade from happening. Player X would need to earn more than 6.8M, but less than 6.75M.

Of course, here is another situation where the TPE could be used: Bargnani is traded for two players that make 5M and 3M respectively. The other team is sending out enough to match the 8.5M they are receiving (+/- 25%), so the deal works from their end. The Raptors actually experience two trades: Bargnani (5.4M BYC) for Player X (5M), and absorb Player Y ($3M) with the TPE. This is the most likely scenario for using the TPE to solve the issue of BYC status.

by dhackett1565 on Feb 23, 2011 3:41 PM EST up reply actions

Ok, that is a great explanation. So, that confirms my initial reaction that Bargnani’s BYC status complicates and for all intents and purposes precludes a trade until Jun 30. Something could be done, but it would be very complicated and the range of possibilities would be very limited.

by DW19 on Feb 23, 2011 4:26 PM EST up reply actions

BYC deals complicate things, but Bargnani could still be dealt if they want to deal him. The Raptors including another player or more than one player could make things easier to match salaries.

Talkinf fantasy bball on twitter http://twitter.com/FinalsFantasy#

by JumpShootersRUS on Feb 23, 2011 8:23 PM EST up reply actions

Awesome site!!!

but kinda weird results…guess everyone wants Bargnani to stay?

by Czar123 on Feb 23, 2011 2:03 PM EST up reply actions

Because if you're bored you can sit and clickety-click your little Unicorn Riding heart away...

The Bargs Lovers typically have the manic personality required to falsely bolster such an easily manipulated tool… (mostly because they themselves are easily manipulated tools… LOL)

KDFREATPED

by Mikthaniel on Feb 23, 2011 2:47 PM EST up reply actions

Haha

That was really funny

by MAS11 on Feb 23, 2011 7:39 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

tradebargnani.com vote counter has been updated

1 vote per IP address.

by Nicholas_V on Feb 24, 2011 12:49 PM EST up reply actions

Hey, your petition is up to 36 email addresses! That’s almost a 100% increase over yesterday’s 19. However, 90+ people want to trade him. Why won’t they sign the petition?

by DW19 on Feb 24, 2011 12:54 PM EST up reply actions

in the grand scheme of things

this will end up being another meaninglless trade. While not a bad thing… is kind of disappointing considering whats happened in the east and the Atlantic specifically.

So 4 years of no playoffs? Who has a pool going?

by Not so Friendly Stranger on Feb 23, 2011 12:36 PM EST reply actions

2 years tops...

KDFREATPED

by Mikthaniel on Feb 23, 2011 12:40 PM EST up reply actions

Interested to see what happens with Deron

I don’t think he is going to turn the Nets into anything more than the Milwalkee Bucks – part 2, unless they bring in some more pieces. It would be great if acquiring Williams pushes the Nets up in the standings(ie down in the lotto) and they end up with say the 7th or 8th pick. He’s a nice piece, but Williams+Brook Lopez+Kris Humphries is not exactly a championship contender.

by DW19 on Feb 23, 2011 12:52 PM EST up reply actions

It does seem like we’re nibbling away at the margins doesn’t it. But the Net’s don’t acquire a big fish like Deron without a number two overall pick like Favors. And a big part of the Knicks package was Gallinari, who was a number six pick I believe.

David Kahn announced recently that the Timberwolves are done “rebuilding” and are going to run with what they’ve got. Kevin Love, Michael Beasely, Wesley Johnson, Jonny Flynn, Ricky Rubio’s rights, and of course Anthony Randolph. The trade of Garnet occurred on July 31st, 2007, and coincided with the official rebuild movement in Minnesota. It is now Feb 23rd, 2011. Let’s round up to four years, since they still have a high pick this year, and don’t get a shot at free agents until the offseason.
Chris Bosh was officially signed and traded on July 9th 2010…no pain, no gain

by Yardly on Feb 23, 2011 3:55 PM EST up reply actions

Welcome to Toronto James

I agree with NSFS and Franchise that this is a pretty insignificant move. Johnson probably has a 50-50 chance of being more useful to the Raptors than this year’s 28th pick would be.

Around here, I think one subconcious reason we might be disappointed with this trade is that it will take some fun out of the run-up to the draft. There will be one fewer pick to debate and discuss. Oh well….

by DW19 on Feb 23, 2011 12:55 PM EST reply actions

re: one less chance at....something

Yeah, I admit that I was looking forward to having two picks in a draft, two shots at adding talent with the chance to improve our long term fortunes. Why should Portland and OKC fans have all the fun, right? Wasn’t too hyped about a low pick in THIS draft, but as the draft period approaches, there are always players that use conference tournaments and March Madness to step into the pre-draft spotlight.

I remember James Johnson making it onto one of the RaptorsHQ polls for who we should draft in 2009. DeMar was on it, Jrue Holiday, probably Terrance Williams as well. The issue I see people having is that a draft pick is a clean slate, they haven’t had the benefit of NBA level personal training or coaching. A player with 1.5 years of NBA experience should be showing some strides when compared with their baseline upon entrance. I did a scan of the Blog a Bull posts after hearing about the deal, and they didn’t seem broken up at all. It seems like Jame Johnson wasn’t the type to show progress quickly, and its likely that the team didn’t think he had the potential to “deliver the goods” any time soon. Being a jack of all trades has likely also prevented him, or any coach, from reining his game in to develop a few key skills to an NBA level. ie just good enough to be stat stuffer in Summer League. Mix in the fact that he was pretty old for a junior (relative to his peers) and I can see why a team in the Bulls situation would be content to get a late first, a pick that they would likely target at more of a ready made role player contributor.

Like Jenge, I would’ve taken a run at a project bigman, and stashed them over seas, like that Nogeuira fellow. Since we already have two projects on the roster (Alabi, Ajinca), I can see why adding a third may note be at the top of Colangelo’s todo list. Especially considering that whomever we draft with our first round pick is going to be raw.

At the very least, he has the physical development hurdle cleared, so it will be about how much basketball sense he has. It is for this reason that I think he needs to be dropped in, sink or swim for the rest of the year. He’s not like Ajinca, who’s main issue is adding as much strength (ala bosh) onto that skinny frame as possible. He’s not like Alabi, who is still trying to make up for the late start in basketball that you got in Africa. Given everything that Johnson has going for him, he has to produce, has to put up numbers. Then I can see next season being a question of improving his efficiency. If he’s still in the mode of “showing flashes” by the end of the year…then the Bulls were right to sell off a depreciating asset at the right time.

re: effect on Weems and Wright
Wright can’t hit shots, despite a top notch work ethic. I don’t see untapped starter potential in him. He’s got the size and athleticism that would be ideal, which is why I’m still glad we took a chance on him.
Weems is a SG, those paltry rebounding numbers have no place in any frontcourt.

by Yardly on Feb 23, 2011 3:39 PM EST up reply actions

btw, for any Blue Jays fans, this does remind me of JP Riccaridi’s penchent for acquiring vet players he once coveted who are now well past their prime (ie Kevin Mench).

by Yardly on Feb 23, 2011 3:42 PM EST up reply actions

This year's draft

Surprised to hear Franchise call it deep when there are multiple reports calling it weak, and this is without possible CBA issues keeping some in school

by Canuck Exile on Feb 23, 2011 1:17 PM EST reply actions

Personally, I think the perception of depth comes from the parity in this draft – after the first 10 players or so, the 11-40th picks are pretty much equivalent. However, this doesn’t mean there are effectively a bunch of 11th pick prospects available, it’s more that there’s a bunch of 2nd round prospects available in the first round.

by dhackett1565 on Feb 23, 2011 1:19 PM EST up reply actions

CBA

I know that everyone is saying the CBA uncertainty means that this year’s draft won’t be good, but I am not so sure that it won’t go the other way. I can imagine a guy getting advice along these lines, “get into the league now while you still know what rookie scale is and get your contract signed ASAP, because who knows what the rules of the new CBA will be.” Carmelo Anthony’s thought process was along the same lines. Get the extension under the current rules in case the new ones are worse.

by DW19 on Feb 23, 2011 2:09 PM EST up reply actions

Rookies cannot sign their contracts until July 8th – when the new CBA will be instated, or a lockout will be in effect. The new CBA will determine what the rookie salary scale will be for any contracts signed this year.

The difference with the Carmelo situation was that he had a course of action to take before the CBA runs out – the rookies won’t be eligible to sign until after that cutoff.

by dhackett1565 on Feb 23, 2011 2:22 PM EST up reply actions

Err… I guess what I’m saying is that any agent that gives any such advice should be fired promptly.

by dhackett1565 on Feb 23, 2011 3:42 PM EST up reply actions

Ah, that is good information. In that case, then I can see why guys would stay in school. They will get the same deal this year or next, but they could avoid the uncertainty of the lockout.

On a tangentially-related note, I hope our Canadian contingent down in Texas will stay in college for a second year. They are just starting to tear it up now, but after next season they will polished and ready to contribute to an NBA team.

by DW19 on Feb 23, 2011 4:33 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah maybe “deep” was the wrong word and to dhackett’s point, I probably should have said “even.”

As in the pick you get at 28 could easily end up being a better player than the one you get at 12.

Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com

by Adam Francis on Feb 23, 2011 3:48 PM EST up reply actions

LMOA at the Title of this article

love it, I needed a laugh today, thank you.

by Member29 on Feb 23, 2011 1:22 PM EST reply actions

Thanks Member29 – just sort of came to me based on all the twitter discussions that had been going on this AM.

Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com

by Adam Francis on Feb 23, 2011 3:49 PM EST up reply actions

Lack of time to be irritated? perhaps....

to be beset by woe?..

yes…plenty

by Jenge on Feb 23, 2011 1:29 PM EST reply actions

Good read, just a couple of quick points.
I think BC makes this deal as much to get out of the #27 pick as it was for brining in Johnson who they were high on going into the draft. Why lock into a guaranteed contract when you can get the same guy at #31 without the contract?

I think the knicks trade, just like the dunk contest, is all hype. I don’t think it’s clear that they are better. There are many questions now about the front court pairing and who will surround them. Likewise, NJ gave up a lot in the trade to get an amazing point guard, but he is only one player in a team sport. All of last year’s losses for a point guard who will have no one to pass the ball to.

I think it’s impossible to judge James Johnson at this point. For whatever reason, he didn’t get PT in Chicago, a team that is at a very different stage then Toronto. We have the luxury of PT to see what he could be all at a pretty minimal cost. Given that you can’t judge the past two years due to lack of PT, I went back to this: http://www.nbadraft.net/players/james-johnson. I see some potential.

by Zona. on Feb 23, 2011 2:07 PM EST reply actions

Don’t understand the timing.

Suppose the Raps finish with the 3rd worst record. But the ping pong balls don’t fall their way. They end up picking 8 or 9th, could have used that second pick to move up a little higher maybe. Could be the difference between end up with a DD or Tyreke Evens ?

by staylor on Feb 23, 2011 3:10 PM EST reply actions

The bottom team has the best chance of winning the lottery, and only three teams are drawn, then the rest revert to standing order. The odds are, in order, 25% for the worst team, 19.9, 15.6, 11.9%.

So the odds of anyone else (outside the top 3, including the Raps) getting the top pick are: 39.5%.
Then the odds of anyone else getting the second pick are: ~39.5%
Similarly for the third pick, the odds are ~39.5%.

The combined probability of three teams outside the bottom 3 winning the lottery slots is therefore: 6%. There is a 6% chance that the Raps end up with the 6th overall pick. They can’t get any worse than that. And no team will ever trade a top 5 pick for the 6th and 30th pick, especially in a top heavy draft.

by dhackett1565 on Feb 23, 2011 3:30 PM EST up reply actions

Opposites

When the Raptors acquired Kapono the justification was that he did one thing really well (and, it turned out, nothing else well at all).

This time around it’s a player with the opposite problem (although he appears to be really good at missing 3 pointers).

Maybe if you could combine the two in one player…

I've been looking at the sky

by Back In Black on Feb 23, 2011 3:14 PM EST reply actions

Solid point, and I think even with Kapono, the issue was that he wasn’t surrounded by enough complimentary pieces ala Shaq and Wade in Miami. So from day one he was doomed to be a less than effective use of cap space.

Although if I had some crazy cloning machine, I’d combine both for sure.

Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com

by Adam Francis on Feb 23, 2011 5:29 PM EST up reply actions

Kapono may have been a good 3 point shooter but who can tell for sure cause he didn’t take enough 3 pointers.

by McGateway on Feb 23, 2011 10:49 PM EST up reply actions

Melo, williams and ...colangelo

Melo to NY, Williams to the Nets, Colangelo is…. sleeping.. eh, sorry…re-tooling
- not entirely his fault though, the guy must follow an imposed budget given from the MLSE guys.
I’m sick of the crap we’re getting for the last 15 years up here in T.O.
If T.O is a great market, treat it as such. Wanna create a winning team, attract good players; can’t get them because we’re a foreign country to these athletes? pay them more so they come. Pay upfront, create a winning culture, then more palyers come, you win, and there is a chance you pay less for players in the future. Thats how it goes for us up here. No way out, we’re not in the States. It seems that other teams are giving up half their roster to get quality players. Why? Are they stupid? No they are not. They just know that star players come once in a lifetime and they can turn a franchise’s fate instantly. Where are you colangelo??

by hoopsboy on Feb 23, 2011 4:04 PM EST reply actions

No way the Raps could have put together nearly the offer those other teams did and still have anything left to convince those players to extend or eventually resign. Melo would have to extend immediately (and he was only ever going to the Knicks), and D-Will appears pretty disgruntled as it is in NJ – no chance he stays in TO past next year if they have to sacrifice DeRoza, Davis and their top pick to get him (and they would, if they wanted to match the other offers).

by dhackett1565 on Feb 23, 2011 4:22 PM EST up reply actions

I Want To Do A Wait and See On This

I am sure that somewhere along the line I saw him play but have no recollection one way or another of what he did on the court.

The problem with late first round picks is that have guaranteed contracts and the odds are long that they amount to something.

J. Johnson has one more guaranteed season after this on his contract. He will get $1.8 million in 2011-12. 2012-23 is Team Option so the financial risk is low here.

The Raptors aren’t going anywhere this season so I say give him some good burn between now and the end of the season and see what happens.

For the $2 million or so remaining guaranteed amount on his contract this seems like a no brainer to me.

Very low financial risk and who knows.

Good job BC in pulling off a low risk trade with a possible upside worth more than $2 million a season.

by Buddahfan on Feb 23, 2011 5:47 PM EST reply actions

Chisholm's Take

I don’t always agree with his opinions but this time we are pretty close to being in sync on the J. Johnson deal.

http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=355049

by Buddahfan on Feb 23, 2011 5:51 PM EST reply actions

Good Move by The Jazz To Dump Williams and the Nets To Acquire Him

Moving Williams will give Tyrone Corbin their new coach control of the team rather than having to butt heads with Williams.

I have no doubt that AJ will be handle Williams

by Buddahfan on Feb 23, 2011 5:58 PM EST reply actions

I'm not sure why the knicks pushed so hard for this trade

DS said it yesterday I believe why wouldn’t new york have just waited til the off-season and out right sign melo..instead of giving up a lot of pieces to get him? Just doesn’t make sense to me and as for deron williams his maybe a top 3 point guard no doubt but after him the nets have?? cricket cricket and they gave up quit a bit to get him too. If they don’t surround him with better talent than they have now they aint going anywhere too fast.

by sherwin316 on Feb 23, 2011 6:04 PM EST via mobile reply actions

We call him Jimmy Johns.

Have fun with him. :’(

Make love not war. Play JJ and not Bogans.

by livesinnoahsbasement on Feb 23, 2011 6:30 PM EST reply actions

trade Andrea?

Just out of interest, what do you think we could get for him? Who would want him?

I am sure a lot of teams would take a chance on Andrea, but my question is which teams would make significant sacrifices to get him? cricket, cricket…anyone?

For all those who want to trade him I ask again, what could we get for him?

If the answer is nothing, then I would suggest we move him to the bench next year and he be used as an offensive minded sixth man. I always thought he needed to be traded until I thought of what we would get in return…then I thought, well at least move him to the bench. The failures this season are not one person’s fault and it is certainly not Andrea’s fault alone…but he is in a situation that is not working and BC and Jay can’t do the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.

by defensive rap on Feb 23, 2011 6:41 PM EST reply actions

we’ll have a good pick this year

i’d trade him for a washed up vet who could eat up minutes to shelter the younger kids, and keeping them accountable, teach them lessons, give them defensive tips, etc – while still sucking enough to get a decent pick next year

part of the problem with andrea is that he never had anyone to keep him accountable. bosh wasn’t a defensive monster himself and thus, bargnani’s mistakes went unnoticed, unpunished (if that’s a word), and he hasn’t been able to correct them

bargnani sucks defensively, yes, but the problem has been exponentially worsened by his lack of a defensive mentor, good coaching, and other good defense around him

elephant shell

by sportsfan2 on Feb 23, 2011 6:56 PM EST up reply actions

Just how much better are the Nets and the Knicks?

As far as the blockbuster deals made by the Nets and the Knicks, let me play devil’s advocate. The Nets gave up a hell of a lot to grab Deron Williams; Harris, a pretty good point guard in his own right; Favors, a big man with tons of potential; plus, two first round picks. As for the Knicks, yes they got Melo, but isn’t this the kind of strategy that got them into trouble for so many years? There’s no doubting Melo’s talent, but is this a guy you can go to war with and bring home an NBA title? I don’t think so.

by Skywalker18 on Feb 24, 2011 8:46 PM EST reply actions