The Oklahoma City Thunder have waived guard Earl Watson.
Reports out of Indianapolis last night had the eight-year vet joining the Pacers. Already flush with point guards, Watson’s arrival likely would mean the Pacers would not match the Raptors’ four-year $20-million US offer for restricted free agent Jarrett Jack.
The Pacers have until Monday to match and retain.
We are all aware of the contracts that players receive in the NBA they make more money than most of us will in our lifetimes, they come with perks like private jets, tickets for friends and family, specific accommodations on the road, and the list continues. While I’m sure that Bargnani and Turkoglu got those wonderful add-ons to their contracts there is one small problem: It’s called the early termination clause.
No doubt, Bryan has onions. He knew he couldn’t afford to dick around with Marion and his agent Dan Fegan for a month or more and then be left with table scraps as all the better free agents would be gone. That’s what I love about Colangelo. He is not afraid of rolling the dice and taking immediate massive action.
The only reason that the near impossible Hedo/Marion sign and trade went down was that Orlando, Memphis and Dallas all came out ahead in the deal that was brokered by Bryan. Everyone got value in return.
What does that mean for Ukic going forward? Well, it really depends on a lot of factors. With Hedo being able to play point-forward in the event of injury, the team only really needs one healthy point guard and one combo/point guard in reserve of Calderon. If Jack is that point guard, then Ukic, Douby and Marcus Banks are basically eyeing a single spot, and that role barely brings any guaranteed playing time. While the Raptors would happily rid themselves of Banks, his contract might make that too difficult to execute. In that case, does the club look to move Ukic and his guaranteed $2.8-million over the next two years? Colangelo has certainly been up front with his indifference to retaining Ukic, and surely his play in Summer League did little to inspire faith (it was Douby, after all, who had the ball in his hands down the stretch of games). Still, there are some who believe now would be too soon to give up on a prospect with so much raw talent.
Last but not least. it looks as if Carlos Delfino will remain in Russia and not return to the Raptors. He is apparently aggravated that the Raps are ONLY offering him 4 million a year. He wants 5, dead serious. What a guy, does he comprehend that the NBA Salary cap has lowered for the first time in 24 years. This figure does not get the picture when it comes to economic recession does he. Hey Carlos, you only averaged 9 ppg in the NBA and we were playing you 30 minutes. So why don’t you get off your high horse and be thankful for this offer because you deserve less. I say forget about Delfino and get a guy like Matt Barnes, who actually knows his role on a team.
DeMar DeRozan – The new Raptor chats with Jack on the Game Plan about what he has learned from playing in the Summer League, his mentality as an offensive player and a defender, his plans for the next few months leading up to the Raptors season, and how delighted he is to have Hedo Turkoglu join the team.
Even though Watson will likely come very cheap (since the Thunder will be paying him over $6 million this season to not play for them), with T.J. Ford, Travis Diener and A.J. Price on board, there is no longer room for Jack.
Watson’s a slightly lesser version of Jack and a good counter by the Pacers and Larry Bird.
42 Raps
Great move by Indy… for us! Although Watson isn’t that bad of a PG (would be better if he could actually shoot and NOT turnover the ball)… its fantastic because it looks like Jack is T.O. bound.
Now I wonder when Indy is gonna realize that they have 5 pgs that aren’t taking them anywhere? (no offense to TJ cause I like the guy… except for the entire acting like a douche bag)
So we could have signed Watson, Daniels, and most likely Kleiza for the MLE but blew it all on Jack instead. If we lose Delfino and Rasho now we are screwed.
there is no way you could get all three for the MLE. Jack is a better option than any 2 combined regardless. See Seeten post (below) for details.
fail.
do the research, chief. Earl Watson is decent and on the decline. there’s a reason why he was released by the Thunder. It’s Oklahoma City for laughing out loud. the only reason the Pacers went after him is because they can’t afford to keep Jarrett Jack. period.
Kleiza is restricted, so giving him a low offer just lets Denver have him for cheap. I imagine BC’s crystal ball wasn’t showing the future, so he probably didn’t know Oklahoma would be waiving Watson, and Marquis Daniels has lasted a year or two in every stop he’s been, mostly because he’s got attitude problems.
I dunno, it seems like maybe you aren’t clear on what you are talking about.
You could say that Jack is guaranteed to come to T.O now. Pacers are just messing with us now to slow us down in the market.
Now expect BC to make some trades/sign/sign-n-trades come Monday.
WELCOME TO TORONTO JACK!
Well…. if I understand it correctly…
1. We are going to use up all our MLE on Jack.
I like insurance at the POINT. You can WIN games through regular season WITH rebounding problems. It’s the playoffs where that’s a BIG problem. We just need to WIN enough games to get there. Then MAYBE we can fill the REBOUNDING hole with a New Guy half way through the season or so. We need consistency when the bench come in. A experience PG should proved that. Gotta start the season winning NOT as 2Pac says… Strugglin’.
2. We still have RIGHTS to Carlos and could have signed him OVER the CAP.
If that is true I understand why we are pursuing him. Maybe that why Carlos OR his agent is squeezing an extra Million out of the deal. He THINKS he’s special. He does ‘Fit the Bill’ nicely but we aren’t bending over for you Carlos. Is Russia paying him around 10Million? Oh well, have fun spending you time & money in Russia.
3. Rasho really wants to play in Toronto but we can only afford him at Veterans Minimum.
Rasho would provide Experience, Consistency, BOXING OUT=Rebounds!
These are 3 things we need down low, especially in the post season. I really hope Barganai has an Epiphany this year about BOXING OUT. But when he’s stroking that 3Ball it like a DOUBLE EDGE Knife, 3Ball=No Chance for a rebound… BUT also 3Ball=Holy Shit our 7Footer is a Triple Threat with unlimited range.
With all the smoke now setting a bit it hard to graps what options are available & how much money is left to spend, but I think I following this correct…?..
IF RASHO OR BRIAN COLANGELO is READING THIS…..
I WILL PERSONALLY INSTALL RASHO’S CARPET AT HIS PLACE IN TORONTO AT COST!!! AND PROVIDE THE LABOUR FOR ***FREE*** IF YOU SIGN AT Veterans Minimum!!!
TOP QUALITY CARPET & TOP QUALITY CUSTOM INSTALLATION.
I CAN GIVE YOU COST ON ANY OTHER INSTALLED FLOORING & COST ON THE LABOUR!!!
NO JOKE RASHO!!! (We Have 25yrs Experence)
Great final note to Rasho :) This is a real Raptor fan.
If the Pacers do not view Jack or Rasho as valuable enough assets to retain at very reasonable prices, its important that the Raptors sign them to offer sheets ASAP. We do not want to let anyone else’s garbage go to waste. What BC learned last year is that you cannot construct a bench from European spare parts such as Solomon and Ukic. No, the way for us to build is to acquire key pieces that powerhouses like the Indianapolis Pacers have rejected. Let the Orlando’s of the world seek out their upgrade for Hedo Turkoglu. We are quite content to overpay for him here in Toronto.
While we’re at it, lets allow AP to walk for nothing to a championship calibre team like the Cavs and throw 4 million per season at a guy that nobody else wants like Delfino. I think we’re looking at 35 wins this year Toronto!!!
so mike d.,
you’re telling me you don’t like any of the moves that BC has and/or will make? u really think this team will only win 35 games?
do u watch basketball? or are u one of those guys that just love to hate on anything positive to be that cool guy that’s different?
and we didn’t let AP walk away, he CHOSE to sign with Cleveland… and what if he stayed with the Raps, we would win more games? you’re ridiculous.
Honestly Jack, please do me a favour and go f yourself. Please do not ever return to this website again, freaking hater douche bag.
By the way he is talking, every free-agent signing is a bad idea because their previous team didn’t want him, and why should we. It is called demanding the right pieces and the specific time.
All he wants is attention, please don’t write him anymore comments!
I am sorry. You are right.
Does anyone know why they waived Earl Watson? I always thought he was a rather good back up point guard.
Couldn’t have said it better…
Can anyone tell me who this is a scouting report of?
“Defense: A solid defender who plays smart, but is a bit of a tweener. Will create turnovers by reading ball handlers and anticipating their passes. Has the length to deflect passes that most other players wouldn’t get to. Can effectively defend both forward positions, but has a much harder time stopping power forwards. Lacks the physical strength to control the block. Always gets a hand up when his man tries to take him one-on-one. Good rebounder. Not the most dynamic defender, but shows the intensity and intelligence to mask his lack of great lateral quickness.”
Matt Barnes?
Battier? Turkoglu?
Obviously Turkoglu
Obviously Turkoglu. And yet, we continue, here at RR, to claim he’s a weak rebounder, and a poor defender, when he is neither. Important to note, this scouting information taken from draftexpress.com.
But he is a weak rebounder…
Not according to draftexpress.com.
10th in the league in rebounding at the SF position, while fighting Dwight Howard, all night every night for the boards? Thats pretty good in my estimation. The majority of those boards are defensive, too, which is our weakness.
I think a lot of people spend too much time reading the uninformed opinions of newspaper writers, and not enough reading the informed opinions of scouts. Just sayin’.
“I think a lot of people spend too much time reading the uninformed opinions of newspaper writers, and not enough reading the informed opinions of scouts.”
Great comment. I might open a Pandora’s Box here, but there seems to be a fair bit of discrimination in NBA journalism/blogging: ie. “White guys aren’t athletic/can’t rebound.” While I’m not going to carry the flag for this idea, I think it deserves some thought.
I can’t make a catalogue off the top of my head of all the times this has happened, but I can recall an excellent example from this year’s draft. Chase Budinger.
He was consistently labelled as unathletic, poor lateral movement (some truth), etc.
Wrong! Budinger is literally a world class athlete who has also competed at a high level in volleyball. And despite being taken in the 2nd round (projected 1st), he has had a strong summer league showing.
I’m not taking a definitive stance, it’s just a trend I’ve noticed; especially in the blogosphere.
He hasn’t exceeded a 10% TRB in all his years in the league, no matter what team he was playing for. He is what he is.
As currently assembled, the raptors are projected to be one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in recent history, with middle of the pack defensive rebounding. On a perimeter heavy team whose main weapon is the long two point jump shot, the rebounding issue is a fatal flaw and probably guarantees this team doesn’t go very far.
I for one have never considered him a weak rebounder. Alot of people just think because he is not a powerhouse or overly athletic he must be a poor defender and a bad rebounder.
Few people have watched him play (or atleast play much) prior to the past 2 seasons.
Think about Dirk, he is incredibly unathletic, if he was 6′9 like Kapono he probably couldn’t dunk, but he has made himself into an excellent rebounder. While Turk obviously isn’t as good, his lack of jumping ability and whiteness don’t preclude him from being a decent rebounder for his position
turk is not the rebounder that marion is. his defensive rebounding is not as far off marion’s as people would expect. he won’t win tight games with his offensive rebounding. his defensive rebounding isn’t good enough to offset bargnani if bargnani can’t improve off last year.
some people think turk is a bad rebounder. some people think that we need a very good rebounder at that spot. i’m just happy that bosh won’t have the ball in his hands with the clock ticking down EVERY GAME this year.
Turk
Toni Kukoc
If the Raptors need someone who can do the rebounding, why don’t bring in Sheldon Williams from the Wolves? It should be a good addition.
Because he’s terrible at playing basketball? He can rebound, but he plays the same spot as our best rebounder, and he doesn’t play that spot well. so taking out Bosh and putting in a guy who is a slightly better rebounder, but can’t shoot, has no offensive game, seems like a pretty poor move.
His wife is a better basketball player, and I say that honestly.
If you want a serious rebounding upgrade you want either: A center like Joel Pryzbila, who can spell Andrea for 15 minutes a game, and play 10 minutes of pf (rebound rate off the charts, shoots %63, doesnt force his game, blocks 1.5 shots, 17.6/48, almost equal to Howard) or you want a SF like Matt Barnes who can play some 3 and some 4, but again, Matt isn’t a rebounding upgrade over Chris Bosh, whose rebound rate of 12.6 is better than Barnes’s best rebound rate, career wise.
I dunno if I have mentioned this, but Chris Bosh is a really underrated rebounder.
Kleiza is another strong rebounder at SF, but he’s worse than Barnes/48 so even though he’s better than Turk by a bit, its not that significant, and he’s worse than Bosh by an equal amount.
To be honest, we’d get our biggest gains by having DeRozan crash the glass and Turk getting some boards Howard swallowed up, and incremental improvement by Bargnani. Signing these “rebound” guys is just not going to pay off in the sorts of improvements we’re looking for.
I think you want a big and a wing who can come off the bench and close the rebounding gap in a particular game where that’s killing the team. Think a few fourth quarters against Boston last year and the year before. Reggie Evans is the big. Maybe resigning Joey Graham for cheap (rather than Moon) would be the wing.
I would definitely perfer Joey over Jamario. I never liked the labeling he got. He got boards and provided hustle. He is not worth 3m but if he could be had for under 2m I believe he would make a solid contribution.
Good idea. Sheldon Williams is married to AP’s sister. Maybe we could get HER to play for us :)
While I am on this rebounding, and myth debunking kick, I thought I’d mention that Wright was absolutely atrocious on the boards last year, ranking 80th among shooting guards, a full 40 spots below Anthony Parker, with an abysmal mark of 4.2 Rbs/48.
I disingenuously said Turk was 10th among SF’s in rebounding above, and that was not per 48. He was 10th overall, but only 21st in rbs/48. Still, he was very close in actual numbers, to the top 10.
Wright was surely not.
Bosh was 12th among PF’s, in 12.6/48.
Bargnani was bad, but not as bad as might be expected, helped out by playing only 30 minutes a game, he finished 32nd among Centers at 8.1/48
Turk is at 7.1/48.
Rasho was only a 9.5/48, and only a couple of spots above Bargnani, so not exactly a huge upgrade, rebounding wise.
Kleiza was 9th 2 years ago and 5th last year, and Matt Barnes 1st last year and 3rd this year, so both of them are exceptional rebounders.
Yet the Barnes’s camp haven’t heard from the Raps…we are waiting for the Argentinian porn stars answer?
See my answer above as to why I feel this might be the case.
HE’s not a porn start. He’s Derek Zoolander!
Hopefully BC will go after Barnes and either Rasho or Joe Smith after Jack is signed.
What about delfino?
Oh wait. He wasnt in the league last year…
Better pay the man.
Seriously, if we pass on a matt barnes for delfino, we will undoubtably regret it….even if delfino plays as well as many people imagined he played 2 years ago.
Seeten…ur research n ur comments r retarded…even if u bring out useless numbers, atleast try n make sense of it…how r barnes n keliza gonna solve raptors rebounding problems…u sound like a nerd who noes nothing about ball, did some research n tryin to impress real ball fans…college didn’t go we, did it?????
English 101: When engaging another party in an argument and pulling the “College” card, try to use real words in your sentences.
Carry on…..
I don’t have the time to explain rebounding/48 as opposed to rebounds per game to people who don’t know basketball, or advanced basketball statistics, and rebounds per 48 isn’t exactly win shares, or PER, either. I’m not paid to educate you, if you don’t have any idea what I am talking about, do some of your own research.
If you’d gone to university yourself, you’d know that gathering information and doing research isn’t something that you ought to be expecting others to spoon feed you.
In short, stop being so lazy, and educate yourself on at least the rudimentary basketball statistics. Once someone starts paying me to write columns, I’ll consider putting my comments in a frame of reference.