Bryan Colangelo was at it again on Monday, sign-and-trading Carlos Delfino (with Roko Ukic) to the Milwaukee Bucks for Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems.
Quickly, my thoughts are as such: the Raptors and Delfino couldn’t close the financial gap in contract talks, so the Raptors did what they could to get something out of their restricted hold on ‘Loso. It sounds like fans have more of a problem giving up Ukic than Delfino in the deal, which I appreciate, but without retooling his shot and making serious strides with his court vision and leadership, Ukic wasn’t going to get any run behind Jarrett Jack and Jose Calderon anytime soon. It always hurts to lose a young player with potential, but he no longer had a place on the Raptors and may get a chance in Milwaukee.
In Johnson, the Raptors get another tough big man to pair with Reggie Evans and Rasho Nesterovic as the substitution platoon. Despite not living up to his potential (allegedly) in Detroit, Johnson is still just 22 years old and has fairly large upside as a shot blocker and post defender. I’m a big fan, personally, and his toughness is a welcome addition. He’s also stronger offensively than Evans, providing a little more versatility in the rotation.
At the same time, as Raps Fan outlines, DeMar DeRozan is thrust into a bigger role. Essentially, losing Delfino (our supposed backup-SF) for another big pushes Antoine Wright into more SF minutes, leaving more minutes open at SG for DeRozan (or possibly, minutes for DeRozan at SF).
And finally, the Raptors acquired more team-specific upside than they gave up.
So I guess those were my not-so-quick thoughts on the deal. I like it, I love Johnson, and this is another Colangelo special.
What really sticks out to me looking at the new roster, though, is how the first and second units contrast pretty obviously in terms of style.
The first unit (which I am considering to be Calderon, DeRozan, Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Bosh, and Andrea Bargnani…seems a fair assumption except for possibly DeRozan) is a flashy, floor-spacing, offensive-minded group. Everyone is capable of creating their own shot, moving the ball, and to a person they all have some defensive limitations. This is a group that should be among the most exciting, offensively-explosive sets of five in basketball, with the question being whether they can defend well enough together to keep their opponents from scoring in equally large chunks.
The second unit (some combination of Jack, Marco Belinelli, Antoine Wright, Johnson, Evans, and Nesterovic) is much less gifted offensively. Belinelli can shoot, Jack is a strong point guard, and the others (save for Evans) all have some offensive skills. Still, for the most part this is a group that gets by on toughness and defense, Belinelli excluded. It should be a group that rebounds well, hustles hard, and defends to at least a league-average level.
The contrast between the two groups couldn’t be starker. Evans, Nestervoic, and Johnson all seem like the type of bigs that would complement Bosh and/or Bargnani well on the floor, while Wright makes up for the defensive deficiencies of DeRozan and/or Turkoglu.
Obviously, a key challenge for coach Jay Triano will be to mix and match the units as the game progresses to optimize the team’s performance. I think it’s fairly evident that running the second unit out as a whole for extended time could be troublesome offensively, while sticking with the first unit for long stretches late in games could leave the team prone to defensive collapses. So Triano, now given a much more plentiful roster of talent than in his 65 game trial last season, faces much more difficult personnel and lineup decisions.
While I won’t pretend to know how these units will shake down, I think having Demar DeRozan come off the bench has almost become a necessity. Such a move would afford DeRozan more opportunities to develop his offense and would improve the starting unit’s defense with the addition of either Jack or Wright. Obviously, the minutes a group spends together matters more than an actual starter/reserve designation, so I might be better off suggesting DeRozan spend more time with the subs than the starters.
Regardless of which direction Triano takes the team in terms of lineup shuffling, Colangelo’s offseason moves have created a roster environment where Triano has options, to say the least. Finding minutes and combinations for 11 players is a blessing and a curse, and finding the best five-man lineups will be something Triano is evaluated on all season long.
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79 Raps
Both Bryan Colangelo and Jay Triano have stated that the best place to use DeRozan might be in the starting lineup. Controlled minutes at the start of each half, concentrate on defense, etc. It seemed to work last year with Lee in Orlando and Batum in Portland.
I have seen Sonny Weems with Razorbacks and the Nuggets believe you me this guy is gifted…He needs mentoring. This might sound crazy to everybody but have the coaches teach him the PG position, At 6′6 over 210lbs and extremely athletic he presents matchup problems. You can’t teach height and athleticism is a gift…give him this role, He has a league minimum contract {peanuts} and will spend most times watching and observing in a suit.
If you can make Sonny a role player [with size and more talent] than a Quincy Douby, You hav yur self one hellava breakdown defensive player that can see over most players he’s defending and no one defending him would match his overlooked quick first step… Attention : Mr. Sonny Weems
Only problem there is for him to play point, he would actually need some ball handling skills. I’m sorry, but Mr Weems is a worse version of Joey G, and prolly will have no impact on this squad. I can’t think of a single person Weems would be able to blow by off the bounce……maybe Jose…….:P
“I think having Demar DeRozan come off the bench has almost become a necessity. Such a move would afford DeRozan more opportunities to develop his offense and would improve the starting unit’s defense with the addition
of either Jack or Wright.”
Great analysis. I have felt the same way for some time. Often our opponent’s best offensive threat will be a wing – and Wright will help a great deal in this area. Last year, defending wings was our biggest liability (and yes, there were other defensive lapses as well, but this was our most glaring weakness)
The side benefit is that DeRozan will get *many* more touches this way. With the starting lineup, how will he get many with Turk, Bargs and Bosh all needed theirs?
The downside is that DeRozan may have “more pressure” to deliver on offense with the second unit. But the second unit very rarely plays at the same time. Starters will get rest and it will be staggered. So you’ll likely se DeRozan (if coming off the bench) with Jack (and sometimes Calderon) and likely one or two of Bosh, Turk and Bargs. The latter three will likely get 36+ minutes.
With so MANY shooters on the 1st line (Bargs, Hedo, Jose), it could be useful to have a slasher like DeRozen in there to mix it up a bit too. He could complement them very well too. Just my opinion…
Bob – excellent point. Hopefully Calderon will be 100% and, when he is, he does have a *small* ability to do this.
And you’ll have Jack on the second line to draw in defenders.
Wonder how disruptive it would be to based the starting 2 on opposing lineups? I.e. a very strong opposing wing start Wright – otherwise DeRozan. Would it throw the chemistry off (so many changes already to deal with)? Any thoughts?
I am gonna guess that it might hurt Derozan as he wont be able to get any defined role, and then struggles ala joey g, bargs, etc…I think wright is experienced enuf for this to work, but i dont know about dd…
Great point – whatever the decision is, you likely want DeRozan – esp since he’s a rookie a defined role and a consistent environment. Well said.
It also failed with Joey G in Toronto. But then again, that was Smitch yanking him at the very first mistake he made.
Personally I’d prefer DeRozan coming off the bench. He could help ignite a second-unit offense and learn how to defend second-unit guards/forwards before sticking him on the likes of Kobe Bryant and saying “Go!”. We’re not known for our help defense, so I can just imagine getting exposed by the big-name guard/forwards out there if we choose to start DeRozan. Wright makes the most sense by a longshot, and I wouldn’t mind playing both Wright and DeRozan at the same time when Hedo’s taking a breather.
Remember that full 5 man substitutions are never made. Its not like these two groups are going to play 1st and 2nd lines. Likely Triano will mix up his substitutions. I strongly suspect he’ll try to give Turk a break earlier on, so he can then play with some of the second unit players. I see a unit of Turk, Jack, DeRozan (or Belinelli for more outside shooting), Bosh/Bargs, and Evans/Rasho/Johnson working nicely.
I agree, and took that into account:
(“Obviously, a key challenge for coach Jay Triano will be to mix and match the units as the game progresses to optimize the team’s performance.”)
I definitely like the idea of splitting Bargs and Bosh for stretches as well, to improve interior presence and rebounding.
I like the idea of DeRozan in the starting lineup. I’ll be up front and say that I’ve not seen the kid play more than a couple of times, but by all accounts, he’s shown that he can play under control. Obviously, we can’t expect him to display the poise of say, a Tayshaun Prince when he started his rookie year. But I think Batum and Lee are good comparisons for setting our expectations of the role and minutes he might play.
I also like DeRozan in the starting lineup as long as he is brought along, and not thrust into it. If they control his minutes at the begining of halfs (like Michel G says above) then I don’t see any problems. I want to avoid trial by fire since he is so raw, and can go either way developmentally.
There is a significant challenge we miss when prognosticating all of these unit makeups….and that would be a relatively difficult schedule at the start of the season. I believe there are something like 25 road games in the first 2 months…ouch for any team especially one with so much turnover and dare I say expectations. I think Triano and staff are going to have to make some quick descisions on use of roster during training camp and the exhibition games. I lean to being conservative given the circumstances and using the “young ones” too much starting out of the gate. These months may well determine not only the playoff expectations but team pshychology as well.
Correction….that would be “not using the young ones too much”.
I also agree that being in the starting lineup with controlled minutes is a good idea for DeRozan. His first half at USC and his summer league play suggests that he will be very risk adverse for at least the first part of the regular NBA season. He seems to be the type of player that wants to be a good teammate by not making stupid mistakes (offensively taking what the defense gives him, and not committing stupid fouls on D).
Early on, I expect him to rely heavily on his midrange game that many media/fans have observed to be very under control, which has led to the idea that he may not be as raw as was initially thought at the draft. IMO Triano will not want to put the pressure on him early and will let him feel his way through the NBA game at the start of the season. He won’t be asked to do much. In the starting lineup, that would suit him best. There will be little pressure for him to create offense outside of his comfort zone. It isn’t a stretch to say that the rest of the starting lineup is an offensive minded group, and having a rookie that may play a little too conservitively probably won’t prevent many scoring opportunities for the group as a whole.
As his confidence builds and he becomes more familiar with the speed of the game and his teammates, I expect he will be asked to do more, and I would not be too surprised to see him take over the game offensively in short stretches in the later part of the season.
I don’t want DD staring the the seasong guarding LBJ and VC. A.Wright is our best option to start at SG.
i was just thinking the same thing. i couldnt agree more. the last thing this kid needs after all this “hes the next air canada” talk is to go up against vince and get rooked and embarrassed. and vince would go out of his way to do that after hearing that talk.
on the flip side if we did start him against those guys and he did well it could be huge for him. any positive thing he did would be amplified cause hes a rook thats suppose to get burned.
DD will get his chance to play against the best wings in the league this year, but not as a starter.
Nice article. Like you said: We have a nice mix of scorers, defenders, athleticism, and role players.
It’ll be interesting to see how Triano plays with the lineup to a) Build a lead and b) What Subs to use to hold the lead….
Even if not initially, I think DeRozan should eventually be a starter. I can see him having a Lee-esque type year (as Lee started on a similar lineup, hell with the exact SF as in this situation!) and this would boost his confidence to the point he may play like he belongs there. Perhaps there may be a few matchups where you want to start Wright but I’d think that would be towards the start of the season while DeRozan cuts his teeth.
A hypothetical question…if that FINALS GAME 2 inbound was tossed to DeRozen instead of Courtney Lee, would DeRozen would of made that shot?
Hey how come no one is clamoring on for PMB??? I thought he was gonna be our golden god??
No more roster spot, sadly, unless they wave Patty O or Joey Jr. Weems
I was being sarcastic…I hope we never again hear the argument that they waive or buyout either of those guys in order to add PMB…
Fair enough. He’s still a bad ass though :)
Oak was a bad ass, Evans is a bad ass, Sheed was a bad ass…PMB was nothing more than an urban “legend” with a goofy smile and some spring in his step
Yah, but what a spring! (I’m just giving you a hard time)
well since i brought up the pmb on a post that had nothing to do with him, i guess i deserved that
I hope in the exhibition Patty.O.B gets embarrassed by a bunch of NBA Rookies and Euros, making a capital statement to Triano and BCo to buyout this scrub.
Obviously the discussion of the starting 2 guard is an interesting one (I think the best comparisons for DeRozan’s role could be Lee, if he’s going to play a controlled game and take what the offense and defense gives him, or J.R. Smith, if he’s going to come in firing and spark the offense off the bench. Time will tell once we get a better idea of Triano’s vision and DeRozan’s abilities)
More interesting though, I think, is who we think will finish close games at the 2. The stopper (Wright), the athletic slasher (DeRozan), the ballhandler/combo guard (Jack), or some mix of the three depending on the opponent? As we’ve seen many times, the starters aren’t always the finishers, and the finishers tend to play a more important role.
the greatest potential strength of this team is its versatility. the “finishers” will be situational game by game i would hope. neglecting potential injuries i think everyone will watch the end of a few close games from the bench other than bosh and turk. i also think throughout the season, situation pending, the appropriate five finishers will be any of thee eleven.
I think Jack or Wright should finish most of the games at the 2. Especially Jack, since he’s played the most significant career minutes of any of the guards (apart from Jose).
(I put a note on my computer not to blog today and actually do work, Ah well!)
agreed that I think as it shakes out Jack will be the one finishing the games
well thought out article, but i say “throw him in with the wolves, and let him play and learn.” he’ll be fine with the amount of vets he has around him.
While my experience drinking the O’Neal koolaid last year means I won’t predict how this team or individual players will do when it/they actually play some ball, I’ve gotta commend the job Colangelo has done this off-season. He’s remade the team as much as a GM possibly could in one off-season. He’s also given it a fair amount of flexibility given the obvious need at the end of the last season to overhaul the team. I know that Hedo’s and Bargs’ contracts could be albatrosses a few years down the road but BC has done 2 things that deserve some props: First, he didn’t play it safe after striking out with O’Neal. In fact, he seems to have said “fuck it, I’m going to build the kind of team I want and go down with the ship (to some degree at least) if it sinks”. Like many have said, this team could be great or it could be awful. I have yet to see someone predict it will be mediocre. Second, Colangelo has actually created a team that simultaneously has a chance of luring Bosh into an extension while at the same time it can survive the guy leaving. If Bosh goes because this year is disappointing but DeRozan and Bargs pan out as hoped, I could still support the team. If Bosh stays because things click this year and the Raptors make some real noise when it counts, I could stick around too. He’s no messiah, but he’s at least the 2nd best GM in Raptors history.
You had me until you called BC the 2nd best GM in franchise history. ;D
seriosuly….whos #1???
Isiah, obviously.
Babcock is clearly number the best GM we ever had. He correctly chose a roster of:
PG: Jose
SG: Mike James
SF: Joey Graham
PF: Chris Bosh
C: Rafael Araujo
Over the far inferior roster of:
PG: Jose
SG: Danny Granger
SF: Andre Igoudala
PF: Chris Bosh
C: Andrew Bynum
who’s the first best?
Grunfeld has more playoff wins so he gets to be in the conversation until a Colangelo team goes further than the VC/AD era team
grunfeild did build the most successfull raps team to date, even if it was a one year thing, that could have bin us losing to the lakers in the finals instead of iversons sixers
That would be Grunwald… and ummm… he’s #2
Wow…I cant believe its even a question that BryCo is the best….I agree that part of how we would judge is based on wins and playoff success…but I also think that there are additional functions of the GM….and when you look at everything I think he has been successful…lets be honest here…he came into a shitfuck of a franchise with nothing more than a young CB4, and a first overall draft pick during a draft year in which there was absolutely no consensus top 5 let alone a clear #1 choice….in the three + years since, we have made the playoffs (albeit short visits) twice, our attendance is up, our income and revenue is up, the team has more respectability in the league and leagues media than it did prior, and there is very real sense of intrigue and optimism in the franchise right now….I mean really…Jp Ricciardi is in the 8th year of a 5 year plan and he is still considered one of the “bright young minds” in MLB and you somehow wanna argue that BryCo isnt the best out of Isiah “I ruined the Knicks, when i was in management, not playing” Thomas, Rob “I orchestrated the worst trade in NBA history” Babcock, and Glen “I like working with Isiah” Grunwald
It ain’t exactly a top-rate competition but let’s see a few more years of Colangelo before we crown him.
Not that I disagree with you saying Colangelo is the best GM we’ve had, but I would argue with your claim that he came into a “shitfuck of a franchise”
He was handed a young player who was already a perennial all star and a first overall pick. That’s a hell of a lot more than plenty of new GMs have to work with.
definition of perennial according to thefreedictionary.com
“b. Appearing again and again; recurrent. See Synonyms at continual.
3. Botany Living three or more years.
Based on that information and the FACT that CB4 had appeared in 2 (two) allstar games at that point prior to Colangelo coming aboard, I would disagree with your definition of CB4 being a perennial allstar…as well, I made mention of the first overall pick…but the draft year was generally considered (as I mentioned) one of the worst ever and there was NO, I repeat NO consensus #1 pick…as well, we are talking about a roster that included the likes of andre barrett, the 17 williams’, and loren woods…really…thats not one of the worst lineups EVER??? Add into this the facct that his bosses are the clusterfuck known as MLSE and you have a shitfuck of an organization
I’m already nic-naming our bench: “WILD SIDE”
PG: Jack/Douby
SG: Belinelli/Douby
SF: DD
PF: Evans/Amir
C: Rasho/O’Bryant
We’ve got a strong PG and a combo PG; a capable jump-shooting SG; an athletic wing; a grinding PF and an athletic PF; a consistent/stable C and an athletic C.
*Banks is our player-mascot.
**Weems is our best-bench-boy (towels and gatorade)
Weems can be our HAHAHAssan adams
Turkoglu, Bargnani, and Bosh are all high USG players. I believe having Wright start at the two instead of Derozen would be best for his development. He would still get his minutes, but he would be playing with the likes of Evans, Rasho, and Jack. This will allow him to actually put his skills to use.
I think Demar DeRozan is comfortably the squad’s second best wing player, and is therefore the best choice to round out the starting lineup.
I would be interested in playing a lesser overall but more defensive orientated wing ahead of him if I felt there was a wing on this roster with enough quality, but I don’t think Antoine Wright is that player. I think he’s overrated defensively (slightly above average defensively), and an outright liability offensively and he was terrible on the backboards last season for the Mavs. If the Raps had a better version of Wright, like Ime Udoka, I would be happy with that player starting ahead of DeRozan.
Regardless of whether that ‘ime udoka’ type player starts or comes off the bench, the raptors are in desperate need of him.
He’s an above average defender which is pretty much necessary at the 2 spot. Also his poor rebounding numbers in Dallas are probably a result of playing with some high quality rebounders. I’m sure he’d crash the boards more when on a Raptors squad.
Nice thought-provoking analysis where you end of by saying:
“Finding minutes and combinations for 11 players is a blessing and a curse, and finding the best five-man lineups will be something Triano is evaluated on all season long.
I guess the BIG QUESTION for true bball aficionados is how long does Triano have to gel this group of new and disparate players into a functioning team?
You allude to Triano being “evaluated on all season long”… and this would suggest that this team is a project that may take a whole season to come to fruition. I think it’s evident that BC blew up the Raptors with only 3 regulars from the starting lineup .. Bosh, Bargs, Jose.
Bosh and Bargs are still doubtful operating on the floor simultaneously. Hedo may have to make adjustments at SF and the SG position is still dubious with DeDe or Jack.
A functioning starting lineup is still very much up in the air, as I see it. What do you think about development timing for this brand new team?
Triano has his work cut out for him. There is no doubt that it will be hard to integrate 9 new faces into a team and make sure the right chemistry is there and everyone knows their roles and …
However, by taking a quick look at last year’s roster, one can see the lack of talent in it and hence, a need for an upgrade and new faces. That team was so low in talent, there BC had no choice but making this drastic changes and trying to insert some blood into that team. The only player from that group, which any GM in the league would have tried to keep, was Marion. I think BC wanted to keep him but at the end of the day, Marion was asking for too much to stick around.
What happened to honk honk and soooooo obvious?
I think the pressure is on the lone three returning starters. They need to carry the team through the tougher first half schedule as the team gels. All I can say is I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Funny, as I read this comment, I remember as the Raptors’ offseason began me and my boy talking about how CB4, Bargnani and Calderon are the core, 3 untouchables on the squad and all other players could be moved. We never realized or dreamed that (virtually) all others WOULD be moved!
That said, the core is still in tact. The guys BC added to this core I believe were carefully selected considering the types of personalities and players that they are. I’m not trying to say its going to be easy to gel them together, but you have to commend Colangelo for taking this into consideration also.
If any collection of players could come together quick, this group at first glance would be closer to the top.
You know, we all do not give FAQ enough credit.
He’s right, we shouldn’t have made all those changes. BC blew up a strong and deep team from a year ago – one with all kinds of chemistry.
I mean did we really truly give Jake V a fair shot? The guy had game. Could knock ‘em down from anywhere. Brought the “headband-with-widow’s-peak” look back in style.
Hassan Adams and Will Soloman – diamonds in the rough – another dumb idea to switch them out. They were our “glue” guys for sure.
J-Killa – defensive stopper. Underrated rebounder. We let him go for what?! Reggie Evans – come on – the guy only gets 12 boards per 36 min – anyone could haul down that #. We were tough already. And now we only have four >36% 3 pt shooters… not even close to enough – you need at least 13 that can shoot like that on a roster.
DeRozan? Seriously – the guy only works out hard twice a day. Bum. So what that he has a 38.5 inch vertical? Jumping is not important in the NBA. Leaping that high just makes it more difficult as you have to throw the ball down into the hoop. Ever hear of the “set shot”?!
Belinelli is a bust. Guy only shoots 40% from 3PT line. George would have been a beast – first guy off the bench – he’ll only be 32, and – do NOT be mislead by his 38% FG% – I have it on good authority that scorers around the league credited many of his baskets to Dirk. Just puttin’ that out there.
Amir Johnson – We absolutely should have signed and kept Delfino. You can never have enough SGs. What if 4 are injured for the year? Then what do you have left? Exactly. And we were a dominant presence on the glass last year – why skake it up?
Turkoglu – so what he was a key piece in getting his previous team in the finals? Did they win? Nooooo. And the Cavs were a walk in the park. 6’10″ and only has 5 assists per game?! He *barely* matched Mike Bibby in this category. And where is Turk at the end of the game in crunch time? No where I say.
See you realize that it takes forever to gel. These players have always played with the same teammates since Junior High. And they never play on international teams together. And none of them have been traded before and have had to make adjustments.
We are doomed and Bosh will ask to be traded by Christmas (was I supposed to put that all in caps?) More cowbell as well.
Amusing post, some good sarcasm. I just about spit out my drink laughing at the “more cowbell, as well” parting shot.
Hey you forgot to mention how much we need PMB back
Tom L, remember your comments. Before the all star break this season, we all would like you rehearse how you will be eating crowe…with all due respect :}
No problem – they’ll be here in print, so you welcome to point to this then.
My main point was: A) to loosen people up a bit and B) to say that “status quo” was NOT an option.
Will this be a championship contending team? Likely not. Will it most likely be a better team than last year? Yes. Should it now be a playoff team? I believe so and will stand my those comments.
wow thanks for showing me the light, i was blind but now i see
Great piece. But the author failed to mention a crucial detail. We are entering the Sonny Weems era of Raptor basketball, people! We are all witnesses…
If you actually knew who Sonny Weems was before the trade, I’ll buy you a beer.
If you didn’t, I’ll get the first round! ;D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQfuX7ew-Ww
If you actually knew who Sonny Weems was before the trade, I’ll buy you a beer.
If you didn’t, I’ll get the first round. ;D
The boy can jump!
I think this is the weakest move by BC in this offseason. I don’t like the fact we gave up ukic. You always need a third point guard, if not just ask orlando. And i prefer roko over douby all the time.
On the other side, the contract carlos signed with the bucks is very reasonable and we could easly have him. $3.5 mill for two years, an option for a third one, and the second year is partially guaranteed. I Think Carlos would be the best SG in our roster, making A. Wright expendable and giving Demar minutes at the starting SG and back up SF as well. About amir johnson, i don’t know why so much expectations for the guy, we give up the two best players in the trade and get the two worst ones. He never lived up to his potential and he has already four years of nba experience. I think that he will be move by the trade deadline, he has a good expiring contract.
Wright is a better defender. Delfino was an okay defender, but shot 40% from the field. I think we have a bit of selective memory around how “good” Delfino was – he took a far bit of poor shots.
Ukic is actually 2 years older than Johnson and has much more experience. So perhaps Ukic isn’t any better than Johnson – let’s see Johnson in two years.
At the end of the day, we get much better contracts – and *perhaps* some upside with Johnson – if not, who cares, his contract expires THIS year.
The reason we didn’t want Delfino is we have a surplus of SG – and we would NOT want his multi-year contract (or Ukic’s for that matter).
Not to say he could or couldn’t be involved in a trade later this season, but Johnson is ONLY 22 and came straight out of high school. Before you write him off, think Jermaine O’Neal who came into the league in a similar situation. J.O was straight from high school and it took him some years and a change of scenery before he became all-star calibre.
As for Delfino, he didn’t want to play here, point blank. He saw the situation with the young swings here on the team and realized his PT would decrease over time as these guys develop. All sides decided he would be a better fit elsewhere. I was high on Delfino when he first came on the team and I still think he’s a decent player but there are certain things about him and his game that made him expendable in my mind. They say one at hand (Delfino) is worth 2 in the bush (DeRozan, Belinelli) but in this case I’m fixin’ to go a huntin’!
Raul I hve to completely disagree here… out PG and SG spot are completely covered. We easily have 4 guys that can handle the ball (Jose, Jack, Turk, Marco) and even if one guy is not defined PG its not really relevant. Imagine a back court of say Derozan, Turk and Wright. Turk to bring up the ball… other two on the wings. Maybe not a conventional line-up but in all reality would likely work out fine. (remember AP ended up being out 2nd best PG last year… and hadn’t played point a day in his life).
We did have potential depth issues at the front court though… now whether our SF position is deep enough is another question (ie. will Wright, Derozan or MArco be able to cover SF onD?)
hmmmm Matt Carroll for Fannie Mae/Freddy Mac Banks??? interesting
This is a great trade. I know a lot of people see giving up Ukic as a downside, but honestly, the kid sucked. He had a flash of brilliance every once and awhile, and he didn’t make any progress over last year, nor in summer league. If he was going to see minutes, it would be a different story, but I’d rather have Douby, who excelled in summer league over Ukic as our 3rd stringer; because, how many of us really have enough patience to see Ukic grow in the 5 minutes he’d see every three games?
Amir Johnson is sick. I mean, the one thing this team needed when it came to our bigs was some athleticism and shot blocking. I think he might turn out to be one of my favorite raptors this year, and already is one of my favorite additions of the summer.
As for everyones thoughts on the back up SF position, I think its already handled. The thing I was concerned about was having so many players at the SG, who wouldnt all be able to get minutes:
Jack would demand about ten a night, because he is only likely to get 15-18 at pg every night.
Derozan should see the vast majority of his minutes at SG, so around 15-20
And our need for a true shooter, to hit in the corners (which has been a stable of the Raptors offense for as long as an offense has been in existence) means we need to give Belinelli around 15 minutes a night too.
If you add that all up, it doesn’t really leave much room for Wright. Who is an exceptional player in his own right.
So making him the primary back up behind Hedo (and maybe affording 5 minutes a night to Derozan at SF),
Means we won’t have talented players rotting on the bench. This also gives us many different looks and if these wing players all see minutes, we could mix and match our offensive lines, and find a solution to any teams defense.
So in other words, I don’t think we need a true back up SF…. and if anything, a slashing, defensive minded, 6″7 player who can’t shoot, sounds a hell of lot more like a SF to me than a SG anyways.
This trade is amazing. we now have great players, who all do different things (unlike our bench last year that was stagnant and repetitive), and have minutes for all of them.
Great work, I just hope to the basketball gods that Triano knows what he is doing.
Arse,
You do excluded Belinelli from defensive talent, which makes sense, but if we get to know him, does he make up for that deficiency by becoming our team “a–hole/douchebag” towards opposing teams? He has that look to him to frustrate opposing fans, and OUR TEAM needs that to counter Garnett. + Belinelli has 4 games to play against his potential douche-rival: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAfp6ZCsvGc
I think by giving up Delfino, the Raps are actually giving Marco Belineli that bigger role with the hopes that he can become a major contributor coming off the bench. Hopefully he seizes the opportunity and takes advantage of it. Amir Johnson is a nice addition but I don’t expect too much from him. I think he will be a solid role player, but with a role that is limited
p.s. Calderon cannot create his own shot