David Andersen. The deal is a $2.5M salary dump for Houston, but what does it get the Raptors? Acquiring Andersen for a bench role is plausible but it’s hard to imagine why he’d get minutes ahead of Alabi, a player highly touted by the Raptors.
The deal is made possible by the TPE we received in the Turkoglu-Barbosa trade, and since we also received cash, it’s very likely that a good chunk of his salary is being paid by the Rockets. The pick we shipped off is the one we received in the Hassan “LOL” Adams deal. On paper, we added a backup center who isn’t/shouldn’t be used on a team looking to develop their bigs. Colangelo’s taking the humanistic angle on things:
David is a skilled big that gives us some insurance at the backup centre position. He will also bring a veteran presence and savvy to a relatively young team.”
The skeptic in me says this is much like adding Primoz Brezec without the entertainment value. Unless Alabi is a flop and is sent to the D-League, Andersen’s destined to be the 2010-11 Patrick O’Bryant. And since backup center is an actual need, I’d rather Alabi get in there and get baptized by fire instead of going through the D-League song and dance like Jawai.
A sure positive of adding Andersen is his contract; the Raptors now have $14.71M in expiring contracts – Banks, Evans, Belinelli and Andersen. We’re now in a position to take back a high salary player while providing cap relief for our trading partner. Since we already have a large TPE at our disposal (from the Bosh trade), we have the flexibility of pulling a trade by either providing immediate cap relief or simply absorbing a contract. I’d like to think that Andersen isn’t here to play and that this trade smells of something bigger, but I’m probably wrong.
This is also another foreign/Euroleague-background acquisition: Printezis, Brezec, Garbajosa, Parker, Nesterovic (twice), Delfino, Slokar, Solomon, Bargnani, Jawai, Kleiza, Belinelli, Barbosa, Turkoglu, Andersen…I’m sure I’m missing someone. Make of it what you will.
On to our guest today, it’s Michael Schwartz from Valley of the Suns who discusses Leandro Barbosa’s exit from Phoenix and what’s left of him as a player. We’re also covering what Turkoglu’s been saying in Phoenix, potential Raptors target Louis Amundson, the essentials of playing the “Phoenix style” of basketball, Amir Johnson’s contract, and we compare Andrea Bargnani and Channing Frye amongst other things. You should also check out the neat interview he did with David Berri of Wages of Wins.
Grab the iTunes feed or the plain old feed. You can also download the file (27:44, 9.52MB).
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Summary:
- Barbosa’s problem last year were completely injury-related and he hasn’t lost any of his speed or athleticism. Goran Dragic had simply supplanted him as the backup guard, Dragic was a better defender and purer point guard. The Suns didn’t need him to be a complete sparkplug off the bench anymore and it didn’t make sense for them to pay $7M for someone who they don’t really need.
- Barbosa “missed layups” last year despite being one of the better finishers in the league, the fitness and rhythm just wasn’t there last year and it can be written as a one-off type deal. Has full confidence that Barbosa can go back to full form as at 27 he’s very much in the prime of his career.
- There should be no concern about Barbosa playing increased minutes, he has played 33 minutes a season before and there’s no reason he can’t do it again.
- Barbosa simply cannot run an offense and is not fit to be a starter. He’s a “microwave-type guy” who will come in and look for his own shot, sometimes to a fault. You cannot trust him to run an offense for more than 5-10 minutes a game, he is more of a two-guard and point guard is too heavy of a responsibility for him to bear. The Raptors should minimize his point-guard plays because in his career so far has already shown that he’s not one.
- Barbosa has a lot of experience playing a two-man game and his best weapon is the turn off the high screen. His explosiveness in those situations is excellent and he can exploit a late hedge in no time. The one thing you have to worry about is him trying to get his own game off in a pick ‘n roll and high-screen situation. He can create, but only in those pick ‘n roll situations, nothing more.
- Barbosa cannot guard in one-on-one situations and is not a good team-defender. There is no question about this, Barbosa’s quickness and athleticism might fool one into thinking otherwise but that is simply not the case. He can make some defensive plays in the passing lanes but those are too infrequent to be considered anything. His 6’3″ frame forces him to only play PG on defense.
- Phoenix likes Turkoglu for the same reasons as the Raptors did. The problem of redundancy still exists in Phoenix since they already have Nash, Dragic and Childress so Turkoglu will definitely have to adapt.
- Amundson is a very athletic player, a terrible offensive player and is “a complete energy” guy who battles on defense, but at 6’8″ he is fighting an uphill battle.
- Bargnani and Frye are comparable. Much like Bargnani, Frye is not a great defender but does know his way around offense and is more than just a three-point shooter. Although he lacks the post-game, he knows how to get to the rim from the weak-side when there is another two-man game going on. Although their production is similar, the major difference is in salary – Frye makes $5M and is a certified role player who has met expectations whereas Bargnani is the #1 overall pick making twice the amount. Would still take Bargnani over Frye.
- We talk about the things that make Phoenix the system of choice for the up-tempo game and what a team which is trying to emulate Phoenix should be doing. We mention a PG who is available and perhaps the Raptors should make a play for him.
- Laughed out loud at the Amir Johnson deal but as he read up on the David Berri and his Wins Produced system, Amir Johnson was a fairly decent signing. However, feels that Johnson could have been had at a lower price.
Loading ...
87 Raps
I agree 100% with the comment on Amir’s contract. I love him and i’m glad we kept him but we could’ve easily waited for another team to offer something and then decided how much to over-pay him. There was no way he’d be able to just drop the whole “Young Gunz” thing he has going with Demar & Sonny. Bryan screwed this one up.
Hmm… What if that other team (ahem New Jersey), offered him the 35 Mil? Then Bryan is forced to match it. Amir then says, “Hmmm, Brooklyn, Jay-Z, ok, I’ll sign. Toronto is so foreign to me anyway”. Then what?
uh, if BC matched an offer, then amir can’t decide to go elsewhere. that’s what ‘matching’ means…they match, he stays.
He was not restricted. Where are you getting match from?
I think the idea you’re referring too is for restricted free agents, which Amir was not. So he had the right (like Bosh) to sign elsewhere if he chose to.
and that is why he signed for such a big contract. why is everyone so angry about Amirs contract? sure he’s overpaid, but who isnt in the nba? the raps needed to keep him and that’s what it cost. someone else wouldve offered him the same. the league is riddled with terrible contracts…it’s the nature of the nba (that and diluted talent…lockout anyone?)
i just feel bad about this contract because he even admitted later he was planning on taking a reasonable offer from the Raptors, reasonable which is what HE considered to be in the 25 million range over 5 years…not the 35 million…he just laughed it off and accepted it.
bad move
i wonder how much smaller this inverted pyramid of comments/replies can go…lol :P
Meh, I only asked him that question because I wanted to get an outside take on things from a real fan, not John Hollinger.
His contract is OK, not great. He’s overpaid but I don’t see it crippling our cap flexibility by any means. If he improves by the same amount this year as he did last, he’ll almost be a bargain. I know one thing, effort isn’t a problem with him which is what people tend to worry about once big contracts are handed out (see Vince).
Ed Davis is not gonna start, he’s a rookie who’s progressively going to work himself into a role
the lineup will include either Jarret Jack/Jose Calderon, DeMar DeRozan, Sonny Weems,Andrea Bargnani, and Amir Johnson.
think of Amir Johnson like the Nene situation, they overpaid Nene but he produced nicely the year after. it’s motivation. Amir has upside.
sorry i meant to reply below
My issue with the contract is you drafted Ed Davis and have said you would like to move Bargnani to his natural position (PF) so why do you need Amir? I would have spent that money on a center like Kwame Brown or Louis Amundson or tried to trade for a decent lane clogger maybe Gortat. You are basically paying starter money for a guy you don’t plan to start for the long term. I won’t get started on the foul issues that prevent him from playing starter minutes. His pedigree (late 2nd round) and his development (5 years in the NBA) don’t give us any reason to think he is going to greatly improve. He’s a nice 3rd or 4th big and thats about it.
I always love getting some insight into new players from fans/analysts of the team they came from. Well done Arsenalist. Its good to hear that the injury was most likely a one-off and to get a reality check on Barbosa’s defensive ability. With my limited exposure to Phoenix games, I really thought Barbosa’s speed would make him a better defender. At least THOSE expectations have now been managed. lol.
Alibi would not have to be a flop to go to the D-League. It’s likely in the plan that this guy needs to basketball and that’s where he’ll get to do it. Going the D league as a rookie big, is not a death knell to a career.
+1
if Alabi isnt ready for the nba, then the Dleague will help him and the raptors for the future. if Anderson needs to play some minutes before ALabi is ready, then go nuts. who cares! the raps lost Bosh (not their fault) and they are rebuilding. let them rebuild! just ask the Cavs how much is sucks to lose your superstar.
A lot of Amir bashing. Don’t blame the raptors, blame the T-Wolves and Bucks for throwing out stupid money at Gooden and Milicic. They set the bench mark and Amir reaped the benefits.
As for Andersen? I am not sure where BC is going with this one. Perhaps Alabi is still a bit raw and needs time to improve or…….Andersen is a piece of a trade puzzle coming down the line.
Dont blame the Raps for giving Amir 7 million a year? blame the T-wolves and the Bucks????
Why because they overpaid so we should??? Because they set the market??? No one was going to give Amir anything close to that….
The full MLE on Amir was doubtful…. BC could have had him for 1-2 million less per year…
Amir’s agent just got 40 new clients last week…
BC gets 10 percent commision…
NBA where collusion happens…Ask Lebron/Wade/Bosh and now Amir/BC/Amir’s agent…
I keep asking – why should a basketball fan care how much a player is being paid? The media is just taking some easily accesssible data and spinning it to fabricate a story on slow news days. Ignor it – it has no place in our love of the game or the home team.
BRAVO!Finally somebody …Is it my money? NO! Is it yours? NO! Do the media know what is going on behind the scene? NO! So what do you care!
I was a big fan of this site. My days started with morning coffee and the Republic. Not anymore. It is sad that among all the crap “iknowbetterthanBC” racist and nationalist remarks (lazy fat white, another European…) there is less and less about the game, you can hardly find any constructive comment or criticism. With majority of fans wanting Afro-American (USA) players here (who do not want to be here and stay just while they have to or because they do not have better choices) and making fun and hating non Afro-American (USA) players who want to be here, we will lose this franchise to some USA city. Somebody should start taking care of comments on this site and do some cleaning job so the fat, white fans would not feel bad while visiting this site! ESPN what do you think about this idea?
Because if MLSE spends its money foolishly, like say Isaiah did with the Knicks, it seriously limits the team’s ability to acquire new players. Seeing as the Raptors are in need of good players and none of us are sure we have enough with the current roster, it’s a good thing to have (or, better yet, increase) the financial flexibility the team has so it can add good players.
Considering that the new agreement that the players and league are trying to negotiate for the season after next is probably going to be tighter than the current one, no one wants to see the Raptors completely handcuff themselves by signing a bunch of contracts that make it impossible to add players down the road.
It ain’t my money but, unfortunately sometimes, it is my team.
You’re right about cleaning up the comments section, but buzz off if you think I’m being racist or nationalist by mentioning the foreign players he’s signed of late. It’s odd is what it is and I mentioned it. It’s not like I’m making this shit up.
Thanks SteveB for typing my feelings.
See my response to PhatFarmer (Rap #1).
To a point (eg. the Amir deal) I agree but throwing around above market compensation is inadvisable because there is after all a cap to be reckoned with. Working your team into a cap corner or into luxury tax area has ramifications on the team’s ability to make certain deals or flirt with business losses both problematic to the team’s long term basketball success or possibily it’s marketplace viability.
Has this team ever been backed into a corner or stuck with no options because of payroll? No.
Two months ago, people were up in arms because Toronto was going to lose Bosh for nothing and still be up against the cap with no flexibility to add players. Now, with the S&T of Bosh and the other moves made more recently, the team is stocked up on expiring contracts and still has a ~15M trade exception.
The franchise has gone from no flexibility to more flexibility than most teams in the NBA, and the biggest marked difference in talent level is the loss of Bosh, which was going to happen anyway and may well end up providing more fertile ground to grow an eventual cohesive contender.
I have a lot of concerns about how Colangelo is going to continue the “re-tool” of this team, but one thing that never concerns me with BC at the helm is the ability to make massive changes regardless of payroll.
I was just recently thinking similar thoughts about colangelo. If he has proven anything as a GM, he has proven that he can trade anyone, and keep the Raptors in a financially flexable position. Hedo’s contract was considered amongst many, myself included, to be completely untradable. Wrong. Easy trade. He may not bat 1.000 in picking players that will fit with the Raptors…he probably doesn’t even bat .500, but the big mistakes get dealt.
But he needs to start making the right choices so he’s not always mopping up after his own mistakes. Right now he’s doing some decent work but his past history makes you worry that once he clears out the crap he’s going to screw up and bring in more crap (see Kapono, JO & Turkoglu).
The Raptors wanted to sign Kleiza last year didn’t have the cap space. They wanted to sign Barnes this year didn’t have the cap space. If they had more money availble maybe they could’ve conviced Anthony to follow the money back to Canada (can’t blame him for staying in Miami though). Money isn’t an issue cap space is.
I don’t really see his deal being above market at all, especially after the Gooden/Milicic deals. And it’s not a matter of, “oh look, they paid a lot for those bigs, I should too!”
It’s an indicator that demand for servicable bigs this offseason was greater than supply. If you really want to look at it, outside the big PF free agents, who would you have prefered over Amir? And what does their contract look like?
Amir is a huge upgrade over Gooden and Milicic.
And while we’re at it we should forget about the CBA and the salary cap/tax threshold (like BC did in the Barnes attempt) and eat jelly beans and gumdrops…..
Don’t you want the best for the things your love? Like success?
Everybody still bitching about Amir’s contract. ESPN has him signing a contract closer to $30 million over 5 five years. Not the reported $34 million. Considering his age and upside, that’s seems reasonable to me. Or are people using it as an excuse to bash Colangelo? Raptor fans can complain.
Arsenelist says: “A sure positive of adding Andersen is his contract; the Raptors now have $14.71M in expiring contracts – Banks, Evans, Belinelli and Andersen. We’re now in a position to take back a high salary player while providing cap relief for our trading partner. Since we already have a large TPE at our disposal (from the Bosh trade), we have the flexibility of pulling a trade by either providing immediate cap relief or simply absorbing a contract. I’d like to think that Andersen isn’t here to play and that this trade smells of something bigger,but I’m probably wrong”.
That is a bright light at the end of the tunnel…with the TPE does that give us around $30M to make trades with? I don’t have a great understaning of how contracts or the CBA work (cue the insults), but I’d say with the CBA looming and teams looking to get under the salary cap that Bryan Colangelo might be creating his own “perfect storm” by acquiring $30M in assets.
Just to stoke the fire on possible trade conversations, anyone have a list of teams that are going to be heading into this season over the cap?
For a team over the cap, Colangelo has actually done quite well to give himself options in the trade market. As already mentioned, he’s got two big trades in him, whether he’ll make them remains to be seen. I’d hang on to the TPE till next year and bundle Calderon/Jack/Expirings out for our future PG. You might’ve noticed that I’m in love with quick, fast PGs because they dictate how most team plays (Lakers being an exception). The sooner we address that, the sooner we’ll be back on the path to respectability.
I don’t agree with holding onto the TPE until next year if you mean the off season. The reason being you have exactly 1 year to use it from when you acquired it or you lose it. BC would be limiting his options (cough, Bosh, cough) by waiting until the TPE is almost expired.
Agreed about needing a pg but not sure about the options available going forward on that front.
It seems like there is much uncertainty as to the market for those quick fast pg’s in the league currently. How many of those players are available as there aren’t many of those real game changers around and can a deal centered around Calderon obtain what is needed?
The best option is possibly to look towards the draft as there will be viable, salary controlled options there that you can develop and groom for the style you want to play.
+1
yeah, not likely you’re going to acquire a guard of that calibre through a trade (not going to stop me from keeping my fingers crossed on a mid-season trade for CP3 haha), and the best option is the draft.
Just the Lakers? :P
Quick point guards are just sexy right now, but 1) the Lakers are the reigning two time champs, and 2) if we look at some of the other elite teams: Orlando, Dallas, Utah, Denver, Phoenix, Atlanta, (is Portland elite? lol), etc, etc… I wouldn’t say any of their starting point guards are exceptionally quick.
Good teams with quick point guards? Boston and Houston? I don’t get to see Westbrook play, so he might be quick… but all in all, quick point guards don’t seem to play for winning teams, whatever that means :P
Extrapolate away!
1) Are we absolutely sure David Andersen was acquired using the TPE created from the Turkoglu for Barbosa + Dwayne Jones trade? I could be wrong, but I have that TPE credit at ~$2 mil, but nowhere as high as $2.5 mil.
2) BC has to actively pursue options with the TPE from now until the next off-season. We are not the only team with a big TPE (or expiring contracts for that matter), and that will undoubtedly be used as leverage against us.
“I’m sure I’m missing someone. Make of it what you will.”
The big USA dudes just don’t want to come to TO … soooo obvious.
They are boycotting TO, and only the dregs are here for the money or desperation.
TO has degenerated into a Euro/international destination for bballers.
Canada does not produce bball players for obvious reasons.
Have I missed anything ??!!!
You are so annoying with your repetitive bullshit. The main issue I have with you is that you actually are a pretty good poster when you want to be. Some of your comments from time to time are well-balanced, fair, objective and even insightful, but why you deliberately choose to play the class clown is beyond me.
We get it, Colangelo is forced to play Euros because no North American wants to play in Toronto. You’ve established that point of view very well and nobody will ever mistake you for a Colangelo supporter. But to come on every single day and literally cut and paste the same words over and over again leads me to believe that you’re nothing more than an attention whore. Even that’s acceptable to me, as long as you diversify what you say.
+ 1
ditto +1
I don’t post that often, and when I read comments that are unrealistic, I try to remind folks about the reality of it all … think of it as a reality check and move on instead of registering your angst for all to see.
Here’s the thing FAQ – when you make the same point every week for a month, let alone for what, 2 years, it gets annoying
So basically, people would like you to contribute something new/original/interesting to the conversation, rather than your usual boring, repetitive ramblings
For the last time (since it’s been said thousands of times to you), WE GET IT!
And, I’d never register my “angst for all to see” if you just posted with a REAL email.
Why do people think Amir can’t stay on the floor? Seriously…
His PF/36min last year were 6.3 (slightly below his 6.5 career number).
Therefore, on average, he will play 34 minutes before fouling out. That sounds like about 35 minutes per game to me – and no, I don’t have a problem with him fouling out every other game, especially since it will likely be after he has played 30 minutes at least.
Also, based on his improvement last year from the year before (6.8 to 6.3), and assume he makes a similar leap this year (6.3 to 5.8), then the expected average minutes before fouling out goes up to 37 minutes. And I don’t think you’d expect him to play more than 37 MPG on average would you?
Let hope he will improve. There is that thing called bonus,
so playing defense without fouling is important :)
Let’s also not forget that a run and gun transition game will be difficult to execute off made free throws :P
The Amir debate is interesting. I don’t necearrily think it’s an issue of simply not staying on the floor. I think it’s an issue of not being able to stay on the floor the way he plays the game as he is an aggressive defender (almost too agressive at times) and rebounder.
It’s interesting cause the ESPN pundits who criticize his deal are basing it on his career stats. Those who watched Raptor games last year know he is a valuable piece for a team that lacks in the areas he excels in (rebounding, shot blocking, scoring off few touches).
With his contract however, whether he starts or not, he should be expected to play 30 minutes a game, but if he does start he will have to alter his game as he cannot be as aggresive defensively all of the time otherwise the fouls will pile up. Ref’s don’t give him much love from what I saw last year and he has a tendency to pick up ticky tacks, by reaching or always trying to block shots, which is not a bad thing but he needs to be able to play extended minutes now.
I like Amir, I just hope he is able to find a way to tailor his game where he doesn’t lose his aggresiveness but doesn’t run into foul trouble consistently.
I’m just wondering why you think his fouls will pile up if he increases his minutes? Why would he accumulate fouls faster with more time? His per minute averages are currently such that he CAN play 30 minutes a game.
If anything, playing more minutes will cause him to dial back the aggressiveness a bit, which should mean less fouls.
i’m not sure sleepz was arguing the point you think he was – he was just saying that he’s going to have to lessen his rate of fouling in order to play starter-type minutes. it’s not as simple as looking at per36 #’s and figuring that all he needs to do is foul at a rate that would allow him to play X # of minutes and everything will be peachy. there’s more to it than him staying on the floor – when you foul at a high rate, you put your team into the bonus quicker & give the opposition more opportunities at free points.
your second point about dialing back his aggressiveness is the key – he’ll likely have to to curb his foul rate & play heavier minutes, but will that detract from what makes him a valuable player?
Whether the team can afford the fouls he racks up is an interesting question – each team gets 4 fouls per quarter, and at the rate he racks them up (if we assume his minutes are spread evenly throughout the quarters) he generates 1.5 per quarter. This is not good, but I don’t think it would break a team’s back either, considering what else he brings to the floor.
“your second point about dialing back his aggressiveness is the key – he’ll likely have to to curb his foul rate & play heavier minutes, but will that detract from what makes him a valuable player?”
This is a great point that I have raised before. Amir’s game is more on energy and aggressiveness than his skills.
I be very interested to see how he is going to manage to stay on the floor and how effective he will be if he tones down his aggressiveness.
Good question.
I think it’s less the amount of minutes he is going to play and more the quality of the minutes (playing against starters more often).
I agree with you that with increased minutes he has to dial back the aggresiveness, my only concern is what makes him so effective is that he gets after it and is active, which I love.
Sometimes it’s difficult to temper that type of effort and still get the same results. I want him to continue challangeing shots, grabbing rebs, and getting after loose balls with no discretion.
I fear that he might lose some of that, but I will hold out hope he is able to maintain his play but not pick up fouls.
I’ve made this point before. Just because someone averages 5.9 fouls in X minutes doesn’t mean they can average X minutes per game over 82 games. That only works if his fouls are evenly distributed the same way every single game, which is obviously not realistic. Some games, he’ll be limited to ~10 minutes due to fouls; other games, he’ll be limited to ~36 minutes due to fatigue rather than fouls. You can’t go 58 minutes every time you go 10 minutes just because the numbers say you can average 34 minutes before fouling out. As a prime example, take a look at the league leaders in fouls per game the past 5 seasons. You’ll be hard-pressed to find more than 1 or 2 players with over 4.0 per game, let alone 5.9.
And then there’s the question of efficiency. It’s not a matter of him fouling at a higher rate due to higher minutes; the question is whether he’d play at the same level if he has to watch his fouls. If a baseball analogy will help, it’s not that different from the difference between a starter and a reliever. First, a reliever making the transition to a starting role has to watch his pitch count. This tends to mean throwing more strikes, and less nibbling outside the strike zone. Second, a reliever may only have to face certain hitters, or may only have to face the best hitters once per game. Even if he can handle the pitch count in a starting role, can he handle more exposure to the other team’s best players, who will inevitably adapt?
Unless you are suggesting that he will foul out of HALF has games after only 10 minutes, he doesn’t need to play 58. if he does that only 1 in 6 games, and plays 34 minutes in the others, he is averaging 30 minutes per game.
And if his short games are less extreme (10 minutes, really?) – say at 20 minutes due to foul trouble, and if it was once every four games, instead of 6, he would only need to average 33 minutes per game in the other games to average 30 minutes on the season.
Taking two extremes as the only way to get an average is a fallacy in argument.
Hey, what about Printenzis? Last time I looked his Euroleague numbers seemed Josh Childress-like. Anyone know if he might be coming over for training camp?
I vaguely remember reading that he had signed a multiyear deal (last year) in Spain. I dont think he is flying to high on the Raps radar. They would pretty much have to guarantee him a spot on the team for him to break/buy out his deal there…and signing Kleiza obviously tells the story.
I heard some days ago he could come back to Greece. Yesterday he told he will stay in Málaga (Spain). I don’t think he’s interested in coming to Toronto. Not a bad player, but IMO not what Raps need ;)
hey, he sucks.
Enjoy Turkolu Phoenix, I felt he mastered his own version of the pick and roll during his short tenure here. He picked his spots at his leisure and rolled over when the game was on the line.
My main worry with Barbosa is that he is a straight chucker and if paired with Weems I don’t know if the other 3 guys on the floor will ever touch the ball.
Anyone else think the suns and the raptors are going to have similar records next year?
Nope. I aint ready to bet against a Nash team just yet.
Nash only plays 30 minutes a game, is strictly a one way player and is now without his main assist guy. I’m a huge Nash guy, but he’s 36 with a bad back and his 2nd and 3rd best guys are Jrich and Turk. I see him getting shopped before xmas as I think the Suns are going to be living in the drudges of the western conference.
I really don’t think your giving enough credit to the further development of Goran under the wing of Nash.
Great as Usual Aresenalist
I don’t know about your schedule and other RR personnel these days, but is it possible to do another one of your Weekly PodCast soon and evaluate the summer and … It has been such a long time since the last one and I really miss it.
Now, as far as Amir goes, I think it has been discussed to death already and I think the NBA community thinks he is over paid and …
But what worried me today after listening to this PodCast was Barbosa’s defense and his inability to run an offense.
I don’t know about you guys but that scares the Heck out of me.
Who are we going to play him with ?
for real, another guard with some suspect D…let’s hope the coaching staff can improve the overall team defense this year.
Can we all at least remind ourselves that the point of getting Barbosa has nothing to actually do with Barbosa? An old warf post with barnacles that also smells funny would be a dramatic upgrade over Turk… and last time I checked, those don’t play defense and can’t run an offense either.
For me the main point right now aren’t the players, is the staff. Are Triano and company able to stablish a good system once for all? Those kida would make a decent season if they are well coached I think…At least a season that doesn’t shame us…
If the Raptors didn’t resign Amir to the deal they did. Would they have been under the cap and then not allowed to use the mid level exception?
No, nowhere near. Due to cap hold for Bosh then cap hold for Bosh TPE, as well as various other cap holds, including the cap hold for the MLE itself, the Raps would still be more than 10 million over the cap.
As of now Andersen fills in for Rasho not POB. That project bench spot is for Alabi and/or Dorsey.
Anybody watch a few Phx games in a row and pay attention ?
When you win 125 to 118 over and over again no one ever talks about your defense .. comeon Young Gunz, run and gun all you want, winning is the most important thing AND if you don’t win then be at least entertaining. Guess what folks, I think this is what we got this year, so enjoy.
As for Amir, I’d rather overpay for a) someone that works hard, and b) someone that wants to be here in the first place .. check out the hat #1: http://amirjohnson.com and the guy is actually hanging out with DD and Sonny in TO in the off-season WOW Toronto basketball fans, we have 3 players that like it here … amazing.
The future:
1) BC has expiring contracts worth 14+ mill;
2) BC has the TPE to use up or lose it before the end of the year worth 14+ mill;
3) BC has 2 first round picks for the 2011 draft.
Comeon doesn’t that excite you at least a little bit for 2011/ 2012/ or 2013 ? I just saying, I think FA is over and I’m ready to go … we got what we got. (… for now)
I agree. I’m more excited of future possibilities with the flexibility that BC has acquired this summer. And in the meantime, I can watch how the young guys develop. It’s so much easier to cheer for guys whom you know (and show it) want to be here, specially when everyone else over the border thinks this country is so different from theirs, and often not really in a good way.
I realize there’s been a lot of hysterical negativity about BC’s recent moves but let’s all remember what he did with a bunch of cap space and draft picks last time around. It wasn’t pretty.
+1
whoops, that was meant for G Man’s comment #16
will they resign POB?
Ummm…. no.
Jose Claderon, Pops-Mensah Bansu, and Roko Ukic are other international players
True!…and I still believe Roko could have become a good NBA player…:/
are you kidding me???
Considering the addition of Andersen improves us from a 22 win team to a 23 win team and we’re hardly paying anything for him, the criticism this deal seems to be getting is, to my mind, largely unwarranted.
Leandro Barbosa cannot and will not become a good defender, no matter how quick he is and how long his arms are. And if he’s anywhere near as good as he was 2 years ago, I’m really excited. He’s always been one of my favorite players to watch in the NBA.
Channing Frye is nowhere near as good as Bargnani, both are role players but Andrea is still capable of great games more often. If they were picked at the same position, Bargnani would be considered a great pickup. Frye benefited from Steve Nash’s presence and he definitly plays harder more consistently than Bargs, but Bargs is still better.
Off seasons are brutal.
So true
Rockets fan here.
Andersen got a bit of a bum rap in Houston because he’s really a PF and we wanted a true C when Yao was announced out for yr.
Like most Euro-trained players he struggled early w/foul trouble.(Hi-low?-light was committing 3 straight And-1 fouls. 3 straight!)
As season progressed he started learning how not to commit as many fouls and stretched his jumper out to NBA 3pt range. Then he tweaked his back,the Rockets made their McGrady trade and Adelman wanted to see what the new guys could do and there was no urgency in getting Andersen back on the floor.
He is very soft,not fighting for rebounds but will get the ones that come to him. He doesn’t get physical on D,doesn’t block shots and hasn’t figured out how to sell the flop.
But on offense he’s got a pretty reliable jumper,a solid turn-around J in the low post,and despite an odd looking shot,is getting comfortable at the 3pt line. He does not go strong to the rim,will fake and take fade-away shots even when right at the rim-PO’ing me no end-he’d get excellent position and throw away a dunk for a turn-around fade-away 5ft jumper.
Dave is a decent fourth big,esp if teamed w/a big who can rebound and provide weak-side help. His offense is just enough to offset his defensive liabilities. But he is a PF,not a C.
well, that’s a relief. for a second, i thought BC might have actually filled a need.
at this point, i don’t think many raptor fans are giving too much thought to what he can/can’t do on the court. all we hear is that BC’s acquired another jump-shooting int’l big with suspect D/rebounding, and we roll our collective eyes, with a few saying, ‘hey, what’s the fuss, we got him for nothing!!’
Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani was the team’s second option last season, but figures to have a more prominent role with Chris Bosh gone.
“For sure he leaves a big hole because he’s a very good player. We’re going to miss him because he’s an All-Star,” Bargnani told HoopsHype.
“Playing with him makes it easier for everybody, but we gotta play and it’s an opportunity for me and other players to step up and to do something more.”
With Toronto needing him to take the next step, Bargnani feels as though he’s capable.
“I got better every year. You cannot ask more than that. But you always want more, so I’m not satisfied. I mean, I’m satisfied with my career, but I don’t feel like I’ve arrived. I feel like I have to keep working and do much more than what I’ve done.”
Read more: http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/68442/20100730/bargnani_views_boshs_departure_as_an_opportunity/#ixzz0vBDaCo3e