Lowry, 26, is a favourite of Raptors head coach Dwane Casey and only became available because he bristled with the way he was handled by Rockets coach Kevin McHale.

His contract has two years remaining at $5.75 and $6.21 million U.S., making Lowry one of the best bargains in the NBA.

An elite defender and rebounder for his position, Lowry also averaged 14.3 points and 6.6 assists last season. He gets to the line often thanks to his aggressive approach (and converted 86.4% of his free throw attempts last season) and also has worked to become a strong three-point shooter (37.4% and 37.6% the past two seasons).

In 38 starts in 2011-12, Lowry averaged 15.9 points, 7.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

The guard puts constant pressure on opponents at both ends.

He is also close with Raptors scout Alvin Williams, another Philadelphia native who played college ball at Villanova.

Lowry will become the leader of the club both on and off the court. His fiery personality and dogged competitiveness makes him the obvious choice to be the guy Casey hands the reins to.

Toronto Star

It’s unclear what the move means for either incumbent starter Jose Calderon or backup Jerryd Bayless.

The Raptors don’t necessarily have to use the amnesty clause on Calderon to get the money to assume Lowry’s contract. There are other options and the league’s final cap and tax numbers won’t be known until July 10, and they would be a contrasting duo at starter and backup. Bayless has a one-year qualifying offer of just over $4 million from Toronto as a restricted free agent but has yet to attract any public interest on the free-agent market.

But barring any other trades, the Raptors will have to free up some cap space via amnesty if they are going to continue their pursuit of a small forward.

Toronto Star

Look, we’ll never know how serious he was about listening to Toronto’s pitch (his agent, Bill Duffy said after the fact he’d have been okay with either Toronto or New York but I’m skeptical) but doesn’t it really matter?

The Raptors saw what they thought they wanted and went after it. You can’t blame GM Bryan Colangelo for trying, can you? Guy gave it his best shot, loaded an offer financially, made it all glitzy and sweet and was told no. What’s wrong with that? That’s his fault?

It’s not a repudiation of Canada — that’s so trite it should be dismissed out of hand; it’s not a repudiation of Toronto — 100 NBA free agents given the choice of the Lakers team and this Raptors team would take this Lakers team 100 times; if anything, it’s a repudiation of a team that’s been out of the playoffs for four years and needs to get closer to respectability before it can make a bold move like this.

No, you can’t blame a GM for trying; perhaps the only thing you can do is think, ‘okay, what’s next?’ And seeing how little has worked out of late, that’s fair comment. The pressure’s on him to do something to make the team better, a big trade most likely since the free agent market’s really limited right now but that’s to discuss here later today because I have to have something to do with my day.

Globe and Mail

His friends among the chattering classes will challenge suggestions that Captain Canada needs to be busted down a rank for turning his back on the Raptors, and it’s true that Nash was within his rights in making the choice. Still, you’d think he’d be above the tired “I just wanna be close to the kids” line. Spare us.

Stay with the Suns, then. Or buy some first-class plane tickets or share of an executive jet. You’re on the road half the season, for pete’s sake. Better yet, if geography was an issue, why not tell the Raptors immediately instead of waiting four days? Was some seismic event going to shift Toronto closer to Phoenix during that time? And what about the recent interview where he said: “The truth is, I’m a bit old school. For me, it would be hard to put on a Lakers jersey.”

Nash is old school. He played the contractual bait and switch like a virtuoso. He knew the Raptors had no choice but to court him, and used that to establish the parameters for any serious suitor. Nobody was going to match the $36-million (U.S.) guaranteed by the Raptors. But somebody would, as it turned out, match the three-year guarantee.

Meanwhile, Brand Nash is taken care of in Canada through his charity work as general manager of Basketball Canada. This wasn’t LeBron James and The Decision, but the ramifications for the Raptors will cut just as deep. At least Nash didn’t hire Jim Gray to be his lapdog. My guess is Gray was probably busy.

National Post

Lowry will not be a licence for MLSE to print money, as the acquisition of Nash would have been. However, he has far more upside than Nash in that he is just 26 and is being paid less than US$12-million over the next two seasons. It would have required almost 50% more annually, plus another season to obtain Nash, although the Raptors would have been able to keep the draft pick. Depending on ensuing moves, the Raptors could have significant financial flexibility starting next season.

Nash would have been a stopgap, albeit an attractive one for reasons impacting profitability and relevance. Lowry could be a long-term solution. Lowry had a very nice year last season, averaging 14.3 points and 6.6 assists per game. Before the all-star break, he averaged 15.6 points and 7.6 assists per game, making him a borderline all-star. His advanced statistics suggest he is one of the 10 to 12 best point guards in the league. However, he missed 15 games in March and April because of a bacterial infection and eventually lost his starting spot to Goran Dragic. Dragic signed with Phoenix on late Wednesday to replace Nash there.

National Post

2. NBA players don’t like Toronto: In fact, Toronto is frequently mentioned as one of the favourite cities of many NBA players. For one, Milwaukee Bucks point guard and Los Angeles native Brandon Jennings: “I just love the city of Toronto, man. It’s a great city. The people are great here. There’s always something to do. It’s a great city.” Meanwhile, Raptors restricted free agent Jerryd Bayless is looking into buying a home in Toronto, regardless of whether he comes back to the Raptors next year: “Some of my closest friends are here. They’ve shown me, and I’ve fallen in love with it. I want to make it my home.”

3. The Raptors will always be as unattractive as they are now: The Bulls have been the best regular season team in the Eastern Conference for two years. How did they do it? Not by making a bunch of free agent signings and spending themselves into contention. In 2007, the Bulls landed Joakim Noah in the draft. In 2008, the Bulls landed Derrick Rose with the first-overall pick in the draft. In the 2009 playoffs, the Bulls pushed the Celtics to seven games in an entertaining first-round series. In 2010, the Bulls then hired Tom Thibodeau to coach and had enough in place to get Carlos Boozer (who has been a disappointment, by the way) to come to Chicago. In that order, that is how they became good. After Michael Jordan retired, the Bulls struck out repeatedly in free agency, missing out on Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill, among others. Does anyone want to argue that Chicago is not a desirable city? There are only a handful of teams that will consistently be able to draw free agents: the Lakers, Knicks and Heat. Recently, the Nets and Clippers were able to encourage star players to force trades to them (and Brooklyn has still failed to land Dwight Howard). In both cases, they already had one star in place (Deron Williams, Blake Griffin). Everybody else has to do it the same way: by drafting well, trading well, hiring good coaches and getting really lucky. The Raptors have never been good enough for long enough (one playoff series victory in 17 years) to jump to the above conclusion. Saying that they have is a self-pitying lie.

HoopsWorld

While the Raptors committed salaries for next season place them approximately $17 million under the salary cap, the team has salary cap holds in excess of that space. However, by renouncing their rights to all of their free agents except Jerryd Bayless and Sonny Weems, the Raptors can complete the trade for Lowry now. If Bayless is re-signed at a number close to his qualifying offer before the offer sheet to Fields is issued, the Raptors should not have to complete any further moves to accommodate both transactions.

The acquisition of Lowry has bigger implications than just those related to the salary cap.

The Raptors’ starting point guard for the past five seasons, Jose Calderon has one year remaining at $10.56 million on his current contract. The 30-year-old Spanish guard makes no secret of the fact he likes living in Toronto during the season and last year the veteran made a solid impression on new Head coach Dwane Casey. A true pass-first guard, Calderon owns the Raptors record of 3,487 career assists and has been a terrific three-pointer shooter and outstanding from the free throw line, leading the NBA in 2008-2009 at 98.1 percent. Unfortunately, injuries held Calderon to 68 games played in the three seasons before the lockout and a lack of lateral foot speed and athleticism has held him back at the defensive end. It is well known that Colangelo has been trying to trade Calderon for the past two years.

Sports Illustrated

And now we have the Raptors, fresh off vaulting from league-worst to league-average in points allowed per possession on defense after just one season beneath defensive whiz Dwane Casey. Lowry’s defense took a step back last season, but when healthy and engaged, he’s in the conversation for the league’s best point guard defender. Jonas Valanciunas, last year’s No. 5 pick, will be around this season to beef up a skinny big man rotation. The Raptors are stuck overpaying Landry Fields, but don’t be shocked if he begins the season as Toronto’s starting small forward. That’s a position at which his lack of elite speed shouldn’t be quite as damaging as it would be at shooting guard.

This Toronto team is going to defend. It won’t do it at a top-five level until one of the bigs emerges as a real difference-maker, but it’ll work hard, scheme well and make life difficult for opponents every night. The Raptors’ offense was a disaster last season, falling all the way to 29th in points per possession. But it actually scored at an average rate when Andrea Bargnani was on the floor, and at the start the year (before a calf injury), Bargnani was more active defensively and on the glass for Casey than he had been for Jay Triano. The Raptors don’t have to amnesty Jose Calderon to acquire both Fields and Lowry, and Calderon will serve as perhaps the league’s best backup point guard — and a tasty trade chip on an expiring contract.

Not using amnesty on Calderon is big, since the Raptors would still have it to potentially use on Amir Johnson or Linas Kleiza next summer. Slicing either player off the Raptors’ cap sheet would get Toronto very close to max-level cap room, especially if the cap level increases a notch as expected. Even if the franchise decide to keep both, the Raptors could still come in a hair under the cap, even factoring in relatively pricey cap holds for DeMar DeRozan and James Johnson, both of whom will enter restricted free agency a year from now. Those charges take Toronto close enough to the cap that it would be easy for it go over and pursue a strategy using the full mid-level exception.

In other words: The Raptors are super-flexible, even after adding Lowry’s salary — more flexible than they would have been paying double for Nash. They’ll regret the Fields contract, and they’ll miss that lottery pick, even if it has some protections in both directions. (The protections are complex, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. For instance: The Rockets get the pick next year if it falls between No. 4 and No. 14, but the Raptors keep it otherwise. In 2014, the Rockets get the pick if it falls between No. 3 and No. 14).

The Great Mambino

Lowry will fit in great in Toronto.  Head coach Dwane Casey, the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Mavericks’ championship team in 2010, greatly revamped the Raptors defense last season, and will greatly enjoy finding ways to use Lowry to harass the opposing point guard.
For Houston, on the other hand, this trade marks what is looking more and more like a slow death march towards irrelevancy and the firing of Daryl Morey and his asset accumulation plan.  Until that day, Houston fans will have to root for more future first round picks and continue to cross their fingers that one day, someday soon, a Disgruntled Superstar will demand a trade and the GM assigned the task of trading Disgruntled Superstar will take a look at the Rockets roster and think to himself, “Wow, a bunch of assets I really could use to jumpstart the rebuilding.”

Vancouver Sun

If the Raptors had been battling the Bobcats or the Timberwolves they would have had a good chance at getting Nash, but to be a Laker and take one last shot at a crown, well that’s just too much for an aging hall of famer to pass up. Gary Payton couldn’t pass it up and neither could Karl Malone—though neither experienced a championship and retired without having won a title. Nash has long said that winning a title would not be the sole purpose for his choice and he was true to his words—though he does get to shoot for that title. The man has a big cake and gets to eat it too.

So what of the Raptors in the aftermath of their aggressive play?  To assume that the organization, after one complete season of doing nothing other than planning for this moment, had only Plan A up its sleeve would be to assume that the inmates are running the asylum. Would they really have offered Landry Fields such an exorbitant contract if they were not chasing Nash? Of course not. But the possibility had to exist that they would not sign Nash—it was more of a probability when competing with the big boys. So the Raptors had to know they might get stuck with the Fields’ contract and without Nash. They had to know there was a great possibility of not only that happening but that the Knicks would not match and suddenly the Raptors would have to pay a rotation player $20 million. What if that happens?

With Fields the Raptors have added another hard working and talented player to the roster who fits in with the new team’s new direction. Fields is a do the dirty work type of player—in a junkyard dog style and will be appreciated by the hard working Raptor faithful. And being a perennial underachiever that hasn’t sniffed the playoffs in four years the likelihood of signing anyone of greater importance or talent is remote, the better likelihood is that the Raptors add a piece through free agency and add a bigger piece through trade.

Yahoo

"Thanks for nothing Steve,” was one comment posted on Rogers Sportsnet. "Nice message to send other free agents when our Canadian superstar does not even want to be in Toronto.”
Please. Give your head a shake.
Nash could have chased the money and gone for one last big cash grab. Instead the 38-year-old point guard turned down the reported $36-million, three-year offer from the Raptors and took a three-year, $27-million contract from the Lakers. To make the sign-and-trade deal work, the Suns received four draft picks.
"Steve Nash will make the Lakers a championship contender,” former Laker great Magic Johnson said in a tweet. "His passing ability will make all the Lakers better including their big 3.”
When Nash agreed to become general manager of Canada’s senior men’s basketball team many people believed it was his first step to returning to Canada. That might make sense if there still was an NBA team in Vancouver, but what exactly did Nash owe Toronto? He grew up in Victoria and played his college basketball in Santa Clara. A huge soccer fan, he is part owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer.

Liberty Ballers

From TSN’s Canadian Person Aaron Bronsteter there are some "unconfirmed rumblings" that Toronto has offered the expiring contract of Jose Calderon, Ed Davis, and DeMar DeRozan (both 23 at the start of next season) in exchange for Andre Iguodala and Nikola Vucevic. Calderon would be lovely behind Jrue Holiday for a season and not hurt the cap in any way. Davis regressed a bit in his second season as a pro, but can still rebound the ball at both ends and play a little bit of D.

 

DeRozan is a different story. Didn’t like him out of school (USC), warmed on him after his rookie year, but as his usage has gone up, his efficiency has gone down. He shot a mostly-empty 42.2% from the field last season, failing to find an outside shot to supplement his pretty solid midrange game. He doesn’t rebound, doesn’t pass, and so far, hasn’t defended. That’s a lot of "doesn’t's", which is concerning, even though he’s still currently 22. He wouldn’t "fit" with Jrue or Evan Turner either.

My initial reaction was of the DO IT PLEASE variety, mostly because I don’t know that they’ll be able to get any better offers and at the very least, you pick up a guy who I feel like could be a starting 4 on a legitimate club. Plus, the deal would make them worse in the short term and get a few more lotto picks in town. But a few Twitter conversations later, and the DeRozan regressions are more concerning, and I’m hoping they at least find a way to get a first rounder in return for Dre.

The Score

DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross might have the potential to solidify one of the wing positions going forward. The combination of Andrea Bargnani plus one of Ed Davis or Amir Johnson probably have one more season to show us if they hold the key at the power forward position. Regardless of whether it’s from internal improvement or external upgrades, the Raptors will obviously need to get better at the wings and at the four-spot.
Other than that, a decision will need to be made at backup point guard and at centre, where the team will need a reliable yet inexpensive option to help smooth Valanciunas’ transition into a full time starter.
I’m as big a Jerryd Bayless supporter as you’ll find, and the presence of Bayless, who has put up very impressive numbers when given extended minutes, was the reason I thought it would be incredibly short-sighted to overpay for Goran Dragic or sell the farm for Lowry. Unfortunately for Jerryd, he and Lowry play similar styles at the point, and Jose Calderon’s game probably compliments Lowry’s much better than Bayless’ would. On that note, Bayless may be the odd man out, leaving a pretty good point guard combination of Lowry and Calderon for 2012-2013. Plus, Calderon has to have some value as a large expiring contract who can efficiently run an offence, so if anything, the Raptors can probably get something for him in the middle of next season.
If the Raptors brass believes Valanciunas can play 20-plus minutes per night immediately, then I would be more than open to the prospect of re-signing Aaron Gray to a team-friendly contract and having him fill in at centre, with one of Amir or Davis filling the extra minutes at the five-spot. If they don’t feel Valanciunas is ready for heavy minutes, it could be quite the scramble at centre.

Sportsnet

Sometimes Plan B is the better route to success though.

Yes, Nash is a special talent that would have sold tickets at an astronomical rate and possibly transformed Toronto into a playoff team but he is in the twilight of a stellar career and is the cherry on the top for a team that is looking to contend for a title. He is not a piece of the puzzle for a team trying to climb into the upper echelon of the NBA.

At 26, Lowry is exactly what the Raptors were hoping to add to the team when last season ended. The team wanted a young veteran who would meld with a rapidly-developing core of youngsters. Pair Lowry with Jonas Valanciunas, Andrea Bargnani, Ed Davis, Terrence Ross and DeMar DeRozan and you have a pretty impressive group of youngsters to thrown on the floor.

In his first season in the Big Smoke, coach Dwane Casey changed the culture in Toronto, transforming a team that was woeful on its own end of the floor into a squad that moved into the middle of the pack defensively. Nash is not exactly known as a defensive stopper (more like a turnstile) but Lowry is a gritty one-on-one defender and he will only help move the team to the next level when they are looking to protect their own basket. And the grit is also a big factor as this is a team that is a tad soft at times.

Lowry’s contract will pay him just under $12 million over the next two seasons less than the salary that Nash was reportedly offered per season by the Raptors. (And the team may have been considering upping that to as an enticement to Nash prior to his decision to move to the Los Angeles Lakers.) Of course the addition of a new starting point guard creates another problem for the Raptors. What do they do with Jose Calderon?

The Spaniard has been a solid team player and role model for all of these youngsters during his time in Toronto and is a fairly strong player in his own right. His ability to take care of the ball is second to none – his assist to turnover ratio of xx was especially impressive last season when you looked at some of the players the Raptors threw onto the floor.

Odds are, the classy Calderon would be willing to move to a back-up role for the Raptors if that is what the team requested but with a salary of $10 million next season, that would is quite the payout for a player who is not a starter.

As for the Raptors: As I wrote last week, adding Nash (and Fields) would make them legitimate playoff contenders in the East. Coach Dwane Casey will keep this defense improving, and the combination of Nash and a healthy Andrea Bargnani would lift to average or better an offense that ranked 28th in points per possession last season. Nash’s last two Suns teams, relatively bereft of talent, ranked in the top 10 in points per possession and scored at a top-three rate when he was on the floor. The man is that good, and the Raptors’ offense, as bad as it was overall, scored at a league-average rate with Bargnani in the game. Even Fields shot much better overall when playing with Lin, suggesting that he might be at least a usable offensive player with a point guard who can find him on cuts.

But it’s fair to ask if the Raptors are going a bit overboard with the Nash chase when you consider how it might compromise their cap room next summer. Adding Nash and Fields at these prices would give Toronto about $50 million in committed salary for 2013-2014, not including DeRozan’s cap hold, which would wipe out the bulk of the remaining cap space. Heck, Fields, Nash, Bargnani and power forward Amir Johnson could make $40 million combined in 2014-15, before even considering DeRozan, incoming rookie center Jonas Valanciunas and the other players on rookie deals.

The Raptors do not have much of a record of attracting top free agents, so perhaps this is a reasonable way to trade in cap space ahead of time — similar to what the Wizards did in acquiring Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor from the Hornets last month. But flexibility is nice to have, and the Raptors are approaching the line at which they are compromising too much of theirs.

National Post

The offer for Fields, a restricted free agent, is a back-loaded overpay, no matter how much coach Dwane Casey is said to like the offensively limited wing player. But it makes it much more difficult for the Knicks to acquire Nash in a sign-and-trade; now they would have to surrender promising young guard Iman Shumpert, while also matching Houston’s reported backloaded offer to point guard Jeremy Lin. Nash has a home in New York, and his post-career filmmaking aspirations could get a boost there. He should be smart enough to avoid the North Korean capitalist snakepit that is Madison Square Garden — there are no happily ever afters there — but just in case, Colangelo threw a bomb.

This is the Bryan Colangelo who engineered brilliantly structured trades to get Tyson Chandler (only to see Michael Jordan cancel it at the last minute, which turned out to be a huge reason Dallas won an NBA championship in 2011) and Hedo Turkoglu (let’s move on); this is the man who wasn’t afraid to deal for Jermaine O’Neal (let’s move on), and trade him for Shawn Marion (which turned out to be a huge reason Miami won an NBA championship in 2012). For better or worse, he’s back.

Toronto Star

Fields, 24, is no bum and has been linked to the Raptors, at least quietly, since before the league’s free agency period began on Sunday.

He is coming off a bad second season in New York — he shot 26 per cent from three-point range and a miserable 56 per cent from the free throw line — but the Raptors have paid scant attention to those numbers given the system Fields played under and the teammates he played with.

They feel in a more free-flowing, ball-moving offence — precisely what New York did not run with Carmelo Anthony for most of last season — that Fields can thrive. The Stanford graduate shot 39 per cent from three-point range, 50 per cent from the field and 77 per cent from the free throw line as a rookie.

He’s not as bad as he was last year or as good as he was early in his rookie season but his offensive production, coupled with tenacious defence, should make him a favourite of coach Dwane Casey. And since Toronto’s small forwards right now are James Johnson and Linas Kleiza, neither of whom has ever set the NBA on fire, Fields can’t hurt.

The Fields offer sheet is also the first concrete move the Raptors have made since NBA free agency began. They still have work to do — they may need to add a backup point guard depending on what happens with Nash, Jose Calderon and restricted free agent Jerryd Bayless — and they may want a fallback position in case the Knicks match the Fields offer.

Toronto Star

In Nash, the Raptors would not only add a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and eight-time all-star, but a member of the Order of Canada and the newly-minted general manager of Canada’s men’s basketball team.

Should Nash, 38, sign with the Raptors, his well-established star value and stature as a local hero would almost certainly generate renewed interest the Raptors franchise.

“There are certain people in the marketplace that will all of a sudden start to watch basketball or buy a jersey because Nash is on the Raptors that would not have otherwise,” said Norman O’Reilly, a University of Ottawa sports business professor.

The Raptors reportedly offered Nash a three-year, $36 million (U.S.) contract earlier this week, but face competition from the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.

The storyline — Western Canadian boy comes home to the Raptors — would likely pique interest nationwide, drawing viewers coast-to-coast and serving as a tourism boost for the city, said Chris Gibbs, a Ryerson tourism professor who specializes in professional sports.

“From a merchandizing perspective, he’s a huge star,” he said. “Sales will go through the roof. More people may consider a stop in Toronto because they’re a basketball fan of Steve Nash.”

Indeed, “one would think that (Nash’s) addition to the lineup would encourage people from outside the region coming into the city to attend a game to stay overnight,” said Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance CEO Rick Traer.

Between the 2006-07 and 2010-11 seasons, Nash, then a member of the Phoenix Suns, played five regular season games in Toronto. The ACC reached capacity three times, with only one game – a 113-94 Suns victory on Nov. 29, 2009 – drawing less than the Raptors’ average home attendance that season.

Fox19

A source confirms to FOX19 Tu Holloway will play for the Toronto Raptors summer team starting July 13th.

Holloway worked out for several NBA teams, but was not picked in the 2012 NBA draft in June.

Holloway finished his career at Xavier 6th on the school’s all-time scoring list.

Huffington Post

There are clearly many reasons for you to sign in Toronto, but if, for whatever reason, you decide to sign with Miami, tell Bosh it’s not that we are angry with him, it’s that we are "disappointed." Tell him maybe we said some things we didn’t really mean when we were emotional and maybe one day it would be great to grab a coffee with him and catch up a little. Actually don’t tell him we said anything, unless he asks about us, do you think he will ask about us? If you go to Dallas tell Vince Carter he’s terrible, any team he ever plays for is terrible, and that we are glad he is gone, and maybe give him a shove or something so he knows we are serious. Hate Vince Carter.

I think you will sign with Toronto however, because while life may be full of tough choices, this isn’t one of them. You could "Karl Malone" your career by signing with a contender or you could solidify your position as a national hero, help the Raptors sell out every game and drive up the popularity of your sport all across Canada.

Raptors fans will cheer for you anyway, but signing in Toronto would give them the chance to cheer for you in person 41 games a year instead of once or twice.

NBA.com

Nash is mulling offers from the Raptors, who reportedly have a three-year, $36 million deal on the table, and the Knicks, who only have the $3 million exception to offer as well.
A source said Tuesday that Nash is allowing the Knicks time to try and create a sign-and-trade deal that would be palatable for Phoenix — and also get Nash a higher annual salary. But the Raptors put a crimp in New York’s plans Tuesday when they reached a verbal agreement with restricted free agent guard Landry Fields on an offer sheet worth $20 million for three years.
Fields was one of the players the Knicks had hoped to include in a potential sign and trade with the Suns. But the league’s rules prohibit a team from trading a player who has signed an offer sheet as part of a sign-and-trade deal.
The Mavericks are also looking at Nash, who left Dallas as a free agent in 2004 for Phoenix, after Nets free agent guard Deron Williams opted to remain in Brooklyn on Tuesday. But the Mavericks, according to a league source, have other possibilities if they can’t get Nash, including Clippers free agent Randy Foye, and Aaron Brooks, who played last season in China.
Because Brooks, who had played most recently in Phoenix in the NBA, wasn’t on the Suns’ roster at the end of last season, he can’t be used by the Suns as part of any sign-and-trade deal.

Toronto Sun

Fields is a strong defender, but the deal guarantees a lot of money for a player who only averaged 8.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and shot just 25.6% from three-point range and 56.2% from the free throw line as a sophomore, but if it results in a Nash signing, it will be worth it.

The Raptors desperately need Nash for a host of reasons discussed in this space over the past week.

If Fields can return to his rookie form (9.7 points, 6.4 rebounds per game, 39.3% shooting from outside, 76.9% from the line), nobody will be complaining about his contract either and he’ll be a fine complement to Nash.

Fields struggled after the Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony and is far better suited to a fast-paced offence — like the one Nash directs — than the ball-stopping one favoured by Anthony.

Last February, with Anthony out for most of the month due to injury, Fields bumped his averages up to 10.5 points and 5.2 rebounds on 47.8% shooting from the field in 15 games.

His three-point stroke improved in April (33%) and Fields played well against the eventual champion Miami Heat in the playoffs, starting four of five games.

The Raptors expect Fields to start at small forward, with rookie Terrence Ross backing up both Fields and DeMar DeRozan.

The Raptors were not comfortable with both the dollar and term commitments necessary to land higher-profile small forward targets like Nic Batum and Gerald Wallace and have long been high on Fields, who resembles Oklahoma City’s Thabo Sefolosha in both frame and game.

Pro Basketball Talk

Fields is a solid two-way player who can give the Raptors 25 to 30 quality minutes a night, especially if he feels comfortable in the system. He had a better rookie season in New York, especially when the focus of the offense was Amare Stoudemire, but he struggled to adapt to the Carmelo Anthony Knicks. He would play well next to a strong point guard. His impact lessened as the season wore on and the Knicks became ‘Melo centric. In a new setting he could give more than the 8.8 points per game he averaged last year.

Sports Illustrated

With Williams off the market, a source with knowledge of the Mavericks’ plans said Nash is now the team’s top priority among the available point guards. While it’s not known how much owner Mark Cuban will be willing to spend on the player he let slip away back in 2004, Dallas is clearly the greatest threat to Toronto’s aggressive pitch to land the two-time MVP.
After making an offer to Nash on Sunday that sources said was for three years and $36 million, Raptors officials were feeling even more confident after they appeared to successfully railroad the Knicks’ bid for Nash. By agreeing to a three-year, $20 million offer sheet with Knicks restricted free agent shooting guard Landry Fields, the Raptors took away New York’s ability to use Fields in a possible sign-and-trade deal with Phoenix that would have allowed them to pay Nash more than their mini midlevel exception (three years, combined $9 million max).
The sign-and-trade possibilities aren’t entirely dead, though. Sources said the Suns would be interested in a sign-and-trade deal that would include Knicks guard Iman Shumpert and other expiring deals that would net Nash a hefty salary. But the 22-year-old defensive specialist has no shortage of fans within the Knicks’ organization, and any such move would likely be driven by owner James Dolan’s desire to pair a star like Nash with Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler for a championship run. Still, Nash to the Knicks seems unlikely at the moment.

Brewing Big Dreams

Steve Nash is probably one of the most well known NBA players out there and the best part about it is, that he is Canadian. The man, a whopping 38 years old, still plays with the young guns at an unbelievable level. He’s an incredible NBA player but more importantly, he is an AMAZING role model.

Now this all being said, Steve Nash coming to the Raptors would boost sales like crazy. I’ve already talked to my friend and we both agree we would buy jersey’s right away. But what will happen if he says no? The impact could be a lot worse than led on. If the Raptors don’t start stepping up their game (and making it to playoffs, much like their roommates the TML’s) we could see a major hit to the organization. Will Raptors basketball even continue down the road? Can we see the franchise being sold much like the Vancouver Grizzlies? So much is dependant on this deal!

I, for one, would love to see Nash come to the Raptors. He would be a leader, a huge impact, for the Raptors next season. And yes, I would fly back from Vancouver to see at least ONE game.

SportsNet

Fields isn’t worth $20-million over three years, not even close.

He’s an interesting and clever player who will add some potential to the Raptors wing rotation, but his primary value to Colangelo is that he was rumoured to be the centerpiece of a sign-and-trade deal the Knicks were trying to put together with the Phoenix Suns so they could clear enough space to make an offer to Nash that was at least close to the $36-million over three years the Raptors reportedly offered Canadian basketball’s favourite son.

Add it up and the Raptors are willing to commit $56-million to make sure they get their man. That’s devotion.

If Nash, 38, stays healthy it’s plausible that he can help the franchise enough on the court and off the court to make it a gamble worth taking. The bigger price for Colangelo, the Raptors and their new owners at MLSE – Rogers Communications and BCE – would be standing idly by while the best basketball player Canada is likely to ever produce, finishes his career elsewhere.

That would be awkward.

But nearly as awkward is the emerging possibility that the best basketball player Canada has ever produced isn’t really all that keen on finishing his career in Toronto and trying to hump a fairly suspect lineup into the bottom end of the Eastern Conference playoffs picture for the first time in four years.

If he was, all he would have had to say is ‘yes’ when the Raptors made their offer on Sunday morning in New York. What a happy Canada Day that would have been. With NBA free agency entering its fourth day, however, it’s hard to conclude anything other than that the Raptors are simply a well-padded fallback position for Nash.

Bleacher Report

While there is little debate as to whether or not Fields has the potential to be a star player, there should be little debate as to whether or not he fits in Toronto.

Across the board, the Raptors lack basketball IQ. Athletes like Ed Davis, James Johnson and Demar DeRozan lack the basic basketball IQ a player like Fields seems to have in abundance.

It was his overall basketball IQ that led Fields to have a remarkable rookie season despite being a second-round pick. Its this basketball IQ that Colangelo probably coveted more than anything when making the call.

The last time the Raptors actually had a decent season, lets not forget that they started players like Rasho Nesterovic, Anthony Parker and Jorge Garbajosa alongside Chris Bosh and T.J Ford. Having players who understand the game is invaluable.

It is these players who, while perhaps making a marginal impact on the box score, make a monumental impact in the win column by enhancing the overall performance of the players around them and helping to enhance the team’s chemistry both on and off the court.

Is it a coincidence that the Raptors have failed to make the playoffs in each of the years since Anthony Parker left? Is it a coincidence that the Raptors looked like a completely different team in the playoffs without Garbajosa than they had all year with him, despite his rather conservative and unimpressive numbers?

Yahoo

All of Fields’ shooting percentages declined in his second year in the league, including woeful marks of 25.6 percent from 3-point range and 56.2 percent from the foul line, along with his Player Efficiency Rating and rebound rates — most notably his defensive rebound rate, which was elite among guards and was a huge part of what made the 6-foot-7 Fields so valuable in the Knicks backcourt. He used more Knick possessions in his second year, but posted a lower per-minute scoring output and turned the ball over more frequently.
He wasn’t any great shakes on the defensive end, either. Fields ranked 341st among NBA players in overall points allowed per play defended, according to Synergy Sports Technology’s game charting. When you consider that more than 440 players saw NBA floor-time this season, that not all of them are counted (only guys with at least 25 plays charted appear in the rankings, per Synergy’s FAQ) and that Fields played 2,009 total minutes this season (so it’s not like he got burned repeatedly for one game and caught a bum stat line), that number looks really, really bad. That he ranked 185th in the NBA or worse in defending pick-and-roll ball-handlers, on post-ups, on spot-ups and in isolation doesn’t help matters. (In fairness, we must note that he posted a top-100 finish in defending plays off screens, coming in at 96th overall.)
OK, so we’ve got a shooting guard who can’t shoot, a rebounding wing whose rebounding fell off, a perimeter defender who’s not a very good defender and a second-year pro whom most Knicks fans were willing, if not eager, to let walk after the team’s first-round playoff exit. (This is, of course, a drastic oversimplification, but it’s also about the size of how Landry Fields looks to the world.) And yet now he’s getting offered better than $6.5 million a year to play the wing for a team that starts DeMar DeRozan and just drafted Terrence Ross? Are the Raptors stupid?
Heck yeah, they are. Stupid like a fox!

Sportsnet

Hoopshype.com spoke with Ersan Ilyasova’s agent, Tolga Tugsavul, who said there were offers on the table for his client from three NBA teams as well as "a big offer" from a European club.

Tugsavul said that the Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets were all seeking his client’s services.

Ilyasova has spent his entire NBA career in Milwaukee, averaging a career-high 13 points and 8.8 rebounds per game last season.

Why would a team that was 23-43 last season, and is developing a young core, invest so heavily in a player of such advanced age, you ask? Because it’s about basketball and business.

When the Bell and Rogers groups — respective owners of rival sports television networks TSN and SportsNet — agreed to buy majority interest of the Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment company in December, their shared interest was rooted in a fear that MLSE was going to create a mega-network that would force their loss of Raptors and Leafs programming. The two companies, whose majority ownership is expected to be formalized within the next three months, decided that partnering with a competitor was better than being obliterated by a larger station that would likely have been built in the mold of the Knicks’ MSG network. Nash’s role in this business equation now, of course, would be to play the part of the Knicks’ Jeremy Lin by driving up ratings and re-energizing a fan base that is still reeling from the loss of Chris Bosh to Miami two summers ago.

The Raptors could also use a spike at the gate, as they’ve fallen into the league’s bottom half in home attendance since Bosh’s departure. Toronto ranked 17th last season (average crowd of 16,835) and was 19th in 2010-11 (16,566) after ranking as high as ninth overall during the Bosh era (19.435 in 2007-08).

Toronto Sun

The quest for Steve Nash officially got rolling on Canada Day, with much of the Raptors front office meeting with the free agent point guard in Manhattan.

Toronto has offered Nash a three-year contract worth between $30-$36 million U.S.

The New York Knicks also came calling on Nash, but can only offer $3-5 million per season and only the upper figure if a sign-and-trade can be worked out with the Phoenix Suns.

At this point, Phoenix is not interested in coming close to Toronto’s offer, though the Brooklyn Nets could tempt Nash with a similar deal, should Deron Williams decide to go home to Dallas.

The Mavericks reportedly are only interested in giving Nash a huge one-year contract, or a smaller two-year package, while the Indiana Pacers also have shown some interest.

Nash is not expected to make a decision until Williams makes his call — the USA point guard has said he will choose a landing spot prior to the start of USA Basketball’s pre-Olympic camp on Friday.

Only verbal agreements can be made at this point. Teams cannot officially announce anything until the NBA’s moratorium period ends on July 11th.

Sources told the Sun the Raptors also have interest in free agent forwards Andrei Kirilenko and Ersan Ilyasova and the team has long coveted Portland swingman Nic Batum. The Blazers can — and have indicated they will — match any offers to the French national. The Raptors don’t expect to move on another signing or trade until Nash’s landing spot is established.

Toronto Star

Toronto’s contingent included minority owner Larry Tanenbaum, president/GM Bryan Colangelo, head coach Dwane Casey and former Raptor and Canadian national team coach Jay Triano. Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca reported the Raptors also enlisted the aid of hockey icon Wayne Gretzky as part of their video presentation to Nash and his agent, Bill Duffy.

But it is going to take more than a glitzy presentation to entice Nash to a team that’s missed the playoffs for four straight years. It’s nice to think the tug of his home country and a chance to be part of a building process that will cement his Canadian legacy would be important. There are still games to be played, and wins and losses will play a role.

Meanwhile, the one current Raptor who will be most affected by Nash’s decision remains philosophical about his fate.

“I’m still a Raptor. Don’t know what’s going to happen,” Jose Calderon told the Star on Sunday. “When (something) happens, if (something) happens, my agents and myself will see what are the options, amnesty or trades. So I’m just thinking about the Olympics and my national team. And waiting for news.”

The Raptors may need to move Calderon’s salary — just over $10 million for one more season — to get to the financial commitment they’re prepared to make to Nash.

While they could do something like move or amnesty another player with a smaller deal, they may need to maximize their cap room to attract free agents other than Nash.

ESPN

While both Lin and the Knicks are hoping for a reunion, sources say that if any clubs offer Lin, a restricted free agent, a backloaded contract that pays him an eight-figure salary in the third and fourth years, the Knicks could be given pause about matching the offer.

With the new collective bargaining agreement employing a more punitive luxury tax, beginning in the 2013-14 season, the Knicks are extremely concerned about the financial ramifications of such a deal.

Toronto is perhaps the only team that might consider offering Lin a backloaded contract, known as a "poison pill" deal. The Raptors are currently going all-out to sign Steve Nash. Toronto has offered Nash a three-year deal worth $36 million, sources told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.

But if Nash, who is also considering Phoenix, New York, Dallas and Brooklyn, rejects Toronto’s offer, the Raptors may turn their attention toward Lin.

The Knicks can offer Lin a four-year deal worth $24.5 million. But an opposing team can offer Lin a poison pill that could go as high as $40 million over four years. Such a contract would pay Lin $5 million in each of the first two years and then go as high as $15 million in each of the last two years.

Bleacher Report

L.A. is paying Gasol $19 million a year to do a mediocre Chris Bosh impersonation. Bosh only got $16 million last season for the actual thing.

Enter the Raptors. They are ideal trading partners for the Lakers in a Gasol deal.

Here’s the trade: L.A. sends Gasol and Metta World Amnesty…er, Peace to Toronto. In return, the Raptors send back Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon, and DeMar DeRozan.

Who says no here?

Toronto has made it clear that they’re tired of fruitlessly rebuilding year after year and want to finally give their fans a reason to cheer. How else would you explain them offering free agent (and more importantly, Canadian) point guard Steve Nash a three-year, $36 million contract that ends when Nash is 41 years old?

Trading for Gasol would be excellent bait to lure Nash north of the border. Right now, there’s not much there to entice the two-time MVP, who wants to play meaningful basketball games without purely ring-chasing. Add the most skilled big man in the game for him to work with, and now you’re talking.

The Raptors have been a frequent landing spot for international players. Acquiring Gasol (who’s from Spain) and World Peace (who’s from another planet) would continue that trend.

A revamped frontcourt of Gasol and promising Lithuanian import Jonas Valanciunas would give the Raptors some bite on their front line. They would finally have a big who can score with his back to the basket and World Peace —who seemed revitalized at the end of last season—would immediately become their top perimeter defender.

The Picket Fence

WOULD NASH MAKE THE RAPTORS A CONTENDER?

There are some Raptor fans who actually feel that Nash would turn the Raptors into contenders. To paraphrase Rob Reiner’s mother, in When Harry Met Sally, “I’ll have what they’re having.”

First off, Steve Nash is 38 years old and is not the same player that won consecutive MVP Awards. That was 7 years ago. Most players don’t even play 7 years. It’s a lifetime in the NBA.

That’s not to say that Nash still doesn’t have a big effect on an team he’s on. Phoenix wouldn’t have won 23 games without Nash, let alone the 33 they did won, this past season. The fact that Phoenix was vying for a playoff spot until the last few games is a testament to his impact.

The problem is that Toronto doesn’t have much more talent than Phoenix does, and arguably has less.

Let’s look at Phoenix’s starting lineup last season. Marcin Gortat is better than anyone on the current Raptor team and most likely Valanciunas in his rookie season. Channing Frye doesn’t have Bargnani’s offensive arsenal, but is just as good a three point shooter and a much better rebounder and defensive player. Grant Hill is not nearly the player he used to be, but his veteran savvy gives him more of an effect on the win column than either DeMar DeRozan or James Johnson. And while Jared Dudley is never going to be an All Star, he’s a solid role player that can hit the three and play defense. To say that Toronto’s roster is that much better than Phoenix’s is nonsense.

So if Nash can’t even get Phoenix in the playoffs in the West, do you really expect him to help them contend against team’s like Indiana and Atlanta, let alone Miami and Chicago in the East? That’s bordering on delusional.

The Hot Corner

Toronto is clearly playing the hometown card here as Nash is from Canada. That 3rd year they tacked on to that contract offer makes it a more appealing option for Nash to consider. The  Nets, Mavs are currently looking to see what happens with Deron Williams while the Knicks situation will depend on their negotiations with Jeremy Lin. The scenarios are endless here as for which direction Nash goes in based on the free agent point guard market.
It would be wrong to count out the team Nash has played for so long with, the Phoenix Suns. They could very well step up to the plate and attempt to re-sign Nash.
Money is going to be large factor in this situation for Nash, however the chance to win at this stage in his career should also be at the top of his list. I don’t see that happening with Toronto, although he’d be a major upgrade to their team. He says he’s willing to listen if any team expresses interest and he’s clearly doing just that.

FS Arizona

It is believed that the Suns will offer Nash only a two-year deal. Although they have the cap flexibility to offer him a higher salary, it is unlikely that they would give Nash a raise for a multiyear contract as he approaches 40. The two-time MVP averaged 12.5 points and 10.7 assists (second in the NBA) last season.

In an interview with ESPN on Saturday, just before the opening of the free-agency period, Nash sounded as though a return to the Suns doesn’t look likely.

"I don’t necessarily feel like they’re determined to keep me," Nash said of the franchise with which he’s spent the last eight seasons and won two MVP awards. "I think there’s a lot of factors. So, one, I’m not sure they’re determined to keep me; two, there’s other opportunities that are exciting. So I think I have to be open-minded."

While the Suns have maintained that they would like to bring Nash back, they appeared to be preparing for his potential departure when they selected North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall with the 13th pick in the draft Thursday.

The Arizona Republic

On this Canada Day, Toronto feels like the favorite to land Nash. He always has expressed some sentimental interest in closing his career for his home country’s lone team. Every Suns game has been like a home game at Air Canada Centre for eight years. Bryan Colangelo, the Raptors president and general manager, was the Suns GM when they landed Nash in 2004 free agency and already loves an international flair to his roster without a Canadian who would give the franchise relevancy. Toronto has plenty of cap space and likely would give Nash the largest overall offer. The Raptors also have a player’s coach in Dwane Casey, who once mentored Nash favorite Gary Payton. Andrea Bargnani could play the role of Dirk Nowitzki for Nash while their recent draft picks — Jonas Valanciunas, Terrence Ross and DeMar DeRozan — make them a potential young team on the rise with Nash. Toronto would amnesty Jose Calderon’s contract to create cap and point guard space. Nash has business interests in Toronto and is the new general manager of Canada basketball, which is headquartered in suburban Toronto. The worldly man also loves a cosmopolitan, culture-rich city like Toronto. Aaron Nelson and the Suns’ esteemed athletic training staff have been considered one of best reasons (outside his three kids) for bad-back Nash to stay in the Valley but the presence of Alex McKechnie as Toronto’s director of sports science would give him comfort on the health side.

Air Alamo

Ersan Ilyasova, 25, is an unrestricted free agent and, given his propensity to crash the boards and shoot the ball effectively, expects to receive a big contract this offseason. Ilyasova’s tantalizing skills has the San Antonio Spurs, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors intrigued according to Fred Kerber of the New York Post.
Ilyasova’s combination of rebounding and shooting make him an exceedingly rare commodity on the open market. When you factor in his age his value skyrockets even further. Hoopshype ranked him as the 13th best free agent and Zach Lowe of The Point Forward slotted him as the second best power forward behind Most Improved Player Ryan Anderson

YouTube (NSFW!!)

If the Raptors are intent on keeping and using their eighth overall pick at the June 28 NBA draft — and that remains a question — they could do far worse than either of the two point guards who graced the ACC practice gym yesterday.

North Carolina’s Kendall Marshall and Weber State’s Damian Lillard both made appearances, Marshall in the morning with a group that also included likely mid first-round forward Terrence Ross of Washington and Lillard in the early afternoon, by himself.

Among point guards in this power forward-deep draft, Marshall and Lillard are the two expected to go highest — anywhere from No. 6 to No.15 in the first round depending on which mock board you frequent.

Both men come as advertised: Mature beyond their years and willing and able to fill whatever role a team asks of them.

Lillard comes in with a the reputation of proven scorer. At Weber State he had little choice but to carry the offensive load and finished the year second in the country in scoring.

Marshall’s situation, like Lillard’s, was determined by his surroundings but with at least three or four teammates considered lottery potential, his job wasn’t to score but to distribute, leaving some question about his own scoring ability.

Both players arrived in Toronto trying to show the Raptors they were capable to doing what they other one had done so successfully — Marshall knocking down the consistent jumper and Lillard showing them he was a competent distributor, not to mention a capable defender.

“Being able to play with other guys who are going to be picked in the lottery is a good thing, especially for a guy that is pass-first like him,” Lillard said of Marshall. “I think an advantage for me coming from Weber State and having a lot of offensive responsibilities is going to help me because I am going to have NBA level players around me and I think people will see that I am a lot better passer and player and I think people will see that I can really defend without having a lot of responsibilities offensively.”

Toronto Star

Lillard remains a person of interest for the Raptors and their No. 8 selection in the June 28 draft. While a group of eight others — notably North Carolina guard Kendall Marshall and Pickering’s Devoe Joseph of Oregon — worked out in a group in the morning, Lillard had a one-man session in the afternoon.

But it’s not as if the Raptors are getting their first look at the 6-foot-3 guard, who averaged 24.5 points and 4.0 assists while shooting 47 per cent from the field and 41 per cent from three-point range as a Weber State junior last season.

Toronto officials saw him work out in California earlier this month and they got to see him again in Chicago last week. They have seen him rocket up some draft charts — he’s seen as the best point guard prospect in the draft — and interviewed him at the draft combine.

What they likely see is a confident young man entirely comfortable with his basketball abilities and his personality and maturity.

“I’ve been away from home, I’ve had an opportunity to grow as a man and not to down talk anyone else in the draft but I’ve got experience over them,” he said. “A lot of them are 19, 20, some 18 years old and I’m 21, going to be 22 this summer.

“I think my maturity is going to help me.”

National Post

But it never gets old to see a draftee seeing new parts of the world for the first time. Damian Lillard of Weber State, the top-ranked point guard in this draft, was out of the United States for the first time on Tuesday in Toronto.

“I went through customs and I had never been out of the country before so it was different,” Lillard said after going through an individual workout. “But it’s kind of like you’re not in the United States but you’re right here. … I think I could live here and I like it. It’s lively. It reminded me of Chicago.”

In fact, Lillard only recently obtained his first passport.

“I’m glad I did, man,” Lillard said. “I think I’ll be using it more often. I think it’s cool to be out of the United States and see different parts of the world.”

Lillard averaged 24.5 points and 4.0 assists for Weber State this year. Most experts have him pegged as a mid-to-late lottery pick, between 6th and 12th. The Raptors are slotted to select eighth in the June 28th draft.

• Three current Raptors took in Tuesday’s workouts: DeMar DeRozan, Jerryd Bayless and Ed Davis.

Davis has a connection with North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall.

“Me and Ed played AAU together one year and I lost to him in the state championship my freshman and sophomore year,” Marshall said. “He left [North] Carolina the year before I got there but we’ve been pretty cool for about five or six years.”

SB Nation

Tyreke Evans is the players who will be mentioned in trade rumors a lot this offseason. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld has already reported the Toronto Raptors have inquired about Tyreke along with a host of other players in the NBA.

That being said, what could the Raptors offer that the Kings would want? Jose Calderon? Andrea Bargnani? DeMar DeRozan? None of these guys are worth Tyreke by themselves, and it’s unlikely Toronto would gut their team to make this deal work.

The only way this might happen is if Sacramento could ask for one of those players and grab Toronto’s draft picks. And then perhaps Sacramento could package their two top ten draft picks for an even better player. The possibilities are endless the further you go down the rabbit hole.

Sporting News

Last year, the Raptors used their pick (fifth overall) on Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas, whose contract in Europe kept him from coming to the NBA until next season. Valanciunas has played well in the interim, winning the MVP in the FIBA U-19 tournament, joining the national team in the Eurobasket tournament and averaging 14.2 points and 7.4 rebounds in 23.5 minutes in the Lithuanian league. With Andrea Bargnani, Amir Johnson and Ed Davis also on board, the Raptors have enough youth at power forward and center.

Then there’s the small forward position, where Toronto started James Johnson last year and doesn’t want to do so again. The Raptors have about $10 million in cap space and have been rumored to be pursuing Memphis’ Rudy Gay and Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala. But Gay is not available, and while Iguodala would fit coach Dwane Casey’s mission to improve the perimeter defense, bringing him in requires taking on the two years and $28 million left on his contract. The Raptors also could address the need for a wing in the draft, with a player like Ross, Jeremy Lamb, Terrence Jones or Austin Rivers.

There’s also speculation that Toronto is the team that promised Syracuse guard Dion Waiters a lottery spot, but one East general manager said, “I don’t believe it is them.”

The wildcard in all of this is the amnesty clause, which Toronto could use this summer to be rid of Jose Calderon’s contract and leave the team with more than $20 million in cap space. They can’t amnesty Calderon until after July 1, so that added cap space won’t be available on draft night. The Raptors have not made any decision on the amnesty clause, but Calderon’s future is clearly tied to what happens in the next two weeks. If Toronto winds up picking Lillard or Marshall, or if the Raptors take on significant salary, Calderon could be out.

Raptors Rapture

The buzz around this year’s draft crop seems to have died down.  There are some quality front court prospects, led by Unibrow Davis, but the small men don’t appear to be causing hearts to flutter.   Given the number of freshmen who are heading this draft, and the unlikeliness of any of them making a splash in their first season (they’re so young!), I can see why BC is questioning the wisdom of adding another beardless youth.  Even the pushover Raps’ commentators are saying that BC won’t keep his job if the team ends up in the draft lottery after the upcoming season.  Put another way, it’s playoffs or bust.   FWIW, I concur with that assessment.  You can’t rebuild forever.

BC seems to have a very tight lid on his operation; leaks are as common as Sasquatch sightings.  It’s hard to countenance the idea that after all the chatter, BC won’t  make a deal.  But he needs 2 other parties to agree to a trade – the other team, and the traded player(s).  Lord save us long-suffering fans from another Alonzo Mourning debacle.   MLSE has never shown much concern about its teams’ fan bases – do I need to mention Exhibit A, the Leafs?  But it’s past time for the Raps to throw the fans a bone, namely, a playoff team, and for that to happen, we need a stronger and healthier (please!) roster.  If BC has built us up, only to let us down, this is his last year in Tdot.

Alabi: how tired must he be right about now?  40 minutes of burn, 19 rebounds and shooting 30% from the field. At least his free throw form looked good. Talk about whetting our appetite, though. Up and down the floor quickly, jumping out of the gym, 3 blocks. He’d be a MVP in the Canadian Basketball Universe.

Anderson: a fun game for him in what was his last dress rehearsal before coming back as a NBA’er next season. Can’t see him not being picked up for back up duty on a mediocre squad. 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists.

Davis: the only dude to play in every game this season as a Raptor and he went out with a bang. 43 minutes, 10 of 15 (!), 12 rebounds 24 points. Sure this came against a team that I could beat on my XBox with no batteries in my controller, but we Raptor fans will take any glimmer on this guy.

Forbes: evidently Gary hates the colour orange with black pinstripes because every time he got the ball in his hand, he was tossing it up. 21 FG attempts, 9 of them from deep, for 23 points. It seemed like he wanted to treat the fans to pizza all on his own.

J. Johnson: thank heavens this is the last I’ll see of this egotistical bum for a month or two. Surely he’ll be in the summer league, for punishment if nothing else. 4 turnovers in 19 minutes against a team manned by the Lollipop Guild looks good on him.

Magloire: classy move to have him start in what could be his last NBA game as a player. Didn’t do much in 5 minutes, but still nice to see a Canadian represent on home soil for one last time. Still think Coach should have done the intro, but whatever.

Uzoh: Alvin Williams finally has a table guest. 11 years ago Alvin had a triple double, and now Ben Uzoh has done something that will never be taken away from him. 12 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds….and all with 2 minutes of breathing time on the bench.  Again, obviously an asterisk beside it given the lack of competition (felt would have proved a better defender) but still something to tell the Uzoh grandkids about.

Driving the bus: Ben Uzoh

Under the bus: James Johnson

Theme of the Game:

Alabi: after tearing down boards like they were paper last night, Red Solo Cup barely saw any action….and not in the RapsFan type of way.

Anderson: still racking up 40+ minutes but tonight his game was more disjointed than a six year old trying to talk sensibly after downing 2 Rockstars.

Davis: a nice game derailed by foul trouble. 11 boards is nothing to sneeze at against a Bucks team, but since they only shot 37%, you have to think there were some golden opportunities lost by the 76th team All Star.

DeRozan: throwing a ball into the stands is unnecessary, unless it’s at the ACC and it’s heaved at the SuperFan (who really is just a car dealer looking to gain free advertising). DeMar messed up and did it on the road tonight, but it bought him an early exit and a way to beat the lines at the bratwurst stand.

Forbes: 15 points and 5 assists in a game that seemed to challenge his interest at times. It’s like he floats in and out of consciousness more frequently than Arsenalist at a St. Louis Wings party.

Gray: the bearded wonder had me wanting to get re-acquainted with the big bearded guy upstairs and ask for divine intervention into the search for Aaron’s game from early 2012.  Leo seemed to imply that Aaron had a chip on his shoulder playing in Milwaukee. Well, if he did, it was more like a styrofoam chip used in packing material because he was softer than margarine.

A. Johnson: if you are going to dunk, do it with meaning. Amir’s made the local cows lose of of their milk from the force. The rest of his game tonight was quiet, dignified, and, well, boring.

J. Johnson: in the starting lineup and playing like his momma just cussed him out something fierce. 10 of 21, for 22 points and 13 rebounds. Only the Octomom outperformed James. Still need him at the line more.

Uzoh: good stat filler for the last week of your fantasy pool.  8 points 5 assists 4 rebounds from a guy that has one more audition left before summer league and a hope and a prayer.

Driving the bus: James Johnson

Under the bus: DeMar DeRozan

Theme of the Game:

Alabi: the man is a rebounding machine. After a good appearance the other night, he comes back and registers 6 boards in 10 minutes showing Bosh that he really can play in the NBA and all those practices against him in pre-seasons past actually sunk in. Too bad Bosh had the Alabi courtside seats for this one.

Anderson: heavy minutes (45) and he started to look gassed at about the 20 minute mark. He heaved (literally) 8 from downtown and hit none. It was like he wanted to tip his hat to Jose by replicating his poor outside shooting last season.

Davis: man, I swear, I’ve lived most of my life listening to how Leafs fans are frustrated. Never understood until Davis became the embodiment of that team: give hope, then take it away by playing flat. Begin the year with such hope and an assumed average of a double double and actually play it out like you were a wet towel awaiting a surfer.

DeRozan: look, if you can’t get up to play the Miami Heat that are without 2 of their big stars in an arena that is about as loud as Arsenalist’s bedroom, and you are supposed to be the team leader, how can you expect your fans to care, let alone your teammates?

Forbes: better than the last game, but that is like saying a cracked gas tank is better than a gas tank with a 2 inch hole in the bottom of it.

Gray: Jesus man…I love you, but it’s beginning to feel like I’m a supporter of child labour. I mean, I like Nike products, but should I boast about this shirt I’m wearing knowing how it was made? Even the small stuff that Aaron was doing a few weeks ago (setting good screens, boxing out consistently, etc) has gone away.

A. Johnson: 3 pts and 4 rebounds in 21 minutes is as impressive from a starter as the sales from a hot dog cart at a vegan festival.

J. Johnson: his tiara seemed to fit well tonight and it was even kind of shiny. One of few effective Raptors on the court he kept us in it for a bit but wasn’t able to help bring us back.

Uzoh: rebounds continue to be his forte, apparently. I mean, it makes sense since the one thing this team doesn’t need is a playmaker or a quarterback. Nahhhh.

Driving the bus: James Johnson

Under the bus: Amir Johnson

Theme of the Game:

Alabi: want to know why there was no lightning storm today as predicted?  Casey had his trainers in the back pulling in all electrical charges in order to shock Solo to life. It worked. The city shook as if Mayor Ford had jumped off his couch when Solomon saw minutes in the first half and, wait for it, he deserved to come back! 24 minutes in all, going 4 of 9, and putting up 8 points, 9 rebounds with 4 of those offensive.

Anderson: after getting picked up for the season he came out and showed what an average night for him is. He was a great cheerleader from the bench, but in 25 minutes of burn he didn’t really rise above his teammates to say thank you for the support.

Davis: I’m ecstatic to hear he knows he needs to keep at it in the summer and come back a hell of lot better (read: bigger) next season. He had a monster block in this game that made me cross my legs just witnessing it, but the rest of his night featured the Edward Special: blend into the background and look like you’d rather be watching Desperate Housewives.

DeRozan: he has verbalized the fact that he knows he needs to step up and statistically he has….but is that more a result of he is basically the only go-to guy left standing? Don’t get me wrong, he played well tonight and certainly filled the bucket, but his on-court persona doesn’t befit a leader, an assistant or a closer.

Forbes: back to 20+ minutes, but uggggghhhhhhhh-ly.  I’ve seen sexier performances put on at 50+ night at For Your Eyes Only.  Nothing clicked for Gary…including the seatbelt to keep him attached to the bench, apparently.

Gray: wow. Back in high school, during gym class one day, this oaf of a guy literally missed punting a football 3 times straight. Not a held ball, not one on a tee, one literally dropped from his own hands 2 feet to his foot. 3 times. If that was Aaron Gray, it would have been 4 times after a night like this.

A. Johnson: Mr. Chuckles posted an 8 and 8 tonight and he played with a bit more pep in his step. Maybe the Canadian dosage in his Midol is stronger than the US version? He must be pretty stoked that the end is near…his season has been so up and down it’s sponsored by American Standard.

J. Johnson: Jimmy Jams made a re-appearance tonight.  A fierce dunk in the first half that will undoubtedly be shown on TSN 14 times an hour to boost their Canadian content, he made his way to the line, he passed out 5 dimes, he howled at the moon and he almost kissed Amir. Quite the Monday night for a guy who is more smug than the entire male cast of Jersey Shore.

Uzoh: if there was a magnet on the ball and the opposite magnet in the bottom of the net, he would have the ball land on the score clock. Just a horrible shooting night, but 10 rebounds?? Is that right?? We haven’t seen rebounding prowess like that from the PG position since Darrell Walker had hair!

Driving the bus: DeMar DeRozan

Under the bus: Aaron Gray

Theme of the Game:

Alabi: the equipment troll must get pissed on nights like this. An extra set of uniforms to wash as opposed to the normal “press, fold, return” that the Alabi kit usually gets.

Anderson: that’s it. I’m calling it official. Alan has played himself back into the NBA with somebody next year. Even playing on a crappy Raptors team, for him to come in, start, and, once comfortable, play the way he has? Pretty bloody good.  That spin-around 3 he hit tonight was simply beautiful.  3 of 4 from deep and 16 points in 34 minutes?  That Bargnani numbers.

Davis: not as determined on the boards tonight, but that Soulja Boy “Superman” pose at the end of his 3rd quarter dunk more than made up for it. Instant classic.

DeRozan: horrible start to the 3rd and he really only got the better of it when the Hawks changed his coverage. Otherwise, a good game for DD going 8 of 15 and doing a great job in the first half attacking the rim and drawing contact. 11 trips to the charity stripe on the night, just as it should be.

Dentmon: Spud Webb 2.0 sure is a taker and not a giver. A driving point guard of the highest order and a user of the Bargnani lean-in-for-a-foul-call method of getting to the line. Too erratic for my tastes and certainly in it to get his own. Mike James!!! Mike James!!! Mike James!!!

Forbes: a couple of 10-day guys get more minutes than you and you are put in with Solomon for your only feel of the court. Can’t be a good feeling, but at least he is fresh for tomorrow.

Gray: thought his 1st quarter was pretty solid. He was active, even though he was looked off a few times. As his minutes marched on, his weariness did too. So did mine.

A. Johnson: you call it food poisoning, I call it average. Nice hustle and effort, and as has been said here before, if he hits a few jumpers it seems to pick him up a bit.

J. Johnson: his first three quarters were about as fulfilling as broth after you haven’t eaten for 20 hours. Then, it was as if you opened the back door and saw a barrel BBQ filled with just-ready ribs and steak. James’ fourth was simply amazing and landed him with 15 pts and 4 rebs on the night.

Kleiza: another off night for the assassin. Luckily James picked up Linas’ slack (and it kills me to admit that) because Kleiza was colder than RapsFan’s wife when he pees on the toilet seat.

Uzoh: nice game from Benjamin tonight. Not sure he’s a playmaker either, but I feel a lot more comfortable with the ball in his hand rather than Dentmon’s. Be fun to see if he can move the chess pieces better being here for the remainder of the season.

Driving the bus: DeMar DeRozan

Under the bus: Linas Kleiza

Theme of the Game:

Alabi: Yup…it was one of those nights.

Anderson: he and Ed Davis decided to play pop a shot all night  Fuzzy Lids continues to try to make an impression and tonight was an above average game for him. Part of it is that nobody on the opposition knows who the hell he is, so he goes unmarked, but whatever.

Calderon: guess who took a head to his head and got more stitches? Uncle J!!!! I was amazed to see some blood come out of him since he was playing like a shadow all night.

Davis: a solid double double of 13 and 13, being vocal, demonstrative, standing up cheering on the bench. Someone got into his head for a night at least. Great to see, but still doubtful it’s here to stay.

DeRozan: seemed to have a case of the Amir’s tonight. I think if someone was standing in front of him with a gun pointed at a puppies head, DD would have tweeted about it, put his headphones on and walked away. Just seemed like had punched out at the shootaround.

Dentmon: hustled, pushed the ball, but it didn’t really amount to much. Granted, his teammates couldn’t hit a shot to save their lives, but in 18mins I’m not sure he did a great job of moving the pieces around tonight. Looked like they were stuck in mud for a while there.

Forbes: hard to say he had a poor shooting night when the entire team had one. Still, I’m beginning to enjoy his swag. He seems looser now, yet more focussed.  It’s like he should take the court wearing a pimp hat.

Gray: five rebounds in eleven minutes. His game resembled an ant farm without sand: confusion, lack of excitement, and nothing to care about after a few minutes.

A. Johnson: couple of nice blocks, active on the boards, but with the ball in his hand? About as dependable as a gate with no hinges. With that said, he did have one of his more focussed games which doesn’t really take much.

J. Johnson: if Casey doesn’t take a club to this guys knees after the last game of the season in the tunnel to the dressing room, I’d be amazed. Not like I know the coach well, but just the way he carries himself makes me think that James absolutely drives him nuts. 2 of 11 and a night full of smirks? Get a clue buddy. Maybe hang with Sonny Weems so you know what to expect in Europe next year.

Kleiza: his leg took him out of the game tonight which is a shame because he was showing like he was remembering what to do with that orange round thing again. Poor bastard can’t go a week or two without getting clipped somehow. Also, his wink to the crowd as he left? Classic.

Uzoh: an assist a minute! The man is a magician!!  Okay, he played 3 minutes, but at least he moved the ball and it led to buckets. Gonna miss this stud once his 10 day is up.

Driving the bus: Ed Davis

Under the bus: James Johnson

Theme of the Game: