More Emeka Okafor To Toronto Support

[ezz_bee]

I say pass on okafor this summer, let the young gunz play and maybe snatch him up at the trade deadline or next year if he is available. I don't think okafor value will be as impactful this season as it would be next season or possibly two seasons from now. We don't have to make a big play this summer. I'd rather sign a couple of big cheap scrubs (like amundsen) and see what happens. We have a year or two before we need to make a big push so i would avoid bad contracts. A lot can happen in two years with two drafts plus who knows about the development of Davis and Alabi. If the contract wasn't as toxic or only had two years left then i'd be all for it. Why not let someone else pay okafor for a couple years and get him when we are on the verge of going somewhere in the playoffs?

[Dr Hannibal Lecter]

Hell Noo!!!!

Why,Okafor is bad contract and he wont help u grow as a team...
His not gonna get better,his like in a steady stage almost at a decline...like a robot.
Plus next year free agents crop feauture. Kendrick Perkins,Tyson Chandler,Yao Ming,Nenad Kristic,Joe Przybilla,Samuel Dalembert.
So why get stuck with guy u really don't like when this year coming up ure not gonna make playoffs or winning anything,stay the course for next year and sign of these big centers or 2.
My choice would be Kendrick Perkins...imagine him beside Bargnani and young gunz..his kinda like charles oakley guy,but without quotes...just nasti!!!

[DanH]

So we had a long conversation in here this week about Emeka Okafor. For a little background, here's my post that got the ball rolling:

Source Raptors Republic Forums

Just want to point out something here. You cannot use the small TPE in this trade. It would have to be a small portion of the large TPE.

This is because a TPE can only be used in a 1-for-1 trade: TPE for player, and the player's salary must fit entirely withing the TPE. So, your proposed deal would be:

-Okafor for 11.5 million TPE. (from 14.5 million bosh TPE)
-~5 million TPE (from 11.5 million TPE) for Banks
-~5 million TPE (from remaining 6.5 million TPE) for Evans

Leaving TO with Okafor, and 4 TPE's: the 2.7M (from Turk), 3M, ~5M, ~5M, all of which would need to be used individually. Also leaves New Orleans with one 1.5M TPE leftover from the secondary trades for expirings.

Clearly this would be all one agreed to deal, but officially it would have to be processed as 3 separate deals, since the TPE makes it non-simultaneous. Of course, if NO didn't need the extra TPE value, the trade could be consummated simultaneously with just the expirings for Okafor.

I just wanted to put this out there so people understand how to use the TPE in trade suggestions.

[Apollo]

I realize that and they get around it by splitting up the trade into seperate trades. It's happened many times in the past but is usually reported as one big trade. I understand it. Have read Larry Coon's FAQ many times. Thanks though, maybe my post could have been more detailed.

EDIT: Another thought. If Paul is on the way out and they want to rebuild then even grabbing TPE's and letting them expire could be in play for the Hornets.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

I like the idea of Okafor, especially with Collison, but not trading away 2 pg's in it, at least not with Banks being the 'keeper' as Calgary has the Raps doing.
Hell if we want to roll the dice how about Fernandez and Oden? Someone on here mentioned this a week or two ago, and while my immediate reaction was "hell no", it may be a shot to take. Two yrs left on Oden's contract, and Fernandez could replace what Bellinelli was supposed to bring the team.

In the scenario I laid out, Collison would be the starting PG and Barbosa would be the backup, not Banks.

[Balls of Steel]

This is interesting. The idea of having a TPE is to get players from teams that are willing to UNLOAD CONTRACTS. Yes, Okafor is without a doubt overpaid. Yes, he's a bit robotic and not much of a scoring option. However, there are many factors that point to why he needs to be here in TO:

1. He's overpaid however, Colangelo's not the one who signed him. We're merely using the TPE for exactly what it is. Technically, Bosh is overpaid as the third banana in Miami so why is everyone freaking out about this?

2. He's the exact Center that we need - can score in the post, clog the laneway, block shots and rebound. Look around the rosters out there and there's not much like him! I mean you got Noah but we all know he's not going here!

3. We can slide Bargs at 4 and he can continue to camp out beyond the rainbow while Okafor will be in the post. Please stop looking at him and criticizing his offensive game. WE DON'T NEED OFFENCE!!! Also, remember that he worked with 2 of the fastest PGs in the game in NO - Paul and Collison. He's not there for speed and fastbreak points - no center in the league is there for speed and fast break points. ALSO, he's played all 82 games the past 3 season. We can't say that about Bosh now can we?

I feel that the recent development with Paul makes the Raps a partner in this. If we can somehow unload Calderon + TPE to get Okafor, why not. If BC can also land Wilson Chandler (SF) using the TPE, he will be God...

[planetmars]

I think the Raps should have gone after AJ when they had the chance, however we do need a defensive minded center that can score. I am not the biggest fan of Okafor's contract, but we have money to spend, Okafor is still young, and he can help Bargs out on offense by staying in the post. I also hate the idea of waiting for FA. Raptors will get burned. There is no way Perkins or Yao will come to Toronto. And Dalembert is no Okafor. We should not gamble on FA, it just won't work, trust me. A trade is the only way to get this team into the next level.

The problem that no body seems to realize is that why would NO want to get rid of Okafor? He is their only center. If we took him, then NO would have to use someone like David West or Darius Songaila at center, and they are both undersized big men. David West is more like a SF than a PF anyways. The only way I see NO accepting our TPE for Okafor is if we had some kind of a 3 way trade with another team that can offload a center. Also NO will want to keep Paul happy, and removing Okafor for nothing is just not going to work for him.

[Sam]

I think Okafor's contract is too long to make him worth picking up now. He's less of an obvious fit than Chandler and, as others have said, he reduces flexibility in coming years. You've got to take a long-term view with this team. Apollo's right that it's not our money but the cap (which is likely to get tighter with the new CBA) restrains even the richest teams. Orlando would've loved to have gotten something for Matt Barnes but nothing fit under their cap. Why tie you hands to the degree Okafor's contract will when he's got such big question marks?

Remember that guys like Joel Pryzbylla and, possibly, Nene will be FA's next summer. So will Tyson Chandler. I think the best route is to lay off for now. Everyone will have a better idea of which youngsters are likely to pan out next summer and that puts management in a better position to build with a plan. Given the length of his contract Okafor may well be available, even if New Orleans trades him this season.

[Own Up]

Okafor...it all depends on your vision for the Raptors:

1. If you want to be more competitive now, get Okafor. (And get bounced in the playoffs)
2. If you want the Raptors to grow and be more competitive later, be patient, save your cash, and see what's available before the trade deadline when there's more availability. (And most likely not make the playoffs, but continue to build a strong foundation that doesn't hamper your payroll, so that one day you'll have a contending team.)

[j bean]

There is a good reason Okafor is available without any takers.

[Apollo]

Okafor...it all depends on your vision for the Raptors:

1. If you want to be more competitive now, get Okafor. (And get bounced in the playoffs)
2. If you want the Raptors to grow and be more competitive later, be patient, save your cash, and see what's available before the trade deadline when there's more availability. (And most likely not make the playoffs, but continue to build a strong foundation that doesn't hamper your payroll, so that one day you'll have a contending team.)

Kleiza and Barbosa are both around Okafor's age. Both are going to play key roles. So you feel "one day" is within the next four seasons?

There is a good reason Okafor is available without any takers.

We don't know that.

[DanH]

I realize that and they get around it by splitting up the trade into seperate trades. It's happened many times in the past but is usually reported as one big trade. I understand it. Have read Larry Coon's FAQ many times. Thanks though, maybe my post could have been more detailed.

EDIT: Another thought. If Paul is on the way out and they want to rebuild then even grabbing TPE's and letting them expire could be in play for the Hornets.

They can't get around it any way but the way I showed - which does NOT preserve their large TPE, as you suggested in your original post. It shrinks and splits the large TPE into a 3M and two 5M TPEs, and there's no way around it. It was your suggestion that we could keep the large TPE and use the small TPE that was incorrect.

[Own Up]

@Apollo, re: "Kleiza and Barbosa are both around Okafor's age. Both are going to play key roles."

Yes, they will play key roles, but Kleiza and Barobosa don't have $11.5-14.5 million contracts.

"So you feel "one day" is within the next four seasons?"

As for "one day" and when it is...if I could tell you that, I wouldn't be tapping away here on the keyboard while I'm supposed to be studying. I'd be getting ripped/praised on forums.

[j bean]

Kleiza and Barbosa are both around Okafor's age. Both are going to play key roles. So you feel "one day" is within the next four seasons?



We don't know that.

We know that he has been available for a month without any takers which says something doesn't it?

[Raptor4Ever]

Okafor...it all depends on your vision for the Raptors:

1. If you want to be more competitive now, get Okafor. (And get bounced in the playoffs)
2. If you want the Raptors to grow and be more competitive later, be patient, save your cash, and see what's available before the trade deadline when there's more availability. (And most likely not make the playoffs, but continue to build a strong foundation that doesn't hamper your payroll, so that one day you'll have a contending team.)

Ok, Lets take the 2nd option. Now, tell us who are in your list that you think Raptors should go after as their starting center.

Then we can see how realistic is their availability.

I don't think there are that many centers in this league who are good rebounder and defender and have a reasonable contract and are or will be available !!