Casey in, draft in a couple days, lets talk FA's

[G-locity]

Im pretty confident that if we offer D Jordan a good looking contract like we did with jack it would be tough for the clippers ti match it, the tpe we have is set to expire so might as well use it to try and get him, he's still in his prime and would fit
in our long term plans. As long as it doesn't affect our cap too much, i say get him and let him hold the fort down till we get our center of the future.

[Tim W.]

I disagree. The only substantial difference in our payroll between this year and next is Barbosa, and for all we know he might opt out. And we really have no idea what to expect in terms of the new collective agreement. I'm not saying we should go all out to sign anyone, but there are some good centres on the market this year and that is one of our biggest needs. If we can sign a good starting centre who is in his late twenties, that wouod be a good move. I do not think the Raptors will be at the bottom of the standings next year: I think internal improvement from DeMar, Bayless, Davis, Johnson, and Bargnani will mean we will be drafting much more near the middle. If that is the case, I think we might as well try and add a good long term piece and start contending for a playoff spot.

The amount of money the Raptors have to spend is only part of it. If Barbosa does opt out, they'll still be a 22 win team with very little talent, going in a somewhat questionable direction. The ONLY way you're going to get a decent free agent to sign is if you vastly overpay him. And if that happens, the best case scenario is that he improves the Raptors enough to make the playoffs. Then what? Then you're stuck with an overpriced veteran, no cap room and not nearly enough talent to turn the team into a contender.

All these people who are in such a hurry to make the playoffs don't seem to mind the fact that it would most likely doom the team to mediocrity, since they simply don't have the talent to become a contender. There isn't ONE guaranteed All-Star on this team, let alone the 3 or 4 you'd need to want to pattern yourself after the Detroit Pistons.

[Tim W.]

Im pretty confident that if we offer D Jordan a good looking contract like we did with jack it would be tough for the clippers ti match it, the tpe we have is set to expire so might as well use it to try and get him, he's still in his prime and would fit
in our long term plans. As long as it doesn't affect our cap too much, i say get him and let him hold the fort down till we get our center of the future.

The Raptors can't use their TPE to sign a player. Only to trade for one. And the Raptors would probably have to offer Jordan a contract in the range of $12-16 million, if they don't want the Clippers to match, which would completely eat up their cap room for, at least, the next few years. And while I like Jordan's potential, I don't think he's worth $12-16 million, especially with what is expected to be a much tighter economy in the NBA.

[malefax]

The amount of money the Raptors have to spend is only part of it. If Barbosa does opt out, they'll still be a 22 win team with very little talent, going in a somewhat questionable direction. The ONLY way you're going to get a decent free agent to sign is if you vastly overpay him. And if that happens, the best case scenario is that he improves the Raptors enough to make the playoffs. Then what? Then you're stuck with an overpriced veteran, no cap room and not nearly enough talent to turn the team into a contender.

For the record, I am against overpaying for a veteran. If they will only come on an excessive contract, fuck 'em. But we are not looking at end of career veterans who want to contend. We are looking for middle career veterans who want a slightly bigger paycheck than what anyone else is giving. If we can get a guy for a good price, great. If not, no big deal.

All these people who are in such a hurry to make the playoffs don't seem to mind the fact that it would most likely doom the team to mediocrity, since they simply don't have the talent to become a contender. There isn't ONE guaranteed All-Star on this team, let alone the 3 or 4 you'd need to want to pattern yourself after the Detroit Pistons.

I wonder whether season after season of failure building up bad habits and low expectations isn't just as likely to doom the team to mediocrity.

But honestly, another #9 or 12 pick is probably not going to be the difference between the Raps being contenders or not. It's going to be the deals that Colangelo makes next summer, and how much our current core internally improves: they may not be sure-fire all stars, but if they get a lot better, we might be contenders, and if they don't we won't. Whether we make the playoffs next year won't make any difference.