What we need to do with out roster

[YoungGuns]

Give up out draft pick this year.
-Don't extend Gay or Lowry yet
-Trade Andrea for any short term contract (1 year left hopefully)
-Trade DeMar with Landry for a short term contract (DeMar is a plus, Landry is a negative = something in the middle with a short term contract like 1 year )
-Amnesty Kleiza

Use next year as a builder:
PG:Lowry
SG:Ross
SF:Gay
PF:Johnson
C:Valanciunas

-Give our young players a year of playing time to see if they can step up.
-Clear out or shit contacts

If we play well extend Gay (not at max unless he rips it up) and possibly Lowry. If not we have a good draft pick plus some cap space.

[thead]

Good stuff. I will forward this to Bryan right away.

[isaacthompson]

Tank Mode Initiated.

[YoungGuns]

Don't be wasting time replying when you could be forwarding this to Brian.

[YoungGuns]

Its not tank mode ... we signed some very bad contracts. To get rid of some you need to give something decent at some point. DeMar would be replaced with Ross (could be better ... could be worse). The rest of our starters are the same.

[NoPropsneeded]

BC will be fired if he goes into rebuild again now. This is not a realistic option. We have to build this team for the playoffs, even if we end up becoming the new Hawks. We need some playoff exposure badly

[YoungGuns]

BC will be fired if he goes into rebuild again now. This is not a realistic option. We have to build this team for the playoffs, even if we end up becoming the new Hawks. We need some playoff exposure badly

This is no a rebuild !!!!
-Andrea was not an important part
-Kleiza didn't play
-Landry is a decent defender but not a big deal to lose.

The only thing we are down is DeRozen. I think Ross can take over for him and it wont be a huge drop. Plus we free up over 30Million in cap space! If we play at .500 with that roster we make a BIG SPLASH at the trade deadline we can sign a player that will fit the most important need !!!!

[ceez]

I like Landry quite a bit. His contract sucks but he brings a lot to the team and is money when we play small ball.

[knowledgep]

I like Landry quite a bit. His contract sucks but he brings a lot to the team and is money when we play small ball.

+1, i think he'll bring more to the team with an improved jump shot next year, this guy is a legit 6th man on our team.

[ReubenJRD]

I agree with ceez.

Fields:

- Solid penetrator
- moves extremely well without the ball
- doesn't need the ball to be successful on offense
- underrated passer
- good defender
- good rebounder
- solid mid-ranged game
- Great basketball IQ
- versatility; can play 2, 3 & 4 (4 only when team plays small - obviously)

= Inconsistent perimeter shooting
= without ball/shooting, game can become 4 vs. 5 on offensive end
= Turnover prone
= Struggles to finish around the rim
= commits some silly fouls
= overpaid for what he does/abilities

To be honest, because of Fields' much more efficient offense/better defense and Ross' potential, Demar becomes expendable, especially because I'm really starting to see the redundancy of a Gay/Derozan wing tandem, almost the same players, but Gay a lot more talented/better shooter/better defender.

I personally think a lineup of:

PG: Lowry
SG: Fields
SF: Gay
PF: (assuming trade goes through) a talented big = Millsap/Boozer/Gasol, etc.
C: Valanciunas

is extremely effective. Offense runs straight through Gay, and Fields can be used as a guy off ball to cut on teams loading/doubling on Gay, and can space the floor - IF he improves the stroke with asst. shooting coach John Townsend - with perimeter shooting. Two solid wing defenders and rebounders is also a positive, especially going against top tier teams with top tier wing players.

[Rapstor4Life]

I really wouldnt be surprised if Ross is dealt because BC favors DeMar. Just putting that out there. I wouldnt be surprised if Fields is dealt too he got rid of Hedo for something good, and he will probably keep both DeRozan and Ross, the only thing I see BC doing is entertaining the ideas for DeRozan or Ross in the off season with a plan to move Bargnani for a legit 4 and seeing what is to be done with Fields/AA/Lucas etc

BC loves his position padding he sees Gay/DeRozan/Ross as a awesome tandem, which they very much could be with some pieces thrown around them I dont think its going to be broken up any time soon.

[white men can't jump]

I really wouldnt be surprised if Ross is dealt because BC favors DeMar. Just putting that out there. I wouldnt be surprised if Fields is dealt too he got rid of Hedo for something good, and he will probably keep both DeRozan and Ross, the only thing I see BC doing is entertaining the ideas for DeRozan or Ross in the off season with a plan to move Bargnani for a legit 4 and seeing what is to be done with Fields/AA/Lucas etc

BC loves his position padding he sees Gay/DeRozan/Ross as a awesome tandem, which they very much could be with some pieces thrown around them I dont think its going to be broken up any time soon.

Yeah, I think BC will have to listen, but that he won't look to move either Demar or Ross. I think he will shop Bargnani as much as possible, and in those talks Demar and Ross might come up, but unless the player coming back is something like a young all-star, I don't see him giving up one of his young wings. I keep thinking either guy is best kept until something like such a deal comes along.

[drunkmunky]

I'm going to break down my thoughts on each player, offensively, and defensively. This is going to be quite a long post but if you have the patience to read all of this, know that I wrote it with sincere appreciation for your thoughts. If you're a small little child with no patience, I suggest you read the parts I put in bold, or that I highlighted in red.

Offense.

Group A
Fields, Kleiza, Ross, Pietrus, Lucas III.
Those 5 guys were supposed to be our 3-pt threats that spread the floor,

Landry Fields
Any team scout can identify that he has no shot right now. Anytime he is on the floor, there is no offensive threat from him no matter how much he runs. He is not the one who attracts the defense in order to spread the floor, and it ends up being a 4 v 5 offensive situation whenever he is on the court. Since he has been back, we've got our fingers crossed that he can push the ball up the court, get offensive rebounds and he is doing the best that he can with what he's got. IMO. He's performed as a better point guard than JL III with the limited time that he's been on the floor.

Kleiza & Pietrus
They are done.

Ross
A work-in-progress Rookie that was supposed to learn and backup the rest of Group A. He has essentially taken the place of Fields, or what was the bare minimum expectation of what Fields should have been when we acquired him

Lucas III
He is an effective player in this group. He is in this group because he is a shoot first player which is really what this team needed, considering the 4 players I mentioned above, are mildly ineffective, or non-existent.

Conclusion?
We have 2 effective players out of originally intended 5. Ross and Fields count as 1 player, John Lucas counts as the other.
How much of the poor performance from Group A is Brian Colangelo responsible for?
Pietrus
Kleiza
John Lucas III

Group B
Demar, Gay, Bargnani, Anderson, Lowry & Telfair to run the floor.

Demar has gotten better throughout this entire season. His assists are up. His rebounds are about the same as they have always been. Even though his FG % isn't as high as it should be w/ the introduction of Rudy Gay and this so called "Shots will be easier because the floor will be spread", his efforts to attack the post have resulted in his growth as one of the better FT % shooters in the league. The expectation that he is supposed to develop as a 3-pt. threat is silly, but he needs to make them occasionally. The biggest thing that he needs to work on is his ball handling. It's horrible.

Gay is the superstar that we needed. He's Demar #2 but he is almost the 'psychopath' that Bargnani was SUPPOSED to be as a CLOSER. One of the problems is that he doesn't trust this team at the moment, and whenever he tries to take everything on by himself, the team goes into Isolation plays, and it's him vs. the world. If hes HOT, he gets them in, if hes not, we think he sucks. He needs to integrate into the rest of the team.

Bargnani He hasn't had any offense this season, so I can't really say anything good. So I won't.

Anderson
has filled the role of Bargnani. He is an inconsistent streaky shooter with the ability to drive, shoot the 2, shoot the 3, spread the floor, and his dribble penetration is, imo, the best on the team. I HATE the Alan Anderson quarter in the 4th, but the truth is, Bargnani was supposed to do the same thing.

Lowry
is an average point guard. He trusts Demar and Gay and he relies on them to be 'ON', and he is good at feeding the ball to other players when they are hot. He is not one of those inspirational leaders that dictate the pace of the game and energizes the team. The team needs to be energized and he will feed the ball to whomever is most effective. His own personal shot selection is the same as John Lucas III.

Telfair
has great ball handling skills. He pushes the floor really well. He doesn't know the team well enough and I haven't seen him play well enough to see consistent offensive capability. His shot is below John Lucas III.

Conclusion?
We have 4 effective players out of the original 6. Demar and Gay have their own game. Anderson is the Bargnani replacement, and Lowry and Telfair count as 1 player because they do not have enough of an offensive capability to stand on their own.
How much of the poor performance from Group A is Brian Colangelo responsible for?
Lowry
Telfair
Bargnani

Group C
Johnson, Valanciunas, Acy, Grey to scrap and fight in the post.

Johnson
is the most consistent player on the team. He is highly underrated, endlessly abused, quick hands, scraps, gets offensive rebounds. Gets double teamed ALL the time with defensive bigger guys on him so it is difficult to pass him the ball, especially since his ankle is fudged and his mobility is limited.

Valanciunas
has amazing natural capabilities with a very high shooting percentage and he is learning how to post up. He gets tunnel vision during offensive plays and he gets a bit lost, so feeding him the ball can be difficult.

Acy
doesn't really have offense so I can't say much. Just scrap and put backs.

Gray
doesn't have any offensive capability. He has a very low shooting percentage and he is there for defensive purposes to function as a body in the post. He doesn't touch the ball enough to be an effective offensive threat because he doesn't know what to do with it half the time.

Conclusion?
We have 2 effective players out of the original 4. Johnson and Valanciunas got game. Acy COULD? develop game. Aaron Gray was a needed back up center.
How much of the poor performance from Group A is Brian Colangelo responsible for?
Aaron Gray

Offensive Conclusion
I mentioned a total of 15 players, of which 7 players have not sufficiently done their offensive jobs. With the problems in the paint, you can see why Lowry doesn't throw the ball into the post often, but the development of Johnson and JV as a duo will change that.

I'll have my defensive comments after lunch.

[NoPropsneeded]

I'm going to break down my thoughts on each player, offensively, and defensively. This is going to be quite a long post but if you have the patience to read all of this, know that I wrote it with sincere appreciation for your thoughts. If you're a small little child with no patience, I suggest you read the parts I put in bold, or that I highlighted in red.

Offense.

Group A
Fields, Kleiza, Ross, Pietrus, Lucas III.
Those 5 guys were supposed to be our 3-pt threats that spread the floor,

Landry Fields
Any team scout can identify that he has no shot right now. Anytime he is on the floor, there is no offensive threat from him no matter how much he runs. He is not the one who attracts the defense in order to spread the floor, and it ends up being a 4 v 5 offensive situation whenever he is on the court. Since he has been back, we've got our fingers crossed that he can push the ball up the court, get offensive rebounds and he is doing the best that he can with what he's got. IMO. He's performed as a better point guard than JL III with the limited time that he's been on the floor.

Kleiza & Pietrus
They are done.

Ross
A work-in-progress Rookie that was supposed to learn and backup the rest of Group A. He has essentially taken the place of Fields, or what was the bare minimum expectation of what Fields should have been when we acquired him

Lucas III
He is an effective player in this group. He is in this group because he is a shoot first player which is really what this team needed, considering the 4 players I mentioned above, are mildly ineffective, or non-existent.

Conclusion?
We have 2 effective players out of originally intended 5. Ross and Fields count as 1 player, John Lucas counts as the other.
How much of the poor performance from Group A is Brian Colangelo responsible for?
Pietrus
Kleiza
John Lucas III

Group B
Demar, Gay, Bargnani, Anderson, Lowry & Telfair to run the floor.

Demar has gotten better throughout this entire season. His assists are up. His rebounds are about the same as they have always been. Even though his FG % isn't as high as it should be w/ the introduction of Rudy Gay and this so called "Shots will be easier because the floor will be spread", his efforts to attack the post have resulted in his growth as one of the better FT % shooters in the league. The expectation that he is supposed to develop as a 3-pt. threat is silly, but he needs to make them occasionally. The biggest thing that he needs to work on is his ball handling. It's horrible.

Gay is the superstar that we needed. He's Demar #2 but he is almost the 'psychopath' that Bargnani was SUPPOSED to be as a CLOSER. One of the problems is that he doesn't trust this team at the moment, and whenever he tries to take everything on by himself, the team goes into Isolation plays, and it's him vs. the world. If hes HOT, he gets them in, if hes not, we think he sucks. He needs to integrate into the rest of the team.

Bargnani He hasn't had any offense this season, so I can't really say anything good. So I won't.

Anderson
has filled the role of Bargnani. He is an inconsistent streaky shooter with the ability to drive, shoot the 2, shoot the 3, spread the floor, and his dribble penetration is, imo, the best on the team. I HATE the Alan Anderson quarter in the 4th, but the truth is, Bargnani was supposed to do the same thing.

Lowry
is an average point guard. He trusts Demar and Gay and he relies on them to be 'ON', and he is good at feeding the ball to other players when they are hot. He is not one of those inspirational leaders that dictate the pace of the game and energizes the team. The team needs to be energized and he will feed the ball to whomever is most effective. His own personal shot selection is the same as John Lucas III.

Telfair
has great ball handling skills. He pushes the floor really well. He doesn't know the team well enough and I haven't seen him play well enough to see consistent offensive capability. His shot is below John Lucas III.

Conclusion?
We have 4 effective players out of the original 6. Demar and Gay have their own game. Anderson is the Bargnani replacement, and Lowry and Telfair count as 1 player because they do not have enough of an offensive capability to stand on their own.
How much of the poor performance from Group A is Brian Colangelo responsible for?
Lowry
Telfair
Bargnani

Group C
Johnson, Valanciunas, Acy, Grey to scrap and fight in the post.

Johnson
is the most consistent player on the team. He is highly underrated, endlessly abused, quick hands, scraps, gets offensive rebounds. Gets double teamed ALL the team with defensive bigger guys on him so it is difficult to pass him the ball, especially since his ankle is fudged and his mobility is limited.

Valanciunas
has amazing natural capabilities with a very high shooting percentage and he is learning how to post up. He gets tunnel vision during offensive plays and he gets a bit lost, so feeding him the ball can be difficult.

Acy
doesn't really have offense so I can't say much. Just scrap and put backs.

Gray
doesn't have any offensive capability. He has a very low shooting percentage and he is there for defensive purposes to function as a body in the post. He doesn't touch the ball enough to be an effective offensive threat because he doesn't know what to do with it half the time.

Conclusion?
We have 2 effective players out of the original 4. Johnson and Valanciunas got game. Acy COULD? develop game. Aaron Gray was a needed back up center.
How much of the poor performance from Group A is Brian Colangelo responsible for?
Aaron Gray

Offensive Conclusion
I mentioned a total of 15 players, of which 7 players have not sufficiently done their offensive jobs. With the problems in the paint, you can see why Lowry doesn't throw the ball into the post often, but the development of Johnson and JV as a duo will change that.

I'll have my defensive comments after lunch.

+1 Sweet Post, well done

[stretch]

Did anybody watch Michigan's epic comeback against Kansas? That was totally awesome. Do what it takes to get Trey Burke.

[drunkmunky]

I'm supposed to be finishing up my graduate dissertation... but this is a great way for me to take a break lol A break from lunch lol.

Defense

Group A
Fields, Kleiza, Ross, Pietrus, Lucas III.

Landry Fields
is the best defender in this grouping. He is big enough and fast enough to barely defend 4s, but he doesn't have enough muscle to push up against them when they post-up. He is great at defending 3s, and too slow to defend the 2 spot. He is not as great of a defender as everyone else thinks he is, he just can't do anything else.

Ross
is a rookie who is just trying to understand how to read pick and roll. He is not physically strong enough to handle a mismatch. He is not a defensive player, but he has quick hands and shot blocking ability considering his hops.

Kleiza & Pietrus
They are done.

Lucas III
has great help defense He really gets his hands in there and disrupts big guys. He is one of the better defenders when facing a bench point guard on another team.

Conclusion?
We have 2 effective players out of originally intended 5
Ross is not experienced enough to be a decent defender this season. He has allowed too many blow-by's and Coach Casey pulls him out.
Fields needs to improve on his post up defense.
JLIII is fulfilling his defensive responsibilities

How much of the poor performance from Group A is Brian Colangelo responsible for?
Kleiza
Pietrus
Ross


Group B
Demar, Gay, Bargnani, Anderson, Lowry & Telfair to defend other runners.

Demar
occasionally plays defense. He is the exact type of player that Dwayne Casey doesn't want on the team, a type of player that plays defense when his offense is good. When he does decide to play defense, he is really good when other players try to dribble penetrate. He's got a great set of feet beneath him and he can run. He has poor help defense.

Gay
occasionally plays defense. Gay has great shot blocking ability. That whole blow by thing I was mentioning with Ross is forgivable with a rookie, but when Gay chooses not to play defense, it's a blow by each and every time. He does foul though, thank god for his long arms. Absolutely no help defense whatsoever. He's too busy talking to the ref.

Bargnani
occasionally plays defense. We saw this in the end of the 2012 season that he CAN play defense. He has shot blocking ability and he is good on help defense. When he doesn't play defense, it's even uglier than the Rudy Gay blow by's because he is usually defending a 4 or a 5, so normally the people who blow by get a slam dunk, and 1's etc, which make us hate him so, so so so so so so so so so much. It's ugly. It's like eating Primo.

Anderson
is the best defender in this group. His iso defense for 3s and 4s is great. He's really tough, isn't scared of anyone, and gets tough assignments. Unfortunately he's like Demar when it comes to help defense. Very poor help defense. I believe his assignments are usually so tough, that he has his hands full, which may be the same for Demar as well.

Lowry
is the best help defender on the team. The truth is that he is a better defender than Calderon. The problem is that he is a shitty defender in iso conditions against other league leading point guards. He gambles on steals too much. He rebounds when he shouldn't. He's not fast enough because he has a big ass and he has a tough time reading the court. Teams with great pick and roll make him an absolutely ineffective defensive player.

Telfair
has no defense. No help defense. No iso defense. It's absolutely horrible.

Conclusion?
We have 3 effective defenders out of the original 6
Demar and Gay count as 1, because of the 'occasional' defense factor. When they get their offense going, their defense is ON. It goes hand in hand.
Andersons defense is solid like I already mentioned.
Lowry's help defense still counts and it still works unless he is facing a pg like Rondo, Jarrett Jack, etc. Any PG that shoots a lot and Lowry turns into mush.

How much of the poor performance from Group A is Brian Colangelo responsible for?
Lowry
Telfair
Bargnani
Gay

Group C
Johnson, Valanciunas, Acy, Grey to scrap and fight in the post.

Johnson
gets put in a tough position where he has to defend 5s when JV isn't on. He's undersized in those situations. He's great at playing a 5 w/ small ball. He has good shot blocking ability and he is the best defender in this group. He gets too wrapped up in iso and post up. When there is a lot of ball movement he gets lost, usually resulting in either a slam dunk, or some kind of 3 pter. His help defense is poor.

Valanciunas
is the best help defender on the team. He is high energy hands up, he gets in peoples faces and pisses them off. He flies from left to right, running left and right. It's a feat to see I'd say. When it comes to iso, he uses his body like Aaron Gray, which isn't so good, because once the ball goes down low they freeze. He over helps.

Acy
is supposed to be a great defender but a lot of times he just confuses the other teams defense by being out of position. He is very aggressive when he doesn't need to be, and he racks up fouls day in day out. He needs to learn to flop like Reggie Evans and he needs more playing time.

Gray
is rubbish. He's good at being a rock that moves so they don't get a defensive 3. That whole 'pound the rock thing, yeah... I'd like to mess him up if I was 8'5" 400lb. My fists would be the size of Adriana Lima's tits.

Conclusion?
We have 2 effective players out of the original 4. Johnson and Valanciunas got game. Acy COULD? develop game. Aaron Gray is a sight that makes my eyes sore. I need to watch pornography after he plays just so my eyes pop back into my sockets.

How much of the poor performance from Group A is Brian Colangelo responsible for?
Aaron Gray


Defensive Conclusion
I mentioned a total of 15 players, of which 8 players have not sufficiently done their Defensive jobs.
With all the blow bys going on and the poor help defense, you can see why so many people get SLAM DUNKS, offensive rebounds against us. The defense starts with Lowry in my opinion. If he can make it more difficult for the other starting PG's, Demar and Gay can continue their iso with help defense from Lowry and Johnson. JV should not be help defending imo, that's Johnsons job.

[drunkmunky]

From the offensive and defensive breakdowns that I have just posted, the following players HAVE to be replaced for next year.


Bargnani
Telfair
Kleiza
Pietrus
Grey

Players that will continue to improve and make the roster better:

Terrance Ross
Landry Fields
Jonas Valanciunas
Demar DeRozan
Amir Johnson
Quincy Acy

Players that will perform the same:

Kyle Lowry
Rudy Gay
Alan Anderson
John Lucas III


Of the players that we HAVE to get rid of, who CAN we get rid of ?
Pietrus
Telfair


either
Bargnani
or
Kleiza

The player that is guaranteed to leave:
Alan Anderson

[drunkmunky]

Resigning Rudy Gay to a long term contract is beneficial to the Toronto Raptors as well as Rudy Gay.
I believe it makes sense for 2014. Why Do I say that?

Rudy will be receiving $19 million dollars next season. With the salary cap the way that it is now, and with the rest of the market understanding that he is playing at the same level as Demar DeRozan ($9.5 mill per annum), Rudy is really worth no more than $10 million a year. Beyond the 2014 season, Rudy Gay will not see anywhere near $16, 17, 18 million a year with either the Raptors or another team. No one would even think about paying him that much again.

I'm going to talk on behalf of what I think Brian Colangelo is going to do, or has done.
The Toronto Raptors is already Rudy Gay's team, so in terms of a social basketball hierarchy, it's already there.

This is what I would say to Rudy Gay's Agent.

I can offer Rudy Gay a new contract @ 15 million a year for the next 4 years.

The reality is that you're not going to get that from anyone else in the league.

If you take your 19 million for the 2014 season and you choose to move, like I said, no other team is going to pay you 15 million a year, especially for 4 years straight. You might make 12-13 million.

19 + 12 + 12 + 12 = 55

15 + 15 + 15 + 15 = 60

At the end of the day, if you renegotiate with the raptors, you get more money than you would elsewhere, and we're building AROUND you.

Now what does that do to the Raptors?

Rudy Gay is a star attractor in the NBA. he has friends absolutely everywhere, from Kyle Lowry, to Telfair, to Demar, etc etc Wale etc. His ability to attract other players to a building team is a very influential tool and he knows it.

If Rudy Negotiates the 2014 contract, it would give space for Colangelo to amnesty Kleiza and STILL be able to pick up slot bench players that can fulfill the needed offensive and defensive roles with a bit more than the league veterans minimum.

Colangelo is going to let Bargnani's value rebuild in the beginning of the 2014 season to see if he can reclaim some of the lost value that he has, and then he will most likely be paired with either John Lucas, Quincy Acy, or Landry Fields in some kind of mid-season trade.

With the pieces that we have right now and the half roster that Colangelo has been able to assemble, we'll probably only be a .500 team, even with the increased potential of the 6 players that I mentioned. By the mid-season trade deadline, Colangelo could assembly a team that could perform much better than that, with young bloods supported by a more veteran bench.

With the renegotiation of Gay's contract, it opens up a lot more options, and I think only Brian Colangelo could do that with Rudy. This kind of receipe and gambling talk with MLSE will allow BC to get resigned for a 1-year extension, and then a more serious 2014 push would get him resigned for a multi-year contract.

[Matt52]

Resigning Rudy Gay to a long term contract is beneficial to the Toronto Raptors as well as Rudy Gay.
I believe it makes sense for 2014. Why Do I say that?

Rudy will be receiving $19 million dollars next season. With the salary cap the way that it is now, and with the rest of the market understanding that he is playing at the same level as Demar DeRozan ($9.5 mill per annum), Rudy is really worth no more than $10 million a year. Beyond the 2014 season, Rudy Gay will not see anywhere near $16, 17, 18 million a year with either the Raptors or another team. No one would even think about paying him that much again.

I'm going to talk on behalf of what I think Brian Colangelo is going to do, or has done.
The Toronto Raptors is already Rudy Gay's team, so in terms of a social basketball hierarchy, it's already there.

This is what I would say to Rudy Gay's Agent.

I can offer Rudy Gay a new contract @ 15 million a year for the next 4 years.

The reality is that you're not going to get that from anyone else in the league.

If you take your 19 million for the 2014 season and you choose to move, like I said, no other team is going to pay you 15 million a year, especially for 4 years straight. You might make 12-13 million.

19 + 12 + 12 + 12 = 55

15 + 15 + 15 + 15 = 60

At the end of the day, if you renegotiate with the raptors, you get more money than you would elsewhere, and we're building AROUND you.

Now what does that do to the Raptors?

Rudy Gay is a star attractor in the NBA. he has friends absolutely everywhere, from Kyle Lowry, to Telfair, to Demar, etc etc Wale etc. His ability to attract other players to a building team is a very influential tool and he knows it.

If Rudy Negotiates the 2014 contract, it would give space for Colangelo to amnesty Kleiza and STILL be able to pick up slot bench players that can fulfill the needed offensive and defensive roles with a bit more than the league veterans minimum.

Colangelo is going to let Bargnani's value rebuild in the beginning of the 2014 season to see if he can reclaim some of the lost value that he has, and then he will most likely be paired with either John Lucas, Quincy Acy, or Landry Fields in some kind of mid-season trade.

With the pieces that we have right now and the half roster that Colangelo has been able to assemble, we'll probably only be a .500 team, even with the increased potential of the 5 players that I mentioned. By the mid-season trade deadline, Colangelo could assembly a team that could perform much better than that, with young bloods supported by a more veteran bench.

With the renegotiation of Gay's contract, it opens up a lot more options, and I think only Brian Colangelo could do that with Rudy. This kind of receipe and gambling talk with MLSE will allow BC to get resigned for a 1-year extension, and then a more serious 2014 push would get him resigned for a multi-year contract.

Your post fails the CBA.

A player cannot opt out of a player option and re-sign for a contract starting at less than the year he opted out of.

Rudy will pick up that $19M option for 2014-15, make his $38M over the next 2 years, and then sign a final huge contract at 28 years of age.

[psrs1]

I agree with ceez.

Fields:

- Solid penetrator
- moves extremely well without the ball
- doesn't need the ball to be successful on offense
- underrated passer
- good defender
- good rebounder
- solid mid-ranged game
- Great basketball IQ
- versatility; can play 2, 3 & 4 (4 only when team plays small - obviously)

= Inconsistent perimeter shooting
= without ball/shooting, game can become 4 vs. 5 on offensive end
= Turnover prone
= Struggles to finish around the rim
= commits some silly fouls
= overpaid for what he does/abilities

To be honest, because of Fields' much more efficient offense/better defense and Ross' potential, Demar becomes expendable, especially because I'm really starting to see the redundancy of a Gay/Derozan wing tandem, almost the same players, but Gay a lot more talented/better shooter/better defender.

I personally think a lineup of:

PG: Lowry
SG: Fields
SF: Gay
PF: (assuming trade goes through) a talented big = Millsap/Boozer/Gasol, etc.
C: Valanciunas

is extremely effective. Offense runs straight through Gay, and Fields can be used as a guy off ball to cut on teams loading/doubling on Gay, and can space the floor - IF he improves the stroke with asst. shooting coach John Townsend - with perimeter shooting. Two solid wing defenders and rebounders is also a positive, especially going against top tier teams with top tier wing players.

Excellent points.