We have about a month until the NBA Draft and free agency kicks in, so I decided to talk to some of the teams around the NBA that have been linked to Chris Bosh and the Raptors in one way or another to get a feel for their franchise, and what we could expect back in a sign and trade.

While the early offers for CB4 have not been very exciting (you’ll see when we get to them), they do paint a picture of why trades are so difficult, especially when you have your back to the wall. While I don’t think the picture is so bleak in regards to Bosh (I still think he resigns; there is no sane reason why he would either), I concede that we wont even get 40 cents on the dollar for our franchise player.

First stop, I check in with Rahat Huq from The Houston Rockets TrueHoop blog Red94. Overall, he’s a good guy, a bit delusional, but he knows his stuff (I can’t wait till we resign Bosh so I get my face on his website banner for a week or so):

Sam Holako: Are you guys regretting replacing Artest with Ariza? Maybe I’m just being biased, but Artest took pretty much the same team to game 7 against the Lakers last year, and Ariza couldn’t even get them into the playoffs.

Rahat Huq: Not at all. I fully appreciate the contributions Ron made to this team last season, and it was definitely a surreal ride. But let’s be clear – he didn’t take this team anywhere against the Lakers and in fact, was a complete liability offensively.

For the series, Ron shot just 38% from the floor (28% from 3) in averaging his 15.6 points per game and was even more dreadful when we needed him most upon the injury to Yao, averaging just 9.5ppg in the last 4 games, on 28% shooting (and a terrifying 15% on his 26 3-point attempts.)

Ariza wasn’t brought here to get the team anywhere; Trevor was signed to be a complementary piece. He struggled early due to being forced into a high usage role out of necessity, but settled in very nicely after the arrival of Kevin Martin.

SH: Let’s not beat around the bush; make me an offer for Chris Bosh.

RH: These are my two offers:

1) Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, Jared Jeffries, Dave Andersen, Jermaine Taylor, one Knick draft pick
2) Jordan Hill, Shane Battier, Dave Andersen, Jermaine Taylor, one Knick draft pick.

Andersen and Taylor included to make the numbers match – I could be slightly off on the figures.

SH: That offer makes me sad…very very sad. While Hill and the Knicks pick could have big value, I think I can speak for the rest of The Republic when I say that we expected more of an offer. I honestly haven’t even heard of Dave Andersen and Jermaine Taylor. The problem with your offer is that you think the Raptors have no leverage in this, but they do. Everyone knows that Chris Bosh wont leave the franchise high-and-dry for no other reason than if he does, he’s out 1 year and $30mill. Just for being insolent, Colangelo can use this S&T as a means to get rid of some dead weight in the form of either Calderon or Turkoglu. Let’s figure Jose since Brooks isn’t really a point guard, and you guys will need someone who knows how a pick-n-roll works.

RH: The inclusion of Andersen and Taylor would simply be for salary matching purposes. As far as our offer, I think you are coming in with unrealistic expectations. Look at the history of sign&trades for max players. From Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace (when he was a nobody), to draft picks for Rashard Lewis and Kenyon Martin, you won’t find a package even approaching the attractiveness of Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, and a lightly protected probable lottery pick.

SH: I have a feeling we might get into a fist-fight…so lets talk about Yao. The guy misses a whole season, is largely forgotten around the league, but should make a full recovery and be Über effective next season. The prospect of playing against a Bosh/Yao front court is scary; what are the plans for him going forward?

RH: He’s resumed workouts and is on schedule with his recovery.

I think the organization plans to limit his minutes and usage next season, and that shouldn’t be too great a concern considering some of the other parts that are in place. Still, Yao’s greatest value to the team is on the defensive end where, while he is not the best of shotblockers, he is as good as just about anyone at protecting the paint.

Yao/Bosh would indeed be scary simply because their skillsets mesh so perfectly. I’ve long felt that Yao was a finisher rather than an initiator. With Bosh’s high post abilities, he would provide the team a focal point from which to start its offense.

SH: Suppose in a bizzarro NBA world the Raptors sign-and-trade Bosh for Jordan Hill and spare parts, how do the Rockets matchup against the rest of the Western Conference? What can we expect from them?

RH: They won 42 games without Yao and Bosh and with a major personnel change midway through the season. If they can add what would have to be the best power forward – center duo in basketball in Yao – Bosh to the quintet of Scola-Lowry-Brooks-Martin-Ariza, along with a lottery pick, you would have to expect a significant increase in wins. Will they contend immediately? The talent is certainly there, but I think it could take a while and at least some growing pains to reach that level.

Based on your indignation over my proposal, I think you’re really suffering from delusions of grandeur. If a package of Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, and a future lottery pick would not suffice, in light of what has been bartered in past sign & trades of this type (Atkins/Wallace, only picks), I must ask, what exactly are you hoping for? It’s true that the Raptors hold leverage, but to a certain degree. They’ll pick the destination, but they won’t exactly be able to extract a king’s ransom, nor will they be able to offload their garbage (Calderon, Turkoglu.)

Boston Celtics

My Prediction: 0-4
Nov – Fri 27 @ Boston L
Jan – Sat 02 @ Boston L
Jan – Sun 10 vs Boston L
Apr – Wed 07 vs Boston L

Easily the cream of the crop of the Atlantic, and quite possibly the East (I still contend that if they were healthy last year, they would have won it all). The Raptors were 0-4 against them last season, and I expect the same this year. The Raps will struggle with Boston’s size up front, it’s not as though foul-prone Johnson is rounding out an elite Raptors front court. If they can counter that front court somehow (which they will have a very hard time with considering the Celtics just replaced Leon Powe with Rasheed Wallace), they still have to figure out what to do with Pierce and Allen. Excuse me if I don’t like our chances.

New Jersey Nets

My Prediction: 4-0
Dec – Fri 18 vs New Jersey W
Feb – Wed 03 vs New Jersey W
Feb – Fri 19 @ New Jersey W
Mar – Sat 20 @ New Jersey W

I have a feeling the Nets are going to be an interesting team. Thy don’t have a whole lot surrounding Harris, Lopez and Lee, but looking at this roster, they seem like a tough lot who is sure to be a well coached one. The Raptors were 2-2 against them last season, but in those two losses, VC had 39 and 27 points respectively. That first loss of the year was the gut wrenching one where VC sent the game into OT with a clutch trey then won it with that reverse alley-oop…we wont have to worry about him doing to that to us with the Nets, the Magic get that honour now. Anyways, they have no one that will give us any trouble, and we sure as hell can’t afford to lose even one game against them if we have post-season designs.

New York Knicks

My Prediction: 4-0
Jan – Fri 15 @ New York W
Jan – Thu 28 @ New York W
Mar – Fri 05 vs New York W
Apr – Wed 14 vs New York W

They will score in bunches and be exciting to watch, but wont be very much better then the 32 wins they got last season. The David Lee situation has not been resolved as of today (to my knowledge), which is a disaster as he has been one of their best/most consistent players over the last few years. Jordan Hill brings much needed size/toughness, but the only way the Knicks beat the Raptors this season is if they score loads and it comes down to a coaching battle. In any event, they can’t be slept on, they have the type of team that can get hot and run you off the court, but that will be few and far between. The Raptors went 2-2 against them last season, but have improved athletically and and bulked up. I have a feeling the Knicks will be worst team in the Atlantic.

Philadelphia 76ers

My Prediction: 3-1
Jan – Fri 08 @ Philadelphia W
Feb – Wed 10 vs Philadelphia W
Mar – Sun 07 vs Philadelphia W
Apr – Sat 03 @ Philadelphia L

They lost Andre Miller, signed a gangster and replaced Cheeks with Jordan. Forgive me if I don’t get too excited for them. I don’t follow the Sixers too closely, but for a team that went .500 last season, got the 6th seed in the playoffs, and took Orlando to 6 games, they sure as hell regressed (IMHO) this past summer. It’s not all bad for them. They went to the playoffs last year, have a slew of talented young wings that can get hot and give folks fits on the perimeter and a healthy Brand. Philly will be nipping at the Raptors heels, and be one of the middle-tier teams in the East fighting for the 5-8 playoff spots (the Hawks have 4 locked up, especially with the addition of Joe Smith up front). Each game against these guys will be a very important one, as the Raptors and Sixers will be neck-in-neck in that playoff hunt. They split the season series last season.

Boston aside, I have the Raptors going 11-1 against the Knicks, Nets and Sixers. Seems very ambitious, but if the Raptors want the 4th seed (which they wont get), they have beat these type of teams each and every time they play them. Even going 7-4 against them – and they steal one against the Celtics, drops them to 42 wins in my scenario, which will probably get them into the playoffs kicking/scratching/clawing and screaming, but with a 7th or 8th seeding.

Boston Celtics – 60+ wins
Toronto Raptors – 45 wins
Philadelphia 76ers – 40 or so wins
New York Knicks – 32 or so wins
New Jersey Nets – 30 or so wins
* please note, I had accidentally switched the Knicks and the Nets predictions, apologies.

That’s how I see the Atlantic shaping up this year.

Toronto Star

That’s not to suggest there’s a gem to be found at No. 9 this year. According to a variety of experts and NBA talent evaluators, the draft is thin on all-stars but deep on parity, making it more troublesome for general managers with picks outside the top two or three.

No one knows – even moreso this year than in others – whether a guy slated to go fourth will be better than someone the so-called "experts" think is worthy of the 12th or even 16th selection.

And it’s not just in Toronto.

Globe and Mail

“It’s definitely not clear water, let’s just say that,” Jim Kelly, the Raptors’ senior director of player personnel, said in a phone interview Monday.

Making matters more muddled, the Raptors have several key free agents that may or may not be back next season, and so the makeup of the team remains somewhat in limbo.

“You try to project where they fit on our team and we happen to have a number of free agents, and we’re not really sure if we’re going to be able to re-sign those people,” Kelly said.

“You’ve got to sort of project that we think we have a good chance with him, maybe not so much with him and if they don’t come back, we can use him in a certain role. It’s a little bit of a guessing game there.”

The Knicks Blog

9 – Toronto Raptors – Gerald Henderson

Tommy’s been on the Henderson bandwagon for a minute now, and I’m going to hop on now.  He can defend and has an awesome midrange game.  He’s ready for the NBA right now.  Charlotte would love for Henderson to drop to them, but I think he’s moved ahead of Demar Derozan in Raptor land.

Rumors and Rants

9. Toronto Raptors – Jordan Hill, PF (Arizona)
The Raptors can’t believe Hill is still on the board. The third-best big man in the draft, Hill is the much needed insurance policy for when Chris Bosh bolts Canada after this season.

Buffalo News

Some teams conduct their own background checks, some use agencies while others use private detectives or someone with a law enforcement or security background. Colangelo declined to say which method he utilizes.

“I don’t want [the players] to know what I’m asking,” he said. “Every team does it a little bit different.”

One-on-one interviews can say a lot about a player. One scout, who requested anonymity, said he usually follows a question like, “What’s your girlfriend’s name,” with “When was the last time you smoked marijuana” to try and throw the player off. Flynn has been very impressive during the interview process, which included a meeting with Colangelo during last month’s NBA Combine.

“It was a great chance for us to speak with him directly and get a good read on him and who he is as a person,” Colangelo said. “You start to formulate an opinion of who he is outside of the basketball realm and that’s all part of it.”

To The Tin

9. Toronto Raptors - DeMar DeRozan, G/F USC

DeRozan has been impressive during workouts and has as much potential as any other player in the draft field.

Grade: A+ This pick fills a need and gives the Raptors the best player available – the perfect combination for draft success.

Raptors Rapture

The Raptors draft needs greatly depends on what Bryan Colangelo does in the next few days leading up to the draft. Colangelo could attempt to trade Chris Bosh or sign on of the 2009 free agents but until that happens I will discuss the Raptors draft needs as if the roster will be the same as it is now.

Q. Who is your Top 10?

1. Blake Griffin 6’10 248 PF
Powerful & athletic, quickness in the post, runs floor, should be very good in pick & roll situations.

2. Ricky Rubio 6’3 185 PG
Leader, crafty & smart, very good passer, lanky long defender creates steals with deflections. Teammates just seem to play for him and respond to his game. Stroke needs work.

3. James Harden 6’5 215 SG
Lefty, can score in a variety of ways. Strong guard with good size, can play through contact. Winner. Good guard rebounder.

4. Jordan Hill 6’10 232 PF
Long athlete, improved strength. Could be a solid defender/shot blocker, rim runner. Low block game needs continued development.

5. Stephen Curry 6’3 185 CG
Ever heard “it’s a shot makers league”? He’s a combo guard who can flat out stroke it with range. Good handle & passer. His ability to shoot will keep him in league for a long time.

6. Hasheem Thabeet 7’2 265 C
Long! Very good shot blocker who runs well. Offense will never go through him, he’ll score as result of others setting him up. Doesn’t pursue boards out of his area enough for my taste. Can’t dispute his size & potential. Weak crop of bigs, he’s by far the best.

7. Jonny Flynn 6’0 195 PG
Quick & fast with the ball, explodes to the rim & can take a hit. Strong guard and very good in Pick & Roll. Good leader should work on shooting.

Gerald Henderson: I bet none of you have him this high

8. Gerald Henderson 6’5 215 SG
Long armed athlete who can finish at the rim. Much improved offensively including shooting ability. Best off the bounce.

9. DeJuan Blair 6’7 265 PF
He’s strong, has a 7’2 wing span and he’s a man on the boards. Good around the basket, crafty with both R/L and draws fouls.

tie 10. Terrence Williams 6’6 212 SG
Great passer, good athlete that can defend. Great in open court, shooting could improve.

tie 10. Earl Clark 6’9 220 SF/PF
Long athlete who can shoot it. Needs NBA range. Could post smalls & drive bigs. Capable defender, is the motor there?

Others I like regardless of rank:
Sam Young 6’6 215 SF/SG Pitt – Tough, strong, athletic, and a winner
Tyler Hansbrough 6’9 239 PF North Carolina – Never stops working. Produced for 4 years.
James Johnson 6’8 250 SF/PF Wake Forest – Stud physically, skilled guy with NBA body
Jeff Teague 6’2 180 PG/SG Wake Forest – Scorer, long arms & wiry strong
Derrick Brown 6’8 225 SF Xavier – Long Lefty, slasher
Nick Calathes 6’5 185 PG Florida – Best passer in the draft, Greece bound

Grab the Feed

Follow @raptorsrepublic @altraps @arsenalist @rapsfan @realizar @chrisdenker

Day 1 of being nice

…no pirates

Globe and Mail

Raptors centre Andrea Bargnani wasn’t sorry to see Sam Mitchell fired.

And he says he is worried Maurizio Gherardini, the Raptors’ highly respected senior vice-president of basketball operations, might be leaving.

In an interview with La Gazetta dello Sport from Treviso, Italy, where he’s been doing some off-season training, Bargnani said he is encouraged the Raptors decided to make Jay Triano the head coach, and not too disappointed that Sam Mitchell was shown the door.

"As a coach, everyone in the team likes him, unlike Mitchell, and he earned the respect of all the players right from Day 1," Bargnani said. "That’s why we asked [Raptors president Bryan Colangelo] to confirm him. And he agreed, because he’s the right man to start over with."

National Post

Watching the Orlando Magic should be particularly sour for fans of the Toronto Raptors. Do you know how the Raptors have been plagued by a lack of productivity from their swingmen? Well, the Magic have two players who could have helped Toronto in that regard.

First, there is the Magic’s starting shooting guard, Courtney Lee. Orlando selected Lee with the 22nd pick in last year’s draft. The Raptors had the 17th pick in the same draft, but shipped it off to Indiana in a package for Jermaine O’Neal, a trade that was ultimately a bust.

Lee scored 24 points in a game earlier in the post-season, and has shown a certain fearlessness in big moments.

Orlando also has reserve Mickael Pietrus, who has outscored the Cavaliers’ bench 69-57 by his lonesome this series. In the summer of 2007, he was a restricted free agent. Instead of taking a run at Pietrus, the Raptors opted to use their entire mid-level exception on unrestricted free agent Jason Kapono, who has been an unmitigated disaster for Toronto.

Meanwhile, Pietrus has emerged as a very useful piece on a championship contender.

RealGM

Of course, Calderon still has four years left on his 5-year/$40 million deal that he just signed last summer. So, the question then arises on what to do with him? It’s quite simple really: move him to the two-spot. He’s proven he can shoot and although you’d be undersized and maybe severely challenged defensively in the backcourt, you can make up for it more than enough by having some frontcourt prowess and an oversized SF.
I do like Calderon as a PG, despite his mediocre season this year, but rarely do you have a chance to pick up a talent like Steve Nash. If Colangelo figures Calderon isn’t suited to play SG and is enticed enough at the possibility of getting Kid Canada, you deal Calderon. It’s that simple. But, there is no chance you deal him unless you know for sure you’re getting Nash.
At this point next summer Calderon will have only three years left on a contract that is very respectable and should be quite easy to move, especially if he has a nice season in 2009-10.

Da Bullz

9. Toronto Raptors - DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh, Sophomore)

Even if the Raptors decide to keep Chris Bosh, they still will need more toughness up front.

The Dream Shake

9. Toronto Raptors: Jrue Holiday

Great potential.  Has yet to amount to anything, but really, he’s got potential.  Believe me.

NBC Sports

9. Toronto Raptors: Jordan Hill, PF, Arizona
Hill took the biggest fall from Version 1 — second overall was simply too high. He may easily go higher than No. 9 and probably should, but if teams are drafting by need, he may fall to Toronto. And you have to think that would be a steal.

Draft Express

Videos – NBA Combine Media Availability Interviews

Draft Express

-Jrue Holiday is the third biggest point guard measured, at 6-3 ¼ without shoes. He also has the fifth biggest wingspan and third biggest standing reach.

Draft Express

A point guard by nature, Holiday spent the majority of his time playing off the ball due to the presence of Collison. This fact, coupled with Ben Howland’s slow-paced offensive system, prevented Holiday from getting very many touches or allowing him the freedom to create. Scouts who have seen tape of the freshman from his days as a prep star in California know that Holiday is a blossoming talent with an intriguing skill set to go along with good size for his position.
Holiday has been preparing for the draft since UCLA’s season came to an end back in March, but has yet to officially make a decision on whether or not he will keep his name in the draft. DraftExpress sat down with Holiday to talk about his training, his year in the Pac-10 and what the future holds for this talented youngster.

I understand that when Colangelo first came to Toronto he was considered to be the messiah. But lets face it this messiah we know as Bryan Colangelo has never won a championship and has never led the Raptors past the first round in the playoffs, so I think it’s time we start raising some eyebrows. Especially after the disastrous season we just finished and quite frankly the terrible second half we had the previous season leading into the playoffs.

Cippin On Sports

9. Toronto Raptors- DeMar DeRozan, SG, USC
The Raptors have a need at the two guard and DeRozan would be a good fit.  The Raptors big men like to hang out on the perimeter and the ability of DeRozan to drive to the basket would compliment them.  DeRozan struggled early on in the season but really turned it on once conference play started.  DeRozan has great athleticism and has enormous potential but was inconsistent at times in college.

Scores Report

#9 TORONTO RAPTORS
Right now, I’m projecting Jordan Hill to be available at #9 and if so, there’s a good chance that Toronto will draft him. He’s raw, but he’s a good rebounder and defender, and has a lot of upside. The Raptors might see the departure of Chris Bosh on the horizon and draft Hill as his replacement. They also need a shooting guard, but it would be tough to pass on Hill here.
Pick: Hill, PF

Real GM

O’Neal may have done more for this team than originally thought, even though his play on the court wasn’t all that great in a Raptors uniform. His work with Bargnani, specifically how to play defense as a big man, went a long way in helping Bargnani progress as a player and if it wasn’t for O’Neal getting hurt than Bargnani probably would’ve never been forced into the starting center role.
One man’s loss is another man’s gain.
You can say that he was lucky O’Neal got injured, but the man still performed remarkably well for someone who most fans had written off as one of the worst number one picks in NBA history.