No longer does it have to end with Bosh, O’Neal and Bargnani. Krish Humphries is now part of the “Big Four” that Sam Mitchell will be relying on for muscle. A strong training camp and a couple good preseason games later Humphries is feeling good about his new heavier frame which he isn’t shy to throw around. He seems to have cracked the rotation and maybe this time around he’ll stick. At the same time I wouldn’t put it past Mitchell to play him for 10 games in a row only to be given December off. Managing player expectations and playing time was a problem for us last year but to Humphries’ credit he didn’t complain even though it looked like he had a right to. In other news he shaved his head which is a bit sad because I dug the newer Hump model, it had a serious air to it which said “Don’t mess with me or I”ll drive my station-wagon right through your living room”.
Steve Nash is already looking for his next pay cheque and a logical choice are the Raptors. As he grows older (34 right now) the list of suitors will start to decline along with his play and that’s where the Raptors come into the picture. Nostalgic heart-warming feeling aside I can’t see the Raptors using their $25M in cap space on a 36 year old (although they did sign Olajuwon). That’s a logical line of thinking until you consider the “box-office impact” Nash could have on the franchise and the number of black jerseys he’d sell. Since the first goal of this organization is to run a profitable business I wouldn’t be shocked if they do it, although the signing will come about 5 years too late.
Back to the current roster and the most suspect position happens to be the swingman spot which has been a problem since the last three seasons. Starting Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker on a roster speaks volumes about the depth of the team but it looks like we’re going to have to make-do with what we’ve got. Neither Moon or Parker are NBA starters and look stretched playing their roles last year. We’re going to be out-talented at those positions on a nightly basis and are looking to scrape by based on what we feel is an advantage at our other two positions – PF and C. I’m not sure things work that way, having a balanced starting five where everyone can hold their own seems to work more often than having two above-average and two below-average players in the lineup.
The traditional off-guard is supposed to be your go-to guy in clutch situations and is relied on to provide key scoring but Parker’s 12.4 PPG (good for 19th amongst SG’s) is hardly what you call a scoring punch. Combine this with Jamario Moon’s meager offensive game and you realize they’re not exactly a potent threat. Below average actually and susceptible to offensive droughts which we know can kill teams in the post-season and if that’s the season that this team is supposedly built for, these two will have to have phenomenal years for us to be successful (whatever that measure is). Of course we could always acquire help at the trade deadline but Colangelo hasn’t shown an urgency to boost his team the last two seasons so there’s no reason to think he’ll do it now, unless of course there’s pressure from the top.
I could talk about the lack of bench-depth again but frankly speaking I’ll just wait for the regular season before we analyze Will Solomon and Hassan Adams any further.
There’s a look back at training camp in Carleton and some of the things that went behind organizing the event and a few thoughts from someone who was at the intra-squad game.
Minor trade last night – Pacers sending Shawne Williams to Dallas for what is left of Eddie Jones.
Have a nice Saturday.
