Linkage for May 14 5pm through May 20 7am:
- DraftExpress: Post-Lottery Analysis: The Implications
- Selecting at No. 9 just fine for Raptors GM | Toronto Sun
- TheStar.com | Sports | Raps’ Colangelo has no complaints after lottery
- Raptors land ninth pick in NBA draft
- In the Room With the Ping Pong Balls – TrueHoop By Henry Abbott
- Bryan Colangelo Conference Call – The FAN 590 Toronto – Audio on Demand The Raptors' exec speaks to reporters following an NBA Draft Lottery where the team ended up with their expected ninth overall pick in this year's draft. He addresses his previous luck in drafting ninth overall (drafting Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire in Phoenix), how the Raptors were fortunate in how the draft played out, and his options as to what he could do heading into the draft.
- Bryan Colangelo Conference Call – The FAN 590 Toronto
- Mock My Mock 1.1 (The Knicks Fix) – Newsday.com
- Mark Heisler’s mock NBA draft – Los Angeles Times
- TSN – Raptors GM Colangelo Happy
- Sportsnet.ca NBA Mock Draft 2009 – Sportsnet.ca
- PBN | Mejia’s mock draft
- globeandmail.com: Clippers’ ship comes in
- RAPTORS: Colangelo Pleased With Lottery Results The Toronto Raptors weren’t losers at Tuesday night’s draft lottery and by Bryan Colangelo’s estimation, that meant they were winners.
- sports.theglobeandmail.com: Clippers win draft lottery With shooting guard Anthony Parker and small forward Marion free agents, and franchise cornerstone Chris Bosh unwilling to commit to the club after next season, when he's eligible to become a free agent, the Raptors could easily lose three starters this summer.
With some luck, the Raptors might be able to get a player in return for Marion by way of a sign-and-trade deal, but those are not easy to facilitate.
Bosh won't be traded without the Raptors getting some true assets in return. Though if he goes, it will be hard to make happy faces around the idea the club will have lost arguably the best player in their history just as he's entering his prime.
- Part I: Recapping a History of NBA Lottery Conspiracies, Fixes, and Spin | Bleacher Report The top foreign player, Italy's Andrea Bargnani, conveniently went to the league's only foreign market, that being the Toronto Raptors when they beat the 8.8% odds for the right to draft first. Now Bargnani was taken after All-Star Brandon Roy, and other notable players LaMarcus Aldridge, Tyrus Thomas, and Rudy Gay, but at least here it looks at those he's improving (15.4 PPG in this past season) and should go on to have a nice, solid little career.
- Toronto Raptors likely to stay where they are in the NBA Draft Lottery – Posted Sports In the Raptors' previous 14 years in the draft, the ninth-ranked team has moved up just once — last year, when the Bulls won the lottery and selected Derrick Rose. On the other hand, the ninth-ranked team has only fallen once over that span, in 1998, when Golden State was leap-frogged by one team and accordingly, missed out on the opportunity to draft Dirk Nowitzki.
Every other year, the ninth-ranked team has not moved from that spot, unless expansion teams dictated the movement. Here is a history of the winners of the lottery (with initial ranking in parentheses) and a history of the ninth -overall selections.
- sports.theglobeandmail.com: Next season starts for Raptors tonight The good news for the Raptors is that the distinction between picking fourth, ninth and 12th is likely muted this year as the pool of available talent levels off. It will make the evaluation process challenging – as many as 25 players might get some consideration if the team indeed picks ninth – but it also means that there is some hope they can find a player who is as likely to help them picking ninth as anywhere else outside the top three.
With uncertainty about its perimeter rotation – both small forward Shawn Marion and shooting guard Anthony Parker are free agents – the thinking is the Raptors will look for an aggressive wing player who can contribute right away.
- How can we luck out again? – Blog a Bull Toronto. This is Blake Griffin mecca for Bulls fans. Blake gives the Raptors sufficent toughness that even Andrea Bargnani can be a legit NBA big despite the lack of testicles. He also makes Bosh expendable, if a 25 y.o. all-star is ever expendable. It means the only thing Toronto lacks to be a contender is a sf and a shot blocker. It means that…
But of course, that's impossible. What team ever lucked out and won the lottery with a 1.7% chance?
- Lottery Team Needs – SI.com That Jermaine O'Neal thing didn't turn out too well, so someone to ride shotgun to Chris Bosh would be a nice idea, with Bosh (22.7 points, 10 rebounds in 2008-09) heading into his contract year and Toronto needing to establish an identity. A perimeter upgrade, alongside and behind starting point guard Jose Calderon, is a necessity, too. And the only other Raptor to average more than six rebounds a game, Shawn Marion, could leave as a free agent. Needs, they have a few.
- Dino Nation Blog: Draft Lotto Day And Conference Finals Picks I have said for awhile if there is a guy this draft that I would want it is Thabeet. The big UConn star from Africa and he is a defensive force and will be in the NBA as well. He has a long way to go on the offensive end. He also could use some time in the gym to bulk up. But that is the guy of the top 3 that gets me excited.
- The Second Domino – NBA Draft Lottery Set for this Evening – RaptorsHQ.com In fact, the argument could be make that picking from a lower spot makes more sense as the financial commitments to that player would be less, and considering that this draft hardly looks like one in which Toronto is going to be able to grab a superstar, this leaves more money to go after some serious help via free agency.
Or conversely, with the state of the NBA economy, maybe a lower pick gives Toronto some more loot with which to purchase a second first-round pick from a team that’s struggling financially. Teams that fit this mould include Sacramento at 23 and Memphis at 27.
And is a club like the Cavs or Lakers really going to want their 29th or 30th selection? Picks like these might be in play as well.
- The Canadian Press: Raptors GM Colangelo says he’ll be content with whatever draft pick he lands general manager Bryan Colangelo said whatever pick his team winds up with when the NBA draft order is determined by Tuesday's lottery (8:30 ET), he's confident there's a decent player out there to be had.
"Overall I think the draft is a bit watered down, but at this stage of the evaluation process there are at least 10 to 12 players that we like and feel can come in and help address a need," Colangelo said. "Therefore, regardless of Tuesday's result, we will be content with the pick."
- T-Will works out in Toronto – Card Chronicle As for Williams, he was in top form.
He’s in great shape having worked out with Gary Payton since the end of the college season, his shot mechanics look better and better, and he’s still as dominant as ever athletically.
- NBA draft: Jrue Holiday, Earl Clark and DeJuan Blair could go high in 2009 draft – ESPN In a draft with just one dominant, physical big guy — Blake Griffin — Blair may be the guy who moves up to fill that gap. Last year, a number of NBA guys had Kevin Love ranked as a mid-first-round pick because of his perceived lack of size and athleticism. He wowed in workouts and then delivered as a rookie in Minnesota. That could help Blair's case, along with the NBA success of players like Paul Millsap and Carl Landry.
Several teams in the lottery have shown a lot of interest. Toronto is desperate for a beast to match with Chris Bosh or Andrea Bargnani. The Bucks are in desperate need of a physical low-post presence to pair alongside Andrew Bogut (plus, Blair really seems like a Scott Skiles-type of player). The Nets are looking for the same thing to put next to Brook Lopez. The Pacers didn't have any real paint presence last season.
- Tecate Premios Deportes Announces Nominees « The GM’s Perspective – Jose Calderon Nominated Basketball Player of the Year:
1. Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
2. Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
3. Emanuel Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
4. Jose Calderon, Toronto Raptors
5. Luis Scola, Houston Rockets
- Mediocre Forever – A Toronto Raptors Blog: Triano What does this mean? Part II So I saw that my previous article got posted on a forum and saw that people were nice enough to talk about it which is much appreciated. After seeing some of the comments I thought I'd right a sequel to that.
- NBA AM: The Truth About Toronto – Basketball News & NBA Rumors – There have been a lot of stories, reports and rumors about the fate of the Toronto Raptors. They have several key free agents – Shawn Marion and Anthony Parker. They look poised to have the 9th overall draft pick in June 25th's NBA Draft and of course the uncertain future of All-Star Chris Bosh who can and likely will opt for free agency in July of 2010.
HOOPSWORLD recently caught up with Raptors' president Bryant Colangelo and here is the gist of where the Raptors are at this off-season:
- Tortono Raptors: 2009 NBA Draft | College Basketball by Collegehoops.net Simply put the Raptors need some serious help. The feeling of many draft experts is that the 2009 class is especially weak (maybe the weakest since 2001) so this won’t be one of those “get rich quick” selections. In regards to the position of their draft pick, Toronto needs to look for a versatile perimeter player who can hold his own on both ends of the floor. Should they lose both Marion and Parker, that’s quite a bit to make up on the defensive end of the floor. If they do deal Bosh they’d better be sure to get a polished big man in return; outside of Blake Griffin you’re not going to find a guy like that in the lottery.
- Dino Nation Blog: I Fear The Raptors Future I was reading that Jose Calderon wants to play for Spain again. Where are the stories about him being selfish by doing this. I mean we here all of these things about Jose and being a team guy and all of this. Well which team Spain or Toronto? I mean it does the Raptors no good at all to have Jose Calderon playing for Spain. I am tired of all the praise of Calderon without people being equal about it. If he does in fact suit up for Spain than he is making a move that is not in the best interest of the Raptors. This guy is getting paid a ton of bucks to be the starting point guard of the Toronto Raptors. In that job he did not exactly perform that well last year.
- Daily Herald | Utah power forward Boozer a realistic target – Bosh may not be. Chris Bosh: The Raptors aren't expected to deal the all-star forward this summer and may adopt a policy of letting him become a free agent. If Bosh leaves in 2010, Toronto would at least have some cap room to try to spend on other players.
Of course, this scenario is an argument for the Bulls creating some cap room next summer. They should be able to make a good sales pitch to Bosh, with an opportunity to join a competitive team and still be the top scorer.
That's assuming the Bulls stay competitive next season. The easiest way for the Bulls to create cap room in 2010 would be to not re-sign Gordon.
- Meet Jerome Williams
- Examining potential acquisitions. « I know it ain’t me. His talent is undeniable. A proven All-Star and a legitimately elite big man who can create his own offense. At worst, an average rebounder and team defender. From all accounts, a good locker room influence. His positives very easily outweigh his negatives, which include a tendency to settle for outside jumpers and less-than-stellar leadership qualifications (his personality dictates he’d rather be second in command). Defensively, Bosh is solid when defending his natural position of power forward. But with Don Nelson still running the show, who can’t envision the occassional shift to the center position? Bosh isn’t nearly as effective on the defensive end when dealing with strong, rugged centers.
- With The Center and Point Guard Filled In What DoThe Raptors Really Need | Bleacher Report Whats left to want for a Toronto team with the two hardest positions in basketball filled in. Some one who can create his own shot in the four quarter. Evans could be that guy with some work on his shooting game. Bosh would be a nice second option but I think showed that maybe being the first is not ideal. Small forward is a spot that is almost wide open for choices when it comes to needs. It almost doesn't matter who we find to be the number one scorer because both Bargs and Jose can complement them.
- TheStar.com | Sports | Rogers reaches deal with TSN2 The long battle between Rogers Cable and TSN is over, meaning all Rogers subscribers will be able to watch this week's Blue Jays-Red Sox series.
- Sunday Thought – Just How Pressing Is the Need for a Back-Up PG? – RaptorsHQ.com Before looking outside the organization for help at the 1, BC has to determine whether the guys already in the fold can provide the much needed assistance. If you look at the Raps roster today, the team already has a number of guys who have, or could conceivably play, the PG position. Calderon, Banks, Ukic and yes, even Douby have played some PG in the league.
That’s four roster spots designated to one position and yet still an area with more questions than answers.
Can the Raps head into the 2009-2010 season with a combination of Banks/Roko/Douby playing back-up minutes? Or does BC need to start looking at alternatives?
- YouTube – RAPSTV: Welcome to Canada Danny Green and Terrence Williams
- Fadoo.ca: Rogers/TSN2 Reach an Agreement fadoo.ca has learned that after more than nine months of public bickering and negotiating, an agreement has been reached between Rogers Cable and CTVglobemedia regarding carriage of TSN2.
A person familiar with the discussions told fadoo that an announcement of the agreement should be expected this weekend, likely on Sunday. No specifics of the deal were revealed, however it is believed that, as a result of the agreement, Rogers Cable customers with the VIP package will begin receiving TSN2 almost immediately and automatically.
- NBA Trade Watch: Top Eight Candidates The problem for Marion is finding a team willing to spend their cap money on a 31-year old whose athleticism has always been one of his greatest assets. Considering between 3-5 teams will have the space to offer him a deal higher than the mid-level but will probably look elsewhere, Marion is probably going to need a sign-and-trade to get paid.
That means he'd be reliant on the Raptors finding a package they'd be willing to pay for in return. Marion would be a great fit for the Warriors and the Raptors certainly need a high scoring perimeter player. Would they be willing to invest in Jamal Crawford? Offensively that might work but a backcourt of Jose Calderon and Crawford aren't going to get many stops.
Marion can't ink a sign-and-trade deal until July 8th.
- CBCSports.ca – Blogs – Triano a safe pick for Raptors. Now what? With no bold coaching move on the horizon, Colangelo must therefore turn to his lame-duck roster if he wishes to make a splash this summer.
Will he resign Shawn Marion or find a willing partner in a sign-and-trade to get a player more likely to help in the long-term? Will he sift through the seemingly slim pickings in the annual draft of young prospects and produce, for example, a player capable of starting at shooting guard? Will he stand pat and hope players like Roko Ukic, Kris Humphries and Patrick O'Bryant can develop into meaningful contributors, or will he seek to deal to put the best possible team together next year in a last-gasp attempt to keep his one all-star player, Chris Bosh, from fleeing to Miami or Chicago or Detroit?
These are the real questions of the off-season, and they also don't even consider the possibility that a real shake-up featuring one of the team's cornerstones — Bosh, Jose Calderon or Andrea Bargnani — might be within the realm of possibility.
- Big Summer for the Raptors « Omey’s TO The big question now becomes “What do we do with Bosh?” He’s been a great face of the franchise and a great person in general, so hopefully we can work an extension this summer. If he’s still not convinced, it’s probably time to trade him. I hate to say it, but it’s true.
We couldn’t have asked him to represent Toronto better than he has. He’s a good all-star, and I get the feeling he would make for one helluva sidekick. I was hoping his strong showing at the Olympics would mean a different Chris Bosh, but he’s still blaming everyone but himself and rarely looks to take advantage of what the defense gives him.
- Warriors Want Bosh, By Gosh » Slam Dunk Central Probably the player that comes immediately to mind is the player who has the most upside – Anthony Randolph. But the thing is this – why trade Randolph for a player who more than likely will be a one-year rental?
The Warriors, if they considered a trade for Bosh, would probably have to include Andris Biedrins (no biggie there as height isn’t a virtue in Warriorland) for value and contract purposes. Any deal would no doubt be complicated as probably several contracts would be involved, and I am not going to pretend to speculate which players on a monetary basis could make a deal for Bosh doable.
Ideally, Bosh playing for Golden State makes sense. Realistically, I do not see it happening. I think that the matter of contract issues combined with what players would make the most sense in a proposed Warriors-Raptors transaction would render this scenario DOA. But hey – Golden State has the #7 pick, right?
- 2009 NBA MOCK DRAFT – Consensus 2.0 I've got Terrance Williams a lot higher than most of the other mocks I've seen, but he's the highest-rated guy the Toronto Raptors currently have on their slate for workouts, and if Shawn Marion does in fact leave in free agency this summer they'll need a talented swingman to fill that gap.
- Beasley Being Traded for Bosh? O’Neal with LeBron in Cleveland? | Bleacher Report The Miami Heat would trade Michael Beasley, James Jones (or Jamario Moon/Chris Quinn), and Mark Blount for Chris Bosh as well as a first-round draft pick in the upcoming 2009-2010 draft.
The Raptors would have a starting five that looks like this: Andrea Bargnani, Shawn Marion/Michael Beasley, Shawn Marion/Michael Beasley/Joey Graham, Anthony Parker, and Jose Calderon.
This would give the Miami Heat a starting five of O'Neal, Bosh, Dorell Wright, Dwayne Wade, and Mario Chalmers.
I personally do not like the starting five, for either of the teams.
- Top landing spots for Ricky Rubio, other top draft talents – SI.com Jordan Hill, 6-foot-10 junior power forward, Arizona. "Toronto could use him," said an NBA pro personnel scout who helped serve as my matchmaker. "[The Raptors] are so soft, and they can't rebound. Memphis is another team that needs size. Apart from Marc Gasol, it's really small and slight with guys like Hakim Warrick and Rudy Gay, and the Grizzlies could use Hill's toughness."
Hill averaged 18.3 points and 11.0 rebounds for Arizona last season. "I think he's a guy who will be solid, but he won't be great," the scout said. "I've heard him compared to Chris Wilcox as a rookie, but I don't think Hill is special like Wilcox was athletically. But I do think Hill is good athletically, and he'll play hard, a lunch-pail guy."
- RUMOR: Warriors targeting Chris Bosh – Golden State Of Mind You win in this league with superstars and stars. I'm not convinced that Bosh is a superstar or will ever be one. I do think that's a big red flag that the Craptors couldn't even qualify for the "Not-So-Elite-8" in the Leastern Conference this past season. But he is a legit All-Star caliber big man that is a proven commodity (Career Numbers via Yahoo! Sports). Those are hard to come by, especially for the Golden State Warriors who haven't had an All-Star power forward since Nate the Great Thurmond in 1974. (NINETEEN SEVENTY-FOUR for crying out loud!)
If the Warriors can net trade Chris Bosh this summer (and I'm not saying the Raptors are dumb enough to do it for what "assets" the Warriors have), they've got to do it. It could be a franchise altering move just like the trade for Baron Davis back in 2005.
BRING BOSH TO THE BAY.
- Does No All-NBA Team for Bosh = No Max Contract? – RaptorsHQ.com So if Bosh isn’t a top 15 player, again, can you really pay him max dollars?
We’ve poured over his stats and really, there’s been very little improvement statistically the past few seasons, so what is there to suggest that he’ll suddenly leap into that top 15 stratosphere? Aside from Shaq, and maybe Tim Duncan if he experiences a precipitous fall-off in production, you’d be hard-pressed to find room over the next few seasons for Bosh on one of those All-NBA squads; especially since he’ll have steep competition from players like Nene, West and Jefferson.
- Doug Smith’s Toronto Raptors blog Oh, right, Raptor news.
There is none. Sorry.
I do know there are people in the organization who think they’re will be a resolution to any coaching staff moves before the end of next week. The next “trigger point” would be the Chicago pre-draft combine, which goes May 27-31. Teams will want their full staffs at that one so look for any hirings in Toronto – or throughout the league, probably – to be done before that May 27 start.
- Riley’s mandate: Go get Chris Bosh, if he can do it | Talking Points But, if the Warriors don’t experience a total lottery luck-out, then Riley’s mandate is to go get a proven, vital young veteran.
The main targeted veteran, I’m told, is Toronto’s Chris Bosh–no surprise, given how hard Riley tried to get him at last year’s trade deadline.
Though Bosh is a big member of the great free-agent class of 2010, and therefore potentially available in a deal this summer if the Raptors are scared of losing him next year, it’s hard to see Toronto giving him
away. - The Hoop Doctors NBA Mock Draft 2009: “The Full Board” | The Hoop Doctors Would it be too corny if Stephen Curry played for the Toronto Raptors like his Dad? I doubt it will make a difference, as the Raptors are sure to want a scoring guard of Curry’s caliber. The guy can flat at put the ball in the bucket at will. He’s a great outside shooter, and although his 3pt % dropped a bit this year, he was getting to the line a lot more showing his speed, and played the point more showing his passing abilities.
- NBA Rumor: Warriors Plan to Pursue Chris Bosh | Dime Magazine Word out of Golden State is that new GM Larry Riley, who is getting paid less than every other GM in the League, wants to make a push to get Chris Bosh from the Raptors.
So what’s so fishy about that? If Toronto were to even consider this deal, they’d undoubtedly ask for Anthony Randolph as part of the package in return. The only thing that would make Don Nelson happier than telling Jamal Crawford to pack his bags is to get Randolph on the next plane out of town.
To make the dollars work, it looks like the Warriors would also need to include Andris Biedrins in this deal. Supposedly, Nellie isn’t all that fond of Biedrins either even though he was a double-double guy shooting close to 60% last year. (Then again, I don’t think that in tight economic times that those numbers are worth $9 million per year.)
- Out Of Left Field: Triano and Colangelo – 2 future paths tied together as one There’s great skepticism with the appointment of Triano among fans and critics alike, and not just do to a lack of Coaching experience in the Association. There are also plenty of questions regarding his record from this past season (25-40 after taking over), the respect he has garnered throughout the League (even though his players love him a Canadian ballplayer not named Steve Nash has a hard time gaining ‘cred’), and whether this is nothing more than a marketing ploy to drag out Canadians to watch the games. Working with and not against the GM should benefit Triano, as will having a team from day one and not after a negative start to a season.
- Which NBA teams will have cap space this summer? Toronto already has two of the most important pieces to winning in the NBA: (1) a good point guard in Jose Calderon and (2) a good big man in Bosh. But over the last couple of years they have struggled to find the right complementary pieces. O’Neal didn’t work out, but the Raptors were 10-6 over their last 16 games with Marion, so one option would be to bring the Matrix back at a discounted price. Another free agent to keep an eye on is Ben Gordon. With his ability to put the ball in the hoop, he would thrive in an up-tempo attack and could really take the pressure off of Bosh and Calderon. Besides, the Raptors need a shooting guard now that the 33-year-old Anthony Parker looks to be over the hill.
- The convenient coach: Why Bryan Colangelo kept Jay Triano in Toronto Citizenship matters. The Raptors fell short of expectations last season and the team lost touch with its fan base. A Canadian like Triano coaching the sole Canadian franchise had enough of a feel good vibe that some fan disappointment was soothed. And this will surely help next season if the club struggles.
Triano is far from secure, though. Cheap contract and folk hero status aside, a possible coach-in-waiting, Marc Iavaroni, was recently hired as an assistant. Iavaroni, who is friends with Colangelo from their time in Phoenix, was once a head coach in Memphis. If things sour, he’ll replace Triano.
Some coaches are hired to win championships. Triano, however, was kept for other reasons. And that says a lot about the current direction of the Raptors.
- Expect Pistons To Be Busy This Summer | Bleacher Report 1. Should GM Joe Dumars spend all of his cap space this summer or wait until 2010 when the likes of LeBron James, Dywayne Wade, Amare Stoudamire, Dirk Nowitzki, and Chris Bosh are free agents?
Maybe. This year’s free agent crop isn’t nearly as good as next year’s but the Pistons can go out and get a Carlos Boozer and Ben Gordon if they so choose. If not, they can take advantage of a team like the Toronto Raptors which will look to trade Bosh when they realize he won't resign after the 2009-10 season.
- Ric Bucher on AM640: "Chris Bosh will be traded this summer" Ric Bucher of ESPN on AM640 said "Chris Bosh will be traded this summer". Says Raps will make a contract offer which is sure to be rejected.
- How Statistics Screwed Up The NBA | Bleacher Report Is Shawn Marion a max contract player, and was he ever? No, he was never one. He's a guy who played in an uptempo system and much like every player who plays in 82 games where there are about 25 more rebounds available due to pace than in an average NBA game, he padded his stats and did so on a winning team. His statistics may have made him an elite player worthy of a maximum contract, but in reality, he was simply a role player.
Orlando, Indiana, and Toronto better learn the lesson quickly. NBA games are not won on paper. Sure, on paper maybe Zach Randolph is good, Chris Bosh is the best power forward in the league, Danny Granger is a prolific scorer, Shareef Abdur-Rahim was the next coming of Jesus, and Dwight Howard is the best player in the league.