Linkage for Jul 12 2pm through Jul 14 7am:
- Mediocre Forever – A Toronto Raptors Blog: Sticky Notes there’s a lot of people out there saying, if we get J. Jack, Rasho and Delfino back… all of a sudden, the Raps are title contenders. The Raptors still need to get a really good guard, unless DeRozan turns out to be a superstar which we’re all hoping for in two-three years…But right now, no way the Raps can win a title without having a superstar, other than Bosh… “superstar”… only team to win without superstars were the Pistons, but those guys are incredible together.”
- 2009 Free Agent List – Part Three « nbaroundtable
- Sources: Minnesota Timberwolves’ coaching search is narrowing – ESPN Although former Wolves forward Sam Mitchell has been frequently linked with the position, ranking as a longtime favorite of team owner Glen Taylor, sources said Mitchell has not been summoned to interview for the post, with Minnesota believed to be intent on hiring an up-and-coming coach from a lower salary bracket than Mitchell’s after a stint with the Toronto Raptors that included NBA Coach of the Year honors for Mitchell in 2007
- Sundin Deserves Better, Jarrett Jack Rocks, Great Toronto Sports Radio & Argo’s Coverage … | Toronto Sports Media Blog
- BURLISON: DeRozan keeps his NBA goals in check – Press-Telegram DeRozan’s hasn’t done any serious spending yet.”I’ve bought my parents a few things, furniture and stuff like that, but I haven’t really splurged on anything yet,” he said, smiling.
The “toys” he spends most of his time with these days are his Twitter account and his Nintendo Wii console.
DeRozan (DeMar-DeRozan is his real account) keeps his followers updated on his workout – “I’m in the gym, lifting” – and eating – “At Benihana” or “Just got a French vanilla cappuccino” – and encourages responses by starting a campaign for Raptors fans who follow his account to coin a nickname for him.
He hasn’t decided upon one yet “but I’ve got some good suggestions, like `DeMoralize,”‘ he said, smiling.
Ah, to be young and just be embarking on life as a pro hoopster …
- Raptors 92, Blazers 87- Summer League Game 1 | Bleacher Report
- Summer League: Trail Blazer vs. Raptors – NBA Videos and Highlights
- Raptors see Pacers’ Jack as a good gamble Still, at the very least, the offer to Jack should not hold the Raptors’ other business up too much.They still have the bi-annual exception, worth about US$2-million per season, which remains unchanged regardless of what will happen with Jack. The Raptors will likely use that on some frontcourt depth, possibly Rasho Nesterovic, who has stated his desire to come back to Toronto.
The Raptors are also looking to bring back their own restricted free agent, Carlos Delfino, whom they can re-sign with no regard to the salary cap. However, they will likely wait until the Jack deal clears – or not – so they know how much money they have left beneath the luxury tax to spend on Delfino.
- Howard ready to battle improving East rivals – The Globe and Mail But Howard, who was the league’s top defensive player last season after winning an Olympic gold medal with the U.S. men’s team, also saved praise for the Raptors and Turkoglu. He admitted that losing the 30-year-old Turk would hurt his team, and said the versatile 6-foot-10 forward would help his close friend Chris Bosh, Toronto’s franchise player.“I think they’re going to be a contender this year,” the 23-year-old said of the Raptors, who missed the playoffs last season. “[Turkoglu] has helped my game in the past couple of years to get where it is today. … Hedo is a great piece to fit in their team, with his style and his ability to get to the basket and create for others.”
- Raptors Blog » Splooosh!
- NBA.com Raptors Claw Out See Saw Affair
- Dino Nation Blog: Raps Win First Hedo Turkoglu Bowl In Vegas
- Court Surfing – Catching Up With DeMar DeRozan in Vegas
- Raptors/Trail Blazers Boxscore
- RaptorBlog.com – New Jack City
- Hoops Addict » Jack Close To Becoming A Raptor
- Chris Bosh: Raptors Off-Season Moves Enhance Prospects of Retaining the FA | Bleacher Report
- Raptors’ Hedo now has only national team on his mind
- FAN590 – It’s Been A While …
- The Associated Press: Cavaliers sign guard/forward Anthony Parker
- The Canadian Press: Toronto Raptors sign restricted free agent Jack to offer sheet
- A Raptors Summer – Part 1 | Searching For ’93
- A nice simple trade…well, maybe not! | Cuzoogle
- The numbers behind the future for Wade, LeBron, Bosh – NBA – CBSSports.com Basketball
- The Salami & Cheese: Jarrett Jack to Toronto?
- Dino Nation Blog: Vegas Jack 15
- NBA.com: Atlantic Division breakdown: Celtics remain team to beat
- IC Cold Links: Jack Jumpin’ The Border, Pacers Looking Ahead – Indy Cornrows
- Hedo uncomfortable with money talk – Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review
- Cavaliers: Cavaliers Sign Anthony Parker
- Jarrett Jack Not Coming Back – Pacers Pulse
- Cleveland Cavaliers Nab Anthony Parker: Really, It’s a Big Deal | Bleacher Report
- Cavaliers officially sign SG Parker – ABC15.com
- Give Me Some Magic! « Vittorio De Zen’s Fast Break
- Court Surfing – Jarrett Jack Almost Certain To Be A Raptor
- New faces – 5 possible NBA endorsement deals | Cuzoogle
- Doug Smith’s Toronto Raptors blog
- Actions Speak Louder than Words – Raptors HQ Toronto’s Summer League team is one of the worst I’ve had the pleasure of watching up close and personal these past few days and it’s a bit scary to think that several of its members played key roles for Toronto last year. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise then that the Raps failed to make the playoffs and struggled when they had to rely on their bench group.BC is trying to remedy this situation and hopefully he’ll be able to complete the task without blowing the bank too much. With the salary cap expected to drop further next year, Toronto’s management team will have to be wary of this when making contract offers and I therefore wouldn’t be surprised to see many front-loaded deals.
- Courtside – The pros and cons of Jarrett Jack in Toronto The Raptors have offered Pacers guard Jarrett Jack at four-year, $20 million contract.
The money is a tad rich for a player who would likely not even be a starter in Toronto, but overpaying a bit is necessary, or else the Pacers will match the offer sheet for the restricted free agent.Here are some pros and cons and interesting facts about Jarrett Jack:
- The Hoop: Nesterovic returns to Toronto? Nesterovic, 33, spent last season with the Indiana Pacers (averaging 6.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game) after being dealt from Toronto in the Jermaine O’Neal-T.J. Ford deal. He knows a role here would be as a backup and he’s fine with that; he also knows there will be no rush to get things done. “I know the first week (of free agency) is to get the stars done and the big names,” he said. “I can wait.”
- The Baseline with Laz Jackson: NBA Season Review. « Welcome to Laz’s Blackboard. Ok, this team is asleep. Calderon got hurt, Jermaine O’Neal was completely ineffective on both sides of the ball, they couldn’t go inside, they KINDA went outside, with Calderon out they couldn’t execute, they fired their former Coach of the Year, and this team de-railed. I could not have been more wrong about this team. But my man-crush on Chris Bosh persists… I really want him to come to Detroit.
- Free Agency – Match me if you Can He would be a major upgrade for the team and though they have multiple players who can play the point, none seem to be candidates for the job over the course of a 82 game season. Indiana was already flirting with the tax limit and may be handcuffed at this point unable to match the offer. The Pacers did try the tandem PG strategy with Jack and TJ Ford (a scenario that had played out in Toronto previously with Ford & Calderon) and by seasons end Jack had won the starting spot. Going forward though, seeing that they have a ton of money tied up with Ford and Tinsley, it’s very unlikely they pony up the cash to keep Jack in Indiana.
- Colangelo is Recruiting a Georgia Tech Alum to Aid him in the “HELP SIGN CB4? Campaign « Straight From the Arse It would appear that Bryan Colangelo is recruiting some former Georgia Tech stars to make Chris Bosh happy. Reports are circulating that the Raptors have offered former Georgia Tech point guard Jarrett Jack a contract. I guess this is what you do when trying to sell your franchise player that he should stay in the city that drafted him for the long term. It always amazes me that the organizations sell their souls for certain players, when in actual fact it should be the other way around. I imagine when there were fewer professional sports jobs available, players would go the extra mile for the organization and be happy that they were getting paid to play a sport that they loved.
- Dashing Hope in Toronto « The Wages of Wins Journal When we put the whole picture together, it appears the Raptors will employ the following starting line-up in 2009-10: Calderon (PG), Wright and/or DeRozan (SG), Turkoglu (SF), Bosh (PF), Bargnani [C]. Last season the NBA veterans in this line-up combined to produce fewer than 30 wins. So unless these players improve dramatically, or the team finds very productive players off the bench, it’s hard to see how this team improves dramatically. And that’s true even if Delfino returns to Toronto (although if Evans returns to what we saw in the past there might be some hope this team can get past 40 wins).
- Waiting game could be costly for LeBron, Wade, Bosh – NBA – CBSSports.com Basketball Henry Thomas, who represents Wade and Bosh, said his clients are looking forward to evaluating extension offers from their teams.Will money be the determining factor in Chris Bosh’s decision? (Getty Images)
Will money be the determining factor in Chris Bosh’s decision? (Getty Images)
“You can editorialize about the numbers that you’ve heard from the NBA as far as what they projected the cap will be,” Thomas said. “I’m aware of what the NBA has projected. They say that’s a good-faith projection. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. I don’t know. But everything relevant to the guys making the decisions whether they should extend their contracts now or not is going to be evaluated.” - Jack could provide fringe benefits for struggling Raptors – The Globe and Mail Adding Jack at the very least puts pressure on Ukic, the second-year Croatian guard who has been spotty during two games in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and suggests that Marcus Banks, who was acquired by the Raptors from Miami along with Shawn Marion, isn’t likely to be on the roster come training camp.The Raptors sill have about $7-million to spend before they bump up against the luxury tax. It’s expected their next priority will be to sign a veteran big man, with former Raptor Rasho Nesterovic an oft-mentioned target.
- Raps eye Jack pot | Basketball | Toronto Sun Jack, 25, is a defensive standout, capable of guarding both backcourt positions well.He would likely be the sixth man, backing up Jose Calderon at the point, while also seeing some minutes beside him.
Jack is also a close friend of Chris Bosh, dating to their season together at Georgia Tech.
The offer might be too rich for the cap-conscious Pacers, who still have point guards Ford, Travis Diener and A.J. Price on their roster.
- Vegas: Ukic Ready To Lead – HOOPSWORLD
- Money Management in the NBA and Franchise Success | Binary Basketball News Blog
- T.Jose Caldesports: The Trade
- Vegas: Is Smush Parker Back? – HOOPSWORLD
- Vegas: Douby Makes His Case – HOOPSWORLD
- DeMar DeRozan Blog: Interview with TrueHoop « Rookie Chronicles
- Week in review/preview: Money matters most to Ariza, Turkoglu
- Sporting News – Heido Was DUMB For Choosing Toronto
