We’re at that point in the summer where Bobby Brown makes the headline. Also note that the “Really?” in the title needs to be read the way Seth Meyers does it on SNL. Marc Stein from ESPN is reporting that the Raptors are still interested in Bobby Brown, our point guard from summer league who “out-dueled” Dee Brown for the title of Best Raptors Summer League Point Guard, a prestigious honor just below the MVP. The sarcasm is there to indicate that the Raptors have no business signing a point guard of the Bobby Brown quality. Why? Because we already have Marcus Banks. With three point guards on the roster (one of them bound to be shipped), there’s little need to add a flavor of Will Solomon to the team. If veteran leadership and a steady hand is what we’re looking for, see if Earl Watson is interested in coming in and playing Darrick Martin II for a year or so. At this stage of the rebuilding/redevelopment/retooling/re-engineering process, the Raptors shouldn’t be wasting minutes. The twist in the tale and what could seal the deal is that Bobby Brown apparently has a Southern California connection to DeMar DeRozan and Amir Johnson. If he is signed, I sure hope that doesn’t come into play.
Enough about Brown, our man Rasho is headed to Olympiakos. Think of it as a trade for Linas Kleiza in which Colangelo totally robbed whoever the GM of Olympiakos is. Rasho’s second stint with the Raptors was forgettable, and that talk about where he apparently took Turkoglu’s side when that fiasco was happening is rather disappointing. The backup center was an issue last year and it continues to be one but here’s a positive take: We’re replaced Nesterovic and O’Bryant with Andersen; O’Bryant never really played so it doesn’t really matter if he stayed or went, and Nesterovic was so infrequently used that all Andersen has to do is show up and he’ll automatically be an improvement over what we had.
Sham Sports has compiled a very good list of free-agents that are still available. Notables: Earl Watson, Shannon Brown, Roger Mason Jr., Larry Hughes, Jarvis Hayes, Rodney Carney :), Joe Alexander, Louis Amundson, Jonathan Bender, Anthony Tolliver, Brian Skinner, Kwame Brown, Fabricio Oberto…
The other thought that’s crossing the mind this Sunday morning is players who have left the Raptors on good terms. I’m not talking about two-bit players like Juan Dixon either, I’m talking some of the bigger names. Nothing comes to mind. The only ones that come to mind are Jerome Williams and Alvin Williams, who is now an assistant coach. The departures of Davis (wife wouldn’t shut up), Carter (effort, injury), McGrady (left us hung out to dry), Bosh (effort, PR) and Stoudamire (moaner), all happened in significant distaste. When free-agents or would-be free-agents leave their teams it’s never a clean cut and there’s always some blood shed, but if history is any indicator, the Raptors seem to sever ties in the most violent of fashions.
Other, not as significant, layers who exited quietly include Donyell Marshall, Jalen Rose, Voshon Lenard, Marcus Camby, and Mark Jackson.
The guys from the Daily Thunder called me up to get a take on the Raptors. Have a listen if you like.
Remember Chris Bosh? I don’t.
