Alright this blog is brought to you by the folks on Twitter. Some good news off the top for a DNB guest. Justin Walsh was a guest on the Hardcore Hoops Show on The Score Satellite Radio. Some of the stuff was straight from his Interview here a couple days ago. So you guys that read the DNB heard it first. But Justin did a super job and congrats to him on that.
That last part is probably the last positive thing you will hear in this blog. The entire NBA was stunned to learn that Ron Artest is coming to L.A to join Kobe and the Lakers. Artest is the ultimate wild card and I would suggest the Lakers have to pray that Phil Jackson returns for this to truly work. Jackson did a great job with an unpredictable fellow by the name of Dennis Rodman. Now for the kids Rodman actually played basketball before becoming a reality show reject. He was good at it too. Only 2 coaches had ever been able to control him though.The late Chuck Daly and Phil.
From the Raptor angle of things when news broke that Yao Ming would likely miss the entire season and his career was in doubt, Ron Artest was packing and getting the heck out of Houston. I have always toyed with the idea of Artest as a Raptor. Bosh with his new C.D deal could have had Artest rap on it. Might be the only way Artest ever gets on an album rapping again. Was I over optimistic to think Ron Artest could end up in Toronto? Likely but hey sometimes you have to dream big and live with it if it doesn't work.
Besides this left the door wide open for Trevor Ariza to come to Toronto and save us all from overpaying for Hedo Turkoglu. But perhaps in an even more shocking and more Bizarre move, Ariza signs with the Rockets? Huh? You could have went to Portland who honestly talent wise is more attractive than Toronto but instead Ariza is signing in Houston?
Where is B.C in all of this. Like he was the guy that was finally going to give us respect and allow us to be able to sign players. What happened to that?
Here is my theory and I have no reason to believe it is wrong. I also have no reason to believe it will ever be confirmed. But when Bryan Colangelo came here he understood the challenge it was to build a team here in Canada. Some, not all players do not see living in Canada as viable option for them. B.C being the smart guy that he is decided to cash in on the appeal of Toronto for players from other countries. The idea to build his own little U.N of basketball here. The early results were solid but as of late not so much.
Hedo and Klezia would follow along that B.C plan. But the plan is doomed to fail. Can a team of basically euro talents beat a team of American talent? Yes they can in a game or a tournament. However over the long grind of an NBA season there is no way.
Some think that B.C might be sitting back and letting all of this pass him by. However maybe he knows he had no shot. Now Shawn Marion is not from Europe but he does have a past relationship with Colangelo. So that seems the lone exception to the buy Euro plan. Be it Shawn Marion, Jake Voskhul, Marcus Banks we have seen a number of former Suns hit the scene. Well except for the one Sun that most would like to see. He is not from Europe as well. But he does like soccer. But even still I like him anyway.
The bottom line is does a guy from Texas really want to play around a bunch of Euros with the odd exception to the rule. For that matter will a kid from Compton California if he becomes the next one. I started this mad as hell, but I now find myself in a depression not a rage. I think I get what Colangelo is doing and what he has been doing from the very start. The one step away from that direction was the trade for J.O and that was a car accident of a basketball trade.
Thank god for Demar DeRozan and here is hoping that he is as good as everyone seems to think he will be. I have a horrible feeling that unless a dramatic shift in the direction we are heading happens, Chris Bosh will be as good as gone and I would not be able to blame him one bit.
No Ariza and No Artest and Hope just took a big hit. If Shawn Marion were to return that would be something. I like Shawn but you have to figure if the Raps and him were close this would have got wrapped up quickly would it not have? So we are left with the pizza guy who was visiting another city not called Toronto today.
Yeah this off season is going REALLY WELL..NOT. If things do not change fast this is going to be on heck of a bummer anniversary season. 15 years and looking no closer to a title then when Mighty Mouse hit the floor at the Sky Dome. YEAH I SAID SKY DOME and If Rogers doesn't like that to bad!!! I am not in the mood. Off to play a Video Game that involves hurting something.
7/2/09
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Artest was only a dream, probably a bad one. Ariza was supposed to go back to LA. So they trade places and no one else is any worse off (except maybe Cleveland).
ReplyDeleteLooks like BC's plan remains Marion, CD, & LK. Plus possibly something to do with Lee? And what's the plan for CB4?
At least this is can be upgrade over last year and probably much better than the 41-41 club baring yet another lingering Bosh knee injury (assuming he's still here and Lee isn't acquired)
I wouldn't throw oneself under the bus just yet - sign and trades will be tough to announce before next week and it doesn't look like Marion can get more than the MLE from anyone except the Raps.
Still hopeful...
Steve
Hamilton
The reality is there are 29 other teams in the league. I'm sure you think about why we didn't get Ariza the same way all those other cities probably are, too. It isn't as easy as we wish it was.
ReplyDeleteDid the Raps make an offer to Ariza?
ReplyDeleteGood post. One area of disagreement "Can a team of basically euro talents beat a team of American talent?"
ReplyDeleteAnswer: easily.
Spain, Argentina (I know you said Euro, but I'm assuming you'll allow me) and others have often been very competitive with team USA. Take the best of some of these teams and certainly you can beat other NBA teams (which are not the USA dream team BTW). See: Spurs, San Antonio.
The "guy from Texas" just came back from helping out his good Spanish friend Jose Calderon. Let's give him credit - I think he only wants to win - with great teammates, whether they're from USA, Australia, Spain or Madagascar.
Ariza's name was mentioned a lot by fans and blogs, but never by guys that have connections inside the org. Tells me that BC knew it would be a long shot for whatever reason (competing bids to tough, doesn't want to play in Toronto etc.) and, since he potentially had a long list already, focused elsewhere. You can't make offers to 6 players are the same time.
Which is why Marion hasn't been signed. BC is still looking at something bigger. Marion has few suitors and BC has time. Why jump the gun and basically have the same line up as last year? You patiently wait and look to upgrade.
So, what's to say that Hedo's price is absolutely that high? You only really have 2 potential bidders. And he prefers Toronto. Let me be clear - it's a long shot we can get him for a reasonable price, but it could happen.
While I preferred Ariza, there seems to be a story we don't know.
What should allow you to have a *little* optimism? There are still decent chips out there (Hedo, Marion, Kleiza, maybe S&T for AP - or Marion, etc.) that have fewer and fewer bidders since Artest, Ariza etc found homes. Thus, Toronto is one of the few remaining teams with powder and less competition means less price wars.
Chin up (for now).
well apparently ariza's move to houston was about 'respect.' BC had an offer for him 'significantly higher' than the MLE, according to nba.com
ReplyDeleteOk. First off thanks to all of you. Nice to see more people leaving comments and feeling they can interact with me. I am a nice guy despite my anger in this post.
ReplyDeleteRaps did over Ariza a higher offer as was said. Based on the amount of money available technically the Raptors are going against 29 other teams but realistically they were not.
I know CB4 likes Jose and the point on him wanting to play with Americans may not even be something he even thinks about.
Spurs have been able to do it the best in mixing Euro and American talent.
I do stand behind that over the course of a season an American talent based team will beat a euro talent based team over the long haul of a season.
I did write this in the heat of the moment but a lot of the core ideas in it have merit.
If BC did make an offer to Ariza, he did his job. He can't control whether that player signs with us or not.
ReplyDeleteNo offense but that did sound SO LEAF FAN. His job is to get talent signed on dotted line. Just because I walk up to Trish Stratus and say you want to go out with me and she slaps me in the face as says she is married do I deserve credit for the effort?
ReplyDeleteSo I disagree eyebleaf.
If you did that to Trish Stratus, I would give you credit for the effort.
ReplyDeleteBC can't MAKE anyone sign on the dotted line. No GM can. All he can do is make the offer, and he did just that. You shouldn't be surprised that a player chose another basketball team over the Raptors. These guys, for the most part, don't want to come to freezing Canada and pay taxes out the ass. There's a reason why BC has had to scour the globe for talent...
Ariza left $9 million on the table with Toronto!!!!!!!!1
ReplyDeleteAnd this is somehow BC's fault?
Yup and that is the depressing part and the point I was making in the blog. But still you have to evaluate G.M's on results the effort is nice but if you offer Kobe Bryant a contract and he does not sign who cares. You can't be giving pats on the back for efforts only results.
ReplyDeleteI'm not giving BC a pat on the back for making the offer. He should have made the offer. However, I'm not going to say that this distracts from his record as GM of the Raptors. We offered Ariza more money, he said no, you move on to the next target. This is the life of a Raptors General Manager.
ReplyDeleteAriza going to Houston this fast is a young guy (or bad agent) getting back at his old team for disrepecting him. Not the logical choice, the emotional choice! Can't be helped, people make bad decisions every day.
ReplyDeleteTrevor had better enjoy being in Texas more than he enjoys getting paid because he did leave money on the table. There was no logical reason for him to make a commitment this early.
And don't be so dark. Have some faith BC will have something in the works by the end of next week. (Stupid waiting period to sign free agents)
Steve
Hamilton
If you think this is dark...Imagine if I blogged about the Ti-Cats. My mom is a huge fan and I support them to but that is true pain.
ReplyDeleteDid you do that to my wife?? Did you?? huh? Huh?
ReplyDeleteMet Trish once in life, Interviewed her for less than 5 minutes and she is sweetest nicest person in the world or close. At the time she was single and I did not then. That would be cool if Mr. Stratus was a reader.
ReplyDeletePlease don't start blogging Ti-Cats.
ReplyDeleteReminders not required!
Steve
Hamilton
It would be far to painful and I don't think I could be paid enough to deal with that.
ReplyDelete