DNB Says TGIF

2 more teams joined the Raptors on the NBA sidelines as the Suns and Spurs sent the Blazers and Mavericks packing. So that leaves 3 series in play. Lakers and Thunder with Lakers up 3-2, Jazz leading Nuggets 3-2 and Bucks up on Hawks 3-2. Of those 3 the obvious surprise is the Bucks are not only alive but leading over the Hawks. Should the Hawks go on to a rather large failure you wonder what the fall out will be. Could Mike Woodson job be in jeopardy? Might be another team for Sam Mitchell to interview with as he lives in ATL and is seen at some Hawks games every once in awhile. I did say another team didn't I. That is because Mitchell was among a number of names that Sixers will talk with to fill their vacant coaching position. Among that list apparently is Jeff Van Gundy.

Bryan Colangelo had predicted 6-9 coaching vacancies this off-season. He also said Toronto would not be one of them. Given some of the names out there maybe it should be? If Triano does not turn out the way Bryan hopes will the Raptors miss a chance on landing a coach they desire? Jeff Van Gundy should he decide to leave the T.V gig he has with ESPN/ABC, might be the one name that fans would point too. Many times his name has come up in the fan base as a potential coach here in Toronto. You also have Avery Johnson working for ESPN in studio as well as a guy that is a former Coach Of The Year with Mavericks.

I suppose coaches will always be hired and fired but there seems to be more interesting candidates out there than I can ever recall. That being said isn't this like a married guy checking out all the available women at a singles bar? I mean it is not like Raptors are going to get any of these guys. Still you can't help but look and think and wonder. Also it wasn't me that made this marriage. Bryan Colangelo is the one that made the commitment not me or you.

That being said what exactly do the Raptors have as a selling point to a coach? Bosh would have been one but he is halfway out the door. The prospect of having to yell at Hedo Turkoglu for 4 years? Well maybe not.

Why? It would appear that at least Colangelo is going to try to tie Hedo with Bosh to unload his contract. That is at least what they seem to think in Houston. However this rumour is flawed in a lot of ways. Bosh is apparently the number 1 free agent target for the Rockets. I can buy that, and playing in Texas makes sense it might appeal to Chris. Here is where problems start in terms of what else is in the deal aside from the Hedo dump. Trevor Ariza coming back to the Raptors. Isn't this that same Ariza that was rumoured to have turned down more money from Raptors and went to Houston. Which caused the Raptors to go after Hedo. Ariza at least based on the rumour mill of the past would not exactly embrace a move to Toronto.

It is so easy to make a rumour. It is even easier to pick them apart. This appears to be my job at least part of it for the next few months. It leads you think....THANK GOD IT IS FRIDAY.....and see you Monday people.

Same Old Problem

In the light of day the kind of dark cloud I had over my head last night has remained this morning. The fact I am learning Ariza now of the Houston Rockets to be confirmed July 8th, left 9 Million Dollars on the table. Heck put 1 million on the table watch how fast I would jump at it even to blog about Memphis or the Clippers. It is frustrating to feel like some kind of second class citizen in the NBA. I just hate it with a passion. When I use to pay attention to hockey, I was a Buffalo Sabres fan so I understand this feeling all to well. On the other hand have been a life long Cowboys fan and know that just because you have money and a franchise that has a rich history does not guarantee you a title.

People outside of Canada do not always get why Raptor fans get so bent out of shape. The things like this latest episode with Ariza is why. People always say they love the City of Toronto in the NBA. Is it a case of it is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there/play there? I try my best to refuse to believe that but how many times to you need get smacked down before you start to believe it. John Salmons who is far from an All-Star snubbed the Raptors for the Sacramento Kings. Now this with Ariza. It is just two examples of a long list of people that have passed on Toronto. Kenny Anderson refused to come here for an old school example.

Toronto has first class fans and they deserve a first class team. If Bryan Colangelo can not get guys to come here, really can anyone ever do it? Colangelo is a well respect G.M and has won an award for being the best at what he does twice. Forget about if Chris Bosh leaves. What about if B.C leaves. I know if I was him I would be frustrated by all of this. I mean he has tried to make it work. But if he ultimately loses Chris Bosh could it be long before he himself is lost as well. Not saying he gets fired saying he may want to walk himself.

I have a really bad feeling about the season ahead. I do have one little bit of hope. More a selfish one. That is for Brent Petway, I had him as a guest in the Spring and being an Ex-Wolverine that was a big thrill. I am hoping he has a excellent summer league and some how can crack this Raptor Roster. While all these free agent misses are not good news for me. In terms of Brent it is good news as he could be a very inexpensive option for the Raptors to play at the wing. Brent has spent the last couple seasons with the Idaho Stampede and is still trying to find a way to break into the NBA. Demar Derozan vs Brent Petway will make for entertaining dunk contests in Raptor practices for sure.

Summer League Roster From Raps.com

So there is always a bright side for somebody. However, in the big picture for the Raptors I am very depressed and very concerned and with good reason to be so in the future for Raptors.

Hope Lost, On A Thursday In July

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.

B.C Plan? Hedo? Ariza? LEE Huh?

I guess I am suppose to write something. Just not sure what is should be? According to many sources I am suppose to believe Bryan Colangelo is willing to pass out 50 to 60 million dollars to Hedo? That is a hell of a lot of pizza money. Portland and the Raps said to be the front runners. This is one time I am cheering really hard for Raptors to lose. Because if you lose in the end you will really win. That sounds very Yogi Berra like did it not? But it is true I do not just question if Hedo is worth that much now but I am convinced he is not in year 4 and 5 of that deal.

Meanwhile on the west coast it seems Trevor Ariza and the L.A Lakers are not ready to kiss, sign on dotted line and go win another title. This is the news that should get Raps fans excited. I would give Ariza a long hard look if I am Toronto. I gave a list of my targets at the wing on the Game Plan the other day when I called in.

1. Ariza- No Laker love to take a MLE for ring 2.
2. Artest- Talk he may go to Cavs? Oh yeah Shaq, King James and Artest coached by Mike Brown?
3. Marion- Talk he may be on Cavs list as well. That math is wrong. It will be about numbers for Shawn
4. Hedo- To much $$$, to much Pizza and to many years.

Also the wild card of David Lee who is an RFA might be in the Raptors plan? However is this not a way just to force the issue and screw over a Divisional rival? That seems more realistic to me. The Bosh rumours that will fly should the Lee contract not be matched by the Kincks. If the Raptors do in fact have an offer on the table for the Restricted Free Agent.

Looking around the league Pistons made the biggest splash of day 1. Gordon and Charlie V for big bucks. Dumars had to firs his coach in Curry and this may be his last stand. Once thought of as one of the best G.M's in the league now is starting to look more like his former back court mate in Thomas. This move basically takes Detroit out of the mix for 2010. No offence to Ben Gordon or Charlie V but they are not worth that. If you can not make a run at James or perhaps more realistically a Bosh have you not seriously missed the boat?

That is my quick take on the craziness. Back to checking on who is rumoured to be going where. Can i hit the fast fwd button to July 8th please.

12:01 AM Preview

Off the top a big congratulations to Eric Smith who is now a Dad. He and his wife brought a new son into the world and all the best to the both of them. I have mentioned many times how helpful Eric has been to me. I have no doubt he will make a great father and I am very happy for him.

Turning to basketball now some news late yesterday that Raptors tendered a qualifying offer to Pops Mensah-Bonsu. Just to clear up any confusion all this means is they retain his rights as a restricted free agent. The Raptors have done the same with Carlos Delfino as well who they have made no secret about wanting to re-sign. As for Pops it may not be the same type of deal. I have no doubt the Raptors have a number in mind when it comes to Pops and they will not go over it to match an other offer. They also can later take back or rescind the qualifying offer at any point. Same goes in terms of Delfino. But it does at least show an interest on the part of the Raptors to bring him back.

The Milwaukee Bucks did not do the same for Charlie Villianueva. They did not offer him a qualifying offer and he will now become a free agent tomorrow. The Bucks decided to offer Ramon Sessions qualifying offer and not Charlie. It probably seems unlikely that Charlie could return to Toronto. However Raptor fans for the most part would welcome him back with open arms. I personally just wish him all the best as he is one of the better people in this league. He does a lot of great things for charity and kids. So all the best for him on what likely will be his 3rd NBA team.

Last year the blog title on this day was who will Bryan Colangelo be talking to at midnight tonight? If you dream big here are 3 options for you.

Ron Artest- There was a time that Ron seemed a lock to return to the Rockets. Does the recent news that Yao Ming will miss all of next season and his career is in some doubt change that? I would think it is worth a phone call to find out. Colangelo has talked about making this team tougher and Ron Artest would do more than his fair share in that regard. The idea of Artest as a Raptor has been kicked around by myself and others for a long time. This may be the final shot at making that a reality.

Trevor Ariza- If there is anyone that I would overpay for to get this is the guy. Ariza did nothing but up his value in the Lakers run to a championship. It is a real shot in the dark to think he would bolt north of the border. But there are only so many teams that have money to spend. So if the Raptors really wanted to make a strong pitch money wise to him it is possible. I think Ariza still has upside and can grow so that is why he appeals to me.

Lamar Odom- Also likely not very realistic. However the Lakers challenge is how do they re-sign both? It may be difficult for them to do. So that would open the door for other teams to make a run at the one the Lakers do not end up choosing. You can make the argument that Odom might be the one left out in the cold.

Some other Options for that first call:

Shawn Marion- Colangelo has made it pretty clear he would be more than happy to re-sign Shawn Marion. It will be a question of dollars for the Raptors. It will likely be for Shwan as well. Can the two get together on a number that makes both happy? The market may hold the answer to that. But it makes sense that Colangelo checks in first with Marion and his agent first to see where that is at before he goes shopping elsewhere.

Hedo Turkoglu- If this man gets the first call and says 5 years and 50 million do you hang up? Maybe not hang up but you sure don't say done deal see you in Toronto for the presser. I think if you over paid for Hedo it would be a mistake. One of the biggest blunders made by Glen Grundwald was over paying for Alvin William, Jeromoe Williams and Antonio Davis. At the time Grunwald was praised but as time rolled on it would be a big part of his demise as G.M of the Raptors. I think if Hedo was signed, at the terms I have listed, that is what is said to be asking price you have a similar result. Fans would cheer in the short term but end up booing long before the deal was done.

Who is not getting a call at all?

Joey Graham it seems pretty clear is done as a Raptor. There has been almost no talk at all about him. It is with good reason as well. In his time here there have been many chances for Joey to prove himself and he has failed to establish himself. Will be interesting to see who actually will pick up the phone and call Joey. I have always thought OKC is a nice fit but we will see.

Raptors might get a busy signal when they call Anthony Parker. Teams like Boston and Cavs seem to have some interest as having Parker as a bench player. Where would you rather come off the bench if you were him? Raptors have made it clear should he remain he will have a roll likely coming off the bench. For a pure competitive situation it is much more attractive to do that in Boston or Cleveland. Parker does love Toronto but I am not sure if it is enough to pass a chance at a title with the for mentioned teams.

Welcome To The Most Important Off-Season In Raptor History?

So once again congrats to the L.A Lakers on their 15th NBA Title. Congrats to Orlando for making it to their second Finals in franchise history. The Toronto Raptors are still trying to make Finals #1 and win title #1. In fact the Raptors have not even made a Conference Finals. As the Raptors enter into the 15th season in the NBA they have far more questions than answers. Some will look to the teams in the finals for perhaps part of the answers. Is it realistic to think the Raptors could land a Hedo Turkoglu or a Trevor Ariza to join the Raptors? I am not as convinced that the Micheal Jordan of Turkey would be worth the dollar figure that it would take to bring him here. Hedo can be a fantastic player and was a big part of the Magic's run to the Finals. On a lighter note just for the Pizza Pizza ad that Hedo could no doubt get if he came to the Raptors it might be worth it. For whatever reason people think it is more possible to see Hedo suit up for the Raptors. There always seems to be this feeling that Raptors are more appealing for euro based players. In part that might be because of Maurizio Gherardini his reputation in Europe is huge with players and he is highly respected. I still do not think that Hedo for the price it would take is going to be a right fit. The Raptors just unloaded Jason Kapono who from the day the ink dried on his contract he could never live up to the number that was on it. Sad to say that I think Hedo would become a victim of that same thing. There is the case to be made in these tough economic times that free agents like Hedo will not get as big a contract as we might think. However to convince a top free agent can the Raptors not have to over pay to some degree to bring someone in? I am not against that if it is for the right guy. The Magic did that with both Lewis and Pietrus and for whatever you think of their contracts they were big parts of what made the Magic an Eastern Conference Champion as was Hedo.

But if the Raptors are going to gamble and over pay to get anyone in this free agent class my first choice is not Hedo Turkoglu. My pick would be Trevor Ariza. The Lakers are going to have to make a choice between Lamar Odom and Ariza and I think that the Lakers will choose Odom and not Ariza. Ideally they would like to keep both but that seems to be unrealistic unless one or both is willing to take less money for the chance to repeat as Champions with the Lakers. That is possible but with a CBA ending that will be totally different ball game and because of that I can not imagine to many players willing to bite the bullet and take less with that great unknown hanging out there. I have made the argument the Ariza more than any other has used these playoffs to improve his status as a free agent. I think he makes a solid fit for the Raptors as he has good to great defensive skills. He has improved his 3 point shot a lot. He also has the ability to drive and score and I think given the options the Raptors have that Ariza could be the best answer to their questions at the wing spot. You can make the case he also has room to develop and become better. I am not convinced you can say that about Hedo. Bryan Colangelo would have to do a hell of a sales job to get him to come. Just because the Raptors might offer the most cash to him does not mean he signs on the dotted line. But if he could convince Ariza to come north of the border it could be a huge score for the Raptors.

Shawn Marion, Ron Artest and Lamar Odom are all great players but they all may have reached a point that they are at or beyond the peak of their NBA Career. Ariza still has some steps to take to improve to his max level as a player. The worst thing that could happen for the Raptors is to put dollars into a player who skills may fall off at some point during the contract they sign. The NBA Cap is not going to be heading up in the next couple years. It is going to be going down and cap space and how you spend your dollars is going to be more important than it ever has before.

The entire concepts and how people approach things is about to take a major shift. Things like cap space are going to take on a greater importance than ever before. The question of do players want to win or do they want to make money is also going to become larger as things go along as well. If players truly want to win they can always sign a MLE(Mid Level Exception) with a team that is a contender. However if they are looking to make the most possible they will have to consider other options. The Raptors could be one of those options and not a bad one at that. Chris Bosh is an all star player and when healthy Jose Calderon can be a great distributor of the basketball.

I have always said that I am not afraid of Chris Bosh leaving and I do not agree that if he walks for nothing it is the worst thing that could happen to the Toronto Raptors. Bryan Colangelo points out that Bosh would more than likely have to come back to the Raptors. Chris Bosh wants max money and I am guessing the max amount of years along with that. He is not going to leave 30 million dollars on the table to sign with a team on his own. So as much as people may think Chris Bosh holds all the cards in this thing he just may not. At the end of the day Chris Bosh will need the Raptors to get what he wants and if he does not play ball with Toronto he losses 30 million bucks. Chris is a smart guy and no way that happens. So Colangelo has basically 3 options beyond the rush to trade Bosh.

Re-sign Bosh to Raptors if he wants to stay for Max Money.

Sign and Trade Bosh for the best deal possible.

Or just let Bosh walk and have his current salary to use in 2010 Free Agent Market.

People will say but remember the Chicago Bulls having all that cap room and no one willing to come there? I do remember that, but like I said these are changing times. Cap space just like something traded on a stock market is going up in value. I am sure people have noticed that the price of gas is on the rise. That is because the price of oil is so it impacts what we pay at the pumps. It is a simple case of supply and demand. Let's just say that the NBA Cap and all of the numbers tied to it drop by 2 million dollars. That takes 60 million dollars out of the available money to spend on free agents. The MLE is tied to that cap number so that goes down as well. Tax Threshold the whole nine yards comes down. Suddenly that team with Cap space and room looks a lot more attractive does it not? This is just basic economics here. Cap space is going to become more of value than it ever has since the NBA introduced a cap into the mix. I am confident I am right about this. So if the Raptors have that cap room they can indeed be a player and not be totally lost should Chris Bosh decide to play elsewhere. Also it is not like a player is having to go to a wasteland like a Memphis or a few other places on the NBA map that people are not fans of as a city. Toronto generally is a place that the players like and enjoy as a city.

Still will this blog stop the 2948 (estimate likely a higher number) Chris Bosh trade rumours that I will hear from happening? Not a chance and maybe that is why I am not looking forward to this summer. You must consider this as well. There is no way on earth the Raptors are getting full value for Chris Bosh from anyone for what will amount to a season of having him under contract. Bosh is not going to lock himself in to any team and he is going to go to free agency or make some sign and trade happen. Even if Bosh were traded to play with a D-Wade let's say. Who is to say he does not pick up and head to play with the Cavs the next year? That is the major reason why you will never get anything that comes close to matching Bosh's value. Build a team around the guy and let the chips fall where they may.

I understand not a lot of people will buy into this. But hey who believed me when I said Orlando would play the Lakers at the start of the year? Hell I am not sure if I believed me on that one. Roy Hibbert was the pick of the Toronto Raptors. I called that too. I also said it would be a major mistake to trade T.J Ford. Think I got that right as well. Orlando fans should take note of that by the way. You could have a great duo with Nelson and Alston. It can work even though there maybe some bumps in the road. Stick with it. Anyway the off-season is here, and no matter who is right or wrong the one thing we can all agree on is the fact that major changes are needed and coming to the Toronto Raptors.

Things I Need To Re-Gain Some Faith In Raptors

Well that interview for yesterday had to be re-scheduled. It happens. I have the people back on my roof banging again as well. To top it off the last Friday of the month means fire alarm testing. So I am a really happy camper today. I thought maybe I will just do a list of things that I need to get some faith back in the Raptors. Some might be serious, Some might be funny, Anyway here is the list such as it is. They are in no order.

Draft two players that can play in the rotation

Bring in a coaching staff that can help change the culture of this team

Be it Draft, Free Agent...Back-up point guard now.

Sign a guy that can impact on the wing. Ariza, Artest at the top of my wish list

Have someone explain to me how this team is better without Chris Bosh or have Bosh call and tell me he is staying.

6 no 12 no 24 beers.

Have the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors swap rosters?

Steve Nash


The reality of things is I am getting cranky waiting for answers. Even though not a lot of people agree with me I still say that a move that brings Steve Nash to Toronto is the best one. Hardcore basketball folks can debate the merits of it works on the floor. But for the casual basketball fan this would make them take notice of the Raptors perhaps in a way like they never have before. Steve Nash I think still has a few basketball years left in him. If the Raptors drafted a Ty Lawson or a Jonny Flynn how good could they be made by a Steve Nash as a mentor? I would venture to say that the answer is very good. There is all of this talk that sports is a business and if that is true Steve Nash is a great business move for MLSE. Let's face facts if Steve Nash comes here the Raptors will sell jerseys. I don't have numbers in front of me but just in looking around you see Nash jerseys at almost any basketball event you would choose to go to in this country. Jose Calderon will never be the draw that a Steve Nash is in Canada. I just think it is a risk worth taking. I have expressed it many times and remain convinced this a move that would help the Raptors. No idea if Bryan Colangelo agrees but the one thing is clear he has a lot of people to convince this off-season.