Linkage – June 17
Raptors fans may recall the draft-day trade that brought Vinsanity to Hogtown and landed the then-penny pinching franchise its own practice court.
The word in the days leading up to draft day in Vancouver was a few Toronto officials had pegged Pierce.
The problem, as revealed later, was that Pierce refused to play in Toronto at a time when the Raptors’ reputation wasn’t good.
If one were to re-do the draft, how can anyone not take Pierce ahead of Carter, who has never lived up to the hype, Washington’s Jamison, who is a very good player in his own right but one who has never gone deep into the post-season and Dallas’ Nowitzki, a former MVP who chokes in the playoffs?
Greene is 6-foot-9 and 221 pounds, and could be an option for the Sixers, who will pick 16th in the first round on June 26.
“I feel like, in this draft, I’m the best small forward, hands down,” Greene said. “I’m not trying to come off cocky or anything, but I’m just that confident in myself.”
That confidence annoyed the Syracuse faithful. Greene averaged 17.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for the Orange, who underachieved and settled for a second consecutive NIT appearance. But Greene never took over games like the last Syracuse player to leave after his freshman season, Carmelo Anthony.
The Sixers like Greene’s versatility and shooting ability.
“He’s a very skilled offensive player,” assistant general manager Tony DiLeo said. “He can really shoot the ball. He’s a big-time offensive talent.”
I’m in Egypt, Cairo and a big time Bulls fan. I’ve been following the Bulls since the Jordan-days. I was wondering, what is your take on Andrea Bargnani since you did work with the Raptors. Can you say bust? Will he ever live up to his potential? Was he worth the 1st pick when you had Rudy and Roy on board? And is it a big risk for the Bulls to call Colangelo since not only is his value low, but he might be able to provide us with the scoring we need from a big man.
Chuck: I like Bargnani’s upside. He regressed this season but he needs to be developed and that comes down to the player and the coaching staff. I expect him to have a bounce back year.
That means there has been widespread speculation about what teams are interested in Ford, and, most importantly, what the Raptors can get back in a trade for Ford. Honestly, what’s surprised me the most is the interest in Ford, especially given his spinal condition, which, as we witnessed in Atlanta earlier this season, can flair up at anytime and potentially end his career or at least put him out of commission for a large amount of time.
now I’ll break down some of the trade rumors floating out there and propose some of my own:
The Raptors appear to have a lot of pieces in place, but a number of players underachieved last season so they could go in a number of different directions. If they decide to give Chris Bosh some assistance in the frontcourt two alternatives are Kosta Koufos and Robin Lopez. However, the more pressing need appears to be a swingman who can create his own offense. As such, Donte Greene would be an excellent selection.
First off, I love Bosh - think he’s awesome and the core of this franchise - BUT I don’t think he can win a title all by himself (after all neither could KG - and neither can Kobe). And after seeing him disappear in 2 straight playoffs and letting his team get their buts kicked by a lack of intensity and scoring, I’m open to the idea of reshuffling the deck in order to put the best team on the court in October. And lets face it, trading Bosh could fill a lot of holes in this Raptors roster - thinking of it as trading an Ace for a pair of kings ( or heck, even three 10s).
This team is further away from contending than just one player and with the buyout of Garbo coming and 1 of the point guards leaving, it becomes apparent that the Raps need to fill several holes in order to really contend in the East with the big dogs like Boston, Detroit, and even teams like Cleveland and Orlando.
So after reading all over the internet about just how much Carmelo Anthony, Richard Jefferson, or Shawn Marion might be worth in a trade, here’s a crazy idea: how much do you think a team might pay for a 24 year 2 time all star and top 5 power forward in the league. Me thinks its pretty darn high, especially in a summer when sooo many teams are looking to make deals.
Among those heartbroken by the sudden death of NBC political analyst Tim Russert is ex-Gopher Kris Humphries of the Toronto Raptors.
Humphries was a good friend and houseguest of Russert’s when the Raptors played in Washington.
Williams is another on the long list of players who’ve endured mircrofracture surgery and never fully recovered. Williams first experienced knee troubles his rookie year and underwent surgery days after he was dealt to the Toronto Raptors as part of the Damon Stoudamire trade. The Raptors then attempted to trade Williams to Boston the following season but the trade was voided after Williams failed to pass his physical. But in the end, it was a somewhat of a blessing in disguise for Toronto as Williams played all 82-games in back-to-back seasons (2001-02, 2002-03) and averaged 11.8 and 13.2 points per game. But it was the beginning of the end for Williams. He played in 56 games the following season and underwent mircrofracture surgery, missing the entire 2004-05 season. Toronto waived him the next season, and Williams played out a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2007.
i could do without the swirsky links man, lol…cock sucker says bargnani regressed now…watch how he supports hughes and hinrich to no end now…fucker…
Raps Fans last blog post..TRADE BOSH NOW!
Serious though, what moron would say Bargnani hasn’t regressed? Perhaps a hermit with no contact to the outside world?
“You have to respect Larry Hughes on the wing.” I’m not saying Chuck has said those words yet, but I’m planning on it.