Linkage – June 21
The Toronto Raptors extended qualifying offers to restricted free agents Jose Calderon and Carlos Delfino on Friday.
The move allows the Raptors to retain their right to match any offers the guards receive from other teams when free agency opens in July.
Also a few emailers were eager to point out a rumour coming from Phoenix that would see the Raptors send T.J. Ford and the No.17 pick to the Suns for Boris Diaw.
Poked around a little on this and I don’t see it happening. One reason is that while the Raptors have had interest Diaw and new Suns coach Terry Porter might have warm feelings for Ford dating from his time with the Bucks, if the Suns trade for Ford how can they be sure Steve Nash will adjust to coming off the bench?
The Toronto Raptors are hosting what has been jokingly referred to in some corners as the “Second Annual Jamario Moon Talent Search” in homage to last summer’s free-agent camp, which netted the club Moon, the longest of NBA long shots.
But you want to talk long shots?
How about the encouraging, sudden and continuing revitalization of Canada Basketball, the traditionally and typically no-hope umbrella organization for the sport?
And that one of the driving forces behind it is the country’s only NBA franchise?
Consider:
– In an underreported story, there was the announcement this month of the revamping of the Canada Basketball board of directors to include Toronto Raptors president Bryan Colangelo, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment chief operating officer Tom Anselmi and Bay Street heavyweight Jim Hunter.
– In recent months, Canada Basketball and MLSE signed a new, three-year agreement for “support and co-operation” that included a financial lifeline to Canada Basketball from its cash-rich partner worth in the neighbourhood of $500,000, with “additional revenue opportunities to come.”
– Among the immediate benefits is the opportunity for the men’s team to play two home games against New Zealand and Lebanon at Ricoh Coliseum, the MLSE-managed arena on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds in Toronto.
One idea Colangelo has been working on is combining the Raptors’ desire for a state-of-the-art practice complex and basketball operations office with a national basketball training centre and high-performance institute.
Far-fetched? If Colangelo is behind it — and he is, with both feet — it’s not.
Over the winter, Parrish met with NBA executives in New York, an introduction made by Colangelo.
One thought under consideration is developing a working relationship between Canada Basketball, NBA Canada (the NBA’s Canadian marketing arm, which is operated for the league by the Raptors), Canadian Interuniversity Sport and the likes of equipment makers Nike and adidas to replicate the kind of co-ordinated approach to youth basketball development the NBA, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Association of Atlantic Universities and the shoe companies announced for the United States at the men’s college Final Four in March.
“This is just a basketball guy talking about a concept,” Colangelo said. “It needs to be worked on, our board and the provinces have to be on the same page, but with the combined resources of the organizations we should be able to make it work and work fabulously.”
VIDEO: Chris Bosh Holds Summer Basketball Camp in Dallas
The Toronto Raptors need to improve their frontcourt if they want to compete with the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. They have the 17th overall pick in this year’s draft and should be looking to add a player who can help them in the interior.
All-Star Chris Bosh in one of the top power forwards in the league, and is the cornerstone of the franchise. The 24-year-old Bosh led the Raptors in scoring (22.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.7 rpg) this past season, while point guard Jose Calderon averaged a team-best 8.3 assists per game.
Twenty-eight-year-old Jamario Moon had a decent season and should see increased playing time in 2008-09, while Anthony Parker played in all 82 regular-season games and posted 12.5 points and 4.1 rebounds. Carlos Delfino was the only other Raptor to participate in every regular-season contest.
Forward Jason Kapono had a strong showing in Toronto’s first round playoff loss to Orlando. The Raptors need more of the same from the three-point specialist during the regular season. Center Rasho Nesterovic is serviceable in the middle, but the Raptors could improve their situation at that spot.
The Raptors may look into trading former No. 1 overall pick Andrea Bargnani and point guard T.J Ford during the offseason. One of them could be used as trade bait to move Toronto up in the first round.
French swingman Nicolas Batum, projected to be a late first-round NBA draft pick, stopped participating in a workout with the Toronto Raptors earlier this week after a stress echo test — a treadmill test that measures the health of the heart — came back in the “borderline” area.
“There is an issue with Batum, and nothing is clear,” his agent, Bouna Ndiaye, told ESPN.com on Friday afternoon. “The number [the score on his stress echo test] could be a borderline problem if he had a family history of heart problems. But I talked to Nicolas’s mother and she said his father didn’t die of a heart problem. His team in France and the French national team test him regularly and said they’ve never seen any indication that he had a heart issue.”
A Sports Illustrated report in February said that Batum’s father, Henry, suffered a “massive heart attack” and died at the free throw line while playing pro basketball in France when Nicolas was 2 years old. According to Ndiaye, Batum’s father died of an aneurysm, not a heart attack.
Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo, reached by phone, refused to comment on the situation.
Batum also has canceled an open workout in New York scheduled for Saturday.
“He feels fine,” Ndiaye said. “He wants to work out. He’s been doing great. This morning he really wanted to work out with Joe Alexander. This is disappointing. I really don’t think this is a real issue.”
It’s unclear whether the issue will affect Batum’s draft status. It does come at a bad time. After wowing NBA scouts at the Nike Hoop Summit in April 2007, his draft stock has been on the decline. His play in the French league this year wasn’t stellar. Neither was a brief appearance at this year’s Reebok Eurocamp.
However, he’s had some strong individual workouts for teams and was projected as a potential pick somewhere between 17 and 27.
It was reported today by various mainstream news sources that the Raptors and Suns were close in their trade talks in a Ford for Diaw swap. Apparently Colangelo feels that Diaw would be the perfect fit with his versatility to play many positions due to his size, ability to handle the ball, and passing abilities. Although Ford would most likely be apprehensive about moving to a team as a back-up point guard, it would be hard to argue backing up a two time league MVP in Steve Nash. Plus, the new Suns Coach Terry Porter still has a good working relationship with TJ from his days as the Coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. Given the fact that most teams around the league are apprehensive about making any substantial offer for Ford due to his ongoing neck and spine health issues, if Colangelo can pull off a trade of Ford for a quality player such as Diaw it would be quite the feather in his cap and a great win for the Raptors organization.
Think very hard … and fast B.C. Can’t you hear the footsteps … and these are getting louder. If your former colleague , Mike D’Antoni, can be ejected from his seat with the Suns despite a winning record the past seasons ( unlike the Raps who are stuck in the 1st round the last 2 season ), for sure another Steve Kerr is waiting to kick yer ass. So what now B.C ? Simple .The answer can be found in your intials B.C. . Adopt the B.C. formula. Do it the Boston Celtic way ! Get your own KG , Ray Ray and supporting cast to partner with CB4 and watch the team turnaround , pronto.
You’re getting ready to ship out T.J. Ford. There is a rumored deal that has Boris Diaw coming to you for Ford and your #17 pick. Diaw is slated to make $9 million a year for the next three years, and he has an option for a 4th year at $9 million. Last year Diaw was an 8.8 pt., 4.6 reb., 3.9 ast. guy. Diaw is 26.
But before you can pull the trigger on that deal, the Kings come calling. They offer you John Salmons, Quincy Douby and one of their 2nd round picks for Ford, without asking for the #17 pick. Salmons is slated to make $5.1/$5.5/$5.8 over the next three years, while Douby will make $1.4/$2.2 million over the next two years, with a 3rd year qualifying offer set at $3.1 million. Last year Salmons was a 12.5 pt., 2.7 reb., 2.2 ast. guy. Salmons is 28.
To recap, the Kings deal is roughly $16 million cheaper in contract (if Diaw exercises his 4th year option and you don’t retain Douby for a 3rd year) and you get to keep your pick.
So here we go, picking Detroit’s own Chris Douglas-Roberts. Seeing as one of Anthony Parker or Carlos Delfino are going to be gone (and Joey Graham left last year, didn’t he?), we’re hoping our first hyphenate will evolve into the slashing, aggressive SG scorer we so desperately need. After racking up the numbers in college, adding a bit of bulk in the off-season, and impressing staff at his Raptor workout, there’s a general consensus amongst the Raptorati that CDR will be the man in purple black and red on draft night.
Boris to Toronto for TJ Ford. The Raptors bought out Jorge Garbajosa and now have the cap and roster space for Diaw. With BC calling the shots there this would seem to be the mostly likely new home for Boris if he’s to go. The problem is that getting TJ Ford back isn’t the answer. As much as I love the kid’s game and heart, he’s just too big of a risk with that contract ($25m / 3yrs)
On top of everything, this year’s camp in our opinion actually offers more realistic options for the Raps than last year. Even though Moon of course made a huge jump to the team, the talent that surrounded him wasn’t as good as this year’s collection of players.
So let’s take a look at about half of them today before touching on the rest tomorrow…
Is Ford worth obtaining, knowing he has a bad back? It’s a dice roll. However, the last time Phoenix gambled on an injury-prone player, the player won two MVP trophies. Although I am personally for this trade as I’ve been watching Ford since his Milwaukee debut, I can’t say the Suns would be willing to dish out Diaw so easily.
Here’s my modified trade: Boris Diaw and Raja Bell for TJ Ford, Jason Kapono, and the No. 17 pick in the draft.
This trade would benefit both teams. The Suns get a consistent three-point shooter in Kapono, and the Raptors get a defensive-minded shooting guard in Bell—not to mention the versatility of Diaw. This trade would also reunite TJ Ford with head coach Terry Porter, who he played under in Milwaukee.
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