Linkage – June 24
Even members of that Raptors front office admit to being somewhat dazzled by all the bodies that have passed through the Air Canada Centre in the past few weeks of draft prep.
GM Bryan Colangelo, the man who will have the final say, is not talking these days and is not expected to break his silence until a pre-draft session with the local media tomorrow.
But the fact that the Raptors’ workouts of late have been predominantly late first round to second round candidates strongly suggests he’s not expecting to make a pick at No. 17.
Raptors guard Anthony Parker has one year and $4.55 million US left on his deal with the Raptors but reports out of Greece suggest Olympiacos is interested in luring the former Maccabi Tel Aviv standout back to other side of the Atlantic.
Parker is quoted on Solobasket.com saying: “It’s still too early to say anything. I have Olympiacos’ offer in my mind, but I still belong to the Raptors so it’s not easy.”
There is talk former Raptor Jorge Garbajosa is considering a deal with CSKA Moscow.
According to sources, the Raptors are still talking to the Phoenix Suns about a deal centred around Ford and Boris Diaw and there are “about three” other teams actively talking to Toronto about Ford.
The sources weren’t clear on which other teams are involved in the talks, although one league source said the Portland Trail Blazers, who need a point guard, are not among them.
Other teams known to be in the market for a point guard are the Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers. A handful of others, like Atlanta and Philadelphia, could use help at the position.
Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo had no comment on the Indiana talks, or any Ford speculation, yesterday.
But it is glaringly apparent now that the Raptors are bent on finding a new home for Ford, 25, so they can hand the starting point guard duties to Jose Calderon.
The Raptors, meanwhile, held what they expect to be the final pre-draft workout in Toronto yesterday, although they are trying to schedule one more for tomorrow.
The key player was 6-9 North Carolina State freshman power forward J.J. Hickson, who was in Toronto for a second workout, the only player to visit here twice. Even if he doesn’t become the 17th pick, if the Raptors were to trade back a couple of spots, he’d be a good pick.
“When you look at someone who can average 15 (points) and nine (rebounds) in the ACC as a freshman … there’s definitely some attraction there, especially with his upside,” said Jim Kelly, Toronto’s director of player personnel.
“First and foremost, when I think about the Olympics, I think about when I was a kid and watching the ‘92 Dream Team win it all (at the Barcelona Games), winning the gold medal,” Bosh told Toronto all-sports radio station The FAN 590. “It’s the prestige of the gold medal, the prestige of the Olympics that is so big to me. It’s about that before anything else, just competing with the USA on my chest, that’s like a dream come true for me.”
Matt Bonner, who has been employed by the San Antonio Spurs since the Raptors traded him a couple of summers ago, isn’t simply living in Toronto during the offseason; he’s getting married here in August. Bonner was scarce with the details, but he did offer that his bride-to-be’s name is Nadia, that she grew up in the Beach, and that they’ve known each other about two years.
“I never knew her when I played here,” said Bonner, 28. “It’s a long story. I’m not going to let the tabloids have the details …”
“I don’t think I’d want to go to Matt Bonner’s wedding,” said Mitchell, chuckling. “It would be Dorkville.”
Indeed, Bonner does little to play down his image as the league’s resident geek, a rare proponent of public transit over private jets, Timex over Rolex, old-fashioned rock over new-school rap. Some NBAers come to Toronto to frequent various late-night hotspots. Said Bonner, nodding his head: “I’ve already hit Tim Hortons and Mr. Sub.”
Indeed, the kid they called the Red Rocket proved his lack of cachet a little later yesterday, when he strolled through Union Station. He was spotted by a couple of reporters and exactly nobody else. Perhaps it was because he was wearing a Red Sox cap and a T-shirt and shorts, a backpack slung over both shoulders. Perhaps it’s because a wedding-day tux will be a stretch, and not because he’s 6-foot-8.
“If it was me, we’d get married at, I don’t know, Sneaky Dee’s,” said Bonner, speaking of the College Street rock-and-nachos dive. “But you know how it is, the guy doesn’t have much say about the wedding day. We don’t grow up dreaming about our wedding. It’s her day. I understand that. Girls like nice flowers and stuff.”
Truth is, backup point guards aren’t hard to find. They are working on the Roko Ukic buyout and he could be the guy. They could sign a young one out of a free agency, maybe a guy like Pooh Jeter did enough in the weekend free agent camp to warrant a look.
That’s the least of their worries.
One guy I don’t think it will be, as some have suggested, is Carlos Delfino. Depending on what kind of offers he gets out there, it’s quite conceivable that Torontolets him walk. In a perfect world they’d probably like to keep him, this is not a perfect world. I still think with Moon, Parker and Kapono (especially if it’s the Kapono of the playoffs) you can make the case that he’s superfluous.
What about Bargnani?
If a deal for a centre comes to fruition, he comes off the bench, likely as a backup four. That way he plays against second unit guys mainly and has some success that helps restore his confidence. It doesn’t mean that anyone in the organization has “given up on him.” It means they found a way to improve the team – they think – top to bottom.
The upside with O’Neal is that he’s healthy and motivated to regain his place among the league’s elite and when he’s good, he can be very good.
The downside is he plays 50 games a year and these guys muddle through but, frankly, they’d probably rather muddle through with him playing 50 games than with Rasho playing 75 for a year and then losing Nesterovic for nothing in 2009-10.
What should we read into the fact the Raptors had North Carolina State power forward J.J. Hickson back in for a second look, the only guy they did that with?
Not entirely sure but it has to be a good sign if you’re Hickson. He’s 6-9, a bullish low post guy who, someone, gets it done.
Here’s how Jim Kelly summed him up:
“I think he really knows how to use his body, he has a knack for getting inside, he uses his weight very well and has all these little ‘flip’ shots and I don’t know how you exactly describe him but he shoots the lights out from down in the low block area and he’s played against big guys all his life.”
Oh, and all you Marreese Speights fans out there take note.
All I heard around the gym yesterday – coaches, staff members, people who saw him work out – was how disappointing the session was.
“Worst guy we had in” was one comment.
I’d suggest you’ve got a better chance getting drafted by Torontothan he does.
“I think we have a really, really good team,” Bosh said of a roster that includes NBA stars LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Jason Kidd and Carmelo Anthony. “The thing I like about this team is that everyone checks their egos at the door. We know what it takes.
“That first world championship, we were really trying to learn the international game and how to play as a team. But now everyone is ready to play basketball and play together because we know if we don’t play together, we know things aren’t going to happen the way we want them to.”
Bosh will also be trying to use this busy summer as a way to shake free of some of injury problems that have cost him 40 games over the previous three NBA seasons.
“I’ve been playing ball,” said Bosh, who led the Raptors in averaging 22.3 points and 8.9 rebounds a game in 2007-08. “I’m rested. I’m in shape. I feel good. I’m getting stronger. I could play 40 minutes right now. I’ve really been working hard.
“That’s one thing I said I was going to do this summer. Last summer, I wasn’t able to workout because of the plantar fasciitis and that kind of hindered my training. So this year, I decided I’m not going to stay away from basketball too long because I want to hit the ground running.
“I want to play a pivotal role on the national team and then I want to hit the ground running when training camp starts,” he said. “In order to do that I have to run, stay in shape and stay strong. If I do that, I won’t be as injury-prone as I have been in the past.”
The Raptors had their free-agent camp over the weekend and while no one is predicting another Jamario Moon to emerge, team insiders were pleased with what they saw. Tamar Slay got some important votes for the best player in camp as did Hassan Adams, Pooh Jeter and John Lucas. Most importantly Rod Benson, the best blogging basketball player on the planet, also impressed.
No other major prospects were in the group, and no others are scheduled to come to Toronto. But the Raptors are not closing the door on holding a last-minute workout tomorrow.
“We’re trying to do some things,” Kelly said. “We talked about [Nevada centre JaVale] McGee again. I don’t know if that’s going to happen.”
Talks between the Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers about a trade that would have included Jermaine O’Neal and T.J. Ford fell apart on Monday afternoon, a league executive with knowledge of the negotiations said.
For a few hours on Monday, there was a sense that the deal was close, but ultimately concerns over the damaged state of O’Neal and Ford were too much to consummate the trade.
The Pacers were concerned about Ford’s future with his past neck injuries, but were willing to start rebuilding without O’Neal and the $44 million owed him over the next two years. O’Neal played just 42 games a year ago, because of a left knee injury.
The trade would have given Indiana the 11th and 17th picks in the draft, allowing Indiana to take a point guard and a forward. The Raptors have been one of the league’s most active teams in trying to move up in the draft, and they’ve made no secret about their desire to move Ford and make restricted free agent Jose Calderon the point guard of the future.
Reports that the Indiana Pacers have discussed trading Jermaine O’Neal to the Toronto Raptors for former Longhorn T.J. Ford could impact the future of D.J. Augustin. Augustin is regarded as a lottery pick, but if the Pacers pull the trigger on this trade, they would no longer need a point guard and might take LSU big man Anthony Randolph instead with the 11th pick.
Teams that could be in the market for a small forward:
Toronto – The Raptors got more than they could have hoped out of Jamario Moon, but a more consistent and versatile scorer at that position would give this team a boost.
I spent time thinking about and talking to reporters, including former ones (Mark Montieth), to get their opinions about the talked about deal.
I thought it might be 50-50, but most of the reporters I talked to think it’s a deal the Pacers should make because it’s time for O’Neal and the Pacers to go their separate ways. By the sounds of things, it seems like most of you feel the same way.
There appears to be one major sticking point with the deal, and it surrounds the key players involved.
The Raptors have concerns about O’Neal’s left knee and the Pacers are worried about Ford’s durability.
Should the Pacers hold out and wait to see if they can get a better deal for O’Neal or do you think they should pursue this deal further and hope Ford is healthy enough to solve their point guard problems?
Although he’s not a good 3-point shooter - 31 percent in his career - Ford would give the Pacers a player that can get to the basket and definitely find Mike Dunleavy and Danny Granger spotting up on the perimeter.
Toronto Raptors
Key free agents: Jose Calderon (R), Carlos Delfino (R).
Needs: More toughness alongside power forward Chris Bosh; a bit more explosiveness at shooting guard.
Outlook: Let’s clear up any debate about the Raptors’ point-guard conundrum: Keep Calderon, trade T.J. Ford. Ford’s comeback from a spinal injury is a great story of perserverance, but Calderon is the better point guard, from his health to his shooting stroke.
In preperations for the draft Gransberry has worked out for the Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, New Jersey Nets, Seattle SuperSonics, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers, and may still workout for the Toronto Raptors. He has already participated in two pre-draft camps, the NBA Pre-Draft camp (May 27-30) and the Portsmouth Invitational (April 9-12).
Gransberry was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team, the first USF player to earn first team honors in the three years the Bulls have been in the BIG EAST. He is also the first USF player to earn first team conference accolades since Altron Jackson in 2001 when the Bulls were in Conference USA. He was a second team all-conference selection last year.
Combining Chris Bosh and O’Neal would strengthen the front-court along with budding youngster Andrea Bargnani, which makes the Raptors instant contenders for the Eastern Conference.
For the Pacers, the lightning-quick Ford is only 25 and would fill the team’s need for a PG.
It is possible that the Pacers may hold onto O’Neal and draft PG DJ Augustin with the 11th pick in the NBA Draft to supplant Jamaal Tinsley and Travis Diener, making a deal for Ford unnecessary.
Or they could deal O’Neal and draft a big man such as Kosta Koufos to fill O’Neal’s void.
Either way, I believe that if the Raptors can get this deal done, they can go head-to-head with anyone in the East.
Having a star-caliber player such as O’Neal will give franchise player Chris Bosh some breathing space from the double teams.
Only time will tell if the Raptors can corral O’Neal and begin their ascent in the East.
This summer the Raptors have three key pieces with which to do their damage: T.J. Ford, made expendable by the play of Jose Calderon, the 17th pick in the Draft and their $5.5-$6-million mid-level exception. Each of those three assets are integral ingredients to this summer’s roster reworking, and though some rumors have started coming down the pipeline of late, it’s hard to see any of them going down as described.
The biggest reason for that is that most of the rumors floating around (Ford and the pick for Jermaine O’Neal or Boris Diaw, with minor variations) would use up two extremely valuable assets in one deal. The Raptors have several holes in the roster to plug up, especially with the departure of Jorge Garbajosa. Assuming Ford gets dealt this summer - a virtual certainty - the Raptors would go into the summer needing a new backup point guard, a new backup/starting big man as well as a high-calibre scoring/defensive wing. That list does not include provisions that would need to be taken should Rasho Nesterovic be included in any deal for financial reasons. Should he depart as well, that would up the need to two bigs along with the point guard and wing slasher.
I would understand dealing both Ford and the pick for a player of O’Neal’s calibre that didn’t have the injury risks associated with him. In that scenario the pick would mitigate the injury issues surrounding Ford. However, since Ford and O’Neal’s injury issues are more or less a wash, the addition of the pick seems to be overkill, especially since Toronto would have to give up three players to make the salaries even out. It isn’t so much an issue of the pick representing a must-have player at 17. By all accounts very few players in the draft make teams truly salivate, but the opportunity to grab a talented asset so cheap without cutting into the mid-level exception is almost more valuable than the player himself. Indiana has damaged goods on its hands and they know it, and if they demand the pick in this scenario it would seem that these two teams are ill-suited as trading partners. Unless Colangelo feels extremely confident in his next two or three moves panning out (or possibly nabbing a different pick later in the first round), I imagine that regardless of what trades go down on Draft night the Raptors will be walking home with a rookie (at 17 or elsewhere).
While it’s no secret that Ford long ago wore out his welcome in Toronto, is Jermaine O’Neal and his gimpy knees (not to mention, his enormous contract) really the best move for the franchise?
As for the Pacers, while absolutely desperate to get rid of O’Neal, they have even more pressing needs at the point guard spot. Larry Bird doesn’t get as big a kick as you might think out of watching Jamaal Tinsley’s nightly Rucker-style exhibitions.
Hey basketball fans, are you looking for a place to catch the NBA Draft on Thursday? If you live in the Toronto area swing by the Harbour Bar and Grille in Toronto as I’ll be there as well as some other writers from Hoops Addict and Raptors HQ.
First and foremost, how does Ford take to coming off the bench again, even if it is for a possible championship contending team and in a large role behind the aging Steve Nash?
Second, is Boris Diaw REALLY the answer at the 3 for the Raps? He’s not exactly the slashing, defensive-minded small forward that Toronto fans covet.
More than anything, this would be a case of two teams looking to exchange pieces that don’t fit, hoping that in their new environments, they suddenly become more palatable. And all of that’s fine, but taking on Diaw means an additional year of his $9 Million contract as TJ has a year less on his deal. So if Boris is a bust in Raptorland, that means fans have an additional year to watch him potentially toil on the bench.
The other thing that many people are forgetting is the reluctance the Suns have had to even SPEAK to the Raptors let alone make trades. Let’s not forget that Mike D’Antoni was forbidden to have any discussions with Toronto when he was looking elsewhere to coach. So would the Suns swallow their pride and negotiate with the Executive of the Year that they let get away? Hard to say at this point.
That’s why the Jermaine O’Neal idea is even more interesting.
First of all, regardless of the draft pick being included, Toronto would need to add some pieces to the mix to make the salaries match up. O’Neal is due over $21 Million next season meaning the Raptors would need to get within $100,000 of that under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement for the trade to go through. Ford and Rasho alone would only take the Raps to about $18 Million leaving them a couple Mill short. Perhaps someone like Kris Humphries will be tossed in or a combination of smaller salaries like Joey Graham and Maceo Baston. (In fact, how funny would it be if those two went considering that Baston already played for the Pacers and had a terrible experience, and Joey’s brother Stephen is on the squad?) That would clear up two of BC’s warts for sure however as Graham and Baston have done nothing worthwhile and could easily be replaced with cheaper options via Summer League or Free Agency. (Perhaps that’s something to consider based on the recent Free Agent Camp?)
Now, let’s keep going and assume the salaries do match up. Does the trade make basketball sense?
The 17th pick would put it a little over the top in my opinion, as Toronto has multiple holes and not a lot of attractive pieces to trade. This is the deal I would love to do:
Toronto gets: C Jermaine O’Neal, 41th overall pick
Indiana gets: PG T.J. Ford, C Rasho Nesterovic, 17th overall pick
This way Toronto still gets a chance to acquire at least an upgrade on the bench with a second round draft pick, and besides, the Pacers would now have the 11th and 17th overall picks, so why would they need the 41st overall (a much riskier pick).
Well if Chalmers is still there you can bet the Raptors will be all over him. Another player that I am really high on fell in our draft, and with the rumors that T.J. Ford could be on his way out for Jermaine O’Neal I could see them taking Chalmers. They would like to go big here, but I am not very high on any of the big men left, so they stay small here. Chalmers could be trade bait, but either way you have to like everything this guy brings to the court. Chalmers (much like Rush) is NBA ready can brings experience, which many players in this draft lack. He is smart, fast, and can get to the hoop. If he really falls to the 17 spot, it would be an absolute steal.
I am not sold on O’Neal in any way shape or form. Could a change of venue make O’Neal a different player and have a better outlook. It is possible and I am not willing to throw anyone under a bus without at least giving them a chance to prove me wrong. Still the injury factor is not something that will change. Unless you think that O’Neal was doing a bit of a Vince Carter type act based on his unhappy feelings in Indiana. But he clearly has some issues and does not have a body that matches the age on his Birth Certificate.
So with all of the names being thrown around, what are the pros and cons? Who would fit? Who wouldn’t? Here are a few names that have come up and a few comments on each guy. Forget the actual deals, because then we start getting into picks and packages, I’m not interested in that. Let’s just take a look at some of the names.
Unlike the Boris Diaw-to-Toronto rumours that came up last week, this trade actually seems to make sense for both teams in a lot of ways. Also, it has been reported from people in both cities, as well as on ESPN – the ‘worldwide leader in sports’ coverage. It appears to be the hottest trade story in the NBA right now and for good reason, because it could make the Toronto Raptors one of the favourites in the East heading into next season. Here are my thoughts on the potential trade from a variety of angles:
With the NBA Draft approaching on Thursday, I hope Bryan pulls the trigger or at least has a deal in principle set for July 1st. My preference would be to hold on the 17th pick in the draft because because there will be some decent talent available when it comes the Raptors turn to pick and a good young big man like a Robin Lopez would look good in Toronto.
Even if you assume that Ford will get injured again, he and O’Neal basically cancel each other out. Then you are looking at a situation where Toronto would be giving up Rasho and the 17th pick for nothing! Not to mention, the Raps would have to add another player to the deal to make the transaction work under NBA salary cap rules.
You know my stance on the matter. I would like to keep both Calderon and Ford and see the situation work but if I had to pick one, I would stick with Ford. And if they are going to deal Ford, they have to come up with better deals than the ones that are possibilities right now.
Whether we agree with the trades or not, whether there is even any truth to these rumours or not doesn’t matter. When your name is mentioned in multiple trade rumours during the week of the NBA draft, as is the case with Ford, chances are, you’re on your way out.
After all, these stories don’t just surface out of thin air. My bet is that Colangelo will deal Ford sometime soon, and the Raptors will look very different after the draft. You have to know that “Don” Colangelo has his finger on the trigger of something right now.
It should be noted that … my understanding is that the Raptors cannot trade their 1ST round pick outright. NBA rules stipulate that you cannot trade your first round pick in back to back seasons. Thus, if Toronto were to make this deal, they’d either have to (a) select a player on Indy’s behalf - and then make the deal on draft night, or (b) make the trade after draft night.
Unfortunately from what we saw and the people we spoke with, there are no Jamarios here this year.
However that doesn’t mean that there weren’t some standout performances. After talking with the Raptors’ Director of Player Personnel Jim Kelly and several others, and having seen a nice chunk of the action ourselves, here are our top 5 from the camp.
If the Pacers do acquire Ford, it could affect the playing time of former Orlando Magic point guard Travis Diener, who signed with Indiana as a free agent last summer. He started 21 games for the Pacers last season.
Why might Phoenix be interested in Ford? Ford can effectively run a fast-paced offense, and Suns two-time MVP point guard Steve Nash is 34 years old. Adding Ford would give the Suns a guard who could lighten Nash’s load and possibly eventually replace him.
Every year there is a major player moved on draft day, and this year it looks like a forgone conclusion that the Raptors and Pacers have the framework of a deal done. The deal will send Jermaine O’Neal to the Raptors, in exchange for T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic and Toronto’s first round pick at #17. It’s also likely that Joey Graham will be included in the deal. Nothing is done until it’s done, but it looks strong that this deal will get triggered on Thursday. If the deal goes down as expected, it’s a gutsy move by the Raptors to get Chris Bosh some much needed help, and it sends a very clear message to Jose Calderon that he is the point guard for the foreseeable future. Informed Pacers sources say the deal is not final, but they expect to hear a decision tomorrow as both clubs need to adjust their draft strategy if they are not consummating this deal. The Tuesday morning estimate on this deal getting done is sitting at 80/20… Look for more on this the draft approaches.
With all of those teams in play the Raptors have plenty to sort out. Also, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind seeing Jermaine O’Neal’s workouts in Las Vegas progress a little further to build up their confidence in his knee.
Time won’t eliviate the Pacers’ concerns for TJ Ford’s neck injury, but I can still live with this deal if the two sides can work it out. I find myself agreeing with Bob Kravitz this morning as he implored Larry Bird to “pull the trigger” (his unfortunate word choice, not mine, although I did chuckle).
Forget all the numbers, cap space, draft picks and expiring contracts for a moment. A deal like this has an aesthetic impact on the Pacers that is hard to quantify. When the two strongest personalities in the organization don’t get along, it’s a drag on everyone, fans included. I love Jermaine O’Neal and I love Larry Bird, but when it’s apparent they don’t get along you’re almost forced to pick a side. It becomes an unmentionable black cloud hanging over the team and has to have at least a subtle impact on the team.
This deal, or at least a similar deal that would provide the Pacers with a new point guard and salary cap flexibility, has to happen, for several reasons:
First (and second and third), it would get Indiana out from under the massive O’Neal contract, which will pay him $21.3 million this year and $22.9 million next year. The Pacers cannot rebuild as long as O’Neal’s contract is on the books, eating up nearly one-third of the team’s annual payroll.
This is not a shot at O’Neal, whose ultimate legacy should be that he did a lot of good things on the court and off here in Indianapolis. It wasn’t his fault that he was the face of a dysfunctional team; he wasn’t the one getting into trouble.
His biggest problem was that he got hurt a lot, and even that was not entirely his fault. After Brad Miller left in free agency, O’Neal never again had a solid big man by his side to take the brunt of the defensive beating.
Was he the hardest worker? No. Was he the perfect leader? No. But he was the best player on a flawed team.
It would provide the Pacers with a solid, if injury-prone, point guard.
Ford is a risk. He missed the 2004-05 season with a serious neck injury, and he may be one bad fall from retirement. But he played 72 games in 2005-06, 75 games in 2006-07, and returned from an injury to play 51 games last season.
The downside is his defense, which was an issue for the Pacers on the perimeter all season. Because of his size and health, he’s a defensive liability. But he gives the Pacers freedom to make Jamaal Tinsley disappear, and any moves that make Tinsley vanish and move O’Neal’s contract have to be viewed as major steps forward.
So, then, where would the Pacers go with the No. 11 pick? With Ford in hand, they would have the freedom to look big, but my sense is they would still focus on point guard D.J. Augustin. (Russell Westbrook will be long gone before the Pacers select.)
A deal for Ford would give the rookie time to grow into his role. If Augustin blossoms quickly into a starter, Ford is either a solid backup or trade bait.
Tinsley is done in Indiana. (Please, hold the applause until the end of the column.) If he’s in a Pacers uniform when the season begins, I’ll walk to Kokomo. If they can’t move him, and good luck with that, they’ll bite the bullet and buy him out.
Nesterovic has one huge thing going for him: He has an expiring contract. He will make $8.4 million next year, but then his deal is done.
As a player, Nesterovic is, well, useful. He’s big, which is no small thing on a team that lacks interior defenders. He has a decent shooting touch for a big man, like most European centers.
Toronto would like to part with point guard T.J. Ford, who led Terry Porter’s Milwaukee team to the playoffs four years ago. But Ford, who isn’t the bigger, defensive-minded backup to Steve Nash that Phoenix is seeking, has three years and $25 million left on his deal.
The Suns might be more interested in center Rasho Nesterovic, who has only one year left on his $8.4 million deal, as a backup to O’Neal. That would mean looking for Nash’s backup elsewhere.
Following confirmation of the arrival of Papaloukas and Vujcic, the Greeks have another goal in mind, and that is none other than Anthony Parker. The player would already have recognized a succulent Greek offer in an interview, an offer that could reach 24 million dollars spread over three seasons,
According to the radio station announced, Jorge Garbajosa already has an agreement TOTAL Unicaja player to be the next 3 years by an amount close to 2 million per season
Jun 25th, 2008 at 12:03 am
“the Raptors would need to get within $100,000 of that under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement for the trade to go through” — Raptors HQ
My rhetoric professor used to smack me when I did this — if you make an argument based on a single fact, then “measure twice, cut once” — you better triple check to make sure that fact is correct.
The CBA requires salaries among traded players to be within 125% PLUS $100,000 of each other, not just $100,000, which would make almost any trade (even of 2 max players who signed their respective contracts a year apart) damn near impossible.