Linkage – June 29
The Heat doesn’t need someone taking shots away from Wade; it needs someone to make those shots easier to create.
Enter Bosh, the lithe-but-crafty Olympic power forward who happens to have the same agent as Wade.
That’s what makes last week’s other noteworthy trade of a veteran so significant.
In rolling the dice on Jermaine O’Neal, the Raptors are essentially buying time with Bosh, trying to get him to the 2010 offseason in the best frame of mind.
Is O’Neal on the downside? Overpaid? Injury prone? Yes, yes and yes. But he also stands to do something other recent Toronto big men such as Andrea Bargnani, Rasho Nesterovic, Rafael Araujo, Loren Woods and Aaron Williams, could not—take the inside pressure off Bosh.
It had better work. Because the NBA reality is that no one stays in Toronto — not Tracy McGrady, not Vince Carter, not even Alonzo Mourning for a single game.
With the Heat, by contrast, Bosh would help balance the offense with Wade, seemingly could coexist with Michael Beasley, and would round out a skilled core for years to come.
By then (the Raptors hope), the Heat might address such a need through deals with Carlos Boozer or Elton Brand in the 2009 offseason (if not sooner).
If not, common sense says Riley is stashing max money for someone who works with Wade, not in place of him.
In 2003, had the Heat won its season finale in Toronto, it could have been the one drafting at No. 4 instead of the Raptors. At the time, it widely was believed that Riley would then have taken Bosh ahead of Wade, who went at No. 5.
Now it’s looking as if the plan for 2010 is to re-deal that ‘03 draft — and perhaps double down.
TORONTO RAPTORS
Picks: Traded T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic and the rights to Roy Hibbert (No. 17) to Indiana in exchange for Jermaine O’Neal and the rights to Nathan Jawai (No. 41).
Grade: C
This doesn’t look like a very good trade for Toronto on paper. Jermaine O’Neal is not only injury prone and incredibly overpaid for the next two seasons, he also seems to duplicate Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani with his preference to play on the perimeter and often settle for low-percentage jump shots. You have to think the Raptors could have gotten more for the package they gave Indiana.
At No. 41, the Raptors picked an interesting project in Australian Nathan Jawai. The big man is nowhere near ready to play in the NBA considering his limited skill level, poor conditioning and inexperience, but he does have some upside to develop if his work ethic is better than advertised. Either way, it was worth the gamble at 41.
Bosh is one of the players willing to play multiple positions, “I’m just trying to help out this team whatever way I can. If they want to play me at center or play me at the four spot, just put me in the game and I’m going to do the same thing. I’m going to rebound, I’m going to run the court, I’m going to spread the court and shoot it when I’m open and pass it when it needs to be passed.”
Bosh on the reported trade resulting in the Raptors receiving Jermaine O’Neal from the Pacers for T.J. Ford – “I’m really excited. He can defend. He brings a great style to our team. I think it really helps us out a lot offensively, but defensively as well. I think with me and him, we can really set the tone for this team.”
First off, if O’Neal stays healthy, he dramatically improves the Raptors frontcourt. Instead of playing centre, Bosh can move to forward and Bargnani can come off the bench. Suddenly, the Raptors starting five will likely be this: Chris Bosh, O’Neal, Calderon, Delfino and Anthony Parker.
That means they have an inside game that matches against Orlando – by putting O’Neal in the low post against Howard. And they still have a good outside game with Delfino, and Calderon.
That means their bench improves too: Jamario Moon becomes their sixth man, and the pressure of Bargnani is turned down considerably. Plus, it solves their PG logjam, too.
The big question for Colangelo was which of his team’s serious needs he would try to fill in a Ford trade. The Raptors were one of the worst rebounding teams in the league last season, and Colangelo needed some sort of physical frontcourt presence to go along with Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani. O’Neal provides that.
the rumors circulating about American player Anthony Parker of the Toronto Raptors receiving a contract offer of $24 MILLION over three years from the Greek professional team Olympiakos was a total shock. Apparently they were even willing to buy out the remaining $4.5 million of his current contract with the Toronto Raptors.
Is this just an anomaly, or are we going to see a dramatic decrease in the high profile international basketball talent coming to America to play in the NBA? In a few years will players such as Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Manu Ginobili, and the like just stay in their home country and play professionally in front of their countrymen on a nightly basis? NBA Commissioner David Stern may have pondered this same question from time to time. Like any smart businessman would do, I am certain Stern has dedicated countless hours to benchmarking his competition (various international professional leagues) in an effort to ensure the NBA remains the best professional basketball league in the world. And just like virtually all industries are doing these days, Stern undoubtedly has plans to grow the NBA into the blossoming international market and become a true “international league” with franchises located all across the globe. But how far into the future are we talking about? 20 years, 10 years…..5?
I’ve gone into great detail about the Raptors’ situation in the past. I’ll summarize by saying they will definitely be re-signing Jose Calderon. Hopefully he doesn’t get offered something outrageous like $11 million because by matching, Toronto would probably head into luxury tax territory. I’m thinking he gets a 5-year, $42 million deal from Bryan Colangelo, which is decent compensation and ‘T.J. Ford’ money. As far as Delfino goes, Doug Smith has reported the Raptors are looking to have a 
‘leaner’ roster this coming year that could round out at 13 or 14 guys to give Sam Mitchell a more clearly defined bench rotation, rather than playing ten guys. After learning that the Raps wouldn’t allow Anthony Parker to go to Europe, word is Olympiacos in Greece is closing in on signing Delfino to head over there this coming year. He’d probably command a greater salary overseas that he would in the NBA. Good luck to him. As far as the gangster, Brezec, he’s clearly done in Toronto.
1. If neither Wade nor Bosh were available to join James on either the Knicks or Nets rosters, what big-name player could he be paired with there to try to make one of those teams a winner? The Knicks don’t look like they have that got on their roster right now, despite their bloated payroll. The Nets have Vince Carter, who some reports indicate nearly was shipped to Cleveland on draft night. But by the start of the 2010-11 season, Carter will be 33 and will be entering the final guaranteed year on his contract so that likely wouldn’t give them a lot of time to play together. (The Nets reportedly have an option for the 2011-12 season.) Or perhaps they could use Carter’s expiring contract that summer to deal for LeBron’s running mate. But who would be the Nets’ target if Wade and Bosh are paired up in Miami?
2. Secondly, if the Heat would consider making a run at Bosh, do they intend to play their new No. 2 draft pick, Michael Beasley, at power forward or small forward? Would they play Bosh at center if he were lured to Miami? With his thin frame and his shooting ability, Bosh fits better as a power forward. Is Beasley in Miami for the long term, or could he eventually be used in a trade to acquire Bosh? It will be interesting to see if new Coach Erik Spoelstra tries Beasley a little at both forward spots. You have to hope that speculation like that does not become a distraction for Beasley as he tries to make his mark in the NBA.
Toronto Raptors Grade: B- 2.41 Nathan Jawai
Toronto made a very bold move by acquiring Jermaine O’ Neal from the Pacers. I think it is a move that is going to pay off. It allows Chris Bosh to stay at the 4 and Jermaine will bring a presence in the middle and another scorer on offense. The pick of Jawai gives the Raptors another big body in the middle. He should make an impact off the bench and should be very hard to move off the block.
Last summer, Bryan Colangelo was excited about building the Raptors around three young stars — Chris Bosh, T.J. Ford and Andrea Bargnani. Now, Ford is gone, Bargnani’s development is in doubt and Colangelo is hitching his wagon to the one-time star, Jermaine O’Neal, who has played 206 NBA games but missed 122 over the past four seasons … A source close to the Indiana Pacers does say that getting O’Neal out of that historically crazy environment may be the best medicine for revitalizing his career.
The loonie effect is not limited to the NHL. Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays and the NBA’s Toronto Raptors are also reaping the benefits, though they’re less affected because they receive most of their TV and marketing revenue in American dollars.
Still, the impact is there.
Blue Jays president Paul Godfrey said his team profits about $750,000 every time the Canadian dollar rises a penny against its U.S. counterpart.
“Every time the dollar goes up a penny, I do a victory lap of the stadium,” he said.
The $750,000 figure holds true for the Raptors, said Ian Clarke, chief financial officer of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which also operates the NHL’s Maple Leafs.
Over the past five years, Jawai has spent time at the Australian Institute of Sport, had a brief stint playing college basketball in the US at Midland College during the 2006-07 season and last season played for the Cairns Taipans in the National Basketball League and averaged 17 points and nine rebounds a game.
Yet in this relatively short period, he has had a rapid rise in skill, which — combined with a huge frame, a massive 228-centimetre wingspan and foot speed that is rare in men his size — has many astute NBA scouts intrigued with what Jawai could become.
The NBA draft is as much about potential as it is about readiness to compete. Never has this been more evident than this year where an extraordinary seven of the first 14 picks were players who had only one year of US college experience and only five of the first 30 players picked had completed the maximum of four years of eligibility in the college ranks.
The NBA clubs believe they can teach and develop talent better than anywhere else in the world and, in Jawai, they have the ideal raw tools to work with.
For me, there is no doubt that Jawai will be an NBA player and if he continues on the path of development, will be a significant impact player at that level. However, when someone slips to a 41st pick, this usually indicates that there would be some reservations on just how much better they think he can become.
Jun 30th, 2008 at 8:46 am
That would be a pretty good team — if Miami could get Bosh and keep Beasley and Wade. Bosh and Wade would both be relatively young enough to get them a good dynasty going, at least in terms of dominating the East.
Jun 30th, 2008 at 9:53 am
miami would be scary if they pulled that off. i wonder who the raptors would have drafted if miami took bosh? if they took wade (who fit the team a bit better at THAT time) things may have worked out much differently i suspect.
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