By RaptorTalk


These are the Top Ten Reasons that make Raptor fans very happy that Chris Bosh is no longer a member of the Toronto Raptors.

          


10.  No more lame “MVP” chants

9.    Blaine Harrington has left the building

8.    Good riddance to Hadi

7.    Can stop pretending Chris Bosh is a "franchise" player

6.    More room at the ACC with Bosh’s massive ego gone

5.    We’re not the one’s over-paying Bosh and his wonky knees for six years

4.    Will see ball movement on offence again

3.    No more attention whore tweets from "The Quitter on Twitter"

2.    Someone new to boo besides Vince

1.    Toronto smells better now


For a guy who holds many all-time Toronto Raptor records, I am amazed at how little Raptor fans really cared about Bosh. It seems like most are pleased he's finally gone. That's definitely how I feel.

 By RaptorTalk


While he didn’t go all Dan Gilbert, Bryan Colangelo certainly said enough about Chris Bosh to make most Raptors fans and NBA observers realize that Chris essentially quit on the Raptors last spring.

The evidence is damning and corroborated on many fronts.

Here’s what happened according to the Raptors GM:

“Despite limited swelling and any excessive damage on an MRI, he felt like he needed to sit for six more games ... I’m not even questioning Chris’ injury. I’m telling you he was cleared to play subject to tolerance on his part, and the tolerance just apparently wasn’t there and he chose not to play.”

“The fact that our season was spiralling downward and we were hoping he’d come back sooner and we were also dealing with a few other things at that point. We were really struggling there.”

“Whether he was mentally checked out or just wasn’t quite into it down the stretch, he wasn’t the same guy. I think everybody saw that, but no one wanted to acknowledge it.”

      


Make no mistake. Bosh was medically cleared to play and instead he chose to sit out for six games and then play like crap upon his return. It was during that the stretch that the Raptors' season was, for all intents and purposes, lost.

The Toronto Sun’s Ryan Wolstat came to the same conclusion that most of us did:

“No matter how Bosh tries to spin things, it’s clear he, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James thought seriously about playing together long ago and they likely finalized those plans at the all-star break. He was not going to be a Raptor next season, so his thinking clearly was why continue to run through walls for the team and put his $100 million-plus South Beach payday at risk? Bosh gave everything he had for six-and-a-half seasons before playing the Raptors for half-a-campaign.”


The spin that some in the pro-Bosh camp have put on Colangelo’s “tell-all” is that it is sour grapes and Bryan is playing the role of the scorned lover. Problem is that the red flags and the questions about Bosh’s commitment to Toronto were being discussed and duly noted at the time.

Bosh went on Sportsnet to deny that he mailed it in or that he had decided in advance that he was out of Toronto at season's end. His assertions both rang hollow and sound like they are coming from a guy doing damage control. Fact is, many of us called Bosh on it well before the season ended.

Bosh told Sportsnet that he really wanted to make the post season. Sounds good. But how then do you explain missing all those games when there was no swelling and no damage to the ankle? One or two games is reasonable. Six is not.  It just doesn't pass the sniff test.


Bosh quit for all to see

For someone who fancies himself as good actor, Bosh delivered a lousy performance after the All-Star Break. While he tried to play the role of concerned and engaged superstar, no one was really fooled.

We at RaptorTalk wrote an article titled, “What’s Wrong With Chris Bosh?” where we pointed out  that numerous writers in the Toronto dailies and Raptor insiders on the FAN 590 saw a noticeably different Chris Bosh at the time when his team needed their (so-called) leader most.

Even Bryan Colangelo who had to choose his words carefully noted that it appeared that “someone got into Chris’ ear during the All-Star Break.”

One of the most stinging assessments of Bosh’s lack of commitment to the Raptors came from the ever-astute Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star. After a heart-breaking home loss to the Denver Nuggets in which Bosh disappointed Raptors fans with his less than clutch performance, Feschuk nalied exactly what was happening - four months to the day BEFORE Colangelo officially let the cat out of the bag:


“But the truth is, Bosh could have lifted the Raptors to a win with even the slightest of fourth-quarter effort. Instead, while he was given the ball repeatedly down the stretch, he chose every option but aggression”

“This spoke to a larger and troubling trend. Bosh is averaging 6.2 free-throw attempts per game in March, this when he was getting to the line more than 10 times a game in October. There are enthusiasts of teen abstinence with less aversion to body contact. One can't help but conclude that the impending free agent is saving himself for (another) marriage.”

"They're crowding the lane a lot more,'' Bosh said, explaining himself. But anyone who watches can tell you the defences haven't changed, Bosh's approach has. “

“Perhaps he is opting for jump shots to limit his risk of injury with a $130 million (all figures U.S.) payday looming in July."
 
"But don't the Raptors, desperate to make the playoffs, deserve honest effort for the $15.8 million they are paying him this season? Perhaps he doesn't want to continue to expose the startling lack of explosiveness he's been showing in his rare sorties to the goal, what with the health of his brace-sheathed knees.”

“And what to make of Bosh's game-high five turnovers, which brought his tally of giveaways to 19 in the past four games? ``I have no idea. I turn the ball over, I turn the ball over,'' Bosh said. ``I really don't pay attention to that statistic too much. I don't care.''

It was nice to hear some post-game truth, at last. Denver's stars made plays. Toronto's star doesn't care about giving the ball away – or, judging by the way he's playing, anything but his next contract.”


Either Feshuk is a modern day Nostradamus or he was stating the obvious. I suggest the latter.

Fact is that Bosh’s disappearing act didn’t fool Colangelo, Feschuk, savvy Raptor fans or us here at RaptorTalk. Bosh often played hard enough to look good, but not deliver crucial wins. Miami was always on the back of his mind, so the will and desire to lead was not there.

Interesting that Dave Feschuk’s words ring so true now that we look back and know what we know. If there ever was bad acting job - it was Bosh down the stretch last season.

You see, the "sour grapes/scorned lover" excuse simply lacks all credibility because it was plain for everyone to see that Bosh was on cruise control in February, March and April. And he was rightfully called out for it, well before we knew how the summer free agency period was going to play out.

No other way to describe it. Bosh quit on the Raptors to ensure that nothing stood in the way of his South Beach windfall.

Fortunately for Raptor fans, Bosh is gone. Now Colangelo can build a young, energetic team and not have to worry about satisfying a wannabe-superstar whose ego puts himself ahead of his team.

Just remember. Things haven't worked out well for our last franchise quitter and odds are the glory Bosh seeks will likely elude him, too.

 

   By RaptorTalk


I’ve got something for Raptor fans to read every time they wonder why Bryan Colangelo acquires a European player instead of a player born in the USA.

Read it before you suggest that Colangelo is a fool for signing free agent Linas Kleiza - a Euro, instead of American free agents like Anthony Morrow or Ronnie Brewer.

Read it before you wonder why Colangelo quickly re-signed Amir Johnson (an American who ‘wanted’ to be in Toronto), instead of dragging out negotiations to save a few bucks.  

   

Fact of the matter is that Toronto is not the preferred destination of most US players and the Raptors organization needs to factor that into virtually every personnel move they make.

How do we know? The recently departed Chris Bosh spilled the beans to a Miami newspaper about what he really felt about Toronto as a 'different' and unfamilar destination.

Here are Chris Bosh’s honest opinions regarding the mindset of an American considering a move to Toronto. Read Bosh’s words next time you think that American born NBA players view Toronto the same as the other 29 NBA franchises.

"I didn't want to go there," Bosh said.

"It was different. All I knew was Vince Carter was there and I never saw him play on TV. It was a whole different country, and it was just different. I'm 19 years old, I didn't know anything about culture and being away from home. All I know is the States.

"Toronto's a great place, a fantastic city. It's a metropolitan area, but you could tell you're somewhere different. You could feel it, you could look at it, you can smell it. Everything. All your senses tell you you're somewhere different."

Not sure that's what we expected to hear.


"You can smell it"

Bosh flat out says that Toronto is different. It even smells different!

Antonio Davis hated the metric system. Doug Christie said his mother-in-law’s cooking in Toronto tasted different than back home. But who knew the whole damn city smells different!?!

Going through customs, not buying beer at 7-11, living without ESPN, Celsius degrees, curling on TSN and not packing heat are things we Canadians are used to.  For many Americans, not so much.

And while T.O. is a world-class, dynamic, cosmopolitan city which this week was called North America’s “coolest city” by the Huffington Post – it will never feel like home for a US-born basketball player.

That said, once players get here they generally love it. No one on the Bucks, Jazz, Kings, Spurs, Bobcats, Blazers, Thunder or T-Wolves can rub shoulders with celebrities, pop stars and Hollywood actors as often as do the players of the Toronto Raptors. Living in Toronto is great for your ego if you're an NBA superstar. It's not LA or New York, but it's the next best thing.

Virtually every list of favourite NBA road cities of visiting players has Toronto ranked in the top five. It’s great night life and international flavour is the reason why many teams arrive a day early or stay a day longer in T. Dot. Still, in many player’s eyes it’s “a great place to visit, but they wouldn’t want to live here”.


The losing doesn't help either

The problem is further compounded by the Raptors’ dismal record as a franchise.

Bryan Colangelo is not running the Raptors like a Fantasy League team where the issue of location doesn’t matter. In the real world, Bryan deals with agents, American players and their families who don’t want to live in Canada. Like it or not, that has to be factored into many personnel decisions.

Will this doom the Raptors franchise?

No. But it’s an issue that Raptors management will continue to deal with for the foreseeable future.

The game-changer is called winning. If the Raptors ever become an elite NBA team, then attracting American players will be a lot easier. We saw it with the Toronto Blue Jays in the early 90’s. Winning is the magnet that pulls in top talent from everywhere.

In the mean time, Colangelo will continue to build a team in Toronto where a player’s willingness to be here is a factor.

So next time you wonder why Bryan doesn’t acquire or sign (insert player name here), remember that Player X  simply may not want to be here.

That’s a fact that all Toronto Raptors fans need to accept, because it's not going to change any time soon - if ever.

 By RaptorTalk


Fears that LeBron James’ damaged image and sullied reputation might cost him sponsorship opportunities may be somewhat premature. It appears that the first mega endorsement dollars are starting to roll in for LeBron James and his partners, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade.

Unsubstantiated rumors are that candy giant Mars, could soon announce that James, Bosh and Wade will be endorsing special formulations of the chocolate makers’ leading snacks. Sources close to the Miami Heat’s Big Three apparently believe a significant endorsement deal may be imminent.
 
While the actual candy snacks are being kept under wrap, there have been Twitter leaks from each players’ entourage as to the individual stars’ endorsed chocolate treat. This is what is known so far:

              
  
King James Super Digestive Peanut M&M’s:

The King James is a self-proclaimed miracle digestive snack, which after seven years will crap out of your system and leave you with nothing but peanuts. However, the product warning label clearly states that “the King James may quit working sometime in May”. Users may develop an uncontrollable urge to whine to NBA officials. So buyer beware. 



           

CB1’s Super Digestive Snickers Bar:

Longer and skinnier than the King James snack, the Bosh bar will also crap out of your system in seven years and only leave you with peanuts. Most effective when consumed in Canada, there are no guarantees as to how it will perform in the US. ‘Snickers’ is the sound the candy bar makes whenever  Bosh refers to himself as a superstar in the same breath as LeBron and Wade.




                      

D-Wade’s Three Musketeers Deal Bar:

Because it’s not about the money, buyers receive a small discount when purchasing the Wade Three Musketeers Deal bar, the Bosh Snickers bar and James’ M&M’s all together as a package deal.  This once-in-a-lifetime special offer will not be repeated once the new NBA CBA is rammed down the players' throats by David Stern.
 

Another ESPN Special?

Very well could be in the works.  It’s been speculated that ESPN will broadcast a one hour comedy show called Delusion 2010, where the three South Beach Boyz will formally announce the exact candy snacks they will be endorsing.

Reports are that Larry King will lob softball questions at the three hoops stars in a special room completely surrounded by mirrors, so that each one can continually admire their own reflection.  

A major portion of the revenue generated from this ego-maniacal ESPN infomercial will be donated to The Three Mi-Ego’s Charitable Coat Tail Riders Support Fund to aid and assist the countless hangers-on and parasites which have followed them to South Florida.

Additional details will follow as soon as we make them up.

Note: Thanks to Fox Sports radio for providing the genesis for this pseudo-news article.

 By RaptorTalk


If there is a silver lining in the cloud surrounding Chris Bosh’s departure to South Beach, it’s that Bryan Colangelo no longer has to focus on finding complementary pieces to put around his former almost-a-superstar player.

Instead, Colangelo has shifted gears and begun to build a solid team of players which features no single star. It’s a model similar to what the Detroit Pistons used with great success over the past decade. While the Pistons won only one NBA Championship, they had a very successful overall run.

Now some Raptor fans are calling for the team to adopt a ‘tanking’ strategy. Others call it building the ‘right way’, though the draft. Fact is, that tanking or building through the draft is not a sure fire way to build an NBA Champion. 

                            

We can look at the Blazers, Thunder and Hawks as current teams who were built the "right way'.  Not one of them has yet won a ring. The Thunder seem to have the best chance, but that’s provided they are able to keep their young core together. That’s not always easy, particularly in a small market like OKC.


There is no reliable model or formula

That's the fallacy that many fans don't understand. There is no right way to build a championship.

There is no road map to follow. When you peel back the onion, you see that the NBA Champions over the past two decades have not followed any particular model. 

In fact, there is a surprising amount of luck and circumstance that propelled these franchises to championships. Any GM who wants to follow the models that worked in the last twenty years will be hard pressed to find anything close to a text-book, paint-by-numbers formula.

1. The Lakers Model - Draft a high school phenom named Kobe (who made it clear that he would only play for LA) and pair him with the most dominant center of the decade – Shaq.  Later, pair the best player in the game with Pau Gasol who was acquired in a lopsided trade that included his younger brother. Then attract lots of good role players because (1) you are the Lakers and (2) the weather is great and (3) it's Hollywood .

2. The Spurs Model – Don’t try this at home kids, because it’s not easy to duplicate.  First you need to luck into drafting two great overall #1 picks named Robinson and Duncan as the centrepieces of the franchise. To acquire two Hall-of-Famers, you need the lotto balls to go your way and you must have the good fortune to hit in a year when there is a game changing super star at the top of the draft.

3. The Bulls Model - Hope that Michael Jordan, the greatest player of all-time, drops to #3 and then pick him. Next step is to spend seven years putting winning pieces around him. 

4. The Celtics Model  - The latest Boston Championship team was built around an unusual confluence of events that landed Kevin Garnett and Ray  Allen in the same off-season - when the C’s real strategy was to tank and then draft Greg Oden or Kevin Durant. Eventually Ainge threw enough crap at the wall and it stuck.

5. The Heat Model – That was based on having Dwayne Wade drop to the fifth spot in the 2003 draft and then have Shaq want out of LA with the intention of only moving to a small group of teams which included Miami.

6. The Rockets Model – The first step required Houston to get the top pick in the strongest draft class in NBA history and select Hakeem Olajuwon. The second step was for Michael Jordan to retire for two seasons while he pursued a career with the Chicago White Sox.

If these are the models to follow, I don't have a clue where you start. I can't say there appears to be any right way to win a ring.


Find a superstar or two or three

Outside of the Detroit Pistons, every championship team featured one, two or three super star players. 

Landing a bone fide star who  can win a championship is a long shot. And if you find that bona super star, then you typically need a five to seven year window to acquire pieces around the star - just like the Cavs did unsuccessfully  with LeBron and the Bulls did successfully with Jordan.

Problem is, in today's free agency world it is difficult to hold on to your super star for more than seven years before they bolt for Miami, New York, LA or Chicago.

So the better option is to build a core of solid players like the Detroit  Pistons did. If you're fortunate, you can win a title and compete for a few more. If you get really lucky, you'll find that one special super star to play with your solid core and you could win multiple titles.

Is any model guaranteed to deliver an NBA ring? Of course not.

But, for a team like the Raptors, the Pistons model probably makes the most sense of all.

 By RaptorTalk


The evolution of the events which led to the creation of the new Miami Heat Super Team should not warm the hearts of real NBA fans. This is not the feel good story of three draft mates living out their dream.  Far from it.

You see, the deck was clearly stacked in favor of the Heat from the get-go. We just didn’t know it until now.

LeBron James admitted during his tasteless, narcissistic infomercial that The Three Mi-egos had been planning to hook up for years. That was the basic rationale behind all three agreeing to virtually identical three year contracts in 2007.

       

The problem was that two franchises, Toronto and Cleveland were at a marked disadvantage once the clock started ticking three summers ago. They were being held hostage, while Miami was being positioned to take advantage of the Raptors and Cavaliers who were placed squarely between a rock and a hard place.

As soon as the ink dried on their superstar contracts, the marching orders for Bryan Colangelo and Danny Ferry were crystal clear. Win now or risk losing Chris Bosh and LeBron James in 2010. So both GM’s had no option but to embark on a series of win-now moves, with no regard for long term planning.


Just win now baby!

Like we’ve written repeatedly – all that has really mattered in Toronto for the last couple years was for Colangelo to take steps to ensure that Bosh re-signed in Toronto. That meant win at all costs. The same held true in Cleveland with King James.

Toronto’s moves included acquisitions of Jermaine O’Neal, Hedo Turkoglu, Jarrett Jack and others in order to deliver instant wins - albeit unsuccessful manoeuvers for the most part.

The Cavaliers acquired Shaquille O’Neal, Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon to bolster King James’ supporting cast.  Cleveland enjoyed more success than Toronto, largely because LeBron is undeniably an elite talent while Bosh is a complementary piece who just thinks he’s a top gun.

LeBron led the Cavaliers to back to back 60 win seasons, while Bosh led the Raptors through consecutive non-playoff campaigns after which he lamely asked “what more can I do?”

The rules of engagement were different for Riley

Pat Riley, the Heat’s slick executive had a completely different set of marching orders beginning in the summer of 2007. His superstar never once held a gun to Riley’s head demanding the Heat win now or else. Not at all.

Dwayne Wade’s message was that he was staying in Miami come hell or high water. Winning over the short term need not be a priority in South Beach.

Then Wade let Riley into the dirty little secret which he had hatched with his co-conspirators months earlier. That was for Miami to clear massive amounts of cap space so that in 2010, James and Bosh could join Wade in South Beach and create a Heat Super Team. This team would be unlike anything ever seen in the NBA.

So while the Raptors and Cavaliers were scrambling to satisfy their max money superstars, even if it meant taking on bloated contracts – the Heat quietly cleared the decks with no pressure to make short sighted win-now decisions which might jeopardize their ultimate goal.

Was there a risk for Miami? Absolutely.

New York and others were also clearing cap room. Except they didn't have access to the inside information that the Heat enjoyed.

Riley and Wade most certainly received clandestine thumbs-up signals from Bosh and LeBron over the past three years, while Colangelo and Ferry were kept in the dark. Between Team USA, All-Star Games and off-season rendezvous – the soon-to-be South Beach Boyz had plenty of opportunities to discuss and refine their nefarious game plan.


Planned behind closed doors

Collusion is an apt way to describe what happened. This plot was definitely in the works behind closed doors for quite some time. It was the players themselves who orchestrated it.

The plot gained its final momentum at the All-Star Game in Dallas. Everyone from Bryan Colangelo on down noticed that something suddenly changed with Chris Bosh. Our collective spidey-senses were tingling.
 
It was publicly suggested “that someone got into Chris’ ear in Dallas.” Little did anyone know how right we were.
 
The impact on Toronto was immediate. Bosh suffered a seemingly harmless ankle sprain against the Grizzlies and then proceeded to sit out the next three weeks at a time when his Raptors desperately needed his on-court presence. When Chris returned, his play was dialed down a notch or two. He bore a lot of responsibility for unnecessary losses against Denver, Miami and Golden State that would have landed the Raptors in the playoffs if only the Raptors so-called leader played like one.

The Cavaliers fans’ experience was better, but ultimately it ended badly, too. Against a determined Celtics team, LeBron suffered a mysterious elbow injury. Suddenly he was less King James and more Princess Jamie. Many felt at that point that LeBron simply quit. Season over.


Season over - implement the plan

The conspiracy was all set and ready to move to the implementation stage. With camera crews in tow, the Bosh and Wade portion of the charade was underway. Even though it was a slam dunk they were already signed, sealed and delivered to Miami, the ruse was to give the appearances of being seriously woo-ed by the likes of New York, Chicago, New Jersey and the other unwitting participants in the scam.

Now, after months of waiting, LeBron, Dwayne and Chris have finally let us into their grand plan. Even though this farce of a free agency process is over, no one outside of South Florida feels particularly good about what happened. Frankly, it stinks.

And David Stern can’t be happy either. With many fans already feeling the NBA, is in large part, rigged – this super team scheme further diminishes confidence in the integrity of the league.


Cheaters never prosper

Take heart NBA fans. There are a couple of compelling curses in play which will virtually ensure that The Three Mi-egos have some real challenges ahead of them. Winning NBA Championships are far from a slam dunk.

By all accounts, LeBron’s cowardly actions guarantee that the “Curse of Cleveland” has finally been released from Northeast Ohio and will remain entrenched in South Florida for at least five years.

Raptors fans understand what Cleveland fans are going through. Toronto has now had four franchise players turn their backs on one the greatest cities in the world. Frankly, it’s good riddance in every case. It’s their loss and our gain. 

Chris Bosh will soon discover what Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Damon Stoudamire already know. The “Jurassic Curse” will follow them through the rest of their career. While each player left Toronto with visions of an NBA Championship, not a single one has ever won an NBA ring. Never happened and it never will. The curse will not be broken until first, the Raptors enjoy their own NBA Championship Parade.

By the way, my father-in-law is an Akron native – so what LeBron did to the Cavs pains me even more than Bosh running from Toronto.


The final word on Bosh

As for Mr. Bosh, his legacy is curious indeed.

He boldly stated he wanted to be “The Man”.

Batman, if you will.

Then he joined D-Wade and Batman Bosh became Robin.

Now with LeBron in the fold, Robin has become Bat Girl.

Sounds right.

 

 

 By RaptorTalk


An NBA insider on Fox Sports surmised that “signing good players to contracts as if they were great players is the best way to destroy your franchise”. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

According to this Fox Sports analyst, players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James , Dwight Howard and Dwayne Wade are legit max money players.

That said, he also believes  that neither Joe Johnson or Chris Bosh are max worthy – even though Johnson has his max deal in his hip pocket and Bosh will soon get his.  The commentator went on to say, "Bosh and Johnson won't get you banners hung from the rafters,” which is probably true.

        

Many followers of the NBA  feel  you must be a “franchise player” to justify a max money deal.  No doubt, you have to question if either Chris Bosh or Joe Johnson fall into that category.  Both are more Robin than Batman.

Neither are a Top 10 NBA talent and one might argue that they aren’t Top 15 either.  Johnson was a third team all-star whose team made the post-season. Bosh failed to make the year-end all-star team and the Raptors missed the playoffs.


Grading max contracts over the full six years

When looking at Bosh and Johnson, the issue is not whether they are worth max money this year or next. The answer to that question is probably ‘yes’.  The bigger and more relevant question is will they be worth max money throughout the length of their entire contract?

Let's look at CB4's max money contract.

Apparently, Bosh's max deal will be closer to $125 million than the $130 million reported earlier. So Chris’ salary numbers will  look something  like this (with his age during the season in brackets):

2010/11 - $ 16.5 million (26/27)

2011/12 - $ 18.2 million (27/28)

2102/13 - $ 20.0 million (28/29)

2103/14 - $ 21.7 million (29/30)

2014/15 - $ 23.4 million (30/31)

2015/16 - $ 25.2 million (31/32)

The $125 million question is “will Chris Bosh be performing at a Tim Duncan level in the back end of his contract (which makes it a good deal) or will he be performing like Jermaine O'Neal who was hobbled by injuries and in decline (which makes it a bad deal)?”

Fact is that as many as 70% of max money deals prove to be bad contracts over the long term based on a decade of history. For every good contract like Tim Duncan’s and Kobe Bryant’s, there are many more long term bad max deals like those awarded to Tracy McGrady, Stephan Marbury, Steve Francis, Jermaine O’Neal, Penny Hardaway and Jalen Rose to name a handful.

Even one-time elite players like Allen Iverson, Ray  Allen and Shaquille O’Neal were inked to contracts that looked a little ugly in the last two or three years. Which is why owners want to reduce max deal maximum years in the new CBA.  Having said that, Shaq and Ray both won NBA rings, so the investment was worth it.

Here’s the bottomline.  If Chris Bosh's new team can win a championship in the first three or maybe four years - he's definitely worth max money.

But if they don't, then the final two seasons with an aging Bosh with potentially bad knees won't look so good at $23.4 million and $25.2 million respectively. Potentially you're paying a lot more money to a player with declining skills.

The window to win a title with Bosh is likely over the next three years. After that, his wonky knees and age will work against him. Remember, over the past five seasons, Bosh has played in an average of 70 games per year, so durability is a factor.

The manner in which Bosh’s free agency has played out is best for both CB4 and the Raptors. Long term the Raptors will be better off rebuilding with the young gunz, while some other team can take the risk and pay $48.6 million to Bosh when he’s 31 and 32 years of age.

The front end salary numbers are fine. But that's only half the story. Bosh's max money deal looks very ugly at the back end - particularly if his knees don't cooperate.

 By RaptorTalk


Don't believe anything you hear or read. No one knows what's going to happen with NBA Free Agency. Not even the key free agents.

With all the talk of  Lebron James,  Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh conspiring to build an NBA super power, unlike anything we’ve seen before – events will not play out as planned.

You see, there's a free market dynamic that we can't ignore and which could lead to a buying frenzy that scuttles the plans of the cap free teams like Chicago, New York, Miami, LA Clippers and New Jersey along with those of the big free agents. Panic could very well replace calm and reasoned actions.

                            

There are six key factors (which no one controls) that will influence the outcome of NBA Free Agency 2010:

1. Lots of Cap Space - Fewer Players

There are a lot of teams who have opened up cap room for a limited number of high profile players. What does Miami or Chicago do if they fail to land a big name free agent? There will be a couple of winners and many more losers. It will be interesting to see how the losers react. Do they fold their cards and go home or do they quickly switch gears and move in another direction? Do they panic?


2. Lebron Stays in Cleveland

It’s not talked about much, but what happens if Lebron stays in Cleveland?  Maybe he does stay? Then the so-called free agent conspiracy literally falls apart, unless Lebron can somehow attract another free agent like Chris Bosh to the Cavaliers through a sign and trade.

3. Tier Two Dominos Fall and Panic Sets In

Yes, everyone says they are waiting for Lebron James and Dwayne Wade and then Chris Bosh. But what happens if Rudy Gay, Carlos Boozer, Amare Stoudemire and a few other second tier free agents start signing contracts before Lebron James makes his decision? A signing frenzy could set in with players and teams looking to strike quickly or else be faced with nothing to show for their cap clearing efforts.

4. New CBA Looming

Miami has gutted their roster for cap space. The goal is to land three mega-free agents and rebuild a very thin roster. The thought is that veteran free agents looking for rings will flock to Miami and accept veteran minimums. I’ve got news for you. There’s a big potential problem with that line of thinking.

If I'm a 29 or 30 year old veteran looking at a new lower paying CBA on the horizon, I'm not likely to want a vet minimum contract for one year. There are lots of teams with cap space who will be left standing at the altar. And they will be looking to over-pay a little to get something out of the free agent crop if they strike out on the big three. That 29 or 30 year old vet is going to jump at an offer of 3 yrs/ $6 million as opposed to accepting a one year vet minimum which has a re-up next season for potentially a lot less money.


5. Over the Cap Teams Are Players Too

It’s not just the Heat, Bulls, Knicks, Clippers and Nets who factor into the free agent equation. In this very competitive marketplace, teams over the cap are players, too. The Lakers, Spurs and Rockets will all be making pitches to free agents through sign and trades. No doubt all three of those teams are interested in Chris Bosh. Kobe, Gasol and Bosh make as good a threesome as you’ll see anywhere and the Lakers have depth to boot. Maybe Bosh says no to Miami and yes to the Los Angeles Lakers and all of a sudden there’s a wrench in the machinery.

6. Next Year's Crop is Weak

Teams with cap space are going shopping this year and will not wait to save their money until next year because that  free agent crop is noticeably weaker. So once again, the market is going to lead to a decent payday for most free agents in the summer of 2010. Therefore, some teams who gutted their rosters may need to fill out their rosters with D-Leaguers or fill-ins from Europe.

Unknowns and variables are impossible to predict

With so many unknowns at play, I don't think that we're looking at smooth sailing for either the big free agents or teams like Miami, New York, Chicago, New Jersey and the Clippers.

I expect to see panic setting in on some fronts over the next few days, which will most certainly lead to a rush of teams and free agents anxious to cash in or risk being left standing at the altar with nothing.

Fact is that there are as many as six teams with a full court press on Lebron James (Miami, New York, Chicago, LA Clippers , Cleveland and New Jersey). That means only one team wins and five teams lose.

Also, teams like the Spurs, Lakers, Rockets and Thunder can be players through sign and trade scenarios which further complicate matters.

My point is that this whole process is not as cut and dried as some think it is. If one or two dominoes fall in an unexpected manner - all hell breaks loose! 

Then, all bets are off.

The next few days will be very interesting. At this time next week, we’ll be preparing our list of winners and losers. The players will all get their money. But don’t be surprised if some teams lose big time.

Game on.

 

  By RaptorTalk


The post-Bosh era has unofficially begun in Toronto with the drafting of Ed Davis of North Carolina and Solomon Alabi of Florida State. 

Davis and Alabi are young, energetic,  athletic big men with an aptitude for defence and rebounding. Both are skills the Raptors desperately need.

Word from Raptors’ insiders is that the organization knows the chances that Bosh might re-sign in Toronto are essentially zero. No one at the ACC seriously believes Chris will be donning a Raptors jersey ths fall.

So Bryan Colangelo is now forced to wait until Chris informs him of his preferred destination. At which time Bryan can try to extract some sign and trade value back from Chris’ new team. 

     

That said, the Raptors GM took a very good first step in his attempt to rebuild this franchise. ESPN Insider Chad Ford liked the acquisition of Ed Davis:

“Raptors president Bryan Colangelo really lucked out here. With Chris Bosh quite possibly on the way out, Davis is a good get here. He's no Bosh on the offensive end, but he's a good rebounder and an active shot blocker. I'm not sure he's ready to be a starter, but as he develops he could be a nice complement to Andrea Bargnani in the frontcourt.”

For once it was nice to have other teams picking based on need, which led to Ed Davis to fall into the Raptors’ lap. He didn’t even work out for Toronto because all hoops experts had him being off the board between the seven and ten spot, with the consensus being Ed Davis as the 9th pick overall.

Even though Davis never worked out at the ACC, the Raptors knew him well. Raptors Assistant GM, Masai Ujiri said that Ed Davis was a player that Toronto watched many times live, because earlier last season they felt he might be someone who would be available when the Raptors draft number was called.


The breaks went Toronto's way on Draft Night

I know I sound like a broken record, but building a contender is as much a function of good fortune as it is good scouting and talent evaluation.  On draft night, Bryan Colangelo got damn lucky that surprisingly, Hayward and Aldrich went before the Raptors picked and that Ed Davis was available at #13.

Am I delighted? Absolutely. If you told me that Ed Davis was going to be a Toronto Raptor and we didn't have to move up in the draft to get him - I'd say you're nuts.

Then Alabi fell due to medical concerns over Hepatitis B and he eventually was acquired late in the second round through a deal with Dallas. Solomon has a great upside and many mock drafts projected him as a first round selection. As the last big on the bench, Alabi will be more valuable than POB ever was and he has room to develop.

Honestly, I don't think Toronto fans could have expected a much better draft outcome than what transpired.

The Raptors walked away with two young, athletic bigs who were projected by Draft Express to go #9 and #21 respectively. That’s a damn good start for a rebuild.


No Turk or Jose trades

The one thing that didn’t transpire on draft day was the potential trade of either Hedo Turkoglu or Jose Calderon.

Apparently, sources close to the Raptors believe that Colangelo is going to hold off until he sees what Toronto receives in the all but certain Chris Bosh sign and trade. The thinking is that Bryan can more efficiently fill the holes in his roster after the Bosh saga ends.

Nonetheless, the first shoe has dropped in Raptorland and I like how it’s played out so far.

Barring an unexpected trade before July 1st, the next move is up to Chris Bosh.

 

 By RaptorTalk


Enough already.

I can't decide if I want to scream or bang my head against the wall.

I don’t have any appetite or the patience to get involved in all the non-stop free agent speculation and trade rumours that are swirling around the Toronto Raptors and the NBA in general.

              

Who cares?

Just call on July 2nd and tell me what happened. Then I’ll be willing to discuss facts and not fiction.

I can’t remember a May-June period where there has been so much rampant speculation about player movement – most of it completely unfounded.

Every tweet. Every little rumour. Every whisper from a so-called insider. All get blown way out of proportion.

Is there anything less newsworthy than the rumoured free agent summit?

The 'LeBron Watch' has me bored to tears as has the entire Cleveland soap opera.

Does Bosh go or stay? I don’t care. Call me when he decides what he’s doing.

Does Hedo want to be a Raptor or not? Yawn. Trade him for “Ball” and a “slice of pizza” and let’s move on.

Do we trade one or both of our point guards? Who knows? That’s Bryan’s job.

Is a blockbuster trade on the horizon with the Raptors? Don’t know and don’t care. Just stop wasting my time with pointless speculation. Talk to me after it’s done.

Will P.J. Carlisimo make a difference next season? Not unless Bryan fires the overmatched Jay Triano and makes P.J. the Head Coach.

Can Bryan Colangelo re-make the Raptors into contenders once again, this time without Chris Bosh? Probably not. But let’s wait until early July before we pass judgement.

Enough of the ridiculous speculation.

I can’t wait until this silly game of NBA musical chairs is over and we can discuss reality again.

Thank god we’re in the virtual age. If this was the 90’s, the rumour mill would have burned through a billion trees or more.

Now stop it.

Let's talk after Canada Day.