T.J. Ford Will Garner A Ton of Off-Season Trade Interest If He Keeps Breaking NBA Ankles
By Walter Dubowec
It appears T.J. Ford is likely to be moved at season’s end.
Certainly, the Toronto media seems to think that T.J. Ford will be traded in the off-season.
Over the past few days, columnists like Michael Grange of the Globe & Mail and Doug Smith and Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star have come out in favor of keeping Jose Calderon and trading T. J. Ford. No doubt they are hearing ominous rumblings from within the Raptors organization that lends credibility to the possibility.
T.J. is breaking some ankles
I've been a huge fan of TJ Ford, ever since I saw TJ Ford of the Bucks drive the Raptors crazy at the ACC a few years ago. Few point guards are as disruptive to the other team’s defence as T.J.
I was at the New York Knicks game and saw him break Jared Jeffries ankles. Not many point guards can do that. Play this video and Bryan Colangelo will have other NBA team executives drooling.
Having said that, I also believe it is in the best interest of the Raptors to trade one of the two point guards in the off-season. I was told by a source in MLSE that re-signing Jose could take up to $9 million per year, which is higher than many thought going in to the season. That speaks to how well Jose has played when he was a starter.
Assuming that salary number is correct, Jose and TJ will likely chew up a combined $17 million in salary next season and that is a luxury the Raptors can’t afford. It’s a poor use of cap space.
I'd rather take $8 to $9 million and put it towards a scoring wing player, than have two point guards.
Unfortunately, T.J. will be the odd man out for these reasons:
(1) His injury history is a concern and the Raptors would rather roll the dice with Jose
(2) Assuming the Raptors acquire a scoring wingman, Jose is a better fit because of his ability to distribute the ball.
The Raptors are showcasing Ford
T.J. Ford has been re-inserted into the starting line-up and has played extremely well. No doubt there was an element of showcasing Ford that was part of the decision to move him into the #1 spot.
Ford will command a lot of interest from other GM’s looking for a first tier point guard. I am certain that many teams will be ready to overlook T.J.’s injury risks to acquire a dynamic young point guard. Plus, his $8.25 million salary is reasonable.
In a perfect world, I'd select T.J. over Jose. However, based on what will likely unfold over the upcoming months - I believe that keeping Jose is better for the Raptors in the long term.
Jose played like an all-star wil t.j. hogs n as a bad attitude shure he can corssover n is really fast i'd rather give him up for a very good center. I'd give up rasho too bak to the spurs cause thats the spurs missing puzzle n i'd get the red rocket
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Bein a raps fan i'd trade t.j. bresec baston n joey for mikael peitrus!
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I definitely time for TJ to go! I think that for a PG he's inconsistent, hogs the ball, has a base attitude and is highly egotistical.
TJ creates too much chaos on the court, making a simple game/play more complicated than it has to be; this confuses his teammates and creates turnovers. For ex. when it comes to passing the ball, it's like all of a sudden TJ doesn't know what to do with himself...3 seconds there's Nesterovic let's see if he can do sum...oops too low, I guess he wasn't ready. In fact poor Nesterovic, wasn't expecting the ball after TJ danced with it for the past 21 seconds.
His performance since his return doesn't qualify him as "A" team material; his presence has done nothing but bring the team losses, criticism and negative attention.
Calderon, however, plays with great leadership and organizational ability. Calderon actually has team spirit that can motivate not only his teammates but the fans who love and miss him.
Calderon plays like an All Star, but with less minutes interrupting his continuity, and just recently stepping back to give TJ his undeserved title/position, has impacted his performance and hurt the respect and reputation that the team worked so hard to attain.
It's also, disturbing to see that TJ's game improved after regaining his title. Despite not being his old self, and still not as good as Calderon, this improvement demonstrates a child-like selfish attitude. The Raptors don't need players like TJ, who play half heartedly, because they don't get their way. Think of all those games he played that we lost because he wasn't a happy camper- reminds me of somebody...VC perhaps.
It is quite clear who the better PG is her. Calderon made decisions that were in the best interest of the team while TJ pouted and threw tantrums until he got his way for himself. Calderon is compared to an All Star while TJ is described as an unpredictable time bomb. It time to get rid of his ass.
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I agree with the top. We need a young center. Rumors are that we have really high chances of Hasheem Thambeet but I'd rather have Samuel Dalembert. Trade TJ DEF!! weak,hog,attitude
Keep Jose. Trade TJ for J.R Smith,Carlos Arrayo,Samuel Dalembert or .......
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I also think TJ Ford should go, along with Baston, Brezec, and Graham. TJ has two advantage against Jose, one his quickness and two, his ability to get his own shot. The rest of the guys, the Raptors do not need any of them. Theres no point of paying for guys who just sits on the bench and not play.
Brian Coleangelo has already said they need someone who can score "20+ points" a night to help Chris Bosh. If the raptors are looking for someone I think that Richard Jefferson or Josh Smith would be good for the team.
If Coleangelo manages to get more help such as, Pietrus or Nocioni. If they were able to steal those guys for atleast 1-3 guys from the raptors. Nocioni would be better in replace of Delfino since he is much for consistent. Pietrus would be a really big help on the defensive and boards for the raptors. He can bring some agressiveness on the court.
Overall, JOSE should be seen as the next starting PG for the Toronto Raptors.
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honestly, tj ford played decently in toronto. but jose has shown that he can score just as much as tj and rack up assists without many turnovers. while tj trys to create for himself first then his team and that where turnovers occur.
jose is staying for sure i can pretty much garantee that.
tj 95% sure that hes gone on draft night or a month after.
now what can me get for tj
well....
1) my fav option tj & brezzec for corey mageetee
2) tj for travis outlaw and portlands 1st rounder
3) tj for outlaw and steve blake
4) tj baston and graham for chris kaman
5) tj for nene and a pick or linas kleiza
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TJ for Jr smith can work
I wanna see Mihm or Bynum as a backup center behing Bargs
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Jose/(Maybe a pg)/Ukic
Bosh/(Diaw/haslem/KRIS HUMP (please give this man more time)
Jr Smith/_____
Bargs/(robin lopez,mihm,bynum)/Magloire
Moon/Kapono/Delfino
Brezec TJ parker baston rasho graham gone ASAP for a good player i think we need to get jr smith an u[pgrade on the SG then the SF i liek the idea of mihm cause lakers dont use him much
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