Hype vs Reality

The Man Who Holds The Answers

In recent days I have seen so many names that people think are coming to the Raptors. I am fearful that no matter what Bryan Colangelo ends up doing in a lot of fans minds it will not match up to the expectations that are buzzing around the Internet. When I ever suggest a name I do it trying to think in realistic terms. I admit even myself I may be overall optimistic . But I do try to do my best to think of any transaction from all sides. I do my best to understand how the NBA Collective agreement works. It is not easy to understand all of that stuff for even experts. Fans do not always consult the CBA before they say they want a certain player. Trade checkers can help to some point. But there has to be logic attached to it. Just adding enough salary together does not mean you can acquire a player from a team. I saw someone suggest trading for Dwight Howard. I mean you did watch the Raptors vs Magic series right? Would you trade Howard for anyone in the league at this point? I am safe in saying I would not. That is an extreme example of what I am talking about but still.

 

One of the names I hear a lot is Richard Jefferson. You remember him right? The guy that mocked the fan base of this franchise after Game 1 of the series vs Nets last season. I can just imagine that press conference. So Richard how does it feel to be in Toronto? I would love to hear his answer to that. But I don’t think will hear it. Jefferson is not likely to come to Toronto based on the players the Raptors could offer in a trade to acquire him. Ford is not going to Jersey and being a back-up to Devin Harris . Rasho Nesterovic and his contract might be of interest but I just don’t see a trade that makes sense for the Nets. That is what you always need to do when you construct a trade. I mean there are few Rob Babcock trades made in the NBA. L.A Lakers were able to do it to acquire Pau Gasol but it is a rare event and you can not expect it to happen. So, you must see the trade from the other side. Put yourself in the shoes of a fan of that other team and see if you would be excited about this trade if you were a fan of them. If not, you have the answer on if this is a good trade and likely a trade that will get made.

 

Free Agents are another matter to consider as well. I have said many times my desire to have Ron Artest sign in Toronto with the Raptors. The key in that is would he even listen to Toronto should they come calling. Bryan Colangelo can be a huge advantage in this regard. He wanted Steve Nash with the Suns and he went and sold him on it. But if you do not have a willing participant you can make best sales pitch in the world it will not matter. If Artest did not want to relocate to another country and come to Toronto there is not much that can be done about that. You could offer larger amounts of money and try and make money talk. But that kind of business can get you in serious trouble. Bad contracts can be an anchor on any franchise. Need some evidence just look at the New York Knick roster. It is a mess and may take years to sort out. Which reminds me, good luck Mike D’Antoni you are going to need it.

 

That was one of the things Colangelo was smart in doing by looking strongly at Europe as opposed to south of the boarder. Canada and the idea of living here is much more acceptable to Europeans than some Americans. At the end of the day, Ron Artest has as much right to choose where he makes his living as much as Chuck Swirsky did. If someone walked into your job and said you must go to work in Goodwater, Alabama you have the right to say you don’t want to do that. When athlete’s are free agents they have that same right. Ultimate unless you ask a person directly on the subject you can not say for sure. Even if you do,athletes may say they would consider a city but are doing it just to drive up their value. So trying to figure that stuff out is next to impossible. The only thing you can do is look at guys that from a basketball sense does he address the needs of the team. The personal side of these choices are X-Factors that people can not know unless they are in that person individual circle of friends and family.

 

Fans have lots of time to think about these moves. But use the time and be realistic in what you think can happen. The other issue that goes along with all of this is what value you attach to the players that are here. Many people take lots of time to say what is wrong with T.J Ford. Well if you want to trade him you better figure out a way to explain away all those things you don’t like. If you can’t do that how can you turn around and suggest he has trade value that will get you much of anything. Andrea Bargnani is a bust in many folks eyes. Well if that is true why would anyone want a guy that is a bust. You must be prepared to have answers to your own questions in order to be able to trade the guy. The best one with Andrea is that a team that can play him at the natural position of 4 and should expect a higher return from Andrea. What this is all getting at is if you think Joey Graham sucks you better be willing to explain to someone else why he doesn’t. Realism is accepting things for what they are. You need to understand that the flaws and strengths of every Raptor player tend to get over blown under the microscope of the public eye.

 

Do I expect most to go through all of this thinking. No, that is why I think Bryan Colangelo has a huge problem. Whatever he has planned and eventually comes up with, may not live up to the expectations that are unrealistic from the fan base. That sounds familiar, this season people expected 50 wins and major improvement. This did not happen and that will always be the story that sums up the 07-08 Raptors. To avoid the same failure for this off season may be tough to pull off as well. Bryan Colangelo is a confident guy and he will need that confidence to accept that at the end of the day the fan base may not be as excited about his moves as he will be. Expectations may not be reached as far as what fans want. But they will easily be swayed should Colangelo have pressed the right buttons and the Raptors start the season playing winning basketball. So in the end the names that come and go may not be as exciting as the hype. Still till you have had a chance to see what the new look Raptors are you can’t really be disappointed. I mean that is what life is about to some degree. Many things fall short of our lofty expectations but that does not always mean they are not good or even in some cases better than what we had hoped for. Something to remember as the dominos begin to fall this off season. What we do know is Bryan Colangelo is a man with a plan and we only get the chance to watch it in action from a far.

Tomorrow We look at my person draft Choice For The TORONTO RAPTORS. I have done a lot of research for this and hope you will be impressed. Happy Mother’s Day to any of my readers who that applys to and for everyone else Thank your mom for having you, after all if she didn’t I would have one less reader.

Tags: 08/09 Raptors, Bryan Colangelo, CBA, Free Agents, Raptors Offseason, Trades