Help The Raptors Make A Trade Rumour?

Many of you are aware that I am a frequent caller to the show “hoops” on the Fan 590. Last night I asked the guys what they thought all the Rumours and Buzz helps or hurts the Raptors off-season plans. They suggested that the rumours that seem endless around this team could actually help Bryan Colangelo in his effort to make deals. We all have heard how Sam Mitchell and many others in the NBA say they do not pay attention to the Rumour Mill that is all over the world wide web. Honestly though do we buy that? So if they do actually sneak a peak at the rumours around the league members of other teams may give a second thought to a guy like T.J Ford. Maybe they will make an offer for Andrea Bargnani. The point is being in the news is not a bad thing for business if your Bryan Colangelo. The more his players names end up on ESPN or Real Gm it is likely the more his phone will ring.

I may even take this a step further. I often say all of these rumours have agendas and if the info is out there someone wants it to be. So it may just be that it is the Toronto Raptors that are the ones making their own news. Just the other day Jim Kelly who is part of the Raptors brain trust as far as the draft goes said the franchise was looking to be active in the trade market. I think they have been active in the rumour mill too. Creating markets for the players that they would have interest in moving. Everyone says that Bryan Colangelo is a smart guy and this is a smart way to build up interest and offers. Colangelo himself has said very little about anything. But behind the scenes is he directing others to be saying lots of things? It reminds me of how Tabloid Magazines and Famous Stars who pretend not to like each other actually work together in order for the Magazine to sell itself and the Famous People to sell their own image. There is a famous quote and I forget who said it but it goes something like this: ” I don’t care what you say about me as long as you spell my name right”. So that is T.J Ford, yes I have it spelled right, and Insert Name here for possible trade. This is a way you can build interest where a few weeks ago there seemed to be little.

Lakers Cry Faker but still Lost Game 1

What a way to kick off the NBA Finals. Phil Jackson wondered out loud how injured Paul Pierce actually was and is after what seemed to be a heroic performance to some. Jackson thinks he was witness to more acting than heroism. Doug Smith on Prime Time Sports agrees with Jackson as well. Smith said that he found it pretty amazing that in a crowd of 20,000 scream Celtic Fans that Pierce was able to hear anything. Paul Pierce said he thought he heard his knee “pop” and felt a lot of pain. He was carried of the court and taken in a wheelchair to the locker room. Only to return minutes later and check back into the game and seemed to have not missed a step. Willis Reed or B rate movie actor the fact was it changed game 1 and gave the Celtics the win. It also has added some fuel to the fire.

If Pierce comes back on Sunday and looks healthy maybe he is a fan of the WWE. This is much like a recent angle they used with Shawn Micheals who faked an injury to score a Victory in a recent story angle. It should be noted though that Pierce is a incredible tough guy. He was stabbed in the off-season (Several Years Ago) outside of a bar. He was able to recover from what could have been a life ending experience to not miss a game the following season. The one thing we can say for sure is it has added to the drama of what was already going to be a huge event. I can easily see a Game 3 in L.A with Lakers fans chanting at Pierce, ” Your a Faker, Let’s Go Lakers “. He can only hope it is that nice. But the old 80’s east coast vs. west coast Rivalry is back. The winner of this series is not the Lakers or the Celtics, It is David Stern and the NBA. Sure one of the two will get the trophy but what Stern will get is far greater. A marketing blitz for his league that will score the NBA FINALS ratings that have not been seen in many years.

So it has been a busy week here at Dino Nation Blog and I am in need of a day or two to get some things done. So unless there is major Raptor News I will talk with you all next at the earliest late Sunday night. Have a great weekend and if you are in Southern Ontario, enjoy the nice weather.

Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Bryan Colangelo, Celtics, Doug Smith, Fan 590, Finals, Hoops, Lakers, NBA FINALS 2008, Paul Pierce, Phil Jackson, T.J Ford, WWE