Bryan Colangelo is a very smart man and clever dealmaker as we all know. He's also demonstrated the patience of a 5 year old kid that's just eaten a pack of skittles. He makes trades a lot and is definitely not shy about pulling the trigger. He makes a move any chance he gets so I am almost certain he's gonna make a move. He even confirmed it by telling the Fan 590 that he's gonna be a buyer. So we're all in agreement that something will happen and we also all know it won't involve CB4. Another factor in this is that the Raptors don't have a pick in the next draft so any move he makes might include a pick. He's too much of a gunslinger to let himself sit idle. Also, there's been a lot of talk about how he hasn't done a good job with the acquisitions he's made but would you rather have Rob Babcock back? At least the man makes an effort to improve the team every chance he gets which is all I can ask for as a fan. His contract as Gm is coming up and personally I am worried. I shouldn't be because I think he's going to stay but I wouldn't like to see this team without him. Without him I suspect we'd still be the basement dwelling garbage pile that we were before he came in.
What we also know is that this team is very crowded at the 2 spot and weak at the 2 and 3. As good as Demar and Sonny are they are still relatively inexperienced and in terms of playoffs, probably not the strongest options seeing as how they'll have to contend with the likes of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Lebron James, etc. In saying so, I don't think you move either of them if you can help it. They are the team's future and you just don't mess with that.
Options to trade:
Jose Calderon:
- For: Jack is doing very well and eventhough he isn't causing a stink, you can sense Jose would prefer to be starting. He's a strong player at PG and would still get some interest from teams. The Raptors are weak at the 2 and 3 spots so creating a more balanced attack would be a positive. Making a deal where you trade Jose for a solid swingman would be the goal. It is also necessary since Turk reeks and isn't nearly what we envisioned him to be. So unless Turk becomes that 18 ppg scorer he was in the playoffs, this might be necessary.
- Against: Like I said he's a strong player and benefits the team while he is on the floor. When Jack comes out of the game there is no dip in skill at the PG position which is critical. It creates production from our second unit as Jose has a tendency of making plays for the likes of Weems, Amir, and Belli. The second unit would take a dip in production if he leaves which can't be underestimated as this is a strong point for this team at the moment.
Turkoglu:
- For: Assuming any team would want him with the way he's played and acted this season and with the amount of money he gets, getting rid of him would be a positive for this team. He has been playing a bit better lately so the team has to be convinced that he's not going to improve the rest of the season. More than half the season is over and he's scored 20 pts or more in just a handful of games. He certainly isn't having a big positive impact for this team and bringing in a more traditional slashing player at the 3 spot would be beneficial. He's also acted like a child. Complaining about not getting the ball enough and voicing it with his stupid "ball" interview. And refused to wear a mask to protect a broken bone. These sound like the actions of a child to me and can't possibly be good for the locker room.
- Against: He could possibly get better. He dropped a bunch of points on the lowly Knicks and played decent enough against the Kings in the last outing. If he can find a way to blend his tools in with the rest of his teammates the way he was supposed to when he was brought in, he could make the difference. I don't see this happening but maybe I am just a pessimist. Problem is, his defense is suspect at best and he usually just ends up waving at defenders as they go by, or even worse fouling them with a cheap unnecessary foul which ends up costing the Raps. His lateral movement is obviously weak. I mean if it's obvious to any casual observer than it's obvious to his on-court enemies.
Amir, Antoine, Belinelli:
- For: If you can get something significantly better from a desperate team then by all means go for it but It's gotta have to be something damn good. Memphis gave Pau Gasol away for practically nothing so there are teams out there stupid enough to do it. Not to mention NJ... they're real dumb and there's that idiot out there named Babcock. He's not a GM but I hope he can influence his GM to make a stupid move.
- Against: The second unit is playing well, all three of these players have played well at some point through the last few games. There is chemistry there that you don't want to mess with. Amir has been a catalyst for hustle which this team sorely lacked. Antoine has been defending well and hitting very very high pressure, game changing shots for us. Belinelli has struggled a bit but has played well in stretches and provides bench scoring and slashing that this team also needs. I suspect any trade made wouldn't be anything more than a minor improvement and therefore wouldn't be worth the risk. Personally I am totally against this unless it is completely in our favour which is not impossible but not likely.
I don't see any other scenarios that could happen. Bryan could shock us all and blow us all out of the water but with the success this team has been having I seriously doubt that. What I would like to see happen and I am sure I am not alone in this thinking is that they get rid of Turk for something good.
People seem to want to get Iggy but I think the price tag for him is going to be quite high. However, given his skill I think it would be worth it. I am not sure what his contract situation is but if he's got two or more years left then I would do the deal in a second. You have to give up something to get something back as everyone knows and I would be willing to depart with practically anyone for Iggy. Demar, Sonny if need be but preferably Turk, Jose or both. I haven't done any ESPN trade machine tinkering but I am sure some garbage parts and picks could be used as mortar for it.
Iggy would fit in very well and doesn't need to handle the ball the way Turk does to be successful. He is a much better defender, younger, and rebounds the ball better as well. He is the type of player that can flat out score and would give us the scoring we need game in and game out that we need. It would be a winning situation with no doubt. The problem would be convincing the 76er's to part with him. Seeing as the Sixers suck and are probably in favour of a reboot, maybe it wouldn't be so difficult.
I guess I am stating the obvious with this post cause everyone knows something is going to happen. Still, it's fun to try to guess what's going to happen. So sit back, put your feet up and enjoy. Not every city has such good GM's in it that have the guts to pull off the big trades to improve their teams.
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