In A World of Sports

With all the players being shipped before the trade deadline in the NBA, in particular a lot of big names being moved, it’s obvious teams are gearing up for the playoffs, trying to add the last piece to or two to the puzzle in the hopes of bringing a championship to their particular city. 

Well it’s been fun.  This kind of thing is great for a sport.  In recent weeks anything to do with the NBA has pretty much dominated headlines and for good reason; Superstars are being moved like the judges give out 10’s at the Dunk Contest (More on that in another post I’m writing).  This is also really good for the NBA because typically this league doesn’t make big moves, or risky moves.  In recent weeks however we have seen a couple of teams make gutsy moves (Shaq for Marion), stupid moves (Gasol for ?) and moves that got blocked (the Kidd deal which now seems to be a go if the semi-retired Van Horn can pass a physical).  That Devean George block was awesome too.  Kidd was sat against the Raps to ensure them an easy victory, but George started against Portland and shot 0-11 on the night.  I know it’s only February, but that might be the greatest sports story of the year.  If this was soccer and in Europe, Devean would have his house burned to the ground for that.

Well, all this news has been fun to read about and follow, but I have seen my Raptors do nothing so far which, to me is really ok.  I don’t expect any big moves to come from the Raptors this season.  They are a couple of key pieces away from getting into the same league as Detroit and Boston in the East, and that is excluding the Western powers.  Furthermore, with the crop of players they have, I think another year of growth will do them good. 

The Raptors also have to consider that they have a few players they are likely going to want to resign and I’m assuming Colangelo doesn’t want to bring a big contract on board to make sure he can keep a guy like Calderon.  Having said that, the Raptors have a couple of identified needs (mostly rebounding) that I would like to see addressed at some point, and therefore, I turned to that trustee tool on ESPN.com, called the Trade Machine.  This thing is great if you haven’t seen it, I hope they make one for the hockey on there too cause it is ridiculously addictive.  Below are a few deals I think could be intriguing but are unlikely to happen.

Andrea Bargnani for Emeka Okafor - Bargnani sometimes shows flashes of his unique skill set which had him compared to Dirk Nowitzki leading up to his being drafted 1st overall by the Raptors, and has turned it up a bit in the past few games.  However I think the Raptors would like him to be further along than he is right now.  I think he is very fragile mentally.  Ever since that Boston game his confidence has been better, but you can tell what kind of game Andrea will have within the first 4 minutes;  If he comes out shooting well, he can put up good numbers, if he comes out cold he is a waste of a man on the floor.  However, he is the shortest 7 footer on the floor every night, but I think he can still fetch decent value in return and Michael Jordan is dumb enough to make this trade.  Emeka Okafor is a pretty good banger who doesn’t need too many plays run through him so Bosh is still your man.  Okafor is a steady rebounder and inside presence which the Raptors sorely need.  Right now there salaries are very comparable, where I see a problem is Okafor will demand a hefty sum, a lot more than Bargnani would take to resign.

Bargnani for Andrew Bogut - Here we go with Bargnani again.  Most of the trades I worked on use him really.  But that is because I think outside of Bosh, Calderon, Parker, Ford, and Moon, he would be the most coveted piece the Raps have.  Bogut is again a decent rebounder and a solid passer for a big man.  Unfortunately I think he has already reached his ceiling.  What you see is what you’re gonna get with this guy.  Bargnani can still be a good player and I can see the Raps holding onto him for another year to give him time.

Bargnani/Nesterovic for Lamar Odom - This would be a dream come true.  I like Odom.  He brings a lot to the table.  He can score inside and outside, bang the glass, and distribute the ball when defenders converge on him.  This trade works financially and the Lakers may want to move Odom now that they have Gasol if Odom isn’t happy.  But this trade would never happen because Nesterovic has a player option for next year which he will never pass up ($8.4 million I think).  If it weren’t for that, if his contract expired at season’s end, he would be a desirable commodity for his large contract coming off the books.

Bargnani and Graham for David Lee and Malik Rose - I don’t see why this trade couldn’t be done.  It’s the Knicks for crying out loud.  Sure you have to take on Rose’s fat contract for another year after this one, but you ride yourself of the unhappy and disappointing Graham (who I always had high hopes for cause I thought he could be a perimeter stopper) for David Lee, Toronto’s next Matt Bonner.  Lee is a great hustle guy who can hit the boards with the bigs he needs to leave New York before people like Randolph and Marbury infect him.

Bargnani and Dixon for Kurt Thomas - This trade gets rid of the recently unhappy Dixon who has asked for a trade, and the frustrating Bargnani (I think he has the most travels in the NBA this year)  for Kurt Thomas who can still rebound pretty well at his age.  I wouldn’t do this trade as eagerly as I would straight up for Okafor or for Odom if the Lakers take drugs and want to move him for nothing, because Thomas might be gone at season’s end and really he is on the downside of his career and the Raptors are realistically 2 years away from being true contenders in the East.

Well, those are a few trade ideas.  As you can see, I centered all my trades around Bargnani.  I had a few that didn’t involve the big Italian, but most were lesser trades, such as Graham for Adonal Foyle, or Dixon for Channing Frye.  But at this point I think he is the most movable asset the Raptors have that will get decent returns.  He is still young enough that teams can see he has room to grow, but he hasn’t developed enough to make him untradeable. 

To tell you the truth, I can see the Raptors only making smaller moves, like moving Dixon and/or Graham for small pieces or maybe 2nd round picks.  Hopefully someone will be dumb enough to think a guy like Dixon can help them in the playoffs and give us a late first rounder for him which we can turn into something good down the line, but I’m just dreaming at this point.