Good for both teams, I think. Assuming Anderson is included, since Shareef, Rose and Stepania will all expire at the end of this season, only Carter and Anderson will remain on the books, while both teams unload their malcontents. Shareef will come off the bench, I assume, but he'll get more PT and will play at 4 instead of 3.
To add, from Marc Stein's latest column: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&id=1926696&CMP=OTC-DT9705204233 It's up to Portland, sources indicate, whether to accept or reject Toronto's offer of Vince Carter and Jalen Rose (and parts) for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Derek Anderson and Vladimir Stepania. But the same sources say that the Blazers aren't interested in Rose. Portland's preference is dealing Abdur-Rahim and a future draft pick for Vinsanity. . . . And Abdur-Rahim's preference, I'm told, is to stay away from Canada after his fruitless Vancouver stint. If the Blazers and Raps continue their Carter talks, don't be surprised if a third team is recruited as a possible destination for Reef. . . .
What a comeback! I shut off the game in the 3rd when it was clear the Toronto starters didnt come to play, and right when Vince looked like a spoiled child crying on the playground because he got pushed off the slide. I feared for a 30 point blowout. Then the bench comes through again. And against argueably the best team in the league too. I didnt see the 3rd and half the 4th, so I'm not sure if the Spurs stopped playing, but this is a character building win if I've ever seen one. Rafer is quickly becoming the soul of the team. Now the schedule gets much easier too. Two games against both Washington and the Knicks should yield at a minimum a 3-1 record considering the opposition Toronto has beaten. And I agree with Mitchell... it was good to get all these games against quality West coast opposition over with early in the year. That means more games against the likes of Atlanta and Charlotte later on, when their seasons will be over. I was pissed off today because I have tickets to the game in Washington on Tuesday, but now I'm excited to wear my Raptors gear at the MCI Center. Hopefully this win will bring the fans in Toronto too.
In sheer numbers of population and media exposure, Toronto ranks only behind New York, Chicago, and L.A in North America. Its the center of the Canadian media and TV markets too, so that's why Torontonians are used to the big market label (especially if they are hockey fans, where its the biggest market). However, American media outlets never point this out, and always bring the "small market" label to Toronto because it isnt reached by ESPN or other papers. So in essence you are both correct. If Toronto was in the States though, it would be a top market for sure. Actually Sam Mitchell was just commenting the other day how much media/TV coverage Toronto gets and how he's not used to the attention.
goes to show how americans are oblivious to whats going on around the world especially there freakin neighbours.wow!
Great to get the perspective of the Bulls fans Those 20 posts you mention have already been exceeded, and plus will be more wins than your team will get all year... I've lived in Chicago too and could easily start a Chicago sports thread as well. However, that thread could be summed up not only in one post, but one word: losers.
So who are we going to get for Carter?I think the Portland trade is stupid because Abdul is a natural powerforward to begin with and we already have that position filled by Bosh. Van Axel is a decent player but I dont think Portland would be willing to part with him. I think the GM should talk with the Hornets or Bucks about players like Michael Redd and Baron Davis. With that kind of arsenal at our disposal we could make a serious challenge for the east, especially when strong teams like Indiana have been crippled by suspensions. I think are only "really" difficult opponents will be Miami and ofcourse Detroit.
Two words - expiring contract, a big one at that. You get rid of Vince and his contract, and you can either use Shareef as bait for another trade, or let his contract expire and leave a big hole in the cap. That said, I think Marc Stein (see link above) is right, that a third team will get involved. Now, New Jersey wants Shareef. New Jersey is trying to trade Kidd. Could we possibly combine the Vince-to-Portland and Kidd-to-wherever trades into one? That could be fun. Milwaukee is not going to happen - they like Michael Redd. Why would anyone trade Redd for Vince, when Redd will do so much more for cheaper (even after his contract extension)? Hornets could happen, but Vince won't be happy with a losing team, and a sad Vince isn't good for anyone.
Very few guarantee's here.. but your right about Vinces contract, it needs to be scratched out as soon as possible. However, with that said, having a big empty hole in the cap is great, but not when we're approaching mid season. I'd imagine Stein would go for a constructive player for some balance and that would probably be enough. The Raps already have a good team even without Vince (and to be honest I didn't need the Spurs to remind me either cause I already knew it) so what we need is not a leader persay, but rather an anchoring shooting guard who will complimet our developing players i.e Bosh, Woods, and Bonner. Not everything in the NBA has to be practical. Vince is still a franchise player a would be a great cash cow for a relatively small market like Milwaukee. Yeah but he'd re-emerge himself into a struggling team that would unoubtedly make hime a star again. Never forget that Vince will always have the ability to carry teams, especially when he choses to.
David Wesley from the Hornets? I see your point here, but I don't think any bump in revenue is enough to offset what they will lose on the court in a Redd-for-Carter swap. That is a possiblity, I'm sure. A change of scenery couldn't hurt at this point.
Not a pretty game in Washington. I'm still trying to figure out why we keep giving up the third quarter?
Big win tonight Donyell and Jalen were huge down the stretch, and Bosh was big by getting Shaq into foul trouble early in the 4th. All I can say though is that the Raps need to trade Carter fast. He's not even trying anymore to seem like he cares... at least Antonio Davis played hard until he got traded. Imagine how good the Raps could be if Carter even gave 50%. Tomorrow is a huge game. if we can win in Orlando as well I think we have a decent chance at going 4-2 on the trip, as New Jersey and Boston are winnable games.
Carter does need to be traded, because he does not want to play for the Raptors anymore. Raptor's failure right now is not solely on Carter, but it is on their rebounding. I watched the NJNETS vs Raptors game last night, the only reason why the Nets won was because the Raptors did not get that rebound with 7 seconds left on the clock. Nets had 3 tries to score and that means they grabbed 2 offensive rebounds. It was pathetic. I am telling you guys, the Raptors are 7-13 as of December 6th, with a little bit of rebounding, they could easily be a .500 club. Last year we have traded away Antonio Davis and Jerome Williams for Marshall and Rose. Ever since then, our rebounding has been horrible. Our Rooke Arujo is not getting any playing time at all, and that's a big lose because if we don't develope him, he is a wasted 7th round pick. I personally don't think the Raptors will make the playoffs this year. I believe they should trade Carter for a center. The raptors need a Center that can defend and grab rebounds on both ends. Keep Rose because we need a scorer. If we get rid of Carter and Rose, our offense is going to stink.
Not necessarily. Rafer, Morris, Bosh, Rose, Marshall and Lamand Murray are all very competent offensive players and will strive to get this club back to .500 We will be in the playoffs this year.
I don't doubt their offense, they have shown me that they can score. However, in crucial situations, they are having trouble defending. They need rebounding. Look at the years we made the playoffs and compare to now, our rebounding is horrible. I am not too convinced that they will make the playoffs. The only players that are rebounding are Woods, Bosh, and Marshall. The problem is, Woods is a liability on offense that's why he sits out at lesat half of the games and Marshall comes off the Bench. We need rebounding man.
This is getting absolutely ridiculous. Every game now, the Raps take a lead into the last 4 minutes, and then cant execute on offense or defense. Leading by 4 with 1:20 left after going on a 15-0 run, and then blowing the rest by not getting a good shot or pulling down even ONE rebound, no other team in the NBA would be that bad. Even after TWO time-outs, the Raps didnt get so much as a decent shot, let alone a quality shot. What was Bosh thinking throwing up that airball? Why did Palacio get to be point guard after screwing up on five straight possessions? This comes down to the players, as its been the same way for years, but this is also Mitchell's fault. He has instilled a run and gun offense because he has no clue how to get off good looks in a half-court offense. This year after some promise looks the same as usual. The Raps should be at least 10-11 right now, not 7-14. Sure the schedule was tough. But by the time January rolls around, where the schedule is really easy, morale will be so bad they'll find a way to lose those games too... SO FRUSTRATED
I am telling you guys, it's their rebounding in crucial situations. Look at the game they lost against the NETS and against the PISTONS, with less than a minute left in the fourth quater, they give up offensive rebound to the other team. You can not afford to give away offensive rebound to the other team because that's when the defense is disintergrated and it's extremely easy for the opposition offense to score. Too many second chance points for the opposition and eventually they are going to score. I think 3rd quater disasters are now in their heads, they play not to lose in 3rd quater but they don't play to win. That's something Mitchell has to deal with. In terms of rebounding, it's not Mitchell's problem, it's just that the team does not have enough big guys. Loren Woods and Marshall are the only ones grabbing boards but Woods stinks on offense so he can't constantly be on the floor and Marshall comes off the Bench. Bosh is too weak to fight for rebounds, he is a push over in the Key. If they do trade Carter, get a center that plays Defense, we don't need another scorer. Rose, Peterson, Alston, Bosh is sufficient enough. Get a center that plays excellent defense and can get 10 points per game on offense, that's more than enough.
I agree completely... but you cant overlook the fact either that in the last two minutes of a game, even after a time out, the Raptors rarely get a good look at the basket. Against Detroit, they screwed up big time letting Wallace get 2 offensive boards and Hunter one. But in their last 6 plays up the floor, with Palacio handling the ball, the had 3 virtual shot clock violations, an ill advised Jalen Rose turnover, a terrible shot by Bosh (who you CAN NOT build a franchise around), and a missed 3 by Rafer. Even if the Raps had gotten those boards, I doubt they would have mustered any type of good look at the basket. This also has to change, and the onus falls here on Mitchell, especially since after they trade Vince they wont have any "superstars" in the line-up
I don't know man, getting those crucial boards at the end could have turned into transitional points, because that's when you might catch the opposition defense out of their positions. You know, I don't think you need a superstar. Did Detroit have a superstar last year? Ben Wallace a superstar(that's border line)? Rip a superstar? Tayshaun Prince a superstar? The key is to get a bunch of guys that know thier role. Jalen Rose, Morris Peterson and Alston can run the offense. Just need a consistent center. I still think if they can do better in the Key, they will be around 500.
I said this once and I will say it again. Ever since they got rid of Antonio Davis and JYD, they have done a horrible job on defense and rebounding. What do you expect???? We got rid of our big physical guys. The only physical guy we have is Loren Woods, but because he stinks on offense, he is not consistently on the court, so he can't play defense for us all the time. We need a center that's excellent on defense like Magloire or Ben Wallace and mediocre on offense, better offense then Loren Woods at least. With a dominant defensive Center, you can actually get the rest of the players more involved on defense.
You think Mo Pete is completely useless? really? Well, I wasn't too happy the Raptors are paying him 5 million dollars a year to come off the bench. However, he does an okay job coming off the bench though. But......... I know there are guys around the league that are better than him and they would not cost the Raptors 5 millions dollars a year. Trade him to New Orleans? that's interesting. You know, the hornets did bid for Peterson, but the raptors matche their offer and kept Mo Pete in T.O. I hope New Orleans had the same interest in him as they did before, and Mo Pete's value hasn't dropped yet.