Here's a look back at some of Rob Babcocks moves that made some Raptor fans say 'Yes!', 'Who the f**k is Rafael Araujo?' '3 first round picks for Vince???' and the most popular one: 'FIRE BABCOCK'. The good: Trading Rafer Alston and Mike James. This was one of Babcocks few good moves (BTW, I must say, it must embarrassing is it to be owned by Rob Babcock in a trade. I feel sorry for the Rockets GM). The Raptors got rid of a headcase who was trigger happy for a tough defensive minded PG in Mike James. Though James might be trigger happy sometimes, he is way more efficient. He is one of the lockeroom leaders and has developed a nice relationship with Bosh. Drafting Charlie Villanueva. This move caught A LOT of criticism on draft night and in the off-season, but Villanueva proved he was very skilled and good enough to go that high in the draft. Showing off his versatility, Villanueva proved to be a good scorer with 3 PT range, a good rebounder, and a great passer for a big man. It's been relieving that Stephen A. Smith has shut his mouth since that night. The bad: Not trading Donyell Marshall. A second round pick would've been great, ANYTHING. But instead, Babcock fell trigger shy after the Vince Carter debacle and kept Marshall because he thought Toronto could make the playoffs. The Raptors had another losing season, were nowhere close to making the playoffs, and lost Marshall for nothing. Signing Rafer Alston. Alston was playing well for about the first 7-10 games, but it just went downhill for him once the Raptors started losing. He sucked on defense, he became trigger happy, ignored Bosh on offense, and was a huge distraction in the locker room. Luckily Babcock covered this move up by shipping Alston off for Mike James. The ugly: Drafting Rafael Araujo. Quite possibly a guy with the lowest confidence level I've ever seen. This move along with the Vince trade tainted Babcocks reputation around the league. Araujo has shown pretty much nothing since coming to Toronto. He doesn't rebound, he doesn't defend, and has no offensive game at all. I swear, once the ACC crowd starts booing him, I just hope Rafael doesn't start crying on TV. That's probably the only thing he's had going for him so far. Trading Vince Carter. And finally, the move that still has Raptor fans wondering 'Why?', the Vince Carter trade. Babcock traded Vinsanity for Eric Williams, Aaron Williams, Alonzo Mourning and 2 first round picks. Now at the time, Vince was having the worst season of his career averaging 15/3/3 and was repeatadly benched in the 4th quarter by Sam Mitchell. However, Vince turned it on New Jersey playing like Vintage Vince and Babcock got pretty much nothing for him. Eric Williams has played like crap, and is definitely not a guy he was made out to be (A good character guy, tough defense etc.). Aaron Williams. Well, at least he has kept his mouth shut. Alonzo Mourning is an ass and I hope once he's done riding Shaq and Wade in the playoffs that he will retire. And finally, we still have 1 first round pick with one being used on Joey Graham. So after 2 years it's all come to an end. Babcock will have a tough time finding a job after his reputation has taken a huge hit, but hopefully he gets back into work soon (so we can screw that team over).
I'd also add trading Albert Miralles (sp?) for Pape Sow and cash to the good section.... And I think not trading Marshall wasn't as bad as it seems. He explained in an interview that the best offer he got involved a seconder rounder but also had us receiving another player of lesser talent, same pay, and 3 more years left on the contract..... Keep in mind that this was after the VC disaster trade so everyone was low-balling him and as a result, he couldn't get anything near Marshall's value. It's still bad that he couldn't get anything for him, but what could he really do when no one's taking him seriously? btw, since when did we get 3 first rounders for Carter?
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">BTW, I must say, it must embarrassing is it to be owned by Rob Babcock in a trade. I feel sorry for the Rockets GM</div>Actually, Alston has played pretty well in Houston after returning from surgery. His shooting isn't good at all so far, but he's getting the ball to the right people in the right moments and he was one of the few who stepped up when TMac and Yao were out. Mike James is still doing better though, but it wasn't anything like a Vince for Zo rape that Babcock got himself into.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting dunksworth:</div><div class="quote_post">btw, since when did we get 3 first rounders for Carter?</div> My bad, it was 2, not 3. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Actually, Alston has played pretty well in Houston after returning from surgery. His shooting isn't good at all so far, but he's getting the ball to the right people in the right moments and he was one of the few who stepped up when TMac and Yao were out. Mike James is still doing better though, but it wasn't anything like a Vince for Zo rape that Babcock got himself into.</div> It wasn't a VC for Zo like gap, but it's very clear who the winner in the deal was.
