How would you guys rank the individual Raptors in regards to how valuable their are to the club? Here's mine: UNTOUCHABLE: Chris Bosh - Self-explanatory. Jose Calderon - Also fairly obvious. He's young (26), is already one of the more efficient/productive playmakers in the NBA, and if you take into account how much he's developed in only two NBA seasons, there's no telling how high his ceiling is. Andrea Bargnani - He's gotten a lot criticism this season (a lot of it unfairly, IMO), but I still see so much potential. Andrea's got raw offensive talent, which we all already know about. But he's steadily showing better defending and rebounding and I'm encouraged by his work ethic. I think he'll be a star in this league, when its all said and done. He's started to round back into form over the past month. IMPORTANT PIECES (would have to be a heckuva offer): TJ Ford - I only bump him down because of recent injury concerns and because of Jose's emergence. But his absence has shown how important he still is to this team. Ford's a very good starting-calibre PG and his presence not only elevates the play of the bench, but also that of Jose Calderon. Anthony Parker - Not necessarily a player you can build around, but Parker is arguably the most valuable non-core player on this team. He's got a very reasonable contract, is one of the best 3 pt. shooters in the league, and is an excellent perimeter defender. Add in his veteran experience and you've got a player that's worth more to us than anything we could probably get for him. Carlos Delfino - Delf is only a bench player at this point, but I look at him as the eventual successor to Parker. He's still very young, is an aggressive defender, and has explosive scoring ability. Jorge Garbajosa - This might be surprising, given his injury situation and age. But, I think Garbo's absence has really shown this season. He's the toughest player on this team, a respected locker room leader, and a very close friend to Jose. His contract is also very cheap, so its another case of a player being worth more on our roster than anywhere else. COMPLIMENTARY PIECES (if the right deal came along): Kris Humphries - Hump's rebounding and strength really fit a need for the Raps, and I like his contract. But, his offensive game is limited and I don't see a whole lot of potential on that side of the ball. He's a great big off the bench and has a great work ethic, but I wouldn't hold onto him if he could fetch something decent. Jamario Moon - Moon's a feel-good story and his attitude is infectious. He's an athletic rebounder, but at 27, I'm not sure how much more he can develop. This applies especially on his offense, where he can be a chucker and non-factor at times. I doubt we really shop him around because he's such a steal (in terms of his contract), but he could be added to a trade to entice a team. Jason Kapono - The juries still out on the league's best shooter. It doesn't look like he'll ever be a starter on this team, because of his lack of defense, so he'll always be a bit overpaid. But, there's no doubt that he's a damn effective weapon off the bench when we have 48-minutes of great PG play. Rasho Nesterovic - I put him here solely because of his contract. Rasho's one of the more underrated players in the league, IMO, and has always provided solid defense and rebounding, without complaining about his fluctuating minutes. That said, his contract is a burden on this team and I would think his expiring contract (next year) will be in a lot of trade rumours. GARBAGE: Darrick Martin - Ugh. He's a great mentor to our young point guards, but if I never see him play again it'll be too soon. Add him to our staff or get him the hell out of here. Juan Dixon - I've been turned off by his game the past two seasons and don't really see him fitting in here. He's too much of a liability (because of his height) to play extended minutes at the 2, and he's even worse at the 1. Dixon does still have streaky scoring ability, so there's a possibility that some teams take a look at him. I wouldn't think twice about letting him go. Maceo Baston - I don't really understand why we paid so much for an insurance big. Sure he has some talent and could be a decent bench player, but he hasn't been all that useful so far this season. Joey Graham - Joey and Juan are the only two garbage players that would have some sort of value around the league. I've lost all faith in Graham though. He's got so much raw physical talent but he continually fails to take advantage of. He makes stupid mental mistakes, still hasn't learned how put the ball on the floor and looks lost on defense. I can't believe we drafted him over Danny Granger (still bitter). Ideally, we could trade him before the entire league recognizes how much of a bust he is.
Great recap Chutney, I just wanted to add to Andrea's roller coaster season. This was easily his best month and he's averaged close to 18 points a game with a great TS%. It's kind of amusing how he's struggled against the West though; he loses 5-7% in FT, FG and 3-point shooting percentages. Maybe he shouldn't be untouchable, that seems a little high Chut.
Wow, I think you value players way too much.....I live in toronto and i'm a homer, but there is nobody on this team that I consider untouchable.... You wouldn't trade CB for Bron or Dwight Howard? Of course you would! CB4 is great but there are very few players in this league that I consider untouchable. I don't think he has taken a great leap forward this year...he sorta went sideways. The list of players that I would trade Bargs for is very long..... You have TJ rated way too high, he is good when he is on the floor, but he has a big contract, is a liability because of injuries, and Calderone is better (i've been saying that since day 1).
