Bargnani isn't just a rookie, he's the number one overall pick, while Graham was still a top 20 pick as well. Colangelo is a well advertised fan of AB and is obviously making room for the player he believes will develop. Pre-trade, who is your point guard next season? Calderon? Alvin Williams?
^^right, calderon is way worse than ford, not slightly at all. and alvin williams should barely be in the nba. Ford will maybe get you guys to the playoffs.
Please don't compare Jose Calderon to TJ Ford. He's just a really poor mans version of Tony Parker who can't shoot.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Sir Desmond:</div><div class="quote_post">Pre-trade, who is your point guard next season? Calderon? Alvin Williams?</div> No Raptor fans would seriously consider Calderon as a starter. NTC187 only suggested it, but he said he hasn't really seen him play. He's a solid backup but that's it. Again, it's not like we didn't have many options to aquire a point guard available to us (draft, sign-and-trade, free agency). You can't just look at our point guard situation and say that it was a good trade based on what we had before. Sure, it's an upgrade but at what cost?
thanks desmond. for real...we needed that in this forum BADLY. too many pessimists and nay sayers only seeing the glass as half empty with this trade. we really needed someone to come in here and put everything in perspective in a thought out and well put way. seriously...big up!
Pretty interesting too, how TJ Ford and Bosh when they got drafted, they said they wanted to play on the same team together.. Then Sam Mitchell and Jim Todd coached TJ Ford in Milwaukee in his rookie season.. So this definately brings some interest to why TJ was acquired.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Sir Desmond:</div><div class="quote_post">You win them with team balance. Ford is an outstanding point guard in the uptempo style of game Colangelo likes the play, and while Villanueva may have more talent/upside, Ford makes the Raptors a better and more balanced team. Ford is also a sorely needed leader. Bargnani + Ford + Bosh > Bargnani + Villanueva + Bosh</div> That's it right there ... With Ford running the offense we can more easily set the tempo. I think it would be hard to deny that our bigs had problems getting the ball at times this year, this trade should help that somewhat. In terms of the long jam .. it's a yes-no kinda thing. So if we kept our roster as it was before.... PG: ? / Calderon / williams SG: Mo Pete / Ukic ? SF: CV / Bargnani / Graham / PJ tucker (probably will go D-league but who knows) PF: Bosh / CV / Garbajosa / Bargnani C: Rasho / Bosh / Bargnani ? It's not a log jam .. but i'd say we've got a lot of guys who we are spreading out 3-5 who are all really 4's .... we need to take some of that depth we have up front and trade it to cover some of the weaknesses at our other spots. That aside i do think that we didn't get enough for charlie and we are gambling on who well Bargnani is going to develop. I really doubt however that the raptors would ever have been able to justify re-signing CV once his rookie deal runs out considering he'd be more of a duplication of a player we already have than an irreplaceable part of our roster.
How u going to give the #1 overall pick 12 minutes or less?? He'll probably turn out like Darko, a player who can play but no minutes given to show what he can do. I can see why Colangelo did the trade, and it fills a need in Ford instead of that question mark @ PG. Plus a guy u brought over from Europe to give him Garbage minutes? And what about Kris Humphries you are forgetting ^^.
stro is dumb as a sack of hammers, doesnt produce much and complains about where he plays? good lord...not that i really want or would have chosen him to come here, ill take anything i can get in return for mike james either way...this rumor sounds like a lot of hot air, and the more i think about it, the more i think we're just going to lose mike james to free agency and get nothing in return. the only silver lining here is that houston cant afford james outright
