khandor’s sports blog

When Kris Humphries was strictly a back-up front-court player for the Raptors [i.e. in 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009] … and, then, needlessly traded away in a multi-team package deal to acquire Hedo Turkoglu [i.e. see A and B for further details] … there were very few – if any – other voices in the on-line hoops community extolling his virtues, as a solid future starting-calibre Power Forward in the NBA, if afforded a legitimate opportunity to ply his trade properly. Some 3-5 years later, however …

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Free Agency: Big Names

Who I’d pursue

• Kris Humphries [#3]. How many people heard of him before this? Well, here at the Wages of Wins network, all of us. That’s because he’s been surprisingly productive. Another great value-for-your-dollar player, he could be a great asset to any team, especially one lacking rebounders.

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it is gratifying to see that this corner’s original assessment of Kris Humphries’ actual basketball talent … made well in advance of others – i.e. including both stats gurus [!] and non stats-based NBA observers – was indeed highly accurate, while the vast majority of naysayers, at the time, have now been proven wrong.

The fact is …

While there is little-to-no “competitive advantage” generated by player “evaluations” that are exclusively post facto, based on simple comparative stats analysis, there can be a great deal of “competitive advantage” generated by taking careful note of the specific opinions [i.e. in the form of "evaluations" AND "projections"] offered by someone who legitimately has the ability to make an accurate assessment of a player’s actual basketball ability as much as 3-5 years in advance.

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PS. Cheers, “yertu damkule.”

Could it possibly be the case that a new “fundamental” requirement for winning home games, in the NBA … at least, against a high calibre opponent … is to have one of your team’s best players needlessly ejected, sometime in the first half …

Exhibit A

[watch at approximately the 50 sec mark]

because an official simply looses “his cool” and decides to banish someone for no good reason whatsoever?

Hmmm …

Exhibit B

Marc Gasol reacts with emotion, points at the jumbotron, and is then ejected

Given some of the nonsense that transpired, in two separate situations, on Tuesday night:

New York Knicks 110
ORLANDO MAGIC 116
Complete Game Summary

San Antonio Spurs 93
Memphis Grizzlies 109
Complete Game Summary

it sure looks THAT way.

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PS. It might be very interesting, indeed, to see if any of the “stats gurus” in attendance at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference have done any reseach on the topic of, “What percentage of NBA games are actually won by the home team after one of their ‘key starters’ has been ejected in the 1st half, on a terribly blown 2nd technical foul, assigned by a subsequently remorseful official.”

Last year, the specific talk coming from Raptors training camp was about the team’s new over-riding Defensive Philosophy, referred to as, “Protecting the House,” in an all-out effort to improve their Defensive FG%. 

Unfortunately, last year’s Raptors then finished the 2009-2010 season as one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA.

Now, during this year’s training camp, this is what is currently being said about the Raptors Point of Emphasis, defensively, for the coming season:

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Raptors focus on fine art of defence

It is a delicate balance the Raptors seek as they try to improve the weakest aspect of their game.

They have to teach aggression tempered with intelligence. Quickness rather than speed.

They need continuity from a group of relative strangers and a dedication to a cause that brings with it little glory.

Easy? Not so much, but if they don’t shore up their defence and find a system that suits their personnel, any chance of being even a mildly surprising team in the coming NBA season is gone out the window.

It is the topic as training camp drones on, the one thing that coach Jay Triano and his assistants are more worried about than any other.

“One, you’ve got a number of new guys who are going to be in the rotation so that’s immediately a challenge,” said assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo. “Two, you don’t have a lot of continuity. Even though you could say it’s Jay’s third year, it’s at least a second, if not a third, different roster so it’s not like he’s had two years to install his system and the same guys are playing his system.

“The good news is you have some young guys with some quickness and enthusiasm. The bad news is you have young guys and inexperienced guys.”

What the Raptors want to do defensively sounds so simple: They want to apply pressure as much as possible, take away outside shots, force turnovers and score off their defence.

“I’d say we’re more aggressive,” said Triano. “Last year we had a tendency to sit on boxes (in the low post) and elbows (at the top of the free-throw lane) and protect the paint and the house and all that. This year, we’re just out and guarding guys.”

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1. Pressure the ball.

and,

2. Create more turnovers.

Hmmm …

Simple to do, perhaps … if you have enough of the right type of players on your roster, in the first place.

When you actually compare the individual defensive ability of the 15 players on the present roster for the Raptors to the group which ended the 2009-2010 campaign, what you get looks something like this:

Those who think the Team Defensive woes of the 2009-2010 Toronto Raptors will be cured by this year’s squad making a renewed commitment to ”applying increased ball pressure”, over the course of an 82-game regular season are, quite simply, unfamiliar with the way in which the NBA actually works:

General Truths About the NBA Game, From a Defensive Perspective:

1. “Less experienced” players are not superior Individual or Team defenders, in comparison with veteran players.

2. “Faster” players do not necessarily prove to be superior Individual or Team defenders, in comparison with slower players.

3. Authentic “high end” Team Defensive ability stems, primarily, from just 2 sources:

i. Having enough rotational players whose specific WEAKNESS does not originate in their own Individual and/or Team defensive game;

 and,

ii. A head coach’s PERSONAL COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE, on the defensive side of the floor, based upon the successful implementation/execution of sound and highly integrated strategic and/or tactical concepts. [NOTE: Please recognize the plural form of the final word in this last sentence.]

When a team is atrocious on the defensive side of the ball, however, it does not become significantly better by:

while retaining non defensive stalwarts like:

in their existing roles, in the regular rotation, AND retaining the same head coach who was responsible for the implementation of the Defensive Philosophy which was used the previous season, even if the nature of THAT specific philosophy is supposedly going to change for the new campaign.

Scoring enough points to win games … against high end competition … has not been a major problem for the Raptors during the last several seasons. Preventing high end opponents from doing likewise, however, has consistently been one of the Dinos main problems.

With the set of players, coaches, and GM – i.e. who is responsible for putting together the roster – currently in place for this team, do not expect this reality to change this season.    

There has been considerable discussion the last several days, in different places on-line, about what has really hurt the Raptors franchise over the course of the last 4.5 seasons.

Exhibit A – NBA: Free-Agency Breakdown

Exhibit B – Turkoglu is still hurting the Raptors

If you look at yesterday’s blog entry, you will see the list of Major Personnel Moves which the Raptors have made during this specific time period.

These are the team’s records of achievement: 

Since 2006, Winter
2005-2006, 27-55, failed to make the playoffs
2006-2007, 47-35, made the playoffs/#3 Seed, Lost 1st Rd
2007-2008, 41-41, made the playoffs/#6 Seed, Lost 1st Rd
2008-2009, 33-49, failed to make the playoffs
2009-2010, 40-42, failed to make the playoffs
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Projecting Forward
2010-2011, sub .500?, fail to make the playoffs?
2011-2012, sub .500?, fail to make the playoffs?
etc.

When you look at these items closely, what you should begin to see is the illogical reasoning involved with asserting that top flight NBA players have been disinterested in playing for the Raptors … if/when Toronto has legitimately focused on putting together a championship-winning calibre team, which is not something that has actually been done since Steve Stavro [i.e. one-time principal owner] sold his controlling interest in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd.

While a specific team’s fanbase might not fully understand what ‘the game’ is really all about – at least, at the highest levels of competition – elite level NBA players do not fit into this same category.

The fact is … elite level NBA players understand very well that:

* Bottom-line profitability is not what operating a successful franchise in this league is all about;

* Simply fielding a “competitive” [i.e. "winning"] team most seasons is not what operating a successful franchise in this league is all about;

* Trying one’s very best to gradually build a legitimate contending organization which is actually capable of competing for and eventually winning multiple NBA championships is precisely what operating a successful franchise in this league is all about;

and,

* Repeatedly changing the same basic furniture in one’s original ‘starter home’ does not equate properly with making an authentic attempt at …

When a team in the NBA makes a series of highly questionable basketball-related personnel decisions … which, on the whole, fail to prioritize the development of a championship-winning organization … over a lengthy period of time, then, the best basketball players in the world, and their respective agents, take note … even if the fans of this specific team do not, because they are focused on the wrong things, e.g. if the best player in the history of their franchise may have “checked out, mentally,” in the 2nd half of last season, since this is what has been identified by [A] the team’s President/GM and [B] certain other no-expert basketball observers, as the chief reason for the current state of the franchise.

… according to Hedo Turkoglu, as The Summer of Discontent continues on, unabated, in Raptorville:

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Turkoglu takes a shot at Raptors, Colangelo

New Phoenix Suns forward Hedo Turkoglu took aim at his former team, the Toronto Raptors, and their general manager, Bryan Colangelo, this weekend.

“People have to realize something is wrong with that organization and nobody wants to go there any more,” he said in a phone interview from Turkey, where he is captaining the Turkish national team at the World Championships. “It’s not just the players who see this.”

Turkoglu’s remarks were sparked by Colangelo’s recent criticism of former Raptors teammate Chris Bosh. Colangelo accused Bosh of “checking out” last season while the Raptors were battling the Chicago Bulls for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Bosh, an unrestricted free agent who left the Raptors earlier this month to join LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Miami, missed six games after the All-Star break with an ankle injury.

“Despite limited swelling and any excessive damage on an MRI, he felt like he needed to sit,” Colangelo told Toronto station FAN 590. “I’m not even questioning Chris’ injury. I’m telling you he was cleared to play subject to tolerance on his part, and the tolerance just apparently wasn’t there and he chose not to play.

“Whether he was mentally checked out or just wasn’t quite into it down the stretch, he wasn’t the same guy. I think everybody saw that, but no one wanted to acknowledge it.”

Turkoglu insisted Bosh was a good teammate.

“It’s funny that people will talk behind your back,” Turkoglu said of Colangelo. “If he was feeling this way, why not have the guts to say it during the season? Why not say it to Chris? Now that Chris has left, it’s not nice to say those things.

“Chris has been a franchise player and he did a lot of good things for the Raptors,” Turkoglu added. “I don’t think Chris is the type of player to quit on his teammates.”

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Unfortunately, the ramifications of this error in judgment, by Bryan Colangelo … i.e. criticizing Chris Bosh’ effort, in the 2nd half of last season, after-the-fact … are going to be felt by this organization for a long time.

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PS. If you re-trace the gradual de-evolution of the Raptors franchise, over the last 4+ seasons, you should be able to develop a clear picture of the present situation, in Toronto.

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After losing their lone all-star player from last year’s squad [i.e. Chris Bosh] and completing yesterday’s trade with the Phoenix Suns …

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Full speed ahead for Raptors as Barbosa-Turkoglu deal finally done

The long-anticipated trade that sent Hedo Turkoglu to the Phoenix Suns for guard Leandro Barbosa was finally consummated Wednesday night, fulfilling president and general manager Bryan Colangelo’s desire to build a team around speed and versatility.

“His speed, quickness and scoring ability will mesh well with our desired playing style and talented young athletes,” Colangelo said in a news release announcing the transaction. “With the departure of Chris Bosh now real, this trade fits well with our plan of adding talent to the roster while establishing future salary cap flexibility.”

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this is what the current roster looks for the Toronto Raptors:

and this is how it rates against the other teams in the Eastern Conference, when evaluating projected starting line-ups:

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… which suggests that the Raptors could find themselves in the Draft Lottery again next summer with the possibility of an early pick and the opportunity to select an authentic “stud” like Harrison Barnes … at least, if they play their cards properly.

According to Rick Bonnell [Inside The NBA], the hang-up in the proposed trade between Charlotte and Toronto isn’t a case of cold feet on the part of the NBA’s most notorious ‘stone-cold assassin’ but, rather, a case of unrealistic financial expectations on the part of the former two-time recipient of the league’s EOTY Award:

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So, if this trade ever happens …

– The problem, I’m told, is Toronto general manager Bryan Colangelo’s financial expectations. I don’t know if that literally means cash or whether he’s demanding another team take a bad contract off his payroll.  But at the end of the day, Colangelo wants to make this work. It’s now so public, it would be hard to stuff the genie back in the bottle. Chandler and Evans already consider themselves exes with their former teams.

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Could it be that the proposed trade which Michael Jordan and Bryan Colangelo had originally agreed to was in fact not what has been reported to-date:

To Phoenix
- Hedo Turkoglu [from Toronto]

To Toronto
- Boris Diaw [from Charlotte] and Tyson Chandler [from Charlotte]

To Charlotte
- Jose Calderon [from Toronto], Dwayne Jones [from Phoenix, via Toronto] and Reggie Evans [from Toronto]

but, instead, this one:

To Phoenix
- Hedo Turkoglu [from Toronto]

To Toronto
- Boris Diaw [from Charlotte] and Tyson Chandler [from Charlotte]

To Charlotte
- Jose Calderon [from Toronto], Dwayne Jones [from Phoenix, via Toronto], Reggie Evans [from Toronto] and Marcus Banks [from Toronto]

which involves an additional player with a perceived to be ‘bad contract’ for the Raptors? … and, the distinct possibility that the Bobcats principal owner has, thus far, refused to take this on, given the viable alternative[s] at his disposal [i.e. one of which is outlined above].

While there should be no doubt that Adrian Wojnarowski is a credible writer/reporter/journalist for Yahoo! Sports, i.e. Jordan holding up Raptors trade … given his body of work to-date … so, too, is it the case that Rick Bonnell fits into a similar category for the Charlotte Observer … given a similar examination … and that sometimes two highly respected people can, in fact, simply see the exact same events in two very different ways with neither party really being described accurately as an out-right liar.

Indeed, it will be very interesting to see how this whole situation is eventually resolved and which of these two respective parties - i.e. Bryan Colangelo or Michael Jordan - is more inclined to accede to the demands of the other.

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PS. Contrary to what many so-called NBA ‘experts/observers’ realize, success/failure in the cutthroat world of pro sports is determined to a large extent by the ability of one participant to productively assert their/his ‘collective will’ over that of an opponent, in a head-to-head matchup.

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Update:

From a Raptors perspective, it can be highly informative to also read a solid blog – and the related comments – associated with another team which Toronto is thought to be in the process of doing business with, or, quite possibly, not.

If the Raptors are, in fact, presented with the opportunity to end this week with the following player roster:

PG: Jack, Belinelli and Banks
OG: Weems and Barbosa
SF: DeRozan and Kleiza
PF: Diaw, Johnson, Davis, Evans and Dorsey
C: Chandler, Alabi and Jones;

while being able to preserve the full ‘TPE’ which they just received from Miami …

as suggested in this blog entry 

… then, they should jump at it immediately, as:

i. A legitimate way out of their current mess with a 1-dimensional player like Andrea Bargnani [C] at the core of their team:

and,

ii. Yet another feasible opportunity to gradually build a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference which could eventually be able to win a league championship in the not-too-distant future.

Bryan Colangelo is a resourceful and hard-working GM. He just needs to be pointed in the right drection by the people working around him.

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PS. That’s the sort of roster which just might allow the Raptors to obtain a player like Harrison Barnes [i.e. Exhibit 1 & 2] through the 2011 NBA Draft.

Update:

PPS. Just to clarify the specific trade proposal outlined here, for the benefit of those who still might be confused by it … and, to distinguish it from what’s been proposed by other ‘sources’ in the on-line hoops community … this is what it would actually look like, according to the ESPN NBA Trade Machine. And, you know what? Michael Jordan might then actually decide to go through with it, rather than getting cold feet at the last minute.

Every summer, since he was appointed to the position of President/GM for the Toronto Raptors, Bryan Colangelo has “wheeled and dealed”, in an effort to create a player roster which he believes is capable of competing effectively in the Eastern Conference AND – according to what he says each off season – making significant headway, long term, in the standings.

In reality, however, his series of moves each summer have turned out … in the end … to be wrong:

2006-2007, 47-35 [achieved by adding a series of 'stop-gap' players]

2007-2008, 41-41

2008-2009, 33-49

2009-2010, 40-42

and, basically:

1. Have improved the future of the franchise very little, if at all;

while,

2. Keeping the team’s fanbase thoroughly ‘engaged’;

and,

3. Consistently making huge sums of money for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd.

This is what the Raptors have now done, since the 2009-2010 regular season ended:

[including the proposed trades which have been reported by the Arizona Republic]

- acquired Ed Davis [No. 13 Selection in the 2010 NBA Draft]
- acquired Solomon Alabi [No. 50 Selection in the 2010 NBA Draft]
- re-signed Amir Johnson
- added PJ Carlesimo as an assistant coach
- acquired Linas Kleiza [if Denver declines to match Toronto's offer sheet]
- traded Chris Bosh [to Miami]
- re-acquired one 1st Round Draft Pick [2011, Toronto's own selection]
- acquired one 1st Round Draft Pick [2011, Miami's selection]
- acquired a TPE [from Miami]
- traded Hedo Turkoglu? [to Phoenix]
- acquired Leandro Barbosa and Dwayne Jones? [from Phoenix]
- traded Dwayne Jones? [to Charlotte]
- acquired Boris Diaw with the acquired TPE? [from Charlotte] 

Has your head stopped spinning yet?

To this point, this is the response from the team’s rabid fanbase,

e.g. Hedo Turkoglu traded to Suns for Leandro Barbosa.

Which is to say … more-or-less … the giving of tacit approval.

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Q1. In that vortex of opinion, however, who should you pay close attention to when it comes to properly evaluating what these latest moves might mean for the Raptors going forward?

A1. The Jul 12, 2010 at 7:15 am comment belongs to yertu damkule:

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but, as it stands right now, the only question i have is: ‘does Bryan Colangelo understand what ‘rebuild’ actually means? this seems like just another patch job – middling players acquired who will have no long-term connection to the franchise and who will only ‘steal’ PT from those who do figure to be long-term fixtures.

of course, i guess we have to appreciate the fact that he’s ridding the team of turk, who would have been, IMO, locker room poison & a guy you just don’t want the young guys having anything to do with. still…part of me was kinda/sorta hoping that hedo would still be with the team in the fall, would come in with a changed attitude & play himself into a desireable commodity, so he could be moved for something of a little more substance than barbosa. all things considered, though, thumbs up. he (barbosa) ain’t the player he once was, but he was one of the few suns whose game didn’t seem entirely dependant on nash – he’s a capable backup PG/SG…great at neither, decent at both, but his speed & finishing ability is appealing. i don’t think he’s a great defender by any stretch, but he’s got a huge wingspan & more than enough quickness to disrupt passing lanes at the top of the key & to prevent the easy ‘turning of the corner’ by the ball-handler. the biggest concern is that he’s no longer an average shooter from distance, and that’s something that is really gonna hurt TO this year. they don’t really have ‘spread-the-floor’ guys in the backcourt & wing spots…i guess if they hold onto jose, and the kleiza deal goes through they’ll have a couple…and there’s always bargs.

as for diaw – i’ll hold off comment until it gets finalized. if yyma is correct, and it’s both diaw & chandler coming back (not sure how that would work, numbers-wise), it becomes a completely different deal.

as happy as i am about turk leaving, i’m still scratching my head over how these moves help the team find some kind of direction. they’re clearly not rebuilding – these are treadmill moves, designed to placate the mob, keep the raps ‘contending’ (for a playoff spot), etc. of course, they weren’t exactly gonna be rebuilding with turk either, so who cares?

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In this instance, his voice is the one of reason.

After spending 7 seasons with the Raptors franchise, what Chris Bosh finally realized last week, sadly, is that the Toronto sports franchises owned by MLSE are little more than intricately woven ‘dramas’, conceived and operated for the purpose of ‘profiteering’ in a highly specific way:

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Macbeth, Act 5 Scene 5

MACBETH
Wherefore was that cry?The queen, my lord, is dead.To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

SEYTON

MACBETH
She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.

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Are you truly aware of just how much money the owner of a laundromat is capable of making, at your expense, if you are willing to simply sit in a chair each week and watch as the ‘wash, rinse and dry’ cycle is repeated, ad infinitum? 

A pox on the house of MLSE! 

… for continuing to conduct its ‘business’ in this way, i.e re-shuffling the deck, yet again … with no real intention to put themselves in position to be able to contend for a league championship at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Kudos to Chris Bosh for finally getting out of this quagmire.

In all likelihood, given the collection of players and coaches on Toronto’s roster for next season:

[which might look like this in the next few days]

PG: Calderon, Jack and Banks
OG: Weems, Barbosa and Belinelli
SF: DeRozan and Kleiza
PF: Diaw [SF], Johnson, Davis, Evans and Dorsey
C: Bargnani and Alabi

Coaches: Triano, Carlesimo, Iavaroni, English, Nori and Hughes

the Raptors will be ‘stuck’ firmly in the middle of the Eastern Conference …

Tier One

Boston, Orlando and Miami

Tier Two

Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana, Milwaukee, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Toronto and Washington

[NOTE: Tier Two will be further sub-divided as the off season moves along.]

‘competing’ for a mid-to-lower tier playoff position …

as a Treadmill Team, going nowhere fast.

Cha-ching!

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PS. FWIW, do not think for a minute that the Raptors are now done making personnel moves this summer. If nothing else, Bryan Colangelo has consistently shown himself to be a very ‘hard-working’ GM.

PART 1

When Chris Bosh spoke with the assembled media, in Toronto …

Chris Bosh’s post-season press conference [April 15, 2010]

… he made his intentions quite clear, with respect to:

1. His decision to declare for unrestricted free agency this summer;

2. His desire for a maximum contract;

3. His willingness to listen to the sales pitches of other teams

4. His willingness to re-sign with the Raptors after July 1, if the team does the right things in the interim to indicate that Toronto would, in fact, be the best place for him to continue his pro career, as an elite level player who is committed to [i] maximizing his ability, and [ii] trying to win the NBA championship

Q1. Has Chris Bosh done anything since that press conference to indicate that he has changed his mind about any of these 4 intentions? 

A1. No, he has not.

Q2. Have the Raptors done anything since that press conference to indicate that they are committed to building a championship calibre team in Toronto?

- retained Jay Triano, as their head coach
- retained Andrea Bargnani [C], as their No. 2 scorer [with Bosh]
- alienated Hedo Turkoglu, as their principal acquisition from last season
- added PJ Carlesimo, as a new assistant coach
- added Ed Davis [PF], as a 2010 1st Round Draft Pick/No. 13
- added Solomon Alabi [C], as a 2010 2nd Round Draft Pick/No. 50
- extended an olive branch to Hedo Turkoglu, as their No. 3 scorer [with Bosh]
- re-signed Amir Johnson [PF], as their own UFA

A2. No, they have not.

=====================

PART 2

i. Was the major weakness on last year’s Raptors team the poor performance of its front-court players?

[e.g. considering the play of Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, Amir Johnson, Reggie Evans, Rasho Nesterovic, Patrick O'Bryant and Joey Dorsey] 

or,

ii. Was the major weakness on last year’s Raptors team the poor performance of its Point Guards?

[e.g. considering the play of Jose Calderon, Jarrett Jack and Marcus Banks]

or,

iii. Was the major weakness of last year’s Raptors team the poor performance of its wing players?

[e.g. DeMar DeRozan/1st-yr, Hedo Turkoglu, Antoine Wright/UFA, Sonny Weems/2nd-yr, and Marco Belinelli/3rd-yr]

==================

Unfortunately …

and despite the message which the team’s fans are being given by the Basketball Operations department of MLSE,

Raptors introduce Davis and Alabi at the Air Canada Centre

… it does not seem as though Bryan Colangelo has a solid grasp of where the team’s REAL problems are actually rooted [i.e. #1. The overall attitude and under-whelming performance of Andrea Bargnani, C; and, #2. Their current slate of less-than stellar wing players].

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PART 3

If Chris Bosh does not eventually re-sign with the Raptors, he will have made a sound basketball decision, based upon what the Raptors’ management team has shown him over the course of his 7 seasons in the NBA, including the personnel moves which they’ve made [and not made], thus far, this summer … if his primary goal is to compete for a league championship.

If Chris Bosh does eventually re-sign with the Raptors, he will have made a sound financial decision, based upon the fact that he can earn an additional $30.0 M more of guaranteed money from the Toronto Raptors, over the course of his 6-yr maximum contract.  

The next week, or so, is going to be very interesting, and should solidify what exactly Chris Bosh’s priorities actually are, both, as a person and an elite basketball player.

Unfortunately, the Toronto Raptors priorities have been established for quite some time already, as a profit-centered business operation.