khandor’s sports blog

According to a published report today, from ESPN, the Raptors are now listed amongst a large group of teams that have recently expressed interest in obtaining Omri Casspi [SF] from the Sacramento Kings.

In the opinion of yours truly, there has been a relatively easy way for the Raptors to acquire Mr. Casspi …

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Trade proposal for Raptors fans, plus others, to consider 

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since as far back as December 10, 2010 …

and set themselves up properly for an extended run of success, as a legitimate contender, in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference, for the next decade, if their management team has the wherewithal to make it happen.

Although yours truly suggested several weeks ago that an effective way for the Raptors to eventually propel themselves into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference, over the course of the next few seasons, would have been to trade Andrea Bargnani [C] to Sacramento, in a transaction which looked like this:

To TORONTO:

Jason Thompson [C], Omri Casspi [OG/SF], Donte Greene [OG/SF], Hassan Whiteside [C] and the Kings’ 2011/1st Round Draft Pick

To Sacramento:

Andrea Bargnani [C], DeMar DeRozan [OG/SF], Sonny Weems [OG/SF] and the Raptors’ 2011/1st Round Draft Pick …

Given the Raptors Results For December 2010 … both, with and without Andrea Bargnani in the line-up … and the decision to use Ed Davis [PF, 1st-yr] in the team’s regular rotation … as opposed to having him sit out for the entire 2010-2011 season, in an effort to secure a Top 3 Selection in the 2011 NBA Draft Lottery …  

the alternate reality is that …

If the brain-trust for the Raptors actually decides to use their players in the following way:

… as was first suggested here when the team acquired Jerryd Bayless and Peja Stojakovic from the New Orleans Hornets,

i.e. Best Rotation for Raptors to win as many games as possible, given recent injuries to Evans and Stojakovic

… there would be a fairly good chance that Toronto will have what it takes to move up to the No. 8 position in the Eastern Conference, as the balance of the season unfolds.

In concert with the following list of assets:

#1. The remainder of the TPE obtained from Miami in the trade involving Chris Bosh;

#2. Miami’s 1st Round Draft Pick/2011;

#3. Toronto’s 1st Round Draft Pick/2011;

#4. Peja Stojakovic’s expiring contract;

and,

#5. Reggie Evans’ expiring contract;

all of which are available for use after the completion of the current campaign … 

Raptors fans would then have legitimate grounds to believe that this franchise could, at least, be a consistent playoff team for the better part of the next decade, if the Bryan Colangelo/GM has the Basketball Acumen needed to acquire and discard the right pieces to the puzzle while moving forward from one season to the next.

What are the specific reasons this corner recently advocated that the Raptors should entertain the thought of trading Andrea Bargnani [C] to the Sacramento Kings, asap?

Rationale Part 1 – The Raptors do not need Bargnani’s combination of good scoring and poor defense/rebounding to be competitive with the best teams in the NBA.

Exhibit A

Flagrant Fouls: None
Technical Fouls: PLAYERS: None – TEAMS (def3sec): LALAKERS (1) – COACHES: None
Officials: Derrick Stafford , Curtis Blair , Leroy Richardson
Attendance: 19,935
Time of Game: 2:21

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Rationale Part 2 – The Kings just might be bad enough this season to finish with the worst W-L Record in the NBA … despite having a boatload of young talent on their roster.

Exhibit B

Glossary

• W: Wins
• L: Losses
• PCT: Win Percentage
• GB: Games Behind
• HOME: Home Record

• ROAD: Road Record
• DIV: Division Record
• CONF: Conference Record
• PF: Average Points For
• PA: Average Points Against

• DIFF: Average Point Differential
• STRK: Streak
• L10: Last 10 Games

Standings, as of Sun Dec 19 2010.

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As is the case in most things in life, however, timing is what’s most important.

If the Raptors wait much longer, the opportunity to do the deal which was first proposed here 10 days ago will have closed,

since by that point Sacramento might be firmly ensconced in last place in the League Standings … in arrears of Washington, New Jersey and Minnesota … and in no hurry at all to give up the best chance at securing the rights to the No. 1 [overall] Selection in the 2011 NBA Draft Lottery.

Related:

The Kings of hyperbole

In conjunction with what was written in this space yesterday …

What could the Raptors get today in a trade for Bargnani?

… here is one example of a significant “swing for the fences” Trade Proposal which yours truly happens to think the Raptors’ management team should seriously consider, at this time:

To the SACRAMENTO KINGS

Andrea Bargnani [C], DeMar DeRozan [G-F], Sonny Weems [G-F] and Toronto’s 2011 NBA Draft, 1st Round Selection

To the Toronto Raptors

Hassan Whiteside [C], Omri Casspi [F], Donte Greene [F], Jason Thompson [C] and Sacramento’s 2011 NBA Draft, 1st Round Selection

If you are Bryan Colangelo … Would you make this offer to Geoff Petrie?

If you are Geoff Petrie … Would you agree to this specific deal?

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If so, how come?

If not, how come?

Your constructive feedback is always welcomed in the comments section.

As was mentioned in this space on Monday …

Toronto Raptors, Game 3

Sacramento was likely going to get off to a slow start against Toronto having just returned from the Eastern Time Zone to begin the regular season. Once this occurred, however, what was also likely to happen was a gradual closing of the initial deficit with the balance of the game to be played in way that was probably going to result in a tight finish decided during the final minute of the game.

Toronto Raptors 108
SACRAMENTO KINGS 111
Complete Game Info

If you take a closer look at the Play-By-Play, however, what you should also be able to see is that the Kings actually dominated the Raptors for the final 3 quarters of this game with an ever-increasing degree of Possession Efficiency:

Specifically, as the game progressed:

1. The Kings were gradually able to find their rhythm – i.e. offensively, defensively and in terms of rebounding – and, then, assert their collective will over the Raptors.

2. Omri Casspi [SF] was gradually able to dominate his individual match-up with Linas Kleiza [SF], primarily, because he is a better player, overall, with a more diverse skill-set and superior NBA-level athleticism. 

3. The Kings’ quartet of talented Big Men – i.e. DeMarcus Cousins [C], Carl Landry [PF], Samuel Dalembert [C] and Jason Thompson [PF] – was gradually able to off-set the initial offensive thrust of Andrea Bargnani [C] and Reggie Evans [PF], and then dominate the final 6 minutes of the 4th quarter with multiple scores [i.e. FGs & FTs], rebounds and blocked [or affected] shots.

4. The Raptors’ 3 principal Off Guards – i.e. DeMar DeRozan, Sonny Weems and Leandro Barbosa – were not able to effectively contain Tyreke Evans [OG/PG] … working off the dribble in transition situations … who repeatedly shredded Toronto’s defense to create high percentage shots for, both, himself and his teammates. 

Once the Kings picked up their overall level of intensity during the 2nd and 3rd quarters, it was only a matter of time before they were eventually going to wear the Raptors down.

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Unfortunately, as the Raptors now move on to Game 2 of their road trip, it will become increasingly difficult for them to compete effectively against their next 3 opponents … i.e. Utah Jazz, LA Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers … each with significantly more NBA-calibre talent on their current roster than Toronto. 

Courtesy of BlazersEdge [via TrueHoop's Thursday Bullets] …

What’s Next for LaMarcus Aldridge
… time and again during the second half of last season — you remember the stretch when every home game seemed like a twenty point blowout —  I was sitting there dumbfounded (as Brother Wendell and the Mercury’s Ezra Caraeff can attest), watching LaMarcus do things we’d never seen him do before: truly take over a game, glare at the opposing team’s bench after a big dunk in traffic, get in someone’s face and have that person back down first.

On more than one occasion this spring, I found myself thinking (often thinking aloud, spraying spit with excitement) that Aldridge is really not that far from becoming the single most entertaining Blazer in franchise history.

His combination of pure skill, hustle, length, determination and intelligence is arguably already unmatched.  

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The choice of this corner?

At the Power Forward position, in today’s NBA … there is no player in the game with more straight-up basketball talent than Josh Smith.

When it comes to this specific choice, he’s the player yours truly would take from this list … believe it or not.

If he’s ever fortunate enough to find NBA employment with [I] the RIGHT organization and [II] the RIGHT head coach, who knows how to use his numerous skills properly, within the team concept … still younger than many others realize … Josh Smith has more Capacity For Dominance, at the POWER FORWARD position, than any other, in conjunction with all three phases of the game [i.e. Offense, Defense and Rebounding].

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PS. Alternate choices, as well as your expanded thoughts on the subject, are welcome in the comments section.