Brain Colangelo: Two whack pieces in one day

I heard MJ almost traded Gerald Wallace for TJ Ford..if that was true, the papers would be rolling out the red carpet..and spitting on MJ instead.

 

Let's face it. It appears he bombed out by drafting Bargnani. Re-signing Mitchell was a mistake IMO. I said at the time they paid Kapono WAY too much. That was a crazy contract. And this trade for JO better work out. Before this recent trade, Colangelo had put together the softest team in the NBA. It's time for a little fire. Winnig 47 games in 06/07 may have actually set them back because Mitchell got a multi-year extension.

Just wait until JO starts limping. It's gonna happen. Count on it. Combine that with Bargnani showing, once and for all, he's doesn't have the mentality and dedication to consistently produce in the NBA.

Could be a tough year for Colangelo. But maybe they'll surprise.

 

The Toronto papers seem a little crazy. There's always someone they dump on.

 

I am really confused about the Raptors direction:

- Sam Mitchell verbally complained the players didnt play defense and rebound. But Mitchell kept playing those players and couldnt preach about defense or anything. Under Mitchell, the Raptors have been playing bad defense. Jose Calderon, the hyped up PG, is a defenseless ass. Check Calderon's stats of regular season vs playoffs. Let Kobe dumped 81 points on his face is another good example.

- Colangelo wants euro ball. But Mitchell cant coach euro ball. Then, Colangelo suddenly brings in JO. Does JO's presence mean defense? A little bit but not really. But then, it means no more euro ball. So, where are the Raptors going?

- Bargnani is a failure. No doubt. Cant board, cant defense, no confidence.

- Garbajosa's role is magnifed by those two writers to blast Colangelo. Garby was just a rotational player. But I think the magic of freshness of the year before has gone.

- I wont be surprised if the Raptors will miss playoffs next season. Many teams, like the Bucks, the Bobcats, the Heat, have equal talents but either better managment or coaching. So, it will be very competitive for the Raptors to make the playoffs next season.

 

brian colangelo has been pretty much average or worse.

he's way over hyped as a GM.

 

kapono would look much better playing with us, he'd be hitting 3's all day and thus would earn his money. bosh is not as dominant as yao, howard, and shaq. maybe signing o'neal will open up looks for kapono, bargani, calderon, and the rest of the rotation. they'll still make the playoffs next year.

signing sam mitchell definitely was a mistake. imagine them with d'antoni... they'd be much better.

 

Remember that clip of him in the war room from a few years back? He seemed lost at times.

D'Antoni is nothing without Nash. Actually Phoenix is nothing without Nash. This upcoming season will show just how overrated he really is. Thibodeau deserves the Knicks head coaching job more than D'Antoni.

 

Wow, they're really being rough on the guy without much reason.

TJ Ford has a ticking bomb in his neck and is being paid fairly high money ($8M per for the next 3 years). Rasho is soft and unreliable. The team's biggest weakness is that it can't handle anyone that can be physical.

O'Neal is very likely washed up, but I'd think he'd at least slightly rebound from last year and give them 60 games, 30 mpg, 15 and 8. More importantly, he and Bosh can make the game much easier for each other. Both can come out and hit jumpers, both are fair weakside blockers and rebounders. It would be very easy to swing around and post one if the other can't get position.

Besides, O'Neal has only two years left on his deal, and that $22M becomes a major carrot next summer if he doesn't pan out this year.

Bargnani: I wouldn't label him a complete bust just yet. He probably won't live up to the top pick, but it takes a little more time for Euro bigs to figure out the NBA game. He's giving them 11 playing only half the game, if he shores up his rebounding problems and gets better at putting the ball on the floor, he could become a legit starter and scoring option. He's still a smarter pick than Adam Morrison.

Evan