I hope the reports are wrong...

Reports are coming out that the Toronto Raptors have made an agreement with Indiana that would send TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, the 17th pick in this years draft, and a player to be named later (in order to match salary) to the Pacers in exchange for Jermaine O'Neal...

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If any of you had read my last post, you would be aware that I hate this idea.  The guy has only played more than 70 games in 5 out of 12 seasons (granted, one of those 12 seasons was shortened, but he still missed about a dozen or so games thatparticular season) and is there any reason to expect that he will be able to play more than half a season in '08-'09?  He's a $22 million liability.

TJ Ford had to go, there's no question about that.  He's too good to keep on the bench, and the writing on the wall indicated that Jose Calderon was the PG of choice in Toronto.  TJ's had his injuries, and there's no reason to expect that he will be able to remain healthy for all 82 games, but he only accounts for $8 million on the payroll.

Rasho is a good, reliable, and healthy center.  He's a smart player who can start for you, or come off the bench and not allow it to affect his game.  I would fully expect Rasho to be able to play the  full season, and he would account for about $8.5 million on the payroll.

TJ and Rasho make about $16.5 million, which leaves another $5 to $6 million dollars to make up.  How much value will be placed on the 17th pick of the draft this year?  If I were to guess maybe $1 million, that would still leave about $4 - $5 million, which would possibly mean the player to be named later could be the likes of Kris Humphries, Anthony Parker, Andrea Bargnani, or Jason Kapono...  All those guys are capable of being huge contributors to the team... a huge loss if they are included in the deal...

If the reports are true, and if Jermaine O'Neal passes his physical, the one thing I would recommend is that he had better take care of himself and really contribute to the team. I want the Raptors to be successful, but it's so hard with O'Neal's sketchy history.

If the Raptors should end up with a result anything less than a .500 season, they will likely lose a lot of fan support, which would make it very difficult for the team to survive in Toronto.  The city throws more support behind the Toronto Maple Leafs than the rest of the major sports combined (the Raptors could win the NBA championship, but the headlines in the Toronto media will be about the latest surgery on one of the Leafs...).  Now, over the next five years, the Buffalo Bills (NFL... I''m sure you know that, but I'll say it anyway) will be playing games in Toronto which will likely draw a lot of attention away from the Raptors.  Our MLS team (soccer), the Toronto FC, which has only been around for a season and a half has ridiculous support already.  The CFL (Canadian Football League) team, the Toronto Argonauts will probably have a lot of support as well based on their big moves in the offseason, and are expected to be championship contenders (that's more of an FYI for y'all, but hopefully you see my point).

I am also hard-pressed to believe the ownership group will be happy to be paying their basketball players more than their hockey players... the same group owns the Raptors and the Leafs (and Toronto FC).

I'll keep my fingers crossed that everything will magically work out... but am just too skeptical to believe it...

Driving home from work today, I was listening to the radio.  I usually have it tuned to my favorite sports broadcast.  Let it be known that this particular show is a hockey news (Toronto lives and dies with the Maple Leafs) show first and foremost, then followed up with little snip-its of other sports interspersed throughout.

One of those snip-its caught my attention, which was a rumor involving talks between the Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers.  Basically, here's the scenario as I know it:

Toronto sends TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, the 17th pick in this years draft, and likely another player (to match salary) to Indiana for Jermaine O'neal...  Maybe some of you out there who are more familiar with Jermaine O'neal can offer their opinions to me why that would be a good deal, but I think it is a horrible and terrifying thought.

O'neal's recent injury history is just as sketchy as TJ Ford's, but there is consolation in the fact that TJ makes $8 mil per season, compared to $22 mil for O'neal.  That's a lot of money to be spending (wasting) on a guy who likely won't play a full season, and is especially difficult if your team is working on a budget.  For the same amount of money, a team could easily afford 2 or 3 other players of the same caliber who will be more reliable.  Usually when one talks of overrated players, does not Jermaine O'neals name come up often?

I do not like the idea of this trade at all.

I would be remiss in my duties to just leave it at that, so I will introduce a trade idea I do like.

What I think would work better is for the Raptors to get into talks with the Charlotte Bobcats, and encourage a sign-and-trade involving Emeka Okafor.  Okafor could easily sign for about $13 or $14 mil.  The Raptors offer up TJ Ford and Rasho Nesterovic, Charlotte offers Okafor and maybe Othella Harrington.  The salaries even out (approximately).  this gives Toronto more size that they have needed, and offers another rebounding option, and it gives the Bobcats a good explosive PG in Ford, teamed up with Raymond Felton, and that makes a decent PG duo.  Also, neither team is handcuffed by outrageous salaries.

Those are my thoughts of what I don't think my Raptors should do, and what I do think they should do.  I would like to thank CurlyMo who first suggested the idea of Emeka Okafor being the type of player that would help the Raptors a while ago when discussing many ideas.

If you had read my last blog, which was so eloquently thought out, unequalled by the rest of the worlds greatest thinkers, you would know I like to live in a world of fantasy.  A world inhabited by elves, unicorns, dragons, and Memphis Grizzlies fans.  It was a masterpiece with the likes of Leonardo DaVinci, Michaelangelo, Donatello, and those other guys named after famous turtles...  Perhaps you may think I am being pretentious by referencing such masters mentioned above, and using words like eloquently... and pretentious...  However, nobody has ever accused me of being humble, of being a man of quiet means.  Those that might wish to accuse me of such things are just stupid...

Anyway, that being said, I want your input.  About me?  No.  I already know what your response will be, and I thank you for your adoration.  I want your input about your team.

We all have our favourite teams.  We all have our ideas on how we can make our favourite teams better.  Many of us like to try to think with a realistic view by assessing a teams needs, and seeing what's available via trade, or free agency, or whatever...  But I am not writing about trades, more about free agents... but in my own crazy little universe type of way...

Here's what I want to know.  Who do you think in the NBA it would take to make your team that championship contender?  Maybe you feel your young athletic team is missing a good veteran presence, your team is missing that second (or first) scoring option, your team needs that energetic player off the bench to take over when your starters need a rest, you need more size, maybe a new coach is in order...

Let us say that that one player has suddenly become available.  Who is it?

There's is so much to think about, and I would like to hear, or read, your thoughts.  Let's have one rule, though.  Let's keep it to players who are still active in the NBA, no retired players... coaches however, must still be eligible to coach ( no dead guys).

Do you think one player can be the difference on your team?

There are many lists that we love to bandy about.  Best defensive players, most dominant players in clutch situations, players who could stand to have their heads shaved, etc.  But perhaps one of the most contentious and controversial lists is the greatest basketball team that could ever be assembled...  or "Dream Team."  This is a subject I take very seriously, I've thought long and hard about this, and I feel I have come up with a list that is comparable to anyone else's.

One must be able to throw all logic out the window in order to arrive at the final list, which I have gladly done for your benefit.  With that all said, here we go:

Point Guard - Joan of Arc

The position of PG tends to be one of leadership, of command on the floor; thus, Joan of Arc fits.  She managed to lead France to victory, under orders from God, over the English many, many years ago when all hope seemed lost.  Yeah... FRANCE...  Although she was eventually caught and burned at the stake, her determination and dedication makes you wonder how far she would go for this Dream Team.  Let's just hope God likes basketball...  However, lately her examples of leadership in France seem to have been forgotten.  Upon finding out that the NBA would be "invading" Europe this summer, France immediately called commisioner David Stern and surrendered...

Shooting Guard - Ron Jeremy

SG is generally a sniper, and dangerous threat from the outside, a force up close.  Someone who has to be able to make the clutch shots on command, and make them from any distance.  While he may not look the part of a SG, but we know from Ron Jeremy's prestigious acting career, he is capable of being that clutch performer.  His endurance is legendary, he can last a whole game if needed.  If Ron Jeremy can perform on the basketball court as well as he can perform on my computer screen... it's lights out!  We just have to hope his head will be in the game, and not somewhere else...  I just found out that Ron Jeremy is also Adam Morrison's fashion advisor...

Small Forward - Yoda

Similar to the SG, the SF should be the type of player who is capable of playing anywhere, and making a shot from anywhere.  Yoda fits this role both literally and figuratively.  While small in stature, no one will question his heart.  We saw his tremendous leaping ability when he fought Count Dooku on the planet Geonosis (nice place, I recommend visiting should you have vacation time).  The battle was accurately re-created in the documentary, "Star Wars: Episode II."  That surprising speed and agility from Yoda would be an asset, especially with the long rebounds after a missed jumper.  We know he'll be there to pull the ball down.  Yoda is also the type of player who can get into his opponents mind.  His shots will almost seem like they are floating into the basket, as if being controlled somehow...  Communication may be a problem... "In your face... this ball... SLAM... did I!"  Yoda must also remember to remove his brown cloak before going onto the court, or else he may just be confused with the ball...

Power Forward - King Leonidas

Someone who should have a strong mid-range to up-close game.  A position requiring tenacity, relentlessness, and exemplary physical prowess.  Who better than King Leonidas?  Although he won't have his 300 bodyguards with him on the floor, they'll be there in spirit, helping him be a man capable of standing on his own.  He won't be afraid to get rough with the opponents, he'll pull down extra rebounds with his aggression around the basket.  His chest-thumping and loud yells and roars will also make him a fan favourite, getting them into the game.  He will be a force to be reckoned with.  The coach just has to make sure he wears clothes on the court.  We'll also keep our fingers crossed that the excess olive oil on his body won't drip onto the court, thus creating a potential slipping hazard for his teammates...

Center - Stretch Armstrong

A dominating presence under and around the basket.  Fits Stretch to a tee.  He's big, he's solid, big strong arms and legs.  He'll always be able to have a hand in the opponents' face.  He'll be able to pull down the high rebounds.  Grab the ball before it comes out of bounds.  Contort his arms just enough to tip the ball out of the opponents' hands.  If he needs to put a hard foul on a player and wrap them up, there's no way he's letting the play become an "And 1."  Plus, he's always got that big smile on, which draws anyone in and makes him so likeable.  But, if "Robot Chicken" has taught us anything, the trainers must make sure that Stretch Armstrong has plenty of cornstarch in his diet so that his muscles don't seize up and he can no longer stretch out enough to make his dazzling plays...

6th Man - Master Chief

Obviously, a great team has a great support player, or role-player off the bench.  In this case, we have Master Chief, fresh from battling aliens in the Halo wars, he's ready to go.  He loves to get into the action and be a major game-changer for the good of his team.  He's a great leaper (can jump over twice his own height), an accurate shooter, and capable of working close to the basket.  The teams' secondary leader.  He can cover for all positions.  He just has to be reminded that he can't carry the basketball like the way he can with the skulls when playing Keep Away...

Now, in order to make sure this team can perform the way a Dream Team should, we must have a coach who is up to the task.  Someone who can motivate his players, someone who can push them to do all the things necessary to win, big or small.  A coach that the players will respect, and want to win for.  There is only one person for that job...  Isiah Thomas...

This series between the Cavaliers and the Celtics is really only showing me one thing.  The Detroit Pistons really look like the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.

In my opinion, Boston has no chance whatsoever unless they can win at least ONE road game in a series.  It doesn't matter whether they've got home court advantage or not in each series.  One tiny lapse at home, and it could spell the end for Boston's playoffs. 

The same goes for Cleveland.  Granted, they have won two games on the road (in Washington), but their play in Boston has been absolutely atrocious.  How can any team be taken seriously with those types of performances?

Lakers/Pistons in the finals.  Lakers take it all.

This just in.  The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Paul Maurice.  I'm not particularly surprised by this because someone has to be the scapegoat for the poor decisions made by management and ownership.

Maurice was the fall-guy for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) and their incompetency just like Pat Quinn two years ago.  MLSE should have realized two seasons ago, when they fired Pat Quinn, that the GM, John Ferguson Jr, was more to blame.  How can a coach be expected to succeed when he is provided with sub-par talent on the ice?

It is a pitiful situation with the Maple Leafs now.  They don't really have anything in the way of prospects (because they have all been traded away for aging players on the edge of retirement).  The players they have now just aren't good enough to go anywhere.  They've got tons of money wrapped up in essentially useless players, and the only players with any value have no-movement clauses in their contracts.  Bleak times indeed.

Where do the Leafs go from here?  Maybe they can get lucky in the draft.  Do they make an offer to any young free agents?  Jeff Carter is an RFA, and is someone worth making an offer to in order to start building the team around, but will Cliff Fletcher (or whomever his replacement may be) risk the ire of opposing GM's by sending Carter an offer sheet?

I'll admit I'm pretty embarrassed to be a Leafs fan.  Ownership has jerked us around so much with false promises, and only doing "just enough" to get the team into the playoffs and help line their own pockets.  Leafs fans have been jerked around for over 40 years now.  And it looks like we'll be jerked around another 40 years...

All that money and no sense...

I just want to take a little time to talk about one member of the Toronto Raptors organization who many Raptors fans would agree has been fun to watch and listen to.

I just learned that the Raptors television play-by-play commentator, Chuck Swirsky, has accepted a new job with the Chicago Bulls (as their radio commentator I do believe), thus ending a 10 year employment with the Raptors.  This is a return for Chuck to the city that he started his broadcast career in.  This also helps his family life as well.

Listening to Chuck call a game, and just talk about it in general, it was totally obvious his absolute love of basketball.  He had a great intelligence of the game subtleties, and its nuances, and it was a pleasure listening to him.  Whenever he was teamed up with colour commentators Leo Rautins (Coach of the Canadian basketball team) or Jack Armstrong, he always had some great insight into the game that really gave them the chance to shine with their knowledge.

What we'll mostly remember Chuck Swirsky for are his uniquely quirky catchphrases which made their way onto t-shirts and fans poster-boards, and into television commercials.  Sayings such as:

-  "You can ring it UP..." then give a shout out to a Raptor fan watching after the first 3-pointer scored

-  "Onions, baby, onions!!!" after the Raptors would go on a run

-  "Get out the umbrellas!  It's raining trays!"  after scoring a few 3-pointers

-  yelling "Oh my BOSH!" after a highlight real play by the one and only Chris Bosh

And probably his most well known:

-  "Get out the salami and cheese, mama!  This ballgame is OVER!" when the Raptors win the game

Chuck will be a tough act to follow, and I wish his successor the best of luck.  Chicago, you got a great person working in the Bulls organization now, and I think you'll grow to like him as much as he was liked in Toronto.

I'll miss Chuck here, but wish him all the best in Chicago.

I'll keep this nice and short.

Let's be honest, who does NOT sometimes find themselves rooting for the underdog?  Did you find yourself rooting for the 76ers last night?  Are you going to be rooting for the Hawks?  A little part of me was...