Greg Oden or Andrea Bargnani: who is a better fit for the Toronto Raptors?

What is the biggest similarity between Andrea Bargnani and Greg Oden?

Both of them were first overall picks that their teams regret. 

In both cases there were star caliber players chosen right after them.  Andrea Bargnani went one pick ahead of Lamarcus Aldridge in the 2006 NBA draft and Kevin Durant went one pick after Greg Oden in the 2007 NBA draft

In his time in the league Bargnani’s accomplishments include: making the NBA all-rookie first team in 2007 and leading the Raptors in points per game and well…. That is about all he has done in his first five years in the league.  As for his career averages they read as follows:

15.1 Points per game

5.3 Rebounds per game  

0.9 Blocks per game

365 career games, playing an average of 30.3 minutes per game.

In Oden’s first four years since being drafted, he has been plagued by injuries and has only played the equivalent of one full season in his first four years in the league.  As for accomplishments, he has had microfracture surgery on both of his knees, and that is about it. 

If we look at his career stats up until now, which essentially total up to give us the equivalent of one full season of play (a rookie season at that) they read a little something like this…

9.4 Points per game

7.3 Rebounds per game

1.4 Blocks per game

82 career games, playing an average of 22.1 minutes per game.

Now I know stats can be misleading, especially considering the fact that Bargnani has played in almost 300 more games than Oden and also averaged eight more minutes per game. 

That being said, the important thing I want everyone to take from this is the fact that Oden can actually rebound and protect the post, this is evident after only seeing him play in 82 NBA games.  On the other hand, in Bargnani’s first 365 NBA games, he has effectively proven to us that he cannot rebound or protect the paint at the NBA level and has cleverly attempted to mask his shortcomings by pretending like the only reason he does not rebound or play defense is because he does not have the desire too.

In Oden’s case, Injuries have prevented him from putting his true talents on display and should Portland not take him up on his qualifying offer this summer he will become an unrestricted free agent.  Albeit, if he were to become a free agent he would certainly be a great pickup for any team since they could buy low (due to his history of injuries) on this high ceiling player (provided he can stay healthy).  

Although he has his risks, any team that acquires Oden really has nothing to lose provided they sign him to a reasonable contract and throw in a team option as protection should he continue to be plagued by injuries.

Ideally, I would want to sign him to a one or two year contract with a team option just in case, and the contract would likely be $3.5 million or less with the possibility of a raise should he perform well and be re-signed by the team.

Nevertheless, there is one major reason why I cannot see Portland letting him go this off-season and here is why…

Similar to the Bargnani situation in Toronto, both teams can use their amazing powers of hindsight and realize that they made a mistake with both of their first overall picks, and honestly, who can blame them, things happen.

However, what is not okay is the fact that both teams are now trying to hold on to these guys as long as they can in the hopes that they will one day be able to play like a true first overall pick and essentially allow them to say “I told you so”. 

Unfortunately, I do not see this happening in either team’s case since Oden will never outperform Kevin Durant and I doubt Bargnani will ever become as well rounded and efficient a player as Lamarcus Aldridge.

That being said, I think it is about time that both teams forget about the possibility of having the “I told you so” moment and just move on.

For the Blazers this means letting Oden go to free agency this off-season and for the Raptors, it means trading Andrea Bargnani.

Toronto needs to jump on Greg Oden…

Interestingly enough, when I mentioned earlier that Greg Oden would be a great low risk pickup for any team the precise example I had in mind was the Toronto Raptors.

It is about time the Raptors trade their one dimensional bust of a first overall pick and take a risk and sign another first round bust in Greg Oden, who, should he work out would be a much better fit for the Raptors than Andrea ever would. In other words, NBA teams will fear a frontcourt duo of Ed Davis and Greg Oden far more than a duo of Ed Davis and Andrea Bargnani (with his matador defense).

The Raptors certainly have the cap room and if they sign him to a two-year contract with a team option, his contract would come off the books in the summer of 2013, which I predict will be the real turning point for the Raptors as they attempt to re-sign DeMar DeRozan and as Jose Calderon’s contract comes off the books.

As I stated in my last article, http://bleacherreport.com/articles/645838-toronto-raptors-constructing-a-contender-completion-date-summer-2013, 2013 will be make or break for the Toronto Raptors.

By summer 2013, the Raptors will have…

·         A fully developed DeMar DeRozan (who will likely be an all-star by then),

·         A fully developed Ed Davis (who will be averaging a little over a double-double per game).

·         Three lottery picks from 2011, 2012 and 2013 (and honestly they have been drafting pretty well since the whole Bargnani conundrum so expect these to be solid players).

·         A great bench with Amir Johnson and James Johnson (should they re-sign him),

·         A ton of cap room to sign a player/players in free agency.

·         In addition, the will most likely have Sonny Weems and Jerryd Bayless. 

·         Moreover, should they follow my advice; they will have the option of re-signing Greg Oden after having two seasons to evaluate his performance.

If things work out with Oden then that’s great and if for some reason (likely injuries) things didn’t work out with Oden, then no sweat, just let his contract expire and it’ll be just like it never happened.

Make a move Bryan Colangelo/Bryan Colangelo’s replacement (I hope it is the latter) and take a risk by buying low on this high ceiling player (just like the Blue Jays did with Alex Gonzales)

Toronto Raptors Andrea Bargnani trade rumors: Let Ed Davis Drive and Leave Andrea Bargnani in the Rear View

According to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News, the Toronto Raptors are now reportedly open to trading Andrea Bargnani in the off-season (here is the link: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/2011/03/26/2011-03-26_if_donnie_walsh_is_let_go_by_knicks_dont_be_shocked_to_see_him_back_in_indiana_i.html ).

It seems the Toronto Raptors head office has finally accepted the fact that DeMar DeRozan and Ed Davis are the future of this team.  Consequently, this makes Bargnani expendable considering the Raptors already have their backup PF in Amir Johnson who has a cheaper (albeit not by that much) price tag and a far more well rounded game (as well as the desire to play).

I have been suggesting the Raptors trade Bargnani for some time now and I am glad to see that the option has finally come to the fore front.  It seems as if Andrea has mentally shut him self down for the season, and one could argue that his energy and motivation are at an all time low (à la Chris Bosh at the end of last season perhaps?).

In addition to the Bargnani rumors, Lawrence also adds that according to several league sources Bryan Colangelo will be back next season to run the team. 

Brace yourself, it get’s worse…

According to Lawrence, with the possibility of Donnie Walsh leaving New York there is a good chance that Mike D’Antoni will be out of a job next year.  If in fact Mike D’Antoni is looking for a job next year Lawrence states that there is a good chance he may look to rejoin Bryan Colangelo (who he was paired with in Phoenix) and take over Jay Triano’s job as the head coach of the Toronto Raptors.

Here is the problem with that…

D’Antoni has had success with his offense first run’n gun style in the past, most notably with the Phoenix Suns with whom he earned NBA Coach of the year honours not all that long ago.  That being said, Toronto is not the place for Mike D’Antoni and his offense first style of coaching.

If the Toronto Raptors want to get back in to the playoffs and have a chance of becoming NBA champs it is absolutely crucial that they improve their DEFENSE!!

Trading Andrea Bargnani would certainly go a long way in improving their defense, especially in the post, but bringing in D'Antoni will completely negate these defensive improvements since he is a notorious offense first coach.

D'Antoni is a run 'n gun offense first coach and this is exactly what the Raptor must avoid if they plan on winning any time soon.

Being a run'n gun team this year was fine because everyone knew we would be a lottery team.  Remember everyone talking about how the Raptors would be a horrible team but their up-tempo style of play would very exciting to watch?—exactly my point!

Run’n gun offense is perfectly fine during a down year in order to keep the fans energized and coming to games…

But now we are ready to move forward and build around DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis and this year’s draft pick, as well as the complimentary piece/pieces we will acquire by trading Andrea Bargnani (maybe trade him to the Nuggets for PG Raymond Felton?).

So let’s wave goodbye to Bryan Colangelo and Andrea Bargnani as we drive off in to the sunset with our potential packed young core!

NBA Expansion in Montreal: Five Reasons Why Canada Deserves a Second NBA Team

With the recent NBA weekend series in London and rumors that the NBA is looking to become more globalized I find myself unable to resist discussing the reasons why the NBA should direct its Globalization attempts toward Canada and the beautiful city of Montreal rather than Europe. 

I think Montreal is a viable city for an NBA team and I will now present five reason why Montreal needs/deserves an NBA team.

Let’s get started!

1: Population

With 3,859,318 people living in Montreal, not including the many people living in surrounding areas that would be close enough to drive to games, Montreal certainly has enough people to merit the acquisition of an NBA franchise.

With the current population Montreal would rank fourth in the league trailing only New York, Los Angeles and Toronto. 

With this many people they would certainly rake in a boat load of new fans for the NBA I guarantee that the passionate Montreal fans will stand behind their team from the get go.

Speaking of fan support…

2: They will have the support of the fans

In October 2010 an astounding 22,114 fans jam packed the Bell Centre in Montreal to see the Toronto Raptors play their final Pre-season game of the year.  That’s right 22.114 people came out in Montreal to see an NBA pre-season game!!

To help you understand how monumental of an achievement this is let me put it into perspective… The Chicago bulls are currently averaging the highest attendance in the league, and why not right? They are one heck of a storied franchise and they are an elite team in the East. 

So how many fans are they averaging per home game this season…21,613 people.

What does this mean? It means the Toronto Raptors were able to surpass the team with the highest regular season attendance in the league this season while playing…

 1. A pre-season game and

2. In another city to boot, which technically made them the road team.

What can this tell us about the future of NBA basketball in Montreal?  Well at the very least, it tells us that there is some pretty big potential for NBA success in Montreal.

This incredible display of support for Canada’s basketball team is a perfect testament to the passion of Montreal sports fans as well as Canadian sports fans as a whole.

An NBA team in Montreal would never overcome hockey as the dominant sport in the city yet I would argue that given time to grow and develop it would certainly become very popular in Montreal and it would be able to draw a huge crowd like the best of them!

3: The Montreal Expos

Before you have a chance to make any wise cracks about the Expos being relocated I would like to point out that the Expos did not fail in Montreal because of a lack of fan support.  Baseball has historically been very popular throughout the province of Quebec and the fans and the support was certainly there. 

The fans loved their MLB team, however, as is the case with any sports fan base they were only capable of enduring so much, and understandably so.

There are two main reasons why things did not work out for the Expos in Montreal:

1. Management was unwilling to dish out the money that was necessary in order to keep big name free agents from leaving.

2. The 1994 MLB Strike: The Expos were tops in the MLB and they were poised to win the World Series, however, this was not meant to be as the season was cut short due to the strike and they lost most of their star players in the off-season.

The strike was essentially the deal breaker in Montreal.  Management and the players were unable to recover from the heart break that was the 1994 MLB season and as result their stock fell immensely leading to their deportation to Washington.

That being said, I truly believe this will not be the case if an NBA team was to come to Montreal…

Montreal is a big market city and the NBA is a big market game.  With an arena already in place all they need to do is find the right people to manage the team and then with a little help from Molson this project could pay off huge for Canadian basketball as well as for the NBA.

4: Globalization of the NBA

If the NBA wants to become more globalized then they need not look overseas to London, they simply have to look north of the border and bring a team to Montreal.

Montreal is a very likable place and can almost always be found on lists of the world’s most livable cities.  It is often referred to as Canada’s cultural capital and I think many NBA players English or French will fall in love with the city for its unique and multicultural atmosphere, its buzzing downtown area and shopping district as well as its happening night life.

I do not understand why the NBA would be willing to expand to London; a city that does not even have a Euro league team and would pose huge problems in regards to scheduling, yet they have no interest in bringing a team to Montreal.

If the NBA truly wants to expand then I think they should look to Canada first and not the European Union.  That being said, Montreal is clearly the best choice.

5: We invented the damn game

Way to milk us for all we’re worth and then kick us while we’re down NBA.

Basketball is a Canadian invention and that being said I think we deserve to have more than one team in the NBA, especially when we have quite a few cities that offer much more stability and potential than many of the current US cities with NBA teams.

James Naismith was born in Toronto (Okay they have their team) and he studied physical education in Montreal (alright so now give Montreal the team they deserve).

Make Naismith proud and bring a team to Montreal!

Conclusion:

In the Domain of baseball and basketball Canada is currently batting 500 when it comes to professional sports teams. 

Things may have ended on a sour note with the Montreal Expos and the Vancouver Grizzlies, however, at the same time the Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Blue Jays have fared quite well.

Add in the fact that Canada also has many other professional sports teams that are doing quite well for themselves including: 6 NHL teams, one MLS team and the Canadian Football League and I would say Canada is doing just fine in the when it comes to professional sports teams.

That being said, I think it is about time we throw our hat back into the mix and push to bring an NBA team to Montreal which could be the start of a big professional sports movement in this country. 

Other big cities like Calgary Ottawa, Quebec are just waiting to join the party and I say the sooner the better so let’s get the ball rolling and bring an NBA team to Montreal.

Thanks for reading and if you agree with me make sure you comment and let me know!

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Los Angeles Lakers: Win Now or Win Later?

The Los Angeles Lakers are on top at the moment; however, the signs of aging are beginning to rear their ugly face.  Derek Fisher is 36, Kobe Bryant is 32, Ron Artest and Lamar Odom are both 31, and Pau Gasol and Matt Barnes are 30.
Age has not become a real problem yet, but in the next couple years, it will.

Being such a strong team the Lakers are unable to use the draft to re load on potential filled youngsters that facilitate the continued success of a team when the starters leave or retire; instead they are forced to acquire these prospects via trade or free agency and unless they accomplish this over the off-season and throughout the next couple seasons they may be faced with a dive down the standings.


The average player age on the Lakers is currently 29.5 years and Andrew Bynum (23), Shannon Brown (25), Derrick Caracter (22), and Devin Ebanks (21) are the only players on the current roster under 30 years of age.




Andrew Bynum (provided he can stay healthy) and Shannon Brown if he stays in LA certainly have bright futures however once the starting lineup is done and gone are these really the two guys that the Lakers want to build their team around?  A duo of Bynum and Brown is not even tops in Los Angeles let alone the NBA.




Also, with Andrew Bynum’s history of injuries and Shannon Brown possibly entering free agency this off-season and leaving LA to sign with a team where he could be a starter I am convinced that there is much that Lakers management needs to accomplish in order to ensure a brighter future for the team.


 The counter argument to this is that even once Phil Jackson is gone the Lakers will remain contenders for another two to three seasons by keeping mostly the same roster and making minor tweaks as they did last off-season.  Then, once Kobe and company retire they need only dip into the free agent pool and pull out a star caliber free agent, say Chris Paul or Dwight next year…Right?
Well, often times we give the Lakers management far too much credit when it comes to being able to land the big name free agents and as a result we do not fully understand the situation at hand. 
Yes I would argue that the Lakers will make a big push for Chris Paul, Dwight Howard and Deron Williams next year however what happens if they cannot sign a single one of them?




The Lakers do not have the best track record when it comes to signing free agents and if you look at the last couple of years many of their big name acquisitions have come via trade, notably Pau Gasol.
In addition, with a new collective bargaining agreement on its way it will be far more difficult to form a super team like Miami and Boston and instead the Lakers will need to build a deep talented roster filled with young players that are two or three years away from becoming solid NBA players.  This is crucial since if the Lakers continue with what they have now there will be nothing for them to fall back on, should they underperform in free agency.




Conclusion: Win now or win later?  




If Lakers’ management starts planning ahead now and works to come up with a long term strategy that will allow them to shave a couple years off their age all while continuing their winning ways, the Lakers will be able to win both now and later and ultimately they will succeed in making a smooth transition into the post Kobe era which means they will remain contenders even after Kobe and company hang up their shoes for good.   


By: Justin Bonin