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Article: NBA's "Most Problematic Contracts" - Bill Simmons w/ more Evidence Post #30

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  • #31
    At least there's evidence to support that although Gay is the highest paid Raptor, he isn't the worst contract.

    It wasn't the Gay trade that crippled our cap flexibility. It's the gazillions of dollars spent on players who don't do anything (Bargnani, Fields, Kleiza, etc.).

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    • #32
      Nilanka wrote: View Post
      At least there's evidence to support that although Gay is the highest paid Raptor, he isn't the worst contract.

      It wasn't the Gay trade that crippled our cap flexibility. It's the gazillions of dollars spent on players who don't do anything (Bargnani, Fields, Kleiza, etc.).
      Ya the Kleiza deal is the one that hurts. Fields still has a chance to work to make his contract less stupid.
      Kleiza is only working on making his worse.

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      • #33
        Lets face it folks, most NBA contracts are over-valued these days, and you can thank James and the Heat for that. The reality is that Lebron's departure from Cleveland and subsequent team-up with Wade and Bosh in Miami has increased the value of just about every free agent out there, especially any decent free agent that may have multiple suitors in the summer. If you wanna compete with top tier teams on the court, then you have to compete with these teams (and those wanting to chase them) in the free agent market. So if you wanna keep a guy, you may have to match a crazy offer sheet for restricted guys, or offer a crazy contract to the unrestricted ones. If you don't, another GM will. So its risky business, and the result is a lot of teams have overpaid players.

        So, combine this with the fact that TO is limited in it's ability to attract free agents, and you can understand the difficulty that BC has in building a team here.

        Is Joe Johnson a max guy? Josh Smith? Andrew Bynum? Is Gasol worth 18m/yr, Gay worth 17m/yr, Boozer worth his 16 or 17 or whatever he is getting? Probably not, but if you want any of these types of guys on your team, you'll have to pay them a premium.

        Alot of posters are claiming that the Raps need an upgrade in the PF position, and I tend to agree, but I kinda feel bad about it. If we could get JSmooth, would you take him? Lets compare him to Amir...

        Amir: 10.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.3 BPG, 1.0 SPG, 1.4 TO, while shooting 57% FG and 70% FT in 27.9 MPG.
        Smith: 17.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.9 BPG, 1.2 SPG, 3.1 TO, while shooting 45.7% FG and 49.6% FT in 35.9 MPG.

        Now, if we add 8 MPG to Amir's averages (to bring him up to Smith's average playing time), his "adjusted" stats look like this:

        13 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.6 BPG, 1.28 SPG, 1.8 TO, while being much more efficient.

        Now Amir's contract, thought to be absurd at the time, looks incredible if, indeed, JSmooth is a max guy (i don't believe he is, but he will very likely get it). And considering Amir isn't even a go to guy offensively, the Raps are getting incredible value for Amir's performance on the court.

        Probably not the best example for this tread from a Raps perspective as most fans think the world of Amir, and rightfully so. But it is a good example of how middle to top tier guys get more than they deserve in a climate where teams are scramling to load up on talent in order to compete on the floor with the Heat, Thunder etc. There are exceptions of course (Denver and Indiana), but realistically, how far will these teams go come playoff time. I am certain they will fall to talent loaded teams, much to my disappointment.

        In any event, the point is that mediocre players can get fat contracts in todays NBA. Gay is paid like an elite player, but he is not. Neither is Joe Johnson and neither is Josh Smith or Boozer, but demand is greater than the supply of talent and there you have it. As for Bargnani's contract, he is certainly overpaid and will no doubt take a huge paycut when it comes time to sign another contract. Bargnani has low BB IQ, shows little interest in competing, is an overrated shooter, and drags the team down. The raps should trade him for a new towel boy.

        8 mil a year for Derozan is not that bad as far as I'm concerned. Yes, he has weaknesses, but they are weaknesses he can overcome if he is properly motivated. Don't tell me he can't improve his jumpshot, don't tell me can't improve his lateral movement to keep guys in front of him. He can, and I believe he will improve in these respects. And if he does, 8 mil will certainly look like a steal as well.

        As for Fields, well he doesnt play much so yeah, he is overpaid. Although his role on the team certainly changed with the Gay acquisition and as such does not get many minutes so its hard to be critical here. Furthermore, Gay wasnt in the picture when Fields was signed so BC may have went all in, so to speak, in order to deter any other potential suitors (speculative). I don't doubt that Fields can be traded in the summer if need be, 6 mil/yr isnt that great a deterent for teams in need of a decent swingman.

        Anyways, the raps problems arent with contracts or talent, but with the way they play basketball. If they played a better [B]team[B] game, they would have much more success and probably fighting for 6, 7, or 8 seed in the playoffs. Too much ISO, not enough off the ball movement and inside-outside ball movement. They can't score like the Thunder, and they should work the ball around the court so that Rudy and Demar aren't taking so many tough, contested shots. No wonder they're percentages are so low.

        My first post...GO Raps!!

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        • #34
          Axel wrote: View Post
          Chemistry is over-rated over-all. Chemistry is only an important factor when comparing elite championship level teams playing a 7 game series. For teams like the Raps, chemistry isn't going to be the difference, talent is.

          As for consistency, it doesn't matter if it's their first season, 10th season, or first day on the job, they are professional athletes and are expected to perform consistently. Now a rookie is expected to have a learning curve and growth, but I don't think consistency of a roster is necessary for consistency on the court for the level of play the Raptors are at. If they were in the top seed discussion, then yeah, worry about the constant roster flux, but at this point, the team doesn't have enough talent to worry about that.
          I don't think chemistry is over-rated at all. A talented team is one thing. A talented team with chemistry can (and usually does) bring that team to a whole new level - it doesn't matter what team we're talking about. How does the saying go? " you'll notice that mistakes happen the most when you're so worried about making them". A team with chemistry is a team playing loose, having fun and letting things come naturally - how can this be over-rated? Anyone in team sports knows this.
          Also, chemistry is so much more than just being confident that the person you've just passed the ball to is going to do the right thing. Great chemistry usually means efficiency on EVERY aspect has been maxed out or as high as it can be with the type of players on the floor.
          The GLoveinRapsUniform is right and his example of the Lakers 'oozing' with talent, yet with no chemistry they're stinking up the courts is a good one. I autimatically thought of the Pistons of 2004 with no superstar talent yet everyone knew their roles, played their roles so well that it, in turn, helped the next man with his role. Now Im not saying that talent isn't important (infact its necessary) but chemistry can NEVER be over-rated. GloveInRapsUniform is also correct in pointing out the constant change in personnel on this team over the last 3-4 years has prevented any real chemistry, I agree, however with that said, I still think this team needs a few more minor tweaks and changes to put us where we need to be.

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          • #35
            Nilanka wrote: View Post
            At least there's evidence to support that although Gay is the highest paid Raptor, he isn't the worst contract.

            It wasn't the Gay trade that crippled our cap flexibility. It's the gazillions of dollars spent on players who don't do anything (Bargnani, Fields, Kleiza, etc.).
            +1 amen

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