Debate settled......

[Joey]

I really can't see how anyone could say the Raptors are a better team now. We got junk in exchange for junk (let's all stop drooling over Vasquez please).

The Raptors will continue to lose a lot more games than they win. If that's not tanking, I'm not sure what is.

According to ESPN Trade Machine both teams got Worse. Which is amazing and weird sounding.

[Nilanka]

I rarely read his work.

I went today just to see how he was spinning the trade.... curiosity killed the cat.

lol, even hearing his thoughts during radio interviews, I'm left thinking to myself, "really Doug, do you actually believe what you're saying???"

[mcHAPPY]

Would love to hear the bball conversations between a drunk Dougie and Kelly at the Star's xmas party. Here are 2 guys working in the same department, covering the same team, who have completely opposite assessments of the team.

The Raptors now have the option to trade Lowry and go forward with Vasquez, or use Vasquez as an attractive deadline chip. If they’re really committed to The Tank, they could deal both.

With this comment I picture Doug standing up and tossing the table over. Explicit words come spewing from his mouth as he storms out to catch up with BryCo on Skype. Kelly smiles and says, "Checkmate."

[thead]

Doug Smith is wrong about Basketball

[SitnonDfence]

Dwane Casey is still coaching this team. The offense will continue to stank because Casey has instilled a consequence-free environment.

Its consequence free yet everyone is pining for Jonas to be gifted minutes with sub-par play?

Not taking exception to you Nilanka, just a generalized statement and observation. And I cant stand bigs that pout.

[Mediumcore]

..... or is it?

#tankON

or

#playoffsAWAIT

Don't think the debate has been settled as yet. Team is better now than before and two major areas of weakness have been rectified with back up pg and bench scoring being much, much better. Would love to see DD on the floor with Lowry and Vasquez at the same time.

[Chr1s1anL]

Good old Doug


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[planetmars]

I don't think this trade settles the debate as each have their own definition of what tanking is. The Gay trade for example appears to be a tank move (getting rid of a bad contract and the 'best' player on the team for middling prospects and expiring contracts).. but it will probably improve team chemistry and could net a few more wins.

I personally consider it a tank trade. Freeing up cap space and gaining prospects from veterans is what I was hoping for all along. As for worsening the draft position.. well we'll see what happens there. I don't think they will get a top 5 pick. Maybe 8/9/10. But in this draft that probably equates to a top 5 pick from previous drafts anyways. So still happy

[CalgaryRapsFan]

I don't think this trade settles the debate as each have their own definition of what tanking is. The Gay trade for example appears to be a tank move (getting rid of a bad contract and the 'best' player on the team for middling prospects and expiring contracts).. but it will probably improve team chemistry and could net a few more wins.

I personally consider it a tank trade. Freeing up cap space and gaining prospects from veterans is what I was hoping for all along. As for worsening the draft position.. well we'll see what happens there. I don't think they will get a top 5 pick. Maybe 8/9/10. But in this draft that probably equates to a top 5 pick from previous drafts anyways. So still happy

I'd agree with you, barring any additional moves. However, the main reason I consider this to be a 'tank trade', is because I believe it signals the direction MU is taking the team and that more moves are on the way soon. This trade is simply the first domino to fall.

I also believe the Raps will quite easily finish in the bottom-8, or lower.

In the WC, Utah & Sacramento are in a league by themselves, 4/5 wins below the 3rd worst teams. Phoenix could come back down to earth, the Davis injury hurts NO, and Memphis could become sellers (Gasol and now Pondexter are injured).

In the EC, Milwaukee seems destined to suck. Orlando and Philly already seem to be coming back to earth. I still think Brooklyn, NY and Cleveland have their sights set on the playoffs, so I could see at least a couple of them climbing out of the cellar.

If MU really wants to gut the team of everybody other than Valanciunas, Ross and DeRozan, I could see this team falling into the bottom 3-6 quite easily.

[Puffer]

...I don't think they will get a top 5 pick. Maybe 8/9/10. But in this draft that probably equates to a top 5 pick from previous drafts anyways. So still happy

I would like to see Masai get 3 1st round picks in this draft. The Raps own, and two more, in the mid to later position. I think that is doable. It seems like to later picks would be like picking in the lottery most years, just scanning the list of potential draftees.

[planetmars]

I would like to see Masai get 3 1st round picks in this draft. The Raps own, and two more, in the mid to later position. I think that is doable. It seems like to later picks would be like picking in the lottery most years, just scanning the list of potential draftees.

Here are the teams that can and can't trade 2014 first round picks this year:

Teams that can trade 2014 first round picks:

Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, Milwaukee, OKC, Orlando, Philly, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Utah

Teams that can't trade 2014 first round picks:

Brooklyn, Detroit, Dallas, GSW, Indiana, LAC, LAL, Memphis, Miami, Minny, NOLA, NY, Portland, Sacramento, Washington

Some of the teams in the 'can' list are tanking. There isn't really a big pool of potential draft pick sellars unfortunately.

[Dino4life]

Here are the teams that can and can't trade 2014 first round picks this year:

Teams that can trade 2014 first round picks:

Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, Milwaukee, OKC, Orlando, Philly, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Utah

Teams that can't trade 2014 first round picks:

Brooklyn, Detroit, Dallas, GSW, Indiana, LAC, LAL, Memphis, Miami, Minny, NOLA, NY, Portland, Sacramento, Washington

Some of the teams in the 'can' list are tanking. There isn't really a big pool of potential draft pick sellars unfortunately.

Every team can trade their protected picks, its just more complicated and can lead to blunders like the clippers gifting Kyrie irving to the cavs.

You just have to follow those 2 rules:

1- You can't not have a 1st round pick in the next 2 drafts(resets every draft)
2- There can't exist a potential situation where you owe your pick to 2 teams.

Protected picks, can be traded they just need to have a reverse protection like we did with the lowry pick, and the team giving it up must have an extra 2014 or 2015 pick (any pick doesn't have to be their own), so even if they give up both their picks in the next two years they have 1 first round.
Teams can still trade a right to swap, since they will be making a selection.

[delman21]

I think everyone is crazy for thinking we get rid of dd. Yes this draft is loaded with potential stars, potential, the funny thing is the draft combine and all these stupid formulas for everything under the sun besides the stats they put up is crazy, and it allows a way for guys who have never played ball other that nba 2 k a say.

The one thing that can't be measured is heart, we got it with dd, he has shown how he is willing to work, shut the critics up and carry on.

There would be plenty of teams that want him but why should we give him up. We can get another pic for what we have left to trade, prob mil or chi town. But to trade dd for a rookie who's heart can't be measured until about his 5th year, sound familiar.

The only kid we get in this draft that stays is possibly Exum or Wiggins. Both international players, so all the hyp e of landing 2 top 10 picks is crazy. I hope trades are made to get into the playoffs, and get pics as well. I am sure the guys are sick and tired of hearing there no good or trade them for a chance and I say that gingerly. That all you can read about here. We got to support these guys and want to keep them or they will bolt. We do have good pieces and if we were to trade dd I would hope he would become an allstar and throw it back in our faces for not supporting him. Like every other good athletic wing we have had.

Support and move forward not tank for a chance at someone who is still 19 needs abot 10-20 lbs of muscle and strength. There's no telling where we might be in 2 years but having 2 lottery pics here wont be playoffs next year and then when we finally make the playoffs in 3 years we will be going through all this again to see if we can keep someone, when we have a good one here and his ceiling is about to get higher. DD may not be the best everywhere, but he has 2 rare skills or blessing that most rookies have to develop.
1. HEART AND ATHLETICISM( sick athleticism)
2. HE WANTS TO BE HERE

That should be alone enough for us to support him and stop asking for him to be traded for some dam pic, we will be kicking our ass in 2 years if he is gone when he comes back and drops like 25-30 on us in a quick and efficient manner like he always does. The athleticism is what shows the ceiling, so no matter what happens Wiggins will always have the highest ceiling because he has the athleticism you cant train for and dd has it as well. Watch him run they say he is lazy or coasting but they just run faster and jump higher and don't have to try to do it, that's what makes guys #1 pics and that alone. You can develop skills but not being a crazy athlete, that's something your born with

[OldSkoolCool]

I think everyone is crazy for thinking we get rid of dd.

DD may not be the best everywhere, but he has 2 rare skills or blessing that most rookies have to develop.
1. HEART AND ATHLETICISM( sick athleticism)
2. HE WANTS TO BE HERE

He actually is a below average athlete by NBA SG standards. Sorry to be the barer of such obvious news. Except his leaping ability, that's actually good, but pretty much every other category he is below average.

Wanting to be here isn't a really good basketball skill. Lot's of player will want to be here if we win games.

Ya he has heart, but he isn't a leader, nor does he play with passion on the defensive end or on the offensive end (when he doesn't have the ball)

To me that's not enough to build the team around him.

If we are looking to build a team around a prototypical player mold, the perfect player would be an uber-talented Amir Johnson type.

[charlesnba23]

I just think that trading DD will come to be a huge, HUGE mistake. cough tmac cough vc cough cough cough

I'm now o.k with trading Lowry if that gives us back something that is worth it. But I would not trade DeMar unless we get a first round pick in this year or next year draft.

*EDIT* Not even sure about what I'm saying. I don't think we should trade DeMar. Not before the end of the season that's for sure.