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Raptors interested in Lou Williams?

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  • Raptors interested in Lou Williams?

    Point guards are becoming increasingly important in today’s perimeter oriented brand of NBA basketball. So it’s to no one’s surprise that Bryan Colangelo has repeatedly emphasized the importance of having a good point guard in order to be a competitive team. Doug Smith has recently mentioned one of Colangelo’s potential targets in his blog.

    Lou Williams!

    Not sure if any of you heard the little hit I did with McCown and Brunt on Wednesday night but the name of one NBA free agent I’ve heard the HOTH have, or had, interested in completely escaped me.

    Now, I don’t if they still do – I heard the name way back before the lockout hit and no one was allowed to talk about players – but his is one name that was kicked around.

    Doesn’t mean he’s going to sign, doesn’t mean they still want him but it was the kind of guy they began the process thinking about.

    That could all change, of course, given the specifics of the new CBA and that’s why it’s impossible to determine what these fellas might have in mind.

    I will say this: I do think Bryan has positioned them financially and with roster openings to make moves quickly regardless of the new CBA.

    Of course, we don’t know what that will be so it’s all guesswork right now.

    Lou Williams is still under contract until 2012/13 so he can only be acquired via trade. The Raptors were rumoured to have discussions with Philadelphia involving Jarrett Jack and Lou Williams during the 2010 NBA draft. Jack was eventually traded for a package involving Jerryd Bayless last season.

    Although Williams is a talented scorer in the Allen Iverson mold, a trade would not make sense since there are not enough minutes for Williams with Bayless, Barbosa and Calderon on the roster. Barbosa also fills the same spark-plug role that Williams filled for the Sixers last season.

    Roster wise, Philly and Toronto are also not good trading partners. There is no doubt that Colangelo will try to improve the point guard situation, however, Philly is not in any rush to move their prized point guard in Jrue Holiday. And like most teams in the league, both the Sixers and the Raptors require help at the center position. Any deal that ships Lou Williams to Toronto will most likely require a third team.

    http://blogs.canada.com/2011/10/28/r...-lou-williams/
    He is a piece. Another quality reserve. Is he Barbosa 2.0?

  • #2
    He'd be a interesting sixth man cause he can play both guard positions but can he defend? No point trading for a guy if the coach isn't going to play him.

    Then again he can't be worse than any of our guards.
    @sweatpantsjer

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    • #3
      Too bad he's not a point guard. With Jerryd Bayless already on the team, the last thing the Raptors need is another shoot first combo guard.
      Read my blog, The Picket Fence. Guaranteed to make you think or your money back!
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      • #4
        wasnt he in the discussion for us last year and the year before that?? hmmmmm another quick shoot-first scorer that has trouble playing defence...... im sorry but arent we trying to get away from that? bayless and barbosa are in the same category as williams in my opinion so lets just say thanks but no thanks.

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        • #5
          1. I don't think that he's even a free agent and trading for him seems...stupid.
          2. We already have Bayless.
          3. He doesn't address any team needs. Like at all.

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          • #6
            He cannot defend either guard position and he can't run an offence. I don't see what role he could possibly have on our team. The only plus is that he's still pretty young...but we have enough youth going into the season, and may draft another quality player next year. Please, for the love of all that is good and holy, can we stop trying to stuff redundant players on this team and let it play out a bit before seeing what holes really need plugging. If we sign Williams, it's a clear sign that this team will be stuck in the MLSE spiral of mediocrity.

            With Davis, Bargnani, Bayless, DeRozan, Amir, and even James Johnson, we have enough intriguing young talent at the moment. With JV coming next year, we'll have a surplus of young bigs for the first time ever in the history of our franchise, and we could draft an excellent player in a very deep draft next year. Lets not get stuck with the contract of a ball hogging chucker like Williams, or for that matter, a shaky bodied C like Chandler who's a great player, but really does nothing but complicate our team's development.
            Calderon is ok for now at PG, and I think Bayless is an ideal 6th man in the making. We're just really missing a starting SF and we have a lot of uncertainty at starting PG going into the future. Neither are things to panic about, and there may be some free agent upgrades even at other positions, but with how young our team is, that just seems careless. We could fill either of those 2 big holes with a solid draft pick next year and that would probably be the smart time to actually start getting real veteran help for the long term.

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            • #7
              I do agree that with Bayless and Barbosa he is more than redundant. The only one of the three under contract beyond next 2011-12 is Williams.

              Like Amir, he is another of the last high school players to be drafted and at 25 years of age (2 days ago), he is already a veteran of 6 seasons.

              If Bayless and Barbosa are not in the plans long term, I would be interested in Williams - the one that shoots 47% from the field though.

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              • #8
                Barbosa definitely would have to be outbound if Williams is inbound. That's not to say I think a trade involving Barbosa going to the 76ers is doable.

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                • #9
                  Over his Raptors tenure Colangelo has proven great at acquiring sixth man of the year candidates <*sarcasm*>. It's gotten to the point that pretty much the entire starting roster and bench is interchangeable. Why add yet another middling free agent who will take minutes & shots away from developing youngsters, muddle role definition, pad the salary cap and keep us from getting a really high draft pick? Is this how we usher in the Stefanski era? If so, I prefer the lockout continues.

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                  • #10
                    golden wrote: View Post
                    Over his Raptors tenure Colangelo has proven great at acquiring sixth man of the year candidates <*sarcasm*>. It's gotten to the point that pretty much the entire starting roster and bench is interchangeable. Why add yet another middling free agent who will take minutes & shots away from developing youngsters, muddle role definition, pad the salary cap and keep us from getting a really high draft pick? Is this how we usher in the Stefanski era? If so, I prefer the lockout continues.
                    Williams is not a free agent. He would have to be acquired through trade.

                    The problem with the Raptors is they don't have any true star talent. However, being ever optimistic, when that star does come along (or develops from what we have), is that when good pieces are finally put in place? Do we hope that a winner can be put together before a rookie deal expires? Do we hope to lure a top free agent with a shell of a roster? Personally, I'd rather have the majority of role players and pieces in place once the star arrives. Look at the issues New York and Miami are having with their rosters. They have a lot of talent in 2-3 players but after that they have serious holes to fill in the roster - granted Miami did come within 2 games of winning it all, however, they were up 2-0 before losing 4 straight as they had no one else to step up.

                    Either route one takes is going to ensure a high draft selection. However, as we have seen in many drafts, an awful record does not guarantee a top three pick.

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                    • #11
                      waste of time. JB is way better than lou williams

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                      • #12
                        NoPropsneeded wrote: View Post
                        waste of time. JB is way better than lou williams
                        That's not what they've shown so far in their respective careers.
                        Read my blog, The Picket Fence. Guaranteed to make you think or your money back!
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                        • #13
                          Tim W. wrote: View Post
                          That's not what they've shown so far in their respective careers.
                          In my opinion JB has a higher ceiling.

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                          • #14
                            NoPropsneeded wrote: View Post
                            In my opinion JB has a higher ceiling.
                            You're talking about two different things. Lou Williams seems to be a better player, right now. Bayless MAY have a higher ceiling, but who really knows. Would you feel differently if Bayless wasn't a Raptor, but Williams was?
                            Read my blog, The Picket Fence. Guaranteed to make you think or your money back!
                            Follow me on Twitter.

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                            • #15
                              I like Williams off the bench and think he could help us down the stretch. I'm with the majority with not liking the deal if Bayless, Barbosa and Calderon are still here. I'm be all for it if one or two of the aforementioned names were in a deal going the other way.

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