What happens this off season: Bragging Rights Edition

[Mack North]

Ok, here it goes....trying to keep what I want out as much as possible (mix of want and expect in here)

1. Casey is no longer the coach. Masai wants Messina or Udoka, but San Antonio go on another title run, and in the meantime Masai interviews several fall-back options, but falls in love with one of them and hires him due to fear of another team jumping in first. The “fall-back” coach we land is either Alex Jensen, Sam Cassell, or Kenny Atkinson. Younger, progressive thinkers. One of the current Raps assistants takes the D-League Head Coaching position (Bayno or Nurse). Mo Pete joins Raps staff in assistant capacity (possibly D-League staff).

2. Lowry is traded to Sac for Jason Thompson and Nik Stauskas (aka Sauce Castillo)

Sac needs a proper PG and they’ve enjoyed success with Rudy Gay. Gay and Lowry’s buddy-buddy relationship is enough to convince the Kings to pull the trigger. They don’t want Thompson and Stauskas is in a crowded SG position on the team. By adding Lowry, they hope to compete for playoffs before risking alienating Cousins any more than they already have. Kings draft a big man at #6.

Toronto gets an under-achieving PF who rebounds and a young (Canadian) SG who can shoot. Thompson forms the front-court rotation of Patterson, JV (starters), Thompson and ...see #8 and #11 below.

3. Lou, Amir, Hayes, Hansbrough and Fields are all allowed to walk. Lou signs an over-priced deal with New York. Amir gets a great offer and leaves in a tearful farewell. Hansbrough signs with a western contender. Fields sleeps with his beautiful wife on top of a pile of money every night. Hayes signs a 1 yr deal with Minnesota.

4. Nando De Colo returns to the Raps to compete for a starting spot.

5. Masai throws an offer sheet at Cory Joseph while the Spurs are trying to lure Aldridge to sign. In a game of cap space chicken, Spurs match and still manage to sign Aldridge over Dallas.

6. Drafts PG Delon Wright of Utah at #20 much to the chagrin of many RR posters who are screaming for PG George Lucas.

7. Masai pulls off a trade with GSW for #30 and drafts the sliding PG George Lucas; causing Raps fans to celebrate and then wonder about our overall PG situation. Cost – multiple future 2nd rounders as GSW is trying to avoid luxury threshold while retaining Draymond Green and don’t want the guaranteed salary of a 1st rounder.

8. Acquires Tibor Pleiss’s rights from Utah and brings over the 7’2 25 yr old Center known as “The Octopus” to back up JV. Cost – future 2nd rounder

9. Daniels comes back from Australia and plays in the D-League with only 5 NBA appearances.

10. GV is shopped but with no takers without taking back significant salary, he is kept but reverts back to his “pass-first” ways. Splits starting PG duties with De Colo (Raps do love a good PG controversy) and shimmies his way back into RR good graces. His defence is still terrible, but he works hard and has better shot selection.

11. Wright, Lucas, Bruno and Bebe all spend some time in the D-League, but Wright eventually takes over as starting PG by Jan.

Raps current line-up
PG: De Colo/GV, Wright, Lucas
SG: DD, Stauskas
SF: JJ, Ross, Bruno
PF: PP, JT
C: JV, TP, Bebe

Team wins the Atlantic again (but with much stronger competition) with 46 wins. Masai ignores the pressure to add a "vet PG" at the deadline, instead rolling with the younger players. Raps win a hard fought 7 game first round series over Milwaukee. JJ owns Jabari Parker causing the Bucks leading scorer great frustration in his first playoff experience. Raps compete but lose in 2nd round in 5 games to the Bulls (who retain Thibs for one more season btw).

This lineup scares the shit out of me. 38 wins tops for that cast. Please no!

[ebrian]

1) Casey will be back
2) Amir and Lou walk
3) Vasquez, Patterson, James Johnson, Ross, Caboclo, Noguiera, Daniels = #6-12 in depth chart
4) Starting wing and powerforward addressed in offseason free agency
5) Maybe a DD trade.

I hate to see Amir leave, but with Lou and Amir gone we would have $18M to spend on two starting positions. If we want actual, legitimate NBA starters, we can't even afford to give Amir a tiny deal because it just drops the available amount to spend. He can't start anymore. So Masai will keep it fairly status quo, with no big splashes in FA but sign solid starting caliber guys at 3/4. What ever is left from those signings will go towards players who can backup Jonas.

[psrs1]

1. Casey gone
2. DD stays
3. KL stays
4. Amir gone
5. JV stays
6. TR traded
7. JJ returns
8. TH gone
9. LW returns
10. GV returns
11. PP returns
12 . FA power forward signed.
13. Vocal veteran signed
14. Cap flexibility for 2016 intact.

[Axel]

Oh my bad I thought we were keeping Casey lol

If there's a new coach than anything is possible.

lol

I'll save you the trouble of having to go all the way one page

"1. Casey is no longer the coach. Masai wants Messina or Udoka, but San Antonio go on another title run, and in the meantime Masai interviews several fall-back options, but falls in love with one of them and hires him due to fear of another team jumping in first. The “fall-back” coach we land is either Alex Jensen, Sam Cassell, or Kenny Atkinson. Younger, progressive thinkers. One of the current Raps assistants takes the D-League Head Coaching position (Bayno or Nurse). Mo Pete joins Raps staff in assistant capacity (possibly D-League staff)."

[MACK11]

Not sure I agree with that. With a real Coach, plus the other roster changes I predicted, things will be different.

Look, I'm not trying to predict a perfect off-season. If I did, we would have landed Vonleh from Charlotte and a lotto pick to boot, just don't see it all happening. I'm trying to predict some realistic events and my gut says DD stays (although I would love to ship him to Charlotte for the above) but KL goes.

Oh my bad I thought we were keeping Casey lol

If there's a new coach than anything is possible.

[Axel]

Yeah, and that's how the team will be without Lowry

Not sure I agree with that. With a real Coach, plus the other roster changes I predicted, things will be different.

Look, I'm not trying to predict a perfect off-season. If I did, we would have landed Vonleh from Charlotte and a lotto pick to boot, just don't see it all happening. I'm trying to predict some realistic events and my gut says DD stays (although I would love to ship him to Charlotte for the above) but KL goes.

[MACK11]

You do realize how bad this team was from Jan on?

Yeah, and that's how the team will be without Lowry

[raptors999]

You do realize how bad this team was from Jan on?

They've been terrible all year. They were just winning games by blowing out teams benches early in the year.

[Axel]

You do realize just how bad this team will be if we trade Lowry for a Rookie and Jason Thompson?

You do realize how bad this team was from Jan on?

[MACK11]

True, but Dolan wont return Masai's calls anymore.

The Salmons deal was a very unique circumstance, and as much as we feel we got a steal of a deal, don't think Atlanta is too bummed out by the deal right now.

Just don't see the market developing and I think Lowry needs to go. Adding a Canadian is something that Masai has said he wants to do, Stauskas has good size/shooting on the wing and is just entering his 2nd season. Thompson helps with our rebounding in the short term, while we aim for a new PF in 2016.

You do realize just how bad this team will be if we trade Lowry for a Rookie and Jason Thompson?

[Axel]

Were talking about the same man who got a 1st for Bargnani and Salmons for Lou, Bebe

He's gonna get more than Stauskas and a bust for Lowry.

True, but Dolan wont return Masai's calls anymore.

The Salmons deal was a very unique circumstance, and as much as we feel we got a steal of a deal, don't think Atlanta is too bummed out by the deal right now.

Just don't see the market developing and I think Lowry needs to go. Adding a Canadian is something that Masai has said he wants to do, Stauskas has good size/shooting on the wing and is just entering his 2nd season. Thompson helps with our rebounding in the short term, while we aim for a new PF in 2016.

[MACK11]

Price is determined by the market. Not a lot of demand for PGs in the league. Supply is high, price is low. Adding a SG who can shoot coming off a rookie season isn't pennies either.

Edit Add: Would you have traded Lowry for a Top 10 pick in 2014 draft?

Were talking about the same man who got a 1st for Bargnani and Salmons for Lou, Bebe

He's gonna get more than Stauskas and a bust for Lowry.

[Axel]

And my point is that if that's the market, you are better off not trading him.

I don't know whether I would have traded Lowry for a top 10 draft pick last year, but Stauskas stock has fallen a bit since then too based on a pretty rocky year last year.

Well feel free to make your own predictions

Personally, I think Lowry is gone. He has a rep as a coach killer and was traded for a late lotto pick. In the last 3 years, has he done anything to change that perception? I'd have to say no based on the exit interviews. His performance peaked really high, but also hit some bad lows. Add in the age factor, and I simply don't think many teams want him, Toronto included.

You have to ask yourself, is this the guy (who may have lead a swag crew mutiny over a hapless Casey) you want around while you develop Bruno, Bebe, Daniels, JV, Lucas, Wright, etc?

[Other Scott]

And my point is that if that's the market, you are better off not trading him.

I don't know whether I would have traded Lowry for a top 10 draft pick last year, but Stauskas stock has fallen a bit since then too based on a pretty rocky year last year.

[Axel]

If Jason Thompson and Nik Stauskas is all you can get for Kyle Lowry, then you aren't going to trade Kyle Lowry. That's maybe 60 cents on the dollar.

Price is determined by the market. Not a lot of demand for PGs in the league. Supply is high, price is low. Adding a SG who can shoot coming off a rookie season isn't pennies either.

Edit Add: Would you have traded Lowry for a Top 10 pick in 2014 draft?