Colangelo Interview: "We may have as much as $24 million in (salary) cap flexibility"

[Apollo]

It's hard to come up with specific names without knowing what the new CBA will look like, and thus not knowing which teams might be desperate to dump salary, but here are a few names that come to mind (in addition to Rudy Gay). Forgive me if any of these players are free agents (it's been a while since I saw a list).

- Monta Ellis
- Andrei Kirilenko
- Shane Battier
- Michael Beasley
- Josh Smith
- Mickael Pietrus
- Tony Parker
- James Harden
- Josh Howard
- Steve Nash

I'm not sold on the Warriors dealing Ellis and I'm not sold on him morphing into a facilitator. I think he's a small SG.

Josh Smith would be great but I'm think they ask for Davis and Bargnani or Davis and DeRozan. Davis and DeRozan makes more sense for the Hawks in this scenario as we're assuming they want to get close to fair value while cutting cap. I personally feel they try to move Joe Johnson instead.

Harden makes most sense to the Raptors but what will they ask for? I'm thinking DD or Davis. DD makes more sense to the Thunder. I don't like that. What else might they take?

[Tim W.]

Remember the last time Bryan had cap space?

I'm just worried that he will spend the money on the wrong guys. I have no problems with getting a veteran but only if the price is right, and only if that veteran presence is a positive presence in the locker room (the Raps haven't had one of those guys for years).

Going after Gay is not smart.. he's a max guy that's not worth max money. He's owed $17 million when Demar gets of his rookie deal, and $19 when Davis is off his. Only way I take him is if we had a stretch amnesty that can soften the blow for the team if they need it (for example if Gay gets injured), and if we give up Bargnani in the process. Although I do see Memphis as a good team for Bargnani - especially since they have Randolph/Gasol to clean up the boards / provide defense.

And I'm pretty sure Bryan would not be going after Beasley - or else he would have traded Bosh for him when he was essentially free for the taking.

Who Colangelo went after and who he was able to get are two different things. Remember that Turkoglu was not Colangelo's first choice. It was simply who was left that would sign with the Raptors. And the time before he had cap room he signed Anthony Parker and Garbajosa. Those were two of the offseason signings the Raptors ever had.

As for going after Gay, it all depends. If the Raptors get a potential franchise SF in the 2012 draft, then going after Gay makes very little sense. If the Raptors fail to draft a potential franchise player, and they have a hole at SF, then Gay starts to make sense. He's overpaid, but it expires the same year that Davis becomes an UFA and before Valanciunas is due for his next contract (presumably, depending on the new CBA). The only big contract the Raptors will have to pony up for before Gay's contract expires is DeRozan, and that's not a problem.

And obviously any of my scenarios involve trading away Bargnani and his contract.

[Tim W.]

I'm not sold on the Warriors dealing Ellis and I'm not sold on him morphing into a facilitator. I think he's a small SG.

Josh Smith would be great but I'm think they ask for Davis and Bargnani or Davis and DeRozan. Davis and DeRozan makes more sense for the Hawks in this scenario as we're assuming they want to get close to fair value while cutting cap. I personally feel they try to move Joe Johnson instead.

Harden makes most sense to the Raptors but what will they ask for? I'm thinking DD or Davis. DD makes more sense to the Thunder. I don't like that. What else might they take?

No way I trade both DeRozan and Davis for Smith.

And I actually think Bargnani for Harden makes sense for the THunder. They lack front court scoring and it could be argued that playing with Ibaka and Perkins will minimize Bargnani's negative impact. Obviously other players and/or teams would need to be brought in to make it work, but I think it can, on paper, work for both teams.

[Apollo]

No way I trade both DeRozan and Davis for Smith.

I wouldn't either. I'm just telling you what I think it would take to get the deal done.

[TheGloveinRapsUniform]

No way I trade both DeRozan and Davis for Smith.

And I actually think Bargnani for Harden makes sense for the THunder. They lack front court scoring and it could be argued that playing with Ibaka and Perkins will minimize Bargnani's negative impact. Obviously other players and/or teams would need to be brought in to make it work, but I think it can, on paper, work for both teams.

so It would work to pair bargnani with a defensive center as long as its not with the raptors?
hehe sorry tim I couldn't resist.

[Tim W.]

so It would work to pair bargnani with a defensive center as long as its not with the raptors?
hehe sorry tim I couldn't resist.

Hey, I never said it would work. I just said "it could be argued".

[Apollo]

I'll be proactive here in saying, guys, I know you have the best of intentions but please let's not turn this into another Bargnani thread. That's just me as a poster speaking.

[bboyskinnylegs]

One guy potentially worth targeting is Westbrook, who becomes an FA after the 2011-2012 season. We saw this year that there were some issues with him in the playoffs--there were many instances where Durant was not getting the ball when he should have been. Some of that is highlighted here:

http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2011...ell-westbrook/

My guess is it won't happen, but if the Thunder start having second thoughts, perhaps they will be hesitant to match a huge extension for Russell...and we would be in prime position to offer him a huge contract. DeMar knows him fairly well, and he's the same age as most of our young core at 23. He would easily be our best player, he would be able to be that feature, go-to player for us here, and we would also be adding Jonas as well as our 2012 pick, who could very well end up being a PF or SF.

[mcHAPPY]

One guy potentially worth targeting is Westbrook, who becomes an FA after the 2011-2012 season. We saw this year that there were some issues with him in the playoffs--there were many instances where Durant was not getting the ball when he should have been. Some of that is highlighted here:

http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2011...ell-westbrook/

My guess is it won't happen, but if the Thunder start having second thoughts, perhaps they will be hesitant to match a huge extension for Russell...and we would be in prime position to offer him a huge contract. DeMar knows him fairly well, and he's the same age as most of our young core at 23. He would easily be our best player, he would be able to be that feature, go-to player for us here, and we would also be adding Jonas as well as our 2012 pick, who could very well end up being a PF or SF.

I've written a few posts elsewhere about pursuing Westbrook in FA. I've cooled on that idea a bit. I think with the addition of a premier wing (Quincy Miller, Harrison Barnes, Rudy Gay - not in order of preference or an all-inclusive list), the Raps should look at acquiring a second first round pick for Myck Kabongo and sign Steve Nash for the final 2-3 years of his career (if he would be willing of course). Earlier in the week during Texas game the sideline reporter was talking about how Kabongo and Nash have become friends over the summer. Probably a pipe dream on my part but it would be fun - and a goldmine for MLSE or whoever owns them in a year or two.

[Nilanka]

Ever since I heard about the Kabongo/Nash friendship, I've been thinking the same thing.

Nash has gone on record saying that he would love to play for Toronto "one day". Then there's the obvious Colangelo/Pheonix connection in terms of realizing Nash's value. Nash's good buddy Triano is still part of the organization too.

In terms of Kabongo, if this kid's the real deal, we should be making every attempt to draft him (whether it's trading down, or more preferably, obtaining a 2nd pick). It would do wonders for the local fan base to have a homegrown star wearing a Raptors uniform.

And in terms of keeping guys like DeRozan and/or Davis around when their rookie deals expire, how important would Kabongo and Nash be when endorsing Toronto (and to a lesser extent, Canada as a whole)? I would assume Nash would have a loud voice with luring free agents too.

[Nilanka]

Kabongo, DeRozan, Gay, Anthony Davis, and Valanciunas, with Nash, Weems, and Amir coming off the bench.....I think I just shit myself dreaming about this dynasty-in-the-making

[mcHAPPY]

Ever since I heard about the Kabongo/Nash friendship, I've been thinking the same thing.

Nash has gone on record saying that he would love to play for Toronto "one day". Then there's the obvious Colangelo/Pheonix connection in terms of realizing Nash's value. Nash's good buddy Triano is still part of the organization too.

In terms of Kabongo, if this kid's the real deal, we should be making every attempt to draft him (whether it's trading down, or more preferably, obtaining a 2nd pick). It would do wonders for the local fan base to have a homegrown star wearing a Raptors uniform.

And in terms of keeping guys like DeRozan and/or Davis around when their rookie deals expire, how important would Kabongo and Nash be when endorsing Toronto (and to a lesser extent, Canada as a whole)? I would assume Nash would have a loud voice with luring free agents too.

Great points. Kabongo would have a great mentor and transition to full time starter in the NBA as Nash's career winds down. If Nash has any back issues or just needs a night off, Kabongo is there to step up. Also, looking at John Stockton's career, he played 28-29 minutes a night towards the end of his playing days - that leaves 20 minutes a night minimum right there.

Nash also makes players around him better. If Kabongo can develop this ability that is a great hurdle to luring free agents to Toronto. I have never heard a bad thing said about Nash as a person or in the locker room and from all accounts Kabongo is a vocal and respected leader and locker room presence at Texas - even as a freshman.

*EDIT* And DeRozan as well. It seems he is very well respected and liked by other NBA players. He sits at the cool table at lunch.

[Apollo]

It's a pipe dream. Re-signing Superstars is a no brainer.

Now, I'd also like to take this time to address the Oklahoma City Thunder. Right now they're sitting at $54M for 2011/2012. Durant is locked up for another five seasons excluding the "current season". Perkins is locked up for four more seasons. Outside of that they have a lot of decisions to make. The summer of 2012 is when Westbrook gets paid. If he gets something similar to Rudy Gay, which is reasonable to assume I think, then we're talking $15M/yr. He's the only significant FA in 2012. At $15M/yr that brings the Thunder's cap number to around $59M for 2012. If there's a hard cap they'll still have a million to sign a late 1st rounder, plus vet minimum signings will more than likely allow them to go over a hard cap slightly. If it's a soft cap then they'll be laughing. In 2013 they have Harden, Ibaka and Maynor come due for a payday. This is where life gets more challenging to keep the core together.They're at $46M without signing these three. Harden's qualifying offer is $7.6M. I don't think they'll be able, nor willing to do that and so he'll become a UFA. Ibaka and Maynor both have qualifying offers of around $3.3M. They will extend both and they're probably be able to retain Maynor for something close to that. Ibaka on the other hand is going to be a prime target for teams. He's tough to price but I think he's a $10M/yr guy for sure. That means in 2013 they're sitting at $60M with seven guys on roster. That excludes their draft pick. Something's got to give under a hard cap system in 2013 without claw backs. With claw backs they'll be fine; a 10% claw back would place them at $54M. That's enough to maybe re-sign Harden and the late 1st round rookie.

[NoPropsneeded]

i've been saying all along that we should do whatever it takes to get a 2nd 1st rounder for Kabongo. And finally you guys listen