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Chisholm: The Raptors should consider moving Barbosa and Amir

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  • Chisholm: The Raptors should consider moving Barbosa and Amir

    We'll start with Leandro Barbosa. Barbosa was brought to Toronto as much to rid the club of the colossal free agency mistake that was Hedo Turkoglu as he was to be a contributor to the team's offense. In fact, that Barbosa was a useful player was almost secondary to the fact that his deal ran two years shorter and for fewer per-year dollars than Hedo's did. The team would have likely taken just about any player that fit those terms just to rid themselves of the memory of Turkoglu and his $50-million contract, it just so happened that Barbosa was the guy who best fit the bill.

    Barbosa, though, is not at all the kind of player that the Raptors need this year. He's a bad defender who is getting worse being on a team with no immediate chances of success. His offensive potency has dipped since his heyday with the Suns, and his body is fragile enough without the wear-and-tear of three-games-in-three-night stretches that this season promises to offer. Plus, with Jerryd Bayless slotted to basically play the "Barbosa" role for the Raptors this season, Leandro doesn't even have his own role to himself with this club.

    He can still score in bunches, though, and he'd be a big asset to several contending and near-contending clubs (Boston, Chicago and Indiana come quickly to mind), plus his expiring deal makes him a low-risk pickup with zero long-term cap penalties. So long as the Raptors strategically manage the cap implications of losing Barbosa's expiring deal, it says here that unloading him should be a priority in this severely compressed offseason period.
    The second player that would seem to have lost his place in the greater scheme of things is Amir Johnson, the bouncy forward that started 54 games for the team last season. Here's how the facts about Johnson shake out: He and Ed Davis are strikingly similar players in terms of their role on the team, but Davis is just better in the areas that are most important to the club: defense and rebounding.

    Johnson got his shot last season, getting to start the bulk of the games he played in while playing a career-high 25.7 minutes per game in the process, and while he was a solid offensive contributor, he didn't really do enough to cement his place in team hierarchy. While he cut his foul rate considerably to maintain starter's minutes, shot a good percentage (.568) and transformed himself at the free throw line, his defense was as exposed as ever going against starting caliber fours each night and his rebound-rate dipped to its lowest point since his rookie year.

    What's worse for Johnson is that the Raptors seem intent on moving Andrea Bargnani to power forward this season, which means less minutes available at the position, and Davis will likely be the primary backup given his stellar rebounding and shot blocking abilities (plus, Davis only scored 1.9 ppg less than Johnson a season ago). There will still be minutes available to Johnson in a four-man frontcourt rotation, but the Raptors may be better served moving Johnson along and letting James Johnson and Linas Klezia log the leftover power forward minutes and using Amir in trade scenarios.
    http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/tim_chisholm/?id=382023

  • #2
    I kinda got lost when the article read:

    several contending and near-contending clubs (Boston, Chicago and Indiana come quickly to mind)


    Indiana is a near contending club?

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    • #3
      id be ok with it as long as its not a knee jerk trade...we have to get some good value

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      • #4
        I hit back by mistake and wiped out the poll I was setting up.

        The poll was essentially do you think the Raptors should:

        1) trade Barbosa
        2) trade Amir
        3) trade both
        4) keep both


        Personally my thoughts are no one should be untouchable given we just came off a 22 win season. If either could return another first round pick (like 20-ish or lower) I'd send either packing without a second thought.

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        • #5
          MangoKid wrote: View Post
          I kinda got lost when the article read:



          Indiana is a near contending club?
          If they manage to get a couple sweet free agents there's no reason to think they can't contend in the east
          @sweatpantsjer

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          • #6
            ceez wrote: View Post
            If they manage to get a couple sweet free agents there's no reason to think they can't contend in the east
            That's kinda like saying if the Raptors gets a couple of sweet free agents, they could contend in the east.

            Because you know that there are a ton of dudes breaking down the door to play in Indianapolis.

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            • #7
              I really like Amir and value him as a player but the raps are clearly keen on sticking with Bargs (eyeroll) and Davis has a higher ceiling/better contract. I get there's no such thing as too many good players but like Matt said if you can get a good pick I'd do it in a second.
              @sweatpantsjer

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              • #8
                MangoKid wrote: View Post
                That's kinda like saying if the Raptors gets a couple of sweet free agents, they could contend in the east.

                Because you know that there are a ton of dudes breaking down the door to play in Indianapolis.
                Have you seen the young corp they already have? They're 2 years ahead of the raps.
                @sweatpantsjer

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                • #9
                  Barbosa for sure, trading him is a no-brainer. His contract and his skillset have value, and there's little chance he's back next year. Get something while you can.

                  Amir is tougher. It'd have to be the right trade, as other have said. I wouldn't do it for a salary dump, and I wouldn't do it for a contract of similar length unless it's a player that really fits well. Tough to see him returning a pick or established young player, and pulling a Colangelo special (ie getting a young prospect that hasn't found a role or minutes) would be a real gamble. I'd say trading Amir should wait until after the draft unless it could return something overwhelmingly positive.

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                  • #10
                    ceez wrote: View Post
                    Have you seen the young corp they already have? They're 2 years ahead of the raps.
                    ya they have some pieces... Collison,Hibbert, George + granger... not to bad if u ask me

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                    • #11
                      I think trying to turn Barbosa into a 1st round pick from a contender is a great idea. Teams like Dallas don't want to commit any long term dollars to players so they can have wiggle room next offseason ... and Barbosa is a 1 year investment.
                      The only way to bag a classy lady is to give her two tickets to the gun show... and see if she likes the goods.

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                      • #12
                        ceez wrote: View Post
                        I really like Amir and value him as a player but the raps are clearly keen on sticking with Bargs (eyeroll) and Davis has a higher ceiling/better contract. I get there's no such thing as too many good players but like Matt said if you can get a good pick I'd do it in a second.
                        DraftExpress.com has Kabongo at 24 and Ross at 18. I would be looking at those two, in that order, for the second pick.

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                        • #13
                          DoNDaDDa wrote: View Post
                          ya they have some pieces... Collison,Hibbert, George + granger... not to bad if u ask me
                          Not bad ... but very mediocre ... Hibbert can't rebound or defend, Granger isn't a #1 option who can lead a team to a ring, George will be a great piece - but is currently stuck behind Granger, and Collison won't be making any all-star teams in the near future. Sign me up for Ed, Demar and Jonas to build with.
                          The only way to bag a classy lady is to give her two tickets to the gun show... and see if she likes the goods.

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                          • #14
                            Trading Amir is/would be next to impossible because hes basically getting starter money and most teams have their starting PF or have eyes on one in this draft/free agency. Unfortunately, if/when you trade Amir you're going to end up getting back 30 cents on the dollar cause it's going to be a salary dump.

                            Better to trade Bargs or Ed and have Amir be the first big off the bench.
                            @sweatpantsjer

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                            • #15
                              Matt52 wrote: View Post
                              DraftExpress.com has Kabongo at 24 and Ross at 18. I would be looking at those two, in that order, for the second pick.
                              I expect Kobongo to either rise or declare next year but yeah, absolutely. There's a ton of talent there in the mid section of the draft.
                              @sweatpantsjer

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