Raptors in discussion with 76ers for Igoudala (Thorn denies rumor (#163)

[ceez]

Iggy was player of the game last night TRADE FOR HIM NOW

[Maleko]

Now that he discussion for Iggy no longer realistically includes a 1st round pick I like the pickup.

Don't get me wrong I like JJ, but as I have said many time he is rotation not starter, and can be replaced/back filled relatively easily.

[mcHAPPY]

I am kind of hoping Batum ends up on Minnesota and it is because Portland did not match.

Philly will have one less suitor for AI.

I was initially dead set against AI but a few good points from people here and looking at some advanced stats has changed my tune.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

I would have to think Derrick Williams is more attractive than Ed and Demar/Ross.
Also, as noted above, i think that us being a division rival will play in their minds.

I seriously doubt Portland would have much interest in Williams. First, he's a tweener who seriously disappointed in his rookie year. Second, Portland just re-signed Hickson as their backup PF and is also bringing over Victor Claver from Europe, so Williams wouldn't likely see much time at PF. Third, if Williams' only role with Portland would be at SF, why wouldn't they just match the offer for Batum, since he's significantly better.

Aside from potentially replacing Batum, Portland's most pressing needs are at C and PG. Neither Minny or Toronto can offer much of a C. Minny could offer Ridnour at PG and Toronto could offer Calderon. Both teams have several wings they could offer as well. Minny's biggest advantage might be the 1st round picks they can offer, which Toronto can't (at least not without big time conditions attached to the pick).

It will certainly be interesting to watch this Batum drama unfold.

[Nilanka]

Bingo!!!!
ps
And a fraction of cost (13 vs less than $3 mil).

According to Basketball-reference.com, Johnson shot:

.419 from 3-9 feet
.342 from 10-15 feet
.295 from 16 feet to 3-pt line

He is a horrendous, horrendous, HORRENDOUS mid-range shooter (and as mentioned above, a poor long-distance shooter as well).

[Pill]

If there is a deal for AI out there then pull the trigger. I do not care which one of these marginal guys you deal along with Calderon. AI fits this team more than any of those guys do. If we retrospect this trade down the line and see who won and if any of the pipe dreams for these players came true then oh well. In the mean time we can enjoy one of the best defensive teams in the league for years to come. What Casey was able to do with guys not known for defense was nice, can you imagine how good it can be after we brought in guys known for their defense? lol..

[torch19]

To add on to ^^, I would like a proven veteran who has skills & Iguodala fits the bill.

As I said before, I would have liked Rudy Gay, but that doesn't seem realistic at all now. Iguodala is a great defensive player. A lot of posters have argued that his win share metrics are up there in the top 10 (maybe even higher), it is because his defensive win shares are immense.

I have compared his stats with other potential small forward targets the Raptors could have/could still go for, and he simply has the best impact +/- among all of them, a list that includes Gay, Batum, Kirilenko, Granger, Fields, Barnes and Ariza. (don't ask why I had Ariza in there).

Iguodala, for me, is a mini-LeBron. Why not have someone like that. He's unselfish enough that he wouldn't have to worry about carrying the offense. We have scorers for that & yes, I consider Bargnani, DeRozan and Lowry as scorers. He can defend, be a secondary ball-handler, get to the rim, etc. He is an all-star at the end of the day.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

johnson is a welfare recipients version of iggy. comparing them like you would actually prefer johnson to iggy is so off base. you know that johnson is also a poor mans lebron at a fraction of the cost. he has the shot and defense and he can control the ball just like lebron. get that garbage out of here. not even the same league

Finally some common sense. I don't get why people are so high on JJ, just because he hustles and was the best wing defender on a horrendous defensive team (especially on the wings). High energy and good effort can't makeup for a fundamental lack of skill or bb-iq. Comparing JJ to player like Gay, Iggy, Deng or Chandler is just ridiculous.

[The Coach]

Bingo!!!!
ps
And a fraction of cost (13 vs less than $3 mil).

What would you qualify as a good shooter?
Iggy shot 39.4% from 3 last year (better percentage than Batum, Ryan Anderson, Granger, Nowitzki, Deng, Pierce)
Johnson shot 31.7% from 3 last year.

[Miekenstien]

johnson is a welfare recipients version of iggy. comparing them like you would actually prefer johnson to iggy is so off base. you know that johnson is also a poor mans lebron at a fraction of the cost. he has the shot and defense and he can control the ball just like lebron. get that garbage out of here. not even the same league

[Mapko]

+1 Iggy is not a very good shooter, James Johnson is a poor-mans Iguodala, with a solid mid ranged jumper.

Bingo!!!!
ps
And a fraction of cost (13 vs less than $3 mil).

[torch19]

I agree with the assessment on Ed Davis. I kept telling myself last year while watching him: "that boy dumb." He is so raw offensively and that is an understatement. I do like his instincts in rebounding the ball & he has similar impact as Amir (he's just in his second year). So if we do keep him, which I would hope they do because he impacts the game positively for the Raptors yet his skills are not even close to being harnessed.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

What is all the hype around Iggy about??? We just got a good defensive and rebounder in Fields, so why not give DeRozan and Landry a chance? Personally, I think that Iggy is a bit overrated and don't forget that Philly was just horrible in the second half of the season. I like what we are doing, no need to rush and give away good young promising players for two years as the 7th or 8th seed in the playoffs. I know that it's tough, but please have patience. It'll be worth it.

The problem is that without making any additional roster moves, there simply won't be enough playing time to provide all these young players sufficient opportunity to improve individually, let alone develop team chemistry among the core group (since the core group isn't yet defined).

PF
- Bargnani is starting and will likely play around 32 mins at least
- Amir/Davis/Acy will be fighting for the remainnig 16 mins of playing time, as well as some time at C on the 2nd unit
--> either Amir or Davis needs to be traded (likely Davis), so that the remaining player will get enough playing time

WING
- DeRozan, Ross, Kleiza, JJ and likely Fields will be fighting for playing time
- there won't be enough time to go around for all 5 players, even if Kleiza spends some time at PF on the 2nd unit
--> at least one of them needs to be traded (likely JJ), so that the remaining players will get enough playing time


It's great in theory to stockpile young players and hope that they develop into something special. However, there comes a time when a team needs to decide whether they're going to stick with a bunch of 2nd unit players in the hopes that one of them finally blossoms into a legitimate starter, or whether they're going to package a couple of them to acquire a proven starter.

Yes, there is a risk of trading away a player and watching him develop into something special for another team. However, there is also a risk that none of them ever develop into anything more than 2nd unit rotation players, at which time they are no longer in demand for their "potential" and their trade value has been greatly diminished. There's no point watching all this young potential waste away being buried on the bench, simply because the team is so deep - but deep in 2nd unit talent, not starting talent.

Toronto has a roster full of young, talented players who ooze potential, but sometimes these kids need a proven veteran to come in and show them first-hand how to harness all the talent and realize their potential. If Toronto wants to take the next step and become a playoff team, they need to turn some of their dearth of "potential" into at least one established star.

[Walnut]

What is all the hype around Iggy about??? We just got a good defensive and rebounder in Fields, so why not give DeRozan and Landry a chance? Personally, I think that Iggy is a bit overrated and don't forget that Philly was just horrible in the second half of the season. I like what we are doing, no need to rush and give away good young promising players for two years as the 7th or 8th seed in the playoffs. I know that it's tough, but please have patience. It'll be worth it.

[planetmars]

oops sorry - didn't see your post.