Draft 2008
Selected center Roy Hibbert (17th overall pick).
July 9 2008
Traded guard TJ Ford, forward Maceo Baston, center Radoslav Nesterovic and the draft rights to center Roy Hibbert to the Indiana Pacers for forward Jermaine O'Neal and the draft rights to center Nathan Jawai; signed guard Jose Manuel Calderon to a contract extension.
Time it was, and what a time it was! Evaluating traded draft picks is a tricky proposition as we assume it was the trade partner who made the draft decision. But taking only public information, we can drive down Speculation Lane with the following:
- Both Ford and Nesterovic had peaked at the time of this trade. Though, with Ford, his value is tied to his contract, which Colangelo was responsible for
- It’s a reasonable argument to say that concentrating too much value (or salary) on one position (point guard) is not the best use of resources. But this argument carries only if you are able to spread this value to these other positions. BC’s (lack of) talent for managing this aspect of teamcraft has been the second contributing factor to the shitty messes
- Colangelo claimed the acquisition of O’Neal was a basketball position but he clearly moved around like he was ten years older than he was. But, if committing to the eventual cap relief O’Neal’s contract would provide was the goal--okay--maybe the townspeople could get behind that. Yet, half way through the season, Colangelo does an abrupt about-face (coming up soon).
- The loss of Ford subjected fans to a point guard bench of Will Solomon and Roko Ukic which was both cruel and unusual
- He ain’t my favourite seven footer on my block (I live in a neighbourhood of giants) but if you wanted to plug in a gigantic dude next to Bosh, why not draft Roy Hibbert for 1/6th the cost and a rookie-controlled salary + whatever Rasho had left.
- Also, why did he have to give up a draft pick in this deal? It was a pure and simple salary dump, right? Does every other GM realize Colangelo will sweeten any deal if you compliment his french cuffs?
Fired head coach Sam Mitchell and named Jay Triano interim head coach.
I have neither praise nor scorn for this move. Mitchell seemed overmatched, intellectually, for the task of coaching. He showed virtually zero ability to make strategic decisions with respect to rotations, playing style or coach-heavy play calls like inbounds, zone offence and two-for-ones/end of quarter stuff. His best skill appeared to be physically confronting players which may have signalled his deserving of the intercontinental belt over basketball accolades. His coach-of-the-year award was heavily based on the team’s apparent momentum.
But, it’s fairly impossible to justify that, with a 8-9 record, December 3 was the boiling point that discounted Mitchell’s participation with whatever Colangelo assumed was the Raptors’ destiny that season. Yet, despite his worse (in that season, and overall) winning percentage, Jay Triano showed elements of innovation in the areas Mitchell lacked. To sum, Sam Mitchell was a shit coach and if it took four years for Colangelo to realize this, in addition to deflecting the poop stains away from himself, BC again showed garishly underdeveloped judgement.
February 13 2009
Traded center Jermaine O’Neal, forward Jamario Moon and a future first-round pick to the Miami Heat for forward Shawn Marion, guard Marcus Banks and cash.
Wait, what? Wasn’t O’Neal supposed to slide Bosh into his natural position and rekindle his all-star ways? Didn’t Colangelo collect an expiring (in a year-and-a-half) contract with enough weight to sign ALL THE FREE AGENTS?! (see Miami, summer 2010).
Changing course for reasons only Bryan knows and recounts late at night while curled up in his panic room, he sends Contractus Maximus to the Heat with mildly useful forward, Moon and another... first round... pick..., for Marion, an albatross in Marcus Banks (signed, originally by none other than...) and cash I assume was delivered in small bills directly into Colangelo’s jacket pocket.
Now, I have no idea why he traded for O’Neal (as my bullets of speculation proved). But I do know that if one were to think there was a legitimate, strategic reason to make that move, then the same person could not want to make this move. Which leads me to believe that Colangelo is actually played by evil twins. Not that one twin is evil--both twins are evil. And stupid. Sorry, that was a cheap shot (stupid).
Essentially, a serviceable yet somewhat overpaid TJ Ford plus two first round picks were dispatched for two months of Shawn Marion (granted, the best small forward to play for the Raptors since the last year of McGrady even though The Matrix was mailing it in worse than Leo DiCaprio selling whiskey to the Japanese) and deadweight contract. Marion would bolt (via sign-and-trade) at the end of the season for Dallas, and Colangelo would spin yet another puzzling wheel in the game show of lowered expectations.
In doing so, the GM ignited a dynasty and sketched out the path of exit for his biggest star (see Miami, summer 2010) and robbed the team of the opportunity to use attrition to gain financial freedom and draft picks that could have restarted the franchise. Finishing with 33 wins, this team, instead, missed their beat as they headed into another summer with no clear direction and little hope for improvement. Cue a chubby Marcus Banks nodding knowingly.
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