Making Sense Of The Matrix
February 13, 2009 - 2:33 p.m.
It is a trade that might reinforce Bryan Colangelo’s standing as the man behind the curtain.
By dealing Jermaine O’Neal and Jamario Moon to Miami for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, Colangelo has made a move with benefits for the short, intermediate and long term.
O’Neal’s offence had been made largely redundant by the long-awaited ascendancy of Andrea Bargnani. Moon gave the Raps some length and leaping ability but his penchant for inconsistent outings, spotty defence and ill-considered shots won’t be missed.
In the 30-year-old Marion, the Raptors get a player who can address their major deficiency: a lack of scoring and defence from the small forward spot.
Marion is averaging 12 points and 8.7 rebounds a night and while that represents a substantial drop from five years ago when he crested at 21.8 points and 12 rebounds a game, he remains an exceptionally unique player with enough speed and size to cover the opposition’s best scorer.
If you were looking to perfectly fill the Raptors’ most pressing needs, defence, rebounding, athleticism and speed, you would use the mold they used and then threw out after building Shawn Marion.
Don’t overlook the addition of Marcus Banks. Colangelo erred this summer in not keeping an experienced point guard. The Raptors are his fifth team which is a definite warning sign, but his experience level gives the Raptors badly-needed insurance for Calderon. The Spanish guard has missed 12 games, including the last contest before the break, with a sore right hamstring.
But it’s when you grade out the deal over the short, medium and long term that it becomes appealing.
Short term: Colangelo needed something more than two encouraging wins to sell the notion that the Raptors could climb over six teams and win a spot in the East.
Medium term: The move ripples through the lineup because Bargnani will shift to the middle where his height helps him garner more rebounds closer to the basket.
Offensively, he is evolving into an absurd luxury, a seven-footer who shoots like a two-guard.
Bosh becomes the power forward which is his natural position and where his excellent offensive skills and willingness to rebound can be best deployed.
Marion means that Joey Graham can go back to the bench where he can improve that element of the Raptors rotation.
Long term: Marion has an expiring contract and while this year’s free agent class can’t rival the 2010 harvest (one that may include Bosh), the Raptors need to use their money right now. Bosh’s future will be tied into many factors but a major one is the Raptors’ performance. Marion will help and who knows, a few months could be all Colangelo needs to convince Marion to return here.
If he can’t, his departure could still bear big dividends since various contractual permutations could result in free agents such as Richard Hamilton, Carlos Boozer, Hedo Turkoglu hitting the market.
http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/ulmer.html
