Post#240 » by Ell Curry » Mon Jan 16, 2012 11:58 pm
I completely agree on Batum. He's insanely efficient on offense, his usage and PER are higher this year and he's a good 3 point shooter who plays good D. Sign him to a 5 year 50 million (Afflalo, a similar player, but 3 years older got 5 years and between 38-43 depending on incentives) and you get him from age 24-28. Perfect role player and low-risk.
Draft the best player available in this draft and the next, let Calderon run out his contract unless he can be traded for an expiring and a pick (Lakers for Walton + 2 minimum guys + a first works for me), let James Johnson and Bayless go (or again, preferably trade them for expiring contracts and a cheap, cost-controlled player) and amnesty Kleiza's last year if he picks up his option. Then you go into 2013 Free Agency at around 46 million (48-49 if you can trade some combo of Calderon, Bayless and Johnson for expirings and a pick/rookie contract player), looking like this:
Valenciaunas-Amir (10 Million)
Bargnani-Davis (14 MIllion)
Batum-???? (10 Million)
Derozan-???? (4 Million)
????---???? (0 Million)
+ 2012 Lottery Pick (3 Million)
+ 2013 Lottery Pick (3 Million
+ 2012 2nd Rounder (1 Million)
+ 2013 2nd Rounder (1 Million)
Assuming the cap goes up to around 59 million that year, you're looking at about 13 million to spend on a perimeter player. Only Derozan becomes a free agent the next year, so if there's no decent options who will come to Toronto, he can be traded for a rookie contract player and the 12-13 million left after incremental rookie scale raises allows the Raps to give it another go. If Bayless really breaks out, pay him the 6-7 it would take to keep him and you've still got 6-7 to spend and 3 million can always be freed up by trading one of the lotto picks or Davis, or 6 million by trading Amir, for future picks.
Pick up good rotation players on the draft picks and the 2013 and you've got a nice, Philly/Denver/Portland type team with no stars, but 9 rotation players 28 and under. If one of the picks brings in a star, sky's the limit. Ideally, Casey or a similarly decent coach would not have been brought in until that summer and the tank the next 2 years would be better, but still. That's an exciting team. With 9 decent players, 3 of whom are really young in Valenciaunas, 2012 pick and 2013 pick, you've got the potential to make an offer to a team for a star, as well.
Positionally, we need perimeter players, but you have to get the best player available at your pick. If it's a PF this year, Davis or Bargnani can be dealt for a pick or rookie contract talent.
This rebuild could actually work. Not many teams have the chance to get 4 productive inside players, 2 top 10 picks, a swingman who can score off the bench and have 20-23 million to spend on either a max free agent and a player just above MLE value, or 2 solid starters at 10-11 million each. It's all about assets at this point. The Raptors need to use their cap space and lottery picks wisely, and then can go up to the tax without going over by giving 2 of Jonas V and the Lotto picks the raises they'll want. Besides, as Marlo said, "That sound like one of them good problems."
Where's the D?
