Yahoo: Raps sign Linas Kleiza to 4 year 18.8M offer sheet

[FirstInkTDot]

If Kleiza does get dealt here I see a great chance of Hedo being gone...

[cp007]

Being competitive is character building while getting whipped time and again is confidence-destroying for young players.

I'll care when we have a franchise player. There's not one player left that I'm even remotely concerned about.

We're already the laughing stock of the league... ask Bosh

Dude you need to chill out. NJ Nets flirted with the worst record last year, and if they get shut out in this free agency, you think they are going to be better than us?

[D-Wins-RingsIMO]

since when is being a 33% 3pt shooter something that should be flaunted?

Also lol @ him getting the same number of wide open looks here that he did in Denver.

He's a serious dog to shoot a high 30's 3pt % given what he did the last 2 years in the league and the lack of drive and kick or double teams we can produce.

[Brinbe]

Raptors have lost last bit of leverage in Bosh S&T

http://heathoops.net/2010/07/raptors-ha ... mment-1206

Oh goodie! Thanks!

[Anatomize]

He's only 25 and has great per minute production.. I can't see why anyone would be disappointed with this signing.. we got a superb role player/intangibles/tough .. and he mixes in with the culture.. great signing

[Rapsobsessed7]

so no beasley but we get linas. Good stuff.

[FirstInkTDot]

Get star players first, bench players second - it's not that effin' hard to understand.

Where are you planning on getting this star player?

Maybe Lebron will choose Toronto tonight????

Christ, do I have to really spell it out for some of you?

If you can't get a star player this year, don't sign a bench guy for $20 mil.

You see how simple that is?

You know how simple it is to sign a guy for 50 mil? and have him on the bench?

[heemer]

Great signing. SF with a different dimension from our other wings.

Good value

Add some toughness that actually includes production.

Still young, and tradable if needed

[FirstInkTDot]

so no beasley but we get linas. Good stuff.

[jrsmith]

so no beasley but we get linas. Good stuff.

I was actually kind of annoyed by this signing at first, but in reality this signing will almost make no difference on our record, and its 1 step closer to bringing in garbage removal of management/coaches/players after this season. Its not that bad.

[brownbobcat]

So lets go into next year with POB and Evans as the starting front court!

You accumulate assets, and see where that takes you.

So adding Kleiza to the mix takes that front court to the next level, huh? Accumulating useless assets is exactly what landed BC in this mess.

Look at the teams who have tanked in the NBA (NJ, Clippers, Minnesota) and look where thats taken them.

I could conversely tell you to look at teams like OKC, Cleveland, Denver or Orlando. Yes, you need to be lucky - no one's disputing that. But name me a team that got its stars through accumulating assets without having a boatload of luck.

[Greg Stink]

This is a very good signing, IMO. I'd have preferred Outlaw, but that contract off an injury year is crazy.

This thread is full of guys who say that Kleiza sucks or that he'll keep us on the treadmill. He's doesn't, he will not. He's a weak-side guy on offence and he plays defence. He's a complimentary player who will be complimenting crap.

Instantly the toughest Raptor and his contract will be moveable. A great bench player who can start, and it's not like we have any young 3s he'll steal minutes from. Weems is not a 3, he got posted and toasted by anyone with size last year, Demar is all 2 and of course we need a shooter if our young bigs are to have any space and our 2s are mid-range shooter/slashers.

The fit is more strange for him than us, he really deserves to be coming off the bench for a winner. I think it's just a matter of time before we trade him to one.

[Thelonious]

Good signing. Hustler. Needs to work on consistency to get respect from the refs and can be a really good player.
1. It gives BC even more room to play hardball in order to trade Hedo to another team.
2. If Hedo stays you know Kleiza is the kind of guy that Hedo will have to compete for minutes with. I can see this working out pretty well.

I don't even want to read all the pessimist crap that's out there.

[aligator]

Great signing. I wanted Raps to draft him out of college. His level of play will be a big upside surprise. Trades still to come.

[deeps6x]

Before I read any of the 34+!! pages of comments, I'd like to say that Kleiza was my top choice of the players being proposed as options (Childress was #2) a couple of days ago. Primarily because it gives me hope that he will take Hedo's spot, but also because he is a good fit for the team, as currently constructed. That said, I haven't formed an opinion on the amount of the contract yet. But knowing BC, he probably over paid by quite a lot. Now... on to the comments to see what 'valuable' insights the rest of you lot have provided.

[Rhettmatic]

Sonny Weems has weighed in:

“I’m glad to have him,” Raptors swingman Sonny Weems, who was on Denver two years ago as well, said. “He can score. He can shoot the ball. We’re going to need shooters next year to stretch the defence out.

“He’s a real cool dude.”

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2010/07/ ... z0t6iPQ2zZ

[Rapsobsessed7]

so this puts us over the cap. Meaning we have 10 million before luxury tax. So we either arent using the TE or were taking Beasley?

[heemer]

What are you guys expecting?

This guy is just a solid rotation player. Get over it, we're not pulling in a star, were not making the playoffs but we are going to need rotation players. $5M /yr for an outright signing is actually reasonable for any player with a record of past production. Look at every other contract being given out.

[Jmatt12]

We still need someone who can play solid minutes at the 5. I'm ok with Linas not really expecting much.

[brownbobcat]

You guys act like this isn't the NBA and players don't make that kind of money.

Read the post. Star plays first, then bench players. I'm OK with giving Kleiza that money if Toronto had a star, which they clearly do not have.

Except it's not that simple. At all. If you don't use the MLE, you lose it. When you're over the cap, the MLE is the only way to add assets to your team aside from a trade or the draft. It is exceptionally rare that you will get a star player with the MLE, unless your team is already on the cusp of a championship (Artest). Anyone acquired through the MLE can be used as an asset in a trade later on. Forgoing your MLE because of some organizational commitment to being bad is not a good idea, ever. Even in a rebuild.

And why would you want a rebuilding team to be perpetually over the cap? You act like repeatedly using the MLE on bench players has no effect on cap space and salary flexibility. How do you think the Knicks worsened their cap situation a few years ago? It's perfectly fine to NOT sign players, because those assets have very little trade value.