Yahoo/Sportsnet: J. O

[dagger]

I'll go on record as saying that I am not a fan of this deal. Yes, Ford has his injury issues, but O'Neal hasn't played a full season in 4 years.

The only reason I am not furious is because of O'Neal is only signed for this year and next year. I think if he is healthy, he makes the Raptors a better team right now - and then next year, he is a massive expiring contract that can be of tremendous value.

So I'm cautiously optimistic overall, but I would have much preferred someone a little younger and a little healthier.

Sure, younger and healthier, but Ford is no healthier and that's why this deal happened. A healthy Ford should fetch more but that's just not going to happen.

[Rapsobsessed7]

wait so this deal might not happen... wtf but what about all the reports saying its done. whattttttttt is going on

[Champipple]

I doubt it unless Jermaine flunks a physical or something. Deals rarely get this far without going through, although I remember the Alvin Williams for Danny Forston (i think) deal got rescinded after going to the media.

[Guy Smiley]

I thought you hated Ford, Guy? If Ford sucks so bad, what are you so afraid of?

I don't like Ford and glad he is gone. Like I predicted when the CV deal took place... We would be kicking TJ to the curb because he is a pansy. I don't see things ending well with JO. The only good I can see is if he gets Sam fired. Oh happy day.

[chsh22]

If he gets Sam fired, when and where is the parade?

[Shaazzam]

Generally, I'm not a big fan of acquiring young guys in trades to fill out the top end of the roster. There are too many questions about their contract values, and since they haven't made their money yet, I question their willingness to sacrifice. With O'Neal, we don't have to resign him. And if we do want to, it will be at probably $10M less than is current deal.

Time and time again, it's the veteran teams that win games. They understand what it takes. And when you add upper tier talent and veteran savvy together, you can be dangerous. We can talk aboutbeing scared to be on a treadmill all we want, but since we don't have Bron Bron, we need to make our team as solid as possible at all positions. Incrementally improveing our roster is exactly what we have to do. We don't have a top five player, and we most likely are not going to get one. It's all well and good to clamour or draft picks, but like I've said since BC got here, I'd rather be able to maintain flexibility and pounce when opportunities arise. I like having vets in major roles helping the team win, while younger players are riding their coattails a bit while still contributing. Young guys can learn how to be a professional and what it takes to win.

And if people are really worried about age, we just saved about four years on our starting big, rather than adding four years somewhere else. Roko is younger than TJ, no?

[FluLikeSymptoms]

As reported in SI's article about the TJ trade, Larry Bird has recently said that Shawne Williams is "on thin ice". Did we get him, too, I wonder? That would make giving up the pick easier to deal with.

[YogiStewart]

strange that Indy is now denying this trade.
smokescreen for their possible interests at the 17 spot?
looking at trading up in the draft?

who knows

[Rapsobsessed7]

im scared does anyone else think this deal wont go through...

[Rhettmatic]

From Doug Smith's comments:

Hi Doug, I know you don't like to answer questions in the comments, but this will be old news by the time the mailbag comes around:

Does Indiana denying the trade throw cold water on this at all, or is Indiana just playing it as you would expect?

thanks.

Blogger's note: It's what they have to say. It's what these guys would say if they ever commented publicly.

http://thestar.blogs.com/raptors/2008/0 ... /#comments

(sorry if this posted twice, this board is constantly eating my posts)

[El Presidente]

BTW, live chat for the draft on http://raptorsnation.org @ 6:30PM

Just throwing it out there.

[TripleTTT]

This trade was ripped apart by a writer in The Star.

http://www.thestar.com/article/449551

Desribes Raptors as not so young anymore, desperate.

BC as putting more intention into his wardrobe than the team.

[Hank_Scorpio]

Sure, younger and healthier, but Ford is no healthier and that's why this deal happened. A healthy Ford should fetch more but that's just not going to happen.

I'm aware of that.

The question is whether you go

a) another talented guy with injury issues

b) a less-talented guy with no injury issues

I would have gone with b) - though if I was going to go with a), then at least I would make sure to get a guy on a short-term deal, which is what Colangelo did.

[s e n s i]

This trade was ripped apart by a writer in The Star.

http://www.thestar.com/article/449551

Desribes Raptors as not so young anymore, desperate.

BC as putting more intention into his wardrobe than the team.

Dave Feschuk is a unibrowed douche, and I hope he reads that.

[Death Knight]

Both teams have to deny it. It's the nature of the business. Since it can't be officially announced until July 1st and officially go through until July 9th, denial is the standard thing to do until then.

[Jay_Hawk]

This trade was ripped apart by a writer in The Star.

http://www.thestar.com/article/449551

Desribes Raptors as not so young anymore, desperate.

BC as putting more intention into his wardrobe than the team.

Dave Feschuk is a unibrowed douche, and I hope he reads that.

Saw the article in the DP's thread, and before even knowing it was a Star article, I knew it was Feschuk (the title says it all).
I'm interested in how he believes this is a step backwards for the team. The only argument he makes is that the team needs rebounding because Bargs is highly allergic to Spalding leather, which is more criticism of the pick than the trade itself. And he constantly claims JO is immature...did I miss something? It seems like Pacers fans have nothing but love and admiration for the man. I mean, it's not as though this trade handcuffs the team for the distant future in any way- he even claims it will improve our .500 club- so how he considers this a 'step backwards' is beyond me. The only thing he does throughout the article is not berate the trade itself on potent merits, but rather, dissect Colangelo's choice of wardrobe and how he can spin that into the Raptors current dillema. Just goes to show he's probably more of a creative writer/puck head than someone who covers Canada's only B-ball team should be...

[pspot]

Bobcat just said the deal included Joey

while he is an ass and doesnt know **** about basketball, his sources are usually pretty good

that would good for the raps cap situation if it is Joey

[ChaSiu]

just a question..
if we're drafting on behalf of the pacers.. what if something crazy happens? like westbrook or brooke lopez or someone projected to go early first round falls to us?

would BC backtrack and kill the trade?

[wajr]

Bobcat just said the deal included Joey

while he is an ass and doesnt know **** about basketball, his sources are usually pretty good

that would good for the raps cap situation if it is Joey

Excellent!

[localballah]

Just an update from Si.com on the Jermaine O'Neal/TJ Ford trade (agreed in principle):

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/basketball/nba/specials/draft/2008/06/26/yi.jefferson.trade/index.html?eref=T1


More draft buzz

• As of Thursday afternoon, it appeared that the proposed trade of Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto for T.J. Ford had received the medical OK of both teams and was expected to be finalized (for salary cap purposes) on July 9.

The main reason the Raptors were looking to move Ford was to create room -- on the court and in their budget -- for Jose Calderon, a restricted free agent expected to be retained by Toronto this summer. But the trade won't be consummated until Ford checks out with Indiana's doctors.

If that happens, then Indiana will also wind up with center Rasho Nesterovic and the No. 17 pick in the draft to go with its own pick at No. 11. The Pacers were expected to reach out for a point guard with their higher selection, but if Ford is on their roster they'll be able to go in a different direction. Everything I'm hearing points to the Pacers using No. 11 on LSU big man Anthony Randolph as the player with the biggest upside in the draft. The hope would be that he would become a star to eventually replace O'Neal up front.