Doug Smith: Raptors close to signing FA with MLE

[Spragga]

C'mon Ronnie

[Kid Canada]

probably gomes

[McFurious1]

It's going to be J.J. Redick which I wouldn't mind... but would perfer Travis Outlaw.

[theonlyeastcoastrapsfan]

I tend to think part of the reason we signed Amir to the amount we did was to ensure we'd be over the cap if Bosh left with nothing but picks and a TPE, so that we could use the MLE.

[basketball royalty]

How much is the MLE this year?

[The_Toro]

I don't understand the fascination with Ryan Gomes. I do NOT care if he is still young, but he was given ample opportunity to succeed in Minny, and failed to do so. What makes you guys think things would magically change? He is definitely not worth close to-full MLE.

The only players that make sense for our team is Ronnie Brewer, Josh Childress, Matt Barnes, or a RFA like Morrow.

Outside of Morrow, all guys play tough D. That should be the basis for all moves this off-season - that is to make this club a better team on the defensive end. If it so happens to be a young player who succeeds on that end, even better. Offensively, I am not worried about Bosh leaving this team. I think with a couple of moves, this team can be better now, and for the long haul.

Yes only these 4, No way to JJ or Brown

[darth_federer]

Id love if it was Matt Barnes. What better way to show that youre changing the culture of the team than bringing in a tough defensive minded guy. The full MLE might be overpaying him, but I hope its Barnes.

[basketball royalty]

Id love if it was Matt Barnes. What better way to show that youre changing the culture of the team than bringing in a tough defensive minded guy. The full MLE might be overpaying him, but I hope its Barnes.

I don't think it is overpaying, especially out him of all the guys we have been discussing. I think Barnes is more than just a defender too, a very well rounded player IMO. Though my favorite part for us is the toughness and D.

Also, what is the MLE dollar value exactly? I'm guessing around 5-6MIL? Is that right?

[Duffman100]

Id love if it was Matt Barnes. What better way to show that youre changing the culture of the team than bringing in a tough defensive minded guy. The full MLE might be overpaying him, but I hope its Barnes.

I really can't see it being Barnes. Going from a contender to a crappy team.

[theonlyeastcoastrapsfan]

Id love if it was Matt Barnes. What better way to show that youre changing the culture of the team than bringing in a tough defensive minded guy. The full MLE might be overpaying him, but I hope its Barnes.

I really can't see it being Barnes. Going from a contender to a crappy team.

He said he'd sign with the first team to offer a fair multi year deal. I think the money may be high, but I think Barnes is the kind of guy we want to bring in.

[basketball royalty]

Id love if it was Matt Barnes. What better way to show that youre changing the culture of the team than bringing in a tough defensive minded guy. The full MLE might be overpaying him, but I hope its Barnes.

I really can't see it being Barnes. Going from a contender to a crappy team.

Money talks. Orlando fans seem resigned to the fact they won't be able to keep him. Now if we offer more than other teams why wouldn't he want to come here? We aren't talking about Ron Artest who has made his money, Barnes has been working for this day for a long time.

[darth_federer]

I think Barnes will come if we give him MLE money. Hes made the minimum the past couple of seasons.

[Double Helix]

Lol, sorry, my bad.

I also forgot the 'we have young players who will be improving while somehow all the other team's young players won't' mantra.

I like our core but I'm with HP on this for the first time in a long time and even if you're more optimistic than I am that one of DD, ED and AB are top 20 NBA talents someday I don't see why so many of you wouldn't want a crack at another in the draft.

As I said, I really, really like our core at the moment. I like Derozan a lot. I still have no idea how good he can/will be but I see signs of him becoming a Richard Jefferson-esque player down the raoad. And that's me being optimistic.

I think Ed Davis has Joakim Noah/Horford potential to be a very important piece on a team in the future without requiring a ton of touches. I also like that because he's presumably going to become a high energy, high quality role player along the lines of those two players... he won't be commanding max money the way Bosh does. A 20/10/1.5blk PF wants max money. A 10/10/1.5 guy gets closer to fair market value and can be built around more easily. And that's me being optimistic.

I like Andrea Bargnani more than most. We all know he's unique; most see that as a bad thing. I still think he can be useful on a well-built team because of his offensive talent. I also think he has the ability to become a better defender and rebounder due to his lack of experience playing the center position in basketball. He was thrown into the fire at a new position in the NBA and he's done pretty well. I think he will continue to improve and that's me being optimistic.

I like Amir Johnson a lot. I think he's the perfect high energy, long, hard-working big most good teams need coming off the bench. I'm happy he'll be around for a while as we continue to add pieces to this young team.

I'm optimistic but even the optimist in me believes that even if our players continue to grow in dramatic ways they're still lacking a superstar guard who can slash/create and put opponents in foul trouble and I see no reason why we shouldn't "tank" (tank to me means heavily featuring our youngest players for more than 30+ minutes per game) for at least one season and hope for an elite level wing prospect.

Derozan isn't going to quit on this team after two losing seasons, especially if he's heavily featured. Ed Davis will be a rookie and he won't care about losing either if he's playing a lot. AB is committed to this team long-term and he won't be demanding any trades. Amir Johnson won't either. THIS IS THE YEAR TO TANK. NONE OF OUR CORE PLAYERS WILL BE DEMANDING TRADES IF WE SUCK AND IT WILL ONLY GET HARDER TO TANK AFTER THIS YEAR BECAUSE OUR YOUNG CORE WILL WANT TO WIN MORE AND MORE AS THE YEARS ROLL ON.

As good as this core "might be" we still could use more talent. Every team can. This is the year to tank.

[Jose_Matador]

signing Matt Barnes would be a waste...these players should be reserved for teams who are "one role player away from..."

not bottom feeder teams who won't need his services, we're better off signing a young guy like Travis Outlaw, Ronnie Brewer etc. guys that will fit right in with the young gunz.

[dacrusha]

+1.

We already have youth, no more rebuilding. Lets get the proper pieces and try to make a run for the playoffs next year. You guys may disagree, but i like BC's approach.

We're losing a player that put up a top-50 season of all time and replacing him with spare parts.

How is this the type of approach that will garner a playoff appearance?

Really? How did you come up with that? Link? Also, no matter what your answer is, you still would have to define it as 'top-50 statistical season of all time'.

Meant top 100 and PER as a guideline.

Regardless, it's still a huge achievement.

[raptorforlife88]

If it were one of Childress, Kleiza, or Ronnie Brewer I'd be pretty pleased.

[Alfred]

This is who I want in decending order:

Anthony Morrow: Unbelievable 3 point shooter on good volume, decent rebounder, only 24. Top of the list.
Ronnie Brewer: Elite defender, until this past season a very good finisher at the basket, also 24. Can't really create his own shot, poor outside shooter as well.
JJ Redick: Can do a bit of everything, can shoot the three, pass, create his own shot and his defense is pretty good as well. 25 years old.
Josh Childress: One of the best finishers in the NBA at the 2 guard spot. Good rebounder, decent defender. He's 26.

[Courtside]

I tend to think part of the reason we signed Amir to the amount we did was to ensure we'd be over the cap if Bosh left with nothing but picks and a TPE, so that we could use the MLE.

We didn't have to do that before Bosh leaving, though - since both Bosh and Johnson have cap holds that kept our MLE in place. Bosh could have left and then we could have decided to sign Amir or not. The signing was done to make sure there was no bidding for Amir once the main guys landed new deals and to signal to Chris that life goes on in Toronto and around the league, so he might want to come to a decision sooner rather than later.

[hype_2004]

My heart says Josh Childress but my gut tells me Kyle Korver, this team need a shooter. Josh is attainable but he's a RFA that could be potentially matched by the Hawks, Korver is free to sign wherever he wants with no strings attached.

[cookieman]

I'm kind of scared it's Rasual Butler.

My guess is Childress though, or possibly Morrow. Has to be a guy like those, around 25, and not a guy around 30, like Barnes. You would hope, anyway.