Bouncin' Around: How Much Scouting Do You Really Need?

Bouncin' Around is NBA FanHouse's weekly insider notebook.

A little while back, the Memphis Grizzlies took a lot of heat when word got out that five of their scouts had either left or been let go.

At the time, general manager Chris Wallace downplayed the departures, calling it nothing more than a "restructuring," and adding that he prefers working with "a smaller group."

The Grizzlies, of course, were one of the worst teams in the league last season, which made it very easy to ridicule the move. But the fact of the matter is that the Grizzlies don't appear to be the only team trimming their scouting staffs.

Or restructuring or consolidating or cutting back or whatever you want to call it. The Warriors, Nets and Bobcats all have tinkered with their staffs. Streamlining operations, if you will.

More teams have done it, too. The bottom line is that most teams have full-time scouts, part-time scouts and scouts who work on a contract basis. Lopping off a few scouts here and there won't necessarily show up in the NBA transactions.

The reality of the situation seems to be that with virtually every college and international game available on television or the internet or via DVD, do you really need to flood the world with an expanded scouting staff?

NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry certainly doesn't think so. He recently gave an interview to Warriorsworld.net, where he pretty much derided the way NBA teams go about the scouting business.

Barry was asked about the Warriors' Anthony Randolph and admitted he hadn't seen him much. Not that Barry couldn't figure it out in a hurry.

"I don't really know his game at all," Barry said. "It wouldn't take me long to figure out what he can or can't do on the court. All I need is to see him play one game to figure it out. That's why I'm always astonished by the amount of scouting because if you can't go watch a player one time and figure out if he's worth watching again, then why are you a scout? How long does it take to figure out a guy is a player? It shouldn't take more than one game to figure out if he can play or not and the reason to see him again would be to see his heart, character and things of that nature."

Certainly there's a financial aspect to all this that must be acknowledged, with many teams looking to save money in this economic climate. But there also seems to be a growing belief out there that bigger doesn't necessarily mean better when it comes to scouting and the NBA draft.

What about Watson?

Restricted free agent C.J. Watson is still sitting with that same three-year, $4.5 million offer from the Warriors he was three weeks ago.

The question is: Why isn't he signing it?

Well, Watson doesn't want to take the offer until and unless he knows it's to start a sign-and-trade with another team, ideally the Orlando Magic. Watson has made it clear he'd rather play for the Magic than the Warriors.

But all indications are that the Magic and Warriors haven't been able to work out a deal ... yet. And there remains some uncertainty about whether or not the Warriors want to keep Watson, despite his wishes.

So, the wait continues.

The Toronto Overhaul

Nobody can say Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo isn't trying. On the heels of a 33-win season, Colangelo has been this offseason's busiest executive, without a doubt.

On Monday, Colangelo completed a four-player trade with the Bucks, sending to Milwaukee Carlos Delfino and Roko Ukic and getting back Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems.

If you're scoring at home, all that's left from last season's Raptors are Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon.

More Steinmetz on Twitter: @matt_steinmetz