TrueHoop passes on word from Jose Calderon's official website that the Spanish point guard will stick with the Raptors after reaching a contract agreement last night. No numbers yet, though given the quick resolution $50 million for six years would be the baseline.
Calderon could have been -- should have been -- an All-Star last season. He isn't Steve Nash or even Baron Davis. He's almost an elite roleplayer at the point; he helps his teammates get better looks and he makes absolutely no mistakes. There's no starting point guard in the league better at protecting the ball, a fact bolstered by how many darn assists Calderon deals. Limiting turnovers is a hugely underrated skill among point guards, which serves to dampen Calderon's notoriety.
He's also a good shooter -- 50% on the career -- who has learned when to take the three instead of driving the lane. He's said to be a good locker-room guy, he fits the style Sam Mitchell runs as well as the personnel, and he's popular with the fans. Win, win, win for Toronto and Calderon.
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In this video we catch up with WNBA star Candace Parker who tells us about her dunking ability. You might be surprised to hear what she has to say about it. We also interview her brother, Anthony Parker, the star of the Toronto Raptors. Around 2:15 into the video find out from Candace which sibling is more popular.
For O'Neal, this is the fresh start he's been waiting years for. He's still a capable big man, and working in tandem with Chris Bosh means he doesn't have to shoulder the load under a body riddled with injuries.
For Ford, this settles the question of whether the Raptors wanted him or Jose Calderon. Ford has still proven he can be capable, and he goes to a team rebuilding, again, but with a lot of talent, again. The Pacers are very quietly building a considerably deep backcourt. Now they just have to do something with it. There's a lot of talk about how this is a win-win situation, but that's only if O'Neal stays healthy. If he does, though, the Raptors will have a frontcourt that could destroy small worlds. Likewise, TJ Ford has to prove his neck is up to go full speed. So many questions, and we're not even to draft night yet. Hang on to your hats, folks. This one's about to get rocky.
Crystal Ballin'takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.
The Toronto Raptors, the only team where sniveling prospects can blame their lack of desire to attend another low-first workout on passport issues!
Picks: #17. Needs: Bryan Colangelo and/or Sam Mitchell never seem(s) to be satisfied with the swing positions, though the qualifying offer extended to Carlos Delfino last week was a bit of a surprise. Center Centre should get a strong look, too. Rasho Nesterovic's contract with Satan is just about up for renegotiation, and I hear Mr. Nesterovic had the ol' snip-snip. (Mrs. Nesterovic couldn't take his chronic urination all over the house. Bad Rasho!)*
Best case scenario: At #17, there's a sincere possibility a great little prospect could remain on the board. Darrell Arthur's bangerball or Kosta Koufos' pick-and-pop machismo could fit in Smitch's offense just fine. Brandon Rush would also be a victory.
Dwyer at Ball Don't Lie explains why this is such a good deal for Toronto, which needs some defense badly. So let me explain my thoughts on why this works beautifully for Indiana, with an assist from Indy Cornrows, who writes:
Forget all the numbers, cap space, draft picks and expiring contracts for a moment. A deal like this has an aesthetic impact on the Pacers that is hard to quantify. When the two strongest personalities in the organization don't get along, it's a drag on everyone, fans included. I love Jermaine O'Neal and I love Larry Bird, but when it's apparent they don't get along you're almost forced to pick a side. It becomes an unmentionable black cloud hanging over the team and has to have at least a subtle impact on the team.
Sometimes, these clean breaks cause ephemeral periods of holy enlightenment for Earthbound teams weighed down by an old general. Remember Philadelphia? The post-Iverson burst had little to do with reality; in retrospect, I'd venture the mere removal of the long franchise shadow allowed the rest of the team to see the sun for the first time. While the terminal glow can't support itself, it can support future growth, as it has in Philly.
Also: Indiana really needs a point guard. The Pacers already play at a high tempo; Ford's one of the most efficient high-tempo lead guards in the league. And if you're worried about injury risk, um, you're trading Jermaine O'Neal, who played 42 games for the low, low price of $19.7 million last year. Considering Rasho has an expiring contract, and Ford's deal is not too long, this baby needs no more thought.
Rumors are a dime twelve dozen this time of year, but the Arizona Republic has published this morning a dazzling little slice of speculation: the Suns have considered sending Boris Diaw to Toronto in exchange for T.J. Ford and the #17 pick.
Diaw and Leandro Barbosa are the Suns on the block, and talk out of Steve Kerr's breath has indicated Phoenix wants another first-rounder or a higher pick than their current 15th selection. Most rumors to date have Barbosa being given away -- a problematic endeavor considering Leandrinho's the closest thing to a back-up point the Suns have got. And, as we've repeated in each of the past five summers: Steve Nash isn't getting any younger.
That's what makes the rumored Ford deal so entrancing: T.J. won't bristle behind Nash the way he did backing up Jose Calderon, and he's so young (25) that he's a budding heir who can learn from (one of) the best. Meanwhile, Diaw could be a major upgrade from the Jamario Moon-Jason Kapono-Joey Graham gauntlet which manned the small forward slot last season.
Armed with #15, #17 and Barbosa, Phoenix would still be well-poised to slide up into the top 10. New York needs bodies galore -- wouldn't the #6 pick for a Sixth Man of the Year and two solid mid-first choices do wonders?
Typically, player contract buy-outs in the NBA come solely for financial considerations. The heaviest spate of buy-out action came in 2006, when the league instituted its limited amnesty program, allowing teams like Dallas to save some luxury tax cash by cutting overpaid men like Michael Finley loose. Rarely -- Steve Francis in Portland is the only one who comes to mind -- do teams buy out a contract because of a broken relationship or bad attitudes. It's always money.
Toronto won't be saving much cash at all in buying out Jorge Garbajosa, as the Toronto Globe & Mail reports has just happened. After last summer's saga with the Spanish national team, this break-up is solely based on hurt feelings and an incompatible relationship. For his part, team boss Bryan Colangelo pulls the old "it was mutual" bit.
"It's bittersweet," Colangelo said. "Because no matter what the financial benefits of the deal we don't have the player. We missed him last season and now we won't get him back and have to find what he brought to our lineup and that's not easy."
We're sure Garbo needs a hug, too. The G&M's Michael Grange's first guess has Jorge returning to a top Spanish club after the Olympics; dude's 31 years old, coming off a second knee surgery -- yeah, nary an NBA team's offering enough to keep Garbo stateside.
I remain wary of the dichotomy present in Toronto: the team is built on the backs of a Euro style and myriad international players, but Colangelo seems uneasy with allowing his players to be farmed out during the summer international season. (San Antonio shows the same paradox, asking Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Fabricio Oberto to forgo FIBA play last year.) The stance makes practical sense in dollars and cents, but it comes off incredibly shrewish.
It's fairly disappointing to look back at the 2007-08 season and realize I didn't make a single post relating to Jose Calderon's blog. It's been mentioned before, of course, in the relevance of cultural importance, but it doesn't necessarily get a lot of media attention. Or at least not enough media attention. But I bet that will change with Jose's most recent and a little picante entry, posted May 7 and relating to his contract status.
As of today, the Raptors would like me to continue, however until the 1st of July we will not know anything about the possible renewal or other offers from teams interested in me for next season. What is clear is the fact that if I have to choose between a sports offer versus an economic offer, I will opt for the first. I want to be a starter and to be in a team that aspires for everything. Of course I will not be on a team in which I cannot be an important contributor nor if there is not a solid structure or if there are not options to be in the "Playoffs".
Okay, first of all, the fact that the is willing to give up money in order to start for a contender is just superb. It's something that you obviously don't hear much anymore. You do hear people frequently say that they would like to start though, but I feel like JMC's case is a bit of an exception. Clearly, Bryan Colangelo prefers him to T.J. Ford.
He does so with good reason; Calderon is a better point guard. Calderon probably should have been an All Star this season, and he is also clearly the future at the point for Toronto. And if he gets his wish, he'll be the only future. Honestly, too, that doesn't seem like something Jose would fire out publicly if he didn't believe the team was ready to move Ford either.
In news that can either be described as an anti-collusion effort or simple petty bitterness, the Globe and Mail reports that when the Suns granted Mike D'Antoni permission to speak to other teams about their head coaching positions, they had one condition. He is not allowed to speak with the Toronto Raptors.
Now, if the two teams were division rivals, this would be pretty self-explanatory. If they were conference rivals, even, I could see the inherent value. But as they play in different conferences, there are really only two options. The first is that Suns owner Robert Sarver wanted to make sure D'Antoni's buddy and Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo didn't benefit if he was in any way involved in D'Antoni's decision to ride out of the desert. This is not beyond reason, considering the personal and professional relationship between the two. Likewise, it prevents D'Antoni from hooking back up with Colangelo and re-instituting the "run and gun" which the Suns have decided to abandon, and succeeding with it where the Suns failed, however unlikely that may be. Better to just nip the possibility in the bud than to risk further embarrassment and attention to how quickly the Suns disintegrated when Sarver hired Steve Kerr.
My favorite character? Bosh as the chef (45 seconds in), though the cable guy (1:27) gets bonus points for the wig and fake stomach. Sure, it may look like a low budget version of The LeBrons, but before you accuse Bosh of copying LBJ realize they're both clearly inspired by every other Eddie Murphy movie. Besides, I think the lack of polish (and commercialism) actually makes it better.
TrueHoop passes on word from Jose Calderon's official website that the Spanish point guard will stick with the Raptors after reaching a contract agreement last night. No numbers yet, though given the quick resolution $50 million for six years would be the baseline.
The rumors had been fluttering for the past 24 hours, and it's apparently a done deal. 
While Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski says 
Rumors are a dime twelve dozen this time of year, but the Arizona Republic has published this morning 
Typically, player contract buy-outs in the NBA come solely for financial considerations. The heaviest spate of buy-out action came in 2006, when the league instituted its limited amnesty program, allowing teams like Dallas to save some luxury tax cash by cutting overpaid men like 
It's fairly disappointing to look back at the 2007-08 season and realize I didn't make a single post relating to 
In news that can either be described as an anti-collusion effort or simple petty bitterness, 
