Solving The Bosh Puzzle: The Detroit Pistons Piece

So one day in late April, I checked in on my blog and noticed a lack of something. Sifting through them, I found pieces on Hedo, the Young Gunz, the Amazing Race, video games, the Olympics, etc. But the one thing that was truly missing was a piece about the franchise - CB4. And yeah, sure, maybe I did that because every other media outlet was beating the whole "Chris Bosh" topic to death; but still.

Like many others, I don't want to take Bosh for granted. And so with the realization that he may be gone very soon, I wanted to dedicate the next 30 days or so to him with my writing and this very blog. After all, this may be my last chance to discuss him on here.

The mission - should you choose to read it - is simple. Everyday, I'll breakdown a different team's outlook in regards to acquiring our franchise player. We'll take a look at how a potential transaction will affect both sides of the spectrum, and whether or not such a move could potentially go down.

Disclaimer: Let's please keep in mind that I'm not majoring in the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement; so if there's a few errors here and there in that regards, please let me know. Thanks!

Previous Piece: The Denver Nuggets

Today's Piece: The Detroit Pistons



Players Of Interests
Richard Hamilton
Tayshaun Prince
Ben Gordon
Jason Maxiell
Rodney Stuckey
Austin Daye
Jonas Jerebko

Ladies and gentlemen, to your left, you'll see a prime example of what happens when you mess around with a formula that works: The Detroit Pistons! Having been built recently through players with high basketball IQ both on the offensive and defensive end, the Pistons went a different route last summer. Their off-season blockbuster acquisitions included the likes of Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. And not to anyone's surprise, they were teased for picking up two dudes only known for their offensive arsenal but with no interest whatsoever in playing defense.

As expected by many, this experiment turned out to be a failure. Both Charlie and Ben were hampered by injuries, and neither player was able to tap into what made them so successful in their contract year.

But through it all, I fully expect this team to bounce back next season. Why? This franchise is just too proud to have another horrid year. Keeping in mind they stay healthy, this very same team would challenge for a late playoff spot. But I don't think that's good enough, so let's say they take a shot at Bosh.

The problem with Detroit is that they're kind of like us. There's a lot of serviceable players on long expensive contracts, but no stars, future stars, or players on bargain deals. With that in mind, we are pretty poor potential Bosh partners.

One thing I can see Detroit wanting to do and BC probably not minding is taking on Piston players with long term deals. I'm talking about Rip Hamilton and Ben Gordon. If a Bosh deal went down, one of these guys would definitely be sent our way. We take the contract off their hands, while we provide a change of scenery to a player still capable of lighting it up.

I think obviously their most attractive piece is Tayshaun Prince. Again, he doesn't do anything special, but he knows how to win and more importantly, he's got a 11 million dollar expiring contract attached to his name. There's nothing ever wrong with adding more length.

Three other players that wouldn't be bad pickups are Maxiell, Jerebko, and Stuckey. If for some reason we can't retain Amir Johnson, Maxiell wouldn't be a bad pickup to replace him if we were to deal with Detroit. Jerebko is another big in that mold who would probably be just as effective as Maxiell but at a much cheaper price. And lastly, Stuckey would be a fairly decent option as a scoring point guard next to Hedo Turkoglu.

My Preferred Scenario:

Raptors Trade Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon,
Pistons Trade Tayshaun Prince (expiring), Austin Daye, Rip Hamilton

It was tough to come up with a trade that both made sense for the Raptors and the Pistons/Bosh. I'm not exactly sure Bosh would be amped up to play with Stuckey/Gordon/Villaneuva. But if you're asking me what I would prefer back from Detroit, this package would be it. Prince provides us with salary cap, Daye gives us that length and a young piece moving forward, while Rip Hamilton becomes the perfect player to pair up with Turk. For the Pistons...umm...well, I dunno. I guess if you could find a decent rebounding and shot-blocking big, as well as a defensive stopper at the 3 spot, you could have pretty well rounded team there....

More Likely Scenario:

We just stay away from each other.

Solving The Bosh Puzzle: The Denver Nuggets Piece

So one day in late April, I checked in on my blog and noticed a lack of something. Sifting through them, I found pieces on Hedo, the Young Gunz, the Amazing Race, video games, the Olympics, etc. But the one thing that was truly missing was a piece about the franchise - CB4. And yeah, sure, maybe I did that because every other media outlet was beating the whole "Chris Bosh" topic to death; but still.

Like many others, I don't want to take Bosh for granted. And so with the realization that he may be gone very soon, I wanted to dedicate the next 30 days or so to him with my writing and this very blog. After all, this may be my last chance to discuss him on here.

The mission - should you choose to read it - is simple. Everyday, I'll breakdown a different team's outlook in regards to acquiring our franchise player. We'll take a look at how a potential transaction will affect both sides of the spectrum, and whether or not such a move could potentially go down.

Disclaimer: Let's please keep in mind that I'm not majoring in the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement; so if there's a few errors here and there in that regards, please let me know. Thanks!

Previous Piece: The Dallas Mavericks

Today's Piece: The Denver Nuggets



Players of Interests:
Kenyon Martin
J.R. Smith
Chris Andersen
Ty Lawson
Aaron Affalo

If there's one team who can top off the previous team we discussed in regards to disappointments, it would definitely be the Denver Nuggets. Not your typical 4th seed (only 1 game back of 3rd, 2 games back of 2nd, and 4 from the 1st seed), heavy expectations were placed heading into the post-season. They had everything you could want in a team destined to make a strong push for a title. The leadership and ability to hit the clutch shot at point guard with Billups. Length, athleticism, and paint intimidation at the 4 and 5 spots. 3 point shooters and instant offense off the bench. And lastly, a swingman with the ability to take over the game.

So what happened?

Well, they ran into an equally tough and well coached Utah Jazz team. Perhaps the absence of George Karl played a role in it. Or maybe the right fit wasn't there. Personally, I put a lot of blame in their lack of a post presence on the offensive side of the ball.

Here are the scoring averages Denver's bigs put up in the post-season:

Nene: 11.4 pts
Martin: 10.0 pts
Andersen: 4.5 pts

If you compare that to the teams are left in the playoffs, Denver really doesn't have that one big that they can rely on to score when things get really gritty in the playoffs. Phoenix has it with Amare (20.5 pts), the Lakers have it with Gasol (20.2), Boston has it in KG with one leg (17.1), while Cleveland uses a combo of Jamison (16.5) and Shaq (10.5). And then of course there's Orlando who still has Dwight averaging 15 points a game in the playoffs, but also can rely on the biggest army of 3 point shooters in the NBA.

So why not add Chris Bosh to you team folks!

First and foremost, Ty Lawson has to be included in whatever deal could potentially be made. If I'm Bryan Colangelo, I don't make a deal with them unless Lawson is included. This is just my opinion, but if there's one point guard who could have shared the glory and spotlight with Jennings, Evans, and Curry if he had been given a chance, it would be Ty. Playing behind Billups unfortunately means you won't be getting heavy minutes, but every time Chauncey went down, Lawson filled in beautifully. And imagine grouping our Young Gunz with an athletic speedster like this:



Next, one player that has to absolutely be involved is Kenyon Martin. Even though he's as injury prone as you can possibly get these days, it's his expiring contract that will be attractive to the Raptors. Most likely picking up his player option, Martin will turn into a 16.5 million dollar expiring. Even if he doesn't play a single game for the Raps, my mind is racing with what we can do with that amount of money in possible trades.

Other players that come to mind are JR Smith, the Birdman, and Aaron Affalo. Of the 3, Smith and Affalo would probably interest the Raps more. Chris "The Birdman" Andersen would be a decent big off the bench for us, but I don't think the Raps are looking to lock themselves up in expensive long term deals at the moment. Besides, I would rather give the money I'd be spending on Andersen to Amir Johnson.

My Preferred Scenario:
Raptors Trade Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon
Nuggets Trade Kenyon Martin (expiring), Ty Lawson, JR Smith (expiring)

I'm actually really liking this. I'm not sure if it'd be agreed on by both sides or if the trade works financially (should be close though). But it really is perfect for us. We get to dump Jose Calderon's contract on them (which expires only 1 year after Billups and Melo). At the same time, we acquire a gigantic expiring contract, our possible point guard of the future, and an explosive wingman who might flourish with a change of scenery. Meanwhile, Denver heads into the Western Conference War with a Big 3 of Billups/Melo/Bosh.


More Likely Scenario:

Raptors Trade Chris Bosh
Nuggets Trade Kenyon Martin (expiring), Ty Lawson

Still a pretty good return in my eyes. And pretty self explanatory if you read what I wrote above. Yeah, I'd still prefer to dump Jose and pick up JR, but beggars can't be choosers.

Maria Jose Martinez Sport Gallery

Maria Jose Martinez - Sanchez

María José Martínez Sánchez (born 12 August, 1982 in Yecla, Murcia, Spain) is a professional tennis player from Spain. In singles, Martínez Sánchez has won two WTA singles titles, at the 2009 Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas and the 2009 Swedish Open. She was also a runner-up at the 2008 Barcelona KIA. As a junior she won the 1999 Orange Bowl, a year-ending tennis event for junior players. She reached heer career high ranking in singles of World No. 25 on January 11, 2010. She is currently ranked World No. 28, as of February 1, 2010.

In doubles, Martínez Sánchez has won twelve WTA doubles titles, including the 2009 WTA Tour Championships with Nuria Llagostera Vives. She has also won four titles with Anabel Medina Garrigues. Martínez Sánchez reached a career high doubles ranking of World No. 5 on November 2, 2009.

Source : Wikipedia.com

Rubens Barrichello

Rubens Barrichello

Rubens Gonçalves "Rubinho" Barrichello (born May 23, 1972 in São Paulo) is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. Driving for the Brawn GP team, Barrichello finished third in the 2009 championship. He is racing for WilliamsF1 in 2010.

Barrichello has scored the fourth highest points total in Formula One history. Barrichello drove for Ferrari from 2000 to 2005, as Michael Schumacher's teammate, enjoying considerable success including finishing as championship runner-up in 2002 and 2004. Schumacher's retirement at the end of 2006 made Barrichello the most experienced driver on the grid, and at the 2008 Turkish Grand Prix he became the most experienced driver in F1 history. He is set to become the first driver to reach 300 Grand Prix entries and 300 starts in 2010. Assuming the season is trouble free, his 300th start will be achieved at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Source : Wikipedia.com

Jelena Jankovic Tennis Sport

Jelena Jankovic

Jelena Jankovic (Serbian: Jelena Janković, Serbian Cyrillic: Јелена Јанковић, Serbian pronunciation: [ˈjɛlɛna ˈjaːnkɔvitɕ]; born February 28, 1985 in Belgrade) is a former World No. 1 Serbian professional tennis player. She has reached one Grand Slam final and is currently ranked World No. 7.

Career

Janković learned her first tennis skills in Tennis Club 'Red Star'. As a nine-and-a-half year old she was introduced to tennis by her elder brother and fitness coach Marko. She was later trained at the Tennis Academy of Nick Bollettieri. As a junior she won the 2001 Australian Open. In 2001, she started to play on the WTA Tour; she reached the second round at her first tournament at the Indian Wells Masters.

In October 2003, Janković entered the top 100 at No. 90 for the first time after winning her first ITF title in Dubai. Three months later, Janković garnered her first top 10 win against Elena Dementieva 6–1, 6–4 in the first round of the 2004 Australian Open. In May, Janković won her first WTA title, a Tier V event, in Budapest, defeating Martina Suchá in the final 7–6, 6–3. Following her win in Budapest, she reached No. 51 in the world. Elsewhere in her 2004 season, she defeated top 20 players Nadia Petrova (twice), Vera Zvonareva, Patty Schnyder and Paola Suárez. Janković finished 2004 ranked No. 28 in the world.

She was ranked World No. 1 for seventeen consecutive weeks until she was overtaken by Serena Williams on February 2, 2009. She was the year-end World No. 1 in 2008, the first player in the history of the WTA tour to do this without winning a Grand Slam title. As of August 3, 2009, she is ranked World No. 5.

Janković has reached the singles final of the US Open and the singles semifinals of the Australian Open and the French Open. In 2007, she became the first Serbian player to win a Grand Slam Title when she won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title with British partner Jamie Murray.

Source : Wikipedia.com

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Solving The Bosh Puzzle: The Dallas Mavericks Piece

So one day in late April, I checked in on my blog and noticed a lack of something. Sifting through them, I found pieces on Hedo, the Young Gunz, the Amazing Race, video games, the Olympics, etc. But the one thing that was truly missing was a piece about the franchise - CB4. And yeah, sure, maybe I did that because every other media outlet was beating the whole "Chris Bosh" topic to death; but still.

Like many others, I don't want to take Bosh for granted. And so with the realization that he may be gone very soon, I wanted to dedicate the next 30 days or so to him with my writing and this very blog. After all, this may be my last chance to discuss him on here.

The mission - should you choose to read it - is simple. Everyday, I'll breakdown a different team's outlook in regards to acquiring our franchise player. We'll take a look at how a potential transaction will affect both sides of the spectrum, and whether or not such a move could potentially go down.

Disclaimer: Let's please keep in mind that I'm not majoring in the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement; so if there's a few errors here and there in that regards, please let me know. Thanks!

Previous Piece: The Cleveland Cavaliers

Today's Piece: The Dallas Mavericks



Players of Interests:
Dirk Nowitzki
Erick Dampier
Caron Butler
DeShawn Stevenson
Rodrigue Beaubois
Brendan Haywood

If there's one city that had the most craziest basketball year, it would have to be Dallas - HANDS DOWN. Obviously, there was All-Star weekend. The world's best basketball talent all converged onto the Texas city only to be greeted by a snowstorm? Yup. On top of that - because everything has to be bigger in Texas - the actual All-Star game was played at the new Cowboys Stadium that clearly was built with the U.S. stimulus money. In regards to the basketball side of things, Dallas had another very successful year. Already one of the best teams coming into the trade deadline, the Mavs made a splash by acquiring Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson from the Wizards. And after tearing up the NBA soon after, many were convinced that Dallas was the most equipped to make a title run this year.

However - it all came crashing down in the first round of the playoffs.

See, if there's one thing that Dallas has taught me, it's that spending money doesn't guarantee you anything in the NBA. Going into tax territory may increase your chances of playoff success, but at the end of the day, you still have to play the game. So, the question for me now is: Has owner Mark Cuban learned that lesson as well? Depending on the answer to that, the Mavs could go many different directions this off-season; especially with the possibility of Dirk Nowitzki opting for free agency.

But let's say Cuban does whatever it takes to bring in Dallas-native Chris Bosh. What could be sent back our way in a Sign and Trade? Like I said, it really depends on Cuban's willingness to continue spending money. If he has no problem with being locked into a ton of long term deals with no cap relief, then they have a few things we could ask.

For instance, Caron Butler, Erick Dampier, and DeShawn Stevenson all hold very large expiring contracts. Combined with the our expirings of Marcus Banks and Reggie Evans, we could use these contracts to speed up the rebuilding process.

Of course, we have to take into consideration the unlikeliness that Cuban parts with all three contracts, but if there's one I'd love to have the most of the 3, it would have to be Caron Butler. Not only would he give us close to 11 million dollars in expiring money, but he'd also be the perfect mentor to someone like DeMar DeRozan. I see a lot of similarities between the two. When Caron first came into the league, he didn't have the greatest of handles (he still doesn't for a wing player) and he was a horrible 3 point shooter (still is - 31% career 3 pt. percentage). But if there's one thing Caron could be applauded on, it was his ability to capitalize on what he did do best, and that's make that mid range jumper, slash to the bucket, and get to the free throw line. Those are all the things DeMar relied on in his rookie season. So if we could get Caron to help out DeMar even for just one year, I think it would pay dividends down the road.

Lastly, the other player that I hope we could squeeze out of Dallas is someone they're pretty high on: Rodrigue Beaubois. This guy just oozes talent on the court, and could very well burst out once Jason Kidd leaves. But does Cuban let him go knowing it may have been a mistake to let Devin Harris go?

Mr Preferred Scenario:
Raptors Trade Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon
Mavericks Trade Caron Butler (expiring), DeShawn Stevenson (expiring), Rodrigue Beaubois, TPE

Ignoring the semantics, the premise of this transaction is pretty simple. Dallas brings Chris Bosh back home to team up with Dirk, Kidd, Marion, get to put Terry back at the 2 spot, possibly re-sign Haywood, and get to keep Dampiers' awesome expiring contract. At the same time, they get Jose Calderon to platoon that point guard spot with Kidd, something Jose is quite familiar with doing already. Meanwhile, the Raptors get roughly around 15 million in expiring money in Butler and Stevenson. Butler will be advertised as DeMar's mentor and the wing scorer we need to stay competitive this year, while Stevenson will probably be advertised by BC and MLSE as a stopper who has a competitive swagger (lol). I laugh because it'll probably happen that way too. We also get to dump Jose's contract for a wicked young point guard prospect in Beaubois. Just imagine him running the fast break with the Young Gunz...

More Likely Scenario:
Raptors Trade Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon
Mavericks Trade Erick Dampier (expiring), DeShawn Stevenson (expiring), Brendan Haywood (re-signed), Draft Pick/TPE of some sort.

In this trade, I go with the assumption that Cuban keeps both the present and future in mind. He keeps Caron Butler who prove to be that wing scorer for next season in a championship run, but also expires for cap relief. He also gets to keep Beaubois, not wanting to have the feeling of letting two young point guards go with nothing to show for it. I'm just not sure how a Dirk and Bosh front court works though, but that's not our problem. Preferably, I'd love to get Beaubois, but if not, I definitely want a re-signed Haywood coming our way to play next to Bargnani.

Solving The Bosh Puzzle: The Cleveland Cavaliers Piece

So one day in late April, I checked in on my blog and noticed a lack of something. Sifting through them, I found pieces on Hedo, the Young Gunz, the Amazing Race, video games, the Olympics, etc. But the one thing that was truly missing was a piece about the franchise - CB4. And yeah, sure, maybe I did that because every other media outlet was beating the whole "Chris Bosh" topic to death; but still.

Like many others, I don't want to take Bosh for granted. And so with the realization that he may be gone very soon, I wanted to dedicate the next 30 days or so to him with my writing and this very blog. After all, this may be my last chance to discuss him on here.

The mission - should you choose to read it - is simple. Everyday, I'll breakdown a different team's outlook in regards to acquiring our franchise player. We'll take a look at how a potential transaction will affect both sides of the spectrum, and whether or not such a move could potentially go down.

Disclaimer: Let's please keep in mind that I'm not majoring in the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement; so if there's a few errors here and there in that regards, please let me know. Thanks!

Previous Piece: The Chicago Bulls

Today's Piece: The Cleveland Cavaliers



Players of Interests:
Anderson Varejao
Delonte West
Antawn Jamison
Anthony Parker
J.J. Hickson

Fresh off a stinker in game 2 against the Celtics, the Cavs now must step back for a quick second and look themselves in the mirror. While doing so, they've got to ask themselves one simple question: "Are we good enough?"

My answer: "I'm not even sure anymore."

See - to be honest - I'm not the biggest LeBron fan out there. Am I a hater? No way, I recognize obvious talent when it's there, and it's hard to hate on talent. But for some reason, the dude just rubs me the wrong way.

So what's got me interested in whether this year's Cavs team is good enough? Easy, this link: LeBron Won't Stop Until He Brings Championship To Cleveland.

To me, it's like this. If LeBron wins a title this year, he'll be more likely to leave Cleveland for the bright lights of New York. That brings forth two ugly problems to the table. One being we'd have LeBron in our division, meaning 4 dates a year. And two, another max free agent (maybe CB4) would be more enticed to join LBJ in New York as well. That doesn't sound very appealing to me.

So Raptors Nation, let's all hope that our best friends the Boston Celtics take care of business! Assuming that happens, and the crazy Danny Ferry (see Varejao's contract) decides to up the ante by luring Chris Bosh to Cleveland, what could we possibly want in return?

Sideshow Bob would have been pretty nice if he wasn't locked in to such a disturbingly long contract. His lack of scoring prowess is made up with his hustle and ability to guard a respectable amount of 4s and 5s. He would be yet another big that would look ideal next to Bargnani.

A more realistic (and almost guaranteed to be included if a deal were to go down) option would come in the form of J.J. Hickson. The 6'9 North Carolina State product - who's currently on his cheap rookie deal - would give us a young forward prospect to move forward with. Most fans who can see the bigger picture realize that if we let Bosh go, the best thing to do next would be to rebuild with young players on cheap contracts. Hickson meets that criteria. Let's call him a poor man's Jeff Green without as good of a jumper.

But while on the topic of the Cavs, we can't forget that we have Bryan Colangelo as our GM. And if there's one thing I've learned during his tenure here, it's that he hates to lose. He hates it so much that he never starts from scratch. If a mistake is made, he would rather get a quick fix than press the reset button. In some ways, that's an awesome trait from a GM, you can't fault always wanting to stay competitive. But would it be the best idea this off-season? Let's say BC sticks to his guns, I could totally see him trying to pry Antawn Jamison away from the Cavs. It would be torn to shreds by the fanbase and media, but somewhere in the back of your mind, you know it could happen. All the Cavs would need to do is re-sign Shaq for a much smaller deal (word is will happen if the Cavs don't win the title) and re-sign Big Z for the minimum, and they can afford to do this.

My Preferred Scenario:
Raptors Trade Chris Bosh,
Cavaliers Trade J.J. Hickson, Delonte West (expiring), Anthony Parker (expiring), Sebastian Telfair (expiring), TPE

Assuming Telfair picks up his 3 million dollar player option, which he'd be stupid not to, the Raptors would acquire roughly 11 million in expiring money in this trade plus a decent TPE. It's isn't the prettiest looking of returns for Bosh, but it would probably be the best in regards to short term and long term impact if Chris wanted to go to Cleveland. And who wouldn't love Anthony Parker back raining 3s from the corner? As for Cleveland, Shaq gets to team up with who he calls RuPaul.

More Likely Scenario:

Like with Boston, we just stay away from each other. Or we show Chris Bosh this:

Solving The Bosh Puzzle: The Chicago Bulls Piece

So one day in late April, I checked in on my blog and noticed a lack of something. Sifting through them, I found pieces on Hedo, the Young Gunz, the Amazing Race, video games, the Olympics, etc. But the one thing that was truly missing was a piece about the franchise - CB4. And yeah, sure, maybe I did that because every other media outlet was beating the whole "Chris Bosh" topic to death; but still.

Like many others, I don't want to take Bosh for granted. And so with the realization that he may be gone very soon, I wanted to dedicate the next 30 days or so to him with my writing and this very blog. After all, this may be my last chance to discuss him on here.

The mission - should you choose to read it - is simple. Everyday, I'll breakdown a different team's outlook in regards to acquiring our franchise player. We'll take a look at how a potential transaction will affect both sides of the spectrum, and whether or not such a move could potentially go down.

Disclaimer: Let's please keep in mind that I'm not majoring in the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement; so if there's a few errors here and there in that regards, please let me know. Thanks!

Previous Piece: The Charlotte Bobcats

Today's Piece: The Chicago Bulls



Players of Interests:
Luol Deng
Joakim Noah
Kirk Hinrich
Taj Gibson

Raptors Nation is quite familiar with the most recent incarnation of the Chicago Bulls. After all, they were the ones who successfully snatched a first round date with the Cleveland Cavaliers away from us. Down the stretch, they clearly wanted that 8th seed more than us - most evident by the spanking they gave us on April 11 at the ACC. Well after a decent showing against the Cavs, where does it all go from here?

According to Chris Bosh in his end of season press conference, he feels that this year's Raptors squad was just as good if not better than the Bulls at full strength.

Meanwhile, back at the bat-cave in Chicago, Bulls fans are more than confident in Bosh benefiting more from their core than the one in Toronto. And who can really blame them for that? A trio of Rose, Bosh, and Noah seem like a pretty solid foundation to build upon.

So let's say Bosh wants to end up in Chicago - which is a very real possibility by the way. What can happen?

Well for starters, Chicago can outright sign him because they are one of the teams under the cap. If Bosh chose to, he could sign with the Bulls for a maximum of 5 years, with about 8% yearly increases. This kind of contract typically clocks in at about 100 million over 5 years. The next question now though is: Will Bosh take that deal over what the Raptors can give him?

If he chooses to re-sign with Toronto, he can sign for a maximum of 6 years, with about 10.5% yearly increases; which adds up to be around 130 million dollars over 6 years. That extra 30 million and security is hard to pass up on. So if Chicago wants CB4 that bad, it'll probably have to be through a sign and trade.

Assuming D-Rose is untouchable, the next player that the Raps would covet is Joakim Noah. Can you imagine our Raptors team putting a player who plays with that much intensity, hustle, and heart on the court every night? He'd be a perfect fit next to Bargnani. But unfortunately, he'd also be perfect next to Bosh.

Two players the Bulls might be willing to throw at us instead are Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich. Both have contracts that are arguably overpriced, and Chicago could easily use us as a dumping grounds. On the flipside, both Deng and Hinrich would help us out on the offensive and defensive ends. The only thing that bugs me is Deng is owed around 50 million over the next 4 years. Having to deal with that as well as Turk's ugly contract is something difficult to stomach.

It should be noted that because Chicago is under the cap, they hold more leverage over us than a team over the cap would (like Houston). In a potential Sign N Trade, Chicago could absorb more of Bosh's contract, while a team like Houston would have to give us assets in return that match within a certain range of Bosh's outgoing contract. In a nutshell, Chicago doesn't have to give us much to make the deal work. And so, this is where the mind games and chess-work start. How much are the two teams willing to compromise, and does BC take garbage if garbage is what's throw at him? If he doesn't, how does that affect what the fan base thinks of him?

Sigh.

My Preferred Scenario:
Raptors Trade Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon
Bulls Trade Joakim Noah, Krik Hinrich and/or TPE

Yeah. I realize this is a pretty lofty request, but still. This trade probably would be more complicated than what's listed above, but you get the premise. We dump Jose Calderon's contract on Chicago in return for Kirk Hinrich; who has a somewhat similar contract but ends one year earlier. We also manage to get our centre of the future in Noah, who would look absolutely awesome next to Bargs. As for Chicago, they get to pair up the best future PF in the league with one of the best young PGs of the league. At the same time, they get a point guard in Calderon who is familiar with Bosh's play style and will strengthen one of the Bulls' biggest weaknesses last season - 3 pt. shooting.

More Likely Scenario:
Raptors Trade Chris Bosh
Bulls Trade Taj Gibson, James Johnson, Draft Pick or TPE (If the Bulls are nice about it), Luol Deng (If the Raps can get rid of Turk first or soon after)

This trade scenario has a lot of "IFs" in it, but you can pretty much guarantee that when dealing with a team under the cap. Because the Bulls are considerably under the cap, they can pretty much absorb a good portion of Bosh's max deal while giving us young players on rookie contracts. With Bosh there, they have no room for Taj Gibson, and we'd be able to reunite Taj with his USC teammate DeMar DeRozan. We'd also get James Johnson, a young wing prospect that Colangelo was very high on in last year's draft. If the Bulls would like some breathing room to make other moves, they could try to throw us a TPE or Luol Deng's ridiculously bad contract. But I only see us taking that if we can get rid of Turk first. Meanwhile, the Bulls can move forward with a Big 3 of Bosh-Rose-Noah.

Solving The Bosh Puzzle: The Charlotte Bobcats Piece

So one day in late April, I checked in on my blog and noticed a lack of something. Sifting through them, I found pieces on Hedo, the Young Gunz, the Amazing Race, video games, the Olympics, etc. But the one thing that was truly missing was a piece about the franchise - CB4. And yeah, sure, maybe I did that because every other media outlet was beating the whole "Chris Bosh" topic to death; but still.

Like many others, I don't want to take Bosh for granted. And so with the realization that he may be gone very soon, I wanted to dedicate the next 30 days or so to him with my writing and this very blog. After all, this may be my last chance to discuss him on here.

The mission - should you choose to read it - is simple. Everyday, I'll breakdown a different team's outlook in regards to acquiring our franchise player. We'll take a look at how a potential transaction will affect both sides of the spectrum, and whether or not such a move could potentially go down.

Disclaimer: Let's please keep in mind that I'm not majoring in the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement; so if there's a few errors here and there in that regards, please let me know. Thanks!

Previous Piece: The Boston Celtics

Today's Piece: The Charlotte Bobcats



Players of Interests:
Tyson Chandler
Nazr Mohammed
D.J. Augustin
Tyrus Thomas
Gerald Henderson

After what was one of their best seasons in franchise history, the Bobcats went out with the smallest of bangs. Being manhandled by the Magic, the Bobcats newest majority owner (Michael Jordan) must now consider what is best for his team moving forward. It was mentioned many times this year on numerous broadcasts - the Bobcats made moves to win this year. That's why they traded away Okafor and agreed to take on Stephen Jackson's ugly looking long term deal.

But even while boasting one of the best defenses in the entire association, the Bobcats' struggle to score is what led to their demise. To be more specific, the fault really lies in their inability to score from the 4 and 5 positions. We all know Felton and Jackson can light it up from anywhere on the court, while Wallace attacks the rim relentlessly; but the Bobcats had no one that could attract a double from the block or the paint. This surely played a role in their horrendous 3 point shooting as well.

So enter Chris Bosh.

As Raptors fans, we would love an acquisition of Gerald Wallace or Stephen Jackson, but Bosh would not agree to play in Charlotte if that happened.

So looking elsewhere, the next thing that pops out is Tyson Chandler. Though his injuries have been well documented, it's his post presence and lane intimidation that's attractive to this Raps team. With a 13 million player option that he'll almost certainly pick up, it also turns into a rather large expiring for the Raps to play with. The question now is: Will Charlotte be willing to give up Chandler knowing he'd be perfect next to Bosh?

The two other players that I wouldn't mind seeing shipped off to the T-Dot are D.J. Augustin and Tyrus Thomas. Even though Felton didn't have the greatest of playoff performances, word is that the Bobcats were impressed enough with his season play to seriously consider re-signing him. So that once again leaves Augustin out of the equation. With Tyrus Thomas, we have a 6 million expiring that plays above the rim and would bring that defensive mentality this Raptors team sorely lacks.

My Preferred Scenario:
Raptors Trade Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon
Bobcats Trade Tyson Chandler (expiring), D.J. Augustin, Tyrus Thomas (expiring)

I'm actually liking this scenario better than I thought I would. Breaking it down, you'll notice that we could easily use Charlotte as a dumping grounds for Jose Calderon's contract (something the Raps are considering trying to get out of). At the same time, we pick up two players in Thomas and Chandler who will bolster our team defense to a respectable position. We could finally play Bargnani at his real position - PF - while having insurance in Thomas just in case we can't re-sign Amir. On top of all that, we get our hands on some really nice expiring money. Meanwhile, if Jordan chooses to re-sign Felton, Charlotte gets to throw out a line up on the court that includes Bosh/Wallace/Jackson/Felton. Combined with a filler centre, that's a guaranteed playoff team that could possibly win a round or two.

More Likely Scenario:
Raptors Trade Chris Bosh
Bobcats Trade Nazr Mohammed (expiring), Gerald Henderson, Tyrus Thomas (expiring), Future Draft Pick

Though this scenario isn't as enticing as the one above, it's still respectable in regards to the amount of expiring money we get back. Remember, in combination with Marcus Banks' and Reggie Evans' expiring deals, we could easily flip that to one of the many teams struggling financially for very good players in return. We also manage to get a nice wing prospect in Gerald Henderson. He's got basketball in his blood, was a lottery pick, a Duke product, and someone who could easily make something out of himself once he gets the playing time (only averaged about 8 minutes as a rookie last year). As for Charlotte, well, they get to boast a formidable starting 5 of Felton or Augustin/Jackson/Wallace/Bosh/Chandler. That's a nice combination of offense and defense if you ask me.