DeRozan, bayless, ed davis, weems (you gotta give love to players who have giving nothing but love back to the city), maybe jose but for back up purposes anything else nope. anyone also remember joey Dorsey back at Memphis playing with d rose and CDR he was a solid player i would keep him also. mind you the only player i seeing having an impact with us in the future is derozan who i been saying was gonna be good since his sophomore year at high school. traino is a good coach because at this point in the season i see a lot of players giving up but you gotta love how hard the raps are competing. but maybe as an assistant.
As of right now, the only player on this roster that I can I say I'd want starting for the Raptors down the road is Ed Davis. Derozan maybe but he needs to improve many aspects of his game. Right now though, he's a borderline starter at SG IMO. But again, it's only his 2nd year and he was young coming into the league. I think towards the later parts of next season is when we'll know what kind of player Derozan will be in the NBA. Bayless and James Johnson are two intriguing players who haven't received much of a chance to play and could be worth keeping around.
Amir Johson is alright too. If he continues to play like he has this year, his contract is acceptable and he'd be a great fit as maybe a first big man off the bench.
The rest of the roster, IMO, has either topped out in terms of production (Calderon, Bargnani, Kleiza) or has limited potential (Weems, Wright, Ajinca). Calderon is still a fairly effective player at his position but he's the kind of player who isn't a starter but isn't quite a "15 mpg backup" either. His contract and defense are two reasons why a crap team like the Raptors should be looking to dump him.
So:
1. Davis
2. Derozan
3. Bayless/Johnson/Johnson
But as of right now, Davis is the only one I'd feel comfortable slotting into a starting spot for the future of this team.
Obviously nobody is untouchable on this roster, but we do have young pieces that can become assets if need be in the future.
Ed Davis is the only one I feel comfortable saying that if he is your starting PF, you can win in this league. Of course, a lot depends on what's around him. But a defensive big, who plays inside the paint and is very young and developing.
DeRozan will be on next year's roster, and he should be. He took a tremendous leap from year on to second year. Let's see what he does next year.
Amir is tricky. Even with his contract which looked bad in the beginning, he's earning it. He is what he is and will remain that way. He could be an asset moving forward instead of a piece to the puzzle.
I've like what I've seen from James Johnson. Particularly on the defensive end. He challenges, great on rotations, has length and a big body. I'd keep him just based on what I've seen from the past few days.
Bayless? Not sure. If we play him in the role he's defined for, which is a spark-plug, then I'm fine with keeping him. But if Barbosa will be on this roster next year, you don't need to waste a roster spot on Bayless...
I'd keep Davis and DeRozan (unless of course they bring in stellar offers). Everyone is else is expendable to a greater or lesser extent.
(On the one extreme, it would be OK if Bayless and the two Johnsons stayed around in case they develop, but they should still be shopped to see if they can bring anything worthwhile. On the other, Bargnani, Kleiza, Evans, Barbosa and Wright all have to go. In the middle, Calderon, Dorsey, Alabi, Weems and Ajinca should be moved but it wouldn't be the end of the world if they stayed.)
I'd keep Davis and DeRozan (unless of course they bring in stellar offers). Everyone is else is expendable to a greater or lesser extent.
(On the one extreme, it would be OK if Bayless and the two Johnsons stayed around in case they develop, but they should still be shopped to see if they can bring anything worthwhile. On the other, Bargnani, Kleiza, Evans, Barbosa and Wright all have to go. In the middle, Calderon, Dorsey, Alabi, Weems and Ajinca should be moved but it wouldn't be the end of the world if they stayed.)
Davis and Derozan are the only obvious choices IMO.
I like James Johnson. He's a decent role player and good guy to have coming off the bench. I know he's been starting with us, but I think on a good team, he's a bench guy. I wouldn't mind keeping him around.
Calderon/xxx
Derozan / Barbosa
xxx/Kleiza/JWright
Bargnani/ Ed Davis
xxx/Ajinca
Try to trade Amir+JJohnson+Bayless+Alabi for a 1st round pick and a backup PG.
Then try to fill the gaps through the draft. There are some good European centers to play along Bargnani. And try your luck with a raw SF with potential.
^^ Can we say agenda? Why does the person coming into fill the Center spot have to be European? I think you've made it clear that you don't care about the talent or skill level of the incoming players as long as they aren't American.
^^ Can we say agenda? Why does the person coming into fill the Center spot have to be European? I think you've made it clear that you don't care about the talent or skill level of the incoming players as long as they aren't American.
In his defense (although I do agree with you about him as a poster), Valanciunas, Kanter and Motiejunas are about the only thing in the way of Centers near the top of the draft, which maybe what he was talking about.
Calderon/xxx
Derozan / Barbosa
xxx/Kleiza/JWright
Bargnani/ Ed Davis
xxx/Ajinca
I don't like the idea of Ajinca being one of our main bench contributors.
And, if those are the starters you keep, the SF better be an All-Star and the C better be the toughest mother ****er around.
I'd also keep James Johnson over Kleiza and Wright. I don't think he's starting material, but as an energy guy off the bench, I'd like to see him stick around over the other two.
I don't like the idea of Ajinca being one of our main bench contributors.
And, if those are the starters you keep, the SF better be an All-Star and the C better be the toughest mother ****er around.
I'd also keep James Johnson over Kleiza and Wright. I don't think he's starting material, but as an energy guy off the bench, I'd like to see him stick around over the other two.
Just to add onto what I was saying...
If we somehow manage to draft Irving, I think Calderon gets moved ASAP and Bayless becomes the backup. That's not to say I think Bayless is better than Calderon, but you need to think about the money situation. I'm not keen on paying Calderon that kind of money for coming off the bench, and we'd STILL be a rebuilding team, so I wouldn't cry over the potential extra wins Calderon can provide.
For the sake of building a mock lineup, I'll leave Bargnani on the roster because I can't see Colangelo trading him, and I have no idea what the return would be for him. So here's what I'd like to see:
These 5 are the nucleus of the future. All are unproven - none are untouchable - but based on being 1-20 drafts picks in the past 3 years I think we need some time to see what we have.
Amir is here as a tutor for Davis. Longer term deal to play valuable minutes at the 4-5. Has all the correct work habits evidently. He is our 5th 6th man. Not untouchable either - I just cant imagine him having the same value anywhere else.
Bayliss vs LBarb... Agreed - very good comment - shame to have both on the roster playing the same position. I give the nod to Bayliss based on potential but otherwise hard to say. I like Lbarbs "energy level" but at his age ? Thing is Bayliss needs to step up sooner rather than later and show a bit of development in the "court vision and commitment to D".
Everyone else is obviously touchable/tradeable - or could even have a role on this team - depending on who we draft and any other moves.
In this case Weems/Jose/Barges/Kleiza/Reggie are completely off the bench or 2nd line. There is still very good talent among these players and there is an opportunity to find them a home to compliment their skill sets and get something back in return.
Calderon/xxx
Derozan / Barbosa
xxx/Kleiza/JWright
Bargnani/ Ed Davis
xxx/Ajinca
Try to trade Amir+JJohnson+Bayless+Alabi for a 1st round pick and a backup PG.
Then try to fill the gaps through the draft. There are some good European centers to play along Bargnani. And try your luck with a raw SF with potential.
Are you saying you would actually want to keep Kleiza, JWright, and Ajinca? Explain please.
It's interesting to think about the top 5 picks because who we pick could very much influence the people we keep or trade. There doesn't seem to be a consensus #1 this year. Some have Irving, some have Barnes, some have Jones, it's all up in the air. If we get a big, then having Davis and Amir Johnson becomes redundant. A wing or a point guard I personally think would be our best bet. And then strengthen the rest of the team via trade.
It's interesting to think about the top 5 picks because who we pick could very much influence the people we keep or trade. There doesn't seem to be a consensus #1 this year. Some have Irving, some have Barnes, some have Jones, it's all up in the air. If we get a big, then having Davis and Amir Johnson becomes redundant. A wing or a point guard I personally think would be our best bet. And then strengthen the rest of the team via trade.
Absolutely agree that we shouldn't target a big. A player like Sullinger would be great, but then you'd need to make extra moves. As it stands, Davis and Johnson are fine. I'm not convinced Sullinger in his prime will be better than Davis in his prime.
Irving and Barnes would be my top two choices at the moment.
Derrick Williams would be nice, but I'd need more proof that he'd be able to consistently play the SF in the NBA.
I'm not adverse to Alec Burks either, but picking him top 5 would be a bit of a stretch I think.
edit: Also really excited to see Kawhi Leonard in the NCAA Tournament. I've only seen highlights, so I haven't been able to get a good read. From what I see, he's stellar defensively, incredibly athletic and likes to slash to the bucket. I've seen him compared to Gerald Wallace. 6'7", 225 Pounds. Sounds like a player we could use.
Last edited by Chamberlain : 03-14-2011 at 02:52 PM.
players you keep from the existing roster
- shame to have both on the roster playing the same position. I give the nod to Bayliss based on potential but otherwise hard to say. I like Lbarbs "energy level" but at his age ? Thing is Bayliss needs to step up sooner rather than later and show a bit of development in the "court vision and commitment to D". 
