Raptors Ruminations

Well, it didn't take long for Bryan Colangelo to prove his worth.

Somehow he managed to trade Aruajo to the Jazz for a couple of other former first-round stiffs, Robert Whaley and Kris Humphries. The best part is, it won't matter if either ever sees a single minute of playing time in a Raps uni. Aruajo will go down as one of the worst draft picks of all time, in any sport, mainly because Andre Igoudala was picked after him. My buddy Sandros is pretty confident that Aruajo would have been picked somewhere in the first round, so I wonder what the consnesus would have been if the Raps had taken Aruajo with say, the #24 pick. Would that late round spot justify Aruajo's selection? I say no, certainly not based on his progress to date. He simply would have been a bad player selected at #24 instead of a bad player selected at #8. He's like the Raps answer to Nik Antropov; plenty of size and strength that just screams immediate impact at the big-league level, but turns out that size and strength are wasted on a player who is apparently incapable of learning from his mistakes.

In any case, regardless of whether Humphries ever plays for the Raps (and Whaley was waived the other day), removing Aruajo from the roster was a huge step in the right direction. In fact, even if 'Hoffa' can put it together in Utah (right... under Jerry Sloan... a guy who doesn't learn... good luck), and become a serviceable big man, he had to go. He was a glaring remnant from the near-disasterous Babcock era, and his departure truly signals the beginning of the Colangelo era, which I will henceforth refer to as, the Colangelo Era.

So, in keeping with the Colangelo Era, let us discuss the trading of Matt Bonner and Eric Williams to the Spurs for Rasho Nesterovic (with a 2nd round pick and cash also exchanging hands).
Well, first off, I hate to see Bonner go. He quickly became a fan favorite, and not just because he took the TTC to work, but because of the way he played. Great hustle for a white dude, and he could shoot very well for a 6'-10" guy. Didn't rebound enough for a guy that size, but he was essentially a perimeter player intended to stretch the defence, so rebounds weren't really his to be had.
Eric Williams was simply an extra part. Always liked his game, but he never fit into the Raps plans, even from the beginning. Too bad, but nobody will lament his departure.

So what do we get in return? Is Nesterovic really the answer at centre? Maybe, maybe not. But he's a legit starting centre, and that's probably enough. Aruajo was abysmal, we've already covered that. Loren Woods... well, Loren Woods has the ability to play about 5 very good games over the course of an 82 game season. In the other games, if he plays at all, he is invisible or terrible. Neither Bosh nor Villanueva are true centres, although their length and athleticism would probably allow them to play the position on the offensive end at least.
Nesterovic is no Tim Duncan, that much is clear. He's a solid defender and rebounder, and perhaps most importantly, he has experience. He played 5 years in Minnesota with Kevin Garnett, so he'll understand how to play alongside Bosh, who has a very similar game to Garnett (by the way, nobody can cover Bosh, not even Garnett), and has also played a couple of years in San Antonio, where the focus is on fundamentals and winning. Rasho should have no problem dealing with Sammy "The Mitch" Mitchell after enduring any number of withering Gregg Popovich tirades. Furthermore, this will mark Rasho's debut in the Eastern conference, where he will not have to face a litany of versatile big men and stout centres such as Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, Pau Gasol, Tim Duncan, Elton Brand, Amare Stoudemire, Kevin Garnett, Marcus Camby... the list goes on. Instead, he will get to face Ben Wallace (maybe, depends on if he re-signs with Detroit), possibly Dwight Howard, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Jamal Magloire (unless Jamal becomes a Rapter too), Michael Olowakandi, Tyson Chandler, Brendan Haywood, ummmm... Nenad Kristic... ummmmm... oh, Samuel Dalembert... uhhh, Scot Pollard? Some solid guys there, but nothing like the West. With Bosh and Villanueva guarding some of the more athletic bigs like Jermaine O'Neal, Nesterovic can just do his job against Andrew Bogut and Primoz Brezec. He knows how to play alongside a dominant forward, won't worry about getting his shots, and will have a chance to prove himself in a key role for an emerging team.

Quite frankly, I think its a great trade. Basically its Bonner and a 2nd round pick for Nesterovich and cash. A depth forward for a starting centre. I'll take that shit any day.

Next on the list, finding out a way to get Bryan Colangelo to marry me, or at least draft me with the 1st overall pick.

Deal with that. Or don't.