ploto
07-10-2009, 08:30 AM
What a difference a couple of weeks make. I posted about this in the thread on the four team trade, but here it is in print now.
Raptors' wild ride not over
Return of Nesterovic possible after complex four-team deal leaves GM with money in hand
After a franchise-altering move left him with money to spend and backup roles to fill, Raptors boss Bryan Colangelo will be looking for a few good men.
There's an old friend in Slovenia who'd love to be considered.
Rasho Nesterovic, a veteran centre very much on the mind of the Raptors now, would like nothing more than to rejoin the team he reluctantly left a year ago.
"I never wanted to leave, it was just a matter of numbers and business, I understand that," Nesterovic said in a telephone interview from his native Slovenia yesterday.
"To come back would be great, I'd love to. Toronto is always and will always be my favourite city."
The interest, according to league sources, is mutual.
With Hedo Turkoglu on board along with Devean George and Antoine Wright from Dallas after a wild trade that saw Kris Humphries and Nathan Jawai leave the Raptors, Toronto has some frontcourt openings to fill.
Colangelo has spoken glowingly about Nesterovic's presence – on the court in a backup role and as a leader in the locker room – and there is interest in bringing him back as long as the financial terms can be worked out.
And now there is the financial windfall to do it.
The trade, which also included the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic, leaves the Raptors with unexpected money to spend. They are expected to seriously consider Carlos Delfino, who remains a restricted Toronto free agent and can be signed without regard to the salary cap, which would leave the so-called mid-level cap exception of about $5.9 million and the biannual exception of about $1.9 million.
Colangelo said the team has about $12 million left before bumping up against the luxury tax level but cautioned the Raptors may not spend it all after taking into considering longer-term financial predictions.
The money was a huge added bonus to the transaction the Raptors were most excited about, the acquisition of the 6-10 Turkolgu, a free agent from Orlando. The 30-year-old arrived in Toronto yesterday for a glitzy news conference – several dozen kids wearing Turkoglu T-shirts met him at the news conference – and promised a more entertaining team with teammates like Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon.
"Fun to watch, I guarantee that," he said. "I'm just going to be happy to have those guys around me, it's going to make my job easier."
Turkoglu had originally made a verbal commitment to the Portland Trail Blazers but backed out after a last-ditch recruiting effort by the Raptors that included a phone call from Bosh.
"It was really easy for me," Turkoglu said. "I looked at the team, looked at the opportunities for myself and the people I'm going to work with."
The signing of Turkoglu and the acquisition of swingmen Wright and George from the Dallas Mavericks came after a stunning day of talks among the four teams involved.
The original deal had to be tweaked yesterday morning when it was determined Quincy Douby couldn't be traded because of an arcane clause in the NBA's collective bargaining agreement. So the Raptors simply switched Jawai for Douby, moved Jawai to Dallas and sent a 2016 second-round draft pick to make the deal happen.
"It was a wild turn of event," said Colangelo of the deal that also saw Shawn Marion leave the Raptors for the Mavericks.
But now Colangelo has some moves to make and said he'll take his time making them. He's off to Las Vegas where the Raptors are taking part in the NBA's summer league and won't be in a rush to fill his remaining roster holes.
"We're going to let the dust settle on this," he said. "There's a lot to be addressed but as of about 7 a.m. (Thursday), I think I was one of the most popular GMs in the league."
One of the biggest holes he has to fill is on a front line that now consists of Bosh, Bargnani, Reggie Evans and unproven Patrick O'Bryant.
Nesterovic, 33, spent last season with the Indiana Pacers (averaging 6.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game) after being dealt from Toronto in the Jermaine O'Neal-T.J. Ford deal.
He knows a role here would be as a backup and he's fine with that; he also knows there will be no rush to get things done.
"I know the first week (of free agency) is to get the stars done and the big names," he said. "I can wait."
http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/663861
Raptors' wild ride not over
Return of Nesterovic possible after complex four-team deal leaves GM with money in hand
After a franchise-altering move left him with money to spend and backup roles to fill, Raptors boss Bryan Colangelo will be looking for a few good men.
There's an old friend in Slovenia who'd love to be considered.
Rasho Nesterovic, a veteran centre very much on the mind of the Raptors now, would like nothing more than to rejoin the team he reluctantly left a year ago.
"I never wanted to leave, it was just a matter of numbers and business, I understand that," Nesterovic said in a telephone interview from his native Slovenia yesterday.
"To come back would be great, I'd love to. Toronto is always and will always be my favourite city."
The interest, according to league sources, is mutual.
With Hedo Turkoglu on board along with Devean George and Antoine Wright from Dallas after a wild trade that saw Kris Humphries and Nathan Jawai leave the Raptors, Toronto has some frontcourt openings to fill.
Colangelo has spoken glowingly about Nesterovic's presence – on the court in a backup role and as a leader in the locker room – and there is interest in bringing him back as long as the financial terms can be worked out.
And now there is the financial windfall to do it.
The trade, which also included the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic, leaves the Raptors with unexpected money to spend. They are expected to seriously consider Carlos Delfino, who remains a restricted Toronto free agent and can be signed without regard to the salary cap, which would leave the so-called mid-level cap exception of about $5.9 million and the biannual exception of about $1.9 million.
Colangelo said the team has about $12 million left before bumping up against the luxury tax level but cautioned the Raptors may not spend it all after taking into considering longer-term financial predictions.
The money was a huge added bonus to the transaction the Raptors were most excited about, the acquisition of the 6-10 Turkolgu, a free agent from Orlando. The 30-year-old arrived in Toronto yesterday for a glitzy news conference – several dozen kids wearing Turkoglu T-shirts met him at the news conference – and promised a more entertaining team with teammates like Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon.
"Fun to watch, I guarantee that," he said. "I'm just going to be happy to have those guys around me, it's going to make my job easier."
Turkoglu had originally made a verbal commitment to the Portland Trail Blazers but backed out after a last-ditch recruiting effort by the Raptors that included a phone call from Bosh.
"It was really easy for me," Turkoglu said. "I looked at the team, looked at the opportunities for myself and the people I'm going to work with."
The signing of Turkoglu and the acquisition of swingmen Wright and George from the Dallas Mavericks came after a stunning day of talks among the four teams involved.
The original deal had to be tweaked yesterday morning when it was determined Quincy Douby couldn't be traded because of an arcane clause in the NBA's collective bargaining agreement. So the Raptors simply switched Jawai for Douby, moved Jawai to Dallas and sent a 2016 second-round draft pick to make the deal happen.
"It was a wild turn of event," said Colangelo of the deal that also saw Shawn Marion leave the Raptors for the Mavericks.
But now Colangelo has some moves to make and said he'll take his time making them. He's off to Las Vegas where the Raptors are taking part in the NBA's summer league and won't be in a rush to fill his remaining roster holes.
"We're going to let the dust settle on this," he said. "There's a lot to be addressed but as of about 7 a.m. (Thursday), I think I was one of the most popular GMs in the league."
One of the biggest holes he has to fill is on a front line that now consists of Bosh, Bargnani, Reggie Evans and unproven Patrick O'Bryant.
Nesterovic, 33, spent last season with the Indiana Pacers (averaging 6.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game) after being dealt from Toronto in the Jermaine O'Neal-T.J. Ford deal.
He knows a role here would be as a backup and he's fine with that; he also knows there will be no rush to get things done.
"I know the first week (of free agency) is to get the stars done and the big names," he said. "I can wait."
http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/663861