Good Riddance to Bad Garbage

According to Spanish media reports Jorge Garbajosa and the Raptors have come to an agreement to terminate his contract, begging the question, why does the Spanish media know about this before the Toronto media? Details are still scant mainly because I can't read Spanish, but it seems like the agreement is a straight-up termination, as in no buy-out fee. I believe that Garbo's contract will still count against the cap, although if he agreed to pass on next season - which is his final year under contract and which would have paid him $4.35 million - the Raps will at least be spared the actual, physical cash.

While you can't view Garbajosa as particularly malevolent, you've got to view him as obstinate to the point of stupidity. He mutilates his leg contesting an Al Jefferson lay-in that even Bill Russell with a horse's lower body couldn't have blocked. Then he refuses extensive surgery so that he could spend the summer with his chums on the Spanish national basketball team (who had already qualified for the Olympics!). The Raptors ask him not to play for Spain, he does anyway, further injuring his leg. He tells the Raps he's ready to play in the regular season, but he's not. He finally agrees to - and has - further surgery, after which Bryan Colangelo sends a message to Garbo's pager: "You've had the surgery, Garbo, there's no way you're playing for Spain in the Olympics." Garbo rushes to a payphone, drops the dime, calls BC and says, "Yes I am." Buyout negotiations begin.

No one will miss his three-point shooting (career 34%) which was his only offensive "weapon", but he was tough. More importantly, though, that toughness is very replaceable, particularly now that the Raptors might not owe Garbo a penny for this season.

The only thing I'll miss is his shaggy-haired, feigned naivety. The kind that, upon discovering that he was named T-Mobile NBA Rookie of the Month for December 2006, spawned the comment, "If I am the best rookie in this league, then this league is shit."

Boshton vs. Bosh Angeles - Bosh is There!

Since Stephon Marbury didn't return his calls, Jay Leno hired Chris Bosh to be his NBA Finals Correspondent spawning what might be the most inaccurate cartoon rendering in history (above).

Good luck, Boshasaurus!

Sweet Seventeen?

On June 26th Bryan Colangelo and Maurizio Gheradini will sit in a green room in New York, sipping macchiatos, listening to 16 teams draft amateur basketball players. Then it will be their turn. What are their prospects and precedents?

In 2001, the last time the Raptors picked 17th, they chose Michael Bradley who, last I heard, couldn't make a German league team. In 2005, Indiana got Danny Granger, and the year before that the Hawks chose Josh Smith. Rasho Nesterovic (1998) and Doug Christie(1992) were 17s, as was Jermaine O'Neal (1996) and Shawn Kemp (1989). But never forget about former 17s Zarko Cabarkapa (2003) and Leo Rautins ((Pictured above) 1983).

Below are several sources' narrowly educated guesses at who the Raptors will select with their 17th pick. I expect most mock drafts to change over the next month of private workouts and draft camps (All links to player profiles are from Draft Express):

Draft Express, NBADraft.net and Yahoo!: Nicolas Batum, SF, Le Mans Sarthe Basket (France) - 6' 8", 214 lbs, Age: 19

ESPN.com (Chad Ford): Robin Lopez, C, Stanford - 7' 0", 245 lbs, Age: 20

RealGM: Javale McGee, C, Nevada - 7' 0", 237 lbs, Age: 20

Sports Illustrated: Donte Greene, PF/SF, Syracuse - 6' 10", - 220 lbs, Age: 20

And out of nowhere, Anthony Parker had surgery on the middle finger of his right hand.

Rasho Nesterovic Makes Easiest Choice of His Life

I saw Rasho Nesterovic at the bank today and he was doubled over in laughter. When I asked him what was so funny he told me he picked up his player option for the 2008-09 season. Nesterovic will make $8.4 million next season, making him the second-highest paid Raptor, and while he was, sadly, the Raptors' second-most reliable player over the final 20 games of the season, even his baby son, Nikola, is wise enough to admit that Rasho's overpaid.

What's most interesting about this move is that it comes very early in the offseason. Nesterovic had until June 30 to pick up the option, a deadline which falls after the NBA draft (June 26). Toronto has been rumoured to have interest in moving up in this year's draft and Nesterovic's contract might be an attractive addition to any trade package.

Now let me tell you everything that's wrong with the above paragraph from the bottom up. First, I dislike it when sports writers use the word "attractive" to explain an expiring contract. It sounds like the equivalent of masturbating to a comic book. Second, expiring contracts are generally dealt closer to the trade deadline, when a franchise has at least given the illusion of making an effort that season. Even Colangelo's famous Marbury-Hardaway dump came in January of 2004. Also, any possible trade that the Raptors could make would be hugely contingent on the order of the draft (which will be decided on May 20) and would probably involve either Jose Calderon or TJ Ford. Problem is, TJ Ford can't be traded until July 1 because of his base-year compensation status. Finally, if you were Rasho Nesterovic and you were given the choice to make $8.4 million or explore free agency wouldn't you avoid putting it off?

Jamario Moon No Longer Lowest Paid Player In NBA

The Raptors shocked no one on Wednesday by picking up Jamario Moon's option for next season. The former Harlem Globetrotter and Albany Patroon will make just over $700,000 in '08-09, which I considered making fun of before looking at my pay stub today. But, just for perspective, consider that Darrick Martin made nearly double that last year in 17 games and he didn't even make the 2008 T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

Inexcusably, Moon started 75 games for the Raptors last year. This isn't a slight against Moon's talent, but rather a comment on the paucity of talented wingmen on the Raptors. Moon also broke a team record by recording at least one block in twelve consecutive games.

STATS!: Moon averaged 8.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.0 spg, 1.4 bpg, 48.5 FG%, 32.8 3P% in 27.8 mpg.

Thanks, Chuck

Best of luck, Chuck. See you in Chicago. You gave moments like these part of their magic:

Oh Right, Basketball!

That's me in a genuine London phone booth, in London. It was all part of a study to find out if Raptors losses hurt as bad if you don't actually watch them. My research has shown that, yes, they do (hence the middle digit), particularly when those losses come against the Nets and the Plopcats. I could have dashed off a few thoughtless, vitriolic lines about my disappointment, but there would've been no point as I didn't see the games and I was surrounded by people whose idea of sport begins and ends with soccer.

So, as the Raptors say they have no excuses for this year before pointing to Bosh and TJ's injuries, I have no excuse for the hiatus except for being off the continent in a country that probably doesn't even know who native son John Amaechi is, or his importance to the NBA.

Wanna know how excited I am for the post-season? I'm actually watching the Raptors-Bulls game right now. And there will be a preview of the Raps-Magic series posted soon. Hopefully somebody other than me and my girlfriend reads it.