There's trying to save your job, and than there's saving your job. Toronto Raptors General Manager Bryan Colangelo is in that predicament as he's in the final year of his second contract with the team. When General Manager's such as Colangelo get in this situation in any professional league they do whatever it takes to keep their job. The Rudy Gay trade doesn't save Colangelo his job, but at least he's trying to save his job.
Who knows what ownership will do when it comes time to make a decision on Colangelo, but the trade for Gay and the new contract for DeRozan doesn't really give a new General Manager much flexibility with the cap in the future. Heck, what guy would want to take this job. He'd have to wait 2 to 3 years before he can make a significant move. I'm not saying Colangelo will get a contract extension, but he got himself into this mess, shouldn't he get himself out?
Colangelo has proven over his years in Toronto that he's not afraid to pull the trigger on some chancy moves. However, how far will Colangelo go to save his job. He's made risky draft picks, free agents signings, and trades. He took Andrea Bargnani over Rudy Gay in the 2006 draft, which led to him taking his chances on the recent trade for Gay. He took his chances on Hedo Turkoglu, and even traded for Jermaine O'Neal. There really hasn't been a move that Colangelo's made that's worked out.
Here's a look back at his draft picks since 2006:
2006: Andrea Bargnani (on the trading block), P.J. Tucker (plays for the Suns), Edin Bavcic (who?)
2007: Nothing
2008: Roy Hibbert (traded to the Pacers for Nathan Jawai, who now isn't in the NBA)
2009: DeMar DeRozan (passed up on Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday, Ty Lawson & Jeff Teague)
2010: Ed Davis (now with Memphis)
2011: Jonas Valanciunas (growing)
2012: Terrence Ross (growing), Quincy Acy (potential)
Major Free Agent Signings: Anthony Parker, Jorge Garbajosa, Fred Jones, Jamario Moon, Jason Kapono, Hedo Turkoglu, Jarrett Jack, Linas Kleiza, Amir Johnson, and Landry Fields
Major Trades:
Acquired Kris Humphries
Traded Matt Bonner to the Spurs for Rasho Nesterovic
Traded Charlie Villanueva to the Bucks for T.J. Ford
Acquired Carlos Delfino
Traded T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and Maceo Baston to the Pacers for Jermaine O'Neal
Traded Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon to the Heat for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks
Traded Jason Kapono to the 76ers for Reggie Evans
Traded Hedo Turkoglu, and Dwayne Jones to the Suns for Leandro Barbosa
Traded Jarrett Jack, Marcus Banks, and David Andersen to the Hornets for Peja Stojakovic, and Jerryd Bayless
Leandro Barbosa traded to the Pacers
Traded Jose Calderon and Ed Davis for Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi
To summarize that all up, 5 of the last 9 draft picks don't play for the Raptors anymore, and one is on the trading block. Five of the 10 free agent signings were later traded, only 3 currently play for the Raptors. Amir Johnson has been the longest running Raptor on that list, Kleiza hasn't played more than 50 games since coming to the Raptors, and Fields has played in 23 of the Raptors 50 games this season. And every player that Colangelo traded for doesn't play for the team other than Gay.
Nothing Colangelo has done has worked in Toronto, and he has had some huge guts for most of those moves. The Gay trade just adds to it, but how far is Colangelo willing to go to save his job. The Raptors are now rumoured to be in talks with the Chicago Bulls on a trade that sends Bargnani to the Bulls for Carlos Boozer. Out of every move Colangelo has ever made, this would be the biggest chancy move yet. Boozer has three years remaining on his contract, just as Bargnani does, but Boozer will make $5 million more.
Maybe Colangelo shouldn't be given the chance to get himself out of this situation. Colangelo already has this team tied up in a lot of money, how far is he willing to go to save his job? Could it be as far as to screw the Raptors over for years to come? Don't forget there's no draft pick for 2013 if the Raptors land between picks 4 and 14.
Or maybe a better question is, how far is ownership going to allow this to go on? If this ownership group was so impatient with Brian Burke, what gives them the reason to be so patient with Colangelo.
Who knows what ownership will do when it comes time to make a decision on Colangelo, but the trade for Gay and the new contract for DeRozan doesn't really give a new General Manager much flexibility with the cap in the future. Heck, what guy would want to take this job. He'd have to wait 2 to 3 years before he can make a significant move. I'm not saying Colangelo will get a contract extension, but he got himself into this mess, shouldn't he get himself out?
Colangelo has proven over his years in Toronto that he's not afraid to pull the trigger on some chancy moves. However, how far will Colangelo go to save his job. He's made risky draft picks, free agents signings, and trades. He took Andrea Bargnani over Rudy Gay in the 2006 draft, which led to him taking his chances on the recent trade for Gay. He took his chances on Hedo Turkoglu, and even traded for Jermaine O'Neal. There really hasn't been a move that Colangelo's made that's worked out.
Here's a look back at his draft picks since 2006:
2006: Andrea Bargnani (on the trading block), P.J. Tucker (plays for the Suns), Edin Bavcic (who?)
2007: Nothing
2008: Roy Hibbert (traded to the Pacers for Nathan Jawai, who now isn't in the NBA)
2009: DeMar DeRozan (passed up on Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday, Ty Lawson & Jeff Teague)
2010: Ed Davis (now with Memphis)
2011: Jonas Valanciunas (growing)
2012: Terrence Ross (growing), Quincy Acy (potential)
Major Free Agent Signings: Anthony Parker, Jorge Garbajosa, Fred Jones, Jamario Moon, Jason Kapono, Hedo Turkoglu, Jarrett Jack, Linas Kleiza, Amir Johnson, and Landry Fields
Major Trades:
Acquired Kris Humphries
Traded Matt Bonner to the Spurs for Rasho Nesterovic
Traded Charlie Villanueva to the Bucks for T.J. Ford
Acquired Carlos Delfino
Traded T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and Maceo Baston to the Pacers for Jermaine O'Neal
Traded Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon to the Heat for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks
Traded Jason Kapono to the 76ers for Reggie Evans
Traded Hedo Turkoglu, and Dwayne Jones to the Suns for Leandro Barbosa
Traded Jarrett Jack, Marcus Banks, and David Andersen to the Hornets for Peja Stojakovic, and Jerryd Bayless
Leandro Barbosa traded to the Pacers
Traded Jose Calderon and Ed Davis for Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi
To summarize that all up, 5 of the last 9 draft picks don't play for the Raptors anymore, and one is on the trading block. Five of the 10 free agent signings were later traded, only 3 currently play for the Raptors. Amir Johnson has been the longest running Raptor on that list, Kleiza hasn't played more than 50 games since coming to the Raptors, and Fields has played in 23 of the Raptors 50 games this season. And every player that Colangelo traded for doesn't play for the team other than Gay.
Nothing Colangelo has done has worked in Toronto, and he has had some huge guts for most of those moves. The Gay trade just adds to it, but how far is Colangelo willing to go to save his job. The Raptors are now rumoured to be in talks with the Chicago Bulls on a trade that sends Bargnani to the Bulls for Carlos Boozer. Out of every move Colangelo has ever made, this would be the biggest chancy move yet. Boozer has three years remaining on his contract, just as Bargnani does, but Boozer will make $5 million more.
Maybe Colangelo shouldn't be given the chance to get himself out of this situation. Colangelo already has this team tied up in a lot of money, how far is he willing to go to save his job? Could it be as far as to screw the Raptors over for years to come? Don't forget there's no draft pick for 2013 if the Raptors land between picks 4 and 14.
Or maybe a better question is, how far is ownership going to allow this to go on? If this ownership group was so impatient with Brian Burke, what gives them the reason to be so patient with Colangelo.
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