[OhCanada-Participant]

http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_15894402

“Masai Ujiri will become the new general manager of the Nuggets, according to an NBA source.

Ujiri is a former scout of the Nuggets and was most recently with the Raptors.

A native of Zaria, Nigeria, Ujiri attended prep school in Seattle, went to junior college in North Dakota and attended Montana State.”

This is very upsetting news as I thought Ujiri would eventually replace Colangelo like Triano replaced Mitchell. Denver got arguably the best man for the job and Ujiri should prove to be one of the best GM’s in the league, fairly soon. It should be interesting to see how he handles the Carmelo situation, especially since he stood through the whole Chris Bosh situation and watched Bosh leave them with nothing.

[Toronto16Participant]

All is not lost my friend, I believe the Raptors have a shot at signing Kevin Pritchard.

And now the big task for Masai Ujiri will be to try to convince Melo to stick around.

[Toronto16Participant]

All is not lost my friend, I believe the Raptors have a shot at signing Kevin Pritchard.

And now the big task for Masai Ujiri will be to try to convince Melo to stick around.

[OhCanada-Participant]

Pritchard as an Assistant GM? Is that just a general belief?

[OhCanada-Participant]

Pritchard as an Assistant GM? Is that just a general belief?

[Toronto16Participant]

No, Pritchard as GM GM. This is Colangelo’s last year of his contract, and I highly doubt he gets an extension. Pritchard has yet to be signed anywhere and I’m hearing rumblings that MLSE is interested.

[Toronto16Participant]

No, Pritchard as GM GM. This is Colangelo’s last year of his contract, and I highly doubt he gets an extension. Pritchard has yet to be signed anywhere and I’m hearing rumblings that MLSE is interested.

[McDunkin]

Im starting a petition to get them to re-sign Coby Karl

[McDunkin]

Im starting a petition to get them to re-sign Coby Karl

[kaceyParticipant]

Does this mean Solomon Alabi will eventually get traded to the Nuggets? He has that connection with Masai, which is how Alabi ended up in Toronto.

[kaceyParticipant]

Does this mean Solomon Alabi will eventually get traded to the Nuggets? He has that connection with Masai, which is how Alabi ended up in Toronto.

[OhCanada-Participant]

I still don’t understand how the hell the league was so blind to Soloman Alabi. The guy is gonna be a polished Nazr Mahommed when its all said and done. What possessed everyone to pass on him?

[OhCanada-Participant]

I still don’t understand how the hell the league was so blind to Soloman Alabi. The guy is gonna be a polished Nazr Mahommed when its all said and done. What possessed everyone to pass on him?

[McDunkin]

It was rumored that he had Hepititis B i still dont know if this was proven to be true

[McDunkin]

It was rumored that he had Hepititis B i still dont know if this was proven to be true

[Toronto16Participant]

@McDunkin

He confirmed in his introductory press conference that he had a treatable form of Hepatitis B.

[Toronto16Participant]

@McDunkin

He confirmed in his introductory press conference that he had a treatable form of Hepatitis B.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

I would not be so cheery about getting Pritchard as the GM. He did a solid job in Portland, but it was because of picks. Do not let the trades fool you, because he wanted to draft both of those guys regardless, and it did turn out he drafted the right players, but I think his GM skills are definitely in question. I thought he got a raw deal in Portland and should have had more time to deal with the young team he constructed, but it seemed all KP ever cared about was the draft. He would be fiending come draft time, and otherwise not really address the huge issues on the team. The one trade he did make other than the draft was the Camby trade, which freed up a bit of room, but he seemed to be the one who could not really deal with the whole Rudy situation. I felt bad for Rich Cho, because right now Portland has just to many young pieces and not enough minutes for all of them. Also, Turkoglu was SO close to being a Blazer before signing with the Raps, so do not think that mess might have never happened if KP were GM. I think Colangelo is on incredibly thin ice, but at the same time, I do not know if annointing Pritchard as the savior is the answer. For someone who has ties to both Portland (where I lived for 3 years before moving back to Toronto last year, not to mention I lived in Oregon for 4 years before that) and Toronto, I know both of these GMs very well. Colangelo had the worst draft in a long time to have the number 1 pick for, and I am still not totally convinced that Aldridge is a better player than Bargnani. No one was talking about Roy going first, so Pritchard just got Danny Ainge to bite on a really stupid trade to move up to 7, and let everyone know he wanted Brandon Roy so he had to give up some money and Randy Foye to get him rather than just keeping his mouth shut. Same thing happened with LaMarcus Aldridge and the Bulls/Tyrus Thomas. Both of the trades worked out wonderfully, and he picked the right players, but I do not think Colangelo has made terrible moves. I think any GM in his situation, as ridiculous as it seems now (and as much as I could see it coming a mile away), would have prayed for Chris Bosh to stay in town. The Raptors now have a really young core group of players, and this is a great team for rebuilding honestly. It will take a couple years, but honestly that is how it works when you lose the franchise player that Chris Bosh was to this team. I would give Colangelo a chance before throwing him overboard, because the Raptors are a much better team than from when he took over. We all see how difficult it was to trade TJ Ford, and even with the Blazers signing of Andre Miller, PG is still an issue with that team as well. I think DeRozan will improve greatly, and Davis was a total steal at 13. To fix up as well as Colangelo did after the horrendous Vince Carter trade/Hoffa Araujo fiasco is no small feat. The Turkoglu thing sucked, but luckily he got rid of that before it became a further problem, and I think that Barbosa will be a great pick-up. I know the Raptors are not a title contender, but, to be fair, they never have been. It is incredibly hard to get people to come and play or stay here. It is the fact that it is Canada and the taxes that gets many a player scared of being a Raptor. I think they love the city, but they do not like the winters, and as Chris Bosh said “it just feels different.” So, before you anoint Pritchard the savior of the Raptors, just know that I do not think he is much different than a Colangelo, and I still think Los Suns have Colangelo to thank for their reign as a fairly constant success.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

I would not be so cheery about getting Pritchard as the GM. He did a solid job in Portland, but it was because of picks. Do not let the trades fool you, because he wanted to draft both of those guys regardless, and it did turn out he drafted the right players, but I think his GM skills are definitely in question. I thought he got a raw deal in Portland and should have had more time to deal with the young team he constructed, but it seemed all KP ever cared about was the draft. He would be fiending come draft time, and otherwise not really address the huge issues on the team. The one trade he did make other than the draft was the Camby trade, which freed up a bit of room, but he seemed to be the one who could not really deal with the whole Rudy situation. I felt bad for Rich Cho, because right now Portland has just to many young pieces and not enough minutes for all of them. Also, Turkoglu was SO close to being a Blazer before signing with the Raps, so do not think that mess might have never happened if KP were GM. I think Colangelo is on incredibly thin ice, but at the same time, I do not know if annointing Pritchard as the savior is the answer. For someone who has ties to both Portland (where I lived for 3 years before moving back to Toronto last year, not to mention I lived in Oregon for 4 years before that) and Toronto, I know both of these GMs very well. Colangelo had the worst draft in a long time to have the number 1 pick for, and I am still not totally convinced that Aldridge is a better player than Bargnani. No one was talking about Roy going first, so Pritchard just got Danny Ainge to bite on a really stupid trade to move up to 7, and let everyone know he wanted Brandon Roy so he had to give up some money and Randy Foye to get him rather than just keeping his mouth shut. Same thing happened with LaMarcus Aldridge and the Bulls/Tyrus Thomas. Both of the trades worked out wonderfully, and he picked the right players, but I do not think Colangelo has made terrible moves. I think any GM in his situation, as ridiculous as it seems now (and as much as I could see it coming a mile away), would have prayed for Chris Bosh to stay in town. The Raptors now have a really young core group of players, and this is a great team for rebuilding honestly. It will take a couple years, but honestly that is how it works when you lose the franchise player that Chris Bosh was to this team. I would give Colangelo a chance before throwing him overboard, because the Raptors are a much better team than from when he took over. We all see how difficult it was to trade TJ Ford, and even with the Blazers signing of Andre Miller, PG is still an issue with that team as well. I think DeRozan will improve greatly, and Davis was a total steal at 13. To fix up as well as Colangelo did after the horrendous Vince Carter trade/Hoffa Araujo fiasco is no small feat. The Turkoglu thing sucked, but luckily he got rid of that before it became a further problem, and I think that Barbosa will be a great pick-up. I know the Raptors are not a title contender, but, to be fair, they never have been. It is incredibly hard to get people to come and play or stay here. It is the fact that it is Canada and the taxes that gets many a player scared of being a Raptor. I think they love the city, but they do not like the winters, and as Chris Bosh said “it just feels different.” So, before you anoint Pritchard the savior of the Raptors, just know that I do not think he is much different than a Colangelo, and I still think Los Suns have Colangelo to thank for their reign as a fairly constant success.

[Toronto16Participant]

I see what you are saying man, but unfortunatley in today’s NBA, when you are in a small market you can only look forward to the draft. Pritchard picked up gems like Nic Batum and Jerryd Bayless. He aslo did the trade for Marcus Camby and picked up Andre Miller. If they weren’t cursed so badly with injuries, they could have won a title by now.

[Toronto16Participant]

I see what you are saying man, but unfortunatley in today’s NBA, when you are in a small market you can only look forward to the draft. Pritchard picked up gems like Nic Batum and Jerryd Bayless. He aslo did the trade for Marcus Camby and picked up Andre Miller. If they weren’t cursed so badly with injuries, they could have won a title by now.

[OhCanada-Participant]

I believe selecting Davis is extremely obvious, and Ujiri was instremental in selecting Alabi. Selecting Derozan was a no brainer due to the loss of Parker, Delfino and Kapono that year. What we dont give BC credit for are trades like Delfino for Johnson and Weems who are 2 young players the Raptors are building on. The signing of Jarrett jack, the recent signing of Lienis Klieza, and Andrea Bargnani’s 10 Million Dollar Contract will prove to be one of the best deals in the NBA once this year gets rolling.

Signing Turkoglu was a given, their were 5 or 10 teams willing to pay around the sane price for Turk and BC had to make a statement to Bosh, and to the NBA that Toronto can attract FA’s. Signing Calderon after one of the most effiecient years as as a PG in NBA history was jumping the gun a bit due to Calderon’s defencive liabilities, but you can’t just let a player like that walk after a Season like that. Other then that the only mistakes BC has really made is the fact that he is expecting Bargnani to play C, although it is not like their are many C’s available that are better then Bargnani. You have to really be doing special to

[OhCanada-Participant]

I believe selecting Davis is extremely obvious, and Ujiri was instremental in selecting Alabi. Selecting Derozan was a no brainer due to the loss of Parker, Delfino and Kapono that year. What we dont give BC credit for are trades like Delfino for Johnson and Weems who are 2 young players the Raptors are building on. The signing of Jarrett jack, the recent signing of Lienis Klieza, and Andrea Bargnani’s 10 Million Dollar Contract will prove to be one of the best deals in the NBA once this year gets rolling.

Signing Turkoglu was a given, their were 5 or 10 teams willing to pay around the sane price for Turk and BC had to make a statement to Bosh, and to the NBA that Toronto can attract FA’s. Signing Calderon after one of the most effiecient years as as a PG in NBA history was jumping the gun a bit due to Calderon’s defencive liabilities, but you can’t just let a player like that walk after a Season like that. Other then that the only mistakes BC has really made is the fact that he is expecting Bargnani to play C, although it is not like their are many C’s available that are better then Bargnani. You have to really be doing special to

[OhCanada-Participant]

You have to be really special to be a Top 10 C in the league and if Bargnani can ever manage to pull in 9-rebounds per game he is a no brainer Top 10 C in the League.*

[OhCanada-Participant]

You have to be really special to be a Top 10 C in the league and if Bargnani can ever manage to pull in 9-rebounds per game he is a no brainer Top 10 C in the League.*

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

That Bargnani will not have to play Center at all. Defensively, it is just a poor choice. Even though Johnson is seen as undersized at maybe 6’9/6’10, I would think he will get the bulk of time their. This moves Bargnani to the perimeter, which will just be so much better for him. I always pictured Bargnani as a 3/4 more than a 5, and just think that is the best spot to play him at. He is maybe a little to slow to guard the 3 spot, but the 4 spot is much better for him than guarding Centers. I think Johnson is tough enough to guard the biggest guys out their, and actually would relish the chance to do so. That is a rare quality to possess, and I think that is maybe why the Raptors invested so much into a player who it seems has not really done much to prove himself. I could not believe how little they played Johnson last year, and think we needed his defense and rebounding, but with Turkoglu gone now, I think it opens up the opportunity to maybe move Bargnani to his spot at times. Linas Kleiza should be their, and I picture a starting line-up of Jack, DeRozan, Kleiza, Bargnani and Johnson. This leaves a very strong bench with Calderon, Barbosa, Weems, Julian Wright, Ed Davis, Reggie Evans, Joey Dorsey, Solomon Alabi (when he is not in the D-League). I am really hoping the Raps can move Calderon to maybe open some things up, but right now I love that Barbosa can come off the bench and score for them, and be a combo guard when needed, playing with Jack or DeRozan. Granted, the Raps still have a ways to go, but this is not a bad team to build on at all. It seems like the Raptors are agressively attacking their issues on defense, and once Calderon finally bites the bullet (please be soon), than things might be looking way up in those regards. Just have to hope Bargnani improves greatly in that category as well and that Kleiza can hold his own. But, while this core group will be maybe no better than around a 30 or so win team, you add a strong wing player into the mix, and things could be looking way up. Of course I am thinking Harrison Barnes, but even a PG could finally come into play now that we finally have realized Calderon is not the answer. Enes Kanter, Perry Jones, Kyrie Irving are all attainable if the Raps strike it in the lottery and even otherwise I am sure the future will be looking up. Even if, I still see the Raps being in the lottery the next year, but that is the best way to rebuild a team (realistically, not every team is the Lakers, Celtics or Heat). I do not know if Colangelo’s job is really on the line, it could be before he is able to try this out, but to think Pritchard will Pritch slap everything better is delusional. I personally could not see Pritchard doing things much differently from Colangelo, so I do not know why he would be the better option.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

That Bargnani will not have to play Center at all. Defensively, it is just a poor choice. Even though Johnson is seen as undersized at maybe 6’9/6’10, I would think he will get the bulk of time their. This moves Bargnani to the perimeter, which will just be so much better for him. I always pictured Bargnani as a 3/4 more than a 5, and just think that is the best spot to play him at. He is maybe a little to slow to guard the 3 spot, but the 4 spot is much better for him than guarding Centers. I think Johnson is tough enough to guard the biggest guys out their, and actually would relish the chance to do so. That is a rare quality to possess, and I think that is maybe why the Raptors invested so much into a player who it seems has not really done much to prove himself. I could not believe how little they played Johnson last year, and think we needed his defense and rebounding, but with Turkoglu gone now, I think it opens up the opportunity to maybe move Bargnani to his spot at times. Linas Kleiza should be their, and I picture a starting line-up of Jack, DeRozan, Kleiza, Bargnani and Johnson. This leaves a very strong bench with Calderon, Barbosa, Weems, Julian Wright, Ed Davis, Reggie Evans, Joey Dorsey, Solomon Alabi (when he is not in the D-League). I am really hoping the Raps can move Calderon to maybe open some things up, but right now I love that Barbosa can come off the bench and score for them, and be a combo guard when needed, playing with Jack or DeRozan. Granted, the Raps still have a ways to go, but this is not a bad team to build on at all. It seems like the Raptors are agressively attacking their issues on defense, and once Calderon finally bites the bullet (please be soon), than things might be looking way up in those regards. Just have to hope Bargnani improves greatly in that category as well and that Kleiza can hold his own. But, while this core group will be maybe no better than around a 30 or so win team, you add a strong wing player into the mix, and things could be looking way up. Of course I am thinking Harrison Barnes, but even a PG could finally come into play now that we finally have realized Calderon is not the answer. Enes Kanter, Perry Jones, Kyrie Irving are all attainable if the Raps strike it in the lottery and even otherwise I am sure the future will be looking up. Even if, I still see the Raps being in the lottery the next year, but that is the best way to rebuild a team (realistically, not every team is the Lakers, Celtics or Heat). I do not know if Colangelo’s job is really on the line, it could be before he is able to try this out, but to think Pritchard will Pritch slap everything better is delusional. I personally could not see Pritchard doing things much differently from Colangelo, so I do not know why he would be the better option.

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