Barbosa Odd Man Out in Toronto Backcourt

[Built Ford Tough]

Adam Francis of RaptorsHQ writes about how the Raptors need to find a team to trade Barbosa to.

 

Who doesn't fit in this mix then?

 

One Leandro Barbosa.

 

To me this is where the fan focus should be, not Jose versus Jerryd.

 

Barbosa can be the most talented player on the court for Toronto on a given night, but I truly believe that Bryan Colangelo needs to find a way to move him somewhere else. He's good enough on this team of unproven youngsters and mediocre veterans that he'll take away precious minutes, minutes that coach Dwane Casey should be dolling out to players like Bayless and even Gary Forbes as the Raptors attempt to determine who stays, and who goes heading into next year's key season.

 

To a large extent Barbosa duplicates most of what players like Forbes, Bayless and even DeRozan do (good individual offense threat, not much else) so if BC can find a taker for him early in the season, I think that benefits the club in the long run.

 

Optimally, the Raps end this season with a solid understanding of whether Bayless can play the 1 as a starter in the league, and manage to keep Calderon feeling like he's still a big piece of the puzzle. Calderon is overpaid, but he does produce, something you can't say about many other players on this club, and I'd be fine with having Jose remain a Raptor in a backup role when his current contract ends. In fact a one-two punch of a a young, elite PG in the mould of a Rondo, Westbrook or Irving, with Calderon, the pass-first, risk averse, efficient shooting PG as a back-up, would look pretty good in terms of the club's future would it not?

 

We're not sure if Bayless can be that elite first option at the 1, but that's what this season should be all about, discovering if indeed he can grab those reigns.

 

And as mentioned to start this piece, really, Bryan Colangelo and his braintrust have bigger fish to fry at other positions.

 

I say let Jose and Jerryd play, mix in some Anthony Carter and even Gary Forbes (who played the 1 at times for his national team), and see what happens.

 

The club's real issues lie elsewhere and considering the respect Calderon and Bayless seem to have for each other, I don't see this being a problem during the season.

 

The problem will be if we start to see Leandro Barbosa playing 30 minutes a night.

 

If that's the case, and Barbosa isn't dealt early on, I along with many other Raptors' fans I'm sure, are going to be wondering to an extent, just what the point of this season was.

 

http://www.raptorshq.com/2011/12/16/2640066/barbosa-odd-man-man-out-in-raptors-backcourt

 

I couldn't agree more with this blog. Everything that he mentions in it I have likely either posted about already on here or at least thought about posting on here (although Francis obviously gets his point across better than I ever do).

 

What are the chances of Barbosa being dealt this season? He is expiring after this year so I think he may have some interest come deadline time to teams looking to add an offensive spark to their lineup.

 

I'd absolutely love it if the Raptors were able to deal him for a late 1st or something as I definitely think that there could be some late first/early 2nd round gems in this years draft. Barbosa is easily the teams best chance at acquiring a late round pick.

Edited December 17, 2011 by Built Ford Tough

[Check my Stats]

First from the Clippers if they are looking like a middle to high playoff seed?

[headliner]

 

I'd absolutely love it if the Raptors were able to deal him for a late 1st or something as I definitely think that there could be some late first/early 2nd round gems in this years draft. Barbosa is easily the teams best chance at acquiring a late round pick.

 

In terms of the flexibility I think this is the only option that makes sense for the rebuild. Raptors don’t want to add salary that may compromise the flexibility and to add an additional pick in this coming draft will help make this team’s future bright. Or let the contract expire and it’s still a good thing.