A Not-So-Goodbye To Garbo & League News

The Raptor Core returns a day sooner than I planned because some important Raptor-related news has surfaced over the past 24 hours or so. I’m sure a lot of you have heard about it by now but if you haven’t, here are some useful links with information pertaining to the pending buyout of Jorge Garbajosa’s NBA contract:

Doug Smith, Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/441719

Doug Smith Blog, Toronto Star: http://thestar.blogs.com/raptors/2008/06/of-garbo-and-th.html

Globe & Mail: http://nationalpost.pa-sportsticker.com/default.aspx?s=nba-news-display&nid=A35608581213292123A

Basically, the entire issue boils down to the following facts:

1. Jorge Garbajosa sustained a brutal leg injury against the Boston Celtics in March of 2007 and had to have surgery to repair the damage.

2. Garbajosa decided that he wanted to play in the Euro Championship that was hosted by Spain since his home nation won the World Championships a year earlier in 2006.

3. The Raptors’ team doctors and their counterparts in Spain did not agree on the degree to which the leg had healed post-surgery.

4. The Raptors asked that the Spanish basketball federation take out a $1 million insurance policy on Garbajosa in the event that he re-injured himself while playing for the national team.

5. Garbajosa played in the tournament and didn’t seem to show any ill effects but when he reported for the Raptors’ training camp in October, he didn’t seem to be part of the rotation and people in the media said the team was actually telling him he needed more surgery.

6. Garbo underwent further surgery to the leg because it wasn’t healing properly and he has been out of action for what I would estimate has been six months now.

7. Once it was found that Garbo needed more surgery, Bryan Colangelo and the team’s lawyers filed a lawsuit against the Spanish basketball federation over the insurance policy because they believed that playing in the Euro tournament in 2007 played a part in stunting the healing process after the initial surgery.

8. This lawsuit was promptly dropped as both parties tried to come to a mutually acceptable agreement and somewhat of a settlement out of court. To date, no settlement has been reached.

9. Amidst the whispers that Garbo wants to take part in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, rumours have surfaced that the Raptors organization is seeking a buyout of the remaining year of his contract, which is worth a reported $4.35 million.

10. The main cause for the buyout is the fact Bryan Colangelo stated months ago that the team would not clear Garbo to play internationally this season as long as he was under contract to the Raptors. Obviously, international play cost the team a year of its investment in the Spaniard, which can be blamed – justifiably or not – on him playing in the Euros.

My take on this is that it is the right decision to make for everyone involved. Everyone I know really liked Jorge because he was one of the few Raptors who you could really say was a warrior and he had an exceptional 2006-2007 season in the red and white. He brought toughness, defensive intensity and for what he lacked in athleticism and physical gifts, he made up for with intelligence and guile. He could have been the difference in the last two playoff runs, both of which he missed and it’s a shame that he only had one real season with the franchise because he was a good basketball player. I’m sure he’ll play professionally in Europe again because the word is that there’s no way he’d ever pass an NBA physical so his career in North America is likely over. At his age, it makes sense to take the buyout and just go back to Spain and play for a local team. According to the articles I’ve read and linked you to, the buyout amount would probably be worth around half of the $4.35 million but a new contract in Europe would probably get him close to matching what he would’ve made if he was still with the Raptors so he doesn’t lose out in the end.

From the Raptors’ perspective, this doesn’t help them in the free agent market. It may bring them down another $1-2 million from the luxury tax threshold, which is good because they’re getting very close to it – especially if and when they sign Jose Calderon to his new deal. Clearly, their frontcourt is fairly stacked with Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, Rasho Nesterovic and Kris Humphries. I wouldn’t mind seeing Hump get more opportunities next year and I’m hoping my prayers are answered for someone to take Rasho’s expiring $8.4 million off the Raptors’ hands. To put things in perspective, the Raptors are losing a player they never really had anyway since he went down in March of 2007. I’m sad to see him go but it’s time for the team to cut their ties and move in a new direction. I wish this affected the amount they could spend on free agents but unfortunately, all they have is the mid-level exception, which still has to be calculated. My estimate is that it’ll end up being around $5.8 million next year.

Jose Calderon News

First of all, for the people that think Jose will hold malice toward the Raptors organization for what has happened with Garbo, I think you’re being a little naïve. Yes, they are great friends and have known each other for years but this is professional basketball and I don’t think Jose would boycott the Raps based on what happened with Garbajosa. It’s an isolated incident and there are a lot of strange circumstances: a freak accident occurs, the player rushes back to play internationally, insurance policies are taken out, lawsuits are filed, etc. I’m sure Calderon is smart enough to see that this is out of his hands and it’s just a bad situation for everyone involved and it’s unfortunate it came to this.

Now, Michael Grange wrote a short article for the Globe and Mail yesterday. I’m not sure whether or not it was in the newspaper but here’s the link: http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080611.wsptraps11/GSStory/GlobeSportsBasketball/home . It was the first thing I read pertaining to Garbo but there was some interesting news on what Jose’s been up to in the past month and a half since the season ended for the Raptors. Calderon fired his U.S.-based agent, George Bass, and opted to be represented by a Spain-based agent by the name of Paco Lopez Costell. Many view this as a sign that Calderon will return to the Raptors because an NBA agent would likely “stir up competing offers from rival clubs”. Also, Jose could have kept both representatives and they would split the standard four per cent that players usually pay their agents on contracts that are signed. However, Costell may not command the same percentage since he isn’t an established, high-powered NBA agent. Therefore, Jose might only pay two per cent that – on a contract worth $40 million – could mean savings of roughly $800,000. That’s a lot of money – even for a millionaire.

Quick Hits on the Draft

Just some news coming from Eric Smith’s blog, The Rap, on the Fan 590’s web site, which you can find in my blogroll: the Raptors will be having workouts at the Air Canada Center tomorrow. Here is a list of the players involved:

1. Darrell Arthur, Forward, Kansas

2. Tyrone Brazelton, Guard, Western Kentucky

3. James Gist, Forward, Maryland

4. J.J. Hickson, Forward, North Carolina State

5. DeMarcus Nelson, Guard, Duke

6. David Padgett, Center, Louisville

As far as I know, Arthur is the only player projected to go in the first round for sure – perhaps even as a borderline lottery pick. The other guys are either borderline first round picks or second round guys. Padgett isn’t even on every mock draft that I’ve checked thus far so I’m guessing the Raptors are just doing their due diligence and may have an offer involving a second round pick or late first rounder on the table. We’ll find out for sure on June 26.

Headlines

“Federal Agents Asking Questions About Bavetta”

Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3439554

This whole thing with the referees is really starting to get disturbing. For those of you that don’t know, news came out earlier this week where Tim Donaghy actually claimed games were fixed and he named a couple, including Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers. Apparently, agents have been asking about long-time referee, Dick Bavetta. It would really disturb me if they found anything on Bavetta because he’s my favourite official in the NBA and I’m sure a lot of other people’s favourite as well. He was part of the crew that called Game 6 six years ago so there MAY be some kind of validity to it.

“Vujacic Playing Himself Into A Raise?”

Link: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/52952/20080612/vujacic_playing_himself_into_a_raise/

Vujacic is going to make $2.6 million in the final year of his contract next season but he could sign an extension sooner than that. I believe he can opt out and become a restricted free agent at the end of this season as well. His strong Game 3 showing on Tuesday is probably moving this topic forward but Vujacic has been pretty solid all season long for the Lakers and his development – along with other L.A. players – has helped make them what they are.

“Mavericks Looking To Trade For A Pick”

Link: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/52961/20080612/mavericks_looking_to_trade_for_a_pick/

The Dallas Mavericks need a lot more than a draft pick to make their team a contender again. Who would’ve thought that a squad boasting Jason Kidd, Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki would only be good enough to play five playoff games? Then again, maybe a full season together would help them jell better but I think one of them needs to be moved and Kidd is virtually untradeable right now with that big contract. I doubt many teams would be jumping to acquire him since his age is becoming an issue. He did have a pretty good year this past season, especially the beginning with New Jersey.

“Finals Ratings Increase 52% From Last Year”

Link: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/52953/20080612/finals_ratings_increase_52_percent_from_last_year_but_trail_2004/

In what is a surprise to no one, the first three games of the 2008 Finals have attracted 52% more viewers than last year’s terrible Cleveland/San Antonio series. However, the Celtics and Lakers have not been able to match the recent high that was seen in 2004 when the Lakers and Pistons clashed. I’m actually surprised about that because these two teams have so much more star power than the Pistons could muster in 2004. More power to them, though, because it was a five-game sweep, as they say.

“Van Gundy Vindicated Over 2006 Yao Comment”

Link: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/52949/20080612/van_gundy_vindicated_over_2006_yao_comment/

Again, this doesn’t bode well for the league. Tim Donaghy claimed that in the 2006 playoffs, he was given information that the officials should watch closely for moving picks set by Yao Ming. This was apparently due to a complaint filed by the Mavericks’ owner, Mark Cuban. Jeff Van Gundy said he had the same information back in 2006 and now that Donaghy has confirmed it, both men sure end up looking more credible (not that Van Gundy has an issue with credibility).

“D.J. Augustin Works Out For Clippers”

Link: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/52946/20080612/dj_augustin_works_out_for_clippers/

I sure hope Augustin is taken by someone else because the Clippers have somewhat of a need at the point guard spot behind Shaun Livingston. There’s no guarantee that he can return to the form he had before his knee injury and the Raptors might be able to send T.J. Ford over there as part of a package for Corey Maggette. However, if Augustin is chosen by the Clips, that’s one less team for Bryan Colangelo to do business with this summer.

That’s about it for this entry. What I planned to be a mini-entry turned into almost a full-fledged one but I’m sure the Raptor fans out there will be happy to see so much recent news on the team. It’s sad that Jorge Garbajosa will be gone but it’s something that had to be done. Hopefully, there’s a lot more Raptor news to discuss in the next six weeks or so as we get closer to the draft on June 26 and then free agency begins on July 1. Tune in TSN at 8 PM on Thursday for their Game 4 preview, followed by ESPN’s preview at 8:30 and the game itself at 9. I’m not sure if I’ll be writing an entry tomorrow to review Game 4 but I won’t be gone for long. Until next time..

-Mark R.

[The Raptor Core]