03.16.2012 09:37 AM

I am still so pissed off the Raptors traded Leandro Barbosa

As my staff and my children will tell you, I was in awe of that man. He was, and is, a god-like genius. I adored in him, in the way that fathers adore their children, but times two.

It’s been a couple days, and I am still pissed off. It’s better that you do not speak to me today. Thank you.

10 Comments

  1. frazworth says:

    I read somewhere it was a “great cap” move for the Raptors coming into the off-season…..which makes no sense because his contract was up at the end of the season. But the Raptors have always traded assets when the value was at the lowest – not big on selling high (See: Carter, Bosh’s rights, Ford). I wouldn’t be surprised if the mascot gets traded for a couple of Spaldings and a VHS copy of the 1991 Dunk Contest. Needless to say I think Tank City is starting to take form in Raptor land. Weird move if it was done for purely cap reasons.

  2. Tyrone says:

    It isn’t a cap move – as frazworth points out, Barbosa’s contract was expiring, so we wouldn’t have his contract count against the cap unless we re-signed him. The thing is, we weren’t going to re-sign him (and you can argue, Warren, that we should have, but bear with me for a second). That being the case, better to get a second-round pick from a playoff-bound team now than get nothing for him when he leaves this summer. Barbosa leaving frees up more minutes for Bayless and Forbes at a point in the season where seeing which young guys are worth keeping is more important than winning games (since we want a high draft pick to go along with the addition of Jonas V who will come over from Lithuania next season).

    As a “will this help us win games now?” move, it doesn’t add up. But as a “what’s best for the franchise at this moment in time”, it makes lots of sense.

    That being said, it always sucks when players you like move on, because watching the special ones (and LB was certainly special, with his speed, agressiveness, and over-all charm) is such a treat, especially in person. So I feel for you, Warren.

  3. kenzo's says:

    it could be worse, you could be a Leaf fan (an affliction from which I have thankfully never suffered.) Or even worse, a fan of NHL hockey, aka recurring concussion syndrome.

  4. Steve R says:

    They don’t just get the 2nd round pick, they also get a trade exception which can be used up to next year’s trade deadline. Now, that’s only worth something if they use it (they let the one they got for Marion expire) but it has some value.

  5. WestcoastJim says:

    If Toronto had a professional hockey team you would not worry so much about the Raptors.

  6. GG says:

    I hate basketball.

  7. graeme says:

    It is a cap move actually, because the raptors gain capspace now and into the pre-free agency period of the off-season, which includes the draft. The raptors will have approx. 11m in capspace on draft night. And yes, Barbosa was one of the only things that made the raptors watchable for the past two seasons. A shame to see one of the most uniquely talented raptors ever leave.

  8. Jon Powers says:

    Don’t be sad. He’s gone to a better place.

  9. Shaun says:

    His replacement has very big shoes if he expects to hold together the Raptors stellar 0.326 season while fending off the Wizards and Bobcats.

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