Bryan Colangelo Shakes Things Up

As of today the a trade has been agreed upon in principle between the Toronto Raptors and the Indiana Pacers. The deal would send TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, a player to be named later, and the 17th overall pick in the NBA Draft to be held later on tonight to the Pacers in exchange for Jermaine O'neal. The trade was agreed to in principle and would only require physicals to be completed according to the press release that came out yesterday.

It was thought before the start of last season that the Raptors had struck gold and could use a two guard system to wreak havoc on the league but after Ford went down and Jose Calderon stepped in and played like an all-star Ford became expendable. Calderon was still willing to split time with Ford although he was not happy about it but it eventually became clear that Calderon was the new #1 guy and Ford was visibly not happy with the decision. With Ford's unhappiness evident to the league offers began pouring in from all over from teams trying to add Ford.

"We're talking about a player in T.J. that's an asset," Bryan Colangelo Raptors GM said. "He's a starting point guard in the NBA. Due to the fact that ... it's been known that he's available, so to speak, there's been a lot of interest. Teams have called and inquired and not put deals on the table that have been insulting in any regard. It's apparent that T.J.'s value is very high."

Earlier in the week there were talks that Ford might end up going to Phoenix in exchange for Boris Diaw but Indiana soon emerged with the offer of O'neal that was apparently too good to pass up.

O'Neal has missed over 50 games in the past two seasons due to serious knee problems, including a career high 40 last year after his knee was surgically repaired in the off-season. When he is actually healthy, O'Neal is a beast and i arguably one the NBA's dominant big men, averaging at least 19 points and nine rebounds. His numbers did drop last year a bit 14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds but that can mostly be attributed to his knee issues. Along with his injury problems O'Neal brings with him a hefty contract as he has two years and $44-million remaining.

The thing that bothers me the most about this trade as a Raptors fan is that what the Raptors truly need is a center. Granted Jermaine O'neal can play center he is the same type of player as Chris Bosh a PF/C who feels more comfortable at PF. Why the Raptors didn't use Ford and the pick to move up and select Brooke Lopez is beyond me. Also I don't like trading for players who have a history of injury, are 29 years old, and have a big contract. However maybe Colangelo is trying to assemble his own Big 3 of Bosh, Calderon, and O'neal. Only time will tell but for now I remain skeptical.