| Why Kid Canada Makes Sense For Toronto Authored by Gagan Gandhi - May 29, 2009 - 1:06 pm
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Steve Nash, I’m talking about you.
After re-joining in Phoenix in 2004, thanks in large part to Mark Cuban believing Nash was close to being past his prime and a six-year deal was just too much, he not only showed Cuban but the NBA as well that you can get better with age.
Of course, $63 million isn’t something you turn down unless you’re not of the bright variety (see: Latrell Sprewell).
It was an excellent, albeit rare case of a player surpassing expectations after he got his dolla dolla bills.
Posting back-to-back MVP awards not only solidified him as one of the best NBA players ever, but the best Canadian to ever step foot on the hardwood.
Colangelo’s had him a couple times before during his time in Phoenix so he knows what to expect and his contract will be running out at a time when the Raptors could potentially have only $20-30 million committed to player salaries.
Give him a two-year deal at $10 million per and you’re good to go. He’ll be 36 at this time next year and 38 when that two-year deal would expire, a perfect time to drift into the Canadian sunset and finally have someone who’s had an elite career retire as a Raptor ...sorry, Hakeem Olajuwon doesn’t count.
Imagine the jersey sales and imagine the ticket sales.
Imagine home playoff games and imagine ...wait for it, a good basketball team. I know, the shock, the amazement, it’s so hard to contain.
Yes, I know, there’s plenty that could happen from this summer ‘til next, but you have to think this has a pretty good shot at happening. The only way I don’t see it happening is if Nash goes down with a career-threatening injury or the Raptors suddenly become the beasts of the East. The former is not funny, but go ahead and laugh your butts off at the latter.
I’m not a pessimist, no. I’m not an optimist, no. I’m a realist.
Because all being a pessimist leads to is tons of mail from people who think their opinion is the only one that matters and being an optimist only leads to shattered dreams, false hope and sleepless nights.
Of course, Calderon still has four years left on his 5-year/$40 million deal that he just signed last summer. So, the question then arises on what to do with him? It’s quite simple really: move him to the two-spot. He’s proven he can shoot and although you’d be undersized and maybe severely challenged defensively in the backcourt, you can make up for it more than enough by having some frontcourt prowess and an oversized SF.
I do like Calderon as a PG, despite his mediocre season this year, but rarely do you have a chance to pick up a talent like Steve Nash. If Colangelo figures Calderon isn’t suited to play SG and is enticed enough at the possibility of getting Kid Canada, you deal Calderon. It’s that simple. But, there is no chance you deal him unless you know for sure you’re getting Nash.
At this point next summer Calderon will have only three years left on a contract that is very respectable and should be quite easy to move, especially if he has a nice season in 2009-10.
Ideally though, you’d like to keep both because Nash would only be here for a couple seasons and early in his career Calderon was compared to Nash because of his playmaking abilities, he’d be a good mentor for him.
This could all be for nothing of course if Nash re-signs in Phoenix this summer, but he’s said finishing his career in Canada would be nice and how many more coaches can Nash possibly go through in Phoenix?
“I’ve enjoyed my success in Phoenix and would love to stay here. But if not Phoenix, playing in Toronto would be a dream come true in many ways,” said Nash late in 2008.
The recent re-hiring of his long time friend Jay Triano may go a long way in bringing Steve Nash back up North, back where he belongs and back where he’ll be welcomed with open arms. Nash and Triano had great chemistry and since Triano’s dismissal from Canada Basketball, he hasn’t worn Canada’s colors.
If that’s not a bond, I don’t know what is.
Notes: I prefer Kobe Bryant over LeBron James, but King James showed exactly why he’s called that by hitting two free throws to tie game four with 0.5 seconds left and send it to overtime. You have Bryant, James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard in the final four; do you ever see Chris Bosh being the lead man on a stage that big? Jose Calderon certainly won over some fans in Toronto by saying he’s not going to play for Spain. Gracias Jose! Resto, resto, resto! (Sorry my Spanish isn’t what it used to be). Raptors Super Fan Nav Bhatia was in the crowd for game four of the Magic/Cavaliers game. He had some wicked sick seats as usual, maybe Vince hooked him up? A lot of you want me to do an article on trade/draft speculation but I will do one eventually after the Finals and as we get closer to draft day. So pretend you’re Colangelo, what would you offer the Clippers for their #1 pick? If you’re looking for comedy check out ALL of Gerry Dee’s videos at thescore.ca, this guy is one of the funniest people ever. Is it sad that one of my life goals is to get interviewed by him? That’d be interesting...
Follow Gagan Gandhi on Twitter or join the group RAPTORS FANS on Facebook. Wicked, right? Gagan Gandhi can also be reached at gaganhoops@gmail.com with any comments, concerns or requests. |
