Reactionaries Fall Back: O'Neal Trade Needed to Be Done

I have to admit, I've been a little surprised by the negative reaction following the blockbuster “cap-clearing” orgy that transpired between Miami and the Raps. Not so much from the mainstream media's perspective, given that most of those reporters would readily get in line just to ingratiate themselves to a basketball guru like Pat Riley.

It makes sense just taking into account that these are same members of the “press” that probably couldn't tell you Toronto's current starting five with the roster standing right in front of them (Stephen A. is probably somewhere reeeeeally hoping Bosh takes advantage of his impending free agency...). 

However, there has been much doom and gloom coming from the local media and fan base, which I find puzzling. One of the hardest things for any fan to grasp is a transaction made with the future in mind, and not the present. And, for better or worse, this trade was the first in what will be a series of moves made in order to revamp the roster as quickly as possible.

With this season rapidly turning into a wash, the need to upgrade the glaring roster failings is more urgent than ever, as a first round elimination in the playoffs seems like an increasingly unlikely best case scenario. The reality is that GM Bryan Colangelo only has next year to produce a roster competitive enough to persuade Bosh to stay in Toronto after 2010.

Now the merits of Chris Bosh as a franchise player has been debated at length but one thing is clear: Bosh is one of the few, younger impact players in the League that would whole-heartedly embrace Toronto in the long term.

At this stage in his career, there is still a considerable upside in his ability to develop as a centrepiece player and a leader; two elements that would be conspicuously absent on a Raptor roster that didn't include number four.

And for those that thought that Jermaine O'Neal was anything other than a stop gap move intended to appease Bosh by improving the team in the short term with the benefit of allowing long term flexibility, please read on and stay close.

JO became immediately expendable when Bargnani showed he was ready for a bigger role, and that his comfort zone on the court was as a “big” and not anywhere else (i.e. small forward). Sure, Jermaine gave the Raps some quality moments, but his ability to play consistent minutes was an issue that was not or is not going to go away, even in the balmy climes of Miami.

It's difficult for any team to build momentum when a key player is always in a conditional state of health (never mind a couple) and it was this stint with the Raps that officially made O'Neal's on court contributions an afterthought. JO may temporarily find a place in the Heat's “get out of Dwyane's way” offensive sets while providing some blocks and rebounds along the way. But Riley understood that by making this trade, Miami has declared to everyone that they are upping the ante for 2010.

And this is precisely why JO's value to the Raps was diminishing; Colangelo knows he's not in line to be a major player in the 2010 free agent sweepstakes, as far as luring in any other big name free agents go.

It became a priority to move O'Neal as quickly as possible to clear space for the immediate future, so as to take advantage of any commodities that would be available over the next 12 months.

A whole new set of fiscal realities are on the horizon, with owners such as Robert Sarver becoming increasingly hands on in order to slash payroll. There will be potential for a player to become available that would help address the lack of scoring from the swing positions that has plagued the Raps, as long as some salary cap flexibility exists. Colangelo has now made that happen.

There is also the benefit of auditioning a quality small forward who will help immeasurably with defense and rebounding, not to mention providing consistency for a chronically up and down team. Of course, Marion may lack the sort of offensive skill set that Toronto would ideally want from that position, but if the question of re-signing comes up, it will be done on the Raps' terms.

Marcus Banks is a bad contract that Miami needed to get rid of to be convinced to forfeit their ability to make any moves in 2009. It will be up to the coaching staff to try and acclimate him effectively, possibly as a shooting guard off the bench.

And the much maligned addition of a conditional draft pick to the trade is an old Phoenix Sun fall back trick of saving cap space by avoiding paying the mandatory salary of a first round draftee (and for the record, it will not be this year's potential lottery pick).

With three-quarters of a roster committed to, the Raps are hanging around the $45 million mark in salaries for next year, which easily puts them in the bottom third of League-wide payrolls.

Colangelo has done what he needed to do and now it remains to be seen if he can pull the trigger to make the right future acquisitions: there is a lot of uncertainty and a very short window of opportunity.

I have never been a Colangelo apologist, and one may find fault with any future dealings from this point on, because this is ultimately how his legacy with the Raptors will be judged. But it would be difficult to fault any GM for putting his franchise in a position to succeed. And with this trade, that's all that Colangelo has done.