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Bobcats Send Boris Diaw to Toronto
Just when you thought the Hedo Turkoglu-to-Phoenix trade couldn't get any more bizarre, the Raptors go and reportedly flip the trade exception gained in the aforementioned Suns swap to Charlotte for one Mr. Boris Diaw, the French enigma who played with fellow new Raptor Leandro Barbosa under Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo in Arizona a few seasons ago. Diaw, a power forward (technically speaking), leaves a Charlotte legacy short on time but rather heavy on solid play, something which seemed out of reach when the Frenchman was first traded to the Bobcats nearly two years ago.
The Bobcats take back virtually nothing (save for fringe NBA player Dwayne Jones) in the deal, but open up a starting spot for newly re-signed power forward Tyrus Thomas. By acquiring Diaw instead of sitting on the cap space opened in The Coup That Is Trading Hedo Turkoglu, the Raptors are showing they'll push to make the playoffs despite losing Chris Bosh. Replacing Bosh with Diaw isn't the greatest stride I've ever seen, but as Bosh was bound to leave, it'll do. Really, anything Colangelo pulls off the rest of this summer can be lauded; the positive vibe from jettisoning Hedo is that contagious.
Diaw may actually end up filling a different position than Bosh did; given Toronto's depth up front, with re-signed Amir Johnson and draft pick Ed Davis, the Frenchman could be asked to slot into Hedo's old position at small forward. Diaw is famously versatile, with such court vision and a willingness to pass he came into the NBA as a back-up point guard for the Hawks. In Phoenix, as Amar'e Stoudemire healed after microfracture surgery, Diaw filled in as a center. He seems to have settled at the power forward spot -- he shared the court with true small forward Gerald Wallace and a litany of centers in Charlotte -- but Toronto coach Jay Triano may need to lean on Diaw's versatility for the foreseeable future.
Diaw makes $9 million this season, and has a player option for the same amount in 2011-12. After this set of trades, Toronto's 2010-11 payroll stands at roughly $60 million.
Just when you thought the Hedo Turkoglu-to-Phoenix trade couldn't get any more bizarre, the Raptors go and reportedly flip the trade exception gained in the aforementioned Suns swap to Charlotte for one Mr. Boris Diaw, the French enigma who played with fellow new Raptor Leandro Barbosa under Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo in Arizona a few seasons ago. Diaw, a power forward (technically speaking), leaves a Charlotte legacy short on time but rather heavy on solid play, something which seemed out of reach when the Frenchman was first traded to the Bobcats nearly two years ago.
The Bobcats take back virtually nothing (save for fringe NBA player Dwayne Jones) in the deal, but open up a starting spot for newly re-signed power forward Tyrus Thomas. By acquiring Diaw instead of sitting on the cap space opened in The Coup That Is Trading Hedo Turkoglu, the Raptors are showing they'll push to make the playoffs despite losing Chris Bosh. Replacing Bosh with Diaw isn't the greatest stride I've ever seen, but as Bosh was bound to leave, it'll do. Really, anything Colangelo pulls off the rest of this summer can be lauded; the positive vibe from jettisoning Hedo is that contagious.
Diaw may actually end up filling a different position than Bosh did; given Toronto's depth up front, with re-signed Amir Johnson and draft pick Ed Davis, the Frenchman could be asked to slot into Hedo's old position at small forward. Diaw is famously versatile, with such court vision and a willingness to pass he came into the NBA as a back-up point guard for the Hawks. In Phoenix, as Amar'e Stoudemire healed after microfracture surgery, Diaw filled in as a center. He seems to have settled at the power forward spot -- he shared the court with true small forward Gerald Wallace and a litany of centers in Charlotte -- but Toronto coach Jay Triano may need to lean on Diaw's versatility for the foreseeable future.
Diaw makes $9 million this season, and has a player option for the same amount in 2011-12. After this set of trades, Toronto's 2010-11 payroll stands at roughly $60 million.
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