http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/89...ap-sources-say

This deal would automatically make the Raptors a borderline playoff team!

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A midget that cares about rebounding would make the Raptors a borderline playoff team.

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I wouldn't go that far. Maybe next season but right now you have to think you need to finish at least at .500 to make the playoffs. That's asking them to go 24-9 the rest of the way.

I'm not saying I wouldn't like the deal but nothing can salvage this season.

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Didn't mean this season.

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2013 Bay Street CBS Playoff Cash Pool - $100 buyin
12 Teams, Points Only (G/A = 1, DG = 2, W = 2, SO = 1)

The Motherpuckers (5 NYR, 2 PIT, 3 VAN)
Forwards: Neal / Iginla / Nash / Richards / Stepan / Roy / Higgins
Defense: Del Zotto / Garrison
Goalies: Lundqvist

I know everyone is excited to get rid of Bargs but I really don't see how Boozer makes the Raps significantly better. It would be a great move for the Bulls though

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Well since Boozer is a warm body and Bargs this year doesn't even qualify for that I'd say it's definitely an upgrade.

But talking real here let's look at what the two offer. Both are soft on ball defenders and don't do much for you as a shot blocker but Boozer has proven in Chicago that he can at least be a serviceable defender within the system and stick to the rules. Dwayne Casey will appreciate that. From What I've seen Bargnani offers nothing in this respect.

Then there's the fact that Boozer actually rebounds effectively. Bargnani offers you nothing in this regard.

Offensively, Boozer is going to be more active near the basket, which is promising. But he can also spread the floor by shooting mid-range jumpers. He doesn't spread the floor like Bargnani and will be especially less effective in pick-and-pop situations but Bargnani grew really limited in what he could do in the PNR. Boozer can at least roll to the basket and try to bully a basket. Bargnani has grown very timid in this respect after showing some teeth the previous two years.

Bargnani's overall offensive game has just grown far too stagnant and predictable. He's too easy to defend for someone who is supposed to be an offensive hub. Lastly he doesn't create for anyone else. He can create space on the perimeter but as an actual passer he doesn't offer you much. Boozer's not a brilliant passer but he offers you more, especially in post-up situations. Joakim Noah's smart cutting made Boozer look really good as an interior passer but that doesn't mean Boozer doesn't have skills here.

Finally, Boozer is simply more efficient. Look at his PER. It's been consistently better than Bargnani's even in Bargnani's best years and we have to admit that the Bargnani we've seen this year is a shell of what he was the previous two. You can blame injuries but Bargnani looks completely lost and he battled injuries the previous two seasons without detrimental effects.

If I was a team I'd absolutely want to take a chance on Bargnani (though his contract is garbage) but the thing is that Boozer's contract is terrible too. I think the hope for Chicago is that they can coax a similar amount of system defense out of Bargnani as they did from Boozer and they love the possibilities he offers as a floor spacing big man. Chicago's best lineups are always going to include Taj Gibson and Noah so they don't need Bargnani to be a key player. They just need him to spread the floor. I do think at this point I do think Chicago would be a bit crazy to make this move, simply because you don't want to rock the boat with Rose coming back.

I don't see much of a downside for Toronto. You could argue that this makes them smaller but they were always playing small even with the seven foot Bargnani, which makes Amir Johnson their de facto center. As they proved early this season with Ed Davis, an Amir Johnson plus undersized post-up power forward can be effective and they've got Aaron Gray and Jonas Valanciunas to bang against true centers.

It's not the perfect solution but it could definitely make the team better and ultimately it would turn the page on the Bargnani era, which has hamstrung the franchise for too long. They've been too invested with Bargnani as a "franchise" player and it's prevented true progress. It's so clear that Bargnani and Casey don't really mesh well. Bargnani simply isn't a high energy player.

Now it's worth mentioning that this deal doesn't work straight up. Boozer makes $15 million while Bargnani makes $10 million. This means that someone like Linus Kleiza or Landry Fields has to go along with. I'm not sure that the Bulls wouldn't be interested in those players in a vacuum but the problem is their contracts. Fields is basically a poison pill as unattractive as either the Bargnani or the Boozer deals and he's regressed since suffering nerve damage in his elbow. Kleiza is a guy that could help the Bulls stretch the floor and he'd be valuable if his contract was expiring but he has a player option at $4.6 million for next season and there's no way he doesn't exercise that option.

I don't know what the Raptors would have to include to get one of Fields or Kleiza into the deal to match salaries but it would have to be something big and considering they already moved a first to land Lowry they probably don't have the pieces to make it happen, which is unfortunate because this deal really would make them better.

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If the Bulls move Boozer it would be to shed salary so they avoid the luxury tax that heavily punishes repeat defenders. I doubt they will want to match salaries by having Fields or Kleiza included, if such a deal were to take place.

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Exactly, which is why I imagine the deal has fallen through or is in delay. The trade does also work if the Raptors move John Lucas or Aaron Gray in the trade, which would serve to cut down on the Bulls' salary particularly in 2015-16 because they both only have two-year deals. Lucas is a guy the Bulls are familiar with having had him the previous two seasons so maybe they'd want him back but with Rose returning, Nate Robinson there as well and the rookie Marquis Teague on top of Kirk Hinrich it starts to look unrealistic.

The trade works if the Raptors take Robinson back too so there are plenty of possibilities to make this work and maybe the teams are still trying to massage a deal. One thing we know is that Colangelo can work the salary cap and use all the tools available to him to get a deal done so you can imagine everything is getting explored here.

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