Wake Up with Gemma Atkinson
June 28, 2008
Gemma Louise Atkinson (born 16 November 1984 in Bury, Greater Manchester) is an English actress, television personality and glamour and lingerie model. She recently appeared as a contestant on the ITV reality TV series I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and is recognisable as one of the most prominent celebrity glamour models in the UK.
Atkinson is currently dating Charlton striker Marcus Bent. She has previously been linked to ex Emmerdale actor Cleveland Campbell, Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo, Chelsea FC striker Didier Drogba and Newcastle midfielder Alan Smith
“I trained as a stripper for Hollyoaks so I’m really good. I’ve got a couple of wicked moves up my sleeve.” Gemma said.
Redneck Toilet Paper
June 27, 2008
26 Jun 2008 14:59
Dropping by
Guaranteed Weight Loss
June 27, 2008
.. 
An overweight guy was reading the paper one day lamenting the fact that his doctor has ordered him to lose 75 pounds. Next thing he sees is an advertisement for a “guaranteed” weight loss program. “yeah right”, he thinks to himself. “But let’s see what they can do.”
He calls them on the phone and subscribes to the 3-day, 10 lbs. weight loss program. The next day there comes a knock at his door, and when he answers, there stands before him a voluptuous, athletic 19 year old babe dressed in nothing but a pair of Nike’s and a sign hanging around her neck. She introduces herself as a representative of the weight loss company. The sign reads, “If you can catch me, you can have me.”
Well, without a second thought he takes off after her. A few miles later, huffing and puffing, he finally catches her and has his way with her. After they are through he kisses the girl one last time and thinks to himself with a nod, “I like the way this company does business.”
For the next two days, the same girl shows up and the same thing happens each time. On the fourth day, he weighs himself and, sure enough, he has lost 10 pounds. Deciding that he likes his somewhat more slender physique, not to mention the method of “treatment”, he calls the company back and subscribes to their 5-day, 20 lbs. weight loss program. He thinks that losing 20 pounds in only 5 days seems like a lot, but he is intrigued by what their “workout” schedule might be like this time.
As expected, the next day there comes a knock at his door. When he answers it there stands a 22 year old knockout dressed in nothing but a pair of Reebok’s and a sign hanging around her neck. She is simply stunning, the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. She introduces herself as a representative of the weight loss company. The sign reads, “If you can catch me, you can have me.”
He’s out the door like a shot!
This gal is in excellent shape and it takes a while to catch her. But when he does, it is worth every cramp and wheeze. She is wonderful, the best he has ever had. He is really looking forward to the next four days.
For the next four days, the same girl shows up and the same thing happens each time, much to his delight. On the sixth day, he weighs himself and, unbelievably, he has lost another 20 pounds. “I love this company,” he thinks to himself, “I never knew losing weight could be so easy and so much fun.”
Feeling much better about himself, he decides to go for broke and subscribe to the company’s 7-day, 50 pound weight loss program. “Are you sure, sir?” asks the representative on the phone. “This is our most rigorous program.”
“Absolutely,” says he, “I love your program. Haven’t felt this good in years!”
The next day there comes a knock at his door and he enthusiastically answers it. There stands before him a 200 pound perfect specimen of a man dressed in nothing but racing spikes and a sign around his neck. He introduces himself as a representative of the weight loss company.
The sign reads, “If I can catch you, I can have you.”
Interview with Borje Salming - one of the game’s Greats
June 27, 2008
By Linda Mankefors…
Borje Salming hardly needs an introduction. He’s a legend on both sides of the Atlantic. For Toronto Maple Leafs fans, he’s one of the biggest, and for many Swedes, he’s the best Swedish hockey player of all-time.
With 1,148 games, 787 points and 1,344 PIM’s he has fantastic numbers for any D-man, but the numbers also hide an assist point record in Leafs history. Three All-Star games and a Hall of Fame membership aside, the stats speak for themselves, but they don’t show what a warrior he was. A hardnosed, brilliant player who wasn’t afraid to get in the ice, always battling despite injuries or pain, getting permanent injuries like partly lost eyesight and wrecked knees, he still has a heart still full of Leafs pride.
It is a true honor for me as a Swede to get a short talk with him. Calling during his dinner (for some reason I have a knack of interrupting interviewees during their eating), I’m most grateful he took the time to answer a few question.
When you started in NHL in the 70s it must have been tough for a Swede?
-I was one of the first, so yes. You weren’t hassled by the refs or anything like that, but every oppurtunity an opponent got to nail you, they tried. Back then you didn’t know English either, at all.
You had a Swedish teammate though.
-It was nice to have someone to talk to and share with (Inge Hammarstrom).
-It was also a lot tougher back then. You could whack somebody in the head with your stick, and it didn’t matter much. Today, you get suspended for a long time, two minutes for spearing, etc. Back then you got away with a lot of nasty tricks all the time.
Did you miss your family?
-Sure, but it was my decision to play over there so it wasn’t that hard.
You were on (Swedish) TV the other week, where you mentioned it’s difficult showing emotions. Is it due to a hockey culture, going there alone on a team with tough guys?
-M father died when I was young, so I had to pull together and harden up. I didn’t have any dad at the stands watching me play when I grew up. It was rough. So I learned to toughen up, and not show anything, never cry. When I played over there and got a big hit, you almost died on the ice, it was hard, but you didn’t want to show anything for your teammates or opponents, so you just pulled together.
How about today, any plans of coaching or managing over there?
-God no, I’m way too busy, I don’t have time. I have so much to manage with my businesses (Salming Underwear, etc).
The Toronto Maple Leafs hasn’t exactly made anyone happy recently, what do you think they future looks like?
-I happen to know the team is going through a phase now and will shift focus entirely. Last years, they’ve traded away their draftees for established players, and that hasn’t worked. They will now aim at young players, like the Pittsburgh Penguins did and are prepared to let it take awhile for success to come. They’ll get rid of some older players.
Mats Sundin?
-He’s been one of the best on the team so he should be safe.
What’s the worst and best experience from your NHL years?
-Can’t think of a worst, you could dwell on certain situations “why didn’t I do this or that,” but there’s no point. The best was the 70s, we were a great team back then, it was so much fun.
You never got the Cup, any bitter feelings?
-No, it’s not very important. That’s really exaggerated you have to get the Cup, there’s so many great players who’s never got the Cup. At the time you thought a little bit about it, but now afterwards no. I played 16 years for the same team and had the sweater hung in the ceiling, those things are big.
Thank you for your time, just one last question, a few years ago it was a hot topic about homosexuality within hockey. What’s your view and experience of it?
- I don’t care at all! It’s of no matter to me which sex you prefer, you’re the same person anyway. To be completely honest I never noticed anything on the team. But you knew people who were gay, and you spent time with them. I know it bothered a lot of people, but it never bothered me the slightest.
Thank you, good luck in your future!
Wimbledon just got ugly
June 27, 2008
Ana Ivanovic the No. 1 tennis player in the world, got ousted in the 3rd round at Wimbledon 6-1, 6-4 by Chinese wild card Zheng Jie. Combined with Maria Sharapova losing, this year’s tournament just got ugly, in every sense of the word.
Anyway, just to show our support for women’s sports, let’s pay tribute to the end of Ana’s Grand Slam dreams with a few photos and a few of Maria too!
Former Super Bowl winner again taking a back seat
June 27, 2008
by Michael Seff…He may be the most unceremonious Super Bowl winning quarterback this side of Trent Dilfer (and perhaps Mark Rypien). But Brad Johnson, who guided the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 48-21 rout of the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII, has had an above-average career that currently has him holding a clipboard for Tony Romo in Dallas. He will be entering his 17th NFL season in 2008 after being drafted in the 9th round of the 1992 Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He is among the most accurate passers in NFL history, becoming the first player to complete over 60% of his passes in 12 straight seasons. Yet he has always taken a backseat role to flavors of the month despite his steady production. First it was Randall Cunningham in his 1998 renaissance year. Then it was Jeff George in a 2000 season in Washington gone awry. Tavarais Jackson helped give him the boot in his second stint in Minnesota before Johnson became Romo’s backup this past year.
So perhaps it was only fitting that Johnson’s performance in 2002 was overshadowed by the Buccaneers’ dominant defense. He almost assuredly will never be a starter again in the league, but if Romo succumbs to injury, the Cowboys would be in steady hands with Johnson.
Johnson had a potentially promising career with the Redskins before injury and ineffectiveness in 2000 led to George taking over at the helm. Johnson left as a free agent in 2001 to join the Bucs, but a one-and-done in the playoffs had many questioning if he was capable of taking Tampa Bay deep into the playoffs. But Johnson flourished in Jon Gruden’s first season as head coach, and was as instrumental to their Super Bowl run as their vaunted defense.
Alas, he will not end up in Canton. He may not even be remembered by the casual football fan when his career officially ends. But he’ll always have his Super Bowl ring and a place in the history books.
Guess That Ass
June 27, 2008
She was born on October 14, 1979 in Baltimore, Maryland, She’s 5′ 11” and weighs in at 130 lb. This American actress and former professional wrestler and valet for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
She began her professional wrestling career as a part of the Nitro Girls in WCW. After WCW was purchased by WWE, she moved to the new company, taking part in the Invasion storyline and managing the Dudley Boyz. She also managed Test and Scott Steiner. Before her departure, she was affiliated with Rosey and The Hurricane and nicknamed Super Stacey.
A contestant on the second season of Dancing with the Stars, known for her forty-two inch long legs. She has been known as both “The Legs of WCW” and “The Legs of WWE”. During her time on Dancing with the Stars, she was nicknamed “The Weapon of Mass Seduction” because of her dancing skills and long legs.
The Love Guru Can’t Acutally Help The Maple Leafs… Right?
June 27, 2008
By Bryan Thiel…
Well, despite Ken Armer’s constant ripping and devious comments about the movie, and how I assured him I could never sit through such a sacrilegious thing—I did.
I sat there and watched as Mike Myers, a man who describes himself as a huge Leafs’ fan, allowed the Toronto Maple Leafs to hoist the cup in one of the most cliched Stanley Cup Finals—favorite team goes down 3-0 with their number one player suspended for games two and three, and then they go on to win the next four. Yeah sure, nothing out of the ordinary there.
To be honest, it wasn’t worth Ken’s ribbing, that stupid free gift on Facebook he sent me, or the $10 it cost to see the movie—there were probably three legitimately funny moments in the entire thing, and all of them stemmed from Stephen Colbert’s color commentary which was a thing of genius.
I couldn’t even watch as, with one second left, ‘Darren Roanoke’ was given a penalty shot on Justin Timberlake—sorry Jacques ‘Le Coq’ Grande. The moment he started to skate, I shut my eyes and chose not to take in the moment because for a team that hasn’t even made the finals in forty-one years, it just didn’t seem right to win the cup in a movie—especially in a movie where Romany Malco scored on Justin Timberlake.
The movie actually turned out to be the perfect end to the current dilemma that has faced the Toronto Maple Leafs though as it defined the past three years perfectly—an unorganized wasteland of forced laughs, unnecessary actions, and failed expectations.
The other perfect example of this? The man on the left in the photo, John Ferguson Jr. (And why exactly are he and Doug Gilmour of all people wearing matching ties!? And everyone is OK with this?)
But what if I told you that the Guru Pitka was on to something? What if I told you that, despite it going about as well as Vanilla Ice fighting Todd Bridges.
Well hear me out—despite never once seeing Carlton the Bear, we could actually make this movie worthwhile.
The following are the Seven Things the Toronto Maple Leafs Can Actually Learn from the Love Guru:
Aggressive CBC Hockey Night in Canada Logos: Throughout the Stanley Cup finals, CBC would use animated L.A. Kings (Yes they made the Finals—and Rob Blake was playing centre. Did I mention how great this movie was?) and Toronto Maple Leafs logos when they displayed the current standing of the series.
As the Maple Leafs fell to the Kings 1-0, 2-0, and 3-0, the Kings logo was shown shooting the Leafs’ logo, hitting it in the knee cap, and just all-out abusing it.
When the Leafs’ staged their “historic” comeback however, the Maple Leaf was bestowed with such sportsmanship as using a flamethrower on the Kings’ logo, while when the series became tied, both resulted to lewd gestures.
Want to create more buzz around the sport with teenagers and people who like violence amongst inanimate objects? Introduce this to Versus—trust me, it will work.
A Captain with Attitude: Alright, so the movie showed the stereotypical ’street attitude’ from some of the youth who idolized Roanoke, but what I noticed was that (aside from his mother), Roanoke who was a man who would stick up for himself (unless Myers told him not to fight, or it was his mother), and who wouldn’t take any disrespect.
Don’t get me wrong, Mats Sundin has been a great captain and I hope he comes back for another season, but if he doesn’t I think we introduce a new attitude to the Leafs and have our captain be someone with an on-ice edge.
Sidenote: In the movie, Roanoke wasn’t actually captain. Number 50 was. But for some reason he never said ANYTHING.
Granted the movie was about Roanoke, but you’d think that the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs would at least have a line wouldn’t he? Then again he’s probably an over-paid third line player, so I guess I can forgive them.
Jessica Alba (or a woman of an equal hotness quotient) as the Owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs: Granted the woman knows nothing about being in a good movie (But she was in the New Adventures of Flipper!) or about hockey, but I think the Woz but it best:
“It’d be like if we made Jessica Alba the catcher for the Florida Marlins. It doesn’t matter who you are, you’d just be distracted by ‘hot’ when you went up there.”
Needless to say, our players don’t need to be distracted by ‘hot’, but they need to be inspired to play for ‘hot’.
Having merely described the woman as ‘hot’ for three paragraphs I’d like you to know that there is probably a large group of feminists after me—but that’s irrelevant.
Besides, I’d rather have a “Stupid pretty girl who knows nothing about hockey” (she said this in the movie—this is not of my doing) running the team than stupid old men who know nothing about hockey and retired teachers running the team. I at least have something to look at this way.
Sidenote: I know that the whole Jane Bullard thing (Alba’s character) was a stab at Harold Ballard, but there are two things wrong with this:
1) Mike Myers, you pissed off the ghost of Harold Ballard and he was enough of a prick (God rest his soul) when he was alive, and
2) We’re using the last name Bullard and we can’t even get a cameo from Mike Bullard? No wonder so many people don’t like this movie.
Stephen Colbert as a Colour Commentator: Granted Adam Wright would prefer Stephen Colbert as the teams’ General Manager, but after having Colbert divulge to a National audience that he’s ‘rigid’ with excitement at the Stanley Cup finals and watching him relapse into his drug problem, he needs to be part of the broadcast team.
If you need more proof just go and watch the movie.
Joe Bowen Needs a Drug Addiction: Ok, this may be crossing a line as Bowen is good enough on his own without ‘enhancement’, but could you imagine how great it would be if Bowen and Colbert were flying around together in the press box?
Joe Bowen: Stephen, I’m so drugged up…
Stephen Colbert: You’re also old too Joe.
JB: HOLY MACKINAW I am too! Just look at my hands!!
Blue Hot Dogs and Buns: They aren’t really necessary for the Leafs to succeed, but I saw these in the movie and I’ve decided that I want more colored food! Blue Nachos! Giant blue cookies! Blue beer!!!
And to raise team and fan morale? Do this every day instead of just during the Stanley Cup finals! I mean, life isn’t a movie—there’s no telling if we’ll ever make it there again!
A Coach who Doesn’t Mince Words: Originally this was supposed to be ‘Elephants to distract the other team’ as in the movie Mike Myers uses Elephants doing the ‘deed’ as a distraction to help Roanoke overcome his inabilities. (Inabilities on the ice!!!! INABILITIES ON THE ICE!!!)
Needless to say the elephant gag grew very old and very gross very quickly, and I decided that it’s best if we don’t let elephants do that in public during a hockey game, so instead I decided on having a no-nonsense coach.
Despite the fact that he was centered in some very lame comedy routines, Verne Troyer was the perfect coach—he smacked around the distractions (Even punching the Guru in the manliest area known to man at one point), worked to motive his players in spite of the fact the lacked their star, and he always told it like it was and was honest with everyone.
We not only need a coach like this (hopefully Ron Wilson is reading) but we need a team full of people like it to. Ron and Cliff are good starts—now if only we could convince management to do the same.
So are the Leafs going to win the cup if they follow those seven “useful” things that came from the Love Guru? They could, but it’s been forty-one years so I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Although that might be a nice alternative to watching the Love Guru—if you’re going to pass out, do it intentionally, not from boredom.
Ricciardi falls for prank call
June 26, 2008
by Jeremy Visser
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By now, you’re likely familiar with the J.P. Ricciardi and Adam Dunn saga. Last week, Ricciardi told a caller on The Fan 590 the Jays weren’t interested in the Will Ferrell look-a-like, insisting Dunn “doesn’t really like baseball that much” and “doesn’t have a passion to play the game”.
Dunn’s response: “I know nothing about this clown. I have no idea who he is. This guy doesn’t know anything about me other than what he sees on whatever SportsCenter they have up there.”
Fair enough. Ricciardi claims Dunn doesn’t like baseball, Dunn calls him a clown. Dunn shows ignorance for Canadian sports television. What goes around comes around.
Ricciardi called Reds general manager Walt Jocketty to apologize, and eventually got a call back from Dunn on Saturday night. Or so, that was what he thought.
“If he said he talked to me, it’s a lie,” Dunn said after last night’s game at Rogers Centre.
Turns out J.P. fielded a call from a Dunn imposter. He claims it was a 519 number – the area code for a large portion of Southern Ontario. Cincinnati’s area code, on the other hand, is 513. Close. Close enough to fool the mastermind Ricciardi.
After the game, Dunn reiterated his lack on concern for the esteemed Jays’ GM.
“I’m just so sick and tired of this,” he told reporters. “Again, I’m not going to go out of my way to apologize or get an apology from a guy I don’t even know.”
Okay, Dunn doesn’t care about Ricciardi. The important thing, however, is that we find out who the genius prank caller was. If you’re out there, be assured that there is absolutely no shame in coming forward.
Raptors Proposed Big Trade: Plenty of opinions!
June 26, 2008
Now that O’Neal is coming to town, questions will arise in Toronto about how Sam Mitchell will integrate their acquisition with the former #1 pick, Italian player Andrea Bargnani. While some who are unhappy with the progress of Bargnani since being drafted will be hoping he is moved to the bench, others who view Bargnani as having the potential of being a 7-foot tall shooting dynamo like Dirk Nowitzki, will be seeking a shift of Bargnani from the 4/5 spot, to a starting role at the small forward position. There is a lot to be worked out before the start of next season for the Raptors. Questions will arise about whether or not Bargnani has the foot speed to guard other small forwards, or whether O’Neal can stay healthy manning the Center position for a full 82 games. But before we get ahead of ourselves, could there be more changes coming in Toronto before the fall?
I’m good with win-win and despite O’Neal’s checkered health in recent years if Bryan Colangelo thinks O’Neal will be ready to go then I’m with Colangelo. The notion of having O’Neal and Chris Bosh side-by-side in the Raptors front court sounds positively scary. If Andrea Bargnani can salvage his career in the next couple of years then there will be no rest for opposing front courts.
During this off season the Raptors have jettisoned… Jorge Garbojosa, TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and Maceo Baston.
The Raptors have brought in Jermaine O’Neal and his big contract.
It is highly likely that Primoz Brezec is persona non grata in the NBA and the Raptors are going to let him walk this off season. Likewise, with this deal it is likely the team will not permit restricted free agent Carlos Delfino to leave during free agency.
The Raptors have quite a few holes to fill at this point in the game. Roko Ukic might be coming over but there are still, even with Ukic, about five roster spots the team needs to fill. I’m betting that Colangelo and his staff go fishing overseas to plug some holes for this team. All that said, there should be a much shorter bench for Sam Mitchell next year.
After all it is no secret I have a high value for T.J Ford and have concerns about Jose Calderon going forward. But much like the departure of Chuck Swirsky to Chicago it is something that I am going to come to terms with in time. There is no question that based on O’Neal being a big name this will gain the Raptors a lot of attention. Here is hoping that Jermaine O’Neal can be a healthy and productive Raptor. After all Bryan Colangelo is banking on this happening. I also think that Sam Mitchell could be a good fit as a coach for O’Neal and push him to get the most out of him. It is clear the last few years in Indiana that was not happpening. I point back to the Brawl at the Palace that to me at least seemed to change O’Neal and he never got back to being the same player he was prior to that night. A chance of setting to an entire new country may be good for him on and off the floor. Time will tell and the Raptors still have some things left to do. They now have a second star for Chris Bosh to play with. Would it be my choice for that second star? Not really but that being said it was clear that this was needed for the Raptors to reach a new level. I also am happy this will most likely make Andrea Bargnani a bench player and could allow him to play more at his natural spot at the 4 when Bosh is taking a blow. I think this will be a good thing for him as well as it seems clear he was not ready for the challenge of being a starter in the NBA at this point.
I am a little sad to see T.J. go. I think he got caught up in a no win situation and every little thing he did wrong got blown out of proportion and piled on to why he had to go. You heard it hear first, Ford will come back to bite the Raps in the ass one day. So many former Raptors have done it already and T.J. will continue to the trend. The sounds of speeding engines on Indiana’s home floor and all of the car references imaginable will make T.J. a perfect fit before he even steps on the floor. I wish him the best and hope he can play injury free for years to come.
I guess the deal kind of makes tonight a little boring if you are a Raptors fan. All the weeks of trying to guess who they would pick down the tubes. Maybe they will be involved in another trade? I mean they still need a small forward and a back up PG.
- Cuzoogle
The Raptors are giving up three current players from their roster for O’Neal (Rasho, Ford, Baston) which would leave Toronto with only eight players under contract, assuming of course that Calderon is re-signed; Bosh, Bargnani, Kapono, Moon, Parker, Humphries, Graham and Jose. And considering the salary attached to O’Neal, the Raptors aren’t going to have a lot of room to work with financially to fill out their bench.
So grabbing some cheap talent, especially in a deep draft like tonight’s that may see first-round talent suddenly drop into the second round, may now be tops on Colangelo’s list. JaVale McGee, Nicolas Batum, JJ Hickson, Serge Ibaka and even Chris Douglas-Roberts could all drop into the early first round and other potential second-round picks could present some great value at 41. (Hey, after all the scouting and draft watching we did this year, we’re just happy that Toronto now has a pick!)
And suddenly, what was somewhat of a yawn of a free agent camp takes on a whole new meaning. Players like Rod Benson, Hassan Adams, Pooh Jeter and Dahntay Jones could very well find themselves completing this roster for next season.
It’s early to talk free agency but the player I think Toronto should throw its full force at is actually Kelenna Azubuike. He’s a slashing scorer that would be a great fit in Toronto off the bench and considering he made under $700,000 last year, would hardly break the bank. He is a restricted free agent, but considering that Golden State has to think about re-signing him, Biedrins, Ellis, Barnes, O’Bryant, and the aforementioned Pietrus (not to mention the Baron Davis situation), they aren’t going to be able to overpay someone like Kelenna.
Then there’s the matter of giving up the 17th pick in a deep draft. You could argue that the draft combined with TJ Ford provided us an opportunity to fulfill two needs: wing scoring and rebounding. However, we’ve packaged both of our best summer assets and a serviceable center for one player and passed up the opportunity to have a shot at some solid players that are slated to go in the teens in the draft. Granted, it’s early and we could trade our way back into the first round but I don’t see many teams willing to give up their first round picks this year. The pick to me is the hardest thing to give up here because there’s just so much bloody potential out there.
Then there’s the question of salary. O’Neal just became the highest paid Raptor and if God forbid he injures himself and ends up playing 40 games this year, his trade value come summertime will be zilch. That’s 20 million tied up in salary for the 2009-10 season! There’s no doubt that this deal has to a degree handcuffed the Raptors in terms of future trades and signings.
The most glaring aspect of this trade is that we’ve handed our PG responsibilities to Jose Calderon without a certified backup on the roster. Calderon has as many defensive issues (if not more) than Ford and is as liable as going into a scoring drought as Ford. He does happen to be a better fit for the Raptors given his holding style of play which suits our “offense” much better. This isn’t a knock on TJ, he happens to need more athletic, alert, fast-break type players to be successful. Calderon doesn’t, he’s willing to patrol the three point line and be patient with Bosh on posts and re-posts while there’s inconsequential movement on the weak side. To put it in simpler terms, TJ Ford’s a Don Nelson/Mike D’Antoni player. Nothing wrong with it, except we’re not nearly as up-tempo, exciting, fast-breaking or athletic as players in those systems need to be.
The final word on the trade: We gave up too much and took on the greater risk. We gave up the younger player with less chronic injuries, a valuable teen pick in a deep draft and the expiring contract of a good center for a player who was great 4 years ago. I’d feel far more comfortable if we hadn’t given up the pick. All those workouts for nothing.
One such player that’s available would also fill our point guard need, Toronto Raptors TJ Ford. Ford would be a MONSTER addition to our roster in my opinion. I’d be all for acquiring him. Rumor is there’s a deal in the works for Ford between Toronto and Indiana. You’ll see different variations but the most popular version has the Indiana Pacers sending six time All-Star forward/center Jermaine O’Neal to the Toronto Raptors for guard T.J. Ford, center Rasho Nesterovic, and the Number 17 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. I’m not to hot on this deal because I think O’neal would be good on a team with other stars but he’s not going to elevate the Raptors so I don’t see the point on the high price to get him for them. Time will tell if this deal goes through or not. If it does, expect Walsh to make a call and see if something could be worked out.
So the upshot is, this deal absolutely works for both teams. I expect the Raptors to be significantly better next season as a result of this deal, as it takes a player who was utterly redundant and converts him into a solution for the team’s single biggest weakness.
And I expect the Pacers’ rebuilding to be much smoother and faster now that they’ve jettisoned O’Neal and received ‘09 cap space and two good young pieces in return.
The players come out of it in better shape, too. O’Neal and Ford get new leases on life after being sprung from difficult situations. Bosh finally gets a frontcourt partner to do the dirty work for him. Calderon gets starter’s minutes and some added salary leverage. Even throw-ins Nesterovic and Baston are likely to get more burn in Indy than they would have in Toronto. Only Bargnani loses.
So it’s a win-win all-around. Kudos to both Bird and Colangelo for recognizing the mutual benefit.
- ESPN
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