Raptors lock up DeRozan

[dmvincent]

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/...act-extension/

[robmyatt]

5/14 and not getting to the free throw line once tonight is piss poor debut for someone who just earned $40MM. I don't like this signing and thing Terrance Ross will have more impact by this time next season.

Lowry and Valenciunas looked great tonight though!

[angus]

I won't use tonight's game in my evaluation at all... but that being said:

the most dangerous thing you can do in a cap/lux tax league is to overpay for average players.

Overpaying for stars - fine. Underpaying for crappy players? Fine. At least you know what you are getting.

Not sure I understand this one. Derozan has some great attributes, but some glaring weaknesses that haven't really been improved upon since he came into the league.

[metaldude26]

Yeah, you simply cannot spend this kind of money on a guy who isn't a top three player on your team. I realize that the wing position is thin in the NBA and the Raptors have particular needs here but why not save the money and maybe overpay a bit to get someone who is actually good. I'd rather let DeRozan go for nothing and maybe throw the max at someone like Klay Thompson in a couple of years if it turns out he's a legitimate talent.

DeRozan has reached the point in his career where we know he simply doesn't have what it takes. Wings typically make the leap in their third season. This is now year four of the DeRozan experiment and he clearly does not have it. He's one of the most inefficient players in the game. He doesn't finish inside nearly enough. Nor does he get to the line enough. He's a terrible free throw shooter and settles for mid-range jumpers way too much. These are all NBA sins. When you're Kobe Bryant you can get away with these things. When you're DeMar DeRozan you have to be more efficient.

[dmvincent]

I agree, he's not a special player by any means and they definitely overpaid for him.

Take a look at this, they're paying him just a little less than players like Rajon Rondo and Monta Ellis.

That's quite laughable IMO.

Joakim Noah Chicago Bulls $11,300,000
Rajon Rondo Boston Celtics $11,000,000
Monta Ellis Milwaukee Bucks $11,000,000
Corey Maggette Detroit Pistons $10,924,138
Nicolas Batum Portland Trail Blazers $10,825,000
Jose Calderon Toronto Raptors $10,561,982

Smooth move...Colangelo.

[robmyatt]

Keep in mind Toronto will always have to overpay for NBA players because half of them simply don't want to live in Canada. There is still the perception that we're in some kind of tundra land when in fact our climate is no different than New York, Detroit, etc. It's unfortunate but I assume that had something to do with it.

The kid is uber athletic but his shot really isn't where it should be for a SG. He simply needs to drive more and get to the line. That is the only way he will be able to have a consistent impact on the game.

[angus]

True - a loyalty fee, if you will.

[metaldude26]

Nice piece on the DeRozan extension and a few others: http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...ension-edition