July 13, 2006

‘WOE IS ME’ JAMES JUST NOT COLANGELO’S TYPE OF PLAYER

      Despite his claim the contract offered to Mike James by the Toronto Raptors was not an insult—it was a statement.  Upon signing with the Minnesota Timberwolves James complained that the Raptors offer of three years and five million was a complete insult, but what the scoring guard failed to realize is that the offer was perfunctory in nature and not meant to be taken seriously.   It was new Raptor General Manager Bryan Colangelo’s way of saying, “thanks for the good year…but see you later.”

       James is blatantly self-absorbed—a concern the Raptors would rather do without.  The chip on his shoulder is a sizeable one and, combined with the fact all notions that enter his head inevitably exits through his mouth seconds later, James showed that his interests were of the selfish variety.  While nowhere near the major conundrum that former Raptor Rafer Alston brought (he was traded to Houston in an exchange of point guard headaches) James came to camp last season intent on finally proving his worth as an NBA player.  In what was effectively a contract year James put up solid offensive numbers in his first opportunity as a starter, and established himself as a solid NBA player.  There were many positives to James’ performance with the Raptors last season; he proved to be a clutch scorer, a solid three-point shooter, an effective penetrator, and he was a veteran presence on a fairly young team.  However, his negatives outweighed his positives; he was a severe over-dribbler, (a clock-wasting ball handler) an ineffective distributor, he wasn’t nearly the defensive presence his reputation claimed, and the chip he carried with him was too big, too loud, and too self-serving to ever assume that he could be a team-first player.  In conclusion, James’ desire was to be acknowledged as an all-star player first, a champion second, and that’s not the philosophy the Raptors want.

      As he entered free agency and began negotiations James asserted that he wanted three things--proper compensation, a starting point guard position, and a chance to play for a championship contender.  He soon realized that he would only net two of his three wishes, and he took the two that mattered most to him—the money and a starting position.  He will be paid handsomely by Minnesota through a four year $28 million contract, and he will be the team’s starting point guard.  He could have signed with Dallas to play for a contender but with Jason Terry and Devin Harris already on the roster he knew his playing time would be limited.   He would also have had to accept less money and fewer years.  Instead he will be dribbling and shooting for a team that is likely even further away from elite status than his former team.  James knew, when he came to Toronto last year, that he had his one and possibly only opportunity to prove his value on the open market.  Defensive standouts rarely receive multi-million dollar contracts, so James expended most of his energy at the offensive end in order to produce the statistics needed to earn the millions he felt he deserved.  He was a major contributor to the Raptors ability to score last year, but was also a major contributor to the fact that Raptor opponents could score as well.   

      Colangelo has stated that he intended to overhaul a roster that had failed to make the playoffs for a fourth straight year, and intended to make the Raptors a playoff contender next year and a championship contender in the years to follow.  Colangelo preferred a high-octane type of club—one that can run and score the way his Phoenix club did the previous two years.  For that he needed an up-tempo point guard who could move the ball and keep the offense in high gear.  James was not that player—the ball often stopped moving once it got into his hands.  Also, Colangelo is putting together a roster of team-oriented players in the mold of his superstar Chris Bosh.  He wants strong character players who will learn how to play together, work within the system and grow into an elite team.  James and his ‘look at poor ol’ me’ attitude just didn’t fit into that concept.  His attitude would always be a distraction and could potentially create more serious issues as time went on.  If the club wanted to play as a team and have constant ball movement then James could not be on the floor.  In essence, while James was an effective scorer for one year in the end he was simply cap ballast and an opportunity for former GM Rob Babcock to rid himself of one of his major faux pas’—Alston and his contract.

       The overhaul of the roster is near completion.  By the beginning of next year there could be as few as four players (Bosh, Peterson, Calderon, Graham) left from the squad that finished the previous year.   When the roster is finalized there will be a lot more depth and a lot more flexibility for coach Sam Mitchell to utilize.  He will have a variety of players that can play multiple positions and there will be more athletes available to put the organization’s run and gun philosophy into play.  As for Mike James his epitaph could read, “Thanks for a good year.  Good luck, and good riddance.”

       Notes:  Isn’t it ironic how the Raptors were ripped from top to bottom for their drafting of Charlie Villanueva last year as the former University of Connecticut Huskie was labeled as an underachiever and a loafer.  Then, when the Raptors traded Villanueva this year for former first round pick T.J. Ford they were criticized for giving up a talented big man who could shoot and could score.  Nowhere was it mentioned that the drafting of Andrea Bargnani effectively eliminated Villanueva from the rotation—Bargnani will be the first big man off the bench and he too can shoot and score.  Instead of having two quality players, and only one spot for them, the Raptors turned Villanueva into a fleet footed point guard who will help the club with its running game.  Sure Ford has limitations—he isn’t a quality a shooter yet, and his defense still leaves room for improvement, but Ford is only 23 and is just getting back into the rhythm of being an NBA player after his long injury absence.  Villanueva will continue to progress and will be a solid NBA player, as will Bargnani.  As will Ford.  It’s a trade that will prove beneficial for both clubs.