As we all know by now, NBA free agency opened up today. Much of the Internet talk surrounding Toronto’s team has been: which player better suits the Raptors, Shawn Marion or Hedo Turkoglu?
My answer: Shawn Marion.
Marion is the kind of glue guy that you need on your team in
order to win. He rebounds the ball as well as any other player at his
position, he’s still effective finishing the fast-break and he’s able
to guard his man much better than Hedo would. The trouble with Marion
last year was that nobody thought he was still worth the $17
million per year he was making. But as everyone has repeatedly stated,
he won’t be getting that much money this year.
Despite getting off to a rough start with the team after the mid-season
trade that landed the Matrix, the Raptors were able to finish the year
off by winning nine out of their last 13 games. Many will argue
that the team won those games when the season no longer mattered but I
have to disagree. Those games did matter. They mattered because they
showed the team’s core guys that when they’re all on the floor and
healthy, they aren’t nearly as bad as the 33-49 record they posted.
Hedo Turkoglu proved his worth in the 2009 playoffs hitting clutch shots in just about every series that the Orlando Magic played in. His ability to create his own shot and distribute to teammates is one of the main reasons the Magic were able to last without Jameer Nelson. He even provided last-second defense in the finals blocking a Kobe Bryant shot. But the substantial resume that Hedo has built does not outweigh what Marion brings to the specific roster that Bryan Colangelo has assembled.
A report out of Portland says that the Trailblazers made a call to Turkoglu’s camp before any other team and are reportedly offering him a $50 million deal over five years. Unlike Turkoglu, Marion is not going to get $10 million per year; ESPN’s Chad Ford has him at about $6 to $7 million yearly.
Marion’s made it no secret that he wants to play with a team that has a shot at winning it all. The trouble with that is there are only about five teams that can actually claim to be a part of that group. The group in no particular order goes: the LA Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, and the Magic.
The Lakers are worried about re-signing their own small forwards in Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza. The Cavaliers are probably going to be looking for a power forward who can spread the floor to open space for James now that Shaq’s going to be taking most of it up. The Spurs recently acquired Richard Jefferson to play at their three spot and unless they have another trade up their sleeves, Marion won't end up there. The Nuggets have Carmelo Anthony at the three and definitely don’t need any rebounding help with the likes of Kenyon Martin, Nene and the Birdman, who’s expected to return. The Celtics have Paul Pierce at the small forward spot and don't appear to be in a position to make any major moves that would land them Marion. There have been rumours that the Magic and the Raptors might hook up in a sign-and-trade to exchange Turkoglu and Marion but now that the Blazers are involved, things have become more complicated.
With the drafting of shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, the expected return of Carlos Delfino, and a healthy Jose Calderon, the Raptors are in much more need of a rebounding small-forward who can run than they are of a shooting guard with Hedo's skillset.
My advice, Raptors fans should be happy that they are even in the discussion for a player of Shawn Marion’s abilities. He’s the perfect compliment to their perimeter-oriented bigs Andrea Bargnani and Chris Bosh. Rather than judge the team on how they started with Marion, try to remember how they finished.