Tas: Charlie V. Was Redundant; The Spurs Will Win The Title

Note: This is a small, bit-sized sample of a Raptors Q&A Tas just did with the good folks at DroppingDimes.com. I’ll let you know as soon as the rest of it goes up…

Q. Was it a wise move to let a young talent such as Charlie Villanueva go when he could have formed a dynamic frontcourt duo with Chris Bosh? Or was T.J. Ford a necessary move with Mike James leaving the T-Dot? Was the price too high?

A. When Bryan Colangelo decided he wanted to get Andrea Bargnani with the 1st pick of the draft, it was clear that having the comparable skills of Villanueva and Bargnani on the same team would be sort of useless. It’s safe to assume Colangelo thought of the good Italian boy as the better player of the two. At the same time, there was a big hole to fill at point guard. The Raps front office didn’t want to bring back Mike James and that left Jose Calderon and Darrick Martin running the show. That just wouldn’t cut it. Charlie was shown the door because he had good trade value and because his skills were somewhat redundant. T.J. Ford fits the prototype point guard of a Colangelo run team. He is a pass first point guard with several different speeds. Did BC overpay? I really can’t estimate the ceiling of the two so it’s hard to say. They are both NBA level talents. Villanueva’s skill set and height may be a little more coveted, but they both fulfill a need. I’d say it’s pretty much a wash in regards to who the better player is right now. What Colangelo did was swap skills he had an abundance of for skills his squad sorely lacked. In turn, he filled the most important position of his up-tempo style team.

[…]

Q. Besides the Raptors, who wins the NBA Finals this season?

A. The San Antonio Spurs. They are hungry and they are healthy. Last season’s playoff loss was tough for everyone. In addition, other factors will drive the Spurs. Tony Parker didn’t get to play in the World Basketball
Championships. Manu Ginobili lost in the semi-finals there. Tim Duncan wants to show he is 100% and ready to be his old self. Gregg Popovich doesn’t like the notion that some believe Avery Johnson out coached him in the post season. They all have a lot to play for and I think they’ll come in to the season with a tuned up work ethic and attitude.

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By J.E. Skeets at 12:28 pm on 10.19.2006 — Tags: Charlie Villanueva, T.J. Ford, Trades, Raptors

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One Response to “Tas: Charlie V. Was Redundant; The Spurs Will Win The Title”

  1. Jack at 12:51 pm on 10.19.2006

    It might just be a good call to pick the Spurs every other year. That’s the way it seems to pan out.

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