>They are small — unless Jonathan Mogbo and Ulrich Chomche develop —but they drafted Ja’Kobe Walter primarily for his shooting skills.
On the Vezenkov potential buyout:
>A player gives up money if he retires or negotiates a buyout and agrees to take less on his contract. And I can almost guarantee that if Vezenkov leaves, he will not get one red cent time from the Raptors. He’ll have to forfeit every dime and if he ignores his contract and doesn’t show up, the Raptors will and can fine and suspend him.
On Koloko:
>Koloko, who has only petitioned to return and has not gotten the necessary medical clearance, is a free agent and I don’t think there’s any interest here. Besides, what makes anyone think Koloko would be clamouring to return to the team that hastened his departure?
On the team having too many guards, not enough forwards:
>There’s a bit of a roster imbalance but if there are any deals to be made, they’ll make them regardless. Besides, any trades or moves might address that perceived imbalance.
On the Raptors vetting for potential players:
>The Raptors are redoubling on their due diligence in player acquisition and character is very high on the list of desired traits.
UnflushableStinky2
That “hastened his departure” wtf does that mean? They drafted him and have obviously kept in touch. Why wouldn’t they be interested in a shot blocking, 7 foot, Cameroonian centre with soft hands?
klobucharzard
EarthWarping is the biggest doug smith head alive right now & you gotta respect the grind & dedication regardless of what you think of the content
ls650569
Doug Smith annoys readers because he doesn’t grill players, coaches, or front office people, but he usually gets his facts correct. But the description about Kololo is vastly different from the reports elsewhere, and so either Doug is wrong (likely) or there is something else he heard (unlikely).
Blake Murphy reported this: “Koloko’s representatives revealed he’d been working out with other NBA players in free agent showcases and that he’d received clearance from his doctors to play. To return to the NBA, Koloko still needs to be approved by the NBA’s fitness to play panel (and sign a risk waiver), so he’s not back yet.”
So the medical clearance is there, or else he couldn’t even participate in work outs. Approval is more a procedural issue.
Murphy also reported, “The Raptors cut Koloko because they needed the roster spot and he wasn’t cleared to play, not because they don’t believe in the player.”
And Masai Ujiri said Raptors are still keeping tabs on Koloko and more or less the same thing during the recent news conference.
4 Comments
Tidbits:
On the lack of size on the roster:
>They are small — unless Jonathan Mogbo and Ulrich Chomche develop —but they drafted Ja’Kobe Walter primarily for his shooting skills.
On the Vezenkov potential buyout:
>A player gives up money if he retires or negotiates a buyout and agrees to take less on his contract. And I can almost guarantee that if Vezenkov leaves, he will not get one red cent time from the Raptors. He’ll have to forfeit every dime and if he ignores his contract and doesn’t show up, the Raptors will and can fine and suspend him.
On Koloko:
>Koloko, who has only petitioned to return and has not gotten the necessary medical clearance, is a free agent and I don’t think there’s any interest here. Besides, what makes anyone think Koloko would be clamouring to return to the team that hastened his departure?
On the team having too many guards, not enough forwards:
>There’s a bit of a roster imbalance but if there are any deals to be made, they’ll make them regardless. Besides, any trades or moves might address that perceived imbalance.
On the Raptors vetting for potential players:
>The Raptors are redoubling on their due diligence in player acquisition and character is very high on the list of desired traits.
That “hastened his departure” wtf does that mean? They drafted him and have obviously kept in touch. Why wouldn’t they be interested in a shot blocking, 7 foot, Cameroonian centre with soft hands?
EarthWarping is the biggest doug smith head alive right now & you gotta respect the grind & dedication regardless of what you think of the content
Doug Smith annoys readers because he doesn’t grill players, coaches, or front office people, but he usually gets his facts correct. But the description about Kololo is vastly different from the reports elsewhere, and so either Doug is wrong (likely) or there is something else he heard (unlikely).
Blake Murphy reported this: “Koloko’s representatives revealed he’d been working out with other NBA players in free agent showcases and that he’d received clearance from his doctors to play. To return to the NBA, Koloko still needs to be approved by the NBA’s fitness to play panel (and sign a risk waiver), so he’s not back yet.”
So the medical clearance is there, or else he couldn’t even participate in work outs. Approval is more a procedural issue.
Murphy also reported, “The Raptors cut Koloko because they needed the roster spot and he wasn’t cleared to play, not because they don’t believe in the player.”
And Masai Ujiri said Raptors are still keeping tabs on Koloko and more or less the same thing during the recent news conference.