a. rather have Brooks over Lowry and
b. Scola over Hill

Houston might also prefer to give up Battier over Ariza.

Battier vs. Ariza isn't a big issue to me, per se, as Battier is an incredibly valuable trade chip and when combined with expiring contracts like that of Banks, Evans and Bellinelli (and Jeffries per this trade) could bring back a valuable player.

As a Raptor fan: Jeffries, Ariza, Brooks, Scola and the two 1st rounders would be an ideal trade.

As a Houston fan: Jeffries, Ariza, Lowry (signed of course), Hill and the two 1sts would probably make for a decent trade.

All in all I would, as a Raptor fan, probably be quite happy with the Houston version of the trade as well – far better than anything that will come out of Miami/Chicago.

I wouldn't believe anything Bosh says about any of this at this point. He's too smart. At the end of the day anything he does/says from here on out will be about taking care of his family, pocketbook, and image. Sure, he loves Toronto…has a lot of business interests there…so it's paramount that when he leaves the Raptors, he isn't eschewed like VC or TMac…

He's just talking the talk my friend…I'd heard Raps fans were a little bonkers…and reading this post only solidifies that theory in my head…

One thing he did say during the exit interview was that he hates change, and his life has only changed twice (when he went to college, and when he went to the NBA).

The only reason he will leave the Raptors is if he doesn't buy into Colangelo's plan to improve the team, no other reason.

We talked about Ariza/Bud later. Interesting because Bud is the more attractive asset, IMHO.

I also found it interesting that he would be more interested in Ariza than Bud. I don't see any benefit from Toronto's perspective by taking on a more expensive Ariza- he's more suited as a role player on a good team, as we saw over the first 2/3 of the season with his struggles trying to carry the offense.

While he is a decent big man, I feel as if he's the next coming of Stromile: ridiculous unrealized upside.

But then again, maybe you see something I don't.

Bosh, Calderon & Toronto 2nd 2012
FOR
Ariza, one of Brooks/Lowry, one of Hill/Scola, Houston 1st 2010 and New York 1st 2012

use expiring contracts to even out salaries (Jeffries).

I went with Calderon for Houston because:

a. I don't think Houston takes Turkoglu regardless;
b. Calderon is a proven bench strength and better fit/distributor for Houston if he has Yao/Bosh to send passes to;
c. Calderon's contract is cheaper and shorter than Turkoglu's (far more enticing to Houston imo)

PG Brooks or Lowry/Calderon
SG Martin
SF Battier/Budinger
PF Bosh/Scola or Hill
.C Yao/Anderson

Great trade for TO (compared to, say, Miami) all things considered as:

1. Ariza is a nice fit for Turkoglu (if Turks is retained) or replacement for him if Turks is traded
2. Either one of Brooks or Lowry make for a nice back-up/co-chair for Jack
3. I much prefer Scola as it retains as much competitiveness as possible for the Raps but Hill is a nice consolation prize and has better upside
4. The picks allow us to continue to retool/help dump Turks
5. Calderon is one of the problem contracts and dumping it is a big plus
6. What we lose with Bosh we may get via the massive defensive upgrade that this trade represents (especially if its Scola at PF)

PG Jack/Brooks or Lowry
SG Weems/DeRozan
SF Turks/Ariza
PF Johnson/Scola or Hill
.C Bargnani

Banks, Bellinelli, Evans remain last-year contracts up for trade going forward. Center spot remains an issue but hopefully a trade would deal with that.

Note: Bosh can only get 30% of the cap. If the new Cap number is $56.1 million this gives him a new starting number of $16.83. Newsflash: He actually takes a small dip on the 1st year of a new deal compared to the last year of his current one ($17.15).

Bosh ($16.83) + Calderon ($9.00) = $25.83 million