Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa Could Be Headed to Toronto and New York
If you’ve read Jack McCallum’s book “7 Seconds or Less,” a behind-the-scenes chronicle of the Phoenix Suns’ 2006 NBA season, you know how Mike D’Antoni and the Colangelos (Jerry and Raptors GM Brian) love their guys - players that they saw potential in from the beginning and turned their development into personal projects. Two of their guys are Boris Diaw (who was a backup point guard when D’Antoni snagged him from the Hawks) and Leandro Barbosa. And now that Mike is in New York, it’s open season on the pieces that helped make the Suns’ offense go the past few years.
From today’s Arizona Republic:
New York, with its No. 6 draft slot, often comes up as a trade destination for Barbosa since Mike D’Antoni accepted the Knicks job last month. Barbosa’s tutor, Dan D’Antoni, also will join the Knicks staff.
Barbosa does not want to be traded. He met new Suns coach Terry Porter, saying “his personality is perfect for us.”
Barbosa passed on playing for Brazil in an Olympic qualifier next month so that he could spend more time in Phoenix, where he works with Suns athletic trainers to strengthen his upper body and balance to help his defense.
And later this about Diaw:
A Diaw trade possibility involved Toronto, where talk centered on Diaw leaving for point guard T.J. Ford and the Raptors’ No. 17 pick in Thursday’s draft. Talks cooled but might reignite with Porter aboard. In Porter’s first season as Milwaukee’s head coach, Ford helped the Bucks to a 41-41 playoff season. When Ford missed the next season after neck surgery, the Bucks went 30-52 and fired Porter.
One of the biggest question marks about the D’Antoni hire in New York was if the Knicks roster can play the type of ball that Mike coaches. Barbosa would obviously go a long way towards pushing offensive tempo, but is he worth that No. 6 pick?
June 20th, 2008 at 10:29 am
fiyaman says:
HELL FUCKING NO..Barbosa cannot help us… Please fire Antoni
June 20th, 2008 at 10:47 am
hahns says:
hahahah damn, callin for dantoni’s head alreadyyyyy
June 20th, 2008 at 11:14 am
TJ says:
Realistically, he’s probably better than the person they pick will end up being. Everyone always talks about how these guys have so much potential, but they could just as well be garbage like a hundred other lottery picks
June 20th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Lady Luck says:
#6 is pretty high for a streaky bench player. I think Barbosa is a really good player…..but #6??? The Celtics got RAY ALLEN for #5 last year. Is Barbosa that close to Allen? even in Ray’s decline with age? I don’t think so. Barbosa is an intriguing player. But #6 for him straight up seems a bit steep.
Ford apparently is not happy with his minutes behind Calderon. Is he going to be okay with spot minutes behind Steve Nash? Maybe…maybe not. And again, Ford AND #17 for Diaw? Who had one good year. Rmember Ford was traded straight up for Villanueva, who last season played way better than Diaw.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
John Starks says:
The Knicks need to stay away from Diaw and Barbosa.
Both their contracts run into 2012, one at 9 million per, the other at 7 million.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Brown says:
If I was Brian Colangelo, I wouldn’t touch Diaw with a ten-foot pole. He played well in his contract year, but has regressed big time since then. I wouldn’t even trade Ford for him straight up, let alone including the #17 pick.
Thankfully this is just a rumour, because BC has to have more sense than to be enamoured by a player he helped develop and bring him to Toronto, where he would just be dead weight like most of their roster.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Celts Fan says:
I’d want the #15, Diaw, AND Barbosa to give up #6.
June 20th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
hahns says:
btw, diaw is possibly the worst player in the nba.
jk. overstatement. but i DO NOT want him on the knicks. does everyone forget the spurs series already…???
June 20th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
BlazeMcHerbs says:
The 6th pick is basically useless if we dont get Mayo. If Mayo’s off the board, why not trade for Barbosa?
Him and David Lee would pair up nice. But Knicks can also go after TJ Ford, i like Barbosa better , better 3 point shot and he’s trying to get better on D, that says something about the cut of his jib…
cut of his jib, ha ha
June 20th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
french says:
TJ ford is more of what we need than Barbosa - on the knicks that is - barbosa is decent but undersized and makes bad decisions (we already have plenty of that). Ford can run and distribute.
June 20th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
BlazeMcHerbs says:
I see your point, but Im a Raptors fan too and i can tell you, TJ gets tiring. He’ll make plenty bad decisions, and he aint got no real shot. He is a lil Speedy Gonzales, and he does pass, usually, but decision making is not all there. Ego is another problem.
And Barbosa has downsides also, he is undersized on D, and its not like the Knicks are holding opponents to 90ppg. But if we ever end up with a better pg, atleast we know Barbosa will play team ball and come off the bench. Also, if Zach Randolph ever slips and falls on TJ Ford, it could be career ending, TJ is fragile…
June 20th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
BxBaller says:
Knicks got Nate, they don’t need Barbosa. If we trade the 6th pick for Barbosa I will HIGHLY PISSED OFF.
June 20th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
doc says:
The Knicks and Raptors need to make them trades.They will help the Sixers tremendously.