Action: Toronto Raptors trade Carlos Delfino and Roko Ukic to the Milwaukee Bucks in return for Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems
Reaction: 2 Prom Dates!!

The definition? A prom date is someone who you go all out for – The limo, the corsage, the tux and the hotel room. If she puts out you consider dating her for the summer before you head off to college and if she doesn’t, there is no love lost and you are left with a bunch of pictures from prom night. Putting it in basketball terms, Amir Johnson is your prom date, the 1 year remaining on his contract is the limo etc. If he develops the way you want, you have the option of signing him to a new contract for next year. If his potential doesn’t materialize (essentially he doesn’t put out) you can let him walk. and the only trace of him in Raptor red will remain in the Getty archives.

The Details: The Raptors had no use for Delfino once they brought in Marco Belinelli and Jarrett Jack. The money was there but the playing time had vanished prompting Bryan Colangelo to turn his attention to the SF/PF position. With limited options, it was looking like Pops Mensah Bonsu was going to take up that last roster spot, but evidently Colangelo had bigger plans. With this trade he managed to keep Delfino happy and reduce the logjam at the PG position by moving Roko, while bringing in more grit and rebounding. Roko still has potential but it was evident after his showing in summer league that Colangelo did not see him in the team’s plans.

Amir Johnson:
Joe Dumars may have lost his touch as of late, but the man has a great track record when it comes to finding hidden gems in the NBA draft. The last high school player picked before the rules changed, Amir is still young and has shown glimpses of what he can do over the past couple of seasons. He is a solid rebounder, good shot blocker and can flat out jump out the gym. The downside has to be the fouling and a lackadaisical vibe that he gives off. He looked solid in summer league playing with Brandon Jennings and should steal some of the minutes that were allotted to Reggie Evans.

Sonny Weems: Don’t know much about this kid, but I do know he gets passed around almost as much as Q Rich these days. (The Raptors are his 4th team since he was drafted in ’08). He is a bit player with minimum salary impact. Though he raises the hotness rating of the team, he will probably be spending most of his time warming the end of the bench.

Bonus – Winner of the 2008 NCAA Dunk Contest, maybe he could help DeMar DeRozan come up with dunks for All-Star Saturday 2010.

Looking Ahead: 9 new faces and only 3 players remain from the opening night roster from last season. Considering how last season unfolded, change was imminent. Bryan Colangelo has been bold with his moves but I am concerned about the team coming together with so many new parts. Another concern is the too many cooks syndrome, not always a negative, but in this case there may not be enough minutes in the game to keep everyone happy. Scary part? Colangelo may not be done yet…

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