Raptors Trade!

I usually leave sports references to Jevant (and his archnemesis) but this is huge news for me as an avid fan of the Toronto Raptors. They traded away Rafer Alston!

Press Release: Raptors.com
Article: ESPN.com
Article: Toronto Star
Blog: Toronto Star Jabs

I thought that the big NBA news was a report earlier today that the Chicago Bulls traded Eddy Curry to New York, but this piece of news about Alston is much more important to me. I only have tangential knowledge of Mike James, the Houston Rockets point guard for whom they traded. I vaguely remember Houston getting him late last year for their playoff run.

The initial analysis is that Mike James is a dependable but not exceptionally skilled point guard. Rafer was the opposite, explosive skills with a temper to match. I suppose the Raptors got exactly who the kind of player they wanted in return but I don't think that Mike James has really had a shot as the go-to starting point guard. We'll have to see how this plays out for his playing time with the Raptors but it wouldn't surprise me to see him competing with the Raptors recent draft pick Jose Calderon.

Wow. Training camps start in the NBA today but this news ratcheted my interest up three notches.