Ballers Blog

After taking a little bit of a hiatus, the Ballers Blog is back! With still over a month and a half left until the season, slowly but surely all the basketball writers from ESPN to SI to FOX SPORTS are all giving their predictions and opinions on the summer that was.  While some seem to think that the Jermaine O’Neal trade was one of the most underrated moves of the summer, others are saying that Colangelo is taking a big $44 million risk.  I agree with both statements so to speak, but I think the real question mark is whether or not Roko Ukic can step into the lineup and contribute.  The Raptors will surely miss T.J. Ford this year, though it’s a shame that he and Calderon just couldn’t co-exist.  But think back to Calderon’s rookie year and you will remember a lot of missteps and turnovers along the way.  Ukic will definitely have a steep learning curve, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Raptors were in contention at trade deadline, if B.C. made a move for a more reliable back up.  Calderon will play heavy minutes, so it’s imperative for the Raptors that Ukic learns the NBA game quickly.  It says here that he will probably struggle just like Jose did in his first year, and that could severly hurt the Raptors playoff seeding.  Nonetheless I wish Ukic all the best, as all eyes will be on the rookie from Croatia, of course after the initial breaking in period of Jermaine O’Neal…

Here’s Ukic doing his thing versus the Raptors last season in the pre-season