In life, some risks are worth taking

As you may know, we’re all fans of the Toronto Raptors, so news of the proposed trade between the Raps and Indiana Pacers have dominated the conversation. In the deal, the Dinos send point guard TJ Ford, centre Rasho Nesterovic, forward Maceo Baston, and the 17th pick in last night’s draft (which became Georgetown centre Roy Hibbert), for Indiana centre Jermaine O’Neal and the 41st pick (which became Australian centre Nathan Jawai).

Toronto fans are back and forth on what they think about the trade. On the one hand, O’Neal provides rebounding, defence, and toughness; all of which the Raps need plenty. On the other hand, he’s been injured for about the last four years, and he’s getting paid $44 Million over the next two years.

We weren’t sure what we thought about the trade at first, but then we were reminded of a story whose enduring lesson, we think, applies to this situation.

It was last summer, and we were in Ottawa for Canada Day weekend. If you’ve ever been to the capital on its birthday, you’d know that it’s a pretty huge scene. Lots of bars, lots of young people, lots of booze, and lots of bad decisions to be made. And I was riding shotgun with the King of Bad Decisions, my buddy Danny.

Danny is the kind of guy that will push every advantage he can. When he bets (and he does like to bet), he cheats to gain a competitive edge. When he took a test in school, he had plenty of ink on his palms. And when he met girls, he used any and every edge he could to make an impression on them. This weekend was no different.

We were checking out the fireworks, making snarky comments while secretly enjoying the show as if we were kids, when we noticed a couple of girls beside us, one of whom was rather fetching. And it seemed like she was watching the fireworks with moist eyes and a quivering lip. These fireworks were obviously getting to her somehow.

Anyway, we found ourselves talking to the girls after the show while walking back to the bar, and I asked the emotional girl’s friend what her deal was. The friend told me that the girl’s fiancée had just died, and was buried only two days prior. I suppose that explained her emotional state, at least a little.

So I pulled Danny over when I got the chance and told him to leave the girl alone because she was a bit of a wreck. Instead of complying, he lit up with excitement. “Are you kidding? That’s great news!”

Sorry, what?

“Man, I can’t normally get a girl that hot. She’s way out of my league. But now, she’s emotional and vulnerable. I totally have a chance if I play that up.” And he did. He spent all night playing Mr. Sensitive, saying things like “I know exactly how it feels to lose something so close to you. Have another Appletini,” and the rest was history. And a sordid history at that.

Something tells me that’s what the Raptors are thinking. Well, kinda. Think about it, though. Jermaine O’Neal provides all the things the Raptors need inside. He’s a good rebounder, a great defender, and he’s tough. Sure, he’s an injury risk. What are the Raps to do, though? Get Dwight Howard?

The fact is, those injury concerns are what made O’Neal available, because if he had been a fully healthy 20-10 guy for the past four years, there’s no way the Raptors could ever get him. He would have been out of their league, so to speak. But missing half the season last year made him affordable, so Toronto did what it had to do and get the guy it needed.

Toronto was in a position in which it had few tradeable assets, but dire needs after the way it got demolished in the first round of this year’s playoffs. Jermaine O’Neal is probably the best solution they could get with their assets, injury risk or no.

Sometimes you have to push whatever edge you can. Just ask Danny.