Veterans, who in their prime were a force to be reckoned with, are going to contenders simply to get a ring.

I don’t fault them much for that. But is the ring really that important if it doesn’t have your team’s name written on it? Some might argue that if they are a help to their team then, yes, it means something.

I don’t know.

It seems weird the Gary Payton and Antoine Walker got Miami rings. And that Brent Barry and Michael Finley got Spurs rings.

You also wonder, though, if it is in the best interests of the team to take on these veterans who have lost a step.

This is where I am REALLY going with this article.

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Losing the veteran leadership of Derek Fisher, who was released by the Utah Jazz at the guard’s own request in order to care for his daughter and her much publicized bout with eye cancer, is going to be a great loss for the Utah Jazz. The Utah Jazz succeeded where the other young but very talented team, the Toronto Raptors, failed. It is likely that Fisher’s leadership was key to their success in their first post-season experience in the last four years.

You have to wonder, though, how long the Jazz have known that this was going to happen — most likely far in advance of the draft.

Let’s look at the facts and where the Jazz find themselves now.

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With Kobe Bryant’s rants making the headlines, everybody has to be asking themselves if Kobe was happy, sad, or indifferent that Luke Walton will be his running mate for the 2007-2008 NBA Season.

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Vince Carter said all along that he would probably re-sign with the New Jersey Nets.

He did.

Carter had another productive year with the Nets, averaging 25.2 points, 6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game in the 2006-2007 NBA season. He also made over 45% of his shots and over 80% of his free throws.

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They aren’t going to a youth movement with quite the bang that the Portland Trailblazers did in the past couple of drafts, but the Toronto Raptors under GM Colangelo are a young squad with a lot of promise.

A great record going into the playoffs didn’t translate to winning any series, but with some good development of their players, the Toronto Raptors should be in good shape for years to come.

Adding to a group that includes T.J. Ford, Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, and Jorge Garbajosa, Colangelo will bring in dead-eye Miami long distance shooter Jason Kapono.

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