Bryan Colangelo arrived in his old stomping grounds a marked man, someone who'll be very popular with his fellow NBA general managers during this weekend's all-star festivities in Phoenix.
The Raptors' president has made no secret of the fact he's dissatisfied with some aspects of his team's play and, with the NBA trade deadline less than a week away, the normal chatter he has with rival general managers will take on a far more serious tone. Colangelo will most likely seek out whoever is in Phoenix representing the Miami Heat to discuss the still-alive talks involving Jermaine O'Neal and Shawn Marion.
With the deadline coming right up against them, the sides will have to determine whether the financial and on-court implications can be hurdled.
Despite O'Neal's strong play - defensively, in particular - the Raptors are still seeking the financial relief (Marion's roughly $17 million salary comes off the books after the season) the deal would bring, and the undersized Heat can use a player of O'Neal's calibre.
The two teams have traded medical records on the key players involved and there have been unconfirmed reports O'Neal has been examined in person by members of Miami's medical staff.
The possibility of an O'Neal trade seems to be the only serious one the Raptors are investigating, although things tend to Heat up over the all-star weekend and on the final three days before the deadline.
It's not as if Colangelo is dealing from strength in any other discussions that are sure to come up. He's been adamant that he's not entertaining offers for Chris Bosh, who he keeps referring to as the "cornerstone" of the franchise and it's a virtual certainty that he won't be talking about Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani.
The expiring contracts - to say nothing of the play - of Joey Graham and Anthony Parker are probably as valuable as anything they could get back in exchange and Colangelo isn't going to risk future financial flexibility unless he can swing a deal for a young, athletic wing - not the kind of player generally offered up at the trade deadline.
One thing Colangelo will be mindful of is the schedule the Raptors have when they resume action next Wednesday at home against Cleveland. After going through a gruesome January and early February - 23 games in 41 nights since the start of 2009 - Toronto has just 27 games left between Wednesday and April 15.
And the schedule gives them every opportunity to determine their own fate as they try to climb from 14th in the East into the eight-team playoff picture. Of the 27 games left, 11 are against teams that are today between them and the final playoff spot; they face New York four times and Indiana, Charlotte and Chicago twice each.
