League sources said last week the Raptors were told the Carlos Boozer and Nate Robinson deal for Andrea Bargnani and John Lucas III was available whenever they wanted it.

With the recent news that Derrick Rose might sit out for the remainder of the season to fully heal from his ACL injury in last year’s playoffs, the Bulls might be looking to get under the luxury-tax threshold.Trading Boozer, who is owed $75 million over 5 years, and Robinson, who was the Eastern Conference Player of the Week two weeks ago, for Bargnani and Lucas would do just that for them.

Certainly, this trade would hurt the Bulls’ chances of contention this season, as Boozer, who is averaging 15.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, and Robinson, who has 12 points and 4.2 assists per game, have both played significant roles on the team this season in the absence of Derrick Rose. Bargnani would be the best piece Chicago would receive, but he has been limited to just 25 games this season with nagging injuries and averages of 14.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

The trade deadline is next Thursday, February 21st, so a Raptors decision should come soon.

Nov 30, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani (7) against the Phoenix Suns at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Suns 101-97. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

When Kevin Garnett arrived on the NBA stage it was Sam Mitchell who took him under his wing, serving the role of a mentor.

While Mitchell was in Toronto, he was able to convince the Raptors brass to let him coach Jose Calderon the way he wanted to. Calderon has gone on to become the franchise’s all-time leader in assists and a role model for the team’s younger players.

However, the same cannot be said for former number one pick Andrea Bargnani.

“I was not allowed to be that tough on Andrea because within the organization we felt that he couldn’t take it. And my whole thing was if he can’t take it then we can’t build around him. And no one thought Jose could take it, and Jose did.”

Mitchell raises two incredibly valid points here: Why would you use the first pick in the draft to select someone who cannot be coached the way you would like and a player you do not expect to develop into one of the team’s leaders?

Secondly, it is absolutely worth the gamble to let Mitchell coach Bargnani the way he would have preferred. They were skeptical about letting him do it with Calderon, who it worked out great for. He also had a proven track record, working with Garnett.

Now, Toronto is looking to move Bargnani and his large contract (3 years, $32 million) at the deadline.

The Raptors have won eight of their last nine games without Bargnani, who has also caused problems within the locker room this season.