FanHouse Reggie Evans

Who doesn't like a list, especially on a Monday morning when that's about all you can handle?

The news isn't good on the NBA officials' front. The league has locked the refs out and it appears they're ready to go the route of replacement refs. We think that's a bad idea, but if it's going to happen, here's offering some help to the new guys.

Keep your eyes out for these players, the top-five foulers in the NBA:

Every Tuesday this offseason, two of our NBA experts will go at it with a Debate in the Paint. This week, the topic is the Toronto Raptors, and whether they are moving toward being contenders in the East.

The Raptors have been the summer's most active team, with Bryan Colangelo moving from high-profile moves like Jason Kapono-for-Reggie Evans to trade-Tourette's yawners like Marcus Banks-for-Matt Carroll. (That last one is still a rumor.) As of today, Toronto will begin 2009-10 with exactly three players who began last season on the roster (Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon).

But not all change is good change. Is this change good change? In my opinion, yes ... and it will vault Toronto toward the East's upper strata.

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Sure, the NBA Finals aren't even halfway over (or are they? Orlando can win at least one game, right?), but the rest of the league is officially looking toward the future. The Raptors and 76ers have completed the first trade of the summer, sending sharpshooter Jason Kapono south to Philadelphia in exchange for bruising forward Reggie Evans.

Raptors prez and GM Bryan Colangelo announced the move this afternoon. From Doug Smith of the Toronto Star: "We're changing the dynamic of our club with this move," Colangelo said. "This obviously addresses a few areas of need. ... [The Sixers] probably had too many bigs and we probably had too many finesse players."

This isn't an April Fool's Joke, Philadelphia. Sixers stud Thaddeus Young will miss 2-3 weeks due to a ankle sprain and bone bruise, according to the Associated Press.

It's sort of a critical time for Philly, with the playoffs well within reach but not guaranteed. According to PlayoffStatus.com, the Sixers have a magic number of three with nine games to go. But the loss really shows up when you at the race for the No. 5 seed.

Desperate for NBA news -- any NBA news -- in this basketball-starved month that is September? Here's a big one for you: the Nuggets and 76ers got together for a trade that sends Reggie Evans to Philly in exchange for Steven Hunter. Okay, it's not quite the Allen Iverson blockbuster that went down the last time Denver and Philly traded with each other, but it could still end up being pretty interesting, at least from Philly's perspective.

The Sixers are getting a rebounding machine: Evans averaged 7.5 rebounds in just 17.1 minutes per game last year, which translates to a league-high 19.7 per 48 minutes. He was more or less buried on Denver's depth chart, though, especially with Kenyon Martin returning, but in Philadelphia he could end up starting.

At 6-8, Evans is a bit small for power forward, but he's a strong defender and obviously knows how to clean the glass, so he could be a decent stopgap until rookie Jason Smith is ready to assume a starting gig. The Sixers also received the rights to 6-foot-11 Ricky Sanchez, who spent last year in the D-League. I don't know much about him, but hey, he's 6-foot-11, why not?

The Rashard Lewis contract has essentially backed the Magic into a corner in terms of improving the rest of the roster, but that doesn't mean the team is done trying. They still might land the recently bought-out Adonal Foyle, and they're reportedly in talks with the Nuggets regarding Reggie Evans. From John Denton for Florida Today:

Evans, 27, has proven himself to be a premier rebounder when given significant minutes and he's a better-than-average post defender. He could fortify a Magic frontline that will have Dwight Howard, Tony Battie and little else.

Payroll concerns also are an issue for the Nuggets, who have $78 million on the books for next season. Getting out from under the $18.8 million still owed to Evans during the next four seasons might appeal to Denver.

One rumored trade could feature the Magic sending Keyon Dooling and Pat Garrity to Denver for Evans and enigmatic shooting guard J.R. Smith. The Magic would have to throw in another low-salaried player to make the deal work. Both Dooling and Garrity have expiring contracts, something that would be appealing to the Nuggets.

If the Magic can somehow manage to turn Dooling and Garrity into Evans and Smith, they have to pull the trigger. Yes, expiring contracts are nice, but not as nice as players with actual talent and upside.

For one, pairing Howard and Evans would give the Magic an excellent rebounding duo -- Howard finished third in the league in rebounding last year and Evans finished first in rebounds per 48 minutes. While Smith is unproven and one stop away from being a bona fide journeyman, there's no denying his electric potential. And unless you're hoping to see a whole lot of J.J. Redick this year, the Magic certainly have a vacancy at shooting guard. There's no way the Nuggets would do this trade were they not in a salary crunch, and the Magic can't afford to be too cautious in the improving East.