"We are too nice, we are too nice as a group. Collectively, the group is too nice," the Raptors president said last month. "That's not to say you've got to go out and get bad guys, [but] when you step on the court, you better have some fight. I think some of the guys were saying you better have some dog in you. ... In terms of what we're looking to do when we're addressing personnel this summer, we're going to be bringing in perhaps players with a different mentality."

Why wait until summer?

Yesterday, the Raptors announced they had acquired Reggie Evans from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Jason Kapono - a trade of opposites if there ever was one.

Evans is an offensively challenged banger who has averaged an impressive 12.6 rebounds per 36 minutes over his seven-year NBA career, including 4.6 offensive rebounds - a testament to the 6 foot 8, 245 pounder's willingness to pay a price to chase down the Basketball.

He's a career 46.8-per-cent shooter from the floor and converts free throws at just a 52.5-per-cent rate, indicative of his overall offensive skills. But the Raptors have plenty of players who like to shoot the ball, but have been chronically short of players who like to go get it when they miss.

Evans can help fix that, as he averaged 4.6 rebounds in just 14 minutes a game last season.

"Reggie Evans will certainly add an element of toughness to our team," Colangelo said yesterday in announcing the deal. "He has very good rebounding and defensive instincts - addressing two areas where we have underperformed."

Evans's willingness to do the dirty work was demonstrated in the 2006 playoffs when he was with the Denver Nuggets. He was fined $10,000 (U.S.) by the NBA for grabbing the testicles of Los Angeles Clippers centre Chris Kaman while battling for position.

Kapono was a free-agent signing in the summer of 2007 that Colangelo envisioned would turn the Raptors from a "good shooting team to a great shooting team," but Kapono never quite lived up to his four-year, $24-million contract.

He shot the ball well, as advertised, but struggled to gain the confidence of the Raptors coaching staff on the defensive end where he was inevitably matched up with quicker and stronger wing players. He averaged 7.7 points and 1.6 rebounds a game in two seasons in Toronto.

The Raptors gain a financial advantage as the deal saves them $1.2-million in salary this season and $1.5-million next year.