Raps Drop Season Opener

The Raps played fairly well for the game, but couldn't pull off a victory against the new-and-probably-much-better Amare'e's (that's a lot of apostrophes) Knicks. For the game, there was no one particular reason the Raps lost. However, it will probably be the trend of games this season where plenty of players will play well (or solidly enough) but the lack of a go-to scorer and leader will hurt in key situations. Bargnani had a big game and will most likely put up big numbers this year, but it seems unlikely he has the makings of a franchise offensive talent (though he could very well be a secondary or tertiary scorer on a very good team).

NBA.com recap

Player of the game:
Il Mago did not seem lost in his first game as the face of the Raptors. While he struggled somewhat from the field (8-21) he did not lose his outside touch over the summer hitting five threes in eight attempts. Bargs finished with 22 points and 6 rebounds and complemented that nicely with 2 blocks. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect pretty similar season averages for Drea this year.

Notables:
Reggie Evans (0 points on 0-2 shooting, 16 rebounds, 2 steals, 5 fouls) did exactly what the Raptors brought him in to do. He picked up 4 offensive boards, hustled like crazy and was a menace down low.
Linas Kleiza (13 points, 5 rebounds). The Destroyer of Worlds took a backseat to Bargnani's chuck-it-up ways last night, but the after offseason - Worlds, preseason and now the opener - it is clear that Kleiza has come back from Europe a better player, and could be a valuable trade chip for a contender.
Jarrett Jack (16 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals) played a nice all-around game as the starting point guard. He played his trademark solid defense and showed good playmaking ability. Jack could also bring back some useful pieces in a trade, if BC chooses that route.

NBA.com box score

Stat of the Game:
Wilson Chandler torched the Raptors off the bench to the tune of 22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 assists in just 29 minutes. The Raptors' perimeter defense was not good last night and Chandler made the Raps pay.

Raptors Home Opener!

Its here, Raptor fans! Tonight at 7 pm the Raptors tip off against the New York Bricks at the Air Canada Centre. You can catch the game on TSN2 or the good ol' Fan 590. I would also recommend taking advantage of NBA.com's free League Pass trial until November 1st for those Raptor fans who are outside of Canada.

The probable starters for Canada's team tonight are:
PG - Jarrett Jack
SG - DeMar DeRozan
SF - Linas Kleiza, Destroyer of Worlds
PF - Reggie Evans
C - Dr. Drea Bargnani

Why BC gave Amir Johnson 35 million dollars and will not start him is still a mystery. In any event, the Raptors need to play the tough defense they always talk about but never seem to bring (like Bart Simpsons homework, hey-o!). The Raps need to shadow Amare and make sure Danilo Gallinari and Roger Mason don't shake loose for an open three. In Toronto's preseason wins, we saw a team that gets defensive stops, limits the opponent to one shot per possession, and gets out and runs. Hopefully the Raptors will be able to exploit the Knicks constant defensive woes en route to their first W of the season.

Raptors Visit the Chi

Tonight at 8 pm the Raptors take on the Chicago Bulls in the Raptors third preseason game. Fresh off a loss in Boston, the Raptors are looking to get their first preseason W on the road. The game, unfortunately, is not televised in Canada so check out ATDHE.net or channelsurfing.net for a web feed of the game.

Look for Andrea Bargnani to continue to try and find his comfort zone. Andrea has come out completely flat in the opening two games, shooting just 2-17 over that stretch. Quite simply put, the Raptors need 'Drea to play up to his potential this year, we need less Araujo ball and more Bargnani ball.

The Raps interior defense gets a bit of a break tonight not having to deal with Carlos Boozer. However the Dinos will have to chase Derrick Rose around the court all night.

Raps Roll into Beantown

Coming off a manhandling of Phoenix in Vancouver to begin the preseason, the Raptors arrive in Boston to face the 2-0 Celtics at 6PM today. The Celtics will hope to contain Linas "Destroyer of Worlds" Kleiza, who dominated the Suns to the tune of 20 points in 20 minutes (on blistering 7-9 shooting, 4-4 from three), with 5 boards and 2 steals. While it's not really fair to draw positive nor negative conclusions, as it's only the preseason, Kleiza's definitely trying to show that his ownage of the Worlds during the summer was no fluke.

Other encouraging performances were had by DMDR, who dropped 16 points in 21 minutes, Jarrett Jack (10 poitns, 7 assists in 17 minutes), and interestingly, Joey Dorsey, who had 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, and 2 assists to boot. He had some monstrous slams and showed great energy, while - this is important - not playing outside his skill-set. Hopefully the Dino brass will look to his performance and not sign Ericka Dampier (get it? Cause he plays like a girl) for far too much money and far too little performance.

Raptors Blow Suns Out: 129-78

For once the Raptors are on the right side of a blow out. Wednesday night the Raptors showed that they mean business in the preseason, as they just simply tore Phoenix apart. Last night we saw a Raptor team that ran, made their shots, and set each other up; a confident, young bunch who look like they're enjoying playing with each other. They established dominance early and got the crowd involved so that they would cheer for the Raptors and not just Steve Nash (the game was in British Columbia, Stevies home province). The Raps shot a blistering 50% from the field against a Suns team where defense isn't even on their list of priorities. I, myself, was more impressed with the long ball. Not only did the Dinos shoot 60% from 3, but they only took 10 threes! In true non-Raptor fashion, all night the Raps looked to pound the ball inside and looked for the mid range jumper (the lost art in the game of basketball).

Let's take a look at the Raptor defense as well. They limited the Suns to just 78 points on 38% shooting from the field and only 17% from three. Sure this is a Suns team that clearly misses Amare and has just traded for the Plague (Hidayet Turkoglu), but hey, try and give credit where its due.

Player of the Game
I was tempted to give the PotG nod to David Andersen simply for growing out his hair and having some amazing flow, But i had to give it to Linas Kleiza. Kleiza did everything last night, en route to nabbing 20 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes (7-9 field goal shooting). Trey-za (sorry, I had to) was on fire from three, hitting 4-4 from beyond the arc. He made the Suns Pay-za (I really am sorry, its just too easy) for leaving him open both from inside and outside. Simply put, he Amaz-za-d us (that was the last one, I promise).

Notables
Joey Dorsey was an animal last night. He had a put-back slam that made me forget he was Joey Dorsey. Then I remembered he shot 4-9 from the foul line... In any case JoDor put up 13 and 10 in 17 minutes.
DeMar DeRozan put together a solid game, scoring 16 points in 20 minutes. He even showed off his new trey-ball, shooting 1-1 from three point land.

Last night was the first time in a while where Raptor basketball was actually enjoyable to watch. The players were loose and actually doing what they were supposed to do. I love preseason Raptor basketball!!!

Raps Open Up Preseason vs. Phoenix

Tonight at 10 pm the Raptors hit the road. No, they're not going to Phoenix though, they're in Vancouver. The Raps are opening up the preseason in Western Canada as they take on the Phoenix Suns. You can catch the game on TSN or, as always, on the Fan 590.

As we've written about extensively in our "Year One A.B." segment, you are about to see a new Raptor team. Andrea Bargnani now steps on the court as the leader of Canada's team, complimented by a crop of unproven players. While he and Leandro Barbosa are on the court, look for the offense to run through their hands.

Linas Kleiza was as hot as anyone in the FIBA World Championships this summer, leading Lithuania to a third place finish overall. Kleiza (playing the power forward position for the Lithuanians) put up 19 points per game on almost 58% shooting and almost 38% from three. This guy can shoot. This will be his first appearance sporting a Raptor uniform, so it will be interesting to see how Jay Triano will use him.

The Suns themselves are at a crossroads, looking for a new identity for their team. The Turkoglu-Barbosa swap seems to be an indicator that the Suns are looking to play more half-court ball this year. Last night they fell to the Kings 109-95 in Sacramento. All I have to say to them is good luck with Hedo.

Davis Sustains Knee Injury

The Toronto Star is reporting that Raptors rookie and 13th pick overall in the 2010 draft Ed Davis has sustained a "meniscal" injury to his right knee. Ed was playing some pick up basketball in Mississauga when he landed awkwardly from a rebound. The seriousness of the injury is not yet known and treatment options are now being discussed.

Jose to Miss Worlds

A leg injury will force Jose Calderon to miss this month's World Championships in Turkey. Jose tore a muscle in his leg during an exhibition game versus the United States of America. His recovery time is listed now at four weeks, which will give him sufficient time to heal before Raptor Training Camp.

New Assistant Coach

The Raps announced that they have brought in a new assistant coach, Scott Roth, to help under Jay Triano. He has an interesting connection to Jay, dating as far back as playing in the Turkish Basketball league at the same time in the 80's.

Last year, Roth was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors. He has spent seven other seasons as an assistant in the NBA, with Dallas and Vancouver/Memphis, and also has served as a scout and advisor for Milwaukee.

Roth played in 160 games in his three-year NBA career.

Dinos Waive Dwayne Jones

The Raps yesterday waived forward/centre Dwayne Jones, brought over along with Leandro Barbosa in the Hedo Turkoglu deal. Jones did not figure to dress for many contests - he'd be competing with Patrick O'Bryant for garbage time minutes at the centre spot.

By waiving Jones, the Raps have cut their roster down to 15 players, the most an NBA team can have during the season.

Raps Swap Belinelli for Wright

Yesterday the Raptors announced that they have acquired forward Julian Wright from the Hornets in exchange for Marco Belinelli. Nelly averaged just over 7 points per game last year, but his inconsistency and lack of ability to contribute beyond scoring severely limited his minutes off the bench.

In Wright, the Raps get a still-young player with great "tools." He's athletic, big for his position (6-8) and is a serviceable defender. He's a pretty efficient wing scorer, shooting 50% from the floor, but because of his non-existent playing time (only 12 MPG) his per-game numbers tell us practically nothing (4 points, 2 rebounds per game). One thing we do know is that he has no range on his jumper: he only attempted 6 threes all season (making two). That said, in a fast-paced offense, Wright could be a solid contributor on both ends of the court. From a contract standpoint, Wright is entering the last year of his rookie contract, so the Raptors don't lose any financial flexibility from this deal.

Italian Raps Light Up Eurobasket Qualifying

Marco Belinelli and Dr. Drea both had big games yesterday in the Eurobasket qualifiers, as Italy beat Finland (stop laughing) 82-73. Bargs and Nelly both started, and each contributed in a big way to their team's success.
Bargnani is clearly comfortable as the focal point of Italy's offense, playing 30 minutes and contributing a team-high 24 points in very efficient manner (9/17 FG, 2/4 3PT, 4/5 FT). He contributed a team-high 5 rebounds as well (not even 60 total rebounds in the game) and a game-high 3 blocks. Hopefully Eurobasket will give Andrea some solid experience as an offense's number-1 scoring option.
Belinelli is also a key component of Italy's offense, and he did not disappoint, playing 35 minutes and showing a very nice all-around game: 15 points (5/9 FG, 3/6 3PT, 2/2 FT), game-high 5 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals. Hopefully he can continue to be a factor beyond just scoring, and if he can he'll be a great weapon off the Raptor bench.

Turkoglu Scolds Toronto After BC's Bosh Criticism

Just days after Bryan Colangelo criticized Chris Bosh by saying that he didn't give 100 percent towards the end of the season, everyone's new favourite ex-Raptor, Hedo Turkoglu, decided to get involved. Turk pointed fingers at the entire franchise, saying "People have to realize something is wrong with that organization and nobody wants to go there anymore, it's not just the players who see this”. Has Toronto gained a negative perception in the basketball world from poor management and inability to progress as a team?

Raptor management is great at running the team as a business. Each year they bring in more revenue than the last despite years and years of unsuccessful on-court play. Last season the Raptors finished 11-worst in the association, but despite their poor record they were valued as the 11th most valuable franchise in the NBA at $386 million USD. However, and unfortunately, where Raptor management fails is in the team's performance. Like it or not, Toronto has always had a negative aura cast upon us in the basketball world. Every superstar we've had, from Damon to T-Mac to Vince to Chris, has asked out of Toronto. Its not because its too cold north of the border or that the fans are non-existent. Its the management. Hedo said what none of us wanted to.

BC left the Suns in 2006 to join the Raptors. He brought the confidence and winning background that Toronto needed ever so badly. But since then we've seen a GM that throws around money as if his supply were endless and reward players with large contracts who seemed undeserving of them. Colangelo didn't change his theory from Phoenix to Toronto, it just didn't work well here. Today BC's practice has caught up to him, trying to deal Jose Calderon with a bloated 3 year, 30 million dollar price tag and Marcus Banks, who has not seen significant floor time since landing in Toronto in February 2009.

Looking at the history of the Raptors, we see a team that has barely accomplished mediocrity. Every GM to walk through Toronto's doors has failed to put the pieces together around the superstar. Even the two time Executive of the Year hasn't led us any closer to a championship than the criticized Glen Grunwald and Rob Babcock.

So, Raptor fans, is there anything positive to take away from this? Well firstly, Canada's team is getting younger and younger each day, and that generally breeds more exciting basketball. DeMar DeRozan raised some eyebrows in Vegas by showing off his aggressiveness and his new three point shot. Toronto has also now become Andrea nation, will he become Dirk 2.0? And hey, even if there isn't much to look forward to, a lockout in 2011 is looking inevitable. That could be valuable time for the Raptors to sort out and give the Raptors a new image.

Raps Trade for Andersen

On Wednesday night BC traded a protected second round pick in the 2015 draft to the Houston Rockets for Aussie centre David Andersen. "The Other Australian Centre" averaged close to 6 points and 3 boards in 63 games for the Rockets. Andersen is known for his offensive talent, as the 30 year old can stretch the floor and create his own shot in the post. He also follows the Raptor tradition of Centres who cannot rebound or play defense. Dave is currently in the second year of his 3 year, 7.5 million dollar contract, with the third year being a team option, so the Raptors are tied to him only for this year.

Andersen can be an effective signing for the Dinos. He brings a winning mentality to a team with a longstanding history of mediocrity. The 6'11 Aussie also brings a little competition to the table for Raptor rookie Solomon Alabi. It will be interesting to see if Andersen can impress Jay Triano enough to crack the rotation, but for now expect him to see injury minutes.

Year One A.B.: Kleiza Signing Officially Announced

It's been public knowledge for a while now, but all necessary paperwork has been cleared by the NBA and the Raps have announced their signing of 26-year-old Linas Kleiza to a multi-year deal. Raptor team policy dictates that financial details were not disclosed, but it's believed to be a 4-year deal worth about $20 million, or a large chunk of the Raps' mid-level exception.

Kleiza is an interesting signing. He spent 4 seasons with the Nuggets and was a pretty effective role player, backing up Carmelo Anthony. He's a totally different look from Melo - much more of a below-the-basket player and not necessarily in a bad way. Ignoring his rookie season, he put up very solid numbers: from 2006-09, in about 20 minutes per game he averaged around 9.5 points and 4 rebounds, shooting 45% from the field, 34% from three and 77% from the line, meaning his per-40 numbers are impressive: 19 points and 8 rebounds (though extrapolating stats is dangerous in his case, as he mostly played against backups and was never the offense's focal point).

After dominating the Euroleague to the tune of 19.7 points (2nd in the league) and 7 rebounds per game, he returns to the NBA. He figures to start at the 3-spot and will provide a very different look to Sonny Weems just like in Denver. He's not going to score 25 points every night or tear down the rim with rim-rattling dunks, but he's a very solid player to have around. It's very possible that we'll see Kleiza outperform his contract, especially heading into his prime 27-30 years.

Year One A.B.: The Point Guard Crop

The Raps come into this season with a plethora of viable options at the point guard position. They're still looking for a point guard to build a team around, but Jarrett Jack proved himself to be well worth his maligned contract - and Jose Calderon is still paid like a franchise PG.

Jarrett Jack - one half of the "Jackeron" point guard duo. He was signed by Bryan Colangelo in another attempt to keep Bosh around (the two are good friends and played together at Georgia Tech), and many critics felt he overpaid greatly, signing him to a 4-year, $20 million deal. However, Jack played his way into the starter's role. He averaged about 11 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds while keeping his turnovers to 2 per game - all in 27 minutes a game, with great percentages too - 48% FG, 41% 3PT, 84% FT. His per-40 minute numbers translate very impressively - about 17 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 turnovers, which are pretty much excellent. His defense is also generally well-regarded. If Jose wasn't being paid so much (and wasn't being as efficient as he is) he'd make a solid full-time starter.

Jose Calderon - the other half. He signed an extension in 2008 worth about $8 million a year, and had a very good 08-09, even setting the single-season record for free-throw percentage. With Jack's effectiveness, though, his minutes took a big hit and he returned to roughly his career averages: 10 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds and 1.5 turnovers per game, in about 27 minutes. He shot 48%/38%/78%, and the free throw percentage is sure to rise (his career average is 88%). It seemed that Colangelo was sending him out of town in a three-way deal that would have brought Boris Diaw and Tyson Chandler to Toronto, but the deal fell through. Contrary to Jack, Calderon is a poor defender and is somewhat of a liability on that end of the court.

Marcus Banks - the third-string. Banks was brought over in the Jermaine O'Neal trade as a salary dump for the Heat. He's been generally nailed to the bench during his stay in Toronto but has actually been reasonably effective in very limited minutes. He averaged 5 points and just over an assist per game in about 11 minutes per appearance, but he shot a very good 53% from the field, 83% from the line and in 10 December appearances (all over 10 minutes) he turned the ball over just 6 times total. He showed that he can be a reasonably capable backup guard in case of an injury, but that doesn't mean the Raps aren't waiting patiently for his contract to expire.

Leandro Barbosa - the newcomer. Barbosa, "The Brazilian Blur," arrived in Toronto from Phoenix in the Hedo Turkoglu trade. Besides Steve Nash, he was actually the only Sun left over from the "7 seconds or less" super-fast-paced offense of years past. He did not have a good season in 2009-10, battling injuries (he appeared in just 44 games and averaged only 18 minutes) and ineffectiveness. He saw his PPG drop by 5 points (14.2 to 9.5), APG drop by almost one (2.3 to 1.5), and his field goal and 3-pointer percentages drop by about 50 points each. Hopefully Barbosa has taken this summer to get healthy and if we're lucky, the combo guard can return to form in 2010-11. If he is back to full speed, Barbosa running the break with DeRozan or Weems, Johnson or Davis would all be very entertaining to watch.

What to expect this year - Jack will likely start at the beginning of the year. He earned the role last season, and Calderon was fairly effective playing against backups. As well, the two will likely play together for a few minutes during some games, especially if the Raptors need extra shooters on the floor. If Jack is ineffective or injured, expect to see Calderon step in as the starter and Banks to play backup minutes, and Barbosa to take over if the Raptors elect to put on a more fast break-oriented lineup. Leandro's likely to get the majority of his playing time at shooting guard, however.

Year One A.B.: The 2010 Draft

The 2010 Draft was a tough one for the Raptors. They finished one game out of the playoffs behind the Bulls, and had the 13th best shot at the first overall pick. It was also pretty clear by that point in the offseason that the Raps were going to have to rebuild after the departure of Chris Bosh - and 13th overall picks don't tend to become franchise players (besides Kobe Bryant).

The Raps' greatest needs going into the draft:
- A defense-first, rebounding big man to back up Amir Johnson and Andrea Bargnani.
- A scoring wingman with the ability to spot-up from deep.

The draft's first several picks unfolded as expected, with John Wall and Evan Turner going 1-2, and Derrick Favors, Wesley Johnson and DeMarcus Cousins right behind them. However, Ed Davis' wrist injury in February of 2010 caused him to fall out of the top-10, and the Dinos gladly grabbed him with their only pick, fulfilling their first need. In his sophomore year at North Carolina Davis averaged 9.6 rebounds and almost 3 blocks to go along with 13 points per game. Davis' game is eerily similar to that of a young Chris Bosh - both long, athletic lefties with tremendous potential. Davis' athleticism and skills are not on par with Bosh's, but his defensive abilities (especially shot-blocking) are superior at this point in his career, and even a poor man's CB4 is a valuable piece to any team. An excellent value pick for the Raptors, who are gambling that Davis' wrist will not impede him from succeeding in the NBA. There is a mantra regarding the NBA Summer League that says, "you don't find out who can play. You only find out who can't." That said, Ed gave us no reason to doubt him by averaging 13 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks while shooting an excellent 63% from the field in 25 minutes per game.

With the 50th pick, the Dallas Mavericks selected Florida State sophomore Solomon Alabi, a 7-1 centre with impressive touch for his size. He was traded on draft night to the Raptors for cash. Alabi averaged 12 points, 6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 25 minutes per game with the Seminoles. However, what may be most intriguing about him is his solid shooting ability - he shot 54% from the field and almost 80% from the free throw line in his final year of college. Alabi's athleticism and agility are not at an elite level, but if he can continue to hone his defensive skills and perfect a few post moves, he could be a very solid backup big man. Alabi posted a line of 8 points, 5 rebounds and 1 block in about 18 minutes per game in Vegas.

Wiretap: Toronto Out of the Mix for Barnes

Well Raptor fans, it seemed a little too good to be true, and in fact it was. Yahoo Sports is reporting that the Lakers are now the front runner for a one year deal with Barnes. The Cavaliers, however, are still heavily pursuing Barnes.

Year One A.B.: The Hedo Trade

Earlier this summer, Hedo Turkoglu appeared on a Turkish TV network and proceeded to lambast the Raptors organization as well as its fans. He accused the Raps of not "utilizing [his] skills properly" among other accusations. This was when the Turkoglu signing hit rock-bottom, but it was remarkable because the hopes surrounding it were sky-high.

Hedo put together a monster postseason in 2008-2009, hitting numerous clutch shots and playing excellent all-around ball for the Magic in helping them reach the NBA Finals. He was set to sign with Portland for a 5-year deal worth about $50 million. He reneged on that contract and decided to sign with the Raptors for about $53 million. As a result, Turkoglu was heralded (not to mention paid) as the "last piece" that would lift the Raps to the upper half of the Eastern Conference. His outside-in game and playmaking ability would contrast perfectly with Bosh's inside-out game and Bargnani's versatile scoring prowess. Critics noted the length of time - he was already on the wrong side of 30 and would be nearing the end of his career by the end of the contract. They also pointed out that Turk is basically a super-role player: good at everything, but with no one skill that makes him invaluable. He's a good shooter, but not a great one. He's big, but doesn't have great defensive skills or the ability to post up. He can make plays, but without the ability to penetrate at will, he's not a prototypical point forward. It was obvious that Bryan Colangelo was making an calculated - let's not say "desperate" - move to try to keep Chris Bosh in town.

The 2009-10 season launched with much fanfare... and we all know how it ended up. But the Turkoglu situation was in slow-burn mode the whole season. While his peripheral numbers were decent: 4.6 RPG, 4.1 APG, his scoring dropped by almost six PPG (following a 2 point drop from the season prior). He also shot just 41% from the field.

The Turkish TV comments were the last straw, and BC finally found a suitor to take Hedo off his hands. He swapped Hedo for Phoenix's Leandro Barbosa, a super-speedy Brazilian guard with the ability to score and run the break. "The Brazilian Blur" signed a five-year contract for $34 million in 2006 which means his contract expires at the end of 2011. This is a fantastic move for the rebuilding Raps, who save over $30 million from this deal alone. He'll be an interesting fit with the athletic young Dinos: Amir Johnson, Sonny Weems, DeMar DeRozan and Ed Davis, who'll all be able to run the break with him.

In addition to this deal, BC had a deal lined up to ship Jose Calderon and another piece (probably Reggie Evans) to Charlotte in a three-way deal that would bring Tyson Chandler and Boris Diaw to Toronto, saving the Raps even more money off Jose's deal. Michael Jordan got cold feet, however, and shipped Chandler to Dallas instead. Hopefully Colangelo has some other money-saving or pick-stockpiling moves up his sleeve.

Year One A.B: Big Shoes to Fill

Photo Credit:

http://ballersfb.nike.com/basketball_content/nba/players/profile/amir_johnson.jpg

Chris Bosh's departure from the Raptors takes away 24 points and 11 boards per game from the Dinos. For now, the burden of filling the Bosh void falls upon Amir Johnson and rookie Ed Davis. Ideally, Andrea Bargnani and other Raptor role players will be able to pick up their scoring and rebounding to help fill the void. However, for the Raptors to have be a successful team, the power forward position must still contribute significantly. Are Johnson and Davis able to contribute enough for the Raptors to be successful?

As it stands, Amir Johnson is probably best known as the last player ever to be drafted straight out of high school. At the beginning of the summer the Raptors locked up the 23 year old for 5 more years with a 34 million dollar contract. I am a big fan of Amir Johnson. I love that at 23 years old he already has 6 years of NBA play under his belt, and I believe that NBA experience is a value that cannot be taught. Amir is also a versatile player; he played all 82 for the Raps last season, averaging 6 ppg and 5 rpg in about 18 minutes per game. If you extend his numbers out to starter minutes (36 mpg), Johnson would average just under 13 ppg and just under 10 rpg, which many would say would be perfectly adequate numbers for a starting four.

Amir's progression throughout the '09-'10 season was on display. We saw him grow more comfortable in a Raptor uniform. He brought energy and crashed the boards off the bench, sparking the team for a run more than often. Amir is excellent off the pick and roll, and even towards the end of last season he was starting to get his number called on plays. He has always been an efficient scorer with a career field goal percentage of 60%.

Amir's offense is still quite raw however. He lacks great post moves and hesitates to take an open foul line jumper. But the bottom line is: with 6 years of experience under his belt and at just 23 years of age, Amir has plenty of time to refine his game.

Photo Credit:

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/cm4lSMmEbMR/North+Carolina+Asheville+v+North+Carolina/huKOHxBb4N7/Quinard+Jackson

With the 13th pick in the 2010 NBA draft, the Toronto Raptors selected a 6'10 left-handed power forward. No, it was not Chris Bosh's clone, it was Ed Davis. I find Ed to be a very intriguing prospect. In his freshman year, Ed averaged about 7 ppg and 7 rpg with the North Carolina Tar-Heels en route to being named to the ACC all-freshman team. In Summer 2009, Davis was slotted to be a top-5 pick in the draft should he have chosen to enter it. Davis decided to go back to school, however in February he suffered a broken wrist which ended his season.

In his years with North Carolina, Davis showed that he has an excellent touch around the basket and is not afraid to grab a rebound or two. He even led the Tar-Heels with 65 blocks (1.7 per game) in his freshman year. In Summer League play, Ed looked right at home. He shot an impressive 63% from the field and averaged 12.6 ppg and 6 rpg for the undefeated Raptors.

I like Ed Davis a lot and I think that we stole him with the 13th pick. I also like that he will not have the pressure of starting in his rookie year. He can learn from Amir, and feel comfortable hanging with the Young Gunz (Sonny, DMDR, Amir). He does, however, need to work on extending his range and hit the weight room a little bit. In his draft interview, Ed said that his favorite player was Chris Bosh. That's a start...

Year One A.B: A New Franchise Player

Photo Credit: http://static.sky.it/static/images/sezioni/sport/Nba/bargnani_toronto_raptors_nba.jpg

Hate it or love it Raptor fans, we have just entered the age of Andrea. The success of the 2010-2011 season (and very well of future seasons as well) now lies on the shoulders of Andrea Bargnani. The first overall pick in 2007 had underwhelming rookie and sophomore seasons in the NBA, however in '09 and '10 Andrea really came into his own. The Raptors have seen Andrea gain confidence, weight, and a better grasp for NBA style basketball, providing the Raptors with a solid second option to the now departed Chris Bosh. Now it is Andrea's team to lead. How will he fare as the primary scoring option for the 2010-2011 Raptors?

Coming into the Association as a rookie, Andrea had a solid face-up game and a three-point shot that could scare any defender. The obvious comparison between Bargnani and Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki were made. I will take this comparison a little further because, best case scenario, we hope that Bargnani will do everything Dirk does and more.

Dirk became the franchise player of the Mavs in 2004 when his good friend Steve Nash left Dallas to play in cactus country. As a 26 year old, Dirk rose to the challenge and saw a per game point increase of 5 in his first season without Stevey (from 21 ppg to 26 ppg). He disproved many of his critics who said he could not play with another star. Since '04, Dirk has recorded career numbers in almost every category. His name is now synonymous with the Dallas organization.

Now let's look at our 7'0, 250 lb international forward. Playing second fiddle to CB4, Andrea's best season was his '09-'10 campaign, as he posted 17 ppg and 6 ppg, while shooting a career best 47%. The 25 year old Italian is about to become the focal point of the Raptor offense. I am hopeful because every season has seen Andrea's numbers increase, and there is no reason to suggest that he will slow down this season. His post game has improved significantly to the point where he can now be considered an "inside-outside" player. To keep his success going this season as the primary option, Andrea needs to not be flustered when he is counted on to put up 20 shot attempts per game this season. Furthermore, he needs to not force shots and not be afraid to kick the ball out for a re-post. Perhaps foul trouble, Andrea's old foe, is now his biggest threat. However, there is reason for hope even on this front. While Drea's foul numbers did increase with increased playing time (24 mpg to 32) in his third season (from about 2.7 fpg to 3.2), in his fourth season he showed a much improved ability to avoid fouls. His playing time increased to about 35 mpg but his fouls decreased to his early numbers - back to 2.7 fpg. For comparison's sake, Dirk averaged about 2.6 fpg in 2009-10, and Carlos Boozer averaged 3.2 in the same season. All this improvement came despite a sizable improvement in Andrea's intimidation on defense. In his second season, his blocks per game were an unimpressive .5 bpg. However, as with all his stats, he made a large stride in his third season, bringing his blocks up to 1.2 per game, and another improvement in his fourth to 1.4.

These all signify good things to come. This season could very easily be a beautiful thing for Andrea, we could see the birth of a new superstar. However, he needs to keep in mind that he needs to play within his own game and play with his teammates. Otherwise we could see a struggling Italian jump shooter for the first part of the season.

Raps (Were?) to Sign Matt Barnes

Matt Barnes has reported on his Twitter feed that he'd "be playing for the Toronto Raptors" next season. However, according to ESPN, the trade may have fallen through due to Orlando's lack of tradeable assets. Since the Raptors used most of their mid-level exception on Linas Kleiza, the deal would have to be a sign-and-trade, meaning the Raps would have to give up something in return. The deal-breaker may be somewhat of a blessing: while Barnes is a solid player at both ends of the court, the Raps' main concern should be saving money and stockpiling young talent - taking risks if need be. On the other hand, it's entirely possible that Barnes' trade value would appreciate over the course of the season - he'd get more minutes in Toronto than in Orlando - meaning he could be swapped for picks or young players. No matter what happens, PH will keep you up-to-date on the Raptors' wheelings and dealings.

Stay tuned for our continued recap and forecast of Year One A.B.

A Personal View: Chris Bosh's Career

Chris Bosh was my first "favourite player" in the NBA. He was drafted by the Raptors the same season I began playing basketball with any real purpose when I - nothing short of miraculously - made my middle school's team in grade 8, and realized I knew absolutely nothing about the game of basketball. My "homework" was to watch Chris Bosh - another lanky, raw rookie. People always said he "played the game the right way" - he hustled, never backed down from a challenge, and muscled (mostly bone, in his case) up against much bigger players. He played a significant portion of his rookie reason with two knee braces, and managed to appear in over 70 games. I guess you could say he was my favourite player only by default, but of course I had no knowledge of any other players beyond Vince Carter in Toronto.

He worked hard on his game - he came back the next year with a much-improved game in all aspects - after Carter's departure, he posted elite NBA forward numbers: 19 points, 10 rebounds per game. I took a page from his playbook and worked on my game whenever possible, taking the opportunity to play for the "Grade 9 Team:" a barely-existent team with a coach who only showed up half the time, and a season that lasted three whole games. But continuing to follow in his footsteps, I stepped on the court the next season for tryouts, confident in my chances of making the team: even more so when it was announced that in order to give enough playing time to all the interested players, there would be an "A" team and a "B" team - though the B starters would be better than the A benchwarmers (so they said, anyway). I made the B team and started every game, as Bosh made his first All-Star game, my team made its way to the division finals (getting smoked, but that's beside the point). The next year Chris made the All-NBA Second Team, I made the Varsity team, eventually winning Most Improved Player. And then, just as Chris did, I became jaded. I played my ass off for sure, as he did, but basketball was just something to do - not the only thing to do.

So maybe I can see where Chris is coming from. He paid his dues here for years. Perhaps he just wants to play with "his friends," to inject passion back into his game.

Or maybe I just fell in love with basketball independent of Chris Bosh. Either way, I know I won't be booing you when you come back to the ACC.

Year One A.B.: Chris Bosh's Departure

Christopher Wesson Bosh, drafted 4th overall in the 2003 NBA Draft, was supposed to be the big-man complement to Vincent Lamar Carter's outside scoring. The two would compile All-Star games together and form a fearsome two-man scoring tandem - both potent, do-it-all offensive players with a devastating arsenal of moves. As we all know, Vince decided Toronto wasn't for him and didn't deserve his effort, forcing a horribly lopsided trade to the New Jersey Nets, crippling the Raptors' hopes for a few seasons.

Along came Bryan Colangelo, and BC and CB, now a perennial All-Star, appeared to have the Raptors on the right track. BC drafted another versatile big man with seemingly unlimited potential first overall in Andrea Bargnani, and in his rookie season the Raps captured their first-ever Atlantic division crown. Unfortunately, that would be the peak of that Raptors team's success. Bosh continued to play at a very high level, even making the All-NBA Second Team in one season, but it became clearer and clearer that CB4 was not the "franchise player" the Raptors had hoped. Criticisms of mediocre defense, poor clutch performance and his good-not-great rebounding numbers abounded. The Raptors needed to pair him with another elite player to have any hope of competing in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference. After failed pairings with mostly-washed-up versions of Jermaine O'Neal and Shawn Marion, the Raptors found themselves in the last year of Chris' contract extension, and he was not prepared to sign a contract extension in the summer of 2009.

Fast forward to April 2010. The Raptors, even with highly-touted (and equally maligned) signing of Hedo Turkoglu, floundered partly due to injuries and mostly due to general ineffectiveness from several key players, despite significant strides made by Andrea Bargnani and Bosh's fifth straight All-Star appearance. It became more and more obvious that the era of Chris Bosh as the face of the Raptors was coming to a close. Bosh announced on July 9 that he would be joining Dwyane Wade in Miami, and soon afterward, Bryan Colangelo announced that the team had completed a sign-and-trade, sending Chris Bosh to the Heat for two first-round draft picks: Toronto's own first-rounder in 2011 which had been traded as part of the Jermaine O'Neal deal, and Miami's first-rounder as well, to go along with a valuable $14 million traded player exception. And the Chris Bosh Era officially came to a close, perhaps the way Chris would have wanted it to: loyally and paying dues to the team that essentially gave him control of the franchise for these long years.

And now we rebuild.

Year One A.B: DeMar DeRozan

After losing their all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, double-doubles, and minutes played, the Raptors are facing their toughest year yet.

Of all Raptors, DeMar DeRozan is going to have to define himself the most. The Raps are now in search of another scorer to compliment Andrea Bargnani and Jarrett Jack, and this could be a prime opportunity for the young DeRozan to find his offensive game. Last year in his rookie campaign, DeMar averaged a modest 9 points and 3 boards per game while shooting right around 50%.

This summer for DeMar has not been an off-season; he's been in the gym every day lifting, shooting and scrimmaging, trying to become a complete player. As DMDR told RealGM, "I want to improve and it's better than sitting at home... I get to be in the gym and get out there and play against other guys". This determination, it seems, has translated onto the court thus far. DMDR simply tore up the Vegas Summer League, averaging around 21 PPG (third most in Vegas) and 5 RPG. Even more impressive are DeMar's percentages, shooting 58% from the field and 40% from three. DeMar was named to the all-tournament team in Las Vegas alongside names like John Wall, JJ Hickson, and Ty Lawson.

It is important, regrettably, to take these numbers with a grain of salt. After all, the Summer League is hardly an indicator of NBA success. But what we can see when watching DMDR is his progression. Firstly, DeMar has put on about 10 pounds of muscle since last season, allowing him to control himself more in the lane and be a stronger battler for defensive position and rebounds. Furthermore, we are seeing a more confident player. DMDR averaged 13 shot attempts per game in the Summer League and showed that he is not afraid to take a clutch shot and be selfish. It is also a great thing to see that DeMar is adding a three point shot to his arsenal.

So, will DMDR be an All-Star next year? Eh, probably not, but all signs indicate that we will see a more aggressive, offensively complete player come October, who could be a viable second or third option for Year One A.B.

We're Back!

Hello Raptor fans!

After an extended hiatus, Prehistoric Hoops is back and ready to blog! Usually our hiatus would be due to us climbing Mt. Everest, or our site being sabotaged by Scott Lewis, however for the past six months, life just got in the way. But we're back and ready to bring you the most up to date, in depth Raptor and NBA information on the internet!

We are also very happy to announce that we now have our own website! You can now find us at www.prehistorichoops.com

(Note that the old address - www.prehistorichoops.blogspot.com - still works, it just redirects you to the new site.)

Check back later for our grand re-opening post!