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.

Quincy Douby Released

A personal favourite of mine, Quincy Douby, was released today by the Raptors. The 6-3 guard hadn't appeared in any regular season games but averaged three points and almost two assists in 6 preseason games. For his career, he has averaged 4.1 points, 1.1 rebounds and 10.7 minutes in 143 games. With Marcus Banks (and his mammoth contract) and Antoine Wright on board, Douby's skills were somewhat redundant. The move leaves the Raptors with 14 players under contract and has sparked speculation the Dinos will make an attempt to sign the recently released Larry Johnson, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Banks For Carroll: Editors' First Impressions

Quick note: this trade is all but finalized, this is just In BC We Trust and me discussing and bantering about the potential trade.

In BC We Trust says: (1:07:43 AM)
i'm not crazy

In BC We Trust says: (1:07:53 AM)
about it

I Swear I'm A D-League All Star says: (1:08:19 AM)
why, contract wise?

In BC We Trust says: (1:08:40 AM)
yeah

In BC We Trust says: (1:08:47 AM)
he's not gonna be a rotation player

In BC We Trust says: (1:08:54 AM)
and 2 more (3?)

In BC We Trust says: (1:08:55 AM)
years

In BC We Trust says: (1:08:57 AM)
that's a lot

I Swear I'm A D-League All Star says: (1:10:58 AM)
yes but you are forgetting that bc can recite the cba better than the alphabet at this point

I Swear I'm A D-League All Star says: (1:11:08 AM)
im sure theres some sort of loophole he can tuck carroll into

In BC We Trust says: (1:11:14 AM)
hahaha

I Swear I'm A D-League All Star says: (1:12:25 AM)
and furthermore, carroll can be used as trade bait the same way kyle korver was

In BC We Trust says: (1:12:46 AM)
kyle korver > matt carroll

I Swear I'm A D-League All Star says: (1:12:50 AM)
some gms just have hard-ons for tall young white 3 point shooters with good form

I Swear I'm A D-League All Star says: (1:13:31 AM)
im not gonna debate the matt is better than kyle

I Swear I'm A D-League All Star says: (1:13:43 AM)
matt was a charlotte draft pick = doomed to fail

In BC We Trust says: (1:14:58 AM)
he's a decent player

In BC We Trust says: (1:15:05 AM)
nbdl poty!!!!

BC Not Done Tweaking?

Just one day after pulling the trigger on a 4 player trade, The Architect is back at it trying to grab Matt Carroll in return for Toronto's favourite ghost-player, Marcus Banks, the Toronto Star reports.

Carroll, a 6'6 wing player, is best known for his touch from long range, a career 40 per cent shooter from three-point range. He has 4 years left on his contract, making roughly 4 - 4.5 million per season until the end of the 2012 - 13 season. He most likely will not see much floor time if he joins the Raps, but would fill a role if a player were to get injured.

Raptors' (Totally Accurate) Season in Review

The Raptors this year experienced a very successful season after swinging a big deal in the offseason to send malcontent T.J. Ford and Rasho Nesterovic to Indiana. While Jermaine O'Neal exceeded expectations handily, averaging 18 points, 9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, 2008-09 Executive of the Year favourite Bryan Colangelo swung a deal to send O'Neal and Jamario Moon to Miami for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks - both of whom experienced complete rennaissances in their own rights in Toronto. Marion put up a fantastic stat line rounding out the frontcourt with franchise player Chris Bosh and first-time All-Star Andrea Bargnani, and Marcus Banks assumed the backup shooting guard position behind First All-Defensive Team member Anthony Parker. Jose Calderon also qualified for his first career All-Star appearance (he insisted that he did not want other guards to feel left out, and refused to play), posting an average of 19 points and 10 assists per game. After the trade, the Raptors played extremely well as a team and, while they were unable to catch powerhouses Orlando, Boston and Cleveland, qualified for home-court advantage in the first round, losing to NBA champion favourite Philadelphia 76ers, led by Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala and above-average point guard Andre Miller. The 76ers battled injuries all season, when all three members of their core played, they went an astounding 23-1, led by all-around good guy Brand's monstrous 29 and 14 per game.

As well, the Raptors' future looks extremely bright, especially since CB4 has verbally committed to staying in Toronto for his entire career. Expect many accolades to come the Raptors' way this summer.