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A new season kicks off with a highly revamped roster and high expectations.
The first Preseason game of the year is being held in 2 days on Tuesday, Oct 6 in London Ontario against the Sixers.
Let's kick it off with a team overview from Raptors.com
PG
With training camp opening today in Ottawa, the time is ripe for a more thorough look at the Raptors. Over the week, we will deliver an analysis by position.
Today, point guard.
One year later, Raptors General Manager Bryan Colangelo won't be fooled again.
Last season, when Jose Calderon's right hamstring injury forced him out of the lineup, the team's lack of depth at the point proved devastating.
The Raptors were left with a green Roko Ukic and journeymen Will Solomon and went 5-10 without Calderon. Even when he returned, Calderon struggled mightily on the defensive end as opposing point guards routinely steamed by him into the heart of the Raptors defence.
By the time Calderon truly returned found his health, the season was too far gone. But rather than coast, Calderon delivered. His 19-assist, 22-point performance in an overtime win against the Chicago Bulls in late March was a staggering statistical feat.
This time, the Raptors have a more than feasible back-up in Jarrett Jack, signed away from the Indiana Pacers by Colangelo.
Calderon is typically optimistic when he assesses this year's team.
"We have everything we needed. We have 15 guys who can really help the team. I am really excited about it."
Here's a breakdown:
Jose Calderon
2008-09 Statistics: 12.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 8.9 apg, 1.1 spg, 34.3 mpg, 0.497 FG%, 0.406 3p%, 0.981 FT% in 68 Games Played (68 starts)
Age: 28
Strengths: When healthy, Calderon is one of the headiest and steadiest point guards in the NBA. He worked assiduously to refine his jump shot but his three-point percentage dipped last season to .406 from .429. He is nearly .900 from the line. He protects the ball and was victimized for a miserly 2.1 turnovers a game.
The arrival of Hedo Turkoglu will alter Calderon's game. Turkoglu sometimes brings the ball upcourt and when stationed in the offensive zone he becomes a de facto second point guard.
All this figures to be for the good. Restored to health, Calderon can go back to turning the corner and distributing the ball.
Fatigued by international commitments going into last season, Calderon returned to Spain this summer to heal and fine tune his body.
Weaknesses: Never a great defensive player, Calderon can be posted up by bigger, more physical guards.
Jarrett Jack
2008-09 Statistics: 13.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.1 spg, 33.1 mpg, 0.453 FG%, 0.353 3p%, 0.852 FT% in 82 Games Played (53 starts)
Age: 26
Strengths: At six-three and well over 200 pounds, Jack has the ball-handling skills to play the point but enough size and shooting touch to play two guard. He is a good rebounder, notice his 3.4 boards a game (compared to Calderon's 2.85). Did a fine job spelling T.J. Ford as the starting point guard for the Pacers' final dozen games after a five-game losing skid. Pacers went 8-4 with him as the starting floor general the rest of the way.
Should Calderon be hurt, Jack is able to stand in indefinitely. In games where he played 40 minutes or more, Jack averaged 18 points. He can be a physical, hard-nosed defender.
Weaknesses: Not the fastest man on the court or the best shooter, Jack's value is in his versatility. He does everything well but not superbly. That makes him an excellent bench player and spot starter.
Marcus Banks
2008-09 Statistics: 2.5 ppg, 0.80 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.5 spg, 9.4 mpg, 0.368 FG%, 0.158 3p%, 0.611 FT% in 22 Games Played
Age: 28
Strengths: Who knows? Banks played just six games for the Raptors and twice was out of the lineup via coach's decision. Toe surgery meant he missed the last dozen games. When he was in the lineup, he did not play much. He was on the court for six minutes all season. Still, when given a chance Banks has produced. He managed 10 points and 3.8 assists while splitting times between Minnesota and Boston in 2005-2006.
Weaknesses: There has been criticism of poor court vision and lackadaisical defence.
A remnant of the trade for Shawn Marion, Banks will be on hand to soak up any leftover minutes.
Quincy Douby
2008-09 Statistics: 4.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.2 spg, 11.1 mpg, 0.382 FG%, 0.304 3p%, 0.895 FT% in 27 Games Played
Age: 25
Strengths: Like Banks, Douby doesn't have much of a body of work. He lives and dies on his shot and when he is on, he can get on a roll. He shot the ball 22 times in netting 32 for Sacramento against the Lakers in 2008. Douby can play either one of the two guard positions.
Weaknesses: The numbers tell the story. Douby did not play in five of the 12 games for which he was eligible. His 4.4 points a game did nothing to earn him more playing time and while he bills himself as a combo guard, he is more suited to the two-guard spot.
At roughly 175 pounds, it remains to be seen if Douby could handle a heavy workload guarding two's and some of the league's bigger point guards.
SG
In our continuing look at the Raptors, we look at the club's shooting guards.
The Raptors' prospects at shooting guard are both simple and complex. While a trio of combo guards, Jarrett Jack, Quincy Douby and Marcus Banks can play both guard spots, the two guard is most likely to be manned by either rookie DeMar DeRozan or third year NBAer Marco Belinelli, with Sonny Weems likely waiting for an opportunity lower in the rotation.
Here's a look at those three players
DeMar DeRozan
2008-09 Statistics (as a rookie at USC): 13.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.9 spg, 33.4 mpg, 0.523 FG%, 0.167 3p%, 0.646 FT% in 35 Games Played
Age: 20
Strengths: DeMar DeRozan has not yet played a game for the Raptors but he already he stands out as the best athlete on the club. Gifted with the perfect frame for the swingman position, DeRozan is six-foot seven with staggering athletic potential.
Start with his natural gifts. DeRozan is agile and balanced in the air. That faculty has prompted comparisons between DeRozan and Vince Carter, a preposterous notion since Carter enjoyed two more years of college ball.
DeRozan is an exceptional leaper with enough reach and footspeed to make himself an excellent defender. He is fearless around the basket. He is fierce on the finish. DeRozan is a competent ballhandler who will only get better as he grows into his body and the league. He is considered very coachable. Born and raised in hard-scrabble Compton, Cal., he is mature far beyond his years.
Weaknesses: It's hard to view inexperience as a weakness. DeRozan hasn't had time to develop the finer points of his game. He never had to pass the ball in high school since the best route to the basket was for DeRozan to jump over everyone. DeRozan is working on his mid-range game. Developing a reliable jumper, as Carter did, would make DeRozan a double threat.
Marco Belinelli
2008-09 Statistics: 8.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 0.9 spg, 21.0 mpg, 0.442 FG%, 0.397 3p%, 0.769 FT% in 42 Games Played (23 starts)
Age: 23
Strengths: Marco Belinelli can light it up from anywhere. Obtained by the Golden State Warriors last summer, Belinelli found more playing time in his second year when he started 23 times.
He is a steak shooter who, when on, isn't deterred by hands in his face or distance from the basket.
Belinelli is very athletic and a good ballhandler quite able to manufacture his own shot. He had games of 27, 23, 22 and 21 points last season for the Warriors.
Weaknesses: Belinelli doesn't drive the paint the way he could. He doesn't get to the line often enough to significantly bolster his point totals. While he can play small forward in a pinch if the Raptors go small, Belinelli lacks the versatility of a true swingman.
Sonny Weems
2008-09 Statistics: 1.6 ppg, 0.3 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.1 spg, 4.6 mpg, 0.320 FG%, 0.000 3p%, 0.375 FT% in 12 Games Played
Age: 25
Strengths: Terrific athleticism. He can jump to the ceiling or burn opponents from the three point line.
Weaknesses: Hasn't yet grasped the game. Poor defensive player. Prone to turnovers. A project.
SF
This is the third in our continuing scouting report on the Raptors. Today, a look at the small forwards.
One of the Raptors greatest weaknesses last season was a lack of production from the three spot. Joey Graham, Jason Kapono and Anthony Parker all tackled the position. Parker was by far the best of the three but all three are gone in favor of a new crop of recruits. Chief among them is Hedo Turkoglu, the marquee free agent landed via a series of complicated sign-and-trade agreements.
Hedo Turkoglu
2008-09 Statistics: 16.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.9 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.4 bpg, 36.6 mpg, 0.413 FG%, 0.356 3p%, 0.807 FT% in 77 Games Played (77 Starts)
Age: 30
Strengths: Turkoglu is one of the unique talents in the NBA. He is a six-foot-10 forward who can bring the ball up the court and set up an offense singlehandedly. An intuitive passer, Turkoglu can run the screen and roll and team with Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani. Turkoglu's grasp of offence is so pronounced he is considered one of the rarest of NBA hybrids: the point forward. He averaged five assists a game last season. Never an overwhelming scorer, Turkoglu is strikingly consistent and wants the ball in pressure situations. Turkoglu's regular season average of 16.8 points per game dipped by only a point in the post-season as he helped lead the Orlando Magic to the NBA finals. For a player who isn't always within the shadow of the basket, Turkoglu gets to the free throw line. One quarter of his points last season were scored via the free-throw line.
Weaknesses: Word that Turkoglu was fatigued after a busy summer spent representing Turkey might be a concern to Raptor fans and management. Because of his style, Turkoglu has never been an above average rebounder. Entering his tenth NBA season, it remains to be seen how long Turkoglu can maintain his current elevated level of play.
Antoine Wright
2008-09 Statistics: 7.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.4 bpg, 23.9 mpg, 0.415 FG%, 0.302 3p%, 0.747 FT% in 65 Games Played (53 starts)
Age: 25
Strengths: The Raptors have three embryonic talents on the roster who could conceivably blossom into above average NBA players. They are DeMar DeRozan, Amir Johnson and Antoine Wright. Wright is a worker more than willing to tackle the jobs, defence and rebounding, eschewed by some. He is smart enough and quick enough to guard point guards, shooting guards or small forwards. Wright can be a dependable shooter. He is an ideal bench player because of his versatility, attitude and skill set.
Weaknesses: Despite filling it up for Texas A&M at the collegiate level, Wright hasn't put it together offensively in the NBA. He also averaged only 2.1 rebounds last season to go with 7.3 points, not enough for a player who started 53 games.
PF
We have been breaking down the Raptors, position by position.
Today, power forward.
Through an unprecedented flurry of deals, at least in the 15-year history of the Raptors, general manager Bryan Colangelo has managed do detract the focus from the future of all-star forward Chris Bosh.
The sign-and-trade that brought Hedo Turkoglu, the drafting of DeMar DeRozan and the acquisition of Marco Belinelli, Reggie Evans, Jarrett Jack, Amir Johnson and Antoine Wright should mean upgrades all over the lineup.
Thus the question of whether Bosh will opt out of his contract at season's end has been pushed nicely to the back burner… for now.
Colangelo has gambled that a satisfying season - he has tagged 50 wins as a target - will induce Bosh to stay. He likes the city and barring a sign and trade, the Raptors will remain the team that can pay him the most.
But a season as desultory as the 2008-2009 campaign could mean the end of his six-year stint in Toronto.
Chris Bosh
2008-09 Statistics: 22.7 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.9 spg, 1.0 bpg, 38.0 mpg, 0.487 FG%, 0.245 3p%, 0.817 FT% in 77 Games Played (77 starts)
Age: 25
Strengths: Bosh's biggest strength, right now, is his strength. Early in the summer, he watched a video of the United States' Olympic victory in men's basketball. He saw the hulking physique of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade's less showy but equally sincere commitment to fitness. That, Bosh, decided is what he wanted and what he got. Through punishing workouts Bosh has added 15 pounds. He is now better equipped to handle the heavyweights under the basket.
Bosh is deadly from the low post where he possesses the requisite big man moves. Considering he shoots so often from 16-feet away, Bosh's field goal percentage is in the top 10 percentile for the league.
Bosh runs the floor extremely well and is terrifically agile. He wants the ball at clutch moments. He is an excellent rebounder and the club's career leader in both offensive and defensive rebounding. There has never been the slightest whisper about his attitude or willingness to do whatever it takes to win.
He is a determined to break into the ranks of the top 10 players in the game. A knee sprain cost him five games but other than that, his attendance record was faultless. He did start this season with a tweaked hamstring but that was considered inconsequential.
For a big man Bosh is an excellent free throw shooter. He shot .817 from the line.
Weaknesses: Bosh needs to improve on his three-point shooting. He attempted only 49 three-pointers last season and hit just 24 per cent of his attempts. No wonder then that he attempted the shot so infrequently. It's a shame because with his ability to roar by big men and his height advantage over any guard, Bosh could shoot the shot at will or decoy the three-pointer to set up a drive to the basket.
While he is a good rebounder, Bosh is not a shot-blocking intimidator. Andrea Bargnani enjoyed a 97-77 advantage in blocked shots last season.
Reggie Evans
2008-09 Statistics: 3.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.1 bpg, 14.4 mpg, 0.444 FG%, 0.000 3p%, 0.594 FT% in 79 Games Played (7 starts)
Age: 29
Strengths: Rebounding. Pure and simple. Despite playing under the rim, Evans is a rebounding machine. Pro-rated to 40 minutes a game, Evans would have averaged 12.7 boards a game. He twice led the league in that category. Evans sets jaw-breaking picks. He views every rebound and loose ball as his personal property.
Weaknesses: Because of the vigor of his picks he incurs offensive fouls. He is an erratic shooter. Evans has always been a very poor free throw shooter. Last year's .594 clip was easily his best career mark.
Amir Johnson
2008-09 Statistics: 3.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.3 spg, 0.1 bpg, 14.7 mpg, 0.595 FG%, 0.000 3p%, 0.657 FT% in 62 Games Played (24 starts)
Age: 22
Strengths: Johnson has terrific athletic ability. Listed at six-foot-nine, he is closer to 6-feet-11 so he has the height necessary to play centre and the athletic ability to play power forward. Johnson is coachable and his emerging skills allowed him to start 24 games for the Pistons last season. He played 15 minutes a game for the Pistons but the most instructive time might have been in practice where he battled Rasheed Wallace day after day. He is an excellent shot blocker.
Weaknesses: Johnson is typical of so many players whose decision to bypass college for the NBA seems to have ******ed their development. He is extremely foul prone and that limits everything he does. His offensive repertoire is very limited.
C
We have been breaking down the Raptors by position all week.
Today, we focus on the centre position.
For a franchise that generated headlines all summer with trades and free agent signings, the Raptors slipped one under the radar.
The announcement that centre Andrea Bargnani had a new five-year-contract extension could not compare with the hoopla over the signing of Hedo Turkoglu. In the long run, however it may prove equally important.
In his third season, Bargnani jacked his points per game to 15.4 and pushed his rebounding and shooting percentage to new highs.
He played more frequently in the low post with his back to the basket.
In short, he moved closer to being the player the Raptors envisioned when they selected him first overall in 2006.
Bargnani will be backed up veteran Rasho Nesterovic and Patrick O'Bryant, entering his fourth NBA season.
Andrea Bargnani
2008-09 Statistics: 15.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.4 spg, 1.2 bpg, 31.4 mpg, 0.450 FG%, 0.409 3p%, 0.831 FT% in 78 Games Played (59 starts)
Age: 23
Strengths: Few seven-footers combine the foot speed and coordination possessed by Bargnani. He has a lightning release and is unconscionable from long distance. He shot .409 from the arc last season, the same as the Celtics' Ray Allen.
If he isn't afforded a proper cushion by a defender, Bargnani can put the ball on the floor in a heartbeat.
While he doesn't often get the chance, he is a solid passer.
Bargnani has become a competent shot blocker, his 97 blocks were easily the best on the Raptors.
He is accurate from the free throw line, where he hit 83 per cent of his attempts.
Bargnani is starting to show his experience. He is cutting down on his charging fouls and battling more effectively under the basket.
Weaknesses: Because he plays away from the basket on offence, Bargnani denies himself several easy tips and put-backs a game. After playing the high post for nearly his entire career, he still is not altogether comfortable with battling giants under the basket.
Rasho Nesterovic
2008-09 Statistics: 6.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.5 bpg, 17.3 mpg, 0.513 FG%, 0.000 3p%, 0.781 FT% in 70 Games Played (19 starts)
Age: 33
Strengths: Nesterovic is seven-feet tall and 255 pounds. He uses his size expertly to clog the lane and pull down rebounds. Most of his shots come from close in and because of that, his shooting percentage is 51 per cent. Now in his 10th year in the NBA, Nesterovic has a world of experience to draw on. He knows how to play and is a sensible voice in any dressing room.
Weaknesses: Nesterovic's playing time with Indiana may indicate a graying game. His 17 minutes per game were the lowest in eight years. He is neither athletic nor fleet of foot. He can't challenge a starter for minutes.
Patrick O'Bryant
2008-09 Statistics: 2.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.2 spg, 0.4 bpg, 6.0 mpg, 0.490 FG%, 0.000 3p%, 0.595 FT% in 79 Games Played (3 starts)
Age: 23
Strengths: Patrick O'Bryant is a project. Start with his frame. O'Bryant has the kind of body coveted by NBA scouts. He has an awesome wingspan and he needs only to jump half a foot to touch the rim. O'Bryant is a good shot blocker who nearly managed one block a game despite only playing an average of six minutes in the 13 games he appeared. O'Bryant is very athletic and that commodity, paired with his height, will always ensure interest from teams hoping he will break through on their watch.
Weaknesses: Patrick O'Bryant is a project. A late bloomer, O'Bryant opted to come out after two years at Bradley and has dealt with the ramifications of that decision ever since. The basic elements, footwork, shot selection, playing with his back to the basket, still elude O'Bryant. O'Bryant averaged an adequate 2.5 rebounds a game in just over 11 minutes of playing time a night.
