2010 Toronto Raptors Preview

After two straight postseason trips, the Toronto Raptors struggled to a disappointing 33-49 record in 2009. But the main storyline entering the 2010 campaign is whether All-Star forward Chris Bosh will re-sign with the team next summer. That’s when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. It would be a huge surprise if Bosh didn’t test the free agency waters, but in the meantime Bryan Colangelo hasn’t been idle when it comes to roster tweaking. When the Raptors hit the court this year the squad will feature a host of new parts that were acquired with the hopes of keeping Bosh happy and a Raptor for years to come.

Frontcourt

The Raptors feature an extremely talented and sizeable forward crew. 7’0 Andrea Bargnani, 6’10 Bosh and the newly acquired 6’10 Hedo Turkoglu will be the starters. Bargnani, the first overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, is listed at center but shot 290+ 3-pointers last season. Bargnani’s outside marksmanship, in my opinion, is a gift and a curse. Yes on one hand, he shot 41 percent from deep, but he also averaged only five rebounds. Don’t ever expect Bargnani to average double-digit boards, but seven would be respectable.

Turkoglu brings the ability to create his own shot, knack for clutch shooting and solid passing skills to the mix. The team signed him to a five-year $50 million deal. I truly believe they overpaid for the 30 year-old, but the Shawn Marion experiment didn’t work so Colangelo had to find someone that could give them 30 plus minutes night in and night out at small forward.

Bosh is the key. He has etched himself as a legitimate 20/10 guy even though he isn’t a brute in the post. The question hovering over Bosh isn’t whether or not he’s an elite player, it’s can he take a team deep into the playoffs as “the man?”

The rest of the frontcourt group isn’t going to garner many headlines. Amir Johnson comes with the overused “potential” label, but it’s time for him to step up to the plate – he’s entering his fifth season. Reggie Evans was acquired in the Jason Kapono deal and will add rebounding and defensive toughness to a finesse group - but he’s extremely limited offensively. Rasho Nesterovic rejoins the organization after a one-year stint in Indiana. The 33 year-old will give the team a steady 15-17 minutes. Antoine Wright will see time backing up Turkoglu or playing shooting guard, but he’s a poor shooter and more suited for a defensive specialist role.

Backcourt

The frontcourt has been receiving the attention, but the Raptors’ point guard depth moved up a couple notches this summer. First let’s start with Jose Calderon. The 28 year-old averaged 8.9 assists last year with a 4-to-1 assist / turnover ratio. That wasn’t a fluke, his A/TO actually performed better the previous year. He isn’t going to make any All-Defensive squads, but as a floor general you must give him credit.

The team signed Jarrett Jack to provide backup minutes for Calderon and possibly play some shooting guard in a pinch. Jack has proven that he can play when given the opportunity and he’s a better defensive presence than Calderon.

The less Jack has to slide over to shooting guard means that rookie DeMar DeRozan has successfully made the transition from college to professional ball. If DeRozan doesn’t win the shooting guard job, Marco Belinelli is the other likely choice. Defensively he’s a swinging gate, but he can stroke it – which on this team of shooters may work to his advantage.


Prediction

Credit Colangelo with putting the team in a position to enter the playoff discussion. Will Bosh’s uncertain future with the team be a distraction? Will Turkoglu, showing signs of slippage, produce at the same clip as last season? Can Bargnani improve his rebounding? Will Jack have to play, out of position because DeRozan or Belinelli aren’t ready for the lion’s share of shooting guard minutes? While I’m not sure answers to all of the above are positive, this is still a playoff contending team – sixth, seventh or eighth seed is a realistic target.

Lang
Lang.Greene@gmail.com
http://twitter.com/hoopsvine