2010-11 Season Previews: Toronto Raptors

Ball

The NBA season is fast upon us, so its time for the Pick and Scroll to begin previewing each team.  We're going to go in order from worst record to best.  Now we're off to the strange land of Toronto, which lost its best player in Chris Bosh.  However, the Basketball Jones gained Trey Kerby.  Advantage: TBJ.


2009-10 Record: 40-42
Additions: Ed Davis (Draft), Solomon Alabi (Draft), David Andersen (Trade), Leandro Barbosa (Trade), Linas Kleiza (FA), Julian Wright (Trade)
Subtractions: Chris Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu, Rasho Nesterovic, Antoine Wright, Marco Belinelli, Patrick O'Bryant



Toronto probably had the worst summer next to Cleveland, once again losing their franchise superstar in Chris Bosh, this time in Free Agency.  They also had to admit they made a mistake in signing Hedo Turkoglu to a ridiculous contract last year, and in a trade I very much approve of, managed to ship him off to Phoenix for Leandro Barbosa.


Toronto last year had the absolute worst defensive team in the league with a defensive rating of 113.2 (highest in the league, in a category where highest is bad).  They made up for it somewhat by excelling on the offensive end, mostly thanks to Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani.  Unfortunately for Toronto they are going to be a lot worse on this end this season, as they don't have a go-to scorer like Bosh anymore.  I have a feeling Andrea Bargnani, Linas Kleiza, are going to be carrying the offensive load for this team, and the problem for Toronto is that none of those players demand a double team, at least not as currently situated.


The Raptors might be a little better defensively, as Amir Johnson, probably Toronto's best defensive player last year, will likely be the starter at Power Forward now.  He's a decent defensive player, and his offense has always been pretty efficient.  I have a feeling that with more looks and more responsibility on the offensive end his efficiency will take a hit this year.


I'm a fan of Ed Davis, Toronto's new lanky forward prospect that they drafted in the lottery.  He impressed me in Summer League with his tenacity on defense.  His offensive game still needs a lot of work, but he's a good prospect. Solomon Alabi also was a nice pickup late in the draft, being a very good shotblocker in college. 


On the trade front I was pleased with Toronto managing to dump Hedo, and Barbosa is a nice player in his own right. I wonder how Toronto will use him, but he could end up being one of the better 6th men in the league this year if he comes off the bench behind Derozan.  Trading Belinelli for Julian Wright was a wash in my opinion, if perhaps slightly a loss on Toronto's part, as at least Belinelli does something well (shoot).  Wright hasn't really managed to do anything in his three years in the NBA, and his refusal to play in the Summer League this year smacks of immaturity and a lack of focus.  David Andersen was a nice cheap pickup for Toronto, and he's essentially a poor man's Bargnani, a big man that can spread the floor.


Linas Kleiza was the teams only Free Agent signing and I liked it.  He showed a lot of potential when he was in Denver and they managed to get him for a reasonable deal.  I think he can provide a decent scoring punch for this team and possibly do for Toronto what they had hoped Turkoglu was supposed to do last year.


Of returning players, DeMar Derozan, Jarrett Jack and Jose Calderon are the only ones worth focusing on, and Calderon only really because the Raptors should continue to try to ship him and his bad contract out of Toronto as soon as possible.  His contract and health status as well as declining skill are going to be a drag on the Raptors salary cap for a while unless they can unload him.  It was almost done this summer before a deal with Charlotte was nixed, but its good to know the Raptors are aware of the need to unload him.


Derozan and Jack will likely be the starting backcourt this year, one of the bigger backcourts in the NBA.  Jack is surprisingly solid as a big PG, having a career best 27.7% Assist rate last year although Turnovers (17.3%) need to be cut down.  He also had career highs in 3P% and FG% last year.  Most importantly for Toronto, he's been able to remain healthy, only missing 6 games in his first 5 seasons, and none in the past three.  Derozan was solid if not spectacular as a rookie, although his athletic ability was unparalleled in his rookie class.  His shot needs a lot of work, but I do see star potential in him, and he could be the silver lining for the Raptors in an otherwise dismal season.


Dismal is how I see it you guys.  The Raptors didn't even manage to make the playoffs (in the East, no less) or even .500 last year with a superstar in Chris Bosh.  This year, without him, it'll be even worse, especially because they really haven't upgraded anywhere other than perhaps at the Small Forward.  This team will and can still score, but I doubt it will be as good as last year, and the defense will still be atrocious.  As such, I feel they'll be battling Minnesota for the worst record in the league.  But hey, another chance for a #1 draft pick right? 


Projected Win Range: 15-20