2008-09 NBA Team Preview – Toronto Raptors

2008-09 NBA Team Preview – Toronto Raptors

2008 Record: 41-41
Division Finish: 2nd – Atlantic
2008 Playoffs: Lost, 4-1, to Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference First Round

Head Coach: Sam Mitchell
Season: Going into fifth season
Record At Toronto: 148-180
Career Record: Same

Offseason Acquisitions:
Jeremaine O’Neal, F-C, 13.6 ppg., 6.7 rpg – Traded from Indiana
Hassan Adams, F, 2.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg. – Signed as free agent
Jamal Sampson, F-C, – Signed from China China
Willie Solomon, G, – Signed from Turkey

Offseason Losses:
TJ Ford, G, 12.2 ppg, 6.1 apg. – Traded to Indiana
Maceo Baston, F, 2.7 ppg., 1.7 rpg. – Traded to Indiana
Radoslav Nesterovic, C, 7.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg., – Traded to Indiana
Primoz Brezec, C, 3.7 ppg., 1.4 rpg. -  Signed with Italian League
Carlos Delfino, G-F, 9.0 ppg, 4.4, rpg. -  Signed With Russian League
Jorge Garbajosa, F,  3.1 ppg., 2.1 apg., – Waived

Offseason Transactions:
Exercised option on Jamario Moon
Signed Jose Calderon to an extension

Rookies:
Nathan Jawai, C, 6-11, 17.9 ppg, 9.4, rpg. – Signed from Australia
Roko Ukic, G, 6-5 – Signed from Italy

The Skinny:
Fortunately for the Toronto Raptors they play in a very weak Eastern Conference. With a starting five that is comprised of good, but not great players, the Raptors are able to be a solid team in the East. Unfortunately for them, there is much better talent in the conference and unless their current talents steps it up they will be in the same position as last year.

One would think that finishing second in the Atlantic Division is a decent accomplishment, but let me drop some knowledge on you about that. The Raptors were 23 games back of division winner Boston. With just a .500 record (41-41), they were four games better than Atlanta who got the last playoff spot.

Two teams in the East (Atlanta and Philadelphia) got into the playoffs with a losing record. The eighth playoff team in the Western Conference, Denver, was 18 games over .500. At .500 Toronto would have tied for 10th in the West, but they are sixth in the East. Ten of the 15 teams in the West would have made the playoffs in the East, while only three teams from the East would have qualified in the West.

So that’s the good news for the Raptors that they play in a very average conference. Unfortunately, they are an average team in that average conference. Their defense was one of the better ones in the league last year, giving up just 97.2 points per game to rank 10th overall. The offense was a bit anemic at times, rating 18th out of 30 teams at 100.1 ppg.

Toronto has been moving in the right direction that last few years. After five-straight seasons when they didn’t win more than 33 games, the Raptors won the Atlantic Division with a 47-32 record in 2006-07. Tying the franchise record for the most wins in a season earned general manager Bryan Colangelo NBA Executive of the Year honors.

One knock against the team is that it only has one playoff series victory to its credit in 15 seasons. Toronto beat New York, 3-2, in 2001 but has lost its other five series for an 11-20 playoff record. To Colaneglo’s credit he brought in someone who is an experienced winner in the playoffs and who can help in the front court this offseason when he swung a deal to bring in center Jeramaine O’Neal from the Indiana Pacers.

Here is the good part of that trade: O’Neal has averaged at least 19 ppg. and 8.5 rebounds per game in six of the last seven seasons. O’Neal has helped Indiana wins some playoff series and been one of the top players in the NBA.

Now for the downside of the trade. He was hurt most of last season and that one season out of the last seven that he did not score at least 19 and grab eight was 2007-08 when he only scored 13.2 ppg. and 6.7 rpg., which were his lowest numbers in seven years. O’Neal isn’t getting any younger either. He’s going into his 12th season and at that age the nagging injuries are always going to be prevalent.

Colangelo also mortgage the future to pay for the present as one of the main components of the O’Neal trade was rookie Roy Hibbert. To site Hubby Brown, Hibbert has tremendous upside at 7-foot-2. He scored a respectable 13.4 ppg. and 6.4 rpg. last year, but is young and with his frame he could be one of the next great young centers.

The addition of O’Neal gives the Raptors a strong presence in the post as he teams up with Chris Bosh. The 6-foot-10 forward led the team last year at 22.3 ppg. and 8.7 ppg. While neither is a true center in the defensive sense, at the offensive end of the floor they will create a lot of problems for opposing defenses.

If O’Neal is healthy he can give the team a consistent number two scorer. Last season Bosh averaged almost 10 points more per game than the next closest player, swingman Anthony Parker who averaged 12.5 ppg.

The point guard position is pretty much locked up by Spainard Jose Calderon. Going into his third season, he dished out a team-high 8.3 assists per game while also scoring 11.2 ppg.

Prediction:
As mentioned before, the Raptors are okay, but not that great. Good enough to make the playoffs in the East, but not go anywhere. Besides Bosh, I really can’t see anyone making a significant impact. O’Neal has the potential to be another great player, but who knows how he is going to rebound from the injury. If he is the O’Neal of a few years back then they have a chance to make a run in the playoffs.

There are two flaws in the Raptors line-up. While O’Neal and Bosh are both very solid, they are not true centers so they will have problems with teams like Orlando and Josh Howard. Italian Andrea Bargnani has shown flashes, averaging 10.2 ppg. last season, but he only managed 3.7 rebounds a night. At 7-foot you would expect more than 3.7 boards in a game. Now with Radoslav Nesterovic gone to Indiana as part of the O’Neal trade he may get more minutes.

The other kink in Toronto’s armor is its shooting guard. Like most of the Raptors, TJ Ford was decent, averaging 12.2 ppg., but not at the level you need to win a conference title or even compete for one. Willie Solomon joined the team after playing in Turkey and Roko Ukic came from Turkey.

I guess if worse came to worse they could go big with Bargnani, O’Neal, Bosh, Parker and Calderon. That is a pretty solid team in the frontcourt, but your back court is going to be awfully exposed.

Since the Atlantic Division, and the Eastern Conference as a whole, is pretty meek, I do not see why the Raptors will not get back into the playoffs. I think they will be right around .500 again and even in the East a few games under will get you in the playoffs. Canada’s team is playoff bound but they will be out in the first round. They are a superstar – like O’Neal four years ago – and a really good supporting player away from being a contender.