Very little bite in this years Raptors

The 2008 - 09 Toronto Raptors’ season can be wrapped up in one word. Pathetic.

How things went from 47 wins three seasons ago, to 33 wins this year with relatively the same core group is puzzling. What happened here?

Didn't Brian Colangelo fill the big physical hole the Raps needed the most when he acquired Jermaine O'Neal?

J.O. was supposed to bring the rebounding presence that, outside of Chris Bosh, was lacking from the rest of the line up. He did a rather lifeless job of it. Took his usual amount of bad shots, plus he did what J.O. is more commonly known for. Getting injured.The fact that they were able to get Shawn Marion and his expiring contract for O'Neal and Jamario Moon was a steal for the Raps. More importantly it may have saved Colangelo's ass.

The Sam Mitchell firing was in my opinion half a season too late.

I love Sam and his tell it like it is attitude. He was a decent "player’s" coach that will make for a better TV analyst. Colangelo and the Raps should have fired him last summer and brought in an experienced coach that could lead this new-look squad. Sam was slipping with the players at the end of last season and lost them this year early. It's not 100% Sam's fault that the Raps had such a lousy season, but it did set the tone early, ultimately being their demise.

All the players are saying the "right" things about interim coach Jay Triano, but he's not the answer. Good ol' Canadian boy, so I don't want to knock him, but I think he should slide back to being an assistant. The Raps don't need another "nice" player’s coach. They need a tough "proven" coach.

The question is who?

The coaching can't shoulder all the blame. The players certainly weren't any better.

The starting unit never was in sync while O'Neal was on the team. His strength in the post isn't nearly what it used to be, which resulted in him taking too many shots that either bricked or got blocked. He had the odd good night, but as a whole was a large bust.

Anthony Parker had his worst season as a Raptor. His points per game, three point and field goal percentage were the worst he's had as a member of the Raps. Not good signs from your "shooting" guard. AP is an unrestricted free agent this summer and my feeling is that this was his final year in Hogtown.

A glance at the bench and its a who's who of who? What I mean by that is, who are half these guys. Marcus Banks. Jake Voskuhl. Nathan Jawai. Come on. Who? Depth is key in the NBA and outside of the Raps starting five, there isn't a whole lot.

When is Joey Graham going to do something?He's been trying out for the team since they drafted him 15th over all in the '05 draft. He's up for a new contract this summer and think he'd be better off elsewhere.

What’s up with the Raps’ coaching and Jason Kapono?

The guy can't seem to get a single set drawn up for him to utilize his three point strength. This drives me nuts.Why do you have a guy averaging 24 minutes a night while not drawing up a single play for him!He doesn't defend well. Can't rebound. Won't drive.... all he can do is shoot.Get the man free so he can unleash.His three point percentage dropped to its lowest since he joined the Raps. Just three seasons ago he was shooting over .500 from three, and now he's barely over .430. Weak.

J Kap will never be considered an all-around player but he is one hell of a deadly shooter, especially when he gets wide open looks.

The loss of Kris Humphries to injury really hurt the Raps’ depth. That may seem laughable to some as he's not the prettiest basketball player, but Hump brings energy and toughness when he's on the floor, and that is contagious. The addition of Pops Mensah-Bonsu late in the season brought back some of that energy. He looks like he just may be a good pro. Don't be surprised if he's back next season. A lone bright spot from a very spotty bench core.

Not all was bad with the Raps line up.

Chris Bosh had his usual 22 & 10, carrying this team as he's been doing for a few years now.Bosh's frustration was shown throughout this season. One can tell he desperately wanted help, especially when Calderon was injured. The big question with Bosh is whether or not they can resign him before he becomes a free agent in 2010, or do they look to trade him this summer. There is a lot of good young talent in this summer’s draft and Bosh is a huge bargaining chip. The problem with trading "CB4" is, it’s not that simple. He would have to get traded to a team that could also sign him. No team is going to take a chance in trading for him and then losing him after one season.

Another factor is that you are trading your best player. The corner stone of your franchise. Is it in the Raps best interest to even consider this? Only Colangelo knows the answer.

The emergence of Andrea Bargnani this year finally silenced some doubters. "Il Mago" had his best year as a pro, setting career highs in points, rebounds, blocks, field goal and three point percentage. Bargs took over the starting five spot when O'Neal went down with a knee injury, and he ran with it. He cleaned up his bad habits. Drove hard without hesitation. Took better shots. His defense needs work, but he did show that he can use his length to get swats. The Dirk Nowitski comparisons are finally starting to show. Not saying he'll be a league MVP anytime soon, but he did prove that he can be a force in the L.

Jose Calerdon's season was one of ups and downs. A nagging hamstring injury held him back and hurt the Raps desperately as their depth at the point guard position is brutal. Roko Ukic just wasn't ready to run an NBA team night in and night out, which resulted in the team using

Anthony Parker at the point when Calderon was down. Outside of the fact that Jose missed 14 games this year he had a brilliant year in terms of numbers, setting career highs in points per game, assists per game, steals per game, rebounds per game and set an NBA record shooting an incredible .981 from the stripe, missing only three free throws all year! Amazing.

When the Raps acquired Shawn Marion at the trade deadline I was just glad they were able to get rid of O'Neal. I was a Marion fan, but was skeptical of his game. His numbers had dropped significantly once he got traded from Phoenix to Miami. His expiring contract was a sigh of relief because if he, like O'Neal, didn't work out the Raps wouldn't be stuck. He started off a little slow but once they got to running and pushing the ball in transition more, that's when Marion started to flourish. The Raps can benefit from playing an up tempo Marion style of ball. When you have an active center and an athletic power forward, you can run. I would love to see Marion return. Problem is he may follow the dollars, something the Raps will be tight on when looking to resign.

This off season will be very interesting for the Raptors. Many scenarios could happen.

Will they pull off a blockbuster trade?

Are they going to look at acquiring a new coach?

Can they go out and sign new faces of all-star caliber?

It will be a new Raps team no matter how Colangelo shakes it. The good thing. The team can only get better, cause they sure as hell can't get much worse.

Will the Raptors hit the jackpot?

Its mid March and I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the Raptors will not make the playoffs this season. Bold statement I know. (eyes rolling)
With the Madness in full swing its got me wondering.
The Raps will be a lottery team this season. I wonder how good of a pick they can get?
A look at the NBA bottom feeders and the Raps sit tied with Golden State with the seventh worst record in the league.

Lets for chance say they pick as low as fifth or as high as eighth. NBA mock drafts all over the web have different opinions on who will go where. Besides Blake Griffin being the consensus number one in pretty much every mock draft, the rest of the field is tough to call.

One mock draft has U Conn's 7'3 block machine Hasheem Thabeet going as low as second and another as high as fifth. This guy will be a legit center in the NBA. A rarity in the L now a days. To think a can't miss like Thabeet could slip to fifth means a few things.
This is going to be a stacked draft. Or these people don't have a clue what they're talking about.
I'm gonna say its a bit of both.

The 2009 NBA draft class is quite a unique group. One of the main reasons. Its not 100% who exactly is going to declare. Two guys who some feel could change the outlook of the draft are both playing pro internationally
Spanish sensation Ricky Rubio has apparently declared according to "sources close to him". This kid is being coined as the second coming of "Pistol" Pete Maravich who some believe could be the real number one pick in the draft. I'm not sure about the Maravich comparisons. I think its more because he looks like the Pistol. He is however a real deal point guard who should be may very good in the L. He was fantastic in the Beijing Olympics as Jose Calderon's back up. He's also only 19 and is already in his fourth season as a pro in Europe. This kid is a can't miss prospect who if declares, will go in the top five.

The other key factor in this seasons draft is Brandon Jennings. The Oak Hill High School phenom choose not to go to Arizona, but instead went to Italy to play pro in the Italian League. This kid has tons of potential, and could be the next Allen Iverson or the next Sebastian Telfair. His game needs work, especially on the defensive end. His offense has apparently taken a back seat in Italy and word is he's been working hard on his D all season. Many NBA scouts will say he's just too skilled to pass up. So was Telfair. Would be very interesting to see if Jennings' stays in Europe to work on his game, or if he'll chase the money to come to the NBA.

Their are a handful of freshmen that may or may not declare. The likes of Al-Farouq Aminu, Willie Warren, Jeff Teague, Greg Monroe, Demar Derozan, Tyreke Evans & Jrue Holiday are potential lottery picks. Its a wonder whether these kids are ready for the show or could benefit from a few more years in college. Thats the gamble of coming out too early.

So much is uncertain in regards to whom the Raptors could get or what they will do with the pick. A look at what they need is a better way to approach it.

The five, four, three and one positions on the Raps are solid but not concrete. Thats Bargnani, Bosh, Marion and Calderon.
Outside of Bargnani, the rest are expendable. Even Bosh. I know many will disagree with me on Bargnani. When you got a seven footer that shoots threes and drives like a guard, you just don't get rid of them. He's been taking awhile, but this year has proved that Bargs is going to be a really good player, maybe even an all star one day. He may never be the MVP like Dirk Nowitzki who he's consistently been compared too, but his skill set and size are just too rare to throw away.
Marion is at the end of his contract and may or may not resign in T.O.
Since their days in Phoenix, The Matrix and GM Bryan Colangelo are still very close. I think Marion could do well staying with the club. As long as he doesn't break the bank, he's worth it. I like the up tempo energy Marion thrives on, and think the Raps could benefit from playing that style. Plus he can rebound and plays D. Something the Raptors know very little about.

Bosh and Calderon are the pieces that need to be decided upon. Bosh has one year left on his contract and will draw a huge line up of teams wanting his services when he becomes free agent. With the way Bosh has played this season, is it fair to say the Raps should look at dealing CB4?
He is the best player on the team that is apparent. Is he the guy to carry the team and get them back to playoffs? Tough to say.
The real question. Does he still want to be in Toronto?

Calderon is another tough call. He is not 100% this year and its showing. Some nights it feels as though he's too concerned with his assist to turnover ratio, and that he just refuses to make that tough pass in transition. Thats where having Marion is kind of pointless. He thrives in the open floor. If you can't push the ball in the open court the team misses out on easy baskets.
I think Calderon is safe. The point guard position in Toronto has zero depth. Unless a deal comes round with a solid PG in the mix, he stays. Draft day deal for Rubio perhaps? I don't think so.

The glaring hole for the Raps comes at the two guard. Anthony Parker is at best a role player in the NBA. Not a starter.

He would be great coming off the bench. I like his game, but he's way too inconsistent. In the NBA the two guard position has some of the deadliest players. Kobe. D Wade. Vince Carter to name a few. All have their way with Parker.
There are a few really good two guards in this years draft. One that comes to mind is James Harden in Arizona State. A bit undersized at a generous 6'5, but at a solid 220 pounds he can be a handful for some guards. Many compare him to a thicker Manu Ginobili. Would be very tough to get him later then the fifth pick unfortunately.

My gut tells me that Colangelo will wait to see how high of a pick the Raps get before he makes a decision on what to do with the future make up of the club. In essence this season could be a blessing in disguise. The start of this season the Raps looked like they should be a playoff team. The reality is this. The true colors of the Raps were shown this year. They don't have the depth or a strong enough starting five to win in the L.

Getting a top ten lottery may just be the essential piece BC needs to get this team back to where they belong. That pick packaged with Bosh could be very enticing for many GMs around the league. Moving Bosh could be the best thing Colangelo can do for this team. It could also be a huge gamble that could hurt the future of the NBA in Toronto and in Canada.