Next year's Toronto Raptors team

I find that when discussing next year’s Raptors team and how they are going to perform in the years to come, it is a topic that is both exciting to some while at the same time meaningless to others. Currently the Raptors are sitting at 30 wins and 48 losses and fifth in the Atlantic division. Because of these current standings the Raptors also only have about a 5.3% chance of getting their draft pick next year which would have been in the top three. Even though the season is almost over and it is clear that this wasn’t one of the better seasons for the Raptors. This season has definitely had its own ups and downs in terms of excitement and news stories. The beginning of the season was pretty much like how the end of the season has been turning out. There were some wins, some surprising upsets, but at the end of it all there was still mostly losses. Of course when I say excitement and news worthy stories I am talking about when Toronto surprised everybody by trading with Memphis to gain Rudy Gay. This was hard for some, because in doing so we lost Jose Calderon. Jose was a steady player for the Raptors and even though he was traded he left with nothing but love in his heart for the city, its team and its people.

When Gay first came to Toronto there was uproar and everything seemed to be turning around for the Raptors and it was working in their favour. It seemed as though Gay brought with him all of the hype and intensity that he was signed on for. Toronto was excited and the whole team was playing much better together; specifically DeMar DeRozan. This has been one of his best seasons and he has put up respectable numbers almost every game he’s played. Another big topic of discussion that had been swirling around the Toronto Raptors was Andrea Barnani and whether or not he would still be a Raptor. He was out for the majority of the season in the beginning and again in the end. And the little time that he did spend on the court didn’t really help out anybody; not himself or the raptors. I believe that he will be traded next year for sure in attempts to retrieve anybody that could help the raptors even if it’s just by a little.
One of the few good things that did come from this poor season is that with Andrea out and the raptors poor streak, a lot of the developing players on Toronto received a chance to step up and show what they’ve got. In looking forward to next year’s Raptors team it is very possible that they will have become a force to be reckoned with and will probably make it to the playoffs. Players like Terrence Ross, Jonas Valanciunas, Alan Anderson, Ahmir Johnson, Kyle Lowry, John Lucas III, Quincy Acey, and of course DeRozan and Gay are all players that will work hard to make sure our team is stronger than ever and moves forward. The Raptors are a young team and are loaded with so much potential that if they truly play their best then they might be able to stand up against any other team when they reach their prime. I believe that the raptors will only get better from here on out and that we should allow them to grow so that will become the team that everyone wants them to be.

Who is our franchise player???

With the trade deadline gone and all trades finalized the answer to this question may seem plain and simple to most, but we must remember that nothing is for certain. Before I talk about the obvious player that we are all thinking about (Rudy Gay); I would like to look into the Raptors history on who their previous franchise players have been, what they have done for the team and why the Raptors might have been struggling in the past few years.

Without going too far back, we all remember the “invincible” Vince Carter who led the Toronto Raptors to their very first playoffs ever in 2000. Vince came into the league in 1998 and brought with him a lot of buzz. Vince Carter was added to the Raptors lineup in 1998 and was named rookie of the year in 1999. Everything was going great for Vince. He was voted an NBA All-Star in 2000 and also won Slam Dunk Contest that same year. All of this praise for Vince Carter was bringing with it a lot of praise for the Raptors. There was no question that Vince was the Raptors Franchise player and arguably the best player they’ve ever had with a career average of 22.2 points per game. Sadly however things took a turn for the worse in the year 2003 when Carter started to have problems with management and was then traded the next year. Luckily for the Raptors the year before Vince’s departure they acquired new talent Chris Bosh. Almost simultaneously as Carter left, Bosh was named the team’s new focus and was being built upon. Bosh was a 1^st round 4^th overall draft pick and like Carter he was also showing impressive numbers and doing big things for the Raptors. In the years following, it was soon made official that Bosh was Toronto’s new franchise player and was voted to play in the 2006 NBA All-Star game (He has continued every year since). Bosh had a steady run with the Raptors averaging 20.3 points per game. But like Carter, Bosh came to the conclusion that he would not likely win a ring with the Raptors anytime soon. So he decided to leave the team that helped make him into who he was and left to become part of the big 3 in Miami, alongside LeBron James and Dwayne Wade in 2010. After Chris Bosh left Toronto it would appear as though Toronto was trying to focus on being and all international team with a focus on European players. It was in this time that Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon were at the forefront of the raptors line up. Hedo Turkoglu also played with the Raptors for a little while. With Bosh’s absence it would seem as though the Raptors no longer had a drive or determination to play as hard or with as much heart as they use too. During this time many would say that Bargnani was the new franchise player, but this was only because he was able to steadily put up the points. However he was still getting the biggest paycheck which is something that is usually reserved for a team’s franchise player but many doubted that he deserved the title. Bargnani was the 1^st round 1^st overall draft pick by the Raptors back in 2006, this made him the second player ever without experience in the USA to be drafted first overall. Ever since then Bargnani has earned a career average of 15.2 points per game. His average has been steadily dropping in the last two years. Bargnani has never been an NBA All-Star and he was unable to lead the Raptors to the playoffs after Bosh left. It is because of this as well as Bargnani’s off and on game performance that has caused Toronto fans to frequently boo him in recent games. However, all of this being said it would seem as though all hope is not lost for Toronto, as new Star Rudy Gay has joined what seems to be a new and greatly improved Raptors team. Gay brings with him a career average of 17.9 points per game. But more importantly it would appear as though he brought a certain fire with him that has once again ignited the Raptors team. The new lineup is indeed an impressive one and alongside Gay is DeMar DeRozan who is averaging 14.9 points per game and continues to be one of Toronto’s most reliable players. DeRozan performance along with the entire team has risen since the arrival of Gay. In the past one could say that Toronto could almost be considered somewhat of a starter team as former players have developed their skills there and then moved on elsewhere. With the acquired Gay however, Toronto has for once picked up a player who is already well established. Toronto fans can only hope that Gay continues to be a positive move for the Raptors as they fight for a spot in the playoffs. If great things are in the future, one can only hope that this is just the beginning for the Raptors and they well continue to rise up as a team with Gay Leading the way.

Bosh refuses to lose / Bargnani returns

The Last two Raptors games were nothing short of interesting. On February 4 the Toronto Raptors went up against the Miami Heat and former Raptors franchise player Chris Bosh. It was an intense game and to many it was surprising that the Raptors were able to stay in the game and be able to hold onto a small lead up until the half. During the second However Miami deciding to take control of the game and continue their winning streak over the Raptors with a final score of 100-85. With an 11 game winning streak over the Raptors, Chris Bosh has still never lost to his former city.
                On February 6 Raptors star Andrea Bargnani made his comeback appearance against the Boston Celtics. Do injury in his right elbow Bargnani had missed the previous 26 games, meaning that he missed playing in the debut game of Rudy Gay. This being said however Bargnani made no excuses for playing his best this game. Coming off of a loss from the Miami heat, the Raptors had to try and pull themselves back together if they wanted any chance of beating the Celtics. It was a high adrenaline game that could have gone either way. The Raptors were winning 23-20 at the end of the first, and then the Celtics took the lead with 50-45 at the end of the second. However, with the Raptors refusing to give up and determined to make their opponents fight, they took back the lead and lead 79-69 and the end of the third. Sadly, in keeping with the back and forth quarters the Celtics took the lead within the final six minutes and ended up beating the Raptors with a final score of 99-95. The Raptors played a fierce game and continue to look like a strong team that has the ongoing potential to become great. Bargnani finished the game with 13 points, along with DeRozan doing the same and our top leading scorer was once again Rudy Gay with 25 points.