Fear the Raptors
Toronto had myriad problems in 2008-09, not the least of which was rebounding and interior defense. For those reasons, the acquisitions of Reggie Evans and Amir Johnson matter as much as the Hedo Turkoglu signing. Hedo will positively augment a Raptors attack that suffered from predictability and inconsistency (a rare but devastating combo), but Evans -- one of the best rebounding monsters of this era of basketball -- and A.J. should do heaps of good near the rim.
Bosh is actually a stellar rebounder at the power forward spot. But Bargnani ... he's awful. Bargnani's three seasons each show up in among the eight worst offensive rebounding seasons for 7-foot players in basketball history. Sure, Dirk Nowitzki shows up there frequently too ... but Dirk can hit the defensive glass. But Bargnani repeatedly shows up among the worst 7-foot defensive rebounders, too. Last season, the only 7-footers with worst defensive rebounding rates than Bargs were Pacer teammates Rasho Nesterovic and Roy Hibbert, who happened to play with rebound-soaking Jeff Foster and Troy Murphy.
That's why Evans and Johnson are so important. Reggie eternally finishes among the top 20 defensive rebounders in the league, and even higher in offensive rebounding. Amir isn't quite so good on the defensive boards, but he excels on the offensive glass. Between Evans and Johnson, the Raps suddenly have a wealth of frontline options to help in rebounding. They both happen to be solid defenders as well, and you can see either fitting alongside either Bosh or Bargnani inasmuch that neither requires touches on offense.
You can read the rest here:
http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/08/25/deba ... e-raptors/
The Raptors Can't Escape Mediocrity
The Toronto Raptors never have won more than 47 games in a season, and they probably never will, which makes this whole debate kind of sad. It's a wonderful city with a lively international flair, but it has a franchise that is destined for a life of basketball mediocrity.
They should have stuck to hockey.
Yes, the basketball fans are a little excited now because the Raptors wheeled and dealed all summer, thinking they were growing stronger when mostly they were just spinning their wheels, making noise and going nowhere.
The Raptors won 33 games last season and they'll probably win another five now, letting them contend for the eighth and final playoff spot before the inevitable happens next summer.
Chris Bosh is going to break their heart again, just like Tracy McGrady did in 2000 and then Vince Carter did in 2004.
American-born players love to visit Toronto. They just don't like to stay too long, which is a fight the franchise has waged since its inception in 1995. When Bosh becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer, the lure of Miami, New York or even Cleveland will take him away.
The Raptors signed unrestricted free agent forward Hedo Turkoglu of Orlando to a five-year, $53 million deal. They signed restricted free agent Jarrett Jack of Indiana to a $20 million contract. Both were nice additions, but guess what? Their current teams didn't try to hard to keep them. That should tell you something.
You can read the rest here:
http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/08/25/deba ... ediocrity/
So Raps fans which one of these two authors is right in your opinion.
