Do the raptors have a bright future?

[just23]

It's a little too early to tell if this team will have a bright future.
We just lost our one all-star and while I like the youth movement, I don't think any of our current guys is likely to be a star. However, DeRozan should develop into someone worth having in a lineup and if Davis can live up to his defensive hype, he'll be a keeper as well. To me Bargnani is not really someone to keep around for the long haul. For all his talent, he just has too many holes in his game and I've always thought it must be difficult to fit him into a winning lineup. 7 footers who camp out behind the 3 point line and don't rebound, or do much for help defense are not winning pieces. I'd like to see him have a solid year as a scorer and hopefully be traded eventually for a more legit center to play beside Davis.
If we suck enough this year and luck out in the next draft with a top 3 pick, I'd expect us to be alright within 3 or 4 years. We need at least two outstanding drafts to really start making progress. Right now all the young guys we have are just role players and at some point we need to have a couple players of a higher calibre. Things can get better, but it's far too early to tell if they will.

[redraptors]

Too early to tell. DD and Bargnani now need time to develop as Number 1 options. People forget that Durant, Roy etc had the ball in their hands from day 1. Not all players come in and put up crazy numbers. Kobe took some time (granted he came out of highschool), Nash, Steven Jackson, Wallace (ben and Gerald) need some time.
Ed Davis cant even be in the discussion until he has actually played.

But with the overal youth on this team plus draft picks and financial flexability all you really need is DD and Bargnani to develop and then add a good point gaurd and boom the team is up there. Look at Utah before Deron Williams, Chicago before Rose etc. In the NBA all you need is that one player to really start turning things around.

Minnesota is a team that might actually surprise once Rubio signs on there. They have a good set of athletic wing players, good PF in Love some potential in Beasley plus good bench with Flinn, Brewer or Johnson

[bigjabroni]

Last summer DeRozan was said to have the most upside in the 09 draft. He had a solid rookie season where he was relatively free from pressure or hype. A lot more focus will be put on him this year but he seems committed to putting in work this off-season and he looked great in the summer league. Debating whether he'll be mediocre/good/great is premature and we should have a better understanding after this season.

Ed Davis was regarded as an upside pick at the draft and I remember David Thorpe being pretty impressed with him at the draft. No one can say what kind of player he's going to be for at least a year or two.

I don't think Bargnani has quite hit his max yet. It's probably safe to say he's going to at least be a fringe All-Star for the next couple of years.

Weems and Amir Johnson have their limitations but still have room to grow. Last year was essentially Sonny's rookie season in a limited role. He'll have a good opportunity this year to show his real potential. Johnson as he stands right now would fit as a solid 1st big off the bench option for many teams. Even if Weems and Johnson don't grow a whole lot from here, it's not the end of the world - they are still legit rotation players, and no other team is trotting out 4-5 star-potential youngsters either.

[redred9]

i guess it depends on what BC does with the TPE and the cap space we're about to have (which if Calderon is traded is going to be max). IF he handles those well over the next couple of seasons, we'll be in a good spot.

[tofu_camby]

How does our young core stack up to say Atlanta's core from a few years ago or from OKC's or Portland's current core?

I think that is the definition of "bright future".

[C_Money]

How does our young core stack up to say Atlanta's core from a few years ago or from OKC's or Portland's current core?

I think that is the definition of "bright future".

Most definetly. And they had to lose pretty bad to get those players too.

[inrapscity]

future?

Miami cHeat will exist for the next 6yrs. Boston's still good for 2 more seasons. LA's still good for 3yrs.

[FirstInkTDot]

No, lots of reasons, just from the look of that squad I don't see a dynasty, or a franchise.. I see a bunch of players put together for what? 14th place? Sure there's Demar Davis Amir Bargs and Sonny but those aren't guy you can call a number 1 guy, a franchise player a guy who would be your first choice to pass to...

[Landomar]

Right now, we have some decent young players, but no one like a young Durant, Howard, or Paul. Until we get a player like that, and do a great job building around them, we are highly unlikely to become really good. Quick review of last year's playoff teams from the East:

Cleveland - drafted James
Orlando - drafted Howard
Atlanta - drafted Smith, Horford (although Johnson was a FA)
Boston - drafted Pierce / Rondo
Miami - drafted Wade
Chicago - drafted Rose
Milwaukee - drafted Bogut / Jennings
Charlotte - *expansion drafted Wallace

In general, the best player on every playoff team in the East last season was acquired through the draft. In fact, the best player on most NBA teams last year was acquired through the draft (Granger in Indiana, Bosh is Toronto, etc.).

I think the reality, going forward, is that our success is going to be largely based on our drafts. I don't think that a Bargnani / DeRozan / Davis group has enough star power, and the upside there is probably a fringe playoff team (if they develop well and get a lot of help). If we end up being really bad this year, and get a high draft pick, that could help out a lot, although we'd need to get some good luck with the actual pick of course.

[thomaz]

no, management refuse to rebuild, players refuse to come here, at least good players... meh, my opinion didn't change whether or not we had bosh or not.

[chuckerz]

Long term contracts doesn't exactly make for a bright future. Look at how Isiah Thomas gave long term contracts to Jerome James and Eddy Curry. Although i think Amir Johnson and Bargs have more potential and mental focus than both of those players, long term contracts are a gamble. Especially if they have very little playing time like Amir Johnson.

[steve_steamer]

we dont even have a core? what are you talking about, none of these players are even "core" players, they are all rotational players. bargnani was supposed to be a core player which he was not and was the reason we failed to succeed, maybe he will become one, but his development has been costing the team thus far.. a couple core players is what we need, none have proven to be "core" yet. maybe bargnani is close, but demar? sonny? amir? nope, none of them are close to being core players.

[7drizzy7drake7]

Yes it will be very sonny

if calderon leaves for someone useful/expiring

[Young Moosehead]

Wow

Our future is only bright if we have a top 10 player? Our future is only bright if we have as many top flight prospects as OKC and Portland or as many as Atlanta did? (would hate to remind people how much ATL was slagged as recently as 2-3 years ago for poor drafting/team crafting - CP3 and swingmen obsession.) This board appears to be crawling with kids, drama queens and the self loathing, I can't wait for the summer to be over; real basketball to watch and less crap to sift through to get to read good basketball discussion. I can't believe some posters have already written off Alabi and Davis without a game played in the NBA.

I hope whoever posted that Davis/Bargnani/Derozan best case scenario = mediocre has the balls to put that in their sig and keep it there for a couple seasons to demonstrate their amazing basketball acumen.

I kinda agree with just23, it is too early to say we have a bright future, but we have some good parts that have upside and are on cheap/managable contracts for a long time and some expiring (read: tradable) assets, all of our 1st round draft picks, and an extra one, we got out from under our worst contract and will likely get out from under our 2nd worst before the off season is over. The Raptors' future may not be the brightest in the league but it is not nearly as dark as some are making it out to be.

[bejoe87]

Yes I think we can be a playoff team down the road and thus have a bright future.

I doubt you'll see any huge free agent signings. I don't see a big surplus of cap room being a good idea given our past season, we'll just overpay a washed out start.

We should be having a mix of acquiring draft picks and good young talents. To build a core of 8 good players.

[agentzero2010]

no.... this team is full of sixth men; kleiza, barbosa, calderon, jack, derozan, johnson, davis. might as well change the name to toronto benchplayers

[ruckus]

The magic 8 ball says:

too early to tell

We just lost our franchise player. In all honesty, we're still picking up the pieces from that one. Actually, even though most people don't want to hear it, we're in pretty good shape going forward having lost Chris Bosh. Looking at Cleveland, although they may be better than us next season, their long-term prospects look horrendous.

None of our current prospects will be superstars. That much is certain. However, we do have some all-star potential on our team. A couple of good trades and, a nice, high pick next year and, we're back in it. And, if there is a lockout, we might get 2 nice, high picks depending on how they would structure the 2012 draft.

The team as currently constructed isn't going anywhere. We all know that. But, they'll be fairly athletic and fun to watch. I don't really understand why people are so down on our current roster.

[CapeCrusader]

We'll have a more solid view on it this season. If the Young Guns improve in all aspects then we'll be in good shape.

[Its-A-Rap]

next season will be bad, but we will get another franchise player. Some one who will get inflated stats, cause the rest are bad.

after next season
No, cause even if derozen and ed davis become megastars, I have a feeling that they will want to leave, like the ones b4 them.

[Cheezed]

It's hard to tell. Hopefully BC don't screw things over again. If we do get that high draft pick then maybe we do have a bright future. We just have to retain our draft picks longer than 7 years LOL.