Bryan Colangelo changed my life as a basketball fan. The day he agreed to become the president and general manager of my beloved Toronto Raptors was a glorious one, and the sun has not stopped shining in Toronto since. He has transformed a doomed franchise into a competitive and developing one, assembled with likable players in a clear and enjoyable image. “The Architect” has turned the Raptors into the envy of those who cheer for bad teams, turning the team’s fortunes around instantly.
But as the Raptors currently sit fifth in the Eastern Conference, struggling to keep that spot in Chris Bosh’s absence and facing the gloomy fate of an unfavorable first round match-up, Toronto fans have begun to ponder this team’s long term potential under Colangelo. It seems blasphemous, but despite being a complete and utter genius, The Mastermind’s franchise plans have consistently had one fatal flaw – rebounding.
I don’t have to tell Raptors fans that the team is 21st in the league in rebounding rate and fifth last in offensive rebounding rate. And those are rates – in aggregate totals, the team falls to 27th in rebounds and 20th in rebounding differential. They are not awful, but any Raptor fan will tell you that those numbers are misleading, and the team just cannot grab rebounds on either end of the floor when the opposition’s best bigs are on the court.
This isn’t new to Colangelo teams, either. Last year the Raps grabbed just 48.1% of possible rebounds. In his last three years there, the Suns grabbed just 47.7%, 48.9%, and 48.1% of rebounds. You’d have to look back to the 2000-01 season to find the last time a Colangelo-built team had a positive rebounding differential, and that year the Suns only grabbed nine extra boards more than the opposition.
The Suns were built to be a fast-paced team, so size is obviously not valued highly. Colangelo employed Amare Stoudemire, a natural power forward, as a center. He used Shawn Marion, a natural small forward, as a power forward. He used Boris Diaw, a natural forward, as a center off the bench. Yes, his teams have always been successful and exciting, but there is an inherent truth about rebounding deficiencies.
A rebound is a possession, so losing the rebounding battle provides you with fewer opportunities to score than the opponent. For a high-octane offense, that sounds like a pretty serious drawback, and Stever Kerr agreed, trading for a true rebounding center with his first major move at the helm. While the Shaq trade was controversial and may not work out, the basketball world was in agreement that the Suns seriously lacked rebounding and interior presence.
And now the same criticisms are being levied against the Raptors. Andrea Bargnani, who plays like a small forward and is probably a natural combo-forward, is being asked to play center for the franchise for the foreseeable future. This may be the key flaw in the team’s future plans, whereas a future line-up with Andrea at small forward with a more natural center in place would make the Raptors a formidable rebounding and inside-outside team.
It’s not just the possessions, either. Offensive rebounds lead to easy buckets and defensive rebounds allow you to run the floor quickly before the opponent can set up defensively. Additionally, strong rebounding presence takes away a defense’s ability to double-team shooters on the perimeter, leaving deadly shooters more open than they would be otherwise. Sounds like a good thing for a team that shoots 40.6% from long range to have, right?
Additionally, rebounding is strongly correlated with postseason success. It’s definitely possible to win games without a rebounding edge, but you have to go back to 1994-95 to find the last time a team with a negative rebounding differential won the NBA Championship, and that Houston team made up for it by shooting 48% - for the entire season. The top-10 rebounding teams in the NBA have a combined winning percentage of .662 and only one is not a playoff team (Philadelphia). The Raptors, on the other hand, rank as the worst rebounding team currently in a playoff position, save for (you guessed it) Phoenix.
If I could pick any person to build my favorite basketball team into a championship contender, I would not hesitate to select Bryan Colangelo. I wouldn’t even interview other candidates, he’s that good. And I’ll moderate this entire article by pointing out that Colangelo has never once been permitted to cross the luxury tax threshold (which is probably why we didn’t solve a huge need by signing hometown boy Jamaal Magloire when he became available last month), so Colangelo has sometimes had his hands tied.
That said, if he hopes to ever wear a championship ring and cement his status as one of the greatest executives in sports, he has to get this rebounding thing figured out. Unless Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment opens their wallets for a player like Elton Brand this offseason, it’s a problem he’ll have to figure out internally or via the draft and limited free agent money, and it may require a change in his overarching basketball philosophy.
Blake Murphy also runs and writes for The On Deck Circle.
29 Comments
One Question. If CB4 and Jose are the Raps best players, and the Jury is still out on tj(injuries) and IL 1/2 Mago(Inconsistant) hasn’t he still got a lot of work to do?
The Raptors over-achieved last season and no doubt surprised the NBA. This year although they are on pace for a similar win total, has not been as fun at all. This isn’t a 2 year plan, it’s a 3-5 year plan, when all these players hit their prime. Raptors fans have been patient at the worst of times, so another season or two of tweaking should not be a problem.
I have to admit though, watching them the past two weeks has been agonizing at best. If the point guards aren’t going then this team is very weak.
Blake,
Nice article, in general … which touches upon several themes running through much of the material I’ve written, myself - in various locations, on-line - about Colangelo’s Raptors, since his arrival north of the 49th parallel.
However …
1) re: “If I could pick any person to build my favorite basketball team into a championship contender, I would not hesitate to select Bryan Colangelo. I wouldn’t even interview other candidates, he’s that good.”
Then you’d be making a serious mistake.
Nowhere in your article do you provide any tangible evidence to support this exaggerated assertion of yours.
The simple fact is … Bryan Colangelo is far from being ‘the best’ GM in the NBA, either this year or any year to-date in his career as an executive (holding a ‘golden spoon’).
2) If you check the injuries that Houston team endured that season - ie I believe that Otis Thorpe, Vernon Maxwell, Carl Herrera & Robert Horry all played less than 65 games - it might be fair to say that this Rockets team in no way, shape or form, should ever be characterized as a squad with a ‘Negative (-) Rebounding Differential’ … as, when they were healthy, this specific NBA champion could, in fact, “rebound the bejeezus out of the ball’, on both ends of the court, especially once they added Clyde Drexler.
3) Rebounding and Defense (in conjunction with efficient Offense) have always been fundamental components of each and every championship team in the History of the NBA.
http://khandorssportsblog.wordpress.com/what-it-takes-to-win-the-nba-championship/
An architectural flaw in Bryan Colangelo’s NBA design template? … You better believe it is! … one which, unfortunately, his teams will never be able to overcome, in pursuit of championship glory.
Hey Khandor, thanks for the detailed response. If I may…
1) As a Raptor fan I overrate B-C because he saved our franchise from certain doom when nobody else really wanted the job. He also creates an entertaining product and consistently competitive teams. I probably should have pointed out the hyperbole in my statement, but I really do feel he’s near the top for executives.
2) I was looking strictly at numbers. That was a fantastic team, and your response only strengthens my argument, so it clearly wasn’t meant as a slight against that team. Apologies for not factoring injuries in.
3) Agreed.
I agree that rebounding has been a problem, and i honestly think it could be solved with the acquisition of one player (or a similar player with the same attributes), and that would be jason maxiell. This boy is a beast on the glass and fights for those second chance points. If we managed to get him ( i am not sure of his contract details, and im pretty sure detroit wont give him up), our line-up suddenly become formidable, even though he might be undersized at the 5.
pg. calderon, ford,
sg. parker, delfino
sm. moon, kapono
pf. bosh, hump, bargs
c maxiell, bargs
Blake,
Thanks, in return, for your response. If I may …
* It’s a pleasure talk’n hoops with someone like you … open-minded and not overly judgemental toward others who might have a slightly different perspective than yours (or the majority of Raptors’ fanatics) toward this franchise.
* The argument you’re making is accurate, re: the importance of Rebounding, and I support it completely.
(Hint: I’m in the process of putting something together right now which will, hopefully, push the envelope even further, in this regard, as the ’stats gurus’ who proliferate the sports landscape today, IMHO, may have grossly miscalculated the importance of Rebounding, among the seemingly endless array of new-age number-crunching formulas for understanding how exactly the NBA game ‘works’.)
* Nothing I write on-line is intended to be mean-spirited, hurtful or argumentative … but, simply put, to foster further dialogue between reasonable people - about a subject I find interesting - and to provide further food for thought.
* With this ? premise in mind …
re: “he saved our franchise from certain doom when nobody else really wanted the job”
Upon what basis can you validate this exaggerated assertion, as well?
[as I would certainly assert that this claim, too, is far from being the truth :-)]
Anish,
The major problem with your proposal … which is sound, IMO … are the 11 words in Blake’s article above, which follow the last comma in his final paragraph.
Do not ever under-sell just how difficult a task this might be for an individual like Bryan Colangelo.
Anish,
The 2nd problem area with your proposal is the players that remain at the wing position for this team:
sg. parker, delfino
sm. moon, kapono
none of whom are ‘physical’ enough to get the job done as a front-line player for a championship NBA team.
(i.e. each of those 4 men are capable back-ups on an elite level NBA team)
Khandor–no need to qualify your comments with a ‘no hard feelings’ comment, I completely understand and would normally assume everyone is debating in an upbeat way. Don’t ever worry about offending me via disagreement or picking apart my work, if anything it will help me to make sure there are fewer holes in my arguments in the future.
As for the second outlandish Colangelo comment, I was basing that on the previous GM search when the candidates came down to the inexperienced Rob Babcock and the risky-but-popular Julius Erving. Granted, the situation was slightly better financially when Colangelo came in, but I can’t see the executive landscape having changed enough in those few years that the no-luxury tax, poor-cap managed (at the time) Toronto job would have been heavily sought after.
Also, Khandor—I’m excited to see that article you mentioned. Let me know if you need a hand with the research end of it.
Solving the rebounding issue by adding a player depends a lot on available cap space. Colangelo has some decisions to make - particularly on what to do about Ford or Calderon. Calderon is due for a huge pay day and Ford isn’t worth the money he makes. Too much cap space to keep both.
If the Raptors have decided to commit to Bargnani, then they need to get rebounding from the small forward position. That player must help with the perimeter players that routinely torch the Raps. If there was no cap, that guy is Shawn Marion. Since there is a cap, Colangelo should consider Reggie Evans or Edwardo Najara or simlar.
Kapono should be moved. He was a bad signing for the Raps. Raps haven’t been able to create open looks for him and he doesn’t rebound or play defence. It’s not surprising that Raps are poor rebounding when 4 of the 5 players on the floor at any given time are below average rebounders.
Kapono might have value for an elite team like Korver did for Utah. ff not, trade him to the Knicks for Jerred Jefferies as a poor man’s Tayshaun Prince. I’m sure he’d be available straight up - he’s got an awful contract too.
Blake
First off great article
I thought I’d add a few points to ponder:
Regarding MLSE’s GM search, However, I think it took the Babcock debacle for MLSE to realize that it was imperative to do WHATEVER it took to get the best candidate, meaning pay top dollar and giving the new guy free reign.
In a salary cap world having that much cap space is a BIG incentive, it allows you flexibility to put get players you want into the system immediately.
IMHO, I think your statement about having your hands tied when not being able to exceed the luxury tax is a bit strong. Teams like the Celtics and Lakers made good use of it. However, Spurs and Suns are no slouches and they under the cap. And what about the Knicks or Philly, who are above the luxury tax by a significant amount? Its the person that makes the decisions that’s more important then the money.
Nick- appreciate the feedback. Again, I probably overstated Colangelo’s godliness. With respect to luxury tax, I’m not saying you can’t win without it, but it is a constraint that half the league does not face, so it’s worth noting.
http://www.knickerblogger.net/stats/2008/d_reb4.htm
The Raps are the 7th best defensive rebounding team in the NBA. They can certainly do well on one end of the court. They just don’t get any offensive rebounds.
That’s still a huge problem though, no? Because they’re still 27th in the league in total rebounding and below-average with a (now) 49.1% rebounding rate overall. If you look at every rebound as a possession, anything below 50% has to be startling.
No, it’s not a huge problem. They make up for the lack of offensive rebounds by taking care of the ball and forcing turnovers.
On top of that, take a look at the list of teams around the Raps in offensive rebounding %:
http://www.knickerblogger.net/stats/2008/o_reb4.htm
The Celtics, Spurs, Lakers, and Magic all seem to be winning a lot of games.
Can the Raps offensive rebounding % be improved? Obviously. Let’s say that the Raps go out and get Reggie Evans. Their offensive rebounding would take a huge jump. But what else does that affect? If it comes at the expense of some other aspect of the team, that can affect winning. Which is the only real stat that matters. Bryan Colangelo’s teams win basketball games.
If the Raptors were winning more games, like the Celtics, Spurs, Lakers (and maybe Magic), we wouldn’t be talking about this problem - until maybe the playoffs. Comparing offensive rebound rates in isolation isn’t helpful in your comparision - I’m sure there are other factors that explain why those teams win more frequently than the Raptors in a much tougher conference.
The Raptors aren’t an elite team, so it’s natural to look at their weakness. Stopping perimeter scoring and rebounding are the Raptors weaknesses. I don’t see how the contributions of Moon and Kapono are so great that replacing one of them with a defensive ace would hurt. (other suggestions - Trenton Hassell, Ron Artest would be perfect if he wasn’t crazy.)
Do Bryan Colangelo’s team win championships? If the Raptors won as frequently as the Suns team of the past few years, maybe there would be a case for status quo. They don’t, so there’s no reason not to try to address obvious needs.
Hey, I didn’t suggest Reggie Evans. I didn’t suggest anyone in particular, nor did I suggest the problem needs to be solved with better offensive rebounding. Rebounding in general was the topic here. Also, ‘5th last in offensive rebounding rate’ was from ESPN’s Hollinger rankings, that control for # of possessions and opponent rebounds and things like that (http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/teamstats?sort=orr&league=nba). I’m not sure why you’re focusing on strictly offensive rebounding here when the piece was about rebounding in general, and I’m not sure why you’re attacking my apparent suggestion that they get Reggie Evans to fix offensive rebounding woes, something I didn’t even come close to saying.
Regardless, I think the response to this post has made it clear that there are a ton of different opinions on what the Raptors need to do to get to the next level. The common theme? They have to do something.
Blake,
No blame should come your way because of these two exaggerated assertions.
It’s just interesting that so many die-hard Raptors’ fanatics actually seem to have drunk the kool-aid on this situation … and blindly believe that BC has done something wonderful to ’save the franchise’ since he’s arrived in Toronto, when (in fact) he hasn’t done this at all.
Take a look at the Raptors W-L for each season they’ve been in the NBA …
http://basketballreference.com/teams/teampage.htm?tm=TOR&lg=n
Did the team’s GM for the ‘98-99 season receive adoration, as a basketball genius, for taking a .195 outfit from the previous year and lifting their mark to a .460?
Or, how about for the following 2 years, when their performance improved each time, again … to .549 (’99-00) and then .573 (’00-01)?
At the end of the current road-trip, this year’s team will probably be 1 game above .500, 34-33.
And, who’s to say where they would actually be today if, say …
i) Julius Erving had been hired as the GM, instead of Rob Bacock … which would have kept VC in Toronto … with an emerging Chris Bosh, Charlie Villanueva, Jose Calderon, and the 2006 No. 1 Overall Draft Pick (e.g. LaMarcus Aldridge, Tyrus Thomas, Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay or Andrea Bargnani)
or
ii) Rob Bacock had been allowed to stay as GM … probably a nightmare, regardless???
or
iii) Daryl Morey/Sam Presti/Michael Curry (or someone else) had been offerred the job (after Babcock’s dismissal) … instead of Bryan Colangelo … ie see what’s happening today with the player rosters in Houston, Seattle and Detroit.
‘Perceptions’ pumped out by the scoundrels at the top of MLSE … seldom coincide with reality.
It’s really hard to get into ifs and buts though because I am of the belief that one different move changes the entire scenario. Jose Calderon would not be here if Dr. J was hired, VC may still be here, they probably would’ve finished somewhere else in the standings and thus not been able to have the 1st overall pick.
It’s way too hard to look back and really realistically figure out what the team would be now and in the future, the amount of scenarios are infinite.
Gagan,
Fundamentally, I agree with you … which is also the reason I do not think others should annoint any 1 person - e.g Bryan Colangelo - as a ‘genius’ without whom this franchise would somehow be in dire straits.
Evaluate where this team has gone so far under Colangelo’s direction; where it is now; and where it’s headed in the future.
2006-2007 … 45-37, 1st place in a sad sack Atlantic Division (EC #3), and a 1st Rd playoff loss to New Jersey (#6)
2007-2008 … 34-30, 2nd place in a tougher Atlantic Division (EC #5)
2008-2009 … ?
I agree with Khandor. BC has done a good job of changing the culture and has made a terrible situation better but he has a much bigger job left to do and has failed to add an impact player for the long term. My jury is still out on TJ and AB.
Anyone who thinks that Bryan Colangelo came in here and wanted to make it a quick fix is just fooling themselves. The Raptors over-achieved last season, plain and simple. It’s because the Atlantic was so weak they could get some easy wins. Because of that, this season looks and feels like a disappointment so far. This is more of a 3-5 year plan, where you build the core, then add the pieces one by one each season, until you have a team that is capable of being a dynasty. You can only do this by having the necessary young players to build the core.
In regards to the argue of impact player, that’s something that will probably be brought in over time after the core is fully assembled and established.
I got to admit though, I was really hoping for a Corey Maggette type player this season.
Gagan,
1) If it was NOT a quick situation … then there was no need to acquire TJ Ford for CV.
I agree that it SHOULD not have been a quick fix situation.
Colangelo made a mistake when he made that trade.
If he was going to trade CV he SHOULD have done so for some other player.
2) The Raptors did NOT over-achieve last season.
They achieved right where they belonged in the Atlantic Division .. based on the talent level they had on last year’s player roster.
3) If it was a 3-5 yr building project … which I agree it SHOULD have been … then the Raptors SHOULD have traded down from the 2006 No. 1 Overall Darft Pick … to acquire a lower pick in the Lottery (that they could have used to take Tyrus, LaMarcus, Andrea, Brandon or Rudy, plus pick a serviceable player and a future 1st Rd Pick.
What you cannot do, however, is try to light both ends of the candle at the same time.
e.g. 3-5 yrs equals no No. 1 Pick Overall … Quick Fix equals using the No. 1 Overall Pick yourself … but it can’t be both ways.
3) With the limited number of ‘marketable’ assets on the current roster … other than CB4 & Jose … it is going to be difficult for the GM to upgrade the team at the spots that are necessary via trade or FA signings and … given the fact that they are firmly fixed in the middle-of-the-pack in the Eastern Conference … via the Draft (Lottery).
‘Treadmill Team’ status … is the worst of all possible outcomes that exist for this specific franchise … in the aftermath of Toronto’s lucking out with the Ping Pong Balls and winning the right to choose No. 1 Overall in the 2006 Draft … to go with their perennial league All-Star, in Chris Bosh (C), and their World Championship winning calibre Point Guard, in Jose Calderon (PG), who they already had on their roster, at the time (not-to-mention a 2005 No. 7 overall pick, a 2004 No. 8 overall pick and a 2005 No. 17 overall pick, as well).
Khandor,
I think you need to flesh out your rationale regarding why TJ was a bad pickup.
Otherwise, others are left guessing as to whether what exactly it is about him that signifies “quick fix”
And the statement “should have traded him for some other player”, is there a specific kind of player/position that you’d rather BCo had pursued in exchange for CV?
3) I don’t know how closely you followed the draft that year, so I’ll give you my take on how things went.
You think the Raptor’s should have traded down from #1 to lower lottery pick, lets say still within the top 8, and picked up an extra asset ( player or pick) in the process.
The general consensus among draft experts was that the 2006 draft didn’t have a standout number on pick or a top 3. In this situation, the value of a #1 pick is extremely low, since there isn’t necessarily someone everybody wants and would pay a premium to get.
For example, to trade from the 2 to 4 spot in that draft, Portland only got an future second round pick and a non-rotation type player (Victor Khyrapa).
This is a very low return in exchange for taking the risk that the player you want won’t get picked up by someone in front of you. And be assured, BC was 100% after Bargnani.
Nick,
No, problem.
1) The Raptors had just finished 27-55 and had Jose Calderon under contract at the time. They did not need a 1st string PG who was going to eat up major minutes and hinder JC’s development as an NBA PG.
A top notch NBA GM should have been able to see in Calderon what I could see at the time … that he had the makings of a solid NBA PG … if given the chance to play major minutes in this league along with a solid young ‘Big’, like Chris Bosh, who shares his unselfish approach to the game.
I said that at the time … because that’s what I saw … and if others (including Bryan Colangelo) didn’t see that … then that speaks to their deficiencies (in terms of talent evaluation) and is none of my concern.
2) Charlie V had just finished 2nd in the NBA ROY voting and was definitely a marketable commodity that summer … but unless the team had designs on making some sort of ‘dramatic’ improvement for the next season (i.e a quick fix) … there was no reason/need for this commodity to be moved right away (especially for a player with a history of spinal injuries, and a simmering rep as a possible malcontent with the Bucks behind Mo Williams and/or Charlie Bell).
e.g. followed the 27-55 season … what, if anything, would have been wrong with making only nominal changes to the Raptors’ roster … (A) with the intention, perhaps, of missing the playoffs entirely during 2006-2007 season and, instead, picking up another top-of-the-line player in the 2007 NBA Draft … maybe even one in the Lottery? … which would include expected-to-be top players like Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Mike Conley, etc. … and, (B) adding the player that who was going to be picked by the Raptors in the 2006 Draft Lottery.
Instead of trading Charlie V for TJ Ford prior to the 2006 NBA Draft … Toronto could (should?) just ‘have stood pat’ … signed a serviceable ‘pass-first’ PG, to back-up Calderon, or split time with him but without threatening his status as the future leader of this team.
If Toronto would have followed this gradual path to improvement …i.e.
2005-2006 … 27-55 … with Chris Bosh, Charlie V & Jose Calderon
2006 NBA Draft … add Bargnani or Aldridge or Thomas or Roy or Gay
2006-2007 … 32-50 … Bosh, Villanueva, Calderon Plus 2006 Draft Pick
2007 NBA Draft … add Oden, Durant, Horford, Conley, Green, Jianlian, Brewer, Wright or Noah
2007-2008 … 38-44 … with Bosh, Villanueva, Calderon, 2006 1st-Rd Draft Pick and 2007 1st-Rd Draft Pick
what would have been wrong with that?
IMHO … that’s the core of a pretty good NBA team right there … never mind whether or not a ‘top notch NBA GM’ could/would have also added serviceable back-up players like A-Parker, Garbo, Rasho, Humphries and Kapono during the last 12 months.
3) Who else could Charlie V have been traded for?
Once you acknowledge that Charlie V did not have to be traded for anyone during the 2006 off-season … but could have have been traded during the 2006-2007 regular season or during the 2007 off-season or during this current season … then there are any number of other solid players who could have been acquired in exchange for him, up to this point in time … in fact, way too many to cover properly in a ‘comment section’ reply like this.
4) If Toronto traded down in the 2006 Draft during a year where there were seen to be no ‘premium’ players available at the top end of the Lottery … in order to pick up a rotation player from another team plus a future #1 pick in exchange for Toronto’s No. 1 Overall Selection that year … the Raptors could have included other players from their roster or whose future rights they also hold
(e.g. Joey Graham, 2005 Draft No. 16, Raffa Araujo, 2004 Draft No. 8, etc. …
see, http://basketballreference.com/teams/teamyear.htm?tm=TOR&lg=n&yr=2005, for a complete list).
The only REAL problem to this scenario was exactly what you outlined in your message … i.e. that Bryan Colangelo had specifically targeted Andrea Bargnani as THE player he absolutely wanted in the 2006 Draft.
IMO … this was not ‘the way’ a top notch NBA GM should have gone about the business of exercising his option to select the No. 1 Overall Draft Pick … in a year where the general concensus was that there were ‘no premium’ players at the top end of the Lottery.
5) In general, what is wrong with TJ Ford as a Main-frame PG for an elite level team in the NBA?
IMHO, Ford is:
i) too short (less-than-6ft-tall)
ii) too light (less-than-180lbs-weight)
iii) an inconsistent 3pt shooter
iv) an erratic decision-maker with the ball (re: passes & use of the dribble)
v) a poor defender in any post-up situation
vi) a poor help defender in situations where he is asked to ‘close the gap’ vs dribble penetration
vii) a poor on-the-ball defender when he is asked to ‘fight over the top’ vs picks & screens
viii) a poor on-the-ball defender vs a PG with size who is trying to pass over him
ix) a poor defender vs any ’switch’ scenario involving a 3, 4 or 5
x) a poor cover-down-in-the-post ‘double-team’ defender due to his lack of height
xi) strictly a finesse player who, periodically, falls prey to ‘poor’ body language.
6) What is wrong with TJ Ford as back-up PG for an elite level team in the NBA?
Not a thing … except, of course, the fact that he does NOT see himself functioning well within this role and, therefore, does NOT want to be restricted in this way.
Guys,
Great discussion.
Every Raptor fan seems to be discussing rebounding and weak centre play (Andrea). What about Small forward? Do you guys think Jamario or Carlos deserve to be starters on a winning team? I think Raptors biggest weakness is lack of players capable of getting to the rim, draw fouls, dunk.
This team is full of 3 point shooters and poor transition players. Who do you target next year? Except Bosh who would you take as a starter on conference champion?
I clearly think we lack talent/star power to get there, but I also have faith that BC realizes that this team has a weak core and would probably make some changes in the off-season.
Ak
bc has done a great job. people wait for andrea to devolp. he is really young and has potential all star even mvp in him. one thing raps need is a sf not moon. graham if he devolops, for now they need ron artest. defender scorer attitude.
Arpan,
Thaddeus Young and Al Thornton are both up-and-comers.
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