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Toronto Raptors season preview: The bigs
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Bryan Colangelo’s off-season overhaul saw him hit the reset button on the Toronto Raptors’ big man rotation after, as it turned out, the Jermaine O’Neal / Chris Bosh front court tandem looked a whole lot better on paper than it did on court.
Colangelo earned raves prior to last season when he boldly acquired O’Neal to pair up with Bosh as part of a front court that many were calling the best in the Eastern Conference. In fact, bleacherreport.com referred to O’Neal as “the best addition to the Raptors lineup in years.” However, after half a season of ineffectiveness, a lack of chemistry, and most importantly, an underperforming team, the O’Neal experiment ended when he was jettisoned to Miami in the Shawn Marion trade.
Now, rather than one dramatic move, Colangelo has added complimentary depth pieces to build on the big man core of Bosh and the improving Andrea Bargnani. Early in the off-season, Jason Kapono was sent to Philadelphia in exchange for tough, rugged rebounder Reggie Evans. Colangelo also brought in a familiar face in consistent veteran and former Raptor Rasho Nesterovic.
The new acquisitions will help solidify the power forward and centre positions, but Bosh and Bargnani will continue to be heavily leaned upon for minutes and production as the starters.
Bosh, of course, will have more than his five opponents to struggle against each night. The four-time All-Star will be bombarded with questions about his future everywhere he goes this season, and he – along with the rest of his teammates – must keep focused on this season for any chance at success. If he can maintain concentration amidst the constant free agency distraction, he should continue to perform at the high level expected of him and average close to, ironically enough, 20-10 (assuming he is healthy).
For the team to be successful this season, Bargnani will need to continue to build on his improvement from last season in which he set career highs in scoring average (15.4), rebounds (5.3), assists (1.2), and blocks (1.2). Now that Hedo Turkoglu is on board, it should be interesting to see whether Bargnani can continue to assert himself as a go-to scoring option or if his production last year simply stemmed from the fact that no one else was stepping up.
Evans will offer a valuable dual role for the Raptors as a second unit defender / rebounder / energy guy and as a capable back-up who can give Bosh a chance to stay fresh and healthy throughout the year. Since Charles Oakley donned Raptors purple in the early 2000’s, Toronto has lacked a tough veteran presence up front, something that Evans could provide. He will, however, have to bounce back from a sprained left foot which he incurred in an exhibition game against the Celtics.
Nesterovic, meanwhile, will have a positive influence both on and off the court. While no one expects much in the way of offence from the Slovenian, his value comes from his defensive play and help in mentoring Bargnani. He is also a valuable commodity as a player who genuinely loves the city, surely a factor in Colangelo’s decision to bring him back for a second tour of duty. He never sold his home in Toronto after being traded to Indiana in the O’Neal trade and has said that he “never felt homesick [for Slovenia] when I was in Toronto."
The rest of the Raptors’ big man depth chart is comprised of two young, unproven bigs that could make Colangelo look very smart if they develop. Amir Johnson, who was acquired from Milwaukee in exchange for Roko Ukic and the rights to Carlos Delfino, is freakishly athletic and still only 22 years old, but will have to rebound after a disappointing 2008-09 season in which he could not take advantage of a starting opportunity with the Detroit Pistons. Meanwhile, Patrick O’Bryant is still trying to tap into the potential that made him the No. 9 over-all pick (Golden State) in the 2006 NBA draft. While both men will have to work hard to become rotation fixtures, Johnson has opened eyes during training camp and should earn minutes.
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