HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Every time the Toronto Raptors have spent four seasons in the lottery, they have returned to the post season and it looks like it could happen again. While Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo’s last four lottery draft picks have generated a fair amount of buzz and controversy, it’s the acquisition of two starters from teams that finished ahead of them over the past couple of years that give them hope for next season.
 
HOOPSWORLD takes a look at the 2012-2013 Toronto Raptors:

Five Guys Think…

There’s a lot of hope and optimism surrounding the Toronto Raptors right now. It’s not baseless as they’ve had a productive offseason. They didn’t lose much. What they did lose, they made upgrades in their place with Jonas Valanciunas, Kyle Lowry, Landry Fields, John Lucas, Terrence Ross, and Quincy Acy coming aboard. With them the team is much better assembled to play head coach Dwane Casey’s style of basketball. Although their 23-43 record last year didn’t show it, they made some key improvements under Casey’s guidance. If they can build on those while the new players get quickly acclimated, a run at a lower seed in the playoffs is quite possible. However, they play in the deepest division in basketball. Every team in it is better than they are, but that doesn’t mean they still can’t be in the top eight in the East.

5th Place – Atlantic Division

– Yannis Koutroupis
 

This is the season Toronto Raptors fans have been waiting for since 2007-08, the last time the team made the playoffs. Actually, this might be the year Raptors fans have been waiting for since their founding in 1995, as this year’s team could be the best ever assembled. This year Dwane Casey will have a full training camp, and in that camp he will have a full complement of healthy players, including the highly-anticipated Jonas Valanciunas, incoming point guard Kyle Lowry, and freshman swingman Terrence Ross. Competition for minutes will be fierce, and once this team takes the court they will be even fiercer. They play in the toughest division in the NBA, but if all goes well the Raptors will make their triumphant return to postseason play, regardless.

5th Place – Atlantic Division

– Bill Ingram

 
The Toronto Raptors had a very busy offseason. After winning just 23 games last season, the Raptors added a number of key contributors such as Kyle Lowry, Jonas Valanciunas, Terrence Ross, Landry Fields and John Lucas III in an effort to make a playoff push. Toronto has the talent to compete for one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, but their success will depend on whether they can develop chemistry and get through the transition period that comes with adding so many significant pieces. The Raptors play in the arguably the toughest division in the league, but they’ll likely be in the playoff hunt for much of the season. The Raptors are very optimistic heading into this season and they’ve made it very clear that they want to be a playoff team. It’s possible and the team is certainly heading in the right direction.

5th Place – Atlantic Division

– Alex Kennedy

 
The Atlantic Division looks like the toughest division in basketball next season, with five teams that have a legitimate shot at making the postseason. Toronto might be the least likely in the eyes of some, but I’m of the belief that Kyle Lowry will make a huge difference in that starting lineup, and the addition of Rookie of the Year candidate Jonas Valanciunas will also mark a turning point for this organization. Dwayne Casey is a really good coach, and unlike last year, he could actually have the players he needs to make a serious run at the postseason.

4th Place – Atlantic Division

– Joel Brigham
 

There is a genuine reason for Raptors fans to be optimistic heading into the 2013 season. The team has stockpiled a plethora of young capable talent on its roster and as a result the team’s chemistry amongst its core can rival most teams in the league. The arrival of talented point guard Kyle Lowry and rookie big man Jonas Valanciunas gives the team even more talent on the depth chart at head coach Dwane Casey’s disposal. The team should remain relevant in the playoff mix for much of the season before falling just short, which should make anticipation for the 2014 campaign worth the wait for Raptors fans.

4th Place – Atlantic Division

– Lang Greene

Top Of The List

Top Offensive Player: Before his calf injury last season, Andrea Bargnani was averaging a career high 23.5 points per game and playing some of the best basketball of his career at both ends of the floor. Bargnani has responded to the teachings and inspiration of head coach Dwane Casey and the disrupted breakout season of last year will be back on full display.
 
Top Defensive Player: Before Coach Casey, the Raptors were the second worst defensive team in the NBA and it’s not like Colangelo added any defensive specialists to the roster to help him out last season. Casey’s defense worked with Jose Calderon, DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis and Andrea Bargnani playing big minutes, so perhaps this honor should go to the coach? Aaron Gray was a nice surprise defending the post in limited minutes and once rookie Jonas Valanciunas adapts to the NBA game, he should be the team’s top defender, but in just 24.3 minutes a game, Amir Johnson led the Raptors in blocks, was second in rebounds and led the team in personal fouls. At just 25 years old, Johnson is entering his eighth NBA season and the hard-working power forward/center will be the team’s top defender on opening night.
 
Top Playmaker: Colangelo went out and acquired his point guard of the present and the future in Kyle Lowry, but it wasn’t because he needed a better playmaker. Calderon led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.5:1 and was fourth overall with 8.8 assists per game. Coming off the bench, he will still be his team’s top playmaker. Even though it has been obvious Colangelo would like to trade the pricey Calderon, Coach Casey has already started a sales job on the point guard to keep him engaged and convince him of his value to Toronto.
 
Top Clutch Player: Even when Chris Bosh was in Toronto, the Raptors didn’t really have a clutch player and even though Andrea Bargnani briefly looked like he had assumed the role in those two huge road wins over Phoenix and Utah last January, finding a clutch player was high on Colangelo’s wish list. Expectations are Colangelo got his man when he traded for Houston’s Lowry this summer. Lowry has been getting All-Star consideration in the media since his game exploded two seasons ago and his fearless, aggressive play will be the difference for the Raptors at the end of games.
 
Top Unheralded Player: Right after Colangelo signed Linas Kleiza to a modest four-year deal in 2010, the big Lithuanian combo-forward led his National team to a surprising bronze medal at the FIBA World Championship. Unfortunately, an undiagnosed preseason knee injury sidelined Kleiza for most of the next two NBA seasons and any early excitement has long been forgotten. After returning for part of last season in Toronto, Kleiza again led Lithuania, first through the Olympic prequalifying tournament and then into the elimination rounds at the Olympics in London, where they lost to the eventual bronze medal winner, Russia. Kleiza is a good three-point shooter and the classic mismatch against smaller small forwards and slower power forwards. He will likely lose the starting job to Landry Fields, but a healthy Kleiza will have a big impact on the Raptors’ second unit.
 
Best New addition: If Colangelo had not upgraded the Raptors’ roster via trade and free agency, Valanciunas would have been the Raptors best new addition and if the young center develops as expected, he may yet earn the honor with hindsight. However, Lowry arrives in Toronto with six years of NBA experience and a proven ability to impact the game at both ends of the floor. With free throw and three-point shooting that rivals Calderon’s, Lowry adds the ability to aggressively beat his own man to the basket and defend his own position without schemed help. Much of the anticipated improvement on the Raptors this season can be attributed to the acquisition of Lowry.
 
– Stephen Brotherston

Who We Like

1. Dwane Casey: From the day Casey arrived in Toronto, Colangelo has made it clear that this was now Casey’s team. The woefully bad defensive club was in need of a culture change and that change came at a pace that even surprised Casey. As the assistant coach in charge of changing the offense-oriented Dallas Mavericks’ mindset, perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s easier to accomplish something the second time around and unlike the Mavericks, the Raptors’ players had zero argument for resisting. Casey’s imprint was all over the changes to the Raptors’ roster this summer and this head coach has provided something not seen in Toronto for awhile, hope.
 
2. Andrea Bargnani: In the past, it was assumed Bargnani might never become an effective two-way player and while many teams found him almost unguardable, they could count on getting those points back at the other end. The difference under Casey’s guidance has been dramatic. Prior to his calf injuries last season, Bargnani was both his team’s leader offensively and one of their hardest workers at the defensive end of the court. A lot will be expected from Bargnani this season and the big Italian has shown he is willing to do what Coach Casey demands.
 
3. Kyle Lowry: Lowry earned the starting job in Houston two seasons ago and last year he averaged 14.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 32.1 minutes and he did so with an aggressive style of play. A good shooter who takes 4.5 three-pointers a game and hits on 37.4 percent of them, he also got the line 4.2 times a game and sunk 86.4 percent of his free throws. Lowry hits all of Casey’s hot buttons.
 
4. Terrence Ross: When Ross was introduced to the Toronto media, it immediately became clear that he was Casey’s pick. Casey had seen the Washington sophomore practice during the lockout and placed him on the Raptors’ draft radar for the rest of the season. Casey liked the young wing’s ability to defend and shoot from range, accrediting Ross with at least one NBA-ready skill coming out of college. Ross’ biggest impact may be to push another young player the Raptors have tied their hopes to. With Ross working to get playing time, Casey can demand DeMar DeRozan to step up his game this season without the extended periods of playing through his mistakes or force feeding him the ball. Ross’ presence will be good for both DeRozan and the Raptors.
 
5. Jonas Valanciunas: The new national hero of Lithuania is more NBA-ready than the Raptors have been letting on.  Of course it’s prudent to not overstate the immediate impact of any rookie, but Valanciunas is not just any rookie. The FIBA World Champion MVP for the under-16, under-18 and under-19 Lithuanian teams, Valanciunas has also played for his National team during each of the past two summers. Where most young players coming out of Europe have seen limited playing time, Valanciunas started for Rytas last season and was their star player. Valanciunas also has another advantage over the typical FIBA or college player coming into the NBA. Rytas head coach Aleksandar Dzikic was an assistant coach under Casey in Minnesota and the Raptors had unprecedented access to the 2011 draft pick including regular meetings and sessions with the Raptors’ training staff. Dzikic knows the nuances of the NBA game and both Rytas and Dzikic want to see their player succeed in the NBA as quickly as possible. The usual adjustment period to the NBA game should be significantly shortened for Valanciunas.
 
6. Team depth: Over the past couple of seasons, injuries have forced the Raptors to start inadequate third string point guards and small forwards and even D-League call-ups on a regular basis. Seeing the youngest lineups in team history had become an all too common occurrence. This season, the Raptors are three deep at point guard and have depth at the wing and forward positions they can call upon without concern. There are not enough minutes to go around for all the players that expect to be in the rotation, but after watching recent seasons fall apart due to injuries, a little depth seems like a good move.
 
– Stephen Brotherston

Strengths

The Raptors will benefit from a second season under Coach Casey and the opportunity to utilize a full training camp and preseason schedule to implement both an offense and a defense. Casey has given his team confidence that they can be competitive playing good defense and with the roster upgrades, the Raptors’ defense will improve again this season.
 
With Calderon still on the roster, the Raptors have two starting caliber point guards and a decent backup; overall, depth will be a team strength. Also, the addition of Lowry and the return of a healthy Bargnani will help bump Toronto from an anemic offensive team back towards the middle of the pack and this defense-oriented team will have enough offense to be effective.
 
– Stephen Brotherston

Weaknesses

While the Raptors have added some experience to the rotation, initially at least, this team will still be committed to the development of four players on their rookie deals. Rookies Valanciunas and Ross will both be guaranteed minutes in the rotation, the continued development of Davis remains important and there is still hope that DeRozan can become a future face of the franchise. If the development of these players takes precedence over winning games, the Raptors playoff aspirations will hinge on their success. Colangelo has said, however, that all players will be on a much shorter leash than in the past couple of seasons.
 
– Stephen Brotherston

What Needs To Be Said On Opening Day….

For too long, this franchise has been associated with uncommitted defensive play. Last season we made major strides in this area. I am counting some of our longer tenured guys, Andrea and Jose, to continue to set the tone for a commitment to defense in Toronto. Our returning players, along with Kyle and Landry, give us new pieces to continue our improvement. We don’t have three superstars to carry our offense, so we need to bring a blue collar attitude on the defensive end in order to see playoff basketball. This past season, we finished 12th defense. This year, our goal is the top eight. Let’s take the next step and bring playoff basketball back to Toronto.

– Anthony Macri and Brett Koremenos

The Burning Question

Can Toronto make the playoffs?

The argument against Toronto making the playoffs can be summarized by listing Miami, Indiana, Boston, Chicago, Brooklyn, New York, Atlanta, and Philadelphia. Whose spot in the playoffs are the Raptors going to take? There is a strong argument that the East has gotten better, but Toronto, Milwaukee, Washington and Cleveland have also improved and the Bobcats will not match last year’s record for futility. Just like in past years, a .500 record should be sufficient to earn an Eastern Conference team a playoff berth.
 
While it is not easy to determine which teams in the East will live up to their preseason expectations, Toronto has done enough to be a 41-win team or better and that record should take the eighth and final playoff spot.
 
– Stephen Brotherston