Current Raptors 2010-2011 Depth Chart (Update)

[Raúl]

How can you give 5 minutes to Dorsey, 15 to Alaby (combined for less than 50 NBA games) and not give a single minutes to a former Euroleague champion and a superstar in Europe?

[philwill]

Well, if Alabi makes the roster, I would rather give minutes to an early 20s player than an early 30s player. If this year is going to be a 20-30 win season, let the prospects show us what they've got. Besides, We know what Anderson and Dorsey both do, and we already have a center whose offense is focused outside the paint/off the block (though hopefully that changes this year). If Bargnani begins to develop his post game further, and spend more time in the post, then Anderson wouldn't be a bad third-string center, but I'd rather have the younger Dorsey banging down there.

[pesterm1]

jack n weems r starting...

I 100% agree. Young guns and Bargs are the franchise. Starters. AB, Amir, Sonny, DD, JJ.

[philwill]

I'd prefer to end up with a better starting PG, but I'd settle for JJ if it meant that everyone else that you've mentioned gets to start.

[Pizzaman]

Projected Opening Night Starting Five

Bargnani--Johnson---Kleiza---DeRozan--Calderon

Bench Rotation
6. Leandro Barbosa, G
7. Jarrett Jack, G
8. Ed Davis, F
9. Sonny Weems, GF
10. David Andersen C
11. Julian Wright, G
12. Reggie Evans FC
13. Solomon Alabi, C
14. Marcus Banks, G

Unless there are further moves I think you pretty much nailed the starters and the bench order. Anyone thinking Weems should start at the three over Kleiza is pure wrong. Weems is just not that good, and way too light and shot happy. They signed Kleiza to start at the three and he's a huge improvement to Turdoloo. No question they have to get Barbosa minutes to use his explosiveness and he's better than Weems. If Jose is still here he's still a better PG that Jack, but they are going to have to work some defensive magic.

[BC Boy]

There is no chance Weems starts @ SF. I'd take my chances with a "slow" Klieza on D before I would with Weems and his 6'5 - 205 lb frame. Can you imagine him trying to guard Josh Smith or Lebron ? Broken.

Who should play small forward?
Sonny Weems = 6'6, 205 lbs vs. Linas Kleiza = 6'8, 245 lbs vs. Demar DeRozan = 6'7, 220 lbs

Atlantic Division Matchups
Paul Pierce = 6'7, 235 lbs
Terrence Williams = 6'6, 220 lbs
Danilo Gallinari = 6'10, 225 lbs
Andre Iguodala = 6'6, 207 lbs


I don't know anyone that isn't "broken" by Lebron and I think Josh Smith plays PF most of the time for Atlanta. When I look purely at height, weight and speed I think Demar may be the best choice at the SF position. I don't think height and weight are the reason to not start Demar and Sonny at the wing positions, and I am sure we will see the Young Gunz movement at times:

Jack (sr. young gun)
Weems (can guard best perimeter player, may even be point guard, cuz Jack can matchup with some shooting guards)
DeRozan (from all reports he has bulked up and his handles may be better suited for the SF position)
Bargnani
Johnson/Davis

Pro's and Con's for Sonny and Demar starting:

Pros - chemistry, athleticism
Cons - redundant (both poor outside shooters and freakish athletes)

Personally, I see Demar (SF) and Barbosa (SG) or Demar (SG) and Kleiza (SF) as better complimentary starters.

[Apollo]

Who should play small forward?
Sonny Weems = 6'6, 205 lbs vs. Linas Kleiza = 6'8, 245 lbs vs. Demar DeRozan = 6'7, 220 lbs

Atlantic Division Matchups
Paul Pierce = 6'7, 235 lbs
Terrence Williams = 6'6, 220 lbs
Danilo Gallinari = 6'10, 225 lbs
Andre Iguodala = 6'6, 207 lbs


I don't know anyone that isn't "broken" by Lebron and I think Josh Smith plays PF most of the time for Atlanta. When I look purely at height, weight and speed I think Demar may be the best choice at the SF position. I don't think height and weight are the reason to not start Demar and Sonny at the wing positions, and I am sure we will see the Young Gunz movement at times:

Jack (sr. young gun)
Weems (can guard best perimeter player, may even be point guard, cuz Jack can matchup with some shooting guards)
DeRozan (from all reports he has bulked up and his handles may be better suited for the SF position)
Bargnani
Johnson/Davis

Pro's and Con's for Sonny and Demar starting:

Pros - chemistry, athleticism
Cons - redundant (both poor outside shooters and freakish athletes)

Personally, I see Demar (SF) and Barbosa (SG) or Demar (SG) and Kleiza (SF) as better complimentary starters.

DeRozan's natural position is SG and so why move him for the sake of making room for a guy who would be at the end of the rotation on a contender? Also, Iggy started at the 2 in the past. No one knows what is going to happen in Philly with Turner in town but there have been Iggy trade rumors over the summer.

[CB4]

There is no chance Weems starts @ SF. I'd take my chances with a "slow" Klieza on D before I would with Weems and his 6'5 - 205 lb frame. Can you imagine him trying to guard Josh Smith or Lebron ? Broken.

Isn't Weems one of our better more athletic defenders? Also, didn't Jeremy Wagner, who covers the Nuggets say on the Rapcast that Klieza isn't very good at guarding perimeter players?

[YKR23]

anyone else think that julian wright would make a nice addition to the young gunz? man can jump outta the gym

[SirChillyMost]

Isn't Weems one of our better more athletic defenders? Also, didn't Jeremy Wagner, who covers the Nuggets say on the Rapcast that Klieza isn't very good at guarding perimeter players?

A lot of folks haven't seen Kleiza play in the NBA and are using this FIBA tourney to gather, formulate an opinion. Just wait until the real NBA games start and Kleiza is exposed for what he is - a stretch 4 under the guise of being a 3 (if he starts). Kleiza's game would fit in better with the old NBA rules that allowed bumping, grabbing & hand checking. If Kleiza starts at the 3 he will be a foul waiting to happen. Weems is a solid defender and gets to the boards well from his wing position. It'll be interesting to watch this sf position sort itself out in camp.

Btw- can you imagine seeing Jose on the frontline guarding pg's with Kleiza guarding the wing player and Bargnani as the last line of defense for when the wing or pg blow by their above mentioned defender- that equals a very long losing season for the Rap's.

[Buddahfan]

Modfied from my post this AM on the home page

Starters
————
Johnson – Coming off of the bench you may have been able to pad your stat sheet with fouls but you will have to find another way to fill up your stat sheet in 10-11 if you expect to start.
Bargnani – He is clutching his rosaries and praying - Oh Lord don't let that Johnson and Davis pair be good together on the court or I will never get another GQ shoot.
Keliza – I like Amir wanted to play in Toronto so like him I too will get get a chance to start, I think
DeRozan – Barbosa you came off the bench in Phoenix so you will feel right at home here in Toronto doing the same thing. P.S. Don't expect me to take any of my good friend Sonny's minutes at SF
Captain Jack – I may not deserve to start but heh I will take it if for no other reason than to get introduced to the home fans before the game. Yea I might not be a starting point guard in the NBA, but I deserve to be in the ACC spotlight at least once a game.

So 4 out of the 5 starters from above will have played on the same unit last season though not a great deal

Bench
———-
Calderon – I can only imagine how many times he will get thrown under the bus in 10-11 if he indeed is around.
Weems – If that dude from Lithuania thinks he will be starting after the all-star break he don't know Sonny13.
Davis – Go get the donuts rook
Wright – You had better be better than the last player we had in this locker room named Wright or you will be cooking those donuts.
Amderson – Sorry, Canada may be a multi-cultural country but you ain’t going to find any Kangaroo meat in this locker room.

Kangaroo Meat

Barbosa – You may be the Brazilian Blur but the weather is a bit colder in Toronto than it is in Phoenix so make sure you sleep with an electric blanket so that your legs stay warm.

Reggie – Heh old man you still got enough game to keep Dorsey out of a uniform?

Dorsey – Ah hah that old dude got no game left and he is going to be sitting behind the bench all season.

Banks – Damn it BC will you trade Calderon already, I feel guilty as hell getting paid over $4 million doing nothing but cheering.

Alabi – Erie PN. Where the hell is that? I ain’t playing for no team whose court is floating on a lake.

[Apollo]

I think Barbosa is going to be one of the first guys off the bench. He's exemplifies what Colangelo is looking to do on offense; high octane all the way.

[TheRaptorland]

Curious about the 1..So I'll Shake it up a bit

The Raptors Line-up for the 2010-2011 will be:

C: #15 Amir Johnson- I placed Johnson here for the sake of Andrea. Andrea plays a similar game to Dirk Nowitzki. Johnson playing the Center allows the Raptors to play a little young Dallas Mavicks team. Johnson is also a better rebounder and Centers usually stay in the key.

PF: #7 Andrea Bargnani- Playing the Euro style of bigmen; he usually goes outside and shoots 3's or midrange jumpers. This causes him to always lack rebounders but a difficult shooter to defend for his position. Andrea going out causes either the other PF to stay with him while Johnson gets rebounds with a Center or Andrea knocking down 3's and high mid-range shots with a 6-6 ft player guarding him. Similiar to Dirk and both or 7ft but Dirk plays a PF. Andrea should too.

SF: #10 Demar Derozan- will likely play to 2 or the 3 but he will get the 3 because of the slight weight and height advantage he has over Weems. Bosh out and a new Era is made. The Derozan Era. Despite averaging less then 10pts in his rookie season. He is now able to get more ball possessions and has become one of the Raptors top-to-go-guy behind Bargnani and Barbosa. yes Barbosa. Double D should be making 14-17 pts this season playing 31-34 mins. Unless he gets a breakout year in his second year like D-wade. We all know how that went.

SG: #24 Sonny Weems- Will be playing this position because of his signs of hard work hustle and improvement he showed late last year. Someone in this thread said He averaged 16 pts in the last 5 games. I knew he played great but not that great. Either way all is good and he makes the starter line-up. furthermore he has a great relation with Double D. They love playing together this year and has great chemistry. Both can build assist or make dish (how-ever-you-want to call it) by feeding to each other. these two gives the Raptors a Golden-State Fast Break high dunking team.

PG: #28 Leandro Barbosa-Yes! the big surprise....Barbosa at point guard. why not? his ratings or higher then Jack and Calderon. He makes about the same about of assist as well and scores more. He is 6'3 ft similar to Ellis,Jack, or Jose. People assume he is taller. The value of Barbosa stood out this FIBA CUP. He is driving Brazil through games. leading them to victory. He was only benched because Phoenix as a whole has better players than the Raptors in the SG and PG. He is to short for the SG so Richardson took that spot. The PG was STEVE NASH. so he had to be bench. On the Raptors there is no need too. This gives Jack bench spot. Barbosa did have injuries but the speculations are over and is now the past. (Phoenix loss). Barbosa playing 1 gives the whole unit a better touch. He can play on a fast break team (Weems and Derozan on both sides for a Alley or he can drive and pass out to the 4 or the 3 and 2) His plays in Brazil is similiar to the European style for Andrea. He also drives more causing Johnson to get a little more open looks. He will play SG time to time. In total 32 minutes 20 minutes as PG 12 minutes as SG - stats: 15-17 pts 6-8 ast

Bench:Won't go into much details until I do a thorough analysis.

PG:Jarret Jack: bring of energy and playing as the Sixth man. Playing with Barbosa time-time. Grabbing 26-28 minutes per game with the similiar stats last year.

SG: Jullian Wright: Yes another surprise. First do you know fantasy,games etc he is ranked higher then Derozan? He played with CP3 so having Jack as his player won't be difficult for him. He is 4pts,3rbs,2ast in 12 minutes of his career. mmm not to bad for a bencher.

SF: Linas Kleiza: perfect fit he should be the scorer in this bench team. Last time in the NBA with the Nuggets he made 13.4 pts 5 rbs in 25 minutes. That is great bench production. Which may challenge Derozan and Weems for their spot.

PF: Ed Davis: now i'll be honest on draft night I wanted Avery Bradley even if he was injured. The Celtics pick him and got a steal. But slowly I've been feeling this Davis guy. He'll give the Bench and Team (1)Defense(2)Blocks and adding to the rebounds. Not to sure but the Bench seems like already a better Defensive line-up then the Starters. Which is good.

C: David Anderson: now this could have went to anyone but I love his stats better and he to can only get better in this team. His rookie year he played 14.1 minutes 6 pts and 3 rbs. This year should get open looks with Davis near him. He should also be passing the rookie wall this year like Derozan.

* Jose Calderon: if not traded will be eating up some minutes from Wright's,Jack's, and Barbosa's minutes. Should play 18-20 minutes this year. He played 27 minutes last season and made 9.8 pts and 6 ast. His minutes should decrease with the players now on the team. if not traded.

If you disagree with what I said don't fuss it is my opinion but you can kindly disagree and tell me your views.

[TheRaptorland]

A lot of folks haven't seen Kleiza play in the NBA and are using this FIBA tourney to gather, formulate an opinion. Just wait until the real NBA games start and Kleiza is exposed for what he is - a stretch 4 under the guise of being a 3 (if he starts). Kleiza's game would fit in better with the old NBA rules that allowed bumping, grabbing & hand checking. If Kleiza starts at the 3 he will be a foul waiting to happen. Weems is a solid defender and gets to the boards well from his wing position. It'll be interesting to watch this sf position sort itself out in camp.

Btw- can you imagine seeing Jose on the frontline guarding pg's with Kleiza guarding the wing player and Bargnani as the last line of defense for when the wing or pg blow by their above mentioned defender- that equals a very long losing season for the Rap's.

you kill me..Had me dying on the bed reading this.

[BC Boy]

The Raptors Line-up for the 2010-2011 will be:

C: #15 Amir Johnson- I placed Johnson here for the sake of Andrea. Andrea plays a similar game to Dirk Nowitzki. Johnson playing the Center allows the Raptors to play a little young Dallas Mavicks team. Johnson is also a better rebounder and Centers usually stay in the key.

PF: #7 Andrea Bargnani- Playing the Euro style of bigmen; he usually goes outside and shoots 3's or midrange jumpers. This causes him to always lack rebounders but a difficult shooter to defend for his position. Andrea going out causes either the other PF to stay with him while Johnson gets rebounds with a Center or Andrea knocking down 3's and high mid-range shots with a 6-6 ft player guarding him. Similiar to Dirk and both or 7ft but Dirk plays a PF. Andrea should too.

SF: #10 Demar Derozan- will likely play to 2 or the 3 but he will get the 3 because of the slight weight and height advantage he has over Weems. Bosh out and a new Era is made. The Derozan Era. Despite averaging less then 10pts in his rookie season. He is now able to get more ball possessions and has become one of the Raptors top-to-go-guy behind Bargnani and Barbosa. yes Barbosa. Double D should be making 14-17 pts this season playing 31-34 mins. Unless he gets a breakout year in his second year like D-wade. We all know how that went.

SG: #24 Sonny Weems- Will be playing this position because of his signs of hard work hustle and improvement he showed late last year. Someone in this thread said He averaged 16 pts in the last 5 games. I knew he played great but not that great. Either way all is good and he makes the starter line-up. furthermore he has a great relation with Double D. They love playing together this year and has great chemistry. Both can build assist or make dish (how-ever-you-want to call it) by feeding to each other. these two gives the Raptors a Golden-State Fast Break high dunking team.

PG: #28 Leandro Barbosa-Yes! the big surprise....Barbosa at point guard. why not? his ratings or higher then Jack and Calderon. He makes about the same about of assist as well and scores more. He is 6'3 ft similar to Ellis,Jack, or Jose. People assume he is taller. The value of Barbosa stood out this FIBA CUP. He is driving Brazil through games. leading them to victory. He was only benched because Phoenix as a whole has better players than the Raptors in the SG and PG. He is to short for the SG so Richardson took that spot. The PG was STEVE NASH. so he had to be bench. On the Raptors there is no need too. This gives Jack bench spot. Barbosa did have injuries but the speculations are over and is now the past. (Phoenix loss). Barbosa playing 1 gives the whole unit a better touch. He can play on a fast break team (Weems and Derozan on both sides for a Alley or he can drive and pass out to the 4 or the 3 and 2) His plays in Brazil is similiar to the European style for Andrea. He also drives more causing Johnson to get a little more open looks. He will play SG time to time. In total 32 minutes 20 minutes as PG 12 minutes as SG - stats: 15-17 pts 6-8 ast

Bench:Won't go into much details until I do a thorough analysis.

PG:Jarret Jack: bring of energy and playing as the Sixth man. Playing with Barbosa time-time. Grabbing 26-28 minutes per game with the similiar stats last year.

SG: Jullian Wright: Yes another surprise. First do you know fantasy,games etc he is ranked higher then Derozan? He played with CP3 so having Jack as his player won't be difficult for him. He is 4pts,3rbs,2ast in 12 minutes of his career. mmm not to bad for a bencher.
SF: Linas Kleiza: perfect fit he should be the scorer in this bench team. Last time in the NBA with the Nuggets he made 13.4 pts 5 rbs in 25 minutes. That is great bench production. Which may challenge Derozan and Weems for their spot.

PF: Ed Davis: now i'll be honest on draft night I wanted Avery Bradley even if he was injured. The Celtics pick him and got a steal. But slowly I've been feeling this Davis guy. He'll give the Bench and Team (1)Defense(2)Blocks and adding to the rebounds. Not to sure but the Bench seems like already a better Defensive line-up then the Starters. Which is good.

C: David Anderson: now this could have went to anyone but I love his stats better and he to can only get better in this team. His rookie year he played 14.1 minutes 6 pts and 3 rbs. This year should get open looks with Davis near him. He should also be passing the rookie wall this year like Derozan.

* Jose Calderon: if not traded will be eating up some minutes from Wright's,Jack's, and Barbosa's minutes. Should play 18-20 minutes this year. He played 27 minutes last season and made 9.8 pts and 6 ast. His minutes should decrease with the players now on the team. if not traded.

If you disagree with what I said don't fuss it is my opinion but you can kindly disagree and tell me your views.

I like the idea of starting DeRozan and Weems, but until they can tighten their handles and create shots for each other, I don't like them playing alongside Barbosa. I know Barbosa's scoring stats are better, but his assist stats are awful (and the FIBA tourny has shown me he is a SG).

Assists per game (in 09/10) for your starting lineup is:
Barbosa = 1.5
Weems = 1.5
DeRozan = 0.7
Bargs = 1.2
Johnson = 0.6
TOTAL = 5.5 (OUCH!)

vs. last years starting lineup
Calderon = 5.9
DeRozan = 0.7
Turk = 4.1
Bosh = 2.4
Bargs = 1.2
TOTAL = 14.3

I also can't argue that lineup for defensive purposes, so I highly doubt it will be the starting line-up.
As well, Wright will play more PF than SG this season, with SF being his main position. He is 6'8, 225 lbs... and the Raptors have said they would like to play more small ball.