HoopsWorld: Raptors Have The Talent To Compete for a Playoff Spot

[Buddahfan]

Don’t Overlook Toronto

By: Stephen Brotherston Last Updated: 9/20/10 10:10 PM ET | 1270 times read

Toronto Raptors President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Bryan Colangelo wants to win. He wants to win so badly that after he re-organized the perennially losing Raptors into the Atlantic Division winner and back-to-back playoff appearances, he was willing to risk the entire 2008-09 season on the former Pacers All-Star Jermaine O'Neal's bad knees for a chance to get to the Eastern Conference Finals. Then last season Colangelo pulled off a near miracle in stealing the Magic's Hedo Turkoglu in free agency away from Portland. But both of his big bets back-fired and the Raptors have spent the last two seasons digging out from under the rubble................................

Aside from Boston no team in the Atlantic can be counted on in April, and just like in 2009-10, the last four positions may only be ranked for pride. But those last couple of playoff spots in the East are there for whichever teams decide to step up and take them.

The Raptors have been overlooked this season for the first time in several years as Bosh departed for Miami and Colangelo failed to bring in a big-name player to bolster his roster before training camp. But failing to land another big name veteran may be just what the Raptors needed; the last couple of attempts did not go so well.

This year, the bottom seeds in the Atlantic division and even the Eastern Conference are hardly a sure thing and just like last season Toronto has the talent to compete with the teams hoping to grab one of the final playoff spots.

Lot more on link below

Can You Say Raptors and Playoffs Together in 2010-11

[Roarque]

Just Be Aggressive

Man, I just want the Raptors to play an aggressive brand of basketball this winter. Take advantage of the youth, energy and speed of the team that is here and show us the Raptors can be the Young Gunz of the East. Upset a few contenders and entertain the fans!

In the overall scheme of things, the playoffs for Toronto ( and Cleveland and Atlanta and Carolina and and and ) are not in the picture but I want to be where the Raptors are:

- youngsters who want to prove they belong in the NBA
- wear out the ancients on Boston and the West
- bring a sense of fear to play in Toronto to the rest of the League
- rise to the occassion and give as good as they get against Miami

Go Raptors Go!!

[Brasky]

Bullshit article.

[SirChillyMost]

The Rap's have the potential roster talent to battle for a lower seed in the East if certain statistical particulars fall into place team, player performance wise but they don't have the coach that will get the most out of this group- Jay aka Mr don't worry be happy, is not the right man to lead a NBA team- especially a team hoping to compete for a playoff seed(imo). Jay is best suited as an assistant coach on the NBA level that's what I get from his elementary school principal like persona, steez on the Rap's sidelines. Try breaking a clipboard over your head this season, Jay, that would really impress me.....lol

MistaDoblina- you need more people, we don't believe you!!

Btw- this European approach, re-enforced by recent Raptor related media articles, to the NBA resonating from the Toronto Raptor's front office needs to cease and desist- this is the NBA not FIBA- BC!! Please save your Global, Stern approved, roster experiments for some other team as Toronto fans & followers deserve the best team that MLSE can produce. Don't try to pass off some hybrid experimental NBA team constructed via an ideological NBA basketball paradigm birthed from the depths of BC's & Stern's collective deceptive consciousness as being legit- especially a team that boasts Bargnani as the Franchise player.

No wonder Bosh left the BC's bull chit vision behind in TO in exchange for the vision of Riley in Miami.

[Afro_Daddy]

"The Raptors have been overlooked this season for the first time in several years"

dont we get overlooked every year?

[raptors15vc]

Last year the raptors had a decent team to be a top 5 seed in the nba but our fucking coach who can only break clipboards was the problem . with jt as head coach raps arent going anywhere

[MangoKid]

Is the talent there to grab a 8th spot? Sure. Will it be realized though? Probably not. I mean, who's the go-to scorer? Who becomes this team's rebounder? How is the PG situation going to be handled? Can Amir stay on the floor? Can DeRozan's game take a significant leap? Can Kleiza's season translate from the FIBA game to the NBA game? Too many question marks with this team.

[golden]

Who the heck wants a team with the goal of "competing for the 8th spot"? Which, of course, means that you fall just a hair short and get the worst possible non-playoff team draft pick. Oh wait.... that just happened.

Raps fans need to get the word 'playoffs' out of our heads for this season. The core goal should be to develop a culture of playing hard, defense, accountability and committment to executing a system as team. Discipline, sacrifice and building the right habits is the goal. The problem we had in the past was that the talent (e.g. CB4) was good enough allow us to scrape by, so that we never had to address the flaws in the team culture and character.

[Manisoa]

The primary objective is to foster a mentality that prioritizes teamwork, defense, accountability, and playing to win. The objective requires self-control, self-sacrifice, and the formation of beneficial routines. In the past, we struggled due to a lack of talent.
puppet hockey

[G____Deane]

Who the heck wants a team with the goal of "competing for the 8th spot"? Which, of course, means that you fall just a hair short and get the worst possible non-playoff team draft pick. Oh wait.... that just happened.

Raps fans need to get the word 'playoffs' out of our heads for this season. The core goal should be to develop a culture of playing hard, defense, accountability and committment to executing a system as team. Discipline, sacrifice and building the right habits is the goal. The problem we had in the past was that the talent (e.g. CB4) was good enough allow us to scrape by, so that we never had to address the flaws in the team culture and character.

haha Golden from 2010 could be written today

[Primer]

haha Golden from 2010 could be written today

I guess the bots here are to practice their natural language skills and see if they can fool us into talking to them?

Precursor to SkyNet?

Anyways, sometimes it's funny when they dig up these decade plus old threads.

[The Great One]

Who the heck wants a team with the goal of "competing for the 8th spot"? Which, of course, means that you fall just a hair short and get the worst possible non-playoff team draft pick. Oh wait.... that just happened.

Raps fans need to get the word 'playoffs' out of our heads for this season. The core goal should be to develop a culture of playing hard, defense, accountability and committment to executing a system as team. Discipline, sacrifice and building the right habits is the goal. The problem we had in the past was that the talent (e.g. CB4) was good enough allow us to scrape by, so that we never had to address the flaws in the team culture and character.

#FireTriano

[golden]

Lmao. Real recognize real.