The Raptors were able to stay in the game, until half-way into the 4th, by taking advantage of the Cavs turnovers. On 16 Cleveland turnovers, the Raptors scored 19 – compared to allowing only 11pts on 11 turnovers. I find comfort in this knowing that we play a team that has a young point guard who turns the ball over 2.74 times a game (3.7 in the last 10). With the way the Raptors have been pressuring on the perimeter over the last few games, this could prove to be an encouraging point of focus. Mind you, the Bucks as a team, protect the ball very well committing only 13.5 turnovers a game, but it all starts with Jennings for them.

The last time we played the Bucks we were playing sans Calderon and Bargnani. Playing without Bargnani extremely hurt since there was nobody on the perimeter who could knock down a freaking jumper. The Bucks are a very good defensive team at defending the three, where they allow a stingy 34.4% (10th best in the association) from behind the arc. You have to think that long jumpers would be similar since they are great at closing out on shooters. With Bargnani’s ability to put the ball on the court and take a few steps in, that could open up a lot of space.

Calderon’s loss meant that Luke Ridnour was able to run amok around the court, and a motivated Ukic had his way. This was before Banks was a difference maker on defense (it seemed as though as soon as he said it, he lived it; interesting…). While I don’t think Jose could stop either Ridnour or Ukic, he would have forced them to man him up on defense, and at least tire them out some, unlike what Banks did (nothing at all).

While the Bucks front court is nice (Bogut has been a God-send for me in one of my fantasy leagues), they don’t have the guns to beat a Bosh/Bargnani tandem. Over the last few games, they have really come together, and have a wicked hi-low post thing going on. Fortunately for the Bucks, Bosh and Bargnani played 42 and 37 minutes respectively which historically has meant they both will be a step slower.

Not sure what happened to DeRozan in the 2nd half of the Cavs game given how well he played in the 1st, but with his improved mid-range game, and relatively fresh feet, he could be an important piece to pace the Raptors early while they find that Zen spot to play through the pain. Belinelli too. He took a few bad shots at really bad points in the 4th, but he has the chops to attack the paint when folks close out on him, which the Bucks will. Again, these two wont be the keys to the game, but they can provide some spark off the bench to open up some space for Bosh, Bargnani, Jose and even Chewy Hedo to operate.

The gamblers have the line at Bucks -2.5, which isn’t very encouraging for the home side considering the visitors were battling in Cleveland the night before. If the Raptors can control the paint, Jose plays how he did against Dallas, and Bargnani gets looks in the fourth, then the Raptors should win this. I wont hold my breath though. Sorry, but this is the second night of a back-to-back.

Bryan Colangelo was at it again on Monday, sign-and-trading Carlos Delfino (with Roko Ukic) to the Milwaukee Bucks for Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems.

Quickly, my thoughts are as such: the Raptors and Delfino couldn’t close the financial gap in contract talks, so the Raptors did what they could to get something out of their restricted hold on ‘Loso. It sounds like fans have more of a problem giving up Ukic than Delfino in the deal, which I appreciate, but without retooling his shot and making serious strides with his court vision and leadership, Ukic wasn’t going to get any run behind Jarrett Jack and Jose Calderon anytime soon. It always hurts to lose a young player with potential, but he no longer had a place on the Raptors and may get a chance in Milwaukee.

In Johnson, the Raptors get another tough big man to pair with Reggie Evans and Rasho Nesterovic as the substitution platoon. Despite not living up to his potential (allegedly) in Detroit, Johnson is still just 22 years old and has fairly large upside as a shot blocker and post defender. I’m a big fan, personally, and his toughness is a welcome addition. He’s also stronger offensively than Evans, providing a little more versatility in the rotation.

At the same time, as Raps Fan outlines, DeMar DeRozan is thrust into a bigger role. Essentially, losing Delfino (our supposed backup-SF) for another big pushes Antoine Wright into more SF minutes, leaving more minutes open at SG for DeRozan (or possibly, minutes for DeRozan at SF).

And finally, the Raptors acquired more team-specific upside than they gave up.

So I guess those were my not-so-quick thoughts on the deal. I like it, I love Johnson, and this is another Colangelo special.

What really sticks out to me looking at the new roster, though, is how the first and second units contrast pretty obviously in terms of style.

The first unit (which I am considering to be Calderon, DeRozan, Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Bosh, and Andrea Bargnani…seems a fair assumption except for possibly DeRozan) is a flashy, floor-spacing, offensive-minded group. Everyone is capable of creating their own shot, moving the ball, and to a person they all have some defensive limitations. This is a group that should be among the most exciting, offensively-explosive sets of five in basketball, with the question being whether they can defend well enough together to keep their opponents from scoring in equally large chunks.

The second unit (some combination of Jack, Marco Belinelli, Antoine Wright, Johnson, Evans, and Nesterovic) is much less gifted offensively. Belinelli can shoot, Jack is a strong point guard, and the others (save for Evans) all have some offensive skills. Still, for the most part this is a group that gets by on toughness and defense, Belinelli excluded. It should be a group that rebounds well, hustles hard, and defends to at least a league-average level.

The contrast between the two groups couldn’t be starker. Evans, Nestervoic, and Johnson all seem like the type of bigs that would complement Bosh and/or Bargnani well on the floor, while Wright makes up for the defensive deficiencies of DeRozan and/or Turkoglu.

Obviously, a key challenge for coach Jay Triano will be to mix and match the units as the game progresses to optimize the team’s performance. I think it’s fairly evident that running the second unit out as a whole for extended time could be troublesome offensively, while sticking with the first unit for long stretches late in games could leave the team prone to defensive collapses. So Triano, now given a much more plentiful roster of talent than in his 65 game trial last season, faces much more difficult personnel and lineup decisions.

While I won’t pretend to know how these units will shake down, I think having Demar DeRozan come off the bench has almost become a necessity. Such a move would afford DeRozan more opportunities to develop his offense and would improve the starting unit’s defense with the addition of either Jack or Wright. Obviously, the minutes a group spends together matters more than an actual starter/reserve designation, so I might be better off suggesting DeRozan spend more time with the subs than the starters.

Regardless of which direction Triano takes the team in terms of lineup shuffling, Colangelo’s offseason moves have created a roster environment where Triano has options, to say the least. Finding minutes and combinations for 11 players is a blessing and a curse, and finding the best five-man lineups will be something Triano is evaluated on all season long.

Toronto Sun

Milwaukee’s front office was intrigued by the potential of Johnson, 22, who was drafted by Detroit out of high school in 2005. Immediately after dealing Richard Jefferson to San Antonio for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto in June, the Bucks sent Oberto to Detroit for Johnson.

Johnson became more expendable when the Bucks signed Hakim Warrick, a move that came after Memphis rescinded its qualifying offer to the restricted free agent.

Toronto Star

The financial aspect of the deal will be felt at the end of next season.

Johnson has just one year and $3,666,667 (all figures U.S.) left on his contract while Ukic had an option for $1,450,000 in the 2010-11 season. Weems will make the league minimum of $736,420 next season with no guarantee beyond that.

And with the expectation that the salary cap and luxury tax thresholds will drop next season, any long-term savings will help to keep some kind of financial flexibility for Colangelo, team president and general manager.

But giving up on Ukic is a gamble, even for a Toronto team with a surfeit of point guards.

National Post

The deal cannot officially be completed until next week at the earliest because of contractual details and the never-simple machinations of the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

Since the deal brings two new players to Toronto while sending out just one – Delfino, who played in Russia last year but was not on the Raptors’ roster since the sides could not come to an agreement on a contract – the Raptors are now up to 15 players, the maximum allowed on an NBA roster.

And if Colangelo remains quiet until training camp kicks off in late September in Ottawa, he will have certainly deserved the break. His level of activity makes this off-season one of the most eventful in team history.

The Knicks Blog

From a basketball standpoint, this deal would make a lot of sense for the Raptors.  They have already brought in Antoine Wright, DeMar DeRozan, Marco Belinelli and Heod Turkoglu to be in the mix at the SG/ SF spot.   Johnson would bring some needed depth up-front.    The Raptors have already brought in  bunch of new talent this off-season.  Up-front, they have added Reggie Evans and Rasho Nesterovic to play with Bosh and Bargnani.  Johnson could be the first forward off the bench there.

NBA-Tube

Some behind the scenes Flip Cam footage of Raptors Rookie DeMar DeRozan at the 2009 NBA Draft

Boston Herald

The 6-foot-6-inch Delfino is the key man in the trade for the Bucks, a player who can provide depth at small forward, still a major concern after the departure of veteran Richard Jefferson in a June 23 trade. That was the same deal that netted Johnson from the Detroit Pistons.

But the 6-9 Johnson became more expendable in the Bucks’ thinking after they signed free agent Hakim Warrick to a one-year, $3 million deal earlier this month. Warrick will have a chance to gain a starting spot at power forward.

The Bucks also are encouraged by the development of young power forward Ersan Ilyasova, who signed a three-year deal earlier this summer, and they have veteran Kurt Thomas to provide depth at power forward and center.

Brew Hoop

I honestly don’t know how Delfino will shake up the 2/3 rotation, as it’s very possible Delfino ends up getting burn at the 2 (more his natural position) and forces Bell or Meeks (sadly) out of the lineup.  And while I’d throw Thomas in as the backup center for now, that’s mostly because I’m hoping to see a lot less of Elson and Gadzuric.  Where does Joe Alexander fit in all of this?  Who knows.  He’ll still be fighting for minutes at the 3/4 spots, and with the lack of proven players at those positions he’ll certainly get a chance to play–it’s just a question of whether he can take advantage of it.

Yahoo

It’s not that Milwaukee made a bad deal, here. It’s just that Toronto made a very good one. Johnson and newly-acquired Reggie Evans will provide carom insurance that is badly needed on a team full of long rebound-creators, and as promising as Ukic looked at times, his bottom line just wasn’t worth Toronto’s time.

The deal doesn’t exactly guarantee 45 wins for either club, but it’s always nice to see sound moves created during the dog days of the offseason.

James McCallum’s Blog

But even with the hockey-centric fans and the struggles they have had outside of the GTA, Calderon is staying upbeat, maintaining that he feels the support of the country.

“I see Raptors jerseys all over the world,” he said. “I think the other teams are just playing for a city but we play for a country. I feel a lot of support in Toronto. It’s true that hockey is the first sport in Canada, but we are working on that.”

Fan590

Jay Triano – The Raptors Coach chats on the Morning Show with Don Landry and Paul Hendrick about the changes to the roster for this upcoming season.

Ladies and gentlemen, the summer of doin’ work is officially over. BryCo, probably for the last time before the season starts, picked up the phone and turned nothing into something more then nothing…more or less. Amir Johnson (and some dude named Sonny Weems), of Detroit-Dumars fame, are the latest Raptors. The causalities: Roko “I hate my life because I’m playing behind Douby” Ukic, and Carlos “$3mill euros a year can’t buy me happiness” Delfino.

By my count, that is 9 new players on this roster. NINE. Seriously, 60% of our roster was assembled during 6 weeks of whirlwind activity. Integrating them all while fielding a team with playoff designs will be a challenge to say the least. Triano sure has his work cutout for him, and if he fails, I can almost hear the excuses now: “he had 9 new players to work with…” I don’t know about y’all, but I’m freaking wiped out.

Why I like this deal:
His contract expires at the end of the year if he doesn’t work out, we get some cap relief (almost $4mil) for the Summer of Bosh. The Raptors get much deeper in the front court, which will help when we face Orlando, Cleveland and Boston who have all become bigger and stronger up front. Amir potentially becomes the best shot blocker. Probably the sweetest reason: we never have to see Patrick O’Bryant play another minute in a Raptor uniform.

Why I don’t like it:
We had an offer out to Pops which he would have probably signed because nobody else has any interest, so he could have been our 4th big (instead of Johnson and ahead of O’Bryant). It can be argued that the drop-off from Johnson to Pops wouldn’t be very significant. There is drop-off, don’t get me wrong, but when you are talking 5+ minutes a game (between Evans and Rasho, I don’t see the 4th big getting lots of burn), the drop-off wont be that significant and wont cost us games. While Antoine Wright can play the SF, he is far more effective at playing SG:

Offense:
SG PER = 10.7
SF PER = 9.0

Defense
SG = Opponent PER = 16.3
SF = Opponent PER = 18.0

Belinelli played zero percentage of the available minutes at the SF position for the Warriors last season, zero. We should stop talking about him as a backup SF, that’s all I’m saying. If we could have got Johnson for Delfino/Ukic, we could have gotten a lower tier SF who is a stopper on the perimeter, that’s all I’m saying.

Some quick thoughts on what this trade means:

• We wont be getting that backup SF anymore, meaning that defensive stopper off the bench will have to be Wright or Belinelli…I’ll pause while you stop laugh at that last one
• …DeRozan is assured a big role during his rookie campaign (I was hoping he would be eased in) from the get go
• Belinelli will have a much larger role, regardless of his readiness
• Joey Graham wont be coming back, but bizarro-Joey (Sunny Weems looks like a freaky Joey doesn’t he?) is more then capable of covering his uhhh…whatever he did on the bench
• O’Bryant is now the 3rd big off the bench, which means if Pops signs that contract offer (didn’t know if that offer was rescinded at time of writing this article), he will probably be released, or bought out, or driven out to the bus station and handed a ticket to Iowa or something
• People are super excited about this trade, we got 189 comments about it yesterday…man I love you guys.

I gotta say, I like this kid so far.

Oh, just in case you’re wondering why I didn’t say anything about Weems, I never heard of the guy until yesterday, and I expect him to be fighting with Douby for minutes. There, I said something.

From our understanding, Doug Smith’s post about Roko & Carlos going to the Bucks for Amir + filler is closer to the truth than a straight up Carlos for Amir. One hitch is that Carlos must agree to at least a 2 year deal for any deal to be done with Milwaukee.

Smith brings up a good point: do you give up on Roko? Could he turn into another Carlos Arroyo?

Keep your eye on our newsfeed for any developments.

The first of a mini-series examining the Raptor players, and how they stack up in regards to a particular facet of the game. In this case: Defense.

The Starters

Calderon
You do a lot of running around, your arms are active, you’re always yelling, but not a whole lot of defense is going on. Amazing really. Yes you were injured for most of the year, but what about the last two years??
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Down
You are destined to defend your pig farm from the swine flu. Fortunately, there is medicine you can give them once you fail at that too.

DeRozan
You have the tools grasshopper, you will have the freedom to put things together and find your groove.
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Up
Expectations aren’t outrageous, and you have a year grace period. I imagine you will block a couple ridiculous shots in the mold of Tayshaun Prince that will make AltRaps clap, hop and giggle like a little girl.

Turkoglu
For now, all folks can think about is that block you had on Kobe in the finals. BryCo got you for your offense, we aren’t fooling anyone here.
Verdict: 2 Thumb Up
You’re tall, coordinated and know how to ball. You can disrupt passing lanes, and make that entry that much harder to toss. As long as you don’t take plays/games off, and grab some boards, you won’t hear a peep from me.

Bosh
While you’re no Duncan or KG, you are a solid team defender who does everything good, but nothing great. Too bad that a team defender needs a team to be effective.
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Up
This years crop is the best lot you’ve had to play with in years. So when you help on defense, someone will actually rotate over to cover your check, and not hang you out to dry.

Bargnani
LOL…VL plays defense like he rebounds – dude is 7ft, so just standing there, something is bound to happen. Yes you get a block or two a game, but when you put your hands up, you approaching 9ft. It’s not like a 6ft9 Ben Wallace who goes after it.
Verdict: 1 Thumb Up
By virtue of your size, you’re going to block some shots. You are getting stronger and tougher to push in the low blocks, but your defensive acumen is very low. I can’t recall a time when you rotated on a defensive play, or played that roll well. You’re a scorer, so put the ball through the hoop. I imagine you will have to put up 27/game to even the rest out. Jam on it son.

The Bench

Jack
Lil-big person, Jose is going to looking over his shoulder, which is a good thing. You are quick and physical and will give the backcourt a different look in more ways then one.
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Up
I don’t have much to add here, just make your presence felt, pick a couple pockets, and get up in peoples grill.

Wright
We were told that we will love your blue collar hustle. I’m not super familiar with your game, but you come with good reviews with your “get-at-it-ness”.
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Up
Long, athletic and willing to grind. That’s all I need to hear.

Evans
If only you would play defense like you molested Kaman. You are tough and intimidating, which is something the Raptors have been missing since Oakley/Davis/JYD left.
Verdict: 1 Thumb Up
The new Humphries, that’s what pops in my head when I think of Reggie. He plays like Calderon, seems like he’s a good defender, but really isn’t. Fortunately we don’t have a defensive game plan for Reggie to eff-up.

Belinelli
Apparently his defense is much more solid then people think, which is great because I think he is just an offensive player. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt since I don’t know too much about him.
Verdict: 1 Thumb Up
I hope he’s up to task since he will be getting some burn.

Ukic
His defense is far more consistent then his offense, sadly. He’s quick, long, and can disrupt passing lanes.
Verdict: 1 Thumb Up
He has the tools to defend the point well, tall and quick, just has to be consistent and build on the uggg….mole hill he built last year.

Douby
Quick and aggressive on the perimeter. He has long arms, and can surprise if people get sloppy with the ball.
Verdict: 1 Thumb Up
Our boy is known more for his offense then defense, which is quite telling. Ultimately, no matter how good he played during summer league, he is sitting at 4th on the depth chart at the PG, so as long as he doesn’t play bad, he doesn’t have to play good; if that made any sense.

Nesterovic
He never makes the spectacular plays, but he’s consistent, and there is something to say about that on a team full of guys who aren’t.
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Up
Solid, dude is solid. He isn’t the greatest defender, but he brings that veteran presence on defense which means we wont get nervous when he subs into the game in any situation….segue…

O’Bryant
You would think he would be a poor man’s Bargnani on defense (lol first time that has been said); he’s 7″ with a 15″ wing span, a little defense should fall into his lap (blocks, tips, steals…). Sadly it doesn’t
Verdict: Zero
Zero

Banks
Zero
Verdict: Zero
Zero

So, we have 17 of a possible 28 thumbs up. Not great, but better then average.

Toronto Sun

The Raptors’ resident Turk hopes to delight the fans in Toronto this season by making the NBA all-star team for the first time in his career.

Hedo Turkoglu, who was acquired by the Raptors on July 9 in a sign-and- trade deal involving four teams, told the Turkish newspaper Zaman recently that his primary goal for this 2009-10 NBA season is to make the all-star team.

NBA Roundtable

The guys who I consider to be dead weight are — Marcus Banks, Roko Ukic, Quincy Douby and Patrick O’Bryant.

I’d like to see the Raptors remove at least three of those players from the squad. I don’t think O’Bryant is good enough to play in the NBA, so he’s an easy call. Then it’s a choice between the three point guards. I’d like to see Banks removed from the equation, because I hold zero hope for him coming good at this stage of his career whereas there’s still some hope for both Roko + Douby to improve. I’d be happy with either Roko or Douby in the third string slot, but I’d prefer to keep Roko.

T.O. Sports

I have cast aside any bias I have and ranked the Raptors third. My reasons? Jarrett Jack, and Reggie Evans. The supplemental arguments are DeMar DeRozan, Roko Ukic, and new acquisitions Marco Belinelli or Antoine Wright for added punch offensively or defensively.

It just makes that much sense. Granted working against them is having that Marcus Banks character on the roster, with Patrick (waste of space) O’Bryant.

The Raptors really have put together a formidable bench to hopefully avoid some of those depth issues that plagued them last year.

AltRaps

I think the most likely scenario would have Colangelo package Ukic (or Douby) and O’Bryant to a team for one player – preferably a PF/C with some upside and rebounding potential.  Ukic (unlike Banks) may be enticing enough for a team to pull the trigger on a deal – especially if we take someone back who has greater than a year term.  This would obviously have to be a calculated risk.  A deal of this ilk would allow us to free up another roster spot as well to go after a third string SF.  If Wright goes down this season, we are still a little thin at the small forward position, as Belinelli will see more time at SG and Evans will spend most of his time at the PF position backing up Bosh.  DeRozan may see a little time at the SF, but we can’t count to heavily on the rookie.

New Leisure Blog

No one knows the answer, but on paper it’s possible. Because you have enough skill players, and good outside shooters which the defense must respect. The biggest difference between the Raptors and a European team is that the Raptors does have a couple of guys who can score in isolation when needed, starting with Chris Bosh. Bosh is a nightmare to guard, his combination of a good jumpshot and a very quick first step gives other team’s best defender fits. Bosh draws almost 10 free throw attempts per game, not a lot of bigs in the NBA could do that. Bargnani and Hedo can also score in isolation if needed. A lineup of Calderon, Belinelli, Turkoglu, Bosh and Bargnani, features 3 good ball handlers and all 5 of them can shoot, which is truly unique. So the upside to this is that the teams has many good to great passers which could result in fun times in Toronto, something the city hasn’t seen.

Golden State of Mind

The Raptors just bought that futon. It might work out for them. They might be able to squeeze it into the den, invite some friends over and watch the game, eh. If they didn’t really have a guest room, maybe they’ll get more use out of it since for them, it can once again double as a guest bed when someone had a bit too much Moosehead for the drive home and needs a place to sleep it off or some out of town guests show up and need a place to crash. They might think "man, I can’t believe we got this futon and at such a steal,eh!" But it’s still just a futon, and one that was going to go on the curb with a "free" sign in a couple of weeks anyhow, so I can’t really see how we’d lose any sleep about it. It’s just a futon.

But now there’s some neighbor screaming at the top of his lungs about how I was robbed, that the futon was golden and I’m just an apologist for the ever-evil futon consortium that hasn’t made a good deal on futons for three decades. "How could you possibly just give away a futon?!" he started screaming, with a good deal of incomprehensible babble and some vulgar insults attached.  [And now our unarmed North American friends with universal health coverage have exploded into a contest of whether or not over whose franchise will be sifting through the futon lottery longer?  Insane.]

Really, all this over a futon?

Bleacher Report

They very validly point out that a lot of the Raptors players aren’t very athletic, and don’t spend enough time attacking the basket. They point out that for the lion share of last season, Calderon couldn’t have defended against a girl scout pulling a wagon of cookies, because he had the lateral quicks of Roseanne Barr.

You can hear their microscope focusing purely on the Negative potential of the team.  Every now and then they will begrudgingly give some ho hum credit to Bosh. But never leave that point before stating they think he’s overrated. And then two sentences later talk with baited breath about how Bosh will leave Toronto for their team next year.

The Raps will be better next season.  But how much better.

Dino Nation Blog

So if you want to see a summer time charity game again let’s here it. In fact don’t just tell me but tell @chrisbosh on Twitter. Steve Nash had picked up the game for a few years and tried to move it out west and it pretty much died off. I say it is time to bring it back. I understand that this year with the renovations and construction around the A.C.C it would not have been possible. But next year it would be. If things work out right Chris can sign his new contract to remain a Raptor at halftime. That alone would fill the A.C.C would it not?

So the Raptors roster has filled out pretty nicely over the offseason. The team has made several nice additions while losing very few key pieces. However, after an extremely disappointing 2008-09 season, and a few obvious weaknesses still remaining, it is still difficult to tell just how well the Raptors will do in 2009-10.

Ranking the offseason moves of all NBA teams, ESPN’s Chad Ford said of the Raptors, who rank 8th:

Although I don’t think these moves suddenly make the Raptors a serious contender, I do think they’re a playoff team. Given last year’s disaster, that’s pretty significant.

But the term ‘playoff team’ means very little in a top-heavy Eastern Conference. With the power balance shifting from the West to the East this past season (an article for another time, but rest assured it happened), playoff-bound could mean a first round exit for the Raptors. In the East, behind powerhouses like the Celtics, Cavaliers, and Magic, the goal for most teams now appears to be 4th place. Not only does 4th place mean home court advantage in the first round, but it also means missing a first round matchup with either of the three aforementioned Beasts of the East.

So the question for Raps’ fans maybe shouldn’t be about Delfino, DeRozan, or 2010 Chris Bosh. Maybe we, as a collective, should be working to figure out if the 4th seed is a realistic goal for this team.

Considering the changes that accrue for a roster as offseason roster and philosophy changes are made, here is a look at the current roster based on previous performance, with the hope being to shed some light on how the Raptors stack up against the Heat, Wizards, 76ers, Bulls, Hawks, and Pistons (with apologies to those other teams).

Marcus Banks: “Laughin’ Straight to the” Banks’ $4.46M contributions can be summed up in one word: Ugh. I’d be surprised if he gets off the Inactive List this season. Last year he had a 7.83 PER, and he’s never had a PER close to 15.00 (league average). Hey, at least we’re on the hook for another year at that price tag!

Andrea Bargnani: “Il Mago” was paid this offseason. Paid. To the tune of $10M per season. Like I said, paid. Bargnani will make $6.53M this year before that extension kicks in. Last year his PER became razor close to the league average 15.00 (14.66) but things really started to look up in the second half of 2008-09, to the tune of 19.4-5.4-1.7-0.6-1.7 (P-R-A-S-B) with a 49.3% shooting percentage, 45.7% from downtown. Those numbers are mouth-watering and well worth the new price tag if he can pick up his defense and rebounding to any degree at all.

Chris Bosh: Not a lot to say about CB4, but the implicit goal of 2009-10 is to do well enough that Bosh stays for 2010-11 and beyond. He may not be a superstar, but he’s definitely a top-level player. His contract sees him earn $15.78M this year, so he’ll need to repeat his 22.7-10.0 (P-R) and 22.19 PER, but his leadership role and demeanor will be the real attributes tested this season.

Jose Calderon: Jose’s efficiency is something all point guards should strive for – he’s lead the league in assist-to-turnover ratio two years in a row, and he’s developed into one of the league’s deadliest shooters with a 61.3% true shooting percentage. His 18.88 PER is more than fine for his $8.22M contract, and the addition of Jarrett Jack should help ease his workload and keep him on the floor for 82 games.

DeMar DeRozan: He who shall remain nickname-less (for now) has been covered by yours truly. As I wrote last week (in my RR debut), DeRozan doesn’t need to be a superstar this year, but he will need to contribute immediately.

Quincy Douby: Q-Dubs probably won’t see a lot of run for the Raps this year, barring injuries, but for $0.86M he has potential as an end-of-the-roster fill-in. He’s not very efficient for a scorer (48.6 TSP and 10.26 PER), but he’s a deadly free throw shooter and good enough to score in streaks as a 12th man.

Reggie Evans: Evans is a rebounding machine. He can’t score, he can’t pass, and he doesn’t do enough to keep himself on the floor for long stretches, but he is constantly among the league leaders in Rebounding Rate. He put up 12.7 Rebounds per 40 and grabbed 19% of total rebounds when he was on the floor last year (14th in the league), making him a more-than-serviceable 4th big man for $4.96M.

Devean George: At 31 years old and with declining minutes the past two years, George was really just a salary-match in the Turkoglu sign-and-trade. George scores very little but can add veteran leadership and adequate wing defense if asked to, but it seems more likely he’ll play the Darrick Martin role or be trade bait at $1.60M expiring.

Jarrett Jack: The J-A-Double R-E-Double T (aka Angel) was a bit overpriced at a $4.5M starting salary, but I’m positive he’ll be worth it. He is a great friend of Chris Bosh, a great community member, and a great backup at the one- and two-guard. His PER has never reached the league-average 15.00 but he is a decent shooter, a great free-throw shooter, and a strong two-position defender. His contributions will, strangely, be a byproduct of DeRozan’s, as Jack will spell Calderon at the point and Wright/DeRozan at the two. Regardless of the minutes or the position, Jack is a monster depth addition to a team that sorely needed it.

Patrick O’Bryant: You would think, having been a lottery pick, that Irish Kobe would show some signs of development three years into his career. He really hasn’t, and size appears to be his only discernible ‘skill.’ Patty O is on the books for $1.62M, which can’t even be considered a bargain given that his salary would be better used bought out to clear room under the luxury tax line (or for, say, Notorious PMB aka Prince Daddy Whale Slayer aka Pops Mensah-Bonsu). Like Banks, it would be a surprise to see O’Bryant on the floor much this year.

Hedo (Hidayet) Turkoglu: Turk was the marquee acquisition for the Raptors this offseason, part of a four-team sign-and-trade, and will be the team’s second highest paid player behind Chris Bosh at roughly $10M per season. Turkoglu is a great offensive weapon, though not necessarily an efficient one with a PER of 14.82. For the Raps, though, his key attributes are floor spacing (38.5% career three point shooter), his flare for the crunch time (top-50 in Production per 48 Clutch Time Minutes), and his offensive versatility (a sterling Versatility Index of 7.6 last year). His fit with the team is not being questioned; it’s a question of earning his sizable contract over the long haul and helping move the Raptors from also-ran to contender.

Roko Ukic: Roko Leni Loco appears to be an odd man out this year. Like Banks and O’Bryant, it appears he’ll be a member of the Inactive All-Stars, the D-League, or another franchise. Ukic struggled mightily last year, thrust into a back-up role after Wo-So (In Case Y’Aint Know So) ate it and was shipped out, and didn’t look a great deal better in Summer League. Colangelo has agreed to look for a new home for him, otherwise, Roko is a $1.35M trade chip (he has a player option at $1.45M he may decline to return to Europe).

Antoine Wright: Wright was acquired in the Turkoglu deal. While he was perceived to be a throw-in, he’s a huge grab for the defensively challenged Raptors, as he can guard three positions and isn’t an offensive liability. At $2.11M expiring, Wright will be a huge part of the team as DeRozan insurance, a defensive stopper, and/or trade bait.

Rasho Nesterovic: Arsenalist did a great job summing up Rasho’s role on this team. His personality and leadership cannot be understated, and that goes double for his unintentional comedy. As the team’s 3rd or 4th big man, The Slovenian Superman is a great value at $1.9M, a necessary defensive and rebounding presence, and a lovable goofy white guy on the team that may soon be named Bosh and the Lovable Goofy White Guys.

The 15th Man: Contract or not, I’m just going to assume this is Carlos Delfino. Livin’ Good ‘Loso probably isn’t worth the $4M or $5M he’s asking for, but with the Raptors technically unable to spend that money elsewhere it makes sense to give it to him in a short-term contract. Delfino is versatile on offense and defense, continues the theme of floor-spacers who can create their own shot, and has hopefully been humbled by an unhappy year in Russia to the point of being coachable for Jay Triano.

The overall theme here is that the Raptors project as a much better team than last year. While they haven’t managed to cover up any of their defensive problems from last season….well, y’kno, sometimes guys like a girl with a fat ass. More cushion for the pushin’, after all. If that lost you – point is, it’s okay to be optimistic about a team with obvious flaws, especially when the unspoken goal is the 4th seed in the East.

The difference between 4th and 8th in the conference won’t be an extra player or a D-League find. More than likely, the onus falls to Jay Triano to get the most out of a 10-man rotation that is long on depth but short on a clear playing time hierarchy.

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Oregon Live

"We went through it last year with Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Bosh," Toronto Raptors coach Jay Triano said. "We never really found a comfort level. People must put their egos aside and understand and do what’s right for the team."

"You need versatility on your team," Triano said. "That’s a problem every coach would love to have."

The Inside

To free up more roster spaces the Raptors could look to move Roko Ukic for a draft pick. I know, Marcus Banks is the worst player on the team but any NBA team taking him would be a sign of the apocalypse. If Bryan could somehow manage to trade him, he gets my vote for exec. of the year. If and only if we manage to ship Ukic, Bryan could try to sign Pops Mensah-Bonsu with the last spot, much to my distaste. Pops lacks mechanics and fundementals of the game, yes he puts in hard work but he doesn’t have any NBA talent to harness.

Bleacher Report

Jack is tough as nails, can defend both guard positions, and will finish at the rim. While Toronto sorely needs more athleticism, they also need toughness. Jack will surely supply the latter.

Wright is an average athlete and defender who doesn’t have much of an offensive repertoire. He’ll probably start and guard the opposing team’s best player until DeMar DeRozan eventually takes the position.

Toronto Sun

Pictures from the Dance Pak auditions