How Jay Triano gets his team to play defence and how he defines roles will go a long way in determining how far the Raptors will go this coming season.
There are seven new faces on the roster, and potentially eight if one adds the final piece, and two new coaches in Marc Iavaroni and Alvin Williams.
GM Bryan Colangelo hasn’t changed the core of Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani, but he has addressed virtually every need that became obvious in the aftermath of last season’s 33-win season.
Sometime this week, the Raptors officially will welcome back centre Rasho Nesterovic, a serviceable big who will come off the bench and provide an interior presence.
The Raptors could use another small forward, a scorer and suitor for Marcus Banks.
Marvin Williams continues to intrigue me.
So while it would be boring to discuss why the Atlanta Hawks’ dysfunctional ownership has not offered a six-year, $42 million to $48 million contract to Williams, I felt it wouldn’t be right to NOT discuss some sort of possibility where Williams could become a Toronto Raptor.
the Raptors seem poised made a push towards the top of the heap in the East. However, the powerhouses in their conference (Orlando, Boston, and Cleveland) all improved this summer as well, as the East seemingly gets tougher by the day. Still, the Raps success this season could be vital in making sure Bosh spends the prime of his career in Canada. And one factor working in their favor is the ever-shrinking salary-cap, which could drop down into the $45-50 million range next summer. If other teams have less money to lure free-agents, the likelihood of players re-signing with their current teams increases.
