If there wasn’t a lockout, media day would’ve been around the corner. Fresh faces would be pouring into town basking in the optimism that the start of training camp brings. Stories like those about Joey Dorsey, Antoine Wright, Roko Ukic, Will Solomon, and all those who threw their hat in the ring, knowing fully well that their talent isn’t aligned with the expectations about to be set. I remember how excited we all were to have Antoine Wright on the team, he was supposed to be the defensive answer and the long-range bomber cog who would stretch the floor. He turned out to be Antoine Wright. Roko Ukic, at 6’5″, was supposed to the “big point guard”, it turned out he couldn’t dribble…the list goes on.
As of today, the only player the Raptors have brought in is Jonas Valanciunas, and he’s going to be in Europe next season, which means Bryan Colangelo hasn’t brought anyone in. There have been departures: Sonny Weems is the only notable exit, with Julian Wright, Joey Dorsey, Alexis Ajinca, and Reggie Evans, all out of contract and likely exits. In fact, the roster currently only has 10 players, so when this new GM/Assistant GM/BC’s lapdog is hired, he’s going to have some work to do. Namely, he’s got to find that elusive defensive center which will rock the core of Casey’s defense. I smell a trade for Marcin Gortat. The big man isn’t terribly mobile, but he can set a mean pick. Seriously though, this “need” has been talked up to such an extent that it’s brainwashed everybody.
I’d look at someone like Andrei Kirilenko more than I’d look at Tyson Chandler. He is an unrestricted free-agent, and won’t come with the inflated price tag that follows a title run (see James Posey, Trevor Ariza). When his calf isn’t strained, he’s consistently disrupting play and does so without fouling, to me he’s the type of player that every good defensive team needs. He’s what we wanted Julian Wright, Antoine Wright and Jamario Moon to become. Currently, we have Linas Kleiza and James Johnson at the three; I don’t want to discount Johnson’s potential as a defensive player or openly laugh at Kleiza, however, I’m finding it hard to believe that either of these two can become strong defensive players.
It’ll be hard to convince anyone that clogging up the five with a Chandler-type center alone is going to do anything for the Raptors overall defense, I realize that Casey is the greatest defensive coach and motivator of all time on earth and the universe, but still, with the types of DeRozan, Kleiza, and Bargnani still playing major minutes, there’s bound to be issues. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe they’ll see individual growth as defensive players and the sum of the team’s defense will be great, it just seems too big of a leap of faith for me.
All this Andrea Bargnani talk of moving to the four is focusing a lot of the attention (at least defensively) unfairly to the center position, when there are arguably equally as big issues elsewhere. One of the biggest issues on the Raptors is versatility:
- Kleiza is thought to play two positions, when he can really play neither adequately
- DeRozan’s height makes it seem like he can be switched over to the three, in reality he needs that height advantage to get his shot off
- Amir Johnson could be used as a center, but gives up bulk and is prone to injury when played out of position
- Leandro Barbosa is probably the most versatile Raptors player, and can play either guard position on-demand, albeit in small doses
Coaches loves guys who make substitutions and in-game adjustments easy for them, and versatility is probably one of the most sought-after trait of players, especially reserves. A versatile defensive small forward who is capable of disruption is unlikely to be high on the Raptors’ list of priorities, but maybe it should be.
