Five teams likely to make a huge jump next season.
TORONTO RAPTORS
2011-12 Season: 23-43
2012-13 Projection: 37-45
The Raptors are a pretty unique team. While nobody was looking, they’ve stockpiled a pretty solid roster, top-to-bottom.
They have two really good point guards in the newly acquired Kyle Lowry and Jose “I Get 9 Dimes Per Game, Somebody Trade For Me” Calderon. Good enough guys on the wing in DeMar DeRozan, the overpaid-but-solid Landry Fields and rookie Terrance Ross.
The team really gets interesting in the post, where they have Andrea Bargnani, who averaged nearly 20 points per contest last season, and Jonas Valanciunas, who they grabbed fifth overall a year ago and will finally join the team for the upcoming season.
Of course, like most teams on this worst-to-first list, the Raptors need some things to break their way. If Valanciunas is as good as people believe he will be, he and Bargnani will turn into quite the tandem in the paint (though I don’t think Bargnani has step foot in the paint since ’96). DeRozan may be a 20 percent career three-point shooter, but he finds ways to score, averaging just shy of 17 points per game in the ’11-12 season.
Fields was an awful signing financially, but there isn’t a team in the NBA that wouldn’t welcome his services. A shooting guard who won’t shoot the team in the foot is a valuable asset. But he’ll need to regain his pre-Melo New York confidence to be really productive.
Ross was a reach at eighth overall, but they must like him to have taken him rather than trade back with a team like Houston who wanted to move up to grab Andre Drummond or Austin Rivers.
The bench is solid. Assuming they hang onto Calderon (if I was running the Bulls, I’d be trying to work something out as we speak), they’ll have a starting caliber point guard alongside Ross, Linas Kleiza (10 and 4 per game last year), Ed Davis and Amir Johnson. They lack a classic sixth man instant-offense guy, but it’s good enough. Good enough for what, you may ask.
Well, this Raptors team won’t be fighting for home court advantage in postseason. They’re not better than Miami, New York, Brooklyn, Indiana, Boston or (probably) Philly, but they’re right there after that. Atlanta and Orlando will likely take steps back next season, opening up the bottom of the conference to a handful of teams. Toronto will be in the thick of the race for those seventh and eighth spots after missing the Playoffs by 12 games last season. That’s improvement.
i agree except for the sixth man part, terrence ross might be that guy from day one.
other than that i pretty much agree with everything said, the bottom of the eastern conference playoff picture is wide open. Although we honestly will peak as a 4 or 5 seed and have to rebuild all over a again
It's actually very accurate, but I would project a five hundred record. Nice depth, they will keep Jose until the deadline or until a contender loses its point guard with injury. Best case scenario, Jose excels and embraces his roll as the best back up pg in the league, and helps a much improved second unit, and signs a new three year contract to retire a raptor. Or a team gets desperate and coughs up a first rounder for Jose. Amir and Jose will be deadly as bench jobbers, throw in kleiza, Ross and an improved Ed Davis and it looks to be one of the better benches in the league
Problem is, they may be as good as their starters
Raptors lack that chemistry/confidence/swagger to be the kind of team to have things 'break their way' though.
The overall team character is a key part of what makes them lack being a competitive playoff team in general.
I would replace all 3 of those things you just listed with the word talent. The more talent you have, the more confidence and swagger you have. And then from there, chemistry can be worked on.
I would replace all 3 of those things you just listed with the word talent. The more talent you have, the more confidence and swagger you have. And then from there, chemistry can be worked on.
It's because Amar'e and Melo are 2nd tier stars, not first tier. Kobe/Shaq had chemistry issues and they won 3 championships together. D-Wade/Bron won a championship and they had chemistry issues last year. If you have enough talent, chemistry can be worked on. People keep overrating how much talent the Knicks have, and I can't figure out why. Amar'e isn't the same dude he was in PHX. Melo is a one dimensional player who pretty much does nothing but score the basketball. Chandler is a great help defender but a poor individual defender. Outside of that they didn't have much else because they gutted their roster to get Melo.
It's because Amar'e and Melo are 2nd tier stars, not first tier. Kobe/Shaq had chemistry issues and they won 3 championships together. D-Wade/Bron won a championship and they had chemistry issues last year. If you have enough talent, chemistry can be worked on. People keep overrating how much talent the Knicks have, and I can't figure out why. Amar'e isn't the same dude he was in PHX. Melo is a one dimensional player who pretty much does nothing but score the basketball. Chandler is a great help defender but a poor individual defender. Outside of that they didn't have much else because they gutted their roster to get Melo.
You are just talking about the most elite players (at their time) in terms of chemistry.
You said that chemistry is overcome by talent, which the raptors obviously don't have. If you think New York is even close to Raptors in terms of lack of talent thats nuts. I'm not saying that New York is championship calibre but they underachieve with Melo and Stoudamire together. Even if they aren't tier 1 , they are prime time players in this league. An exception to your rule I guess.
It's because Amar'e and Melo are 2nd tier stars, not first tier. Kobe/Shaq had chemistry issues and they won 3 championships together. D-Wade/Bron won a championship and they had chemistry issues last year. If you have enough talent, chemistry can be worked on. People keep overrating how much talent the Knicks have, and I can't figure out why. Amar'e isn't the same dude he was in PHX. Melo is a one dimensional player who pretty much does nothing but score the basketball. Chandler is a great help defender but a poor individual defender. Outside of that they didn't have much else because they gutted their roster to get Melo.
You are just talking about the most elite players (at their time) in terms of chemistry.
You said that chemistry is overcome by talent, which the raptors obviously don't have. If you think New York is even close to Raptors in terms of lack of talent thats nuts. I'm not saying that New York is championship calibre but they underachieve with Melo and Stoudamire together. Even if they aren't tier 1 , they are prime time players in this league. An exception to your rule I guess.
First off, no. I said chemistry issues CAN be overcome if the talent is good enough. Meaning, i'd rather take great players with chemistry problems than slighly above average players with "confidence and swag." I think any coach would prefer the former problem to the latter.
Well, this Raptors team won’t be fighting for home court advantage in postseason. They’re not better than Miami, New York, Brooklyn, Indiana, Boston or (probably) Philly, but they’re right there after that. Atlanta and Orlando will likely take steps back next season, opening up the bottom of the conference to a handful of teams. Toronto will be in the thick of the race for those seventh and eighth spots after missing the Playoffs by 12 games last season. That’s improvement.
Chicago anyone? These guys really think they will fall back that hard ?
Atlanta takes a step back loosing Joe Johnson contract... maybe sure
Orlando take a step back sure...
Errmmm...
what about the Wizard plus Okafer and Trevor Ariza. Oh yaa Nene and Wall too.
What about the Knicks who sadly lost Landry Fields and Jeremy Lin but got Ronnie Brewer, Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton.... more than adequete replacements
What about the Bucks who added Dalembert to an already "pretty good team"
Sorry - i dont see the Raptors roster competative for 8th even in the east unless 2 or 3 of the above team suffer injury woes through out the season in a significant way - and the Raptors at the same time have everything gel including no injuries to Barges, and Val plays like a beast in his first season.
[quote=Jballer]What about the Knicks who sadly lost Landry Fields and Jeremy Lin but got Ronnie Brewer, Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton.... more than adequete replacements /QUOTE]
What about the Knicks who sadly lost Landry Fields and Jeremy Lin but got Ronnie Brewer, Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton.... more than adequete replacements
Don't forget about Marcus Camby.
Atlanta will be much better than toronto too.
Exactly. Add in the announcement that the Bucks seem to have Dalembert and now Pryz (leaves Portland hard to believe). Atlanta and the Bucks are both better than the Raptors this year assuming injuries fall equally accross all teams and nothing wierd happens.
The one golden ray of sunshine in this frankly is that the Raptors could end up being a 22 win team in an improved competative East... and that our record is still spotty enough that the lottery pick next year is "protected" from Houston. i.e. 1 - 5 (???)
Honestly, I find it as a stretch to say that we're gonna end up with 22 wins. My guess this year would be anywhere from 32-38 wins depending upon how quickly the guys mesh together (Lowry, Val, Ross, Kleiza) and especially the play early on.
SLAM on the Raps
but got Ronnie Brewer, Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton.... more than adequete replacements 
