The Raptors are an enigma. I wouldn't quite compare them to the Knicks teams of years past, but they are similar in regard to their inability to mesh. While I'm not in favor of completely rebuilding, it is clear that the Raptors are much further from contention than they thought coming into the season. Perhaps the most glaring necessity will be to find Bosh a true second fiddle. Jermaine was supposed to fill that void, but he has disappointed. I was not sold on this trade to acquire O'Neal because he is aging and has had a recent history of injuries. In his last three seasons, O'neal has played, 42, 69, and 52 games. To me that was a sign that his health could be a concern. I also feel that both he and Bosh would be somewhat superfluous. Both players are power forwards with similar games: they both like to shoot midrange and can mix it up inside. What makes the move even worse is Jermaine's growing propensity to abandon his size and continue to shoot jumpers. In recent years Jermaine has been shooting .439, .436. This year, he is shooting only shooting .439 again. For someone of Jermaine's height, strength, and athleticism this is unacceptable. The move also slows down the development of Bargnani and, needless to say, it is an absolute must he develops and quickly considering the Raptors used their first overall pick to get him. And the frontcourt is not only superfluous, the whole team is. The roster is basically a collection of shooters. From the games I've seen, the offense seems to be designed for Calderon to run around and look for someone on the perimeter. When the team isn't clicking from downtown (like against OKC) they are in trouble. Take, for instance, Jason Kapono. He’s making $18M over the next three years and he is solely a one-dimensional 3-point shooter. He can’t create his own shot, and he doesn’t defend, rebound, or do anything else well. Then you have guys like Bargnani, who has improved on defense, but is still lackluster offensively: 10 points, .402 from the field, and only .346 from downtown. Other than his perimeter shooting, he doesn’t add any other dimension to the Raptors offense. Because of this the offense is just inefficient, especially since the players don’t really compliment each other well. Here’s something else to consider: on offense they are ranked 24th in scoring and 21st in FG%. On defense they are ranked 20th in opponent’s scoring and 22nd in opponent’s FG%. Those stats seem to suggest the Raptors are poor on both sides of the ball. If the Raptors have any hopes of keeping Bosh in 2010, then rebuilding is the last thing they need to be doing. And if the Raptors don't appear to be a winning team by next year (a strong possibility), it is very possible Bosh won’t re-sign. Maybe Toronto is better off trading a lottery pick for a proven player like Boston did to get Ray Allen. The organization has to show Bosh that they are dedicated to being a championship-caliber team relatively soon. Firing Triano wouldn't make much sense. He hasn't been given a fair chance and it will only reinforce the notion that the Raptors are a poorly constructed and that will reflect badly upon management. The other poll option - start Joey Graham - is only a band-aid fix to a much deeper problem with the team. There won't be any major results from that move. The Raptors shouldn't even think about trading Bosh; at least not right now. Calderon is still one of the league's best playmakers and will leave a gaping hole at PG. So the only option I guess I would choose is trading Jermaine O'Neal, but his value is at an all-time low. He is 30 years old, has a $21M contract and has injury issues. Any trade involving him would be extremely difficult to pull off. Either way the Raptors are in a precarious situation.
I agree with you man, this is the worst raps have ever played and I seriously think its time for bosh to go, his wayyyyyyyyyyy 2 cocky now HE WILL NOT be at the all star game if he plays like this he aint no leader
You guys should totally rebuild. Trade us Jose for Raef! Use Raefs expiring 12 million to get yourself a good player to rebuild with!
SICK TRADE As much as I hate Carter I would love to see him and harris in t.o. Could you imagine? Harris, Carter, O'neal now thats a Big 3
