The 2008-09 season was supposed to be a banner year for the Toronto Raptors. After finishing with a .500 record in 2007-08 and going out in the first round of the playoffs, GM Bryan Colangelo made a couple of dramatic off-season moves to try and improve the franchise.
The biggest move being the acquisition of Jermaine O’Neal from the Indiana Pacers for TJ Ford. O’Neal was going to provide the inside presence the Raptors have so desperately needed and by trading Ford, the team anointed Jose Calderon as the starting point guard. As we will see, unfortunately, these moves didn’t pay off.
The Raptors started off well, opening the season 3-0, but quickly fell to 8-9 and the axe fell on coach Sam Mitchell. Assistant coach Jay Triano was named the interim head coach and has been in that position all season. Triano wasn’t able to right the sinking ship and the Raptors fell further and further down the standings in the Eastern Conference.
With the trade deadline looming and Colangelo looking to shake things up, he decided to deal his big off-season acquisition Jermaine O’Neal and energetic 7th man Jamario Moon to the Miami Heat for another former all-star Shawn Marion and back-up guard Marcus Banks.
The trade deadline move excited the fan base, but it was short lived. Losing streaks became longer, and back-to-back wins were non-existent. Raptor players looked dejected on the court, playing without energy or passion for extended periods of time. They were not doing the fundamentals like rebounding and scoring in the paint. The team was settling for jump shots and three-pointers, and when they weren’t falling, losses in the double digits became more common. The tendency to settle for outside shots contributed to not only big losses, but also games where they had big leads and let opponents back into the game or outright lost because of poor shooting and the lack of ability to rebound
The Raptors have managed to finish the season on a positive note, winning seven games in a row, before losing to the Knicks on April 5 to break their win streak and officially knock them out of the playoff race. During the win streak, the Raptors got the performances from key pieces (Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, Shawn Marion and Jose Calderon) that they were expecting all season long. In the last game of the year to avoid the 50 loss mark, the Raptors came out against a Chicago Bulls team that needed the win and put in the performance that so many in Raptor nation were looking for all year long. Now the wait is on for the draft lottery and off-season moves to re-work a team that will look to make the playoffs in 2009-10.
Individual Report Card:
Jay Triano: B Triano did the best he could with the talent he was given and has proved he can coach at the NBA level. The Raptors should consider bringing him back because as we have seen in so many situations, consistency pays off (see Jazz, Utah).
The biggest move being the acquisition of Jermaine O’Neal from the Indiana Pacers for TJ Ford. O’Neal was going to provide the inside presence the Raptors have so desperately needed and by trading Ford, the team anointed Jose Calderon as the starting point guard. As we will see, unfortunately, these moves didn’t pay off.
The Raptors started off well, opening the season 3-0, but quickly fell to 8-9 and the axe fell on coach Sam Mitchell. Assistant coach Jay Triano was named the interim head coach and has been in that position all season. Triano wasn’t able to right the sinking ship and the Raptors fell further and further down the standings in the Eastern Conference.
With the trade deadline looming and Colangelo looking to shake things up, he decided to deal his big off-season acquisition Jermaine O’Neal and energetic 7th man Jamario Moon to the Miami Heat for another former all-star Shawn Marion and back-up guard Marcus Banks.
The trade deadline move excited the fan base, but it was short lived. Losing streaks became longer, and back-to-back wins were non-existent. Raptor players looked dejected on the court, playing without energy or passion for extended periods of time. They were not doing the fundamentals like rebounding and scoring in the paint. The team was settling for jump shots and three-pointers, and when they weren’t falling, losses in the double digits became more common. The tendency to settle for outside shots contributed to not only big losses, but also games where they had big leads and let opponents back into the game or outright lost because of poor shooting and the lack of ability to rebound
The Raptors have managed to finish the season on a positive note, winning seven games in a row, before losing to the Knicks on April 5 to break their win streak and officially knock them out of the playoff race. During the win streak, the Raptors got the performances from key pieces (Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, Shawn Marion and Jose Calderon) that they were expecting all season long. In the last game of the year to avoid the 50 loss mark, the Raptors came out against a Chicago Bulls team that needed the win and put in the performance that so many in Raptor nation were looking for all year long. Now the wait is on for the draft lottery and off-season moves to re-work a team that will look to make the playoffs in 2009-10.
Individual Report Card:
Jay Triano: B Triano did the best he could with the talent he was given and has proved he can coach at the NBA level. The Raptors should consider bringing him back because as we have seen in so many situations, consistency pays off (see Jazz, Utah).
Chris Bosh: B- Coming off his performances in the Olympics, Raptor fans had high hopes and he performed extremely well until December. Chants of MVP where even heard at the Air Canada Centre. Come January when the losses started to mount, Bosh began to sulk and couldn’t carry the team in the same manner. He needs to rest, meet with management and come out firing next season.
Andrea Bargnani: B+ Andrea looked more like a top pick towards the end of the season and he needs to continue his development, especially if the Raptors trade Bosh.
Jose Calderon: C Aside from his record breaking free throw percentage, Calderon struggled this season. His defense lacked and without someone to threaten his playing time like TJ Ford, his performance seemed average as opposed to above average when coming off the bench.
Shawn Marion: Incomplete Marion showed he still has some game left, but not sure the Raptors will want to offer him a contract for 2009-10. Younger, cheaper players will be able to fill his role just as well.
Joey Graham: C Hardworking, role player who demonstrated he can rebound and attack the rim if given a chance. Would take him back as the number 8 or 9 man in the rotation.
Anthony Parker: D Often playing against the other teams best player, he sometime struggled on defense. Took lots of outside shots and the threat of him leaving after the season to return to Israel, looks more and more like a possibility.
Jason Kapono: D An outside shooter who doesn’t or isn’t allowed to take outside shots, and couldn’t win the one contest that was designed for him (3pt shootout). Disappointing year and one of many parts that will probably be let go.
Pops Mensah-Bonsu: C- Brought energy when on the court with monster dunks and rebounding, but is not ready for prime time just yet. The Raptors need better offensive players, rather than energy coming off the bench.
Roko Ukic: D- Didn’t want to fail anyone despite the 49 loss season, but he came close. Ukic might have the skills to be a back-up point guard one day, unfortunately for the Raptors it isn’t yet and that let the team and Calderon down.
None of the following players make the grade because they didn’t see the court enough and won’t be around next year to get a grade either. Although Voskuhl still might be the best 12th man in the NBA and Humphries is unlucky due to his knee injury.
Jake Voskuhl
Marcus Banks
Patrick O’Bryant
Nathan Jawai
Kris Humphries
Quincy Douby
Andrea Bargnani: B+ Andrea looked more like a top pick towards the end of the season and he needs to continue his development, especially if the Raptors trade Bosh.
Jose Calderon: C Aside from his record breaking free throw percentage, Calderon struggled this season. His defense lacked and without someone to threaten his playing time like TJ Ford, his performance seemed average as opposed to above average when coming off the bench.
Shawn Marion: Incomplete Marion showed he still has some game left, but not sure the Raptors will want to offer him a contract for 2009-10. Younger, cheaper players will be able to fill his role just as well.
Joey Graham: C Hardworking, role player who demonstrated he can rebound and attack the rim if given a chance. Would take him back as the number 8 or 9 man in the rotation.
Anthony Parker: D Often playing against the other teams best player, he sometime struggled on defense. Took lots of outside shots and the threat of him leaving after the season to return to Israel, looks more and more like a possibility.
Jason Kapono: D An outside shooter who doesn’t or isn’t allowed to take outside shots, and couldn’t win the one contest that was designed for him (3pt shootout). Disappointing year and one of many parts that will probably be let go.
Pops Mensah-Bonsu: C- Brought energy when on the court with monster dunks and rebounding, but is not ready for prime time just yet. The Raptors need better offensive players, rather than energy coming off the bench.
Roko Ukic: D- Didn’t want to fail anyone despite the 49 loss season, but he came close. Ukic might have the skills to be a back-up point guard one day, unfortunately for the Raptors it isn’t yet and that let the team and Calderon down.
None of the following players make the grade because they didn’t see the court enough and won’t be around next year to get a grade either. Although Voskuhl still might be the best 12th man in the NBA and Humphries is unlucky due to his knee injury.
Jake Voskuhl
Marcus Banks
Patrick O’Bryant
Nathan Jawai
Kris Humphries
Quincy Douby
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