The Long Road: Raptor Preview

Backwards is where the Raptors season is heading

The Toronto Raptors are a team without an identity heading into the new season. After taking over the team last season and spending a year transitioning into the role and sorting out what this team had going forward, the Raptors ended up with 43 wins and a first round exit at the hands of the champion Miami Heat. This was considered a success for a team probably not expected to make the post season. After a poor start and a rough finish, coaches and managers evaluated the team at seasons and end and decided to reset. They were not going to be able to challenge effectively and in a manner they preferred.

Jeff Teague, who turned into a super sub by seasons end, was shipped out in order to clear cap space and land draft picks. A move that is still in question given draft picks involved but is looking like the Raptors will lose on this one unless recently drafted Archie Goodwin can show something. Andrew Bogut was a force down low with Al Jefferson but was too expensive during free agency and the team opted to go cheaper by bringing in Kevin Seraphin. Paul Pierce is a year older and the sum of all parts equals a decline for this Raptor team in a season where the previous GM already shipped out this seasons draft pick.

Looking forward, the Raptors will enter this long season as below.

Point Guard - Brandon Jennings, Darius Morris

Brandon Jennings will be looked upon to start this season and lead this team. An undoubted talent but a player with efficiency issues. The Raptors hope he can work towards improving his efficiency and becoming the floor leader they require. Not the general managers prototypical point guard but someone they will stick with until options present themselves. Darius Morris was given a lifeline on a cheap deal as a project player. It will be a matter of time as to whether this move pans out or not.

Shooting Guard - Victor Oladipo, Rasheed Suliamon, Archie Goodwin

Second year guard Victor Oladipo will be looked upon to increase his minutes and provide defense at the off guard. He doesn't need to be a star but provide that solid, smart play they know he is capable of. With his talent handling the ball, he may be looked upon to provide backup point guard minutes if the Morris experiment fails. Suliamon was pick 15 in the draft and looks to be a solid addition but will need time to grow. So far, Archie Goodwin doesn't look to have the potential the team originally thought he may have and is considered a third option at the position.

Small Forward - Paul Pierce, Marvin Williams, Draymond Green, Terrence Jones

Paul Pierce is now 36 years old and well beyond his prime but the Raptors thought he could help add wins on a large two year deal with team option. They are unsure whether his body can handle it but at worst, he becomes a valuable expiring contract if it doesn't pan out. Marvin Williams the same as he should be able to provide some solid play. Draymond Green looks to remain on the bench and Terrence Jones, given his weight issues will most likely be moved to power forward.

Power Forward - Kevin Seraphin, Trevor Booker

Kevin Seraphin was brought in to replace Andrew Bogut. At half the price, the Raptors saw this as a coup as they fully expect him to put up similar stats on the defensive end whilst saving a ton of cash. Seraphin will pair with Jefferson to create a solid defensive front court. Booker is a fierce competitor and will most likely be receiving all minutes behind Seraphin and Jefferson even with his small size.

Center - Al Jefferson, Kris Humphries, Mason Plumlee

Big Al Jefferson is the main piece in Toronto. Pegged to have his best season yet, it's hoped Jefferson combined with Jennings will create a solid one-two punch. The Raptors expect Jefferson to push for all star selection this upcoming season even on a lesser team. Humphries was brought in as insurance as Mason Plumlee will miss the first few months of the season. Once Plumlee returns it is expected Humphries will be relegated to third string.

Outlook

Not rosy. Previous Raptor management dealt their 1st round pick this season so they will plan to win as many games as possible to lower that pick. This was the reasoning behind bringing back Paul Pierce. They fully expect to dip from last seasons 43 win total but hopefully not enough to allow their pick to be too high. On the flip side, they do own the Boston Celtics 1st round pick in addition to 2 others. They also hold many expiring deals and should be a player next off season during free agency armed with cap space and 3 new rookies. Backup plans do include the possibility of shipping out Jefferson and Jennings to completely rebuild but they may see how the season pans out first before making any decisions.

*Sorry it's late but I've been overseas.

Sorry it's late but I just got back from overseas not long ago.

Tried to write it as if it was a preview and I didn't know we were 0-10, lol.

I do think we're a better team than our record indicates but trying to find the right mix has been tough as I'm not too familiar with this new game engine.

- Seraphin has worked. Hasn't been great offensively but for half the price of Bogut, I'm happy with that.
- Teague deal considered a failure so far. Goodwin isn't much so far so I've dealt him for cap space and the upcoming Bucks pick.
- Jefferson and Jennings are struggling in our system but DDS3 confuses me a bit so still need to work that out.
- We will have good cap space to try and add someone next to Jefferson/Jennings/Oladipo/Seraphin during free agency.
- We have three 1st round picks in the draft.

Long term vision but working towards it and need some luck.

I think the Truth and Jennings have to go. Jennings has just been god awful, and neither really fit the build of an 0-10 with the playoffs (probably) out of reach. No reason to keep them around imo.

Probably time to just start over in Toronto and hope Oladipo and Sulaimon develop.

You have a weird mix of players. Guys like Pierce and Jefferson are built to win now but then Oladipo, Sulaimon, Seraphin and Booker all need time to develop. This roster definitely needs a shake up for sure.

Without this years pick, we needed win now players to try and win games but that's not working so far so it might be something we look at yes.

Biggest mistake teams make when they don't have their own pick is throwing good money after bad

Jestor (PHX) wrote:Biggest mistake teams make when they don't have their own pick is throwing good money after bad

Yeah, but the moves he made to win now (keep Jennings, sign Pierce) weren't team killers. Pierce is on a 1 year deal, Jennings showed talent back in Phoenix and is still young.

Myles (SAS) wrote:

Jestor (PHX) wrote:Biggest mistake teams make when they don't have their own pick is throwing good money after bad

Yeah, but the moves he made to win now (keep Jennings, sign Pierce) weren't team killers. Pierce is on a 1 year deal, Jennings showed talent back in Phoenix and is still young.

Agreed with Myles. It's not like he spent money on potential franchise-crippling moves. Jennings is definitely a talent and could still work out, and Pierce has a team option, so it's a no-risk deal.

Yeah, I don't think we threw money after bad. Seraphin at Booker were good contracts I think and the rest are expiring deals if we do choose.

We're working on Jennings game with instructions so we'll see how that pans out.

I wouldn't think we have any bad contracts on the books actually.