Lack of Quality Depth is a major problem for the Raptors
Understanding the demise of the Toronto Raptors, since the end of the 2006-2007 season to where the team stands today, means starting with a simple review of their personnel, Then vs Now:
Then
47-35/.573
1st place, Atlantic Division
1st Round Playoff Loss
General Manager - Bryan Colangelo
Head Coach - Sam Mitchell
Main Players - TJ Ford/PG, Anthony Parker/OG, Morris Peterson/SF, Jorge Garbajosa/PF & Chris Bosh/C
Support Players - Jose Calderon, Darrick Martin, Juan Dixon, Joey Graham, Andrea Bargnani, Kris Humphries & Rasho Nesterovic,
Now
33-49/.402
4th place, Atlantic Division
Failed to qualify for the Playoffs
General Manager - Bryan Colangelo
Head Coach - Jay Triano
Main Players - Jose Calderon/PG, Anthony Parker/OG, Shawn Marion/SF, Chris Bosh/PF & Andrea Bargnani/C
Support Players - Roko Ukic, Marcus Banks, Quincy Douby, Jason Kapono, Joey Graham, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Kris Humphries, Nathan Jawai, Jake Voskuhl & Patrick O’Bryant
Italics - “New” Personnel
If you compare the two teams individual-by-individual, this is what you should be able to see:
|
Position |
THEN |
NOW |
Comparison |
|
General Manager |
Bryan Colangelo |
Bryan Colangelo |
Comparable |
|
Head Coach |
Sam Mitchell |
Jay Triano |
Mitchell was better - Then |
|
Point Guard Power Forward Center |
TJ Ford Morris Peterson Jorge Garbajosa |
Jose Calderon Chris Bosh |
Calderon is better - Now Comparable Comparable [“Tough vs Good”] Bosh was better - Then |
|
Back-up PG |
Jose Calderon Darrick Martin Juan Dixon Joey Graham Andrea Bargnani Kris Humphries Rasho Nesterovic |
Roko Ukic Marcus Banks Pops Mensah-Bonsu Kris Humphries Patrick O’Bryant |
Calderon was better - Then Martin was better - Then Comparable |
|
Extra Player A |
Player 13 Player 14 Player 15 |
Quincy Douby Nathan Jawai Jake Voskuhl |
No Comparison |
Those who think that the current version of the Raptors is somehow lacking “Leadership” from Chris Bosh & Jose Calderon, or that CB4 is somehow NOT worthy of consideration as a legit “Franchise Player” in the NBA, or that El Matador is somehow “Too Conservative With The Ball & NOT Dynamic Enough”, as a main-frame PG, etc., to form The Core of a contending team in the Eastern Conference are displaying an overall lack of Basketball Acumen, when it comes to Understanding How Exactly the NBA Game Works.
Instead of BUILDING UP the remainder of the team’s personnel AROUND Chris Bosh [C] and Jose Calderon [PG], since the end of the 2006-2007 season, what Bryan Colangelo has done is DECREASED/LOWERED the actual Ability Level & Functionality of the other key pieces to the Raptors puzzle.
Until the Raptors re-stock their barren shelves with Additional Players to provide them with INCREASED Ability Level & Functionality, in terms of QALITY DEPTH, overall, they will remain a Treadmill Team, in the Salary Cap-driven NBA.
———-
Q1. How many of the current Raptors would rank in the top half of all the players in the League at their respective positions?
A1. Excluding Chris Bosh [C] & Jose Calderon [PG] … very few, if any.
Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Anthony Parker, Bryan Colangelo, Chris Bosh, Darrick Martin, Jake Voskuhl, Jason Kapono, Jay Triano, Joey Graham, Jorge Garbajosa, Jose Calderon, Juan Dixon, Kris Humphries, Marcus Banks, Morris Peterson, Nathan Jawai, Patrick O'Bryant, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Quincy Douby, Rasho Nesterovic, Roko Ukic, Sam Mitchell, Shawn Marion, TJ Ford, Toronto Raptors
May 29th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Khandor,
I think part of the different POW here is with the definitions of Franchise Player and Leadership. Both are kind of difficult to narrow down with a definition everyone would agree to.
Also, anyone silly enough to dispute that both CB4 and Calderon contributed to this team in a positive manner this past season, would be, well…. silly. They are player A1 and A2 for the Toronto Raptors, after all, and do most of the work.
However, IMO, the A1 and A2 label they share present an obstacle in attracting players that would be able to make Toronto a top 4 team in the NBA / top 2 in the E.C. Players of that required need are interested in affiliating themselves with teams where the A1 and A2 player are of a higher caliber.
Apropos “Treadmill Team” … was this taped in TO with the help of some Raptor fans and the red car is the visiting team? LOL.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYOX5eYcViw
May 29th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Flux,
That’s a terrific youtube clip … which I hadn’t seen before!
Just because Bosh & Calderon are A1 and A2 at the moment doesn’t mean that either one would be upset if the team could land a new A1 or A2 that would allow either of these two core pieces to slide down on the Raptors player depth chart.
IMO, both are solid character guys who would gladly welcome the addition of other Top Dogs into the Raptorville pound.
It’s Bryan Colangelo who has failed to deliver, in this regard, thus far, not Bosh or Calderon.
———-
re: Leadership & Franchise Players
Starters
PG - Jose Calderon
OG - ?
SF - ?
PF - ?
C - Chris Bosh
——————–
Key Subs
PG/OG - Anthony Parker
OG - ?
SF - Joey Graham
PF - Kris Humphries [or Pops Mensah-Bonsu]
C - ?
If the Raptors were to:
i. Trade Bargnani
ii. Sign & Trade Marion
iii. Trade out of the #9 spot in the coming Draft
it would/could/SHOULD be possible for them to fill adequately each of those 5 Question Marks above.
May 29th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Khandor,
I agree with you that they share qualities for “The Core” and that perhaps they would not have qualms in regards to sliding down the depth chart, (although “the ousting of TJ” and “MVP talk” are registering on the radar) while that may be what people believe: that Toronto would be better off with A1 and A2 being players who are better then them. Those players, are in fact ones you build teams AROUND, while CB4 and Jose are players who you build those teams WITH.
Then the “problem” becomes that those players are very few and would unlikely be willing to come here due to Toronto’s position in the NBA team hierarchy.
May 29th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Flux,
“Better” is a relative term.
Sam Jones was a more prolific scorer than either Bill Russell or Bob Cousy but there is no doubt that the C’s two main core players during the initial part of their dynasty were their Center and Point Guard.
IMO, Bosh & Calderon are foundation players who need to be built around and whether the complementary players to them need to be “better” or “just as good” is dependent on what type of team the Raptors try to become:
i. A star-driven one;
or,
ii. An outfit like the Celtics, 1950’s-1960’s/Supersonics, late 1970’s.
There is more than just ONE WAY to build a championship NBA team.
May 29th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Khandor,
Under BOTH types you require players that are willing to play team ball or “the right way” but you also need, on both, an Alpha Male presence or a player in the 1% of the NBA that legitemately has a chance at winning it all if SURROUNDED by the right players. I think Bosh and Jose fall in that category of players (the surroundees), meaning A1 and A2 on this team are not adequtely outiffted. I suppose this is where the difference in opinion lies.
Can the Raptors attract that type of player to Toronto (via trade, draft, signing) or will they attempt to sourround Bosh and Jose with players that even if they are “just as good”, and under the best of circumstances (competitive coaching, injury free etc.) will only PERHAPS threathen the EC?
May 29th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Flux,
IMO, Rudy Gay and Brandon Roy are not Alpha males; but, either would have been a terrific fit with Bosh & Calderon.
[and, as far as I know, either one would have been willing to play for the Raptors]
If Bryan Colangelo would have traded down in the 2006 NBA Draft, and selected either Roy or Gay, instead of Bargnani, the Raptors would have 3/5ths of a very good group of younger players capable of challenging for an EC title in the not-too-distant future.
Although the acquisitions of Anthony Parker & Jorge Garbajosa were productive moves, IMO … even those were not nearly as productive as many people think, in comparison with [A] keeping lesser players in the fold, in order to lose more games and therefore get a higher draft pick, or [B] keeping younger players with a brighter long term future, in order to grow along with Bosh & Calderon and lose more games to get a higher draft pick.
Re-signing Sam Mitchell was a serious mistake.
The trade for TJ Ford was a serious mistake.
Drafting Andrea Bargnani was a serious mistake.
The acquisition of Jason Kapono was a serious mistake.
The acquisition of Carlos Delfino was a serious mistake.
The trade for Jermaine O’Neal was a serious mistake.
Not replacing Garbajosa was a serious mistake.
Keeping Jason Kapono was a serious mistake.
Firing Sam Mitchell was a serious mistake.
When a team makes that array of poor personnel decisions it can make non-Alpha male players like Bosh & Calderon seem to be not quite as good as they truly are when surrounded by other higher calibre players.
May 30th, 2009 at 7:00 am
[...] khandor’s sports blog » Lack of Quality Depth is a major problem for the Raptors Until the Raptors re-stock their barren shelves with Additional Players to provide them with INCREASED Ability Level & Functionality, in terms of QALITY DEPTH, overall, they will remain a Treadmill Team, in the Salary Cap-driven NBA. [...]
May 31st, 2009 at 12:01 am
[...] khandor’s sports blog » Lack of Quality Depth is a major problem for the Raptors - Until the Raptors re-stock their barren shelves with Additional Players to provide them with INCREASED Ability Level & Functionality, in terms of QALITY DEPTH, overall, they will remain a Treadmill Team, in the Salary Cap-driven NBA. [...]