Waiting For Real Answers

Everyone has there own ideas on what this new look Raptor team will be. The Experts, The Bloggers and you the fans. Even the Raptors have some idea of the team they in vision taking the floor for this 08/09 season. But at this point we are all just trying to predict the future. The real answers start in the end of October and to a lesser extent in the pre-season. There is lots to be excited about and there are many things that can be of concern. Through this summer we have been looking at both of those things in this blog and elsewhere in the blog world and media.

There are some things that none of us can know till we see it come together on a basketball court. Even Sam Mitchell can only put together a plan of attack at this point. It will be up to the 13 players that make up this roster to buy into that plan of action and go out and perform it on the floor. That is the reality of things when all is said and done. But we can target many things that will be key to that plan no matter what it is to work or not. That is what I will try to do today. So here is a list of the key factors that are required to a successful Raptor attack.

Jose Calderon- He has become the key factor to any success the Raptors will have. You can have 2 all stars in the post with Bosh and O’Neal but if you can’t get them the ball it really means little. Lebron James has got by without a point guard of any great skill level for his entire NBA Career. But he is able to handle the ball and take control of the ball without the help of a point guard. Bosh and O’Neal require the help of solid point guard play to be able to get the most from them on the offensive end of the floor.

This is why the health of Jose Calderon is vital to any Raptor success and health early in the year is even more important. That is why he sat and watched Spain win a Silver Medal. He could not afford to risk an injury and the Raptors could not as well. Extended minutes and no more room for error. Jose Calderon must play at the same level he took his game to last season. He needs to do it consistently and this is the gamble the Raptors have made by trading Ford for O’Neal. The Raptors have faith he can do it. They have so much so that behind Calderon is 2 back-ups with no experience in the NBA from Europe. Along with all the things on Calderon’s personal plate he will also be looked to be more of a leader and likely a mentor for young Roko Ukic. There is no doubt if the Raptors have a successful season Jose Calderon MUST have one as well. He may be the most important player to the Raptors ability to succeed. He may not be the best player on the roster but I view him as the most important at this point.

O’Neal and Bosh- Many will speak first about what these two will do to the Raptors on the offensive end of the floor. However the biggest thing to me is can they anchor a Raptor defense that has failed in 2 straight NBA Playoffs. The Raptors will score and they can do it a lot of ways including through Bosh and O’Neal. When the Playoffs come around it becomes all about the Defense. We watched Bosh take his defensive skills to a whole new level with Team U.S.A. O’Neal when he was healthy was a defensive force. Jermaine says he has been a man playing on one leg for a few years. He says he is now a man with 2 legs planted on the ground. A Healthy JO will add something that the Raptors have not had in quite some time. A shot blocking force that will impact on how teams can attack the Raptors.

Moon and Bosh also can block their fair share of shots and it could make getting to the paint and scoring a far more rare event for teams that are matched up against the Raptors. A stronger inside should help the Raptors have a better outside. other defenders can focus on not letting teams get those open looks from 3 point range that killed the Raptors. The Orlando Magic won the series vs the Raptors by taking advantage of poor defense guarding the 3 point line. A stronger defense and a trust factor that the Raptors will have that you have people like Bosh and JO watching your back should change that. It will also give an attacking player something to think about if he chooses to drive the ball.

But on Offense the two also will add something as well. Teams have loaded up on Chris Bosh for the past few years and double teamed the Raptors best option to put the ball in the basket. But add a healthy JO to the mix and if teams do that O’Neal can make them pay. Teams will be left to pick their posion and it will be hard to choose if O’Neal is healthy and back to his All Star level. This will open up chances for other Raptors to take advantage of people being far less concerned with them. A guy like a Jason Kapono has the chance to become a far more used and effective weapon to the Raptor attack. Expect a more half court based offense than we have seen in the past but it will also be a far more effective mode of attack based on the things I have mentioned. The ultimate success would be if Andrea Bargnani is able to restore his game. That would mean at no point in a game will teams have not to deal with a scoring big man out on the floor.  Good for Raptors and scary for the rest of the NBA.

The Swing Man Super Man- The Raptors will look to see someone step up and be their answer as a swing man. It may not be just one guy. Kapono and Moon would be the likely front runners. Kapono is not going to turn into anything new. But he will fit much better into the Raptors scheme. He should see his point total rise. He also will not need to be as worried about being a defensive issue with the edition of that defensive help JO and Bosh will provide.

Jamario Moon is looking to get bigger and if he is going to follow up his first season with a successful second season that road will be to the hoop. More drives, and more dunks are the key to success. Jamario Moon needs to shoot more from the free throw line and less from the feild. If he can do this you may not have had to go looking for that free agent like a Cory Magette to fill that role. Jamario Moon will be playing for a big payday and that never hurts anyone having that carrot on the end of the stick to drive you to play well. Remember how well Mike James was as a Raptor. He was in a contract year and he played like it. Jamario Moon can establish is NBA career this season.

Joey Graham is playing for his NBA life this season. He really needs to show he can be good Joey all the time or he will go. If he is going to finally step up this is his last chance to do so. Anthony Parker is a pro and the fact I think he will make a return to Europe next season will not effect his play for the Raptors this year. The chance that Kapono will have will be the same one that Parker will have on offense. When you look to the Defensive side of things Parker can be a more confident and risk taking defender with the knowledge that he has support behind him that he has not had in his 2 years with the Raptors. That same bulldog approach to defense should be shown be Hassan Adams. Adams will not be as a big a factor in the offense but can score the basketball if need be.

Sam Mitchell- It seems odd that a coach of the year winner is still proving himself to the fan base. But that is the reality for Sam Mitchell and he is fine with that. He had to do it as a player his entire NBA career as a player. Bryan Colangelo has given Mitchell the tools he needs to have a team that plays basketball the way Sam Mitchell wants to play the game.

Mitchell will have the challenge of making the game plan to make this all work. He should be able to do it despite all of the doubt that is out there. Health is a word that hangs over all of this. Can he have a healthy JO as part of this plan. If he doesn’t have that he will be hard pressed to have his plan work. But don’t tell Sam that because to his credit he has never used injuries as an excuse for him or his team. How Mitchell can handle any of those injury bumps in the road will be key to keeping the Raptors on track.

A different approach on offense should be coming based on his comments after the O’Neal trade. He has a very different roster and his plan of attack should change to meet that fact. I worte about it earlier this month the Sam Mitchell Debate will end this season. Mitchell will prove he is the coach to lead this team to the next level if the Raptors are going to succeed it really is that simple.

Some X-Factors- Roko Ukic is at the top of the list. How good will he be and how fast can he pick up the NBA game. The quicker and the better he does that will have a positive influence. If Ukic can establish himself quickly it will be good news for Raptor fans and allow Jose Calderon to feel a little less pressure to have to perform at a high level each and every night. Nathan Jawai most don’t expect much from him but I actually do. Jawai is the guy that can come off the bench and battle on the glass and get those rebounds both on defensive end of the floor. Down the road he could be something far greater. But in this first season he can be that guy to come in and grab that key rebound when the Raptors need it most. Jawai may not have sparkling numbers but he could be someone that can have impacts on games. Kris Humphries is the guy that may be the one that is left out of the mix. Jawai is in many ways a guy that can give you all the things the Humphries can and I think will be able to do it better. No question regardless Kris has a new person to push him to play better if he wants minutes at the very least. 

The Ultimate X-Factoris Andrea Bargnani his ability to bounce back will be the thing that could push the Raptors to that next level. If that does not happen for the Raptors and Andrea you have to wonder if he will be considered as someone to be traded. Bryan Colangelo would like to avoid that choice. Andrea will be given ever chance to show he is able to live up to the potential that Colangelo saw in him when selecting him number 1.

Bargnani has spent some time in Las Vegas working with some of his new team members. Jermaine O’Neal in his press conference said that Bargnani was key to the Raptors success. If Jermaine can help Bargnani develop a post game and a tough attitude it will go far in helping Bargnani reach that potiental everyone is counting on him doing.

But till we get playing some basketball we are all left just making our own judgements on what we expect to see. I am excited to be talking about what is actually happening rather than what I think will happen. But till than I am working on getting some of the blogs past guests to return to add their opinions to the mix. In fact that will start tomorrow with Eric Smith. It is always great to hear a wide variety of opinions be it from experts or fans. So keep adding your say too. After all in August that is about all we can do at this point. I just realized today marks 9 months for the Dino Nation Blog. We keep it going and growing thanks to all of you.

Tags: Anthony Parker, Chris Bosh, Hassan Adams, Jamario Moon, Jermaine O'Neal, Joey Graham, Jose Claderon, Kris Humphries, Nathan Jawai, Raptors 08/09, Roko Ukic