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| Tuesday, October 26 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last year: 23-27, sixth place in Central Coach: Butch Carter Arena: Air Canada Centre (19,800) Last NBA title: None Record the last 5 years/NBA rank: 90-206 (four seasons)
Outlook By Bill Harris Basketball News So what does it mean when a players-only meeting is called after only two preseason games? It comes down to one of two things -- either the team is in total disarray, or it's pretty serious about achieving something special during the coming season. For the Raptors, it was the latter. One of the newest faces in Toronto, Antonio Davis, called the meeting after two ugly exhibition losses. In a polite but firm way, Davis explained that there was more to the game of basketball than two young guys who can excite the crowd -- hello, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady -- and that the Raptors had to fully commit themselves to the concept of team defense. Davis added he never missed the playoffs during his six seasons with the Pacers, and he had no intention of seeing that streak broken. Of course, Charles Oakley made a similar declaration last season and, well, we all know how that turned out. Nonetheless, given the improvements the Raptors made over the summer and with the overall mediocre quality of the Eastern Conference, the facts, as far as the team and their fans are concerned, are simple: Anything less than a playoff berth will be a major disappointment. The bulk of the Raptors' fortunes, however, lie on the broad shoulders of reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Carter. Oakley once described Carter as "half-human, half-man" -- it didn't come out quite right, but it was meant as a huge compliment -- and Carter will have to be at least that this season, since he's now the top target on every team's defensive radar.
Point guard Swingman Tracy McGrady is chafing for more playing time and wouldn't mind playing the point. Coach Carter did experiment with McGrady in a kind of point-forward role during the preseason. The results were lukewarm, especially on the defensive end, and just how much time T-Mac actually spends at the point remains to be seen. The club's future at point guard still looks to be in the hands of 6-5 Alvin Williams, a two-year vet who started most of Toronto's games last season but didn't finish many of them. Williams spent the entire summer working on developing his outside shot and spent hours studying videotape of other point guards to try improve his play. Muggsy Bogues was signed as insurance against the foibles of McGrady and Williams. However, Bogues was a pleasant surprise during training camp and may wind up playing a far more significant role -- albeit still as a backup -- than originally planned.
Shooting guard At first glance, it appears Dee Brown and newly signed Dell Curry have the exact same job, using their outside-shooting presence as a threat against opponents who want to double-team Vince Carter. But some lineup configurations had the two veterans on the floor at the same time during the preseason, and coach Carter is expected to use the two-pronged attack from the perimeter on occasion to keep defenses honest.
Small forward Carter clearly holds the long-term key to the success of the Toronto franchise, but his distant cousin McGrady has a part to play as well. Small forward may be McGrady's true position, but he loves being on the floor with Carter, which dictates some role-sharing at the guard and small forward positions. As athletic and spectacular as McGrady is, he'll have to develop a more consistent jump shot-not to mention a bigger physical presence-if he wants to reach the next level.
Power forward The best of the bunch may be the hulking John Thomas, whose basketball smarts and talent are starting to expand exponentially. He can fill in at center and is playing for a contract, which has a way of accelerating the learning process. One Raptor who certainly isn't playing for a contract is Michael (Yogi) Stewart, who signed a six-year, $24 million contract that caused more than a few double-takes during the offseason. Stewart remains a tad timid for power forward, but if he develops the way Toronto hopes, he'll be underpaid by NBA standards by the end of his pact.
Center A number of teams inquired about the availability of veteran Kevin Willis in the offseason, but the Raptors weren't prepared to part with him, feeling they would need as many big men as possible in the new foul-friendly NBA. Toronto hopes he'll be more effective playing limited minutes behind Davis, as opposed to carrying the starting load. The Raptors believe they've found a golden nugget in 7-3 Aleksandar Radojevic, drafted 12th overall last June. He's nowhere near ready for the rigors of the NBA, but he still has Raptors coaches glancing at each other with raised eyebrows as Radojevic's potential becomes more and more obvious.
Coaching The Raptors started slowly, got hot in the middle and then stumbled to the finish of the abbreviated 1999 season. Carter says one of the keys to avoiding such fluctuations will lie in his own ability to anticipate problems rather than being forced to react to certain situations. Material from Basketball News.Visit their web site at http://www.basketballnews.com |