September 8, 2003

SEA OF CHANGE STRIKES EVERY NBA TEAM—EXCEPT RAPTORS

      The question is simple—how does a team that won 24 games last season, a team that on most nights couldn’t beat an average high school team, that was out of most games by the time the first buzzer sounded and a team that had more holes in their roster than a restaurant wall after a mafia hit does nearly nothing to improve itself?  While each and every team in the league reshapes their roster for the coming season--even the champion San Antonio Spurs made some major changes—the Raptors seem content to believe that good health and a new coach are all that is needed to turn around a moribund franchise.  It is this kind of inactivity and poor planning that has caused the Raptors to go from being on the verge of greatness to being on the verge of setting up house at the bottom of the NBA standings.

       General manager Glen Grunwald, with only one year remaining on his contract, is faced with the absolute necessity of getting the Raptors to stand up and growl once again or else he will be shuttled out the Isaiah Thomas door.  Instead of moving out the dead wood and bringing in some live bodies Grunwald has remained steadfast in his pursuit of an NBA crown with a team that last season would have had trouble beating a WNBA team.  The only live body that replaces a dead one is behind the bench, and Kevin O’Neill, armed with only a two-year contract, must feel as if he has been handed lunchmeat and told to make a nine-course meal out of it.  The one talented player brought in is a nineteen-year-old college freshman that should be nervously asking the girl in the front row to the prom rather than taking on Alonzo Mourning and Jermaine O’Neal in the post.

       These are the names of the new Raptors: Rick Brunson, Jerome Moiso, Milt Palacio, Michael Curry, George Williams and Mengke Bateer.  Ladies and gentlemen—your Toronto Raptors. The organization seems content to have filled the minor holes with these players, while never even attempting to address the fact that this team needed some kind of major addition.  So what is the thinking behind these pseudo-moves?  Grunwald isn’t stupid, so why does he feel his team will be that much better this year?  Let’s analyze.

       Moiso does look as if he is about ready to break out and be a regular man in the frontcourt rotation.  Palacio is noted as a defender and will take some of the defensive pressure off Alvin Williams.  Nice additions both—for a team that won 45 games last season, not 24.  We can pretty much stick Bateer and Williams at the bottom of the roster, or right off it, which leaves only Curry.  And he is a very curious addition. The front court now looks like this—Antonio Davis at center, Chris Bosh, JYD, Michael Bradley and Moiso at power forward, MoPete, Lamond Murray, and Curry at small forward, Vince Carter and Chris Jefferies at shooting guard, and Alvin, Palacio and Brunson at the point.  Count the players—that’s thirteen.  That leaves two injury places for Bateer, George Williams, Maceo Baston, or unsigned draftee Matt Bonner.  The numbers look a little heavy. 

      The Raptors are carrying far too many forwards.  Michael Bradley has become a solid defensive/rebounding power forward, which puts JYD in an untenable position.  Then add Curry who brings leadership as well as solid defense and the need for JYD lessens.  If there is a team out there that covets the Dawg’s combination of energy and skill then the Dawg Pound may have seen its last round of barking.  Of course that is all predicated on the other team willing to pick up the Dawg’s very heavy financial collar, something most teams will find much too tight.  The Dawg’s value may be lesser this season—he will most certainly be coming off the bench, a position that better utilizes his skills and his energy.  But then Bradley will be coming off the bench, as will Curry.  Where will the minutes go?  Bosh has to play—he has enough skills to one day represent the inside portion of the team and combine with Carter’s outside game to give the team a deadly duo.  Moiso’s big body will be useful against the larger bodies and he could likely pick up whatever rebounds are left available.  There just doesn’t seem to be any room left for the Dawg.

       Small forward will be a competition between Murray and MoPete, though the likely scenario is that those two along with Carter will rotate between the shooting guard and small forward positions.  This makes Jefferies once again a spectator on most nights, and into action only when injuries arise.  O’Neill may copy one aspect of Lenny’s tenure and move Alvin over to shooting guard on occasion to keep him in the game and allow Palacio to guard some of the quicker point guards in the game.  Brunson is strictly an emergency guard. 

       The way the roster shapes up it looks as if Grunwald still has some play left and may be waiting to training camp, or just before it, to pull off that big deal.  It’s not like there is a truckload of skilled big men out there, and those players are paid heavily and counted on mightily by their present teams.  But there might still be a move left.  There is a trade out there that might make sense.  It looks as if Golden State is gearing up to contend in a year or two and might be looking to part with one of Erick Dampier or Adonal Foyle.  Either center makes approximately the same salary as JYD—give or take a million here or there—and might be willing to look at a multi-player swap.  They also could be thinking that they have already made their big trade this summer and might be looking at keeping things the way they are, but with a deep hole at small forward JYD might be too tempting an offer to pass up. 

       It is only September, and there is an entire month to go before training camp opens, and two months before the season.  There is lots of time for moves to be made, and Raptor fans are hoping that the roster as presently constituted will not be the same roster seen on opening night.  Otherwise it might be another long arduous season.  Yes, the defense will be better.  Yes, the team will stay competitive in most games, and yes they will likely win more than 24 games.  But this team was supposed to be on the verge of winning 50 games and competing for the NBA crown.  Winning 35 games and finishing eleventh in the conference is not what this city expects.