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October 27, 2004
ARAUJO, MASON JR HOLD THE KEYS TO RAPTORS COMPETITIVENESS On a team that boasts talented starters like Vince Carter, Jalen Rose, and Chris Bosh it is actually a couple of unproven youngsters that hold the key to the Raptors’ success this season. It was well established during the misery that was last year that the Raptors have a solid starting corps; but where the team fell off was with their role players—they didn’t have much. This year with new starting point guard Rafer Alston and with MoPete and (hopefully) a rejuvenated Lamond Murray coming off the bench the team looks a little deeper. But if the team is going to be competitive and make a run at the playoffs they are going to need contributions from rookie center Rafael Araujo and back up point guard Roger Mason Jr. The team is hoping that young cast-off Loren Woods will be able to plug the gaping hole in the middle until Araujo finds himself and his game. But through the exhibition season it has become apparent that Woods will develop into no more than a fringe player. Woods is tall, but slight, and doesn’t have a feel for the game or the quickness to compensate for his lack of strength. He may be able to help occasionally, but it seems as if the team will once again be playing the majority of its games with Bosh at center and Donyell Marshall as the power forward—a situation coach Mitchell tried to avoid. Jerome Moiso may have bulked up in the off-season but he still has the same ten-cent head on his shoulders. He has the talent and the ability to be a solid NBA performer, but for some reason his tiny little brain cannot comprehend the seemingly complex NBA game. He will also, unless the electricity is somehow turned on his brain, become nothing more than a fringe player. Thus, if the Raptors are going to be more than just their usual perimeter team with a gigantic hole in the middle of their defense they are going to need Araujo to begin to understand his role. He doesn’t need to loft eighteen-foot jumpers, or back down opponents in the post—he simply needs to plug up the middle of the defense, not allow easy drives and lay-ups and rebound the basketball. If he can just get the to level of being an imposing presence on defense he will become a very valuable player on this team. Will it happen this year? So far it doesn’t look like it, but if it does and he can be counted on for 20-24 quality minutes per game then the Raptors will compete for a playoff spot. The other problem spot for this team in the past couple of years has been at point guard. When the Raptors fell to the eighth pick in the draft lottery they pretty much knew that the three quality point guards available would be gone by that point. Instead of picking up another wing player the organization decided to address the team’s other large weakness, and went out and signed a point guard—Alston. There was little doubt that the previous regime made a huge mistake when it let Alston go before last year. The schoolyard legend had come in midway through the 2002/03 season—signed to a ten-day contract—and proceeded to show off all of his many talents. Perhaps Kevin O’Neill, as conservative a coach as there ever was, wasn’t a fan of Alston’s frenetic pace and passing wizardry and told Glen Grunwald that there wouldn’t be a spot on this team for him. Alston signed with Miami and had a solid year. With the new regime’s new mantra—push the ball and make plays—Alston fit in perfectly and was signed to lead this team up the proverbial NBA ladder. With Alvin Williams pretty much done as a basketball player—at least for this year—the pressure will be on Alston to play between 30-40 minutes per game. The other minutes will fall to either Roger Mason Jr. or Milt Palacio. For this team to maintain its consistency on the court when Alston is off it the Raptors will need one of these men to supply solid defense and be able to find the open men in the open court. Palacio has proven to be an inconsistent performer, hesitant with the ball, and horrible with his shot. This means that for the Raptors not to lose any momentum it will need Mason Jr. to become that solid number two point guard and an effective member of the rotation. He can shoot, he can run, and he can defend—he just hasn’t had enough NBA success to build his confidence. Mason’s situation is similar to that of a younger Alvin Williams—forgotten and almost traded. When given the confidence of his coach to play though his mistakes eventually William’s confidence grew. If coach Mitchell is patient with Mason the young player could become that essential point guard off the bench. The Raptors’ early season schedule is brutal, and chances are that after the first quarter the team will have a losing record. But if those youngsters look like they are beginning to find their way, and look like players capable of contributing then the team will find much more success as the season progresses. If not, then the first quarter could simply be an omen of things to come. If Vince is motivated to play at his level, and stays away from his initial instinct for playing on the perimeter then the team will be in most games. If Rose can limit his low percentage passes and shots, ands stays within the framework of the team then the team will compete. If Bosh can slowly evolve into a solid post player and present a strong shot blocking presence on defense then the team will be solid. If Marshall plays the way he played through most of last season, if MoPete can find some consistency with his play and his shot, if Murray can be a solid point produce off the bench, if…if…if… If everything works out exactly as planned then the Raptors are a playoff team. Of course, how often do things work out exactly as planned?
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