February 15, 2007

HEY VINCE…THE RAPTORS WOULDN’T BE THIS GOOD IF YOU WERE HERE

      Outside of an average amount of vitriol that Raptor fans still shower on Vince Carter…well, it may be a little more than average…the success of this year’s squad has allowed Toronto to finally disassociate itself from their former favourite son.  They have embraced a completely new cast of characters that they feel confident will eventually take this city to the basketball summit.   And the most surprising part of this success is that if the falling out never took place and Carter were still a member of this club the Raptors likely wouldn’t be in this situation, and would probably have continued its stumble into mediocrity. 

      So, how is it possible that a club can actually be better by not having an annual all-star representative and one of the league’s better players on its team?  Simple.  In the summer of 2002 the Raptors allowed a key player in their previous year’s playoff run, Keon Clark, to leave via free agency.  When questioned as to why they simply waved goodbye to a young player that seemed destined for NBA stardom then Toronto General Manager Glen Grunwald stated that the organization couldn’t have kept Clark as his salary would have pushed the club beyond the luxury tax threshold, and the organization steadfastly refused to move into luxury tax area.  The Raptors knew that for every million dollars the club went over the luxury tax they would actually have to pay out three million dollars (one million for the salary and two million in taxes).  With the Raptors having recently inked Carter, Alvin Williams, Jerome Williams and Antonio Davis to long-term deals the organization found itself pressed tightly against the luxury tax threshold.  There wasn’t any flexibility for movement, and the hope was that the roster was strong enough as it was constituted to take the team, and the city, to an NBA championship.  It obviously was not. 

       Even when Grunwald unloaded JYD and Davis on Chicago a season and a half later in order to facilitate the deal they had to take on Jalen Rose’s onerous contract.  Financial flexibility seemed like an improbable dream.  As the club began the freefall from legitimate contender to also-ran status Raptor management found it impossible to escape from their new level of mediocrity.  The future looked bleak.

       Then a succession of Keystone Cop-like maneuvers, including the hiring of a highly overmatched GM in Rob Babcock, resulted in the Raptors best player, Carter, being shuttled out of town—and replaced with three players who were well past their expiration dates.  It seemed like the Raptors had been fleeced in the deal—and they had been, except that the main impetus behind the deal was to extract Carter’s cap heavy contract from their books.   It took another year but finally there was some freedom from the dreaded luxury tax wall in sight.  As such the Raptors handed the keys to their kingdom to a reigning prince.  Bryan Colangelo restructured the team using the suddenly available cap space to fill most of the gaps on the roster—and there were plenty—forming a deep team capable of playing at a fast pace and scoring in bunches.  

       It is ironic that the Carter deal, which initially turned the organization into NBA bottom-feeders, now stands as the springboard for a young up and coming contender.  It opened the doors and allowed fresh air to waft inside.  There is obviously a tremendous amount of disdain and bad sentiment still held by the Raptor faithful for Carter—something that is blatantly apparent every time Carter returns to his former home.  He was supposed to be the king—the leader who would one day propel the team and its followers up to the basketball summit.  But present day Raptor hero Chris Bosh acknowledges that his development would have been stunted if Carter had remained and the locals must feel gratified knowing that each and every executive in the game today would trade Carter for Bosh in an instant. 

       The Raptors are much better off—finally—for not having the former dunk king around anymore.  The club still has a lot of the flash that Carter brought to the court, but there is much more substance on the roster these days.  With a little more experience, and some better defense and rebounding, the club could actually one day be a champion, and who would have ever thought that during the Carter years.

Preview my new fictional novel A Walking Parody at www.michaelghobson.com

Follow my weekly sports commentary at 8:20 am Saturday at www.team990.com