Raptors bring back James 'Baby Pippen" Johnson for 2 years.

[Himan12]

Masai has done an excellent job all thats really left is getting a big body center that can handle defending the post (maybe that Brazilian kid we got from the hawks can be that). And with lbj going to the cavs the east is wide open.

[EuroWise]

Masai has done an excellent job all thats really left is getting a big body center that can handle defending the post (maybe that Brazilian kid we got from the hawks can be that). And with lbj going to the cavs the east is wide open.

The brazilian kid is really long but skinny.
We don't hace that big boddy but we have many others tools.

Actually we have a great team that can make a great season. Tenis time we can work all together during sumerge and a great preseason. Last year we started to play after the Rudy Gay trade. Now we come back realoded in a Eastern conference that is wide open and without a big team.

My bet...... Raptors will finished second in Eastern Conference regular season.

Bulls
Raptors
Cavs
Pacers (lost stephenson)

[Himan12]

The brazilian kid is really long but skinny.
We don't hace that big boddy but we have many others tools.

Actually we have a great team that can make a great season. Tenis time we can work all together during sumerge and a great preseason. Last year we started to play after the Rudy Gay trade. Now we come back realoded in a Eastern conference that is wide open and without a big team.

My bet...... Raptors will finished second in Eastern Conference regular season.

Bulls
Raptors
Cavs
Pacers (lost stephenson)

Looks like thats the only thing missing from the roster. Other than that I do agree that this year should be an excellent step forward for this team. And unlike the 07 squad, this team plays the right way and will rely on youth for future growth.

[barkleynash]

This has the makings to be the best raptors team ever. Not sure what the next move for Masai is here.
They have excellent flexibility going forward, he has not made any bonehead signings, and trusted then delivered in his belief that lowry would resign. The other signings Patterson, vaz, james Johnson, trade for sweet lou were all excellent moves.

This is the deepest team the raps have ever had.
They drafted for the future in Bruno and picked up a prospect in bebe.
They have 3 first rounders in the next two years and over 15 mill in cap space next summer.
Add to the that the all-star game in 2016. Future looks very bright.

[raptorfan_dr07]

Solid signing and much better fit than other wing names that had been thrown around in the media(Vince, Morrow, Sefolosha, etc). HUGE upgrade from Salmons.

I like how it's only a two year deal and hopefully by the time his contract expires, Bruno(or Daniels, or both) is ready for regular rotation minutes.

[Legends66NBA7]

Looks like thats the only thing missing from the roster. Other than that I do agree that this year should be an excellent step forward for this team. And unlike the 07 squad, this team plays the right way and will rely on youth for future growth.

The most important part will be the health and chemistry of the team going forward. That's something the 07/08 Raptors lacked going into the season and finishing the season.

We lost Jorge for the rest of the year and he never played in the league again. 2 of our starters (Parker and Rasho) were over 30+ and if Jorge was still starting, that would make 3. All our starters going into next season are under the age of 29.

Then you had chemistry issues when Ford demanded to start, despite Calderon as a starter providing more wins with the starting lineup than Ford. I don't see Vasquez challenging Lowry, nor do I see a guy like James Johnson demanding more shots like he did in 2012. From what I've read, James has become more mature and Casey says that he wouldn't have been good coach if refused to coach a player he had a problem with before.

Not only is depth much better, they are younger too. If Hayes gets moved and we get another young player... we don't have anybody on the team over 30+ years of age. The 07/08 Raptors lacked depth and had 3 players over 30+.

The biggest reason I also feel of a more promising year is that the coaching staff is much better. Last year was the first time the Raptors ranked both Top 10 in offense and defense. It should only get better from here on, since the main core returning along with the new players will love the system and Casey is a good defensive head coach.


But again, all this momentum holds in the balance of everyone remaining healthy. If they do this, they should have a record season. By the way, Raptors were 13-0 (really 14-0) when one of the starters missed a game. 3-0 when 2 starters (Kyle and Amir) missed a game. They just battle through adversity.

[Legends66NBA7]

This has the makings to be the best raptors team ever. Not sure what the next move for Masai is here.
They have excellent flexibility going forward, he has not made any bonehead signings, and trusted then delivered in his belief that lowry would resign. The other signings Patterson, vaz, james Johnson, trade for sweet lou were all excellent moves.

This is the deepest team the raps have ever had.
They drafted for the future in Bruno and picked up a prospect in bebe.
They have 3 first rounders in the next two years and over 15 mill in cap space next summer.
Add to the that the all-star game in 2016. Future looks very bright.

Couldn't have said it any better.

Solid signing and much better fit than other wing names that had been thrown around in the media(Vince, Morrow, Sefolosha, etc). HUGE upgrade from Salmons.

I like how it's only a two year deal and hopefully by the time his contract expires, Bruno(or Daniels, or both) is ready for regular rotation minutes.

It's actually really a 1 year deal. The second year isn't guaranteed, so if James returns to his old ways, he can get cut from the team in 2015.

[Himan12]

The most important part will be the health and chemistry of the team going forward. That's something the 07/08 Raptors lacked going into the season and finishing the season.

We lost Jorge for the rest of the year and he never played in the league again. 2 of our starters (Parker and Rasho) were over 30+ and if Jorge was still starting, that would make 3. All our starters going into next season are under the age of 29.

Then you had chemistry issues when Ford demanded to start, despite Calderon as a starter providing more wins with the starting lineup than Ford. I don't see Vasquez challenging Lowry, nor do I see a guy like James Johnson demanding more shots like he did in 2012. From what I've read, James has become more mature and Casey says that he wouldn't have been good coach if refused to coach a player he had a problem with before.

Not only is depth much better, they are younger too. If Hayes gets moved and we get another young player... we don't have anybody on the team over 30+ years of age. The 07/08 Raptors lacked depth and had 3 players over 30+.

The biggest reason I also feel of a more promising year is that the coaching staff is much better. Last year was the first time the Raptors ranked both Top 10 in offense and defense. It should only get better from here on, since the main core returning along with the new players will love the system and Casey is a good defensive head coach.


But again, all this momentum holds in the balance of everyone remaining healthy. If they do this, they should have a record season. By the way, Raptors were 13-0 (really 14-0) when one of the starters missed a game. 3-0 when 2 starters (Kyle and Amir) missed a game. They just battle through adversity.

Forgot about coaching which was a problem last year. Casey has a hard time adjusting and poor rotations, I'll give him a blank slate this year but not expecting improvements.

[Jballer]

Bulls
Raptors
Cavs
Pacers (lost stephenson)

WAY too early to call this yet.



We have no idea what else the Knicks / Nets / Heat will do to fill out roster. The Knicks/Nets may be less talented teams but dont count of them coming out of the gate as poorly as they did last season.

The Heat at this point have Bosh/Wade/Deng/Granger/McRoberts for example. Not a bad core. Depth yet to be seen.

We have no idea what the Cavs are adding yet - Love ?

Do not underestimate the Wiz with Paul Pierce. A more than able replacement for Ariza. They gave the Raptors a real challenge at season end and played well in the playoffs.

This Raptors team has talent and more importantly depth from the bench - the willingness to share also seems to be a good thing.

The best we can say with any certainty is that this Raptors team should be competitive, play hard and should challenge for the top half of the eastern conference .

Coaching, rotations, dfence intensity, Ross/James minutes, growth in Val are probably the big 5 factors facing the team. The last two - consistency especially.

The margin between 2 and 5 is not that big.

[Jballer]

Not only is depth much better, they are younger too. If Hayes gets moved and we get another young player... we don't have anybody on the team over 30+ years of age. The 07/08 Raptors lacked depth and had 3 players over 30+.

The biggest reason I also feel of a more promising year is that the coaching staff is much better. Last year was the first time the Raptors ranked both Top 10 in offense and defense. It should only get better from here on, since the main core returning along with the new players will love the system and Casey is a good defensive head coach.

But again, all this momentum holds in the balance of everyone remaining healthy. If they do this, they should have a record season. By the way, Raptors were 13-0 (really 14-0) when one of the starters missed a game. 3-0 when 2 starters (Kyle and Amir) missed a game. They just battle through adversity.

All interesting observations but I have reservations.

1) Youth.

Yes its great - yeas its important. Last season added "adversity experience" to this youth.

The problem with youth is often consistency. If the Raptors are to improve they will need a lot of consistency from Ross/Johnson. Ross had flashes of brilliance last year...needs to have more consistent flashes.

Val also needs some more consistency... I think he has it in him no doubt... but no more nights where < 10 Rebounds and < 8 points. He needs to get to 8 points 10 RBs 4 assists and 5 Blocked shots (or contested) as table stakes every game...and have some nights "better than that".

2) Coaching....

Ummm we will see.

3) Health / battle through.

Yes youth and health are often the upside compared to vets...

The only thing I caution from above thread is what about the other teams !

The Raptors are essentially the same team and have good chemistry and consistency. They seem to share well and execute the plan. I do not have worries that the D Fence will drop off as it did two years ago under Casey when we brought in Rudy Gay.

However:

Knicks - improve a lot with Calderon and have some cap space with Chandler gone... lets see what moves they make to replace Chandler. Blatache?

Nets.. meh .. but should get a healthy Lopez and don't count on them loosing 67% in the first 3 months.

Heat - Dont know what the team looks like yet.

Pacers.. Stevenson or not still the same core team. Lot of questions admittedly.

Bulls... Rose and Gasol should really improve the team..if they stay healthy.. questions.

Cavs ...instant playoff team... what other moves do they make?

Pistons... not sure... but a couple of good signings (DJ Augustin proved 'something' in Chicago) and depends on Monroe. There is no way in H - E - Hockey Sticks ... that a Van Gundy team does not improve 5 - 10 wins over last season.

Wiz - loose Ariza get Pierce on a Vet min ??? Really ?? how is that a loss? What team would not love Pierce on a Vet Min contract??

Bucks got to be better by 5 wins...

Bobcats / Hornets. Despite some signings McRoberts probably hurts them. They could at best hold the same ?

Hawks... Holford is healthy....

Way too early to predict a stellar season.

Lets predict a combative motivated Raptor squad that wins their share and should be in the mix for the top half of the east.

I think there are easily some games (squeekers) they won last year they dont this year (Thunder?) and some games they should have won (Wizards/Hornets) where they have to be more consistent.

[Legends66NBA7]

All interesting observations but I have reservations.

1) Youth.

Yes its great - yeas its important. Last season added "adversity experience" to this youth.

The problem with youth is often consistency. If the Raptors are to improve they will need a lot of consistency from Ross/Johnson. Ross had flashes of brilliance last year...needs to have more consistent flashes.

Val also needs some more consistency... I think he has it in him no doubt... but no more nights where < 10 Rebounds and < 8 points. He needs to get to 8 points 10 RBs 4 assists and 5 Blocked shots (or contested) as table stakes every game...and have some nights "better than that".

Well, the clear guys that need to take the next step are Jonas and Terrence. Amir is a role player, so he will give you what he can. He never gives up on a play, so you can't really hate on that.

Since the post season ended, Terrence has been hanging out with DeMar DeRozan all summer long to improve his game and even started his summer basketball program 3 weeks earlier than most NBA players do since he couldn't get over his post season futility. He's bulked up and he and DeMar have been going 1 on 1 against each other a lot in practice.

From what I get from Jonas, he's working out with Hakeem Olajuwon on his post game. He needs to keep adding weight so that big and skilled centers can't bully him in the paint. His end to end speed won't disappear, so he'll be a tough big to score on and defend against.

2) Coaching....

Ummm we will see.

You've already seen that they are capable of coaching a young team to a Top 10 offense and defense. They were the best 4th quarter team last year.

Casey gets a lot of blame, but he's really becoming (if he isn't already) the best coach this franchise has ever had. His assistants all understand their roles well. Jesse Mermuys, Tom Sterner, and Jama Mahlalela work on the player development. Nick Nurse work on the offensive schemes and Casey works on the defensive gameplan.

This team doesn't have a LeBron James or Kevin Durant or Chris Paul, etc... They don't have that superstar player or really good player that can takeover a game, without coaching advice. This team is balanced and they get the coaches instructions.

[Legends66NBA7]

3) Health / battle through.

Yes youth and health are often the upside compared to vets...

The only thing I caution from above thread is what about the other teams !

The Raptors are essentially the same team and have good chemistry and consistency. They seem to share well and execute the plan. I do not have worries that the D Fence will drop off as it did two years ago under Casey when we brought in Rudy Gay.

However:

Knicks - improve a lot with Calderon and have some cap space with Chandler gone... lets see what moves they make to replace Chandler. Blatache?

They've also got an old squad now. Calderon helps improve the PG, but they have no defensive identity whatsoever right now.

Calderon/Smith/Anthony/Stoudemire/Bargnani... If that's their future starting lineup, then teams are going to have a field day scoring on them. Their best defensive big man on the current roster is Kenyon Martin. He's 36 years old, going to be 37 next year. He's always injured. Infact, so is the rest of the Knicks roster. Even Calderon used to struggle with injuries and used to miss a good 14-15 games when he was with Toronto. They are probably not making the playoffs again.

Blatche would not replace Chandler's impact on both ends. He's known for taking plays off when he starts. Also, he's rumored to be coming to Toronto.

Nets.. meh .. but should get a healthy Lopez and don't count on them loosing 67% in the first 3 months.

I'm actually counting on them losing a lot next year. They were losing with Brook Lopez during that 3 month stretch, why would they start winning right away with him ? Take a look at what Nets fans were saying during the time when the Nets recovered:

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=321897

We have actually learned to play without Lopez. When he was injured for weeks at a time it was weird waiting for him to come back. Now that the Nets now he's out for the year it gives them a more confirmed identity. But either way, they won't beat the Pacers with or without Lopez.

I trust in the fact that since Lopez went down they finally started showing some effort and composure. That's all I've been asking for all season.

Also one of the most flawed players in the game.

Everything that he adds he takes away. It's not just defense, it's the fact that he's an awful rebounder, which effects the team in so many ways that I've already gone over, he's a black hole on offense, he slows down the team cause they have to wait for him to get in his spots and he makes everyone else comfortable with just standing around while he pounds the ball. His negatives outweigh his positives.

No our defense is better without Lopez, our rebounding is better without Lopez, our offense is much more fluid without Lopez, everyone on the team plays better and more aggressively without him out there especially KG who can now move back to center, which was my biggest worry before the season started. Without Lopez on the floor, suddenly this team is able to run and get into early offense and suddenly we are forcing turnovers and getting steals on defense like we did tonight. Tell me, if it was Brook out there playing center instead of KG in the final seconds, would we have won this game?

Nope. This is a different team without Lopez and his pouting and awful play.

That doesn't sound like a fan base that was all too thrilled about Lopez last year, nor did his positives from a season before matter either.

They also lost Anderson, Livingston, and Blatche in the off season. Looks like their about to lose Garnett too. Their core is now Lopez (injury prone), Williams (coming off double ankle surgery; injury prone), and Joe Johnson (will be 34 years old next season). They've only added Jarrett Jack, who will 31 next year.

Heat - Dont know what the team looks like yet.

Have added Luol Deng, Josh McRoberts, and Danny Granger. They are poised to win the South East division again and make another run at a conference finals. But Wade playing more games doesn't seem likely, I think they will be too fatigued to make a deep run.

Pacers.. Stevenson or not still the same core team. Lot of questions admittedly.

They won't win the division, nor will they be better than the Raptors if Stephenson is gone. Infact, I thought we were better than them (post-Rudy Gay) during the regular season anyways. And we have much better chemistry and upside.

Bulls... Rose and Gasol should really improve the team..if they stay healthy.. questions.

Should win their division, but yes, Rose has missed a lot of time. Though, I'm going to love the ball movement between Noah and Gasol. That alone will be worth the price of admission.

B]Cavs[/B] ...instant playoff team... what other moves do they make?

I think they stay put if they aren't getting Love. If they don't get him, then they are probably not getting out of the 2nd round, LeBron James or not. Just too young of a squad. Irving and Wiggins aren't ready to make that big of an impact, but I hope they can surprise me.

Pistons... not sure... but a couple of good signings (DJ Augustin proved 'something' in Chicago) and depends on Monroe. There is no way in H - E - Hockey Sticks ... that a Van Gundy team does not improve 5 - 10 wins over last season.

Still got Jennings and Smith's horrible contracts BBIQ. Van Gundy can only do so much until some drastic changes are made. However, them and the Bucks on the uprise have made the Central division the toughest in the East.

Wiz - loose Ariza get Pierce on a Vet min ??? Really ?? how is that a loss? What team would not love Pierce on a Vet Min contract??

Pierce is going to be 37 years old. Ariza is only going to be 29. This isn't prime Pierce anymore, he's going to run out of gas eventually. Ariza was also better than Pierce last season. The only thing Pierce could do better than Ariza is create off the dribble. Ariza was better in his role in everything else.

This was a clear treadmill signing by the Wizards. They now have 3 players over 30+ years who will potentially start for them. Gooden and Miller are supposed to be main clogs off the bench are also over 30+, where Miller is going to be 38 next year.

Bucks got to be better by 5 wins...

Also not a real threat. Probably will look to unload Larry Sanders and Ersan Illyasova. Probably tank the upcoming season.

Bobcats / Hornets. Despite some signings McRoberts probably hurts them. They could at best hold the same ?

Depends how Jefferson will hold up. He goes as far as he carries that team.

Hawks... Holford is healthy....

I agree that the Hawks are probably being slept on. Everything rids on Horford's health, though.

Way too early to predict a stellar season.

Lets predict a combative motivated Raptor squad that wins their share and should be in the mix for the top half of the east.

All I'm going to say is that the Raptors are in position (if they stay healthy) to have their best season ever. They are right there with the best of the East and the best of the NBA overall. It's a team on the rise and still can improve a lot more too.

I think there are easily some games (squeekers) they won last year they dont this year (Thunder?) and some games they should have won (Wizards/Hornets) where they have to be more consistent.

They should have taken that 2nd games against the Thunder. That came down to having John Salmons closing out games for us at times. We don't have Salmons this time around, we will probably see 4th quarters off Amir/Patterson/DeMar/Vasquez/Lowry trying to close out.

The Hornets beat us by 2 points (pre-Rudy trade), 2 points (on a buzzer beater in OT), and 5 points (off a back to back). All those games were close and all of them were before January 21st. The team was still trying to adjust to each other by that point. I do think the Hornets have our numbers, though. That Wizards game we lost in triple OT. During the course of that game, we lost Terrence to an ankle injury after the first half. Then we lost Patterson, Amir, and Lowry as OT proceeded. Jonas was having brain farts with his play during that time. DeMar and Vasquez were the only guys who made shots.

Again, if teams are beating us like that... I'll take it every time.

[EuroWise]

Totally agree.

Also the Raptors will start knowing each other and not having to adjust. What it means more easy wins at first against new roster teams.

I certainly Believe that we can be second in Eastern Conference. And second round in playoff.

Best season ever.

To me the best team in East will be Chicago with a healthy Rose and Gasol will make the All Star.

[Jballer]

I am optimistic

Just not as optimistic as you. :)

1) Without a significant change in players / options other teams know what to expect and can study the film

2) Maintaining top 10 Df and Of efficiency is harder than climbing up from the bottom half.

3) I still maintain it is too early to understand what the other teams have acquired and what changes that will force to their schemes.

I hope you are correct - I really do.

I also hope that the fans expectations are set and they do not instantly turn on the team if they are in 5th place at Christmas instead of 2nd.

Sometimes "over optimistic expectations" lead to dissatisfaction. I hope this is not the case here in Toronto.

Top "half of the eastern conference" and a 2nd play off round would be fine by me.

[Legends66NBA7]

I am optimistic

Just not as optimistic as you. :)

Don't get me wrong, I think this could blow up if everyone isn't on the same page and get hurt.

But I think this franchise is going to see better days and one can't help thinking about good time.

1) Without a significant change in players / options other teams know what to expect and can study the film

I believe every team in the league will know every other teams playbook. There aren't many surprises anybody can throw at each other.

2) Maintaining top 10 Df and Of efficiency is harder than climbing up from the bottom half.

3) I still maintain it is too early to understand what the other teams have acquired and what changes that will force to their schemes.

Both points are very true. This is where maturity and coaching need to show up when a team is not every outstanding with talent. It comes down to how badly this current squad wants to be recognized as a team on the rise. They also have to adapt to a stronger Eastern Conference than last year.

I hope you are correct - I really do.

I also hope that the fans expectations are set and they do not instantly turn on the team if they are in 5th place at Christmas instead of 2nd.

Sometimes "over optimistic expectations" lead to dissatisfaction. I hope this is not the case here in Toronto.

Top "half of the eastern conference" and a 2nd play off round would be fine by me.

I doubt we will be in 5th place (again, I'm confident nobody will be a serious challenge to us to win the Atlantic... for now), but I can see us getting off to slow start. We started off badly last year too and turned the ship around.

And yeah, 2nd round seems to be ceiling. This is a team of the future and is probably not ready to take that next step to truly contend. By the time 2016 comes around, we should definitely revisit and see if this team has become one.