Luka’s Corner

In my opinion, Toronto was one of the NBA’s two Cinderella teams last season (along with Golden State), reaching the Playoffs with a 47-35 regular season record. Nobody expected a team with only one true star (Chris Bosh) to even contend for a division title, let alone reach the postseason, but they didn’t just contend for the Atlantic Division, they won it. At the end of the 07 season, Toronto had won the Atlantic by 6 games, proving that it was one of the best teams in the East. On top of that, during this offseason, Toronto has gotten even better. The Raps have added lethal shooter Jason Kapono of the Miami Heat and acquired the ultra-athletic forward Carlos Delfino from the Detroit Pistons (for two second-round draft picks). I think that both these deals will benefit the Raptors, but in different ways.

Kapono, the league-leader in 3-point FG% last season for the Heat (at 51.4%), will be looked upon to spread the floor for the other players and help develop Toronto into a three-point shooting threat. This addition will make it much easier for Bosh to dominate inside on a nightly basis, and will also create new driving lanes for T.J. Ford and Anthony Parker. Along with Andrea Bargnani and Parker, look for Toronto to become one of the league’s premier outside-shooting teams. I look for Kapono to maintain his solid stats from last season (expect 10.2 PPG and .478 from downtown). Delfino is a different kind of player from Kapono, with much more athletic ability and a habit to prosper in the open floor. He is a player that will benefit from Ford and Jose Calderon’s abilities to find the man running the court for an easy jam. The Argentinian did not have wonderful stats and did not receive much recognition in Detroit, but he is still one of the more underrated players in the NBA. Along with Bosh, he will help Toronto with its running game. With Delfino, I project stats of around 6.4 PPG and 3.8 RPG, along with around 1 steal per game, also. All in all, he should be having a much better season that in 07 (stat-wise, at least).

Toronto’s entire offensive scheme was designed around the multi-talented Chris Bosh, who is entering his 5th season in the league. He does a little bit of everything, with an ability to drive by and elevate over the defense, step out and hit the jumper, run the open floor, or simply find an open teammate. He is the reason why the Raptors reached the Playoffs last year, since he is unselfish and very passionate about the game itself. Along with Parker, CB4 was the team’s defensive stopper in the postseason, nearly averaging 2 blocks and 1 steal per. I think that Bosh will improve after his unsuccessful postseason experience last year, and will come into the 08 campaign very determined to get his team over the Playoff hump. Because of this, I expect his stats to be around 24.2 PPG, 9.5 RPG, and 3.1 APG, along with 1.7 BPG and 1 SPG. If he does improve like this, expect Toronto to reach the Playoffs (and maybe even win the first round). Besides Bosh, the Raptors’ only other go-to-guy last season was Anthony Parker, the former EuroLeague MVP with Maccabi Tel Aviv. After arriving in the NBA from Israel last year, Parker went right to work. He developed his jump shot even more, making him a shooting threat (while knocking down 44% of his 3s). These two guys brought Toronto into the Playoffs last season and look to do the same (if not better) in the 08 campaign. The Raptors have a bright future with Bosh, Parker, and a young group of guys surrounding them.

Predicted lineup:

C-Andrea Bargnani, PF-Chris Bosh, SF-Jason Kapono, SG-Anthony Parker, PG-T.J. Ford

6th man-Jose Calderon, 7th man-Carlos Delfino, 8th man-Jorge Garbajosa

Predcited stat leaders:

Points-Chris Bosh (24.2 PPG)

Rebounds-Chris Bosh (9.5 RPG)

Assists-T.J. Ford (4.2 APG)

Blocks-Chris Bosh (2 BPG)

Steals-T.J. Ford (1.2 SPG)

Final Prediction: Toronto will make the Playoffs with a 43-39 record.

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