2013 season is at the very least a Moral Victory

[BallaBalla]

Solving these problems:

1) Trade Bargnani
2) Add depth through smart 2nd round picks
3) Add one more strong Free Agent signing using MLE AND develop Jonas to be near-elite.

I think the core is in place, and the key is: we don't need financial flexibility to become a contender. I think the biggest key is for Bargnani to up his trade value, if he can then we will have a good trading piece, depth through 2nd rounders, and a 5mil/year contributor. We should focus on glue/energy/specialist players with our 2nd rounders, and 5mil Free Agent, we should hope for a good-starter quality player from Bargnani, and then hope JV can become quasi-elite.

Lowry/2nd rounder (pass first glue guy)
Derozan/Ross
Gay/Fields/ 2nd rounder (specialist 3pt shooter)
Traded player (Milsap,Illyasova,Boozer,Gasol???)/Amir
JV/MLE player (big defensive anchor MLE FA)

Add internal development, team consistency, etc and we have a contending team.

I agree with pretty much everything you said here...the key being that our biggest upgrades need to come at 4 and 5 in the way of a defensive oriented pf and/or backup center

But one of the reasons why I'm excited because I believe JV will be what we need...the real question is if he can improve quickly enough at a position where guys do not usually "figure it out" until they are closer to 30

[BallaBalla]

surely you mean MORALE victory

do I?

Wait let me look it up...yes i Do!
Thanks....hopefully I never made that mistake in something work related

[white men can't jump]

This season was a moral "wictory" after I saw enough Jonas to be convinced that he's going to be special.

[enlightenment]

I think you're right that you can't call this year a complete failure but I wouldn't say we are in the best position possible. A few problems:

1. Our former best player, a guy who used to be good for about 20 pts per game, regressed in a huge way this year. Barganani's sub par play has been a major problem this year and hurts us badly since if he played even reasonnably well, we'd probably already be in 8th.
2. When the season started all anyone talked about was how deep we were. Now we've traded away our overrated depth, and the spots we were deep at (Pf, Pg) are now our worst spots.
3. While the team is better, and we got two of our best players for almost nothing (seriously, we traded and expiring Calderon, Ed Davis, and this years first rounder for Lowry and Gay, it doesn't get much sweeter than that), we are still a star away from making some real noise and have no flexibility. Maybe Jonas is that piece and we get our last piece internally, we'll have to see.

The goal this year was playoffs, and I hope we make it. I think our guys need to be in a playoff series, even if it results in a sweep, particularily Derozan who has been here for a while now and has yet to taste the post season. Given our start to the year, 9th is certainly respectable and gets that whole issue with our pick out of the way, but I don't think you can call this season a success if you don't make the playoffs.

Solving these problems:

1) Trade Bargnani
2) Add depth through smart 2nd round picks
3) Add one more strong Free Agent signing using MLE AND develop Jonas to be near-elite.

I think the core is in place, and the key is: we don't need financial flexibility to become a contender. I think the biggest key is for Bargnani to up his trade value, if he can then we will have a good trading piece, depth through 2nd rounders, and a 5mil/year contributor. We should focus on glue/energy/specialist players with our 2nd rounders, and 5mil Free Agent, we should hope for a good-starter quality player from Bargnani, and then hope JV can become quasi-elite.

Lowry/2nd rounder (pass first glue guy)
Derozan/Ross
Gay/Fields/ 2nd rounder (specialist 3pt shooter)
Traded player (Milsap,Illyasova,Boozer,Gasol???)/Amir
JV/MLE player (big defensive anchor MLE FA)

Add internal development, team consistency, etc and we have a contending team.

[draftedraptor]

surely you mean MORALE victory

[japetas]

There is still work left to do (they still need another elite guy somewhere, somehow, someway) but this is the most promising a Raptor team has looked since 2007.

I think that guy could be Valanciunas after hard-working summer. With his hustle, he can really be the Raptors' T.Chandler or Noah with adding some bulk before next season.

[hateslosing]

Not that I think that we will not make the playoffs, because I do think we will...

I still believe we went from having a mediocre season where we were not accomplishing anything, to being in the best case scenario:

Even if we miss the playoffs, we all will know its because we ran out of time, not because we were "only good enough" for 9th. That really is the best case for us heading into next year.

Fact is, we will probably be swept if we only get into 8th, so making the playoffs is just an affirmation of the same point...that
1. Players like Amir and DD have made huge leaps this year
2. we are unquestionably a better team with a Lowry-Gay combo leading us
3. We are going to get better next year, with Jonas and T-ross improving, as well as just having a full training camp together.

Whether or not we make the playoffs, the above is true and I am already more excited about the future of this team than I have been in a while....

Anyway, back to the playoff race!

I think you're right that you can't call this year a complete failure but I wouldn't say we are in the best position possible. A few problems:

1. Our former best player, a guy who used to be good for about 20 pts per game, regressed in a huge way this year. Barganani's sub par play has been a major problem this year and hurts us badly since if he played even reasonnably well, we'd probably already be in 8th.
2. When the season started all anyone talked about was how deep we were. Now we've traded away our overrated depth, and the spots we were deep at (Pf, Pg) are now our worst spots.
3. While the team is better, and we got two of our best players for almost nothing (seriously, we traded and expiring Calderon, Ed Davis, and this years first rounder for Lowry and Gay, it doesn't get much sweeter than that), we are still a star away from making some real noise and have no flexibility. Maybe Jonas is that piece and we get our last piece internally, we'll have to see.

The goal this year was playoffs, and I hope we make it. I think our guys need to be in a playoff series, even if it results in a sweep, particularily Derozan who has been here for a while now and has yet to taste the post season. Given our start to the year, 9th is certainly respectable and gets that whole issue with our pick out of the way, but I don't think you can call this season a success if you don't make the playoffs.

[slaw]

The biggest thing for me is that team is finally moving on. Regardless of your views on Bargs and Calderon and Davis et al. there was a strong stench of losing associated with the group of players here in Toronto for the last few years. Lowry, Gay and Valanciunas have none of that stink on them. Bargnani is no longer a key guy, which was never going to work anyway.

There is still work left to do (they still need another elite guy somewhere, somehow, someway) but this is the most promising a Raptor team has looked since 2007.

[BallaBalla]

Not that I think that we will not make the playoffs, because I do think we will...

I still believe we went from having a mediocre season where we were not accomplishing anything, to being in the best case scenario:

Even if we miss the playoffs, we all will know its because we ran out of time, not because we were "only good enough" for 9th. That really is the best case for us heading into next year.

Fact is, we will probably be swept if we only get into 8th, so making the playoffs is just an affirmation of the same point...that
1. Players like Amir and DD have made huge leaps this year
2. we are unquestionably a better team with a Lowry-Gay combo leading us
3. We are going to get better next year, with Jonas and T-ross improving, as well as just having a full training camp together.

Whether or not we make the playoffs, the above is true and I am already more excited about the future of this team than I have been in a while....

Anyway, back to the playoff race!