Do You Think Amir Will Start for the Raptors Next Season? Why or Why Not?

[Balls of Steel]

I find it rather interesting how some "fans" complain that teams don't spend enough money to do whatever it takes to win. How come people complain about Johnson's money as if it came from their own pockets? If you understand the word "parity," one would realize that the Johnson's signing is standard by all NBA measures. I mean, BC would've loved to sign him for 5 Mil per but his buddy Hammond was so busy signing guys like Gooden for 32 Mil for 5 years!

Relax people, he has earned the right to start and it's not by default either. He's a good kid who now has a chance to fight for, and maintain a starting spot. The money he got wasn't just for upside and potential but for his hunger to stay a starter. His concern at the moment - not scoring, but staying out of foul trouble.

Lastly, I cannot figure out how people find fault in BC's attempt to find a true center. Hello, "true centers" are rare or are currently under contract from other teams. Why are people's insistence that Bargs sliding to the 4 position will somehow "force" him to be in the paint, down and dirty, rebounding and fighting for put-backs. You can change the title but you can never change the man's game. He'll be a "4" camped out in Pluto for a chance to launch his 39% 3-pointers. Oh, speaking of a true center, Gortat earned 7 Mil to be Dwight Howard's punching bag during practice and his towel man during games. That's money well spent on a "true center".

[Bendit]

honestly think we should have waited till after the bosh situation was resolved before we negotiated with amir because if we end up with taj gibson then this was a dumb signing even though I still think amir is a bit better right now and younger gibson comes at a much lower price for close to the same production

Yes that would have been logical but agents have a way of tightening the screws and threatening to sign somewhere else (even with phantom offerings elsewhere). BC probably felt he had to make a descision. AJ was an unrestricted fa.

[Hassan]

why doesnt BC get it we need a center so we can move bargs to the PF spot

[hateslosing]

I think what they should do is wait till training camp, call Amir and Davis into a room and tell them they are competing for the starting job throughout camp and that they will split their minutes throughout the year based on their performances. Tell them they are both guaranteed at least 15-20 minutes a game and they have to earn the rest. I think that is the way to keep both of them engaged all season and avoid anyone getting a sense of entitlement.

[Lopez]

Do you think Amir would start for the Raptors next season? Why or why not?
With Amir Johnson getting a long term contract from the Raptors(the salary figures were more than what I expected), it is safe to say that he will play a big role next year regardless of whether Bosh comes back or not. My question is this: Is it better off to start Amir along with Bargnani? or should he come off the bench like last year? Looking forward to hearing from you!

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Can we stop saying "whether Bosh is coming back or not". He's not coming back.

[Lopez]

Right now Amir is best suited to be our first big off the bench. The Raps have a long history of asking too much of role players, see Bonner and Mason Jr. They expected too much of these guys and when they didn't deliver, they shipped them out to a team who knew how to use them in a system that would work and allow them to be successsful impact players.



Really? Matt can't jump over a quarter Bonner? and Roger took 6 years and Pop to find his shot Mason Jr?? Ur really comparing Amir to them? This a totally different type of talent that we're working with.

[Lopez]

I would hope that he starts because that's the only way he's gonna fully live up to his potential, we don't have any other bigs right now that would start over him so my answer would be yes.

[mmissile]

Right now Amir is best suited to be our first big off the bench. The Raps have a long history of asking too much of role players, see Bonner and Mason Jr. They expected too much of these guys and when they didn't deliver, they shipped them out to a team who knew how to use them in a system that would work and allow them to be successsful impact players.

[Tortacular]

Given that they just vastly overpaid a role player, they pretty much have to give him starter minutes.

One day the Raps will stop giving starter money to bench guys. That day will be the day the NBA stops playing.

[Tim W.]

honestly think we should have waited till after the bosh situation was resolved before we negotiated with amir because if we end up with taj gibson then this was a dumb signing even though I still think amir is a bit better right now and younger gibson comes at a much lower price for close to the same production

And what if Amir decides he wants to sign with someone else before then? Sometimes life doesn't wait for you when you want it to. FUnny how that works, isn't it?

And if Bosh doesn't sign with Chicago, and signs with Miami instead, Toronto might discover they have to overpay someone who might not be as effective as Johnson is just so they have enough big men.

Johnson is a good young player who brings to the table everything the Raptors want, he's a hard worker and a good teammate. Why the hell not sign him and get it over with?

[Tim W.]

At this point, I think starting Johnson would be a good idea, with Davis coming off the bench at the 4 or 5. I don't know if Triano will do that, though, as he seems to really like Amir's energy coming off the bench, which I can understand. Really, it doesn't matter, as Amir's going to probably average about 25-30 mpg either way, unless the Raptors get another big man.

[Priest]

Its too early to make out the starting roster, If expectations are low i see Davis and Johnson alternating in the beginning just to figure who makes the most of those minutes and then closer to January a clear cut starter would be determined. If expectations are high as in a better PF/C comes in then its just a battle for who comes off the bench first, should be an interesting year for sure.

[AJ360]

Ed Davis could end up starting just to ensure he gets his 12-15mpg to help his development (much like Derozan last year) while Amir would still log the majority of the minutes at the 4 spot.

[LBF]

he proved he could be a solid guy last year and that earned him the contract.

[FromTOtoVAN]

honestly think we should have waited till after the bosh situation was resolved before we negotiated with amir because if we end up with taj gibson then this was a dumb signing even though I still think amir is a bit better right now and younger gibson comes at a much lower price for close to the same production