Team Expert/Cool Guy: Tas Melas, of The Basketball Jones, the no-holds barred and hilarious look at the NBA. Definitely check TBJ for a few good chuckles on the daily.
Questions and Answers:
1. Was it a wise move to let a young talent such as Charlie Villanueva go when he could have formed a dynamic frontcourt duo with Chris Bosh? Or was T.J. Ford a necessary move with Mike James leaving the T-Dot? Was the price too high?
When Bryan Colangelo decided he wanted to get Andrea Bargnani with the 1st pick of the draft, it was clear that having the comparable skills of Villanueva and Bargnani on the same team would be sort of useless. It's safe to assume Colangelo thought of the good Italian boy as the better player of the two. At the same time, there was a big hole to fill at point guard. The Raps front office didn't want to bring back Mike James and that left Jose Calderon and Darrick Martin running the show. That just wouldn't cut it. Charlie was shown the door because he had good trade value and because his skills were somewhat redundant. T.J. Ford fits the prototype point guard of a Colangelo run team. He is a pass first point guard with several different speeds. Did BC overpay? I really can't estimate the ceiling of the two so it's hard to say. They are both NBA level talents. Villanueva's skill set and height may be a little more coveted, but they both fulfill a need. I'd say it's pretty much a wash in regards to who the better player is right now. What Colangelo did was swap skills he had an abundance of for skills his squad sorely lacked. In turn, he filled the most important position of his up tempo style team.
2. Besides blocks, every stat has trended upward from year-to-year for Chris Bosh. Does that trend continue? What's Bosh's ceiling?
In terms of scoring, Bosh's 22.5 PPG will continue to grow. He is already crazy potent when he squares up to the basket - he can break down his defender from anywhere within the three point line, and he's only getting better at it. His jump shot has actually improved; he has expanded his range and has been hitting threes in the pre-season. I consider Bosh an average rebounder. With some size added to Toronto's front court, expect Bosh's rebounding numbers (9.2) to stay the same. He shot 50% from the field and 81% from the line so you can't really expect those to get much better. Expect a slight increase in his assists totals as he becomes a better passer out of the double teams that are sure to come.
If anyone claims to know what Bosh's ceiling is, he or she is lying. He has so many positive things going for him, it's really impossible to measure how good he'll end up being. His physical stature is perfect for the new game being played in the NBA, he's a leader, he's driven and he's constantly working to improve. Most important, he's 22. Let's check back on this one in 5 years.
3. How well will the number one overall pick this past June, Andrea
Bargnani do his rookie season. What are realistic expectations?
The Raptors coaching staff wants Bargnani to grow this year. That
development as an NBA player will not be clearly indicated in any
boxscore. They'd like him to learn how to play defence, guard bigger
players, stop setting moving screens, rebound harder, stop fouling as much and develop a low post game. The offence is already there, as is the poise and confidence of a veteran. He's shown he hasn't met a shot he doesn't like but he also plays within himself and the team structure. Management really likes his character and they know this is a long-term process. As for numbers, expect Bargnani to go for about 11 points, 4 rebounds with a couple assists and three balls per game during about 20-25 minutes of playing time mostly at the center spot.
4. Anything else you want to say about the Raptors?
Offensively, the Raptors will definitely be fun to watch and they should produce big numbers, but that wasn't their problem last season. Night after night the death of them was on the defensive end where they gave up the highest field goal percentage against (49.1%). Their defense will undoubtedly be their major cause of concern. Like the Phoenix Suns, they will attempt to get several more field goal tries and exhaust the other squad by running at a higher speed than last year. They have their best centre ever in Rasho Nesterovic (if he's good enough to sit on the Spurs bench, he's good enough to start for the Raptors), and he'll shore up some rebounding. They have a couple better one-on-defenders and they're a lot deeper. This not only provides Sam Mitchell with more talent but it will allow him to rest the guys who logged big minutes last year. All these factors should help the Raps defense. That being said, there are 9 new players on the roster and it will take time to get acclimated.