The Raptors won 16 games in the 1997-98 season. Their leading scorer was John Wallace. Heading into a lockout-shortened season, the Raptors didn't simply wave the white flag and plan for the next draft, here is what they did:
- Drafted Vince Carter
- Traded 2 first-round picks for 36-year old centre Kevin Willis
- Traded Marcus Camby to the Knicks for 36-year old power forward Charles Oakley
If there was anything to be learned from the 1998-99 season, it was the opportunity it provided for young teams. A 23-year old Allen Iverson led the league in scoring. 22-year old Tim Duncan led San Antonio to its first NBA title. And the young, upstart Raptors became the most exciting team in the league, finishing with a surprising 23-27 record.
Glen Grunwald could have tanked that season, and geared up for a high pick in the '99 draft. In fact, that was the exact route taken by the Chicago Bulls in the post-Jordan era. Chicago got that first overall pick in '99 (Elton Brand), and it still took them six seasons to post a winning record. Instead, Grunwald did everything he could to compete, laying the foundation for three consecutive playoff seasons in the years ahead.
What do I take from this look into the past: There's an inherent, immeasurable quality that veterans bring to a young team. DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis, and Andrea Bargnani could benefit greatly from seeing how players from winning teams operate on a day-to-day basis.
No season should be over before it begins.
And with that, here's a five-point plan to (immediately) improve the Raptors:
Toronto has 10 players under contract, here is their depth chart:
STARTING FIVE
PG: Jose Calderon, Jerryd Bayless
SG: DeMar DeRozan,
SF: James Johnson,
PF: Ed Davis,
C: Andrea Bargnani
BENCH
Jerryd Bayless, Leandro Barbosa, Linas Kleiza, Amir Johnson, Solomon Alabi
(note: Sonny Weems signed a contract in Europe that did not have an out-clause if the NBA returned, so he is not playing this season with Toronto)
Action #1. Use amnesty clause on Leandro Barbosa
Barbosa is a player (one of many) that doesn't fit into Dwayne Casey's vision of a defensive-minded team. He's also a back-up guard making $7 million this season. That cap space could be better used elsewhere.
Action #2. Move Linas Kleiza to the end of the bench
When he was signed as a free-agent, Kleiza was marketed as a combo forward with good size and good shooting skills. Instead, he shot 44% from the field, 29% from three-point land, and 63% from the line. 16 players racked up at least 100 minutes for Toronto last season, and Kleiza's 10.1 PER ranked dead last among those 16.
He's also coming off microfracture surgery (a process with varying degrees of success). This team wants to be fast and athletic, Kleiza is neither.
Action #3. Sign two defensive-minded wing players (one, or both that can preferably shoot from the outside)
The NBA is filled with players who are nearly impossible to guard on the perimeter. Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade are just a few. The best defenders don't necessarily stop these players, but they make things as difficult as can be for them. These defenders challenge all jumpers, take away favourite moves, and make stars work to get open.
Luckily, there are many options on the free agent market, including Shane Battier, Grant Hill, DeShawn Stevenson, Tayshaun Prince, Josh Howard Andrei Kirilenko, and Jared Jeffries.
The dream pickup would be Battier, but he's the type of player a championship team will be salivating over.
Action #4. Sign a defensive-minded post player
I wrote this yesterday, but it bears mentioning again: Here are the 8 starting centres for the teams that made the conference semi-finals last season:
- Joel Anthony
- Andrew Bynum
- Tyson Chandler
- Jason Collins
- Marc Gasol
- Joakim Noah
- Jermaine O'Neal
- Kendrick Perkins
As I wrote yesterday, acquiring Tyson Chandler or Greg Oden would be a huge (unlikely) coup for Toronto, while a Joel Przybilla signing would be a nice consolation prize. Here are two other free agents that could fit:
- Jeff Foster: 9-year vet moves very well, and would greatly help on rotations, and pick-and-roll defence
- Jason Collins: No one defends Dwight Howard better than Collins. According to 82games.com, Atlanta allowed 12 fewer points per 100 possessions when Collins was on the floor
I wrote earlier about how Toronto's young players need to learn how to win. This is one way to do that.
Bargnani had the worst defensive rating in basketball last season (according to basketball-reference). The year before he had the 9th worst, so it's not exactly a statistical anomaly.
Quick aside: DeMar DeRozan had the worst defensive rating in 09-10, and 7th worst last season. But I know putting him on the bench isn't a realistic option.
Bargnani is a gifted scorer, and he is totally indifferent on the defensive end. All last season, the team failed to hold Bargnani accountable for his defensive miscues. Defence is mostly about effort, and admittedly, there aren't many ways an NBA coach can alter a player's effort level. However, one option for a coach is to sit players down who aren't giving 100%.
Maybe Jay Triano thought he couldn't afford to sit Bargnani (and he could have been right), but affordable or not, a message needs to be sent. Until he gets with the program defensively, Bargnani should come off the bench.
Final (Hypothetical) Result
STARTING FIVE
PG: Jose Calderon
SG: DeMar DeRozan
SF: Andrei Kirilenko
PF: Ed Davis
C: Jason Collins
First 3 off the bench: DeShawn Stevenson, Andrea Bargnani, Jerryd Bayless
Remaining: James Johnson, Amir Johnson, Linas Kleiza, Solomon Alabi
Other than signing Kirilenko, I think all these moves are very realistic, and they all definitely improve the team substantially on the defensive side of the ball.
