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Bench key to Raptors Success this Season
 Posted
11/3/2009 12:10:00 AM
The Toronto Raptors are 1-2 so far in the season. They pulled out a victory against Cleveland, lost to Memphis and then lost to Orlando. To tell you all the truth you really couldn't have asked for a more normal start. Lets look at the facts. Toronto has improved from last year. But, not enough to knock off the Celtics, Magic and Cavaliers from the top of the East. I personally have them going to the playoffs as a 6 or 7 seed. But, the progression of success will be slower than others. When you add 9 new faces to an organization you can't expect great things right out of the gate. I mean, Rome wasn’t built in a day, right? But, I am tired of talking about the whole gelling issue. It's important, but not the only thing that is going to make the Toronto Raptors a contender. The most impressive move of the season was not the addition of Hedu Turkoglu, it was the addition to Toronto's bench. For anyone that knows me I am a firm believer in the importance to depth. If your team does not have a bench, it does not have a hope in my mind. If you want examples, look at the Cleveland Cavaliers for the past two seasons. Amazing in the regular season, but when it came down to the playoffs the starters ran out of steam and the bench could not carry the load. Any way you look at it the Raptors have depth. Rasho Nesterovic is a veteran big man, who has a well rounded game and has a championship ring. Reggie Evans brings instant defensive hustle off the bench and has averaged around 7 rebounds a game in his entire career. Amir Johnson is a young, athletic kid who, in my mind, shows the most promise. I still feel Johnson is going to surprise a lot of people this year and remember, there is a reason why Detroit threw him 3.6 million a year in 2007. Amir has a ton of potential, just ask Larry Brown. Jarrett Jack, who will captain this bench, snatched the starting point guard role from TJ Ford in Indiana last year. He is probably the most well rounded player of the bunch. He can shoot, defend and lead. Something the bench terribly lacked last season. Antoine Wright and Marco Belinelli are huge upgrades from Joey Graham and Jason Kapono. Wright is an amazing one on one defender who has a deadly jump shot. Belinelli was the steal of the off season because of the rapid improvement in his points per game and assists last year. He is fast and can create his own shooting opportunities. The Raptors bench will be the key to their playoff hopes. If they can stay healthy and consistent the Toronto Raptors will have no problems making their 6th playoff appearance.
Oh, and looking at the standings the Toronto Raptors are 2.5 games back of first place. So, don’t hit the panic button yet folks.
Cheers,
MC
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Mark Cheel
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