Why a photo of Sam Mitchell? To remind me that things could be worse...
Am I excited about the 2009-2010 Raptors? Sure, I guess. I doubt that the Raps are going to win a playoff series or be more than a .500 team, but they are going to be more exciting, and, probably more importantly, more fun to cheer for than the 2008-2009 team.
If we look at who they've lost: a couple of over the hill soul-suckers Jermaine O'Neal and Shawn Marion, Jamario 'I'm good for one weak side block a game' Moon, and one meaningful piece of the team, Anthony Parker (who I think is going to have a great year in Cleveland, and may surprise a lot of Americans that didn't see him much); in my mind, we're down one positive contributor to the team.
Who we've gained: a really versitile piece, who's happy to be here - which, I think counts for a lot more than people think - in Turkoglu (note: his contract is going to be a disaster in 3 years); a friend for Bosh (Jared Jack) and Barni (Belinelli) who may be a really exciting pair coming off the bench; a guy who has the potential to be great scorer at SG, DeRozan; Nesterovich, who'll hopefully be a great presence for the young Euro-contingent; and a couple of others who I don't think much of.
On the whole, the team appears like its going to be more cohesive and enthusiastic about playing with each other. They also seem like, especially having Bargnani, Turkoglu and Bosh have the capability to create a lot of mis-matches with their big guys who can shoot. The biggest gap, of course, is going to be their defence... quick name a guy on the Raptors roster who is an above average defender... average defender? Maybe Reggie Evans? Jared Jack? Maybe Bargnani, if he's playing well... boy, I hope that Patrick O'Bryant and Quincy Douby don't have gauranteed contracts so we can bring back Pops Mensa-Bonsu...
Anyways, looks like we're trying to outscore everyone this year...
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