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| A player’s decision, a team’s present and future |
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| Sports & Entertainment |
| Written by Anas Ayaz. Contributor, Year 4, BBA |
| Sunday, 13 September 2009 |
A look at Colangelo’s efforts to keep Chris Bosh in TorontoIf you are under the impression that the goal of the Toronto Raptors this season is to contend for the NBA championship or go head-to-head with the elite of the NBA, then I would suggest you find another team to follow. Oblivious to many fans is the league-wide reputation of our beloved Raptors to draft and foster talent, and lose it abruptly when it starts to pay dividends. We have watched in agony as the likes of Marcus Camby (later on Defensive Player of the Year), Chauncey Billups (later on Championship-winning point guard), Tracy McGrady (later on all-star) and Vince Carter (no explanation needed here) have used Toronto as a mere stepping stone in their celebrated careers. The main objective of the 2009-10 campaign is not to add another episode to this saga. General Managers all across the NBA cannot wait for the free agent class of 2010. That year, NBA superstars Lebron James, Dyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and our very own Chris Bosh are going to be free agents. Suitors all over the NBA will be trying to lure them to their respective teams and Chris Bosh is a prime target. To address the situation, Bryan Colangelo (General Manager of the Raptors) has conducted a complete overhaul of the team in an effort to put a winning team on the floor. On paper the plan is simply to surround Chris Bosh with talent and a winning team which will induce him to re-sign and stay in the lone Canadian NBA city at the end of the year. Some critics may argue that focusing business operations on a single individual is risky, but considering what this team has experienced in the past, it becomes very difficult to take that argument seriously. Whether he succeeds in his current plan or not, Bryan Colangelo has made one thing clear: he is a man of action. Aware of the disappointing results from last season, Colangelo has made a fury of transactions and transformed the team: Reggie Evans brings toughness to a team in need of it; he will be a defensive anchor from the bench, but will not bring any offense whatsoever. Marco Belinelli is a very athletic shooter who is yet to prove himself in the NBA. He was a definite steal for what they pay for him and will be competing for the 2-spot in the starting five. DeMar DeRozan is a very promising rookie who can jump out of the gym and not surprise anyone if he wins the dunk contest and who has a lot of potential. Jarret Jack can definitely run the team; he is a pass-first point guard but also known for a high turnover rate. He is a friend of Chris Bosh and will have to find a way to shoot to make for a complete bench stabilizer. Radoslav (Rasho) Nesterovic has a great basketball IQ and can shoot the ball. It will be his second run as a Raptor so he knows what it takes. He loves Toronto and will provide some needed veteran leadership. Everybody loves Rasho. Hidayet (Hedo) Turkoglu can play many positions, handle the ball, shoot and create his own shot and he has good basketball IQ while being a clutch player... anything else we should add? He is the biggest move of the season, is fresh off a trip to the NBA finals, is a proven winner and wants to be in Toronto. Enough said. The prime motive of this summer has been to show the team’s commitment to Chris Bosh. Management has spent considerable cash signing free agents to assemble a winning team. The core players, Jose Calderon, Andre Bargnani and Turkoglu have committed to the team for many years to come. However, Chris Bosh has some heavy decisions to make. If he decides to walk away, the franchise will be a setback and rebuilding again will be the only option. The bottom line is this: if they win, he will re-sign. Will the cornerstone of the franchise stay in the T-dot or simply walk away? Only time will tell. |
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