Raptors - A look ahead

I was sitting at home right now, watching the Toronto Raptors try to get back into a 45/35 game against Charlotte – and they’re trying, but not succeeding. Which are two very different things, despite their similar spelling. It has been this way all season for them – I’ve seen them blow a halftime lead in Boston and lose in the final tenths of a second to New Jersey… time after time, day after day, game after game; it’s almost always the same story. The Raptors have lost.

It hasn’t seemed to matter that they have massive rookie potential – it seems that they do more often then when they don’t – but the talent never seems to stay in Toronto. Perhaps it’s because they lose so often (they haven’t had a winning season since 2001-02) or because Toronto, unlike other NBA locations, is a hockey town first in the winter (their attendance has been dropping steadily since that 01/02 season)… but that has never hindered the other teams in Toronto. Hell, the only team to gather any real success lately was the Toronto Blue Jays (who, by the way, are posed to have a great season).

Either way, I feel that the lack of success can be traced back to the lack of a solid leader on the court… unlike before, they no longer have the leader that they once had in Vince Carter in what seemed like so long ago, when the Raptors made the postseason and actually looked like a contender instead of the lowest ranking team on ESPN.com.

(The Raptors are still down – but have brought the game within one point)

This past year has been a disaster for the Raptors, both on and off the court. First Vince Carter, who lead the team to their only playoff appearances, admitted that he wasn’t even trying at the end of his tenure with the team – then their #1 draft pick, Rafael Araujo, turned out to be a bust of Ryan Leaf-ish proportions. They finished the season 33-49. In the off-season, their first draft choice (Charlie Villanueva) was criticized from all points and they started the season on an 11-game losing streak.

But maybe 2006 will be different. The Raptors actually managed to post a .500 record for the month of December. They had a 5 game winning streak (their best in years) to start 2006. Both of their main rookies (Villanueva and Joey Graham) for this season are looking like the real deal. So maybe there’s a future. Maybe.

(The Raptors have pulled ahead now, 82/81)

Their main hope right now is that they don’t fall curse to the same demons that they have in the last few years – but with the rise of the Canadian Dollar, the fact that Sam Mitchell’s coaching is starting to look decent, that Chris Bosh is looking more and more like a bona-fide superstar or that the Raptors are hoping to clear up some cap room later on in the off season.

Anyway, the Raptors just won against a team that’s only 11-24, and they were down for three quarters of it. Let’s hope that this year will be better then the last.