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2008 Toronto Raptors Predictions & Preview

Written by Luke Knight

The Raptors made a bold and risky transaction this summer. Six-time All-Star Jermaine O’Neal is now in Toronto, but he has been injury prone for the past 4 seasons and chemistry could be tricky with Chris Bosh. Coach Sam Mitchell has been studying film from the San Antonio Spurs when David Robinson and Tim Duncan played together to figure out how to exploit both Bosh and O’Neal at the same time. O’Neal is excited about his opportunity to play beside All-Star forward Bosh. O’Neal is a different defensive presence and he can clog the middle and block shots, which will alter shots and make the Raptors dangerous if he stays healthy. Keep reading to see whether we think the addition of O’Neal will take the Raptors to the playoffs and beyond. The Raptors are +500 odds to win the Atlantic Division and +1600 odds to win the Eastern Conference at BetUS.

Jose Calderon ranked 5th in the NBA in assists last season, despite sharing time with T.J. Ford. Calderon’s assist-to-turnover ration of 5.38 was best in the league. Calderon has the potential to be one of the league’s best floor generals, and he now has two All-Stars to feed the ball to. Roko Ukic from Croatia will backup Calderon this season. Ukic was a second round pick in 2005 and spent last season in the Italian League where he averaged 11.5 points and 2.8 assists.

Anthony Parker ranks 7th all-time in 3-point percentage with a career average of 42.5%. Parker started all 82 games for the Raptors and averaged 12.5 points per game. Hassan Adams will come off the bench to replace Parker. Adams averaged 10.6 points per game at the Las Vegas summer league. Adams was originally a second round pick out of Arizona, but went to Europe after being drafted.

Jamario Moon is a 28-year-old second year player, who averaged 8.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and started 75 games last season and just missed making the all-rookie first team. Moon played in just about every minor league imaginable and spent time with the Harlem Globetrotters. Jason Kapono led the NBA in 3-point percentage at .483 during his first year with the raptors and defended his 3-point shootout title during all-star weekend. Kapono is the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-point percentage with a career average of 46.4% now that he has made the required 250 3-pointers.

Chris Bosh now has an Olympic Gold Medal to go with his other accolades. Bosh’s rebound dipped from his career average last season and he only averaged 8.7 per game. Many remember Bosh’s playoff appearance in Game 4 against the Orlando Magic with the series tied 2-2 Bosh scored 39 points and 15 rebounds. Kris Humphries provides nice energy off the bench, but played only two minutes total in the playoffs.

Jermaine O’Neal is an All-Star at the center position and has the potential to compliment Chris Bosh nicely. The problem is O’Neal has missed 122 games over the past four seasons with a variety of injuries. Andrea Bargnani will backup O’Neal, but the Raptors main hope is that O’Neal stays healthy and they don’t have to count on Bargnani. Bargnani has not been strong with defense and rebounding in two NBA seasons. He also needs to develop more of an offense besides knocking down 3-pointers.

Final Analysis

The Toronto Raptors biggest task, if Jermaine O’Neal stays healthy, will be to blend an offense around O’Neal and Chris Bosh. Jose Calderon could very well emerge as one of the best point guards in the league this summer. There is no doubt that the Raptors have a talented team and should be improved from last season if O’Neal is healthy or Bargnani improves. In our NBA predictions we have the Raptors finishing 3rd in the Atlantic Division and making the playoffs. This team will have a formidable front line and will be a dangerous team like the Magic found out last season in the Playoffs. BetUS has the Raptors at +4000 odds to win the NBA Championship this season.

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Written by Luke Knight on October 28, 2008 · Filed Under NBA Betting Articles, News & Previews

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