So what now Raptor fans?

I know it's 5 months away but what's the bar we, as fans, should be pining for? What to expect?

Championship contenders? Repeat of Division title? Crumble apart like the Paper Clips? Nothing is for granted and we can just as easily fall into repeating what the Clips did.

In the east, we are a far cry from the Pistons and Bulls.

The Heat should bounce back into form.

The Cavs are slightly better than us but are closer to the VC Raps but with LBJ being much better than VC. There is very little upside to that team, unless they can somehow lure Boozer back (man, that must hurt).

The nets will likely be dissolved.

The Magic are an OK team at best.

The Wiz should be back but they are offense only.

I think the Knicks are better than people give them credit for and can come on strong.

If the C's get Oden or Durant, it'll still take them a year to turn it around.

I think we can contend for # 3 spot again but I honestly doubt we can take on the Pistons and Bulls.

#3 sounds reasonable to me. But its hard to say, 'cause Colangelo is for sure going to tinker with the team this summer. Andrei Kirelanko, anyone?? I know he has a huge salary and some knee problems, but a small foward of his calibre and skill set is exactly what the raps need. Starting line up of Ford, Parker, AK, Bosh and Bargnani would be amazing. Jose, Garbo, Rasho, and maybe a young 2-guard off the bench would be great as well. Oh yeah, and uh, Joey Graham.





Oh, and by the way, Kirilenko's averages for the Jazz/Golden State series have been 16.9 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 3.5 apg, and 3.0 bpg.

As they say in Kazakhstan, very nice.

And the Jazz have made noise about moving him...

I'm easy, a winning record at home and a trip to the 2nd round. All I want is a competitive team I can cheer for, the rest is a bonus.

In expect this team to at least be able to make the playoffs again. I feel this year they played well over what they are capable off and might drop back to Earth next season and finish somewhere in the 6-8 range in the conference. I'm also expecting a 2nd round playoff berth even if we finish 8th.

I dont see the Raptors having a season like the clippers did this year unless they get killed by injuries. The Raps should be in good shape next year if they do have some injury problems though because of the depth at PF and PG. AK cant shoot but he would be amazing in the Raptors system... i give that about a 5% chance of happening though. I see the Raptors being better next year so i cant see them slip much. A top 5 seed in the east should be expected. The teams good now !!! Yes! I cant wait for NBA2k8 cause the Raps wont be rated 69 in that game.

I dont see us repeating as Atlantic division champions (when Boston inevitably gets Oden, they will win it) but I see a solid 4-5 finish. A lot will depend on what happens in the off season of course, but all the teams left in the Eastern Conference today - Detroit, Cleveland, New Jersey - could lose key pieces, and all are a serious injury away from mediocrity.

Colangelo's plan is set to really kick into motion after next year. So I expect more of teh same next season than we saw this season, with Bargnani's development the key X-factor. At least we know with Smitch likely coming back the team should be up to play for most of the games.

I'm expecting us to contend for the division title with the Nets (as long as they aren't getting broken up), and making it to the second round. Say, 50-55 wins?
I doubt that we will have the luck on injuries we had this year. We didn't lose anyone to serious injuries save Bosh at the beginning and Garbo/Bargs at the end; so I have my doubts that we'll make a big improvement in wins. But I do think the team will last longer in the playoffs this time around.

i don't think AK47 is the solution to our problems. he's not an offensive juggernaut and that's what we are looking for out of our 3 - someone who can slash and create as well as hit an outside shot.

i would think the person BC is targeting (and this is purely speculation) is..........................Rashard Lewis!

I haven't watched enought of Shard so I don't know about his driving abilities but it should would be an upgrade to have him as the 3. imagine that! Everyone on the starting line-up from 1 to 5 could drill 3's!

I think Seatlle would be crazy to let Shard go now that they will probably be drafting Durant. Ray, Durant and Shard in your starting 5 would be sick.

I don't think Atlanta should be the model Seattle should follow. If they draft Durant, shard becomes expendable.

for next season, i expect more of the same, probably same or similar record without the weak start to the season unless we make a big move or two in the summer. if we get a SF who can produce for us (rashard lewis, even ak-47, etc) that doesn't disrupt the rest of the team, that's when we'll make a jump. now that we've made the playoffs, it's expected to be back, and it's not like the east is getting a whole lot stronger, so i think it's a reasonable expectation.

I think 50 wins in a realistic target, so I would set the bar at that along with a division title and 2nd round playoff exit.

i think to get Shard, we'd have to give up a lot. something along the lines of TJ Ford and some filler (Rasho) maybe.

it'd have to be somethin like:
Seattle gets
TJ Ford
Rasho

Toronto gets
Shard (sign and trade)
useless PG - Earl Watson

the positive of giving up TJ Ford is we can then extend Calderon and find some serviceable PG.

Gone will be the days where Toronto can run 48 quality minutes of pure PG play. Instead we'll get mostly quality PG play and a nice SF.

I think this trade makes sense (maybe not the fillers) but essentially TJ Ford for Shard. Seattle needs a real PG in the worst way. Toronto has excess PG's plus Calderon goes into his contract year I think. BC has to do something because Calderon can't coming off the bench forever.

LoL you can't think this is goiong to happen. jokes man ... no chance in hell of happening.. get a grip

i respectfully disagree. this deal can work. mgmt has to do something to address the SF position. they also have to address the duo PG issue that we eventually have to resolve and as we learned, Calderon is a better playmaker.

Seattle has to address their PG situation in the worst way. Both Ridnour and Earl Watson have been complete disasters for them.

Durant virtually erases the need to re-sign Lewis.

Colangelo simply has to do something to shore up our offense for the playoffs.

the problem is Shard will be really expensive and Bosh's new deal comes on line this year. TJ Ford's big deal is in it's second year.

You're correct in your assumption that Durant makes Lewis expendable, however he will not be traded to Toronto. Your proposed deal will not work because Seattle has a glut of young centres that need playing time to develop. They've drafted Sene, Petro and Swift and will be decidedly against brining in Rasho to sit on the pine.

I really love Lewis' game and am a fan of lengthy SF that can stroke it from the outside. But unless Colangelo comes up with something a little more "out of the box", this trade isn't happening.

Is it BC's style to trade away suposite future corner stones in the middle of their development??

I only see this happening if it's Calderone in the trade.

BC's style makes no one untouchable. He considers everyone an asset and makes no emotional attachment to his players so that he can remain a shrewd business man. If someone asks for Ford and offers something worthwhile, you better believe BC would pull the trigger.

BC typically has the PG position solid. That's why I don't see this happening. That said, Watson isn't completely terrible, is he?

No he's not completely terrible at all, although I'd rather grab Ridnour myself.

i think portland will take durant and seattle will be oden. shard wont be available.

rasho wouldnt be the worst thing in the world for a team with a bunch of young bigs. he doesnt demand big minutes and is a solid role model.

Quote from the globe and mail.

"summer is the mid-level exception - a five-year contract worth about $40-million (U.S.)"

Can some one explain this to me? does this mean we have more money to spend than I thought? and would this lock us up cap-wise?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Salary_Ca...level_exception