Forecasting the Future

This post is dedicated to the current roster of the Toronto Raptors, and how I see this coming season unfolding.  I will discuss some of  the main players.

One of the two longest serving Raptors is Demar Derozan. He has probably accomplished the most out of any Raptor over the past 6 months. In February he was selected to represent Toronto in the NBA All-Star game. He was also selected to represent team USA in the FIBA World Cup. He is taking strides to becoming a Superstar, and next season will be a make or break for him to achieve such a status.  Next up is the second player to be serving as  Raptor, Amir Johnson. He is the most charismatic, and is always involved with the community. He is not expected to make much improvements next season, but is seen as a very important mentor for the younger generation of “big-men.”

Kyle Lowry is the most important acquisition for the Toronto Raptors in the past 2-3 seasons. He as emerged as emotional leader for the young and experienced team. In a point guard driven league, there are a few players who can get the better of Lowry. It is now a matter of waiting to see if signing him long-term was a good idea. The last two players I am going to mention are a pair of third year players.  Terrance Ross and Jonas Valanciunas are no longer the youngsters on the team. They have 2 years of experience, and need to play to suit. They have high expectations, Ross, after scoring 51 points in a game last season. And Jonas fared extremely well in his playoffs.

Raptorsnation, Justified or Over-Hyped?

Competitive sports has different meanings to different people. For me, sport is a exceptional way for people to learn life skills, and understand their own limitations. As far as I can remember, I have been a Raptors fan. The game, the players, and the crowd has always been intriguing to me. From the days of TMAC, Antonio Davis, Mo Pete, and let’ not forget the greatest ever player to wear the uniform, Air Canada Carter. 

The season the Raptors eclipsed for 48 wins, the most ever in Raptors History. They also achieved the Atlantic Division Championship. All the while they were supposedly tanking for a stocked 2014 draft class. THe purpose of this blog is to talk about the level of respect that comes with being a great team. Many teams have a good season, and even good playoff runs, but that does not mean respect. 

The history of the league shows that the teams who are good on a constant basis will be remembered. Some of these dynasties include the 60′ Celtics, the 80’s Lakers and the 90’s Bulls. These teams were not only made to win, but to dominate every competitor. 

This brings me to my last and final point, concerning the Toronto Raptors.They have  team who definitely over-achieved last year. But  last year is the past, and motivation to do better is on most of the players’ and staff’s mind. The general manager before Masai was Bryan Colangelo. And he came into a environment that was pretty bad. He tried to fix it, but after one step forward, he took two leaps back. The next chapter has already begun.