NLL Insider - Team by Team: Toronto Raptors

by daved, updated on Sunday, November 22 2009, 1:28 pm EST

2008-2009 Finish: 48-34

What went well

The Raptors had a relatively stable season - not a whole lot of roster moves (why would you want to trade when you have so much young talent?). They picked up the options of Brandon Roy and Kevin Durant and added rookie point guard Mario Chalmers to the roster - yet another talented youngster to join one the youngest core groups of players in the NLL.

They then filled their only real hole, PF, with the often injured, Kenyon Martin. This may have been a bit of a risk to invest so much in a player who plays so little, but maybe Martin's toughness and experience was what this team needed. Their only trade of the seson saw long bomber Jason Kapono join the franchise.

They had a very successful regular season, always there abouts with the leaders and ultimately finished the regular season with the 4th seed in the east. Probably the main downer for the regular season were the injuries to their big guys, Bynum and Haywood which really tested their depth up front. But hey, 4th seed aint anything to get all emo over.

What went better

Well - they won a championship! Yay!! The team built on talented youth got it all together for a playoff run never seen before. Seemingly dead and buried, not once, but twice, in eastern series matchups against Washington and then Philadelphia, they clawed their way back to win both in 7 games. And then, for good measure, they demolished the highly favoured Denver Nuggets to win the championship. They showed composure far beyond their years. The future is sure looking nice in Toronto - are we looking at a potential dynasty? These guys are still so young - and players like Bynum, Durant and Chalmers have plenty of room for improvement.

Star

- Brandon Roy, G -

At this stage, this team is Brandon's. That may change in the future with both Bynum and Durant emerging. But for this championship Roy was the player that helped keep them at the top of the east all season. At 25 he's one of the older heads on this roster - what a position to be in! Bynum was a beast in the finals against the Nuggets, but he missed most the season, so he only gets an honourable mention here.


Goat

- Bobby Brown, G –

To be honest, there probably wasn't really a goat in this paddock, but for paying massive overs for a guy who played in only 6 games and only 4.3mpg, we'll make Bobby the Billy Goat of Canada. I'm sure Bobby won't care, he's got a championship ring afterall.


Looking to the future

The future is now! This is a team that is young and talented. They've got that whole championship thing out of the way already, so pressure is off to achieve something in their NLL lifetimes. Just gotta keep them all together and add a few peices here and there.

Roy, Durant and Bynum arethe foundations and they already have what looks like their future starting point guard in Chalmers. No need for 2 young PGs, so pre-09/10 season, out goes Felton and in comes Tyrus Thomas. It seems easy doesn't it? Tyrus has a few questions about his ability to really step up and he's in the last year of his current contract, but surely he'll want to stay on this roster.

Probably the biggest issue the Raptors will face in the not too distant future is the luxury tax. Unfortunately, K-Mart hass still got 1 year and a player option. He still has a bit to offer, but so does his contract. Roy will be up for big bucks and Tyrus will want his share also. But hey, there's enough time for maybe 1 or 2 good shots at a championship before worrying too much about luxury taxes.