Toronto Raptors Looking to Move Up in the East
Raps GM Bryan Colangelo is Enjoying a Successful Summer
Jul 13, 2009
After a disappointing 2008-2009 campaign, Toronto Raptors General Manager Bryan Colangelo assured the organization and the fans a better product for 2009, and so far, he has made good on his promise.
Building for the future
The first order of business for Colangelo was to utilize his No. 9 selection in this year's draft, and the result was a young man who many people believe has the greatest upside amongst any in the draft class in DeMar DeRozan. A freshman out of USC, DeRozan is as raw as they come talent wise, but his growing pains are looking as though they will be developed on the court, as many close to the organization believe this kid could start.
Flying Without Wings
Next on the checklist, shore up the wing position. The combination of Anthony Parker, Jason Kapono, Joey Graham and for a short while Shawn Marion was respectable but not consistent for the dinos last season.
After failed attempts at acquiring Trevor Ariza and former Raptors draft pick Charlie Villanueva via free agency, Colangelo turned his focus to Disneyland, where a big piece of the Orlando Magic's puzzle was taking a dip in the free agent pool.
On July 9th the Raptors acquired highly sought after free agent Hedo Turkoglu and signed him to a five year contract worth approximately $53 million. Turkoglu averaged just under 17 PPG last year for the Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic, and will give the Raptors another viable scoring option along with Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani. Speaking of Bargnani, "Il Mago" was re-signed to a five year contract worth $50 million recently; assuring that the No. 1 overall pick in 2006 stays a Raptor for a while.
Supporting Cast
Last but definitely not least on the GM's to do list was to strengthen the bench. As early as July 13th the Raps are prepared to announce the signing of 6'3" combo guard Jarrett Jack to a four year deal worth approximately $20 million. Also involved in the future plans of bench production are newly acquired players Antoine Wright and the rugged Reggie Evans.
All of these new additions mean the potential dawning of new threads for the likes of Jason Kapono, Joey Graham and Anthony Parker, who was just scooped up by the Cavaliers.
Lost in the off-season acquisition frenzy is Chris Bosh. Bosh is the cornerstone of the organization, and Colangelo's moves thus far are just as much for Bosh as they are for anyone else. Bosh has the ability to opt-out in 2010 along with a plethora of other All-Stars such as Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Yao Ming, and Colangelo is doing what he can to make sure Bosh's decision to stay or go is a difficult one.
The Raptors are front page quality news in the city of Toronto these days; it's now up to the eventual product on the court to keep them there.
