Toronto Raptors Official RaptorTalk Mid Term Report Cards
By Peter D. Walker
We are now at the official halfway mark of the Raptors season, so its my turn to issue Official RaptorTalk Mid Term Report Cards for the 2007-08 Toronto Raptors:
Jose Calderon: A-
Jose has been spectacular. The only thing that keeps Jose’s mark from being an A is his lame Matador-style defence. Other than that, where would the Raptors be if Jose hadn’t stepped up?
Anthony Parker: B-
AP has lost a defensive step over last year. I would have given him a C, but over the past couple of weeks we’re seeing a glimpse of last year’s AP. His game against Atlanta was sensational. Plus, he’s remained very hot from beyond the arc.
Jamario Moon: B
He’s got to pinching himself. Last year he was in the minor leagues and now he’s in the NBA and headed to the All-Star Game Slam Dunk Competition. His jump shot needs work, but his rebounding and defensive presence are great additions to the Raps.
Chris Bosh: A+
What can you say? He’s the Raptors’ leader and playing the role. Now that he’s healthy, Bosh is putting up monster night after monster night. An all-star again? Absolutely.
T.J. Ford: A
For the games he played, TJ was arguably the Raptors best player. I can think of a couple of losses where TJ could have been a difference maker. No doubt Jose has played very well, but Toronto needs TJ back and healthy.
Andrea Bargnani: D
Had a promising start and gave us a few glimpses of his potential. Since returning from his knee injury, more often than not he’s been Hoffa-esque. Huge disappointment, so far. Still has a chance to turn it around.
Carlos Delfino: B
Very solid pick-up. Plays hard and his shot is improving. Seems to be on the floor in crunch time, which indicates his true value to the team. Great to see him hit a career high 26 points last week. Can be very streaky.
Jason Kapono: C+
Not delivering as expected, but I’m not sure its all his fault. The offence is not structured in a way that capitalizes on his strength which is shooting the long ball. When given open looks, Jason has nailed them. Defence is a problem, though.
Rasho Nesterovic: B-
Great guy for the Raptors to have available. Always delivers a solid defensive performance, good rebounder and adds a few clutch points when he’s on the floor.
Kris Humphries: B-
Great energy player who always hustles. When the match-ups are right, he’s had some very good nights, both rebounding and scoring. Play has tailed off a bit lately, but all in all he’s played well.
Juan Dixon: C
Simply not a point guard and not good enough to get a lot of minutes at the 2. A streak shooter who can get hot or be very cold.
Joey Graham: C
Getting less minutes and when he’s on the floor, his impact is limited. Hasn’t shown the consistent play he delivered last year during the stretch run. Definitely regressed from the previous season.
Darrick Martin: D+
Last year he made a solid contribution. Not the case this year. With TJ’s injury, he stood to gain a lot of playing time. Instead, his floor leadership has been sub-par and his shooting has been horrific.
Jorge Garbajosa: C-
Likely gone for the season. If there was an award for off-season stupidity, then Garbo wins hands down. Why the hell he played for Spain against the advice of Raptors’ medical staff is mind boggling.
Maceo Baston: C-
Maceo rarely plays, so its hard to assess his game. On the other hand, if he was any good, this rebounding starved team would be playing him more often.
Sam Mitchell: B
Last season, the reigning Coach of the Year was pushing all the right buttons. This year, not so much.
Bryan Colangelo: B
His off-season moves have not had the same impact as those of a year ago. Colangelo knows this team needs some short term improvements and I’m confident Bryan will give the Raptors a jolt of new blood for the stretch run.
Overall Starting Unit: B+
Overall Bench Bigs: C+
Overall Bench Guards & Wings: B-
OVERALL RAPTORS TEAM GRADE: B
This team has disappointed to a certain degree. While their 22-19 record is better than last season's mark of 19-22, this squad seems to lack the consistency of effort that we saw before. The offence seems to be more half-court oriented and I don't believe that gets the best out of the Raptors. Promises to be an interesting second half.
Agree with most of your ratings with the exception of Calderon. He is most definately an A+ ond co-MVP with Bosh in the last 27 games he has started.
His leadership and direction of the offense puts him in the top 5/6 PG's in the NBA. 37mins, 50%FG(3rd), 42%3FG(4th),90%FT(4th), 3.7RB(6th), 9.7ast(4th)13.4ppg(10th). He has been 2nd to Bosh in scoring during this time. All in his first time as a starting PG in the NBA,with the whole offense now dependent on him, playing 40mins/game, without a competent back-up. Defense be dammed,if it comes and goes depending on match ups. He will never be a great one on one defender. Neither is Steve Nash, so what ???
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I got to go with Johnn19 on this one. Calderon an A-? That deserves a collective head scratch. The reason being Calderon's "matador" style defense...hmmm, right and TJ was killing guys with his defense. TJ gets posted by bigger PGs all the time but you seemed to miss that on your report card. Let's face it, we're a much better team with both of them out there but the notion that Calderon isn't playing as well as TJ did when he was healthy is nuts. I give the report card a C.
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