By Peter D. Walker

The Raptors season is officially over, so its time to issue The Official RaptorTalk Year End Report Cards for the 2007-08 Toronto Raptors with player rankings.

               

#1. Chris Bosh: A-
Bosh had another Bosh-like year. He continues to play hard and get stronger. Can’t remember any Raptor player who works as hard as CB4. This is Chris' team. Unfortunately, he missed some games and the team went into the dumper without him through most of March. Durability is a factor and Chris was banged up.

#2. Jose Calderon: B
Jose was great through most of the season, but his performance tailed off towards the end of the season – particularly when he stepped back to let TJ start again. Clearly, Jose’s performance was better when he was getting 35 minutes per game as opposed to 20 to 25 minutes down the stretch. Defensively, he needs to work on keeping quick point guards in front of him.

#3. Rasho Nesterovic: B
Just about the best teammate you could ask for. Solid performer who just gets it done. He really came through big down the stretch when Andrea was fading. Always delivers a solid defensive performance and good rebounder who delivers clutch baskets when needed.

#4. Anthony Parker: B-
Parker has definitely lost a defensive step over last year. In the second half, his inconsistencies became more pronounced. Too many wing players have breakout games against AP. However, his ability to nail the three was critical to the Raptors’ success. Bottomline, this guy is a first class professional. Too bad we didn’t have him a few years earlier.

#5. Jamario Moon: B-
Jamario is the NBA’s feel good story of the year. Can jump out of the proverbial gym. Too often he shied away from going to the rim. On the other hand, he can hit the occasional three ball. His rebounding, quick hands and athleticism were big pluses.

#6. T.J. Ford: B-
TJ was arguably the Raptors best player until his collision with Al Horford. When he returned, we saw glimpses of the old TJ, but he was generally nothing like the TJ at the start of the year. His selfish behavior hurt the team and the way he was perceived by fans. No doubt, he’s played his last game in Raptors’ red.

#7. Carlos Delfino: B-
Has there ever been a Raptor who is as streaky as Delfino? I think not. Got to give him credit. He plays hard and when his shot is falling he is a tremendous contributor. Often during the season and in the playoffs, Carlos was on the floor in crunch time, which tells you something about his abilities. His inconsistency drove me nuts.

#8. Jason Kapono: C+
Really came into form in the playoffs. His grade is unfair because as Bryan Colangelo said about Jason – “he was under-utilized this year.” Blame Sam, not JK.  In the playoffs he played much improved defense and is tenacious working without the ball on offence. Of course his ability to shoot the rock is unparalled.

#9. Kris Humphries: C
Didn’t see much floor time down the stretch. Solid energy guy who hustles, but has some offensive challenges.  Had a better season last year.  But, he’s a hell of a lot better than Hoffa – so we’re not complaining.

#10. Andrea Bargnani: C-
Andrea had a promising few games to start the season and put together some plus twenty point games in January. His man-to-man defence improved and his intensity seemed to pick up later in the season. But, his shooting tough abandoned him and his confidence is shot. Overall, he regressed and was a non-factor through most of the season. Raptors need much more out of the first overall pick in 2006. Still loaded with potential.

#11. Joey Graham: D
Permanently glued to the bench. Apparently, his basketball IQ is not much higher than Hoffa’s. makes you weep to think Babcock selected Joey when most Raptor fans were salivating over Danny Granger, who fell into the laps of the Pacers. Definitely regressed from the previous season.

#12. Maceo Baston: D
In retrospect, you wonder why Bryan signed Maceo. Could have kept Slokar instead who was cheaper. Heck, you could have paid me to be a DNP.  The Raps were starved for rebounding, which is Maceo’s specialty – yet he rarely saw the floor. I suppose that says it all concerning his ability to play at the NBA level.

#13. 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. He was cut late in the year, but remained with the team.

#14. Primoz Brezec: D-
The ‘Gangsta’ brought nothing of value to the Raptors. An oddball hot head who led the Raps in tech’s is all we can say about him. No wonder every team that gets him, wants to dump him.

#15. Jorge Garbajosa: F
Outside of a few early season games and one good outing against Indy – Garbo missed most of the season. He is the Raptors award winner for ‘off-season stupidity’. Garbo deserves an F for putting his selfish desire to play for Spain ahead of his Raptors’ team. Sure could have used Garbo down the stretch. Why the hell he played for Spain against the advice of Raptors’ medical staff remains a mystery.

Coach & GM

Sam Mitchell: C+
The reigning Coach of the Year couldn’t get the team moving in the right direction. Yes, injuries played a part, but even when healthy – the Raptors were mediocre. After Bosh returned in March, the fully healthy Raptors went on a less than impressive 8-10 run to close the season and playoffs. Sam’s biggest failings were his inability to coax improvement out of Bargnani and his under utilization of Kapono. Decision to sit Rasho against Orlando seemed odd, too.

Bryan Colangelo: B
Like the rest of us, Colangelo was not happy with what he saw this year. The only reason he was graded so high is that he has assembled a decent set of tradable assets. The expiring contracts of Rasho, AP, Maceo and Joey are available for the right price. TJ Ford is definitely packing his bags and I’ll bet Andrea can be had for the right price. Throw in reasonably priced filler like Kris Humphries and you have the components needed to remake the Raptors. There are no bad contracts on the Raptors.

Team Grades

Overall Starting Unit: B

Overall Bench Bigs: C

Overall Bench Guards & Wings:  B-

OVERALL RAPTORS TEAM GRADE: C+
This team was a disappointment. Those are Colangelo’s words, not mine. While 41-41 can only be described as mediocre, the outlook for next year looks quite promising. Bryan has the assets necesarry to remake the Raptors for 2008-09.