The Raptors should be shooting for a 47 win season like they accomplished in 2006-07.

The 2 teams went through nearly identical changes – 9 new players in the off season. And this year’s version has better and more experienced players than Colangelo cobbled together the last time.

I even like the coach better!

I still think Bosh is going to re-sign with the Raptors, though. Economic factors, as well as the potential of this squad to grow should prove too enticing for Bosh in the end, I believe.

Johnson is just not a back to basket post up guy.

Like I posted before he stared in long and short distance running in high school. He has a runners body which means lean around the hips with not a lot core strength in the areas necessary to play back to the basket.

He is a #3 with medicore handles or a #4 without a low post up game. In any case he has no post up game.

He was a great prospect but his game has just never developed on the offensive end and on defense he can only be effective when he is aggressive and commits a lot of fouls.

In my opinion Weems will have a more productive career than Johnson.

The Thunder!…bosh! lol at that

it’s a shame that the raps don’t have a single big with a legit NBA-quality back to the basket post game as their forte.

I am worried about defence. We can’t run the seven seconds or less offence. We know this. It will take a lot to recreate the Suns – including getting rid of Bosh and Calderon, and picking up Amare.

So what are we stuck with? We are stuck with a bunch of players that can’t play defence, but need to when defences clamp down.

I thought last year that Bosh and Bargnani could play effectively together, if Bosh focussed on his rebounding, and Bargnani focussed on his team defence. This year, I am skeptical, having now come this far, that this will happen. I am hoping otherwise, but I don’t see it right now.

How I wish we had Howard right now instead of Bosh! We would then be unstoppable. Bargnani and Howard is a tandem that I think would be deadly. Bosh and Bargnani – I am not sold. Here’s hoping I am wrong.

Raps W prediction if these two do not work out their team defence and rebounding: 41 wins (yes I pulled this number out of an orifice – but it seems right to me)
Raps W predictions if these two learn how to rotate, and we get some good rebounding out of Bosh: 48 wins (yes, same orifice).

On a side note: I don’t know why everyone is writing off the Rockets. I think they are slated for a 7th seed. Adelman is the man, Pops is going to a have a breakout year. Their defence will be solid, even without Yao, and T-Mac will play decently in the New Year when he comes back.

…

In all fairness, when you see what he can do (like those insane put-back slams), you wonder why he can’t use his athleticism to develop some nice post moves. You can’t help but pay attention because it might happen. Unfortunately there’s this non-quantifiable thing called “talent”, and I don’t think Amir Johnson is talented enough to become the type of player several fans are envisioning.

But being a rotation energy player is not a bad thing, and there certainly is a niche for it in the NBA. I think that’s Amir’s ceiling.

Of course I doubt that the Johnson mania in Toronto will ever come near approaching the ridiculous level it was in Detroit, where everytime he entered a game half of the fans in the Palace had the “Chris Matthews – Obama” affect.