The Toronto Raptors do not have the rich tradition of their hockey cousins, the Maple Leafs, nor do they have a history of success, like the now-hopeless Toronto Blue Jays, but they do have one thing; a massive fanbase that ranges from obsessive to psychotic. Feared throughout the internet, Raptors fans have verbally assaulted both professional sports writers and amateur bloggers alike over issues with allegedly anti-Raptors or anti-Canadian content. It is a strange thing to see a fan-base take on the personality of the mascot, while the team itself floats through the NBA without a personality to call their one. Dedicated and passionate fans cannot will a mediocre team to a championship and the Raptors fan-base have had their hopes crushed more often than any of them care to count over the past fifteen years. Since the Raptors’ inception into the NBA, Toronto has been seen as an undesirable place to play basketball; partially because of the Canadian winters and partially because most basketball players wish to remain in the United States. The team’s success has been limited while its failures have been extensive and colossal. The Raptors have had seven head coaches in their franchise’s young history – all of whom posted winning percentages comfortably below the .500 mark during their tenure with Toronto’s lovable losers.  

However, all is not lost. The Raptors are managed by Bryan Colangelo, a two time NBA executive of the year and son of NBA logo-model Jerry Colangelo and there is some legitimate talent on the team. Four-time NBA all-star Chris Bosh leads the team on the floor, receiving support from a surprisingly deep starting cast that includes the highly efficient point guard Jose Calderon, versatile and silky smooth centre in Andrea Bargnani and fellow four-time all-star player in Shawn Marion. Despite their talented starting five, this team finished 33-49; their worst season since the dawn of the Colangelo era. Coaching is a likely culprit of why such a seemingly talented team has floundered this season.  The dismal season has also raised questions regarding Chris Bosh’s leadership abilities and Bryan Colangelo’s managerial skills. Neither man can be blamed entirely for the season, though neither can escape the wrath of wounded Raptors fans seeking vengeance for being made to watch a disappointing and heartless basketball team (although 28% of the games were unwatchable for most hardcore fans that chose not to hop on the TSN2 bandwagon).

The news gets worse for Raptors fans as franchise player Chris Bosh’s contract expires in 2010, with plenty of cap-space savvy teams salivating over the opportunity to land such a hot commodity without sacrificing any talent. Bosh has played the role of the consummate professional, praising the city of Toronto and its fans, while keeping his cards very close to him. Rumours abound about Bosh’s inevitable departure but nothing has been confirmed by Raptors management or the Bosh camp.

The good news is that the Raptors are well-positioned to reverse their fortunes this offseason. Armed with cap-space, a high first rounder and a solid group of starters, Colangelo could easily work his magic and add a high-end shooting guard or acquire a reliable veteran or two for his decidedly thin bench. There has also been speculation that Colangelo is looking to beef up his coaching staff, with the anticipated losses of Mike Evans and Alex English and as usual, Colangelo will probably look at Europe and former employees of the Phoenix Suns to replace them, most notably Ettore Messina – the widely respected and accomplished coach of CSKA Moscow – and Marc Iavaroni, a former member of the Phoenix Suns’ coaching staff.

Colangelo stands behind underwhelming Raptors interim head coach, Jay Triano. Triano has coaching experience in the Olympics and with the Raptors, though he has never experienced success as a head coach which leaves me to question whether he is suited for the position. By all accounts, Jay Triano is an intelligent, hard-working and likeable guy – seen by some as one of the nicest guys in the NBA, a trait that hardly seems befitting of an NBA head coach. The Raptors would benefit from the leadership of a more experienced and disciplined head coach.

At any rate, it is far too early to predict the Raptors record for next season, but I would expect the NBA playoffs to be back in Toronto or Raptors fans will ensure everyone on the Raptors understands their frustration.

Written by Ken Matheson

Photos Courtesy of Adam Bailey