Toronto Raptors: 5 Best/Worst Moments Of 2012-13 Season

The Toronto Raptors went 34-48 in 2012-13. (Image from wallpaperdev.com)

There were high hopes and expectations for the Toronto Raptors heading into the 2012-13 season, but after a dismal start, the narrative quickly changed to the positives that could possibly be drawn from a fifth straight year without a playoff berth.

Win or lose, however, it is certain that the Raptors always keep things interesting–which makes is possible for me to present my top five best and worst moments from their most recent campaign.

Worst

5. Raptors eliminated from playoff contention, April 1

With a 108-98 loss to the visiting Detroit Pistons, in a game that featured the return of point guard Jose Calderon as a member of the opposing squad, the Raptors’ playoff hopes were officially dashed.

Although it was a disappointing moment, fans had a chance to prepare for this ahead of time as the Raptors built up to it with a 4-11 record in March to take all wind out of the sails.

4. Jonas Valanciunas fractures finger, Dec. 21

One of the major story lines heading into this season was the debut and development of the 6’11” center from Lithuania. Although Valanciunas was drafted fifth overall in 2011, the plan all along was for him to play an additional year in Europe before making the jump to the NBA.

Jonas Valanciunas is a big part of the Toronto Raptors’ future plans. (Photo Credit: Matthew Addie, Flickr.com)

The now 21-year-old showed promise early in the season, averaging nine points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in just more than 24 minutes of floor time in November. Furthermore, Valanciunas had started in all 28 of the team’s games until the time of his injury in a 93-90 victory on the road against the Orlando Magic.

Considered a major piece in the Raptors’ road back to contention, Valanciunas would go on to miss 18 straight games.

3. Botched call, Nov. 21

Sporting a 3-8 record, the Raptors were not exactly brimming with confidence when they showed up in Charlotte for the second game of a back-to-back, having lost the night before in Philadelphia.

To make matters worse, the Raptors not only fell 98-97 to the Bobcats on that night, but they would later receive an apology from the NBA for being robbed of a chance to win the game.

As the above video shows, Andrea Bargnani was fouled in the act of shooting with 2.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and should have been awarded two free throws.

2. Deja vu, Jan. 17

Less than two months later, the Raptors were again the subject of an apology from the league office as a blown call impacted the final outcome of a 107-105 overtime loss at home to the Chicago Bulls.

While a foul was actually called on this occasion (the final few seconds of the extra frame) it should have been deemed a shooting foul. Perhaps in an alternate universe, Amir Johnson was awarded a trip to the line and a chance to tie the game.

On Jan. 30, the Raptors appeared poised to complete the hat trick of “blown calls resulting in an apology from the league.” This time, however, coach Dwane Casey received a fine for his outrage over not getting a whistle when DeMar DeRozan was hacked on his way to the basket in the dying seconds of a 93-92 loss in Atlanta.

1. Raptors start season 4-19

That was the dismal record the Raptors were staring at on Dec. 12 upon returning from a brutal 0-6 road trip and it ensured that the remainder of the season would be an uphill climb.

Things sure spiraled out of control quickly for a team that began the year believing they could reach the playoffs.

Andrea Bargnani has not met the expectations of Toronto Raptors fans since being drafted first overall in 2006. (Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com)

Best

5. General manager finally becomes willing to trade Andrea Bargnani

No longer the team’s former general manager, Bryan Colangelo will always have ties to Bargnani, the 7′ forward he drafted first overall in 2006. With a smooth 3-point stroke and the ability to dribble and drive to the basket, Bargnani was seen in the Dirk Nowitzki mold, but that comparison just created unrealistic expectations.

In his seven seasons as a Raptor, the knock on Bargnani has always been his unwillingness to rebound or defend and a lack of post-up moves.

Colangelo was seemingly the last to admit that it was time to explore trade options for his prize pick, but just when he did, Bargnani went down with an injury.

The next general manager will have to decide if it is in fact time to end the Bargnani era in Toronto–perhaps a task easier to say than do.

4. Terrence Ross wins Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, Feb. 16

This was definitely a bright spot for the 22-year-old rookie shooting guard.

Ross’ dunks during fast-break opportunities were electrifying to fans and teammates, but with a streaky jump shot and a lot to learn on defense, he averaged 6.4 points a saw just 17 minutes of playing time per contest.

3. Jonas Valanciunas earns Rookie of the Month honors

As the Raptors’ playoff hopes began fading, the focus shifted to the development of Valanciunas, who had returned from injury on Feb. 1, but was logging inconsistent minutes–ranging from two to 34 in February.

However, as the calendar changed to March, Valanciunas’ minutes increased along with his production. His 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds on 62 percent shooting from the field in just more than 27 minutes per game made Valanciunas the clear favorite.

The young pivot followed up with a strong April, logging 31.6 minutes on average and posting 14.9 points. 5.9 rebounds, and an impressive 2.4 blocks.

As I wrote before, when I graded his rookie season, Valanciunas can be more fairly judged in terms of wins and losses next season.

2. Raptors trade for Rudy Gay, Jan. 30

When the team acquired Gay in a three-team deal, the feeling was that the Raptors had finally acquired the franchise player they were lacking since the departure of Chris Bosh in the summer of 2010.

How will the Raptors do with a full season of Rudy Gay in the lineup? (Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com)

At the time of the trade, the Raptors were slowing climbing up the standings, but at 16-30 and nine games back of the eighth spot, they had a long way to go.

The Raptors went 7-3 in their first 10 games with Gay installed as the new starting small forward and were just 4.5 games removed from a playoff seed on Feb. 22, but they fizzled out the rest of the way.

1. Team plays .500 for majority of season

Despite the 4-19 record out of the gate mentioned above, the Raptors pulled it together and finished the season on a 30-29 clip–in the end finishing just four games back of the eighth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.

The turnaround was highlighted by a stretch of games from Dec. 14-Jan. 2 in which the Raptors went 8-1, punctuated by a 102-79 thumping of the Portland Trail Blazers.