Toronto Raptors: Building For Success

With one tweet the Toronto Raptors made their team official by cutting their roster to a league maximum of 15 players.  The Raptors now enter 2014-15 with the goal of not only repeating as winner of the Atlantic Division, but also to build upon the success of their 2013-14 season.

By waiving both Will Cherry and Jordan Hamilton, the Raptors’ roster now officially looks like this:

PG: Kyle Lowry, Greivis Vasquez

SG: DeMar DeRozan, Louis Williams, Landry Fields

SF: Terrence Ross, James Johnson, Bruno Caboclo

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C: Jonas Valanciunas, Chuck Hayes, Lucas Nogueira, Greg Stiemsma

Toronto was never expected to compete last year, and started the season just that way.  After trading Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 8, the Raptors suddenly became a deeper and more cohesive team and managed to take the league by storm.

The team now enters this season even deeper than before as Masai Ujiri managed to fill the team’s two biggest needs during the offseason: offensive punch off of the bench in the form of Lou Williams, and a big/athletic defensive wing in the form of James Johnson.

Perhaps in part due to the team’s history, but this rendition of the Raptors could easily be the deepest and most diverse roster in franchise history; having two and a half solid options at point guard (Williams is a hybrid, but can fulfill the role), potent scorers throughout the roster, exceptional athletes at each position, and some great one-on-one and team defenders.

Toronto also still has plenty of room to grow, with an incredibly young, and still developing starting lineup.  Kyle Lowry at 28 years old, and Amir Johnson at 27 years old (and entering his 10th year in the NBA) are the young veterans, with DeRozan (25), Ross (23) and Valanciunas (22) joining them despite not hitting the prime of their careers.

But it wasn’t a fluke that Toronto was one of the few teams last year to have both a top-10 offense and top-10 defense, and they weren’t a team that took anyone by surprise after a month or two of success in the post Rudy Gay era.  Rather, they became a team that battled every single night, and grew to see themselves as having a chance to win no matter the opponent.

Just three days before their season tips off, the Raptors are now aiming for their second straight division championship, and even more for the respect of a league that still views them, at best, as a second tier team.

Fans of Toronto shouldn’t be excited about the team’s 7-1 preseason record, as the Raptors had a similar (6-1) record last preseason.  But what should excite fans is the change of attitude that exists within the franchise when compared to this time last year.

No one within the Raptors is celebrating this preseason success.  Rather, they speak in measured tones about their goals for this season and the very high expectations that they have of themselves.

Instead of having an attitude of proving others wrong, the attitude seems to be that they can prove themselves right.

There are now just a few days until tip off, until basketball matters once again.  And Wednesday will once again feature both a city and a team that is ready for success; and Jurassic Park should be rocking once again as fans surround the arena to watch the game outside.

The Raptors are now on a mission to force their way into the championship picture, and the belief within the franchise is that they have the tools to do so … and all it took was 20 years.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Regular Season Opener Edition