1) It’s Hard to Excite Chris Bosh

Chris Bosh is “not too excited to the point [he] was last year.” It’s understandable. It’s hard to find any NBA player that would rather play with Hedo Turkoglu, Jarrett Jack, DeMar DeRosen, Antoine Wright, Marco Belinelli, Rasho Nestrovich, Reggie Evans and hopefully soon Carlos Delfino than Jermaine O’Neil, Jason Kapono, Kris Humphries, Anthony Parker, Joey Graham and Nathan Jawai.

Oh sorry, wait a second, the Raps are significantly improved from last year. I guess I’ve just been way too busy following Chris Bosh’s twitter competition with Charlie V to properly analyze the Raptors off-season moves.

The latest quote from the YouTube video, racetrack appearance, and tweet making superstar is another public relations blunder that makes Raps fans wonder whether Chris Bosh could give less of a f*** than Alex Rios. When Bosh’s used car salesman All-Star YouTube video first came out, it was endearing. The video was pretty funny and painted Bosh as a fun-loving good guy. Now Bosh’s array of internet endeavors reminds fans of Darius Miles’ role in the 2004 hit teen-com The Perfect Score: FOCUS ON BASKETBALL!! (Don’t bother watching past about 1:30 unless you’re really bored. [Editor's note: This movie rules and I own it on DVD.])

I used to love Chris Bosh, but after being spurned by Damon Stoudemire, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter, his lack of commitment to Toronto has driven me to hate. I realize this isn’t totally fair to Bosh, but the contract extension saga has brought all of his negative attributes to the surface thanks mainly to the particularly scathing article written by Dave Feschuk in the June 5th Toronto Star.

Word on the street is that Bosh will resign with the Raptors and I hope he does, but he has a long way to go to repair his image in Toronto.

2) It’s Hard for New York Fans to get Excited

Knicks executives and fans are holding out hope that one or two of LBJ, CB4 and D-Wade are coming to the bright lights of Madison Square Gardens in 2010 and therefore Donnie Walsh has been working hard clearing and maintaining cap room. For David Lee and Nate Robinson that means that the contracts they earned with last year’s breakout seasons are not on offer in New York. This has put them in the NBA’s restricted limbo, alongside Big Baby Davis, that plagued Josh Childress and Carlos Delfino last year and eventually saw them land in Europe. (There are rumors that Robinson is exploring European options.) The Knicks are heading towards another lottery pick, but if things can’t be worked out with Lee and Robinson then things will be particularly horrid for Knickerbockers.

While they seemingly refuse to seriously negotiate with Lee and Robinson, the Knicks are said to be interested in Ramon Sessions and Allen Iverson. Sessions is a good young guard and would definitely help the Knicks by taking the burden off Chris Duhon, who played well last year, but also played too much. There is also a bit of a point guard log jam in Milwaukee with first-round pick Brandon Jennings joining Sessions and Luke Ridnour, so that move makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is Allen Iverson. AI is a bad teammate, has a bad attitude and has a diminishing skill set. Yes, he is a former MVP and scoring championing, but at this point in his career he is not an upgrade over Nate Robinson, who is younger and willing to come of the bench.

3) It Was Hard Being LeBron James in High School

LBJ is going to announce to the world in his autobiography, Shooting Star, (written with or more accurately written by Buzz Bissinger) that he smoked marijuana in high school while struggling with his new found fame. Now I don’t think there’s anything wrong with smoking pot, but why on earth would LBJ admit this? I guess he saw how much good it did for Josh Howard’s career and thought “you know what, that looks like a good idea.” I really hope that LeBron has found a new way to deal with his fame and that the stress he is under to win an NBA championship doesn’t drive him to face the terrors of tripping on pot.

4) It’s Hard Being Lamar Odom

Lamar Odom finally made the right decision after taking weeks and losing out on three million dollars. I’ll admit it was a pretty hard decision. Option A: play for the Miami Heat, a mid-level non-championship contending team for the mid-level exception of around six million dollars per season. Option B: play for the LA Lakers, the defending champions and early-season favorites for nine million dollars a year. Hmmm, give me a month to decide.

5) It’s Hard taking the Ball to the Hole in the NBA

‘Nuff Said.

On Sunday afternoon I was sitting on my couch rocking my vintage #16 Raptors jersey watching Matt Bonner rain down threes on the Celtics and thinking ‘could life get any better?’ Then it did when I turned on tsn.ca to learn that Bonner has applied for Canadian Citizenship and is planning to represent Canada in international basketball competitions. Born in Concord, New Hampshire, Bonner has a Canadian Grandfather and his wife is from Toronto, but that’s all just semantics. The fact is Matt Bonner is awesome, he has red hair, he loves Toronto and he drains three balls, so give him a damn passport already.

When Bryan Colangelo traded Bonner to the Spurs in 2006 I was obviously disappointed. Not only is he the best red-headed player in the league and therefore my idol, I also had just bought his jersey. However, the trade was bittersweet. Like sending your dog out to live on a farm, I knew in San Antonio Bonner would have a better opportunity. Once Robert Horry retired, Bonner stepped in to the Spurs rotation and has become a valuable role player. Bonner’s outside shooting ability has allowed him to thrive playing alongside Tim Duncan. Bonner’s shooting range stretches the defence and allows Duncan to get easier looks inside and Duncan’s post play attracts double teams which opens up shots for Bonner on the outside. Coach Popovich has rewarded Bonner’s solid play by starting him in 36 of the Spurs games and playing him for a career high 23 minutes per game. Bonner has responded by averaging a career high 8.6 points per game, while shooting 53.5% from the field and connecting on a league-leading 50% of his shots from behind the arc.

Now that the Red Rocket will be donning the red and white I can rejoice in the opportunity to once again cheer for one of my favorite players on one of my favorite teams. I believe that Bonner will be a better fit on Team Canada than Samuel Dalembert. Not only is he not a complete jackass, but Bonner can actually score the basketball. Dalembert is a good NBA player because he is long and athletic, but he can’t do much besides for rebound, block shots and dunk. Therefore, he couldn’t be the primary option on offense that Canada needed him to be. Since teams are only allowed one naturalized player, Bonner’s application for his Canadian Citizenship likely spells the end to Dalembert’s short but rocky stint on Canada’s National Team. Even with Bonner on the team, Canada will be unlikely to reach its goal of being ranked in FIBA’s top ten by 2012, but whatever – they’ll be a lot more fun to watch with the Red and White Rocket.

1) I would sign Darius Miles

Why not? You sign him to a 10-day contract and play him in garbage time and all of a sudden the Portland Trailblazers don’t have cap space this summer. Is this a jerk move? Yes, but the NBA is a cutthroat competition so why wouldn’t you cut your competitions throat when you have the chance? Good on Memphis.

2) With oil prices down the Diesel is back

Many panned the Shaq for Marion trade, but this year Shaq has shown that he still has some life in his legs. Shaq is averaging 18.2 points 9.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per games. He has produced 18 double-doubles and posted highs of 35 points and 17 rebounds. With Miami now scouring the NBA for big men – with Marion as the bait – I’m sure they’d like to go back in time and reverse their trade with Phoenix.

3) Nate Robinson should not be in the dunk competition

It is amazing that a 5’9” point guard can rock the rim, but Nate Robinson is shock value, not entertainment. In his last dunk competition, he took close to 30 attempts to finally put down a dunk and it was boring, just plain boring. I like how the NBA allowed fans to vote in the final dunker, even though my pick Joe Alexander lost. Joe Alexander can hit his nose on the rim, yet he will be watching at home while Robinson struggles to complete a dunk.

4) I’m tired of the Celtics

If I see the video of KG signing the superman song one more time I’m going to go crazy. It isn’t funny. I’m tired of hearing KG talk so ‘selflessly’ about Paul Pierce. The Big Three are franchise players who have all bought into the team-first mentality, I feel ya dawg. I like KG, but I’m tired of this story. It probably won’t go away, but as KG knows annnnnyttthing is possibbbbble.

5) Second Round Picks

Seems almost every year one team steals a gem in the second round. In the past it has been undersized power forwards like Paul Millsap, Carlos Boozer and Leon Powe, but this year its Milwaukee’s swing player Luc Richard Mbah A Moute. The 6’8” 230 pound product of UCLA has impressed coach Scott Skiles with his ability to defend four different positions and has passed the Bucks 1^st round pick, Joe Alexander, on their depth chart. The 37^th player drafted in last year’s entry draft is averaging 7.6 points 6.2 rebounds and 1 steal per game and has started 29 times for Bucks. While the numbers do not jump out at you, Mbah A Moute is the type of player all good teams need – he is a glue guy who does all the little things to help the team win. Mbah A Moute’s success this season shows that even though the television coverage cuts out after the 30^th pick is made, the second round is still relevant.

In 2000, the Toronto Raptors were the NBA’s up and coming team led by Vince Carter and his cousin Tracy McGrady. People were expecting big things from this dynamic duo, even paying them the ultimate compliment of comparing them to the legendary duo of Jordan and Pippen. Unfortunately for Raptors fans, McGrady spurned Toronto choosing to sign a long term contract with the Orlando Magic and play Pippen to Grant Hill’s Jordan.

Like McGrady during his final season with the Raptors, Chris Bosh has remained mum on his plans for the future. While it is certainly his right to take a wait and see approach, the Raptors simply can’t afford to wait. The idea of trading a 24 year old Power Forward who is seventh in the association in scoring seems crazy, but letting him go for nothing next summer is even crazier.

Bryan Colangelo’s first option is obviously to convince Bosh to sign a long term extension and he is certainly kicking all tires to try and improve the Raptors. However, his Jermaine O’Neal acquisition has not worked out and worse yet it has left the Raptors with very few trading blocks to try and land the swing player they desperately need. The Raptors could move Andrea Bargnani, but he has been playing very well of late and Colangelo is hesitant to move his number one pick who looks to be on the verge of being a consistent force in the NBA. They also have the expiring contract of Anthony Parker, who has been a solid player for the Raptors but simply isn’t the main swing on a quality team. Bargnani and Parker have been rumoured to be the core of a deal with Dallas for Josh Howard, but both sides have denied the speculation. The best case scenario would be moving the oft injured O’Neal and his 22 million dollar contract, which thankfully will expire before the summer of 2010. The Miami Heat are looking for a big man – O’Neal, Marcus Camby and Brad Miller have all been mentioned – and are shopping Shawn Marion, who is averaging career lows and has made it known that he desperately wants out of Miami. If O’Neal can get back in the line-up for an extended period this could be a possibility, but I know wouldn’t trade for JO.

Therefore, it will probably take Colangelo through 2010 to surround Bosh with the talent to make the Raptors a serious contender in the East and that means that Colangelo’s second and more realistic option is to propose an ultimatum to Bosh: either he is willing to sign the max extension or Colangelo should begin to explore trade options. Colgangelo should explain to Bosh that management and ownership are committed to building a championship around him, but need more time to put all the right pieces in place and hope to high heaven that he signs the extension. (It certainly would go a long way to convincing Bosh of ownership’s commitment if Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment kicked their allergic reaction to the luxury tax)

While it is a general rule in sports not trade within your division, when exploring trading partners the New York Knicks make the most sense. First, New York is likely one of Chris Bosh’s preferred destinations when he becomes a free agent. Second, the Knicks are trying to clear enough cap room to sign both LeBron James and another of the big 2010 stars, most likely Bosh. Therefore, trading for Bosh would guarantee getting Bosh in blue and orange and it would help convince LeBron to make Madison Square Garden his forwarding address. Third, I believe they have the pieces – expiring contracts and lottery picks – to get the deal done. If I were Colangelo I’d call Donnie Walsh and offer him Bosh and O’Neal for David Lee, Stephon Marbury, Danilo Gallinari, Al Harrington (or Eddy Curry) and their 2009 and 2010 1st Round Picks.

Salaries
To the Knicks:
Chris Bosh 2 year for 14,410,000
Jermaine O’Neal 2 years for 21,372,000

To the Raptors
David Lee 1 year for 1,788,033
Stephon Marbury 1 year for 20,843,625
Danilo Gallinari 2 years for 2,873,520
Al Harrington 1 year for 9,226,250

This might be a little over the top and I’d be willing to drop either Gallinari or the 2010 1st Rounder and change Harrington for Curry. Lee will give the Raptors a young quality Power Forward and Harrington and Marbury will give the Raptors cap space in 2009 where the free agent list includes Carlos Boozer, Lamar Odem, Shawn Marion, Hedo Turkoglu, Andre Miller and Mehmet Okur. (If the trade included Curry instead of Harrington the Raptors would get cap space in 2010). The trade would also give the Raptors two lottery picks in 2009 and either Gallinari or another 1st round pick to add to their core.

I hope that Chris Bosh chooses to remain a Raptor; he is one of my favourite players and I really enjoy watching him go after it each and every night. I’m confident that given time Colangelo will be able to build the talent around Bosh to make the Raptors a force. However, if Chris Bosh isn’t willing to make a commitment this year I don’t think the Raptors can’t afford to wait. If Bosh chooses to pull a Tracy McGrady and spurn Toronto for another franchise the Raptors will be in shambles and relegated to the NBA Lottery for the next three to five years. The time is now for an ultimatum, for a decision, for a plan for the future.

This article has been submitted by Rob Shaw.

The currently streaking Blue Jays now sit 7.5 games behind the first place Tampa Bay Rays as this year’s trade deadline rolls around. While making up 7.5 games in two months is not impossible, jumping over three teams (Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox) will require the help of Tom Cruise and his trademark disguises – maybe he could disguise himself as a legitimate clean-up hitter. However that doesn’t mean that the Jays should be sellers at this year’s deadline. The Blue Jays might want to start looking to the future, but the future is next year, not two or three years down the road.

The first step is keeping AJ Burnett. The Jays seem to be leaning in that direction as before last night’s series opener against the Rays, General Manager JP Ricciardi stated to reporters that he had no intention of moving Burnett at the deadline. Burnett rewarded him by striking out ten over seven innings of one run baseball. AJ gives the Jays a formidable 1-2 punch with Doc Halladay and I don’t see how the Jays would be better equipped to compete in 2009 by trading AJ at the deadline for prospects. Therefore, finding away to keep him around would be a pretty good idea. Rumors have started circulating that the Jays are interested in offering Burnett an extra $2M per year to entice AJ not to exercise his opt-out clause and stick around his final two years. Getting AJ to return alongside Roy Halladay, Shawn Marcum, Dustin McGowan and either Jesse Litsch, David Purcey or Casey Janssen, would ensure that the Jays starting rotation would once again be a major strength next year.

The next step is finding somebody who can hit home runs and drive in runs. The Jays desperately need some pop in their line-up as no Blue Jay has yet tallied 50RBI and Matt Stairs is the only Jay with double-digits in homeruns as he finally reached that plateau Friday versus the Mariners. Ricciardi should be looking over this year’s trade market for some help. The Jays shouldn’t be looking for rental players like Mark Teixieira, but they should be looking at outfielders Jason Bay of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Matt Holliday of the Colorado Rockies, who are both signed through next year (Bay for 7.5 million and Holliday for 13.5 million). I’m not sure if the Pirates-Yankees trade that sent Pirates Outfield Xavier Nady to the Yankees will affect the Pirates wiliness to move Bay or how the recent Rockies winning streak will affect Holliday’s availability. However, if they are available, the Jays should be at the front of the line and ready to deal. While Holliday (.344AVG 17HR 60RBI) may be the better hitter, Bay (.284AVG 22HR 61RBI) is clearly no slouch and the fact that he is Canadian would be a big hit with the fans and also give the Jays a better chance of resigning the slugger after next season. The Jays need to make a major move to acquire a hitter as the window of Doc Halladay’s prime and patience is closing and making the move now might help the Jays finally play some meaningful baseball in September and set them up to be real contenders in 2009.

As JP Ricciardi starts to look towards next year he should also identify the veterans that are not a part of the Jays plans. Free-agents-to-be Greg Zaun and David Eckstein are not going to be around next year and we might as well get something for them. Zaun, who has lost his starting job to Rod Barajas, could draw interest from the Yankees, who have recently lost Jorge Posada to season ending surgery (but just acquired Pudge Rodriguez for Kyle ‘Less Than Peanuts’ Farnsworth, so scratch that). Losing Zaun wouldn’t really hamper the Jays as Curtis Thigpen, who is currently playing for the Syracuse Chiefs, could easily step in to backup Barajas for the rest of the season. Eckstein has also lost his starting job and with Marco Scutaro, Joe Inglett and John McDonald already on the roster the Jays don’t have much need for him. Eckstein has drawn interest from several teams including the Dodgers, as their shortstop Rafael Furcal is recovering from back surgery. While neither Zaun nor Eckstein is going to bring a top-flight prospect in return, they aren’t adding much to the Jays now and won’t be around to add anything next season.

Go Jays.

This article has been submitted by Rob Shaw.

This article has been submitted by Rob Shaw.

Imagine David Stern woke up one morning and realized that he has let the NBA completely abandon basketball fans in the Pacific Northwest, first allowing the Vancouver Grizzlies to move to Memphis and then the Seattle SuperSonics to relocate to Oklahoma City. Imagine Stern felt so bad that he granted the Pacific Northwest a new franchise – obviously in Vancouver because he feels awful that during the first go round Vancouver fans had to endure Bryant “Big Country” Reeves’ hair cut – and gave this new franchise the opportunity to pick up any player in the NBA it wished so long as they stayed under the 2008-2009 NBA salary cap of $58,560,000. The management would have to make some difficult decisions. Would they choose to take Kobe Bryant, the NBA’s best player, knowing that his salary of $21,262,500 would eat up 36% of the cap? Would they choose to take only players on their rookie contacts and hope that they don’t need any veteran presence? Luckily in this imaginary world, the Vancouver Scarier-Than-Memphis-Grizzlies have hired a person with no NBA managerial experience, but someone who has won many championships on EA Sports’ NBA Live and recently wrote an absolutely fabulous article on Jamario Moon.

Starting Five
Dwight Howard, C, 6’11”, 265lbs., 20.7ppg, 14.2rpg, $13,758,000
The 2004 1st Overall selection continued to improve in his 4th year. His offensive game still needs fine tuning, but he is an absolute beast and a double-double threat every night. He is also an anchor in the middle on defense that will make slashing guards and post players alike think twice about making a move inside. Check it.

David Lee, PF, 6’9”, 240lbs., 10.8ppg, 8.9rpg, $1,788,033
One of my favorite players, but in an absolutely awful situation in New York behind Eddie Curry and Zach Randolph. His name has been involved in trade rumors this summer, but he would seem to me to be a great fit in D’Antoni’s up-tempo style. Lee can be effective without the ball, he is very athletic – he won the MacDonald’s All-American Dunk Contest in high school – and he is a determined rebounder that can get you an extra possession.

LeBron James, SF, 6’8”, 250lbs., 28.2ppg, 7.8rpg, $14,410,581
A physical specimen who would be the NFL’s best Tight End if he decided he was done with basketball. However that seems rather unlikely, and therefore I’ll take him to be the franchise player for the Scarier-Than-Memphis-Grizzlies. I would much rather have Kobe because he seems like such a nice and likeable guy, but LBJ is much more affordable at 14 million. LBJ is capable of completely taking over games and has triple-double capability. While I’ve heard that Vancouver wasn’t on his top five city list, I’m sure he won’t have any complaints about playing in Van City considering his supporting cast.

Bruce Bowen, SG, 6’7”, 200lbs., 6ppg, 2.9rpg, $4,000,000
I needed someone who has been to the puppet show and seen the strings (yes that was a Jerry Maguire quote). Bowen has won 3 NBA Championships, is a lockdown defender and is crazy enough to kick Chris Paul, knee Steve Nash and be a part of several other incidents. He doesn’t need the basketball in his hands to make an impact and he can spread the floor as a capable three point shooter (41.9%).

Deron Williams, PG, 6’3”, 205lbs., 18.8ppg, 10.5apg, $5,069,449
Deron Williams or Chris Paul, that is the question. While I love the idea of Chris Paul lobbing alley-hoops to Dwight Howard, I chose Deron Williams because he is a better perimeter shooter. Williams is also capable of throwing those alley-hoops – basically anyone is because Dwight Howard can touch the top of the backboard – and with LBJ on the team many of the sets will feature him as the primary ball handler. Therefore the Point Guard needs to be able to spot up and while Steve Nash would be the ideal, he is too expensive.

Bench
Jason Maxiell, 6’7”, 260lbs., 7.9ppg, 5.3rpg, $1,877,572
The undersized Maxiell makes up for his height with an enormous wingspan and hard work. He comes off the bench with the type of energy that can change the game. Check this and this. Enough said.

LaMarcus Aldridge, 6’11”, 245lbs., 17.8ppg, 7.6rpg, $4,631,400
Aldridge really benefitted from Greg Oden’s season ending knee injury as it allowed him to start every game and he really improved from his rookie year. Aldridge gives the team some size and his mid-range shooting ability would allow him to play alongside Howard.

Paul Millsap, 6’8”, 258lbs., 8.1ppg, 5.6rpg, $797,581
Millsap is another undersized big who brings that kind of game changing energy off the bench. I was fighting over whether to use this spot for more height, but I think Millsap is a great value, who is capable of giving you a double-double off the bench like he did in Game 2 against the Lakers.

Jason Kapono, 6’8”, 215lbs., 7.2ppg, 1.5rpg, $5,784,480
The best three-point shooter in the NBA at 48.3%. Do you think he will get any open looks when teams are forced to double Dwight Howard or LBJ?

Rudy Gay, 6’8”, 222lbs., 20.1ppg, 6.2rpg, $2,579,400
Gay really improved last year and stepped into his role as the Grizzlies primary scorer. He has really improved the consistency of his jumper, which makes him dangerous because he is an unbelievable athlete. It was a tough decision to take him over Brandon Roy, but I think Gay will fill the role of scorer of the bench well. Appreciate.

Rodney Stuckey, 6’5”, 205lbs., 7.6ppg, 2.8apg, $1,687,320
Stuckey can play either the point guard or the shooting guard position. He was described before the draft as a poor-man’s Dwayne Wade and in the playoffs he showed why and proved he was capable of running a team when Mr. Big Shot went down.

Jordan Farmar, 6’2”, 180lbs., 9.1ppg, 2.7apg, $1,080,000
Farmar continued to improve this year and played a critical role in the Lakers playoff run. Farmar won’t see a lot of minutes on this squad, but he is capable of giving your team good minutes running the point. Plus you can never have too many shooters.

The final bill is $57,463,816 and the remaining $1,096,184 will be given to the General Manager as a bonus. The only players considered were players currently under contract for next season as listed on The Trade Machine.

Some of the other players considered for this list include: Kobe Bryant (21,262,500), Leon Powe (797,581), Kevin Garnet (24,751,934), Linas Kleiza (1,824,493), Chauncey Billups (11,050,000), Luis Scola (3,100,667), Al Thornton (1,776,240), Hakim Warrick (2,119,102), OJ Mayo (3,875,040), Javaris Crittenton (1,381,560), Dwyane Wade (14,410,581), Michael Beasley (4,314,960), Joe Alexander (2,403,120), Charlie Villanueva (3,448,050), Mike Miller (9,028,575) Al Jefferson (11,000,000), Chris Paul (4,573,189), David West (9,862,500), Tyson Chandler (11,350,000), Kevin Durant (4,484,040), Hedu Turkoglu (6,684,200), Elton Brand (13,757,844), Thaddeus Young (1,968,120), Lenardo Barbosa (6,100,000), Steve Nash (12,250,000), Greg Oden (5,011,680), Travis Outlaw (4,000,000), Brandon Roy (3,084,240), Kevin Martin (8,760,335), Ron Artest (7,400,000), Matt Bonner (2,978,000), Tony Parker (11,550,000), Manu Ginobili (9,905,248) Ime Udoka (1,080,000), Tim Duncan (20,598,704), Chris Bosh (14,410,581), Kyle Korver (4,956,818), Carlos Boozer (11,593,817), Caron Butler (9,249,980), Rajon Rondo (1,315,080), Thabo Sefolosha (1,931,160), Brandon Bass (826,269), Kyle Lowry (1,163,520), Randy Foye (2,815,560), Raja Bell (5,000,000), Luther Head (1,962,378), Travis Diener (1,620,000), Daequan Cook (1,273,200)

This article has been submitted by Rob Shaw.

This article has been submitted by the debuting Rob Shaw.

“Break out the Salami and Cheese, the HoneyMoon is Over!”

First off all I’d like to apologize for the Chuck Swirsky phrases, but like most Raptors fans I’m suffering from serious withdrawal symptoms and I’m not sure what life will be like in 1 AS (After Swirsky).

Bryan Colangelo and Sam Mitchell had onions, baby, onions to take a 27-year-old journeyman from the Nunavut of the NBA landscape and plant him in the Raptors starting line-up. Jamario Moon rewarded them with solid play and endeared himself to Raptors fans with highlight reel dunks that were getting more hits on YouTube than the Blue Jays got for John Gibbons. However, like his performance in the Slam Dunk Contest, by the playoffs Moon was taking off more than a foot in front of the free throw line and disappointing Raptors and YouTube fans alike.

Hopefully for Raptors fans, Moon was simply suffering from the rookie fatigue common amongst first year players who previously have never played anywhere close to 82 games in a single season or dealt with so many ball bunnies. Hopefully, Moon will have made the necessary adjustments to endure the grind of the NBA season and will be able to bring more consistent energy in April. For Moon to be successful in the NBA he has to bring a Bruce Bowen-like focus to defense, a Shawn Marion-like commitment to rebounding and maybe even a Kobe Bryant-like focus on holding press conferences with his family. Moon has the length and athleticism to be a shut-down wing-defender and with the amount of minutes he played last year he should be a solid 8-10 rebound per game player. Yet against the Magic, Moon was too often beaten off the dribble and caught leaking out at the three point line, while the Raptors bigs hopelessly tried to prevent Dwight Howard from playing keep up with the backboard and trying to break off the rim. Defense and rebounding are about effort and determination and it simply wasn’t there from Moon.

The addition of Jermaine O’Neal changes the dynamic of the Raptors rotation and unfortunately for Moon it will likely see him shifted to the bench – hopefully with less newspaper headlines than TJ Ford’s demotion. With the low-post threat of O’Neal and mid-range face-up game of Chris Bosh, Coach Sam Mitchell should look to spread the floor with shooters. Therefore, Jason Kapono, who despite a disappointing regular season turned in a solid performance against the Magic, should slide into the starting small forward slot. In order for Moon to be effective on the new-look Raptors he desperately needs to improve his shooting consistency. Moon was exposed during the Raptors short playoff appearance as an offensive liability as the Magic routinely left him unguarded and dared him to shoot. Their strategy worked perfectly, as Moon only connected on 37.9% of his field goal attempts and they were able to constantly provide extra help on Chris Bosh. Moon needs to follow the model of Bruce Bowen, who makes his name on the defensive end of the floor, but still forces teams to respect his outside shot. Therefore, despite possessing a limited offensive game, Bowen is able to play big minutes for the San Antonio Spurs because he can spread the floor.

The addition of O’Neal also means the Raptors will no longer be obliged to start the Italian-Shaq at centre and therefore the Raptors won’t be forced to rely on rebounding out of the small forward position, which eliminates one of Moon’s comparative advantages.

With Carlos Delfino almost out the door, Joey Graham perpetually confused and a weak free agent market at the swing position, the Raptors will need Moon to renew his focus on defense and rebounding and provide a burst of energy off the bench. In order for Moon to truly make an impact this season he must prove to the NBA that he is capable of consistently knocking down jumpers and make them pay for sagging on Bosh or O’Neal. If he is unable to do so and other teams are smart enough to take advantage of his weaknesses, then he will seriously hamper the Raptors offensively and make the lives of Bosh and O’Neal far more difficult. Here’s hoping that Moon has been following the same workout schedule as the Bank of Montreal star Jason Kapono and is ready to fill the basket.

This article has been submitted by the debuting Rob Shaw.