Raptors Reborn... (April 1, 1999)

First, let me give a shout out to Jim Calhoun and the U Conn Huskies. They are the best team in the nation. Richard Hamilton, you, not Elton Brand, are the best player on the best team. Bar none.

And now the NBA. How about those Toronto Raptors. 15 and 14. The first time over .500. They are making a playoff run. Keep this in mind. This is a team that no one wanted to play for last year. They changed ownership three times, lost their so-called genius G.M., had their best player demand a trade and then traded him, had their second best player demand a trade (but held onto him), had their coach resign when all this was happening….and now look at them, they are above .500.

How did they do this? First off, Glen Grunwell should be complemented on for bringing in a steadying veteran influence in the persons of Charles Oakley and Kevin Willis. They play 30+ minutes a game, provide rebounding, toughness, a great work ethic and the occasional scoring touch. Both are tutoring young players like John Thomas and Michael Stewart the intricacies of the inside NBA game. Dee Brown has found his lost stroke and has been lighting it up lately. John Wallace continues to score. His agent said he wanted out when the Raptors didn't agree to his outrageous demands, yet Wallace scores when he's in the game. Alvin Williams is still a point of concern for the team. This team doesn't really use a point guard too much, but much more was expected of Williams then his meager contributions. Doug Christie is playing great basketball. He still shoots too much and doesn't have great shot selection, but he's a great defender and when he's hot, he rolls. Tracy McGrady, T-Mac, is maturing nicely. He's playing more point guard than ever before, and I see him becoming the starting point guard soon. He's got a Anfernee Hardaway body with a power forward mentality. The big surprise has been Vince Carter. This guy has been nothing short of spectacular. He's the best rookie in the NBA. Not only has his dunks been on SportsCenter every week, but he's scoring 17 points a game, but he's also rebounding and playing tough defense. He's leading the Raptors in blocks.

The Raptors are led by Butch Carter, who still has to work out his substitution patterns a bit better, but he's coaching well. You can't argue with results. The Raptors are playing better than ever before. Grunwell has been nothing short of brilliant with his collective moves. Oak and Willis are great. Carter is the leader for Rookie of the Year. Unloading Chauncey Billups and getting two first rounders in return and a highly touted European in return might be the icing on the cake. If the Raptors make the playoffs, their first round pick goes to New York, so they'd be without a pick, except the Raptors have the Nuggets and the T-Wovlves picks. The Raptors aren't hurting without Billups, as Carter, Christie and McGrady are leading the team quite well.

The new Air Canada Center is a marvelous arena, one of the best in the NBA and NHL. The Maple Leafs as owners are providing the team with the freedom to do everything they ever wanted. In a matter of a year, they went from the most unstable franchise this side of the L.A. Clippers, to one of the most successful, both on the court and off the court. If Grunwell picks another gem in the draft, look for more good things from Toronto.

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