Am I wrong to think the Raptors can compete?

Am i wrong to think that the Raptors can compete in the eastern conference?

As of now i see them in the second group with Atlanta and a few other behind the big three but is it too much of a stretch to see 2nd round and possibly further (without injury woes of course)

What you think?

When you come off a season where you lost 49 games and are revamping half the team, I think the first goal should be a playoff birth. They should be better than a number of other teams in the East which seem to be going backwards -- the Bucks and Nets, Pacers and Knicks come to mind in this regard. The Pistons were also in free fall last year.

I see them as potentially being a 5 through 8 seed -- if everyone stays reasonably healthy.

Jay Triano will be in his first full season as an NBA head coach, this group has never played together before, and they were one of the worst rebounding and defensive teams in the league; things are really looking up though, and Colangelo has done a masterful job this summer, but they have a lot of improvements to make.

i know and i do agree, that is the goal but look at teams like the celtics (no comparison in talent regard because they got 3 Hall of Famers) but they went from the worst record to winning the championship. The heat from the worst record to competing.

ALL i am saying is if all goes well and say they do accomplish 4-8 seed, CAN they compete? can they make a push at maybe upsetting a team because their current roster looks beautiful. Possibly the best 3-4-5 combo in the NBA.

Bargnani played very well late last year but he's a poor rebounder for a five man -- 6 rebounds a game. Bosh scores and rebounds but his defense is substandard, except for shot blocking. Calderon's defense was brutal last year, although in fairness he played injured most of the year.

They've addressed some of this with Evans, Jack and Wright. All of these guys are noted for their defense. The problem is that none of them are projected as starters.

Overall, the talent is better than last year -- more depth, starters should have to play less minutes, more competition for the minutes. Another high performance scorer in Turkoglu.

Compete? Yes. Make the playoffs, quite likely. Win a round. Maybe. But until they've played at a high level for a while I think expectations should be realistic.

Agreed, you do know what you are talking about!

DeROZAN is another defensive guy who you didn't mention, and he is most likely a starter sooner or later.

And i know expections should be realistic, and mine is a playoff birth with a legitimate shot at advancing. My hopes are further and my gut feeling tells me it's possible.

I am a believer in a deep roster and having a second line of Jack, Delfino, Wright, Evans and Rasho (Hoping they come) would be the best bench defensive lineup in the NBA.

So in a way i see it meshing as in sometimes Jack is with the starters, or Bargnani is on with the second Unit or Wright gives turkoglu a break and we have killer perimeter defense with him and DeROZAN.

Again i am a dreamer but these dreams seem possible, at least to me? Things just must fall into place: Limited Injuries, Team Chemistry etc..

And hopefully they will, i mean on the defensive side, even getting iavaroni will help so i'm praying for them!

I'm very impressed with what Colangelo has accomplished over the past month and generally I have a good feeling about this team. I think that in the past, the starters had to play way too many minutes, a problem that began when Sam was coach and the team suffered as a result. Colangelo has addressed that issue when it didn't appear that he had either the money or picks to make it happen.

DeRozan was a good pick. He is 19, though and few 19 year olds can step into the NBA and play heavy minutes -- unless your name is Lebron James. If you think back even guys like Garnett and McGrady, who entered the NBA very young, took a couple of years to really get going.

DeRozan has great potential, but he hasn't played at this level before -- Adam Morrison took him to school in one summer league game. I think his offensive game looks to be ahead of his defensive game. Colangelo realizes this and that is why he brought in Jack -- Calderon is best at about 30 to 32 minutes a game and this young guy needs to be brought along carefully. He should be a very good one, and maybe even a great one, but probably not right away.

You're a positive person, though, who expects the best out of people, and that is a good thing. There are a lot more positives than negatives on this team right now.

I am always a hopeful supporter of the Raptors but like observer I feel I should control my optimism. I feel we have a good shot at a playoff spot but to avoid the big three in the East we need to be four or five in the standings.

They are looking for big things in Washington this year as well.

I too like the moves we have made Turkoglu, Jack, Reggie and DeDe being foremost. I like the fact that we have some stability moving forward.

BC now needs to wrapup the makeover. I am not keen on Delfino's attitude but I do see he is a perfect piece. Rasho is like a good and faithful servant he too can be a major contributor. I really hope we can find a spot for Pops.

All in all, its been a great summer of rebuilding and brighter days lie ahead. I feel Bosh will give serious consideration to staying but if not we must get fair value for him.

Regardless the forecast is as we move forward.

I think the two extra pieces from Dallas shouldn't be overlooked.

Antoine Wright is a gritty defender who can play multiple positions - similar to someone like - Delfino! Makes this signing less of a priority. Devean George is also a great pick-up - gives us a past champion on the bench who can model what it takes to be a championship calibre team. That is something that was missing last few years. Aside from Nesterovic, they haven't had that key piece over the three years of BC.

Great conversation. So much to consider in terms of predicting.

IMO...if all goes REALLY well... they can make a deep run.

At the same time... things can go south real quick as we've seen in the past with the Raps... and other franchises in the NBA... and in other major sports.

I like the make up of this team. Tonnes of talent. Tonnes of potential. They will be fun to watch. A good group of likeable guys to follow and cheer for.

But before they even have a practice... my biggest question re: this roster would be "toughness." Will they have that killer instinct... that absolute killer instinct on the boards and on defense. And then there is "playoff toughness."

On the flip side, offensively, I think their chemistry will be fine.

It's been a fun off season... hopefully success comes with the real season.

Another consideration is what do you mean by compete?

Compete as in to win the Eastern Conference or compete as to be in the mix so to speak?

Win the Eastern Conference is a bit much of course (just look at the Big Three) but to hang and bang with the second group of teams is absolutely possible.

I think we will all be disappointed (again) if we cannot at least secure a playoff spot and maybe take a run at a series win in the first round.

i see the raptors competing in the regular season. possibly 50 wins?
if the raptors can get the fourth or fifth seed they could compete and make it out of the first round.
if they get cavs, magic, or celtics i dont see the raptors winning more than a game or two in the seven game series.

pray for an injury free season! raps on paper are the fourth best team in the east so lets see how this team meshes on court.

I doubt we'll be able to grab 50 wins realistically. Nearly half of the team is new, if we want to reach that 50 win mark we'll need a lot of work. Our bench IMO is still looking weak, although its deeper than last year. Jay Triano's going to have a lot of pressure on coaching and making this team gel together. Question is will he be able to handle it?

Atlantic Divison Champs?
I really don't think Boston will be a top 3 or 4 force this year.
Raptors have a chance for the divisional.

I agree with coach and that is what i intended by compete, but more as be near the top of the 2nd tier of teams but also playing with the big 3...i don't mean beating them but i mean being a team where they can't assume the series win in.

I agree with 50 wins IF everything meshes and we get much less injuries then last year, because we definatly have the talent to do so.

I disagree with Atlantic Division Champs...Boston has a chance to get out of the east, they are now big 5 or even 6. Unless Philly has a great season which i don't see (if they lose Miller they are run by a rookie (holiday) and a combo guard in Lou Williams) then the Raptors have a great shot at 2nd.

D Will , you need to relax man. I llike how you are so excited, and optimistic, but in reality the Raptors havent done anything in a decade. Listen to Observer (who is correct in saying, if healthy, if we can grab the 5- 8 seed). I see us grabbing the 6-7, in the middle.

D Will, we dont have the best 3-4-5 in the NBA, we dont have anywhere near the best 3-4-5 in the NBA. We dont have the best defensive bench in the NBA either. We were arguably the WORST defnsive team in the entire nba last year with a few exceptions. Although we have upgraded big time, were nowhere near the best defensive benchs in the NBA.

Lastly, dont be silly and talk about 50 wins. We havent won 50 games in a season ever..period. And the one season we won 47 ( im pretty sure thats our win high for a season) it was the year the East was weaker then JJ Reddick ..and philly/ new york/ boston were 3 of the worse 6-7 teams in the entire NBA.. Hope the Raptors can get in the playoffs..and win 41-43, and go from there.