10 Questions I Still Have About Raptors

We are starting to get to the dog days of the off-season. So thought today I would take a look at 10 questions I have about Raptors after Off-Season moves thus far. If you have some feel free to share yours in the comments. This are in no order of importance.

1. Do we see Jose Calderon in training camp? There is do ways we would not...A) Colangelo finally can actually trade him B) He gets hurt playing for Spain in the Olympics that start on Friday. (It happened before)

2. Who exactly is the 3rd point guard? It was suppose to be John Lucas III but still nothing official on that. The Raptors have a injuries at the position in the past so it really is something to be mildly concerned about

3. Is Landry Fields the answer at forward is just latest or question? The list of small forwards since Vince Carter was traded is a long one and filled with guys that have failed to take hold of job and make it their own. James Johnson is the latest to fail at this.

4. Can Jonas stay on the floor ? I worry about this more than I am concerned with the totally over blown expectations for him. Even if he is everything his biggest backer says he is. If he can't stay on the floor it really doesn't matter. Amir Johnson can but up some big numbers when he stays out of foul trouble. Jonas has never played under the rules here and the way fouls are called in NBA and FIBA is very different. Just watch the Olympics for evidence of this fact


5. Who exactly are Raptors better than in the Atlantic? I am not sure if they are better than anyone? Boston had a decent off-season to keep competitive for at least a year or two longer. Even with losing Ray Allen they added Jason Terry and they still look good. Nets some feel might even be a top 4 team in the conference. Philly didn't really do a lot so maybe them? New York has had a off-season of taking B and C options and like the Raptors missed on Nash they let Linsanity walk away. Still any team with Stoudamire and Anthony will be tough to beat. Not many 4th or 5 places teams in a division are making the playoffs or contending for them.

6. How good can they be on D? You can argue just adding Kyle Lowry as your starting point guard is a massive upgrade for this team on D. Jonas if can do #4 will be further along on this end of the floor. I think he is the Anti-Bargnani in a lot of ways. Ross, Fields and even Acy all add to the defensive skill of this team overall

7. Is Andrea Really That Guy or the Guy We Saw For 6 years?  Everyone wants to believe that the Andrea we saw last season for a brief stretch is the evolution of Bargnani to the next level. Was it that or just a simple mirage of sold play. Can he stay healthy this year?  How much secondary scoring will he get from DeRozan and the rest of the squad?

8. Demar In a contract year?  It is so dangerous to know what to expect from Demar DeRozan. He has all the motivation in the world this year to set himself up for a big pay day in the off-season. If he has a good year and performs was it about getting a big deal or just his natural evolution? If he has that good year does he make him an RFA target for other teams ?

9. What would it take for me to believe this team could be a playoff team? I am not sure what the answer to that is. As things stand today I don't. The 5th question in this is a major reason why. The fact the Bulls will be without Rose till March now helps in the conference, Orlando having to deal with Dwight Howard problems they likely fall out of playoff mix. But the Nets should jump in that spot. I just don't see a path to post season that makes sense to me.

10. Future of B.C? If this season goes poorly could this mean the end for Bryan Colangelo? The new MLSE Ownership will be in place and if the ratings tail off and the team is ultimately not that competitive how will they react to Colangelo? He built expectations for this season and so far I remain under impressed.

I could probably rattle off at least 5 more and maybe even 10 but it is still a long Summer to go. So will leave it at that.