The Snuh Zone

The Toronto Raptors March 25, 2010

I’m a big Toronto Raptors fan and have been following them since my first year of university. I’ve been through the highs (Atlantic Division Champions) and the lows (drafting Araujo, the whole Vince Carter trade). If you are not following the Raptors as an existing fan, I cannot recommend following the Toronto Raptors this year because:

• Effort. They do not play with a consistent level of effort. They tend to play to the level of their opponent. The problem is if that opponent raises their effort after the half, the Raps do not tend to rise with them. It’s all very frustrating.
• Chris Bosh. He’s great, but why start watching him now and like the guy only to have him sign somewhere else in the summer? Let’s face it, no matter how great a city Toronto is, America does not cover games here and does not care to. They would rather watch some high school football over a Raptor’s playoff game. This lack of exposure and respect for Toronto pretty much means Bosh is out of here.
• The Jays are looking pretty good. Young but good. The thing about the Raptors is that they seem to be a low-level Phoenix Suns and have hit a ceiling. I do not think that this group of people can ever play at a championship level. Maybe individually, but not as a team. The team’s potential is at best a second-round exit.

I do think Bryan Colangelo has done an awesome job taking over from Rob Babcock. He’s made smart and risky moves. However, that has not translated to a product that I can recommend to someone who is not already an established fan. Also, I’m sure Chris Bosh is a good guy so I don’t mean to make it seem like he’s being a jerk.