Welcome to the Raptors: Jarrett Jack.

Jarrett Jack rejoins his freshman teammate, Bosh, in Toronto.

It’s official, Jarrett Jack is a Toronto Raptor and I couldn’t be any happier. I’ve been a big Jack fan since the first time he played with Bosh, in his freshman season at Georgia Tech. Not only does Jack finally give the Raptors a reliable backup point guard but with his size, 6′4 190 lbs., and consistent mid range jumper he can also fill a need at shooting guard.

When people look back at this offseason for the Raptors, most will remember the Hedo Turkoglu signing as the most important move for the team, but I think Jack is exactly what this team needed. The final piece that takes us from a contender for the 7th/8th spots in the playoffs to a legit contender for a spot close behind the big three in the East.

I already went on at length about the kind of impact you can expect from Jack in a previous post so I won’t bore you  by repeating myself, but damn are things getting exciting in Toronto. Jack will be the key to a 3 man rotation in the Raptors backcourt along with Jose Calderon and DeMar DeRozan. My visions of next years lineup (in no way reflective of Jay Triano’s vision) is a starting backcourt of Calderon at PG and Jack at SG with DeRozan coming off the bench. When DeRozan comes off the bench he will play the 2, so if Jack gets subbed off Calderon will play the 1, but if Calderon gets a rest then Jack will seemlessly shift to the 1 and run the offense. Jack’s versatility is something to get excited about and makes Jay Triano’s job alot easier.

This is just the latest move in Colangelo’s busy ‘09 offseason, a Delfino or Rasho signing seems likely in the next few weeks, but as of now what an offseason it has been. Parker, Graham, Marion, Jawai, and Kapono are all gone and Ukic and O’Bryant may not make the roster. Colangelo’s realized that the team he assembled in his first couple seasons with the team wasn’t getting it done, so Bryan found some TNT and blew that shit up. Raptors fans who haven’t paid attention in the offseason (those corporate “fans” in the platinum seats) are going to show up to the ACC and see a completely different team on the court. The core of the team, Bosh/Bargnani/Calderon, are still there but they will be surrounded but an entirely different group: Evans, Turkoglu, Wright, DeRozan, and Jack. Finally, a team to get excited about in Toronto!

For those of you who are still pessimistic about the Bosh situation, the Jack signing gives us hope. Not because it increases the chances of him resigning, which it does, but because of the last time Bosh and Jack parted ways. After their freshmen seasons at Georgia Tech, Bosh decided to declare for the draft leaving Jack and all his teammates without a dominante player to lead them. So how did Jack and the Yellow Jackets do the next year? National Champion runner ups to the UConn Huskies. So if history repeats itself (which it always does… right?) and Bosh leaves the Raptors, the team will make a run at the NBA Finals! So get on the phones Colangelo, get rid of Bosh he’s obviously a fucking cancer! I mean it’s not like the NCAA is a completely unpredictable league where the best team often doesn’t actually win!

Completely ignore the previous paragraph. We love you Chris Bosh!

- KC Roberts