The Raptors have made two more moves in what has been one of the franchises busiest summers to date, making Toronto unofficially Europe West for International player with the addition of two more, Belinelli and Nesterovic. I mean even one of our few black players is from England (Pops 44). With the latest additions Colangelo has shored up the two remaining concerns I had of next years roster, height/rebounding and guard depth, along with bringing back a fan favorite in Nesterovic. So lets take a look at the role these two will play on the new look ‘09/’10 Raptors.

Marco Belinelli is a 23 year old Italian shooting guard aquired from the Golden State Warriors for Devean George. This is a GREAT trade for the Raptors who seemed unlikely to use the 32 year old George in their regular rotation and was either going to be bought out or the 10th man off the bench. Instead the Raptors get a developing young shooting guard who was regarded as a steal for the Warriors in the ‘07 draft, the fact that he is Italian and a good friend of Bargnani is just a pleasant addition. The Raptors had already added depth to the shooting guard position with the addition of Antoine Wright, Jarrett Jack, and rookie DeMar DeRozan but Belinelli is a welcomed addition to the team. Belinelli, unlike Jack and Wright who are combo guards, is a pure shooting guard and should be splitting time with DeRozan by seasons end. While still developing, Belinelli is a solid player averaging 8.9 ppg in just 21 minutes per game last season and improved in almost every category from his rookie season. He increased his shooting percentage by 5%, assists and rebounds increased 1.5, and he started in 23 games after coming off the bench in every game his rookie year. If he continues to progress at that pace he could be a key part of the Raptors future, and to think we got him for an aging veteran. Belinelli will fit in easily in Toronto, with the large Italian community and the presence of good friend Andrea Bargnani the transistion will be seemless.

Rasho returns to Toronto after a breif stint in Indiana, being sent to the Pacers in the deal that brought Jermaine O’Neal to Toronto. However, he returns to a different situation then when he left. With Nesterovic gone Bargnani developed into a solid starting center and is entrentched as the every day starter next year. As a result Rasho will now come off the bench to add toughness and rebounding that Bargnani lacks. The addition of Rasho means that Patrick O’Bryant, who I had previously said would probably make the team because of the desperate need for size, will probably be playing in the D-League next season.

Neither Belinelli or Nesterovic are big name additions at the respective points in their career. However, Marco and Rasho are valuable additions that add depth and interesting skill sets to the Raptors and make them a legitimate contender for a top 4 seed in the East.

Get excited Raptors fans, its going to be a fun year in Toronto!

- KC Roberts

With the offseason slowing down, for the Raptors at least, it’s time to change gears here at Raptors Rapture. If you noticed a complete lack of articles recently, well then you have a good eye. With the Raptors and Bryan Colangelo all but done making offseason moves, Marco Belleni was signed last night but I will write something about that after this, there isn’t much news to discuss in Toronto. At least regarding the Raptors.

So, with the excitement of the offseason all but done for Raptor fans it’s time we move on to something different, something like an in-depth look at all of the Raptor players. I mean what is more fun than completely over analyzing a player well before he actually does anything? Not much! So today we will start our review of the Raptors roster with a look at our starting point guard, Jose Calderon.

Jose Calderon
Age: 28
Position: Point Guard
Size: 6′3 210 lbs.
2008 Stats: 12.8 ppg, 8.9 apg, 2.9 rpg, 1.1 spg, +18.9 eff
Born: Villanueva do la Ser, Spain
Acquired: Undrafted, Signed August 3rd, 2005

Jose Calderon is the clear leader of the Raptor’s offense at the point. Last year was Calderon’s first year entering the season as the full time starter after sharing time with TJ Ford in previous years. When Jose played he looked like an All Star, the problem was he didn’t play enough playing in just 68 games, missing nearly 20 due to a nagging leg injury. The Raptors are counting on Jose this year to once again lead the offense, but now they have a backup in Jarett Jack who can take over if Calderon gets injured again.

Offense

Ball Handling: B+

Evident in his 4.2 assist/turnover ratio, Calderon is one of the better ball handlers amongst Eastern Conference point guards. Calderon doesn’t have the crossovers that Iverson showed in his early days but he keeps the ball away from defenders prying hands and dribbles effectively in the pick and roll. Rarely do you see Jose give up the ball off the dribble, but it happens.

Court Vision: A

Calderon has lead the Eastern Conference in assists per game for the last two seasons, the last person to do that was Brevin Knight in ‘04 and ‘05. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. Regardless, Jose is the premier set up man in the Eastern Conference and has a unique ability to see the court, especially in the open court. Calderon’s one weakness is he loves the jump pass, after driving to the basket jumping up and passing it to the wing or back to the point. Often he gets caught in the air and has to force a bad pass. Other than that one fault, Calderon has elite court vision.

Drive to Hoop: B

Calderon is a master of the pick and roll, and Chris Bosh is a pretty good partner too. Calderon is so fast getting around the pick, its really impressive, and he has the option to stop and shoot, dribble for the layup, or pass back to bosh who can also shoot. The one set back for Calderon is that he can’t get to the hoop without help. He can’t blow by opposing defenders 1 on 1 like a Devin Harris or Rajon Rondo, he is dependent on the pick and roll to get him free and allow him to get to the hoop.

Mid-Range Shot: A-

Calderon shot almost 50% from the field this past year which is remarkable for a guard. Consider this, Calderon was 5th in the East and 2nd behind Ray Allen in 2pt% last year with 53.8% and was even better the year before with 55.1% which was good for 5th in the East again and 1st amongst guards. The only issue is that Calderon has some guy Chris Bosh who takes most of the shots on the team. So his efficiency is a bit skewed because he can dish it to Bosh instead of taking a tough shot, which is a luxury most others don’t have.

3-pt Shooting: B+

A couple years ago I never thought I would say this about Calderon, but he is a great 3pt shooter. During his first year in the NBA Calderon shot 16.3%, I’ll write it again so you don’t think it’s a typo, 16.3%. He’s come a long way, shooting 40.6% from beyond the arc last year which was good for 19th in the East. Calderon is also getting more confident in his 3pt shooting, seen in his career high 202 attempts last season. *Side Note: The Raptors had 4 players in the top 30 for 3pt% in the East, if you can tell me the other Eastern conference team who did that you can write a guest article here on RR.

Defense

Defending Fast Guards: C-

It’s a good thing Calderon is such a prolific offensive player because he really lacks on the defensive end, especially when it comes to speed guys. Calderon struggles mightily to keep fast guards in front of him and often ends up the victim on an ankle break poster. It would slide if the Raptors had someone down low who intimidated driving players, but Bosh and Bargnani are no Dwight Howard. This is easily the biggest weakness in Jose’s game.

Defending Big Guards: C+

Not much better than defending fast guards, but there is an improvement. Calderon has the height and weight to prevent bigger guards from posting him up and can usually keep up with the bigger guards… usually. Still Calderon can be bullied because, despite his height and weight, he is weaker than most of the bigger guards.

Zone Defense: B-

Calderon is a good help defender, this can been seen in his 1.1 steals per game (team leader). In a zone defense Calderon’s weaknesses can be hidden and he has more room to take chances. But we are still being too nice, Calderon is an average defender at best in the zone and the defensive end needs some significant work before next season.

In conclusion Calderon is a great offensive player but comes up short on the defensive end. However, in a league where offensive prowess is favored heavily and defense is almost ignored Calderon has the chance to be an All Star caliber player, especially now with a much better team surrounding him.

-KC Roberts