Feb. 27, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Golden State Warriors power forward Carl Landry (7) hangs on to the basket as New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) catches the rebound during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

I can’t imagine why Carl would leave Golden State without a significant raise as enticement, so for purposes of this discussion I’m going to assume he won’t be satisfied with less than $6M. He’s also going to want assurances of playing time, which shouldn’t be a problem. Why would we pursue the guy if we’re not going to play him? So we need to find $6M of salary, and 24 minutes (his current burn rate) per game.

At this point in the post, Rapture Nation, I need to back up more than a little. Considering Landry in isolation doesn’t make any sense.  The entire roster will need to be re-examined commencing the moment our guys walk off the court at the end of Game 82. And you’ve come to the right place if you’re interested in putting the Raps’ roster (including management) under a microscope. Over the summer months, we will be running an occasional series which will review our needs. We will scrutinize the available free agents and consider trades to see if there’s someone who can truly help our team next season.

We’ll kick off this series with a look at which of our current players we must have back, which ones are on the bubble, and those who should ply their trade elsewhere. Once we know our gaps, we can start to fill them, perhaps with free agents. At that point, we’ll take a longer look at Carl Landry.

We’d like to hear from you. Which players on our roster need to move on? Which free agents or trade candidates would you like us to consider? Please drop a Comment or three, and let’s get this party started.

Brian Boake is a co-editor for Raptors Rapture. “Like” Raptors Rapture on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @RaptorsRapture for all the latest news and updates about the best damn NBA team from Canada.

March 4, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Toronto Raptors small forward Rudy Gay (22) shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson (11) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The 125-118 loss is all the more galling as Andrea Bargnani rediscovered his shot, pouring in 26 points, including 5 of 7 shots from beyond the 3-point arc. Also going to waste was a perfect shooting night from Amir Johnson. The Raps’ super-efficient power forward made all 10 shots he tried, although he managed only 3 of 7 tries from the free throw line. Amir capitalized on a number of putbacks, his reward for grabbing a game-high 12 offensive rebounds.

The Warriors as a team could only manage six offensive boards, but that hardly mattered. They shot 57.3% from the floor, so there weren’t a whole lot of rebounds to climb up after. Stephen Curry, their brilliant point guard, was unfazed by a slow start, and ended up with 26 points and 12 assists. Klay Thompson was the grateful recipient of many of Curry’s dishes, and hit 8 of 11 shots, including only one miss in five tries from distance. Those two rising stars form a potent backcourt for the Warriors, and were ably assisted by ex-Rap Jarrett Jack, who added 16 points. David Lee could not be stopped. He scored in all manner of ways, from mid-range jumpers to drives to putbacks, and totalled 29 at the end.

There were a few disappointing players for the Raps. I used to call Sonny Weems the Designated Turnover when he was a Rap, but I think I’ll pass that undesired title to Rudy Gay. The newest Rap scored 26, but was charged with 6 turnovers, almost half the team’s total. Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross both had rookie-grade games. JV was needed to score inside, but couldn’t, and Terrence’s jump shot has deserted him. After missing all four attempts, Terrence disappeared.

Kyle Lowry dished out 9 assists with only 2 turnovers, a ratio we fervently hope he will maintain. His rebounding skills were once again evident as he pulled down 11, though he made only 2 baskets in 9 shots.

Can the Raps rediscover their defense…will Bargnani’s improvement continue…we’ll find out on Wednesday night in Phoenix.

Brian Boake is a co-editor for Raptors Rapture. “Like” Raptors Rapture on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @RaptorsRapture for all the latest news and updates about the best damn NBA team from Canada.