Toronto Raptors: Five biggest what ifs in franchise history

What If Tracy McGrady Stays With the Raptors

At the fabled Slam Dunk Contest of 2000, Tracy McGrady finished third. Other than his final (missed) dunk, he had a spectacular performance scoring a 45, 49, 50 and a 45. He was grossly overshadowed by his cousin and teammate Vince Carter, who may have had the best dunk competition of all time.

The competition may have represented the relationship between the ‘cousins’ at the time. Two fantastic athletes and players. Carter, a dynamic dunker and scorer, about to become the league darling. McGrady, an emerging star player with unlimited talent, but second fiddle to his cousin’and close friend.

McGrady, whose contract was up at the end of that season, had plenty of suitors who recognized how good the soon to be free agent could be.

Chicago was in hot pursuit. So was hometown Orlando. Both, according to McGrady at the time, had more to offer than cold Toronto. Both were US markets. And both were out of the shadow of Vince Carter.

In the end, for McGrady, it seemed no brainer to move to Orlando. Better weather, hometown cooking, more attention And, oh yeah, Grant Hill.

But what if he had stayed?

According to both Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and really anyone else, if the two had stayed together, the Raptors would have been an Eastern Conference powerhouse and finals competitor for years to come.

In McGrady’s first three years in Toronto, he went from bench player, playing an average of 13 minutes a game, to Sixth Man candidate and starting guard under coach Butch Carter. In 2000, his final year with Toronto, he averaged 15.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and a career-high 1.9 blocks per game. It was becoming obvious that this kid was going to be something special.

The next year with Orlando, McGrady was outperforming all expectations and lighting it up with a line of 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, earning him an All-Star appearance and First Team All-NBA.

Can you imagine them together?

Now, it is possible that each players’ respective stats might ha dropped a little. There are only so many shots to be taken. However, a quick look at the veteran roster at the time leads one to believe that they would have encouraged both McGrady and Carter to score and dominate. They project as the league’s most dominant partnership, other than Shaq and Kobe.

The Raptors would have been a nightmare to strategize against. A tough, aggressive frontcourt with the likes of Charles Oakley and Antonio Davis; a smart group of point guards named Mark Jackson, Muggsy Bogues and Alvin Williams to distribute the ball effectively; and veteran leadership in Kevin Willis and Dell Curry.

In this interview (9:40 mark) with Carter, McGrady and Charles Oakley, all three agree that Raptors fortunes would have been different if McGrady stayed. Moreover, McGrady emphatically asserts that if he is with the 2000-01 team, they take down the Sixers.

Let’s assume that McGrady signs for at least three years. The Raptors would have faced very good, but beatable, teams on the road to the NBA Finals. They would have had a good shot at many of them:

• Milwaukee Bucks – a well coached squad led by Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell, who are appearing in deep playoff runs for the first time in franchise history. They had the Raptors number in the regular season.
• New Jersey Nets –  a scrappy team run by Hall of Famer Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson.
• Boston Celtics –  the Pre-Big 3 squad led by super scorers Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce
• Detroit Pistons –  emerging on championship calibre team with Chauncey Billups as their floor general and an exceptional supporting cast, all to arrive over the next couple of years.

With McGrady and Carter, the Raptors have the core to challenge any Eastern Conference team during this time and could have made a good run at the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance.

Whether they take down the powerful Los Angeles Lakers that year or the next, or the San Antonio Spurs of 2003, is a different story. But it’s a seven game series I’d like to see.

If McGrady stays, something happens that has rarely happened in franchise history. Toronto becomes a destination. Players want to play where they will win, even if it’s cold with tax implications.

And who knows, maybe that includes a guy named Vince.