Raptors Rapture
Fansided

Ranking the 5 Weirdest Teams in Toronto Raptors History

By Alexandro Fidanza

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 01: Rudy Gay #22, Kyle Lowry #7 and DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors react in the final seconds of their 102-95 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on November 1, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 01: Rudy Gay #22, Kyle Lowry #7 and DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors react in the final seconds of their 102-95 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on November 1, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
ATLANTA, GA – NOVEMBER 01: Rudy Gay #22, Kyle Lowry #7 and DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors react in the final seconds of their 102-95 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on November 1, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – NOVEMBER 01: Rudy Gay #22, Kyle Lowry #7 and DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors react in the final seconds of their 102-95 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on November 1, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

There have been many weird teams in Toronto Raptors history. Some good, some bad, some ugly.

The Toronto Raptors have always been regarded as a weird team in the NBA, I mean, after all, a team in Canada? Who wants to play there. They were always constantly viewed as a very cold pitstop a few people would stop by, but never actually stay.

Recently, however, they have built themselves to be more than just a cold pitstop in the North. They have been a top team in the east for a while and have also been crowned champions of the world. But before the glory, there were some awful front offices in Toronto. And ultimately that led to some pretty weird teams. Some of those teams were either good, bad, or maybe even good enough to win the whole thing. Let’s count down the five weirdest teams in Toronto Raptors history.

5. 2012-2013 Season: The beginning of Lowry and DeRozan Bromance (34-38) 

This team is weird because it was the transformation of something new. It wasn’t necessarily the start of the organization’s success yet, but this season acted as the precursor for many great seasons to come. There are also many key pieces here that acted as important trade pieces for the Toronto Raptors 2019 championship run.

The notable things to happen this season are the acquisition of Kyle Lowry (one of the best trades ever for the Raptors), drafting Terrence Ross, Jonas Valančiūnas’ debut, and the mid-season acquisition of Rudy Gay for long time Toronto Raptor, José Calderón.

Head coach: Dwane Casey

Key Players: 

The weirdest thing here is probably seeing the departure of José Calderón. Jose Calderon played a big part in the Toronto Raptors’ success in the mid-2000s (when they did have success) and was pretty much the face of the franchise with Chris Bosh.

The Raptors were trying to build a playoff team, but that goal had to wait one more season. The team was rather young, and all new to each other, and that included the beginning of the Kyle Lowry-Demar DeRozan bromance. They would make the playoff the following season.