Raptor Wrap-Up - Toronto Raptors - teams and players of the NBA Central Division

Basketball Digest, Nov, 2001 by Tom Kertes

With the Milwaukee Bucks standing still, Vince Carter's Toronto team is poised to win its first division title

LIKE HEAVENLY BODIES SEEMingly standing still in the sky, the overwhelming majority of the shiniest stars of the basketball universe decided to stay in place this summer. Despite a world of rumors to the contrary, the real difference-makers--Chris Webber, David Robinson, Allan Houston, and Vince Carter--opted to look for new challenges with their old teams.

"Blame" the salary cap ($42.5 million, a $7 million increase), the newly prominent luxury tax, and the difficulty of pulling off those pesky "sign-and trades." "For the first time in the NBA, people are looking at [the cap]," says peeved Indiana Pacers President Donnie Walsh, who wanted CWebb in the worst way. "I've had to turn people down because of it. And we've also decided not to press the luxury tax. It seems like most other teams feel the same way."

These developments, however, appeared to actually help the Central Division, with the Toronto Raptors (Carter, Antonio Davis, Jerome Williams, Alvin Williams) and the Atlanta Hawks (underrated big man Nazr Mohammed) benefitting from the "stay at home" trend. And with Toronto's acquisition of Hakeem Olajuwon and Atlanta's deal for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, the two teams managed to improve measurably. The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off an excellent trade with the Philadelphia 76ers as well (acquiring forwards Tyrone Hill and Jumaine Jones while giving up bupkus), and the Chicago Bulls signed one of the few prominent free agents that did make a move (6'8" sweet swingman Eddie Robinson from the Charlotte Hornets).

As a result, the Central is a stronger division, housing not only two major NBA championship threats in Toronto and the Milwaukee Bucks but what could turn out to be the singlemost improved team in the entire league (Atlanta) as well. The young and precocious Pacers and solid Charlotte Hornets should also soar into the playoffs, while Cleveland (if Zydrunas Ilguaskas's balky foot responds to treatment) and the Detroit Pistons (if Yugoslavian Stallion Zeljko Rebraca is haft as good as advertised) rate as major "if" teams.

Only the unbeara-Bulls appear hopeless. But then, most things did remain the same during this unusual NBA offseason.

1. TORONTO RAPTORS

WHEN THEY LEFT OFF: Happy and sad. Ambivalent. Perhaps even somewhat schizophrenic. Still, there was no need for the couch--all of the Raptors' conflicting emotions were more than understandable. The six-year-old franchise just came off its best-ever playoff performance (yeah!), but lost a winnable seventh game to the eventual Eastern champion Philadelphia 76ers (aargh!). Vince Carter grew into a legitimate superstar during the playoffs (yeah!) but also courted controversy by leaving the team to pick up his college diploma on the morning of that fateful seventh game--then missed the potential game-winner from 20 feet against the Sixers (aargh!). Everyone who's anyone in basketball circles assumed Carter would vamoose to an American franchise (aargh!) but he didn't (yeah!).

ON THE COURT: Looking good. Very good, in fact. Following Toronto's finest season in history, GM Glenn Grunwald did such a bang-up job in the offseason that, barring an unforeseen disaster or six, he's practically a lock for 2001-02 NBA Executive of the Year honors. Grunwald didn't just open the coffers for Carter, he spent $146.8 million to resign Antonio Davis, Alvin Williams, and Jerome Williams. And trading for Hakeem Olajuwon brings the club this much closer to being a title contender. True, the Dream is 38 and had a nightmare of a 2000-01 season. However, after reclaiming his body from a plethora of injuries, he flashed some his old stuff over the last 23 games (15.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg). And for this heretofore doughnut-like franchise, 80% of the old Olajuwon could mean everything.

2000-01 Central Division Standings

                        W    L    PCT    GB    HOME    ROAD     DIV

Milwaukee Bucks        52   30   .634    --   31-10   21-20    19-9
Toronto Raptors        47   35   .573     5   27-14   20-21   18-10
Charlotte Hornets      46   36   .561     6   28-13   18-23    20-8
Indiana Pacers         41   41   .500    11   26-15   15-26   15-13
Detroit Pistons        32   50   .390    20   18-23   14-27   16-12
Cleveland Cavaliers    30   52   .366    22   20-21   10-31   11-17
Atlanta Hawks          25   57   .305    27   18-23    7-34    9-19
Chicago Bulls          15   67   .183    37   10-31    5-36    4-24

The 6'9" Davis, heroically battling the Monsters of the Middle last year, should go back to his much-preferred power forward spot, improving two positions with one stroke. Carter will no longer be subjected to all those brutal double teams with a premiere post presence like the Dream aboard: In Olajuwon, Toronto's often unidimensional attack is injected with another legitimate scorer. And the post defense should thrive with a big time shotblocker aboard as well.

WHY THEY'LL FINISH FIRST: After resigning all their stars and important role players, plus adding a Dream-y pivot presence, the Raptors have improved themselves significantly--and at the same time, the only other legit Central Division title contender, the Milwaukee Bucks, didn't.