The changes will also mean a different look on offense for the Raptors as well. Mitchell has said he has been studying tapes of the Spurs with Ducan and Robinson for ideas in how to do some of the same things with Bosh and O’Neal. The Raptors mode of attack should change and should be more based in the half court. This will speak to if Mitchell can indeed coach well from that X’s and O’s standpoint. He has a lot of weapons that he can use and should be able to get more out of the players that make up this roster. Guys like Anthony Parker and Jason Kapono should be guys that could benfit the most from the changes. More open looks from 3 point range. There should also be more room for players to drive to the basket. Jamario Moon could lead that charge to the basket. He is said to be working on getting bigger and stronger. But the biggest advantage for Sam Mitchell will be the fact that when O’Neal and Bosh are on the floor together teams can only double one of the two players. When you bring in Andrea Bargnani from the bench it is yet another guy that can score that teams will have to account for.
As Raptors fans we’ve always sort of assumed that Bosh just didn’t have the tools to be a top-notch defender in the league but the truth is, we may never have really given him a chance. CB4 since the Vince Carter trade has always been THE focal point on offense and has still put up more than respectable defensive numbers. No he hasn’t been Kevin Garnettesque, but then again few are. But even with his best supporting cast ever the past two seasons, the former Yellow Jacket has still been the go-to-guy for Toronto.
However next year could be quite different and seeing Bosh swatting shots like flies in Beijing really has me thinking about a new Chris. It’s expected of course that O’Neal, the player who’s averaged almost two blocks a game over his career, will be the one who sets the tone defensively but why not Bosh as well?
In the same way Brand’s presence will have a domino effect on the rest of the 76ers’ lineup, so will O’Neal’s in Toronto. Bosh won’t have to carry the offense for long stretches any more – nor will he draw the No. 1 big man defensive assignment every night, or even most nights. O’Neal will be happy to defer to Bosh offensively, providing scoring when needed and making defenses pay for shading to Bosh, while anchoring the defense. The Raptors are still a player or two away along the perimeter and might not enter the playoffs as a top-four seed, but they’ll be a tougher postseason out this time around.
2K Sports, from the interactive entertainment software group Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), has announced today that the 2006 World Champion in Japan and player for the Toronto Raptors José Manuel Calderón, will appear in the cover of the highly anticipated basketball video game NBA 2K9. As it happened last year, Spain will be the only country in the World where the player in the cover is not from U.S. nationality.
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