State of the Cap: Toronto Raptors

[headliner]

2006/07 Toronto Raptors Payroll: $38 million
2006/07 Estimated NBA Salary Cap: $52 million
Roughly: $14 million under cap

The Good: I can still hear the cries of contempt coming from the announcers at last year's NBA draft when the Raptors selected Charlie Villanueva as the 7th overall pick. Apparently, Charlie has been hearing them the entire season. The young forward had an excellent rookie year, easily solidifying himself as one of the top three players from that draft class. Charlie averaged 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and shot a respectable 46% from the field. He also achieved the best performance by a rookie this season when he exploded for 48 points in a loss to the Bucks. People wondered why the Raptors would pick another forward since they already have Chris Bosh, but now we know why. Villanueva's outside game will be a great compliment to Bosh in the post. Toronto can watch Villanueva grow as a player the next three seasons at an average of $2.7 million per year.

Before missing the rest of the season to a thumb injury towards the end of the year, Chris Bosh was continuing to improve his already stellar play. With averages of 22.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 50%
shooting, there is no doubt that Bosh will be a perennial All-Star. He will also be well paid very soon; Chris is entering the final year of his rookie contract that will pay him $4.2 million. The Raptors will certainly have the capability to offer him a max contract. At this time, they have only $6.8 million in contracts for the 2007/08 season.

Antonio Davis and Lamond Murray are coming off the books this summer, saving the Raptors $20 million dollars in cap room. They could use that space to sign another good player to improve the team and convince Bosh to stay.

Mike James' play at point guard was solid this season. Mike never averaged more than 12 points a game in any previous season, but he broke out this year to average 20 a game and shoot 44% from the three-point line. His 6 dimes a game are also a career high. James can become a free agent this summer, and he will most likely entertain offers, but the Raptors could look to keep this guy around for a while, at the right price.

Finally, Bryan Colangelo, their recently hired GM is regarded by many as a top 5 executive in the NBA and gives the team excellent hope for the future.

The Bad: With all of that good news, what could be bad? Well, as far as player contracts go, not much. The worst deal currently on the roster is Alvin Williams, who is still going to receive $6.8 million dollars each of the next two seasons, despite playing in one game this year. Williams might not be able to resume his career because of injury.
Besides Williams, the only bad news for this team is that, last I checked, Toronto was still located in Canada. The team hasn't had a good history of convincing free agents to come to Toronto or stay in their Raptors uniform. With plenty of cap room available and some good, young players to build around, can Toronto change their fortunes?

The Future: After trading Jalen Rose to the Knicks, the Raptors are in a very comfortable position. Their cap situation is superb and if they can get Chris Bosh to stay then the sky is the limit. The Raptors will likely have a top five pick in the draft and they'll be able to add a nice shooting guard prospect, or point guard if the team isn't sure whether Mike James will stay. At this point, Toronto needs to send a message that they are committed to building a winning franchise, either by signing a good free agent this summer or making a trade that benefits the team.

One trade that could work is with Milwaukee for center Jamaal Magloire. The Bucks are stacked at the center position and after next season, they will probably lose Magloire for nothing since they can't afford to give him a big deal like he expects. Jamaal actually wanted to be traded to the Raptors when he was on the Hornets since he is a Toronto native. The Raptors could get him cheap in a trade and would be the kind of inside presence they need. Magloire has flaws, but the team would benefit from his strength and rebounding in the post.

Bonus Points? for trading Jalen Rose. I'm sure the Raptors were as surprised as anyone when they found a team who would actually take the grossly overpaid scorer. However, since it's the Knicks we're talking about, it wasn't all that surprising.

Grade: A[/b]

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