The Greatest Toronto Raptors Roster Ever Assembled
As a Canadian, loving the Raps is like having a nerdy little sister, you're forced to love them. Of course, I've been a Spurs fan before the Raps were even born but you just grow to love the Raps, no matter how bad they stink. If you like basketball and you live in Canada...you're pretty much forced to be a Raptors fan. It's the only team you can get extensive coverage on and you can catch every game on TV. After watching the Raps lose another one last night, I was looking at through Wikipedia and the all-time Toronto Raptors roster. I was like "Damn, I never knew he was a Raptor" or "Wow, I forgot about that guy"
Well, if I could assemble one Toronto Raptors all-time greatest roster (past or present, that at one time in their playing career sported a Raps jersey), this would be it:
At point guard, Chauncey Billups
Chauncey had a brief stint with the Raps in '98 but if his prime was on the Raptors we'd have a killer team. He's been a NBA champ and an NBA Finals MVP and look at how well he's turning around the Denver Nuggets. Look at us now, we're dealing with Will Solomon and Roko Ukic at the point, Mr. Big Shot would be a blessing at this point.
At the shooting guard, Vincent Lamar Carter
The most hated man in Toronto. Arguably, he's the best player to ever play for the Raptors and whether you like him or hate him, he's taken the Raps deep into the playoffs and put the city of Toronto on the map. 8-time all-star, Olympic gold medalist and 2000 slam dunk champ (and probably one of the best dunkers to ever play in the league)
At small forward, Tracy McGrady
Sure he hasn't been passed the first round of the playoffs and he's always injured but this guy has turned into such a dominant scorer since his days in Toronto. The guy averaged 32.1 points in 02-03 with Orlando and is a 7 time all-star and 2 time scoring champ.
At power forward, Chris Bosh
What's not to like about this guy? He loves playing in Toronto, Olympic gold-medalist, he is a product of one the best draft classes in NBA history and he is currently the face of this franchise. He's only 24 and will only get better. He has set Raptor all-time records in rebounds, blocks and double doubles.
At centre, Marcus Camby
Camby was ok when he played with the Raps from 96-98 but after his stint with Toronto, he had developed into a defensive monster. He has always wore the "injury prone" label but in the past couple of seasons he has stepped up to be a premier defender, rebounder and shot blocker. He was the Defensive Player of the Year in the 2006-2007 season.
The Bench
Jermaine O'Neal
C'mon, the Raps aren't dishing out 20 mill for nothing, he is a 6-time all-star and a 20pt-10 reb with a couple blocks kind of player.
Matt Bonner
The Red Rocket is a baller. He's a Toronto fan favorite and is a three point threat when in the right system. Man, Matt Bonner is the guy who threw down KG! Probably one of the greatest Matt Bonner moments.
Camby was ok when he played with the Raps from 96-98 but after his stint with Toronto, he had developed into a defensive monster. He has always wore the "injury prone" label but in the past couple of seasons he has stepped up to be a premier defender, rebounder and shot blocker. He was the Defensive Player of the Year in the 2006-2007 season.
The Bench
Jermaine O'Neal
C'mon, the Raps aren't dishing out 20 mill for nothing, he is a 6-time all-star and a 20pt-10 reb with a couple blocks kind of player.
Matt Bonner
The Red Rocket is a baller. He's a Toronto fan favorite and is a three point threat when in the right system. Man, Matt Bonner is the guy who threw down KG! Probably one of the greatest Matt Bonner moments.
Jose Calderon
Jose has four Olympic medals including a gold one from the '06 Summer games. His international experience alone warrants a spot on this team.
Morris Peterson
MoPete is a fan favorite, Toronto loved him as a player. He's probably best known for nailing ridiculous shots.
Hakeem Olajuwon
Well, he may not have done much with the Raps but this guy has such an impressive resume. Former MVP & 2-time NBA champ and probably one of the greatest centres to ever play in the league.
Damon Stoudamire
But it would have to be the Toronto Damon Stoudamire, the Rookie of the Year that averaged 20 pts and 9 assists not the marijuana smoking "Jail Blazers" Stoudamire.
Coach
As far as the coach, Lenny Wilkens or Smitch. Probably Lenny with Smitch as the assistant, Lenny got the Raps to the conference semi finals.
What do you think, who would be on your roster?
