Andrea Bargnani's rookie season went better than anyone realistically expected. Chris Bosh played with nagging foot problems and still performed better than almost every big man in the East. T.J. Ford proved he was back from his spinal cord scare, while Anthony Parker and Jorge Garbajosa showed that hustle and a perimeter stroke can make you as popular in the NBA as they do in Europe. Sam Mitchell can coach a little bit, too.
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| Instead of pondering how to keep his job, Sam Mitchell can focus on repeating in the Atlantic. (AP) |
Entering the 2006-07 season, Mitchell was as lame duck a coach as there has ever been in this league. He was working for new management, having failed miserably under the previous heads, all of whom were let go due to incompetence. He was 60-104 in his first two seasons, but Bryan Colangelo did the right thing in giving Mitchell a shot. To everyone's surprise, he won big.
Toronto is the defending Atlantic Division champ for a reason, respected by its opposition to the point where Jason Kidd defers to the Raptors as the favorite and the mighty Boston Celtics believe that's who they have to go through.
It's Mitchell's job to keep the team grounded, striking a balance between maintaining the confidence a defending champ is entitled to with the wariness of having a target on its back. At the moment, Mitchell is keeping everybody loose, which has become easier to do since he's so content himself.
Once Toronto was ousted by New Jersey in the playoffs, there was doubt that the NBA's Coach of the Year would be back. How serious would the Raptors be about keeping someone everyone assumed would be let go when the year began? Colangelo's initial offer was more than fair, making it difficult for Indiana and Charlotte, who were after Mitchell's services, to even compete. The Raptors were not only the best job, but they also ponied up the dough. Mitchell received a four-year deal that pays him more than $3 million per season, not to mention incentives.
Now that he's back, Mitchell is little less on edge, his finger squarely on the pulse of one of the most unique teams in the NBA, filled with key international players, not to mention a point guard platoon that actually works. They should be improved, but given that they're no longer a surprise, staying on top has gotten a lot tougher.
The Raptors still have a lot to prove. Last year might have been an aberration for all anyone knows. Right now, Toronto is lumped with Chicago, Orlando and other teams on the rise that haven't proven anything. It's Mitchell's job to get the Raptors to continue their progression, but it helps to have security and more familiarity to rely on.
Jason Kapono was signed to help the Raptors improve from the perimeter, which should be beneficial considering they're always going to look to push the tempo and try and get open looks in transition. He and Carlos Delfino are the only acquisitions who figure to get any significant playing time this season, so Toronto should be cohesive from the start. Bargnani, Garbajosa and Parker now have a full understanding of what the NBA is about, both from a travel standpoint as well as what goes on out on the floor. Bosh is more used to being the focal point.
It also helps that Mitchell knows he's appreciated and is going to be there for the long haul. Provided the Raptors stay hungry and healthy, they're going to be a factor for the foreseeable future.
| Toronto Raptors |
| Power Ranking: 11th |
| Projected record: 46-36, third in Atlantic |
| Best-case scenario: Chris Bosh's feet hold up through the 82-game grind and the Raptors can continue to build around him. At this point, ideally, all the progress they make will directly affect their postseason hopes. |
| Worst-case scenario: A rough start gets in everyone's heads and Toronto starts believing that last year's success was a one-year deal. The team's nucleus is still young and therefore fragile. |
| X-factor: Andrea Bargnani should be more aggressive with a year under his belt and is expected to get the bulk of the minutes at center. He might struggle some defensively but should create multiple matchup problems on the other end. |
| Early season schedule: Toronto will get a read on its division mates early, opening up at home with Philadelphia before visiting New Jersey and returning to the Air Canada Centre to welcome Boston on the season's opening weekend. |
| 2007-08 NBA Team Previews | ||
| Eastern | ||
| Atlantic | Central | Southeast |
 Boston Celtics |  Chicago Bulls |  Atlanta Hawks |
 New Jersey Nets |  Cleveland Cavaliers |  Charlotte Bobcats |
 New York Knicks |  Detroit Pistons |  Miami Heat |
 Philadelphia 76ers |  Indiana Pacers |  Orlando Magic |
 Toronto Raptors |  Milwaukee Bucks |  Washington Wizards |
| Western | ||
| Northwest | Southwest | Pacific |
 Denver Nuggets |  Dallas Mavericks |  Golden State Warriors |
 Minnesota Timberwolves |  Houston Rockets |  Los Angeles Clippers |
 Portland Trail Blazers |  Memphis Grizzlies |  Los Angeles Lakers |
 Seattle Supersonics |  New Orleans Hornets |  Phoenix Suns |
 Utah Jazz |  San Antonio Spurs |  Sacramento Kings |
