speedythief

I don't know what to expect but I know what I want to see, realistically, so here goes...


Araujo
I don't expect Woods to be back next year, and with Aaron gone, there is really no reason why Hoff's minutes shouldn't increase. With that I want him to try and further develop some key skills that he can build on, namely his mid-range jump shot and post defense. He has it within him to be a capable rotation player. Confidence and concentration have been the biggest issues for Hoff so hopefully he will come into camp with a chip on his shoulder, looking to prove that he belongs in the NBA and trying to get the team to pick up his option for the following season.

Projected Line: 18 minutes, 5 points, 4 boards, 3.5 fouls.


Barrett
As the likelihood of James returning continues to dwindle, I think the odds of Barrett being kept-on as our third point guard (fifth or sixth guard in the rotation) increase proportionally. Colangelo obviously likes him to have picked him up on two occasions. Barrett's shot, right now, is a liability and if he hopes to stick in the league he either needs to increase his playmaking and pickpocket skills, like other small guards such as Knight or Claxton, or fix his shot. He should try to model himself after the aformentioned players who have found niches in the NBA (Claxton will cash-in this summer). Barrett has talent but is he more than a third-string player?

Projected line: 8 minutes, 3 points, 2 assists, 0.5 steals, .380 shooting.


Bonner
The Red Rocket didn't have as good a year this year as last, right? Because his shooting wasn't as key? I don't like that opinion. Matt was our best hustle player this year, at times our best defender (I said it!) and often our most aggressive rebounder. I think the pressure of signing a multi-million dollar contract might've had an affect on his mindset coming into the season. He said on wrap-up day that his goals were to work on his ballhandling (ugh) and post defense. He'll get a lot of work with his younger brother this summer (7-footer) and other scrubs in the Concord area. I hope he plays in the Vegas summer league. I expect Matt to give us next year what he gave us this year, which is a good thing.

Projected line: 22 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds, .500+ shooting.


Bosh
I've underestimated him two years in a row; better not change anything now. Statistically I expect him to be about the same as this past season, on the happy side of 20 points, on the cusp of .500 shooting, 8-10 rebounds, block and a half, three assists, and lots of minutes. This summer I hope he pays a lot of attention to post position, which would be his one biggest weakness at this point, IMO. He needs to establish himself earlier in the shot clock. It would help him tremendously on both ends. His decision making would improve as well, IMO, because it limits his options. On offense, the help defense is coming, so put it up or kick it out. On defense, either try and block the shot, or man up, you can't get out of the way. I also hope he takes his vocal leadership role to the next level.

Projected line: 40 minutes, 24 points, 9 rebounds, .500+ shooting.


Calderon
JMC is basically our only walking-wounded from this past season, with Bosh and Bonner getting injured only when it didn't matter anymore. Jose's game really suffered from his heel/ankle injury. I thought sapping some of his speed might force him to take a more traditional point guard approach to the game, surveying the hardwood, running the half-court with more patience--but I think his game is in many ways predicated on his ability to change tempo and push the ball. I both hope and expect to see the JMC from late 2005 to show up and stay for next season. I'm not going to project a statline for him because there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding his role as a result of James' status. Jose could very well be our starter next year.


Joey Graham
How some fans didn't see anything in him this past season, I don't know. Joey has shown major flashes of the potential he has. He has obvious weaknesses related to the game he played at OSU--less emphasis being placed on ballhandling and creating for himself. But hopefully the power game he developed can balance it out. Joey has a very true jumpshot which will suit our team well if we continue to play an up-tempo style. His rebounding was ordinary at points during the past season, extraordinary at other times. I think he has the potential to be a six or seven rebound small forward given the minutes, with his long arms, huge hands, and ability to absorb contact in the lane. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Joey really increase his production so long as we don't draft someone to put ahead of him in the rotation (eg. Roy, Gay).

Projected line: 22 minutes, 11 points, 4 rebounds, .460+ shooting.


James
Who? The secondary scapegoat for the season, behind Babcock and ahead of Mitchell, James had to fight for himself this year. There are a lot of players in the NBA like James, who had to go through the backdoor to get into the NBA and as a result are hungry and aggressive almost to a fault. James' contract expectations may or may not be unrealistic. I think what Claxton, Cassell, and Terry manage to get in the summer in terms of dollars will set James' value, but that goes without saying. If Cassell and Terry can get $10M, James should get $7.5M, no? If it's here, or there, good luck to him. There are people following the team that are supportive of what he gave us this year.

Projected line: 36 minutes, 18 points, 7 assists, .440+ shooting.


Peterson
Peterson will follow-up a career year with a contract year, so don't expect him to slack. More of the same from Mo--good defense, good three point shooting, leadership and confidence. Peterson is to the Raptors what Marion is to the Suns.

Projected line: 38 minutes, 16 points, .380+ three-point shooting, 1.5 steals.


Sow
I'm unconvinced that Sow has a place in the NBA. If we could combine his athleticism, confidence, and tenacity with Hoff's basketball skills and body, we'd have a prodigy. Instead we have two half-cooked NBA (?) players. Unless he gets a brain transplant I think Sow will continue to be a bundle of energy who can come up with spectacular hustle plays one night and spend the next game biting on twenty straight pump fakes. Doesn't mean he can't find a place on our team long-term.

Projected line: 10 minutes, 3 rebounds, .5 blocks, .5 steals.


Villanueva
As a starter Charlie put up around 14/7.5, which is about where Chris Bosh was as a rookie. Which is good. Charlie gets cut up a bit for his three-point shot selection, by myself and others, but I think it has more to do with him freestyling on offense. We aren't running plays for him. Even Peterson, a good three-point shooter, doesn't have an excellent percentage because we are almost randomly finding him in the corner. That being said, the difference between shooting 2/5 and 2/6 in a game is pretty inconsequential. Charlie is reportedly going to work on his quickness and defensive skills this summer so hopefully we can have the long disruptor on the wing that would be so beneficial to cutting-off the toll-free highway we have straight to our net these days.

Projected line: 32 minutes, 14 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block, .460+ shooting.


Martin, Woods, Alvin and Eric Williams
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye!

l2owen

agreed on most of the stuff above except i think CV will have a bigger impact on offense , if given the minutes. more like 16pts per game if not more, combine his natural talent for offensive putbacks, his increased knowledge of the game, and hopefully a summer of conditioning and training ..i wouldnt be surprised if he was sniffing 18ppg toward the end of the season. his offensive game package is o versatile i wouldnt be surpised if some years down the road he would actually average more ppg than bosh ( doesnt mean he'll be a better player, but his offensive versatility is better than bosh's right now he just needs to improve his efficiency , work on that baby hook , if he can master his baby hook no one can stop him inside. no one can defend his three because hes so tall.. the guy is can be an offensive juggernaut )