The 2008–09 Toronto Raptors season is the 14th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before the season began, six-time NBA All-Star and center Jermaine O'Neal was acquired to complement Chris Bosh in the frontcourt. 17 games into the season, head coach Sam Mitchell was fired and replaced by Jay Triano. The Raptors went into the All-Star break 13 games under .500, and O'Neal was traded to Miami for Shawn Marion. The Raptors continued to struggle, and were eliminated from the playoff race with seven games of the regular season remaining.
| 2008–09 Toronto Raptors season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach |
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| General manager | Bryan Colangelo |
| Owners | Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment |
| Arena | Air Canada Centre |
| Results | |
| Record | 33–49 (.402) |
| Place | Division: 4th (Atlantic) Conference: 13th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | |
| Radio | CJCL |
Roster
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Roster |
Roster Notes
edit- Center Patrick O'Bryant was born and raised in the U.S., but is also a Central African citizen.
Summary
editPreseason
edit
Seeking to improve its rebounding and interior defence, Toronto traded T. J. Ford, Radoslav Nesterović, Maceo Baston, and the draft rights to Roy Hibbert to the Indiana Pacers in return for six-time NBA All-Star Jermaine O'Neal and the draft rights to Nathan Jawai.[1] With Ford gone, virtually all the point guard responsibilities rested on José Calderón's shoulders, who re-signed to a multi-year contract. The Raptors then signed free agents Hassan Adams, Will Solomon and Jamal Sampson, but Sampson was waived at the end of the pre-season. The Raptors also signed Roko Ukić who was drafted in the 2005 NBA draft, and lost Carlos Delfino and Primož Brezec to free agency. O'Neal's arrival, however, was dwarfed by the Elton Brand signing pulled off by division rivals Philadelphia. In a pre-season poll, more than half of the general managers predicted the acquisition of Brand to be the most significant one in the league,[2] whereas the 30-year-old O'Neal was perceived to be past his prime.[3] Nevertheless, the prospect of Toronto deploying two proven big men at the post with some of the league's best three-point shooters waiting at the perimeter signalled a change in game plan from the previous campaign.
Regular season
edit"This year you don't see a lot of (Raptors) helping (opponents) up. We're not going to do that. We're going to step over guys if we knock 'em down. And that's the way it should be."
The Raptors began their campaign with a 95–84 road win against Philadelphia. The match featured the new All-Star acquisitions of both teams: O'Neal for the Raptors and Brand for the 76ers. Chris Bosh and O'Neal combined for 44 points and 19 rebounds in the win.[5] The team notched another victory in their second game—a home fixture against the Golden State Warriors—thus opening with the same 2–0 record as the season before. Andrea Bargnani, who had spent the summer buffing up his frame and working on his interior game, chalked up 5 rebounds and 3 blocks in the game that went into overtime.[6] The Raptors then got off to their best start in four seasons when they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in the third game,[7] with Calderón scoring a career-high 25 points in the 91–87 win.[8] Meanwhile, O'Neal wasted no time in imposing his style on his new team: in the season opener at Philadelphia, he pointed to hecklers in the home crowd after making a dunk;[9] in the team's second game, he blocked a dunk from Golden State's Brandan Wright and thereafter waved a finger, as though to say "Don't come back here again."[10]
However, the Raptors could not keep up their new game plan of solid defence and lost four of their next five games, including a blowout loss to the Atlanta Hawks and another to the Boston Celtics after relinquishing a 17-point lead.[11] While Bosh posted impressive numbers in nearly every game, his teammates were not as consistent. Toronto's depth at the point was soon put to the test when Calderón was injured and unable to play against the rising Miami Heat. Solomon took over the reins with ease in that game and coupled with the Raptors' domination in the frontcourt led by O'Neal, Toronto secured a much needed win.[12] Moon was also dropped to the bench, with Bargnani made the starting small forward. This performance came to naught in the next game against the Orlando Magic, where although Bosh and O'Neal combined for 54 points and 28 boards, the lack of production and defence from the wing, coupled with the inability to protect possession, brought Toronto back to .500.[13] As though to prove a point, Bargnani and Anthony Parker combined for 44 points the next day in the win against Miami, while the tandem of Bosh and O'Neal secured 28 rebounds.[14] This run was not sustained yet again, as Toronto lost a further two games on the trot: an overtime loss to New Jersey and another blowout loss to Boston, where the Raptors set a franchise record for highest field goal percentage (62%) conceded at home.[15] That game also saw Bosh unleash a bout of angry frustration at his team as the Raptors plummeted to the bottom of the division standings.[15]
On 3 December 2008, with the Raptors posting an 8–9 record 17 games into the season, Raptors' head coach Sam Mitchell was fired and replaced by longtime assistant Jay Triano on an interim basis.[16] Triano—the first Canadian head coach in NBA history—immediately pointed to Toronto's bottom-of-the-league in fast break points as a major deficiency he wanted to overcome.[17] However, the Raptors slipped a further three games to go 8–12 before it recovered with a two-game turnaround. In those two games, Triano attempted to introduce a new style of play: maximum protection of the paint.[18] He also brought Kapono and Moon into the starting line-up and this seemed to work for a while before Toronto lost the next five games to go seven under .500, including a loss to the 2–24 Oklahoma City Thunder.[19] Toronto ended up 4–11 in December under Triano, but got off to a good start in January with wins over Houston and Orlando before going down in a crucial game against Milwaukee.[20] January also saw Bargnani emerging as a legitimate starting center with him averaging over 21 points and 6.6 rebounds over a 16-game stretch and Ukić showing good signs of adaptation to the NBA, but all this was overshadowed by the injuries that O'Neal and Calderón sustained and the resulting mounting losses. Given the Raptors' perpetual inability to win close games and hold on to leads, the team went on a seven-game losing streak[21] before the return of O'Neal and Calderón saw them move to 19–28. Toronto then went on a six-game losing streak and dropped further down the pecking order with a 21–34 record going into the All-Star break. With Toronto looking to bring in a wing player and free up the salary space, O'Neal and Moon were traded to Miami for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks on 13 February 2009.[22] Six days later, Solomon was moved in a three-way deal, resulting in Toronto acquiring a big man in centre Patrick O'Bryant from Boston. Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Quincy Douby were also signed on 6 March and 24 March 2009 respectively.
"It's just a toughness thing... There's an old saying that you 'fake it until you make it.' If you're not tough, you can go out there and pretend you're tough long enough until people start believing you. It's amazing how many times something like that will actually scare people or deter people."
Even with the new acquisitions, Toronto continued losing games, one of which was a blowout 97–127 loss to New York. Combined with a seven-game losing streak leading up to mid-March, this evaporated any hopes of making the playoffs. The only improvement came in the form of more fastbreak points and points scored in the paint, and the team even kickstarted a six-game winning streak in the last week of March, their longest winning streak in seven seasons.[24] The Raptors were also eliminated from playoffs contention at the same time when the streak ended, with seven games of the regular season to go.[24] They ended the season with a three-game winning streak, an overall record of 33–49, and were ranked 13th in the Conference.[25]
Standings
edit| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Boston Celtics | 62 | 20 | .756 | — | 35–6 | 27–14 | 15–1 |
| x-Philadelphia 76ers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 21 | 24–17 | 17–24 | 6–10 |
| New Jersey Nets | 34 | 48 | .415 | 28 | 19–22 | 15–26 | 8–8 |
| Toronto Raptors | 33 | 49 | .402 | 29 | 18–23 | 15–26 | 6–10 |
| New York Knicks | 32 | 50 | .390 | 30 | 20–21 | 12–29 | 5–11 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Cleveland Cavaliers | 66 | 16 | .805 | — |
| 2 | y-Boston Celtics | 62 | 20 | .756 | 4 |
| 3 | y-Orlando Magic | 59 | 23 | .720 | 7 |
| 4 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 47 | 35 | .573 | 19 |
| 5 | x-Miami Heat | 43 | 39 | .524 | 23 |
| 6 | x-Philadelphia 76ers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 25 |
| 7 | x-Chicago Bulls | 41 | 41 | .500 | 25 |
| 8 | x-Detroit Pistons | 39 | 43 | .476 | 27 |
| 9 | Indiana Pacers | 36 | 46 | .439 | 30 |
| 10 | Charlotte Bobcats | 35 | 47 | .427 | 31 |
| 11 | New Jersey Nets | 34 | 48 | .415 | 32 |
| 12 | Milwaukee Bucks | 34 | 48 | .415 | 32 |
| 13 | Toronto Raptors | 33 | 49 | .402 | 33 |
| 14 | New York Knicks | 32 | 50 | .390 | 34 |
| 15 | Washington Wizards | 19 | 63 | .232 | 47 |
Game log
editRegular season
editPlayer statistics
editRagular season
edit| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Parker | SG | 80 | 71 | 2,637 | 317 | 269 | 100 | 15 | 857 | 33.0 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 1.3 | .2 | 10.7 |
| Jason Kapono | SG | 80 | 12 | 1,831 | 163 | 105 | 22 | 3 | 654 | 22.9 | 2.0 | 1.3 | .3 | .0 | 8.2 |
| Andrea Bargnani | PF | 78 | 59 | 2,453 | 416 | 94 | 34 | 97 | 1,202 | 31.4 | 5.3 | 1.2 | .4 | 1.2 | 15.4 |
| Joey Graham | SF | 78 | 10 | 1,541 | 292 | 48 | 35 | 12 | 597 | 19.8 | 3.7 | .6 | .4 | .2 | 7.7 |
| Chris Bosh | C | 77 | 77 | 2,928 | 771 | 191 | 67 | 77 | 1,746 | 38.0 | 10.0 | 2.5 | .9 | 1.0 | 22.7 |
| Roko Ukić | PG | 72 | 0 | 890 | 75 | 153 | 30 | 2 | 301 | 12.4 | 1.0 | 2.1 | .4 | .0 | 4.2 |
| José Calderón | PG | 68 | 68 | 2,333 | 194 | 607 | 74 | 7 | 873 | 34.3 | 2.9 | 8.9 | 1.1 | .1 | 12.8 |
| Jamario Moon† | SF | 54 | 39 | 1,379 | 249 | 70 | 65 | 44 | 393 | 25.5 | 4.6 | 1.3 | 1.2 | .8 | 7.3 |
| Jermaine O'Neal† | C | 41 | 34 | 1,216 | 288 | 67 | 18 | 82 | 555 | 29.7 | 7.0 | 1.6 | .4 | 2.0 | 13.5 |
| Will Solomon† | PG | 39 | 9 | 544 | 43 | 123 | 20 | 4 | 193 | 13.9 | 1.1 | 3.2 | .5 | .1 | 4.9 |
| Jake Voskuhl | C | 38 | 1 | 240 | 59 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 6.3 | 1.6 | .2 | .1 | .1 | .9 |
| Kris Humphries | SF | 29 | 0 | 265 | 70 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 114 | 9.1 | 2.4 | .3 | .3 | .2 | 3.9 |
| Shawn Marion† | SF | 27 | 27 | 954 | 224 | 62 | 31 | 21 | 386 | 35.3 | 8.3 | 2.3 | 1.1 | .8 | 14.3 |
| Pops Mensah-Bonsu† | PF | 19 | 0 | 263 | 103 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 96 | 13.8 | 5.4 | .3 | .4 | .2 | 5.1 |
| Patrick O'Bryant† | C | 13 | 3 | 147 | 32 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 61 | 11.3 | 2.5 | .2 | .2 | .8 | 4.7 |
| Hassan Adams | SG | 12 | 0 | 52 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 4.3 | .6 | .1 | .1 | .1 | .9 |
| Quincy Douby† | PG | 7 | 0 | 73 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 10.4 | 1.0 | 1.7 | .4 | .0 | 4.4 |
| Marcus Banks† | PG | 6 | 0 | 40 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 6.7 | .5 | 1.0 | .2 | .0 | 2.3 |
| Nathan Jawai | PF | 6 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3.2 | .3 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .3 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Raptors only.
References
edit- ^ Sources: Pacers agree to O'Neal-for-Ford swap with Raptors, sports.espn.go.com, accessed 4 August 2008.
- ^ Schuhmann, John, "Raptors' dynamic duo trumps Brand's Philly debut", nba.com, 29 October 2008, accessed 31 October 2008.
- ^ Smith, Doug, "Hard times made Raptor O'Neal a family man", Toronto Star, 29 October 2008.
- ^ Feschuk,Dave "NBA's nice guys turn nasty", thestar.com, 3 November 2008, accessed 4 November 2008.
- ^ Raptors at 76ers Boxscore, nba.com, 29 October 2008, accessed 4 November 2008.
- ^ Warriors at Raptors Boxscore, nba.com, 31 October 2008, accessed 4 November 2008.
- ^ Feschuk, Dave, "Perfect Raptors stave off Bucks", Toronto Star, 2 November 2008.
- ^ Raptors at Bucks Boxscore, nba.com, 1 November 2008, accessed 4 November 2008.
- ^ Feschuk, Dave, "Raptors' O'Neal silences the hecklers", Toronto Star, 30 October 2008.
- ^ Grange, Michael, "Raptors rolling after OT win", Globe and Mail, 1 November 2008.
- ^ Raptors at Celtics Boxscore, nba.com, 10 November 2008, accessed 17 November 2008.
- ^ Macleod, Robert, "O'Neal leads Raptors' charge", Globe and Mail, 16 November 2008.
- ^ Feschuk, Dave, "Giveaways gut Bosh's big night", thestar.com, 19 November 2008, accessed 20 November 2008.
- ^ Raptors at Heat Boxscore, nba.com, 19 November 2008, accessed 20 November 2008.
- ^ a b Smith, Doug, "Frustrated Bosh fumes after setback", thestar.com, 24 November 2008, accessed 25 November 2008.
- ^ Mitchell Relieved Of Duties, Jay Triano Takes Over On Interim Basis, nba.com/raptors, 3 December 2008, accessed 3 December 2008.
- ^ Becker, Matt, "Raptors-Jazz Preview", nba.com, 4 December 2008, accessed 6 December 2008.
- ^ Feschuk, Dave, "Defence derails Vinsanity", thestar.com, 13 December 2008, accessed 14 December 2008.
- ^ Raps Drop Hard Fought Battle To Spurs, nba.com/raptors, accessed 7 January 2009.
- ^ Raptors Win Streak Ends At Two, nba.com/raptors, accessed 7 January 2009.
- ^ Smith, Doug, "Two victories this week crucial to Raptors' hopes", thestar.com, 28 January 2009, accessed 29 January 2009.
- ^ Aldridge, David, "Raptors trade O'Neal, Moon to Heat for Marion, Banks" Archived 2009-02-15 at the Wayback Machine, nba.com, 13 February 2009, accessed 14 February 2009.
- ^ Smith, Doug, "Raptors wrap home half on high note", thestar.com, 13 April 2009, accessed 14 April 2009.
- ^ a b Chandler scores 17, Knicks beat Raptors 112-103 Archived 2009-04-09 at the Wayback Machine, nba.com, 5 April 2009, accessed 11 April 2009.
- ^ 2008–09 NBA season summary, basketball-reference.com, accessed 16 April 2009.