Toronto Raptors Midseason Review: Part One

There's been rumblings in the T-Dot that O'Neal may be on the move, which would be fine with me. Part of the allure of the Ford for O'Neal trade was that JO's expiring contract in 2010 would allow the team some options if he didn't mesh well with the team on the court. In my opinion, that time has come.

Grade: C-

Jason Kapono

Considering what the Raptors will pay Kapono for the 2008-09 season (roughly $6 million), it's hard to make a case for him being anything but a disappointment considering the type of stats he puts up (8 ppg, 2 rpg, 1.7 apg).

That being said, I can't help shake the feeling that Kapono is being misused in Toronto. When you have one of the best shooters on the planet, maybe you should run a few plays for him to, I dunno, shoot the ball?

I know Raptors fans enjoy watching the likes of Will Solomon and Jamario Moon fire up 23-footers with reckless abandon, but I wouldn't mind seeing a few of those shot attempts go to Kapono considering he's a two-time defending three-point champion and has the highest active three-point percentage in the NBA.

Just a thought.

I'm not completely excusing Kapono—his defense makes Jose Calderon look like Gary Payton after all—but watching Moon fail to make the extra pass to Kapono in the corner and instead jacking up the shot himself makes me want to throw my TV out the window. I'm actually becoming infuriated right now.

Grade: C

Anthony Parker

AP seems like a terrific guy. Someone I'd want dating my sister, chaperoning my daughter's Sadie Hawkins dance or helping my grandmother across the street.

Do I want him starting at shooting guard for my favorite NBA team? No.

Parker does a lot of things right on the court—great team defender, takes good shots for the most part and always support his teammates—but he's too inconsistent of an offensive player to be starting for the Raps, especially considering how this team struggles to put up points.

Parker would be most valuable on a more-talented team, where he could focus on the things I mentioned above and not be relied on to produce offense on a nightly basis.

For the Raps, a team that has started Will Solomon and Jamario Moon alongside Parker over the last 10 games, they need more from the shooting guard position.

Grade: C+

Will Solomon

Why did the Raptors sign Will Solomon again? Did Bryan Colangelo lose a bet? Does Solomon have compromising pictures of BC or something? I'm honestly stumped.

For what Solomon is contributing to this Raptors team (5.5 ppg, 3.5 apg, 1 rpg. Read:Shit all) the Dino's would have been better off signing a younger point guard (Solomon is 30) or just giving all of the backup time to Ukic

Solomon is a decent scorer from the one position, and that's it. There's also a handful of games where he's looked like he forgot to put his contact lenses in before trotting out on the court.

Lots of turnovers, lots of bad shots, and an overall cluelessness in regards to the game. If you're going to sign a 30-year old PG with a minimal ceiling, he better at least be able to play smart.

So far, I haven't seen that from Solomon.

Grade: D.

Roko Ukic

In a season that has provided little solace for Raptors fans, followers of the franchise may be able to find some happiness in the development of Ukic.

At the start of the season, Roko looked like he'd have a hard time cracking a developmental league roster, but has made significant strides and appears to be getting more comfortable with each game.

After failing to reach double figures in points in his first 12 games, he's done it six times in his last 18 contests, including a career-high 17 against the Celtics last week.

No one will confuse him for John Stockton any time soon, and the return of Calderon from injury will probably cut into his playing time substantially, but sometimes when you're a depressed fan of a pathetic NBA franchise you have to take the small victories.

Grade: B-

Andrea Bargnani

If I wrote this article two weeks ago, the things I would have wrote about Andrea Bargnani might have landed me in jail, and at the very least, removed from this site.

No one has chapped my ass more than Bargnani over the last two years, and I mean nobody.

Then the last two weeks happened.

After yelling at the TV, throwing my hands in the air repeatedly and having hissy fits which any man should be ashamed of over the play of Andrea, he seemed to clue in.

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