Toronto Raptors: Five Bold Predictions for the Team's 2010 Season

The Raptors have an interesting season ahead of them.

Bryan Colangelo has stated that they aren't going to tank, and are going to play hard and keep contending. 

Meaning they aren't rebuilding, despite the fact that they lost their best player, Chris Bosh.

What will happen next season?

Here are 5 bold predictions for the upcoming season.

No. 5— The Raptors Will Surprise All Critics

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ATLANTA - DECEMBER 02: Sonny Weems #24 of the Toronto Raptors against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on December 2, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, Use

There hasn't been one power rankings that I've seen where the Raptors aren't in the bottom 5 teams in the league.

This is mostly because without Chris Bosh and Hedo Turkoglu, most of the Raptors players are unknown.

There is no way they are as bad as people have them, and everybody will be surprised.

No. 4— Amir Johnson Will Average A Double Double

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ATLANTA - DECEMBER 02: Amir Johnson #15 of the Toronto Raptors against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on December 2, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, Us

I'm not saying he will average 20 and 10, but Amir Johnson has a good chance of averaging a double double. He's a very efficient player, and with minutes, he will do some damage.

He will prove he's worth his contract, and silence all those people saying he has one of the worst contracts of the summer.

No. 3— DeMar DeRozan Will Win The Dunk Contest

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DALLAS - FEBRUARY 13: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors goes up for a dunk with the help of teammate Sonny Weems during the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest on All-Star Saturday Night, part of 2010 NBA All-Star Weekend at American Airlines Center on Febru

DeMar DeRozan was robbed last year at the dunk contest.

It was a popularity contest, and Nate Robinson won by 1%. If Canadians were able to vote, DeRozan would have easily won, but they weren't,and Robinson somehow won despite having mediocre dunks.

DeRozan finished with 49% of the votes, and Robinson with 51%.

There is no reason DeRozan won't be back this year, and he's only going to be better with more experience under his belt.

No. 2— Andrea Bargnani Will Be An All-Star

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ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 16: Andrea Bargnani #7 of the Toronto Raptors drives past Dwight Howard #12 of the Orlando Magic during the game at Amway Arena on December 16, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, b

Yep, the Raptors will have an all star this year, despite Chris Bosh leaving.

Andrea Bargnani averaged 17 points and 6 rebounds last season.

With Chris Bosh gone, Bargnani will get more shot attempts, and there is no reason he shouldn't average at least 20 points.

Rebounding will increase as well with the departure of Bosh, and Bargnani should be entering his first ever all star game this season.

No. 1— The Raptors Will Make The Playoffs

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 27: Leandro Barbosa #10 of the Phoenix Suns drives with the ball on Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the second quarter of Game Five of the Western Conference Finals during the 2010 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center on May

Am I crazy? Maybe. But if all of the predictions before this one come true, then there is a good chance that this one comes true as well.

The Raptors should have easily made the playoffs last year, but with Chris Bosh going down with an injury, it was tough for them to adjust down the stretch.

Expect the Raptors to be a fun team to watch, and expect their offense to still be deadly. Defensively, they have added some nice pieces, and won't be as bad as last year.

The Raptors will definitely struggle at the beginning of the season, but once they pick up their chemistry and starting meshing, this team will surprise the whole league.