Raptors Open Camp With New Faces and High Hopes

Halifax is the site of training camp for the Toronto Raptors and according to forward Jamaal Magloire, point guard Kyle Lowry has already “made himself known.” Despite the presence of veteran Jose Calderon, Lowry is the undisputed leader on this team: he has to be if the Raptors hope to do anything in the Atlantic Division of the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

While the spotlight has been shining on big centre Jonas Valanciunas, Lowry — acquired in July for guard Gary Forbes and a first-round pick — is expected to direct the action on the floor and bring some swagger. Both represent a new beginning for the Raptors; the last time the team was spoken of in such terms was 2006-07, when they won the division.

Add veteran swingman Landry Fields and raw rookie shooting guard Terrence Ross into the mix, and this bunch has the look to be the most competitive Raptors team in years. They won’t be competing with the Maple Leafs for awhile, so they have a great opportunity to recapture a market they let slip through their fingers with a lot of losing.

Just because they’ve flooded the team with new faces doesn’t stop them from being the same old Raps, though; many unanswered questions remain. Now that he’s been bumped out of the backcourt, can general manager Bryan Colangelo get someone decent in return for Calderon? If Colangelo can’t swing a deal, where (and how often) does the Spaniard play? Will small forward DeMar DeRozan finally get his act together? Can power forward Andrea Bargnani stay healthy?

Do the Raps have enough depth and talent to duel with the Celtics, Knicks and Sixers in their own division, never mind with the big dogs in the East? Can head coach Dwane Casey make them play an entertaining style that will have the fans talking in positive terms and actually bring them back to the Air Canada Centre?

It’s his job to think that and so Colangelo believes they can, even if he has to qualify his characterization. “It just seems to me, with the newness of the group and the chemistry we’ve seen, the commitment of the players all coming together, spending a lot of time in Toronto,” he said in a recent interview, “there’s that feeling there could be something special abut this group, but time will tell.”

Actually, time won’t tell just by itself. The effort the team displays and the heart it shows will be the most telling factors, and those elements will be seen right away. Colangelo has to hope something good will happen from all this, because he has a new boss at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Tom Anselmi, to please. Colangelo is under the gun to make some magic, or else he could disappear in a puff of smoke.