Toronto Raptors - Better or Worse

Photo source: luked

After a wildly up and down season the Toronto Raptors lost their franchise player to free agency during the summer.  They are now trying to build their team up with an odd mix of new players.  What will be the result?

(Note: The rankings you see referenced below are fully explained in my initial NBA point guard rankings post)

Point Guard
2009 - Jarrett Jack (#26 PG, Level 6), Jose Calderon (#28 PG, Level 6)
2010 - Jarrett Jack (#26 PG, Level 6), Jose Calderon (#28 PG, Level 6)

The Raptors got okay production from their two point guards who basically split time.  The depth chart remains the same for now, but Calderon continues to be mentioned in trade rumors so he may be gone before the season starts.

Shooting Guard
2009 - DeMar DeRozan (#60 SG, Level 10), Sonny Weems (#53 SG, Level 9)
2010 - Leandro Barbosa (#34 SG, Level 7), DeMar DeRozan (#60 SG, Level 10)

Like the Raptors as a team, DeRozan was inconsistent in his first year in the NBA.  The addition of Barbosa should take the pressure off of DeRozan and enable him to have a better chance to grow into his role at a more deliberate pace.

Small Forward
2009 - Hedo Turkoglu (#32 SF, Level 7)
2010 - Linas Kleiza (not in NBA last year)

Turkoglu was a colossal disappointment in his one season in Toronto.  Kleiza was mostly a tall three point shooter with the Nuggets before he left for Europe.  As poorly as Turkoglu played I expect some drop off at this position with his departure.

Power Forward
2009 - Chris Bosh (#8 PF, Level 3), Amir Johnson (#21 PF, Level 5)
2010 - Amir Johnson (#21 PF, Level 5), Ed Davis (rookie)

It will certainly be difficult to replace Bosh, but the drop off to Johnson may not be as bad as one might expect.  He's actually coming off a productive season.  Davis is a very raw rookie who could contribute on the defensive end but is not likely to bring much to the table offensively.

Center
2009 - Andrea Bargnani (#37 C, Level 8)
2010 - Andrea Bargnani (#37 C, Level 8)

Bargnani has grown nicely in his four years in the NBA.  If the Raptors are going to challenge for the playoffs he'll need to take a big step up and certainly improve his rebounding.

Overall
The Raptors just missed the playoffs at 40-42 last year.  They lost their best player while adding a decent guard in Barbosa and a couple of unknowns in Kleiza and Davis.  To finish where they were last year they will need a lot of growth from the up-and-coming players like DeRozan, Johnson and Bargnani.  Based on their projected lineup for the 2010-2011 season I've got them picking up three wins at shooting guard and one win at center, staying even at point guard, and losing two wins at small forward and four wins at power forward.

In the final verdict the Raptors are WORSE.  As they are now I predict their record to be 38-44.