Toronto Raptors Review and Information

Nowadays, the Toronto Raptors have an outstanding, but success-starved fan bottom. Despite having only one playoff series conquest in franchise history, the Raptors carry on to draw attendances in the top half of the NBA. The team is recognized to have one of the largest and most fervent fan bases in the NBA, this is in fraction due to the high fame of basketball in Canada , which is a astonishing factor due to the number of die-hard ice hockey fans in the country. The Raptors have struggle especially after the trade away of Vince Carter, in which the team conventional relatively little in return. In an effort to change this, the Raptors fired General Manager Rob Babcock and replace him with interim GM Wayne Embry on January 26, 2006. On February 27, 2006, the team named previous Phoenix Suns President and GM Bryan Colangelo, the 2005 NBA managerial of the Year, the President and universal Manager of the Raptors. Known for his achievement in revamping a lottery Phoenix team into a 62-win offensive juggernaut, his hiring gave hope to a lot of fans, leading to evidence season ticket renewal rates (91%).

The beginning of the new era began with Toronto jumping 5 places in the NBA Draft Lottery to win the 1st in general pick. In training for their ultimate draft choice, the Raptors traded their 2004, 8th pick Rafael Araujo to the Utah Jazz for their 2004 14th pick Kris Humphries and Robert Whaley on Thursday, June 8, 2006. On Wednesday, June 21, 2006 the Toronto Raptors traded Matt Bonner, Eric Williams and a subsequent round pick in the 2009 NBA Draft to the San Antonio Spurs for Rasho Nesterovic and money considerations.

They utilized their 1st overall pick on June 28, 2006 to choose Italian prodigy Andrea Bargnani, making him the first European draft number one overall. This followed the hiring of Benetton Treviso general boss and European managerial guru Maurizio Gherardini as the club's vice president of basketball operation and assistant general manager on June 22, 2006, making him the first European elevated to an NBA managerial job. Colangelo quickly moved to round up the roster, controversially trading 2006 NBA Rookie of the Year runner-up Charlie Villanueva to the Milwaukee Bucks in swap for TJ Ford and cash considerations on June 30, 2006. Chris Bosh was satisfied with a three year extension worth about $60 million (USD), with a player option for a fourth year.

Colangelo sustained to surround All-Star Bosh with flattering players. On July 13, the Toronto Raptors signed the 2-time successive Euroleague MVP Guard/Forward Anthony Parker from Maccabi Tel Aviv. They later picked up John Salmons via sign-and-trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, for a second-round pick in 2007 and a $2 million US deal exception. Though, Salmons backed out of the contract and did not link the Raptors. He was essentially replaced by the twin signings of free-agent forward Jorge Garbajosa on July 24, and free-agent sentry Fred Jones on July 26. Garbajosa, sign to a multi-year contract, has much knowledge playing with Raptors guard Jose Calderon, as they have played on the Spanish nationwide team together. Jones, signed to a three-year contract worth $11 million, had spent the first four years of his career with the Indiana Pacers and is best known for his victory at the 2004 slam dunk contest, where he de-thronged two time defensive champion Jason Richardson of the Golden State Warriors.

The Raptors have changed their color scheme and uniform for the 2006-07 season, downplaying the original dinosaur logo and remove the purple elements of the team jerseys in favor of the newer "paw-print" logo and the color red. This is likely the next step in the recent campaign to endorse the Raptors as "Canada's team" - an ongoing effort on the part of the organization since the exit of the Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis in 2002, and which has included the introduction of a well-liked red alternate jersey with the maple leaf highly featured, the dropping of "Toronto" from the team's road jerseys and a red repaint of the Air Canada Center's hardwood floor. The new jerseys and color scheme were introduce on September 27, 2006.