Victoria Sports Online

by Sam Power

After a lackluster season that most Canadian basketball fans would rather forget, here's the individual grades of a team that, for lack of a better pun, dropped the ball.

Guards

Marcus Banks – C+

Banks hardly played but hustled every time he was on the court. He never complained about lack of playing time.

Marco Belinelli – C+

Belinelli showed flashes of offensive brilliance, but remained inconsistent overall.

Sonny Weems –B+

One of the few “Sonny” patches for the Raptors this season. Weems provided great energy off the bench for most of the year and was rewarded with starts at the end of the season. His mid range game offered the Raptors something different.

Jarrett Jack – B+

Jack was another bright spot for the Raptors. The supposed back-up point guard was the catalyst for the Raptors’ resurgence in the late fall. One of the few Raptors with any kind of grit. He also showed he could make big shots, run the offense, and even call out his coach when the team needed a spark.

Jose Calderon – D+

2010 was a disastrous year for the Spaniard. Injured and ineffective when he was on the court. He is a defensive liability and his shots don’t fall like they used to. Is he permanently injured? Well, he certainly played like it.

Demar DeRozan – B

A very encouraging rookie season for Demar. He provides the Raptors with much needed athleticism and energy. He proved how effective he can be when he attacks the basket, which became too infrequent throughout the season. This rookie needs to focus on his strengths and not fit into the Raptors’ jump-shot-happy routine.

Forwards

Antoine Wright – B

Wright added scoring and energy to the Raptors’ second unit. He hit some huge shots for the team during their run in January and February. Most people have concluded that Wright doesn’t have the talent of other Raptors, but he fights hard during every possession and gives his all on defence.

Amir Johnson – B+

Johnson was the hardest working Raptor this season. He lacks raw talent but makes up for it with his determination and strength. Johnson is one of the few Raptors who knows how to rebound—unfortunately his efforts didn’t inspire the rest of team.

Reggie Evans – C-

Evans was injured for most of the season and failed to provide any kind of positive impact for the team. He was brought in to bang for rebounds and play defence, but Amir Johnson was significantly better at filling those two roles.

Hedo Turkoglu – D+

Turkoglu complained more than he produce. He was brought in to make big plays late in games and Turkoglu failed to deliver. He did not step up when Bosh got injured. He does not suit the Raptors’ up tempo game, and even questioned his own role with the team. Seems like he is an extremely expensive player going through the motions.

Chris Bosh – A-

Bosh put MVP type numbers up until his late season injury. His absence all but ended the Raptors’ season. This was likely Chris Bosh’s last season as a Raptor.

Rasho Nesterovic – C

Solid backup centre, but Rasho hardly played all season. Strangely, Rasho didn’t even get more minutes when Bosh was injured.

Andrea Bargnani – B

Bargnani showed that he is a world class scoring centre but that’s about it. Despite scoring and shooting well for most of the season, Andrea still can’t rebound or defend other big men. His potential, however, is still frightening, and he has improved his all around game.

Coach Jay Triano – D

Coach Jay is a poor motivator and has questionable tactics. He is too nice to his players when their lack of effort is obvious. Lastly, Triano has failed to address the problems the team faced with Sam Mitchell—soft defence and clueless rebounding.