Ultimate Raptors Rankings

[Built Ford Tough]

The Ultimate Raptors Rankings are the Raptorblog editors’ attempt to rank the top 30 Toronto Raptors of all time. These rankings are obviously somewhat arbitrary and endlessly debatable, but they’re based on each player’s contribution, performance and longevity as a Raptor, and on how beloved they are by Raptors fans. We’ll count down a new Raptor every Wednesday on this blog.

 

 

I guess it can give us something to talk about for a day or so, but I don't really see the point in doing a top 30 list for a team like Toronto considering their awful history. I bet that a large majority of NBA fans could barely even name 30 Raptor players.

 

Anyways, number 30 is.....

 

Mike James

 

Mike James’ Raptors résumé:

 

•79 games, 20.3 PPG, 5.8 APG, 3.3 RPG, 0.9 SPG

•One of five Raptors to average 20 PPG in a season

•One of 21 NBA players to average 20 PPG with a True Shooting Percentage of at least .580 from the 2005-06 season until now

 

http://blogs.thescore.com/raptorblog/2011/07/20/ultimate-raptors-rankings-no-30-mike-james/

 

 

I think that this was one of my favourite James moments with the Raptors, simply due to my distaste for the Knicks (especially at that time, I don't dislike them as much now as I did then) and Marbury.

 

 

He also had some very nice quotes during his lone year in Toronto (some of which are in the link above).

 

He was a chucker and was out to get his in a contract year, but despite all of that, he was actually pretty damn good for the Raptors that season. You could argue that his lone Raptors season was the best statistical season from any Raptor not named Vince Carter or Chris Bosh. It was definitely an anomoly and a case of a player padding stats on a bad team, but he wasn't as bad as some fans and media personalities made him out to be.

 

I am glad that the Raptors walked away from his ridiculous contract demands, though.

Edited July 22, 2011 by Built Ford Tough

[?QuestionMark?]

If Mike James is 30, I assume Zan Tabak didn't make the list?

[Built Ford Tough]

Number 29 is...

 

Jorge Garbajosa

 

Jorge Garbajosa’s Raptors’ résumé:

 

•74 games, 26:48 MPG, 8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.9 TO, 1.2 PF

•2006-07 NBA All Rookie Team and Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December, 2006

•Starter on only division championship team in franchise history

•Gruesome injury effectively cut his Raptors/NBA career short

 

http://blogs.thescore.com/raptorblog/2011/07/27/ultimate-raptors-rankings-%e2%80%94-no-29-jorge-garbajosa/

 

He was a nice glue guy for the team and even though I think a lot of Raptor fans, and even Colangelo himself, overrated his contributions a bit, he was an integral piece to the Raptors only division championship and they certainly missed his veteran savy in the playoffs against the much more experienced Nets.

 

Of course what I think he will be remembered for most, at least during his time in the NBA, was his horrific injury that he suffered against the Celtics. I can't seem to find a video of it anymore, but I am sure most fans, at least Raptor fans, know which injury I am talking about. That injury pretty much ended his NBA career, although his determination to come back early and play for his country that summer didn't exactly help his recovery either. Eventually he was bought out of his contract and his short NBA career was over.

[Dr. Feelgood]

I remember that injury, very close to being similar to Livingston's injury. I remember him being a decent player for the Raps, would always do the dirty work that most players don't like doing.

[Real Deal]

Looks like the NBA took down all of the clips (go figure). I remember it, though...didn't think it was TOO bad when it first happened, but then a guy ran up and put a towel over his ankle, and I was thinking, "Uh oh." Jefferson looked like he saw one of the most disgusting things ever.

 

It's up there with that Shaun Livingston injury, but that turned my stomach.

[?QuestionMark?]

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1k2t8_blessure-de-jorge-garbajosa_sport

 

Ouch! The Livingston one still looked worse.

[Built Ford Tough]

Looks like the NBA took down all of the clips (go figure). I remember it, though...didn't think it was TOO bad when it first happened, but then a guy ran up and put a towel over his ankle, and I was thinking, "Uh oh." Jefferson looked like he saw one of the most disgusting things ever.

 

It's up there with that Shaun Livingston injury, but that turned my stomach.

 

I knew it was bad immediately, but only because you could hear him screaming in agony immediately. It was clear as day on tv, so I couldn't even imagine how bad it was live.

 

Calderon and Jefferson's reactions just solidified how bad it was.

 

It certainly didn't look as bad as Livingston's injury, in fact it looked relatively harmless, but I think you could argue that it was just as serious as it basically ended his NBA career (although Livingston is hardly the player that he should've become due to his injury).

[Built Ford Tough]

Number 28 is...

 

Kevin Willis

 

Kevin Willis’ Raptors résumé:

 

•11th in franchise history in rebounds

•One of six Raptors to average 12 points and eight rebounds in a season

 

http://blogs.thescore.com/raptorblog/2011/08/03/ultimate-raptors-rankings-no-28-kevin-willis/#more-4589

 

My favourite Raptors moment for Willis was when the Raptors made their first ever appearance in the playoffs in 1999-2000. He averaged 13/9 in 25 minutes while holding Ewing to 15/10. I know that Ewing was 37 years old at the time and not the dominant player he once was and that the Raptors lost the series in 3 straight games, but I remember watching Willis play and couldn't help but be impressed by the hustle and heart he showed in that series. He was traded the next season for Keon Clark and Tracy Murray who were both key reserves for the Raptors, but it still was sad to see Willis go as he was a great leader for the team. His absence was definitely felt with the team and it wasn't addressed until they went out and got Charles Oakley.

[Built Ford Tough]

Number 27 is...

 

Rafer Alston

 

Rafer Alston’s Raptors résumé:

 

•First player to appear on SLAM’s Streetball issue

•Raptors gave “Skip 2 My Lou” his first legit NBA chance

•In return, he gave Sam Mitchell plenty of headaches

•Joins Mo Pete on the list of former Raptors to have been caught on camera giving opponents a “love slap”

 

http://blogs.thescore.com/raptorblog/2011/08/10/ultimate-raptors-rankings-%e2%80%94-no-27-rafer-alston/#more-4615

 

Honestly, there aren't a lot of players that I can legitimately say that I hated when they played for the Raptors. Even guys like Jose Calderon or Andrea Bargnani, who I bash constantly and would love if they were moved for next to nothing, I wouldn't say that I hate them.

 

Rafer Alston, though? I hated him.

 

I hated him from the minute that the Raptors signed him to that ridiculous contract.

I hated watching him play.

I hated his self-entitled attitude.

I hated pretty much everything about the guy.

 

The only thing I didn't hate was when he was traded to Houston.

[Built Ford Tough]

Number 26 is...

 

Walt Williams

 

Walt Williams’ Raptors résumé:

 

•Second in scoring (16.7 PPG) on 1996-97 Raptors

•First in three point shooting accuracy (.400 3P%) on 1996-97 Raptors

•One of seven Raptors in franchise history to average at least 15 points and five rebounds per game in a season (minimum 50 games)

 

http://blogs.thescore.com/raptorblog/2011/08/17/ultimate-raptors-rankings-%e2%80%94-no-26-walt-williams/#more-4638

 

I can't really say much about Williams' tenure with the Raptors as I was just getting into basketball around that time and even then, I was only like 5 years old or so.

 

So yeah, I can't really post much about his time with the Raps.

[Built Ford Tough]

Number 25 is...

 

Joey Graham

 

Joey Graham’s Raptors résumé:

 

•13th in franchise history for minutes played (4,772)

•Third-highest free throw percentage (82.7 percent) among Raptors with at least 4,000 minutes played

 

http://blogs.thescore.com/raptorblog/2011/08/24/ultimate-raptors-rankings-%e2%80%94-no-25-joey-graham/

 

Graham had all of the physical tools you could ask for in an NBA small forward. He was built like a tank, strong, athletic, fast and had decent length, but, unfortunately for Raptor fans, that was about the extent of his worth as an NBA player. He never seemed to be able to translate all of his natural gifts into any real basketball skills (outside of rebounding) such as shooting, dribbling or passing.

 

It also didn't really help him in Raptor fans eyes when he was picked over somebody like Danny Granger or the fact that he was really the only piece that they got back in the disasterous Vince Carter trade. He was the constant reminder of how bad that trade was.

 

At least we will always have this picture:

 

http://i534.photobucket.com/albums/ee350/Jarg007/joey_graham_1.jpg

 

and moments like this:

 

 

to remember Joey by when his NBA career is over, which appears to be next season (and if the entire season is lost, his career is likely already over).

Edited August 27, 2011 by Built Ford Tough

[Built Ford Tough]

Since it has been 2 weeks since I have posted in this thread, I have two more entries to add to the list.

 

 

Number 24 is...

 

Amir Johnson

 

Amir Johnson’s Raptors résumé:

 

•Last NBA player to be drafted out of high school (Pistons selected him with 56th pick in 2005 draft)

•Led Raptors with a 17.7 Player Efficiency Rating in 2010-2011 season

The 2009 Toronto Raptors off-season was filled with the usual Bryan Colangelo roster overhaul, highlighted by the big-money acquisition of Hedo Turkoglu, among a flurry of other moves. Two years later, due to the failings of others, but mostly due to his own dedication, Amir Johnson has proven to be the best pick-up of that whirlwind summer in Toronto.

 

When the Raptors traded Carlos Delfino’s rights and Roko Ukic to the Bucks for Johnson and Sonny Weems, Toronto hoops junkies couldn’t help but salivate over the possibilities Amir presented them with. Other than Croatian-Canadians who still swear Roko Ukic could have been the second coming of Steve Nash, the acquisition of Amir Johnson was met with reasonable excitement. And so far, Amir has not disappointed.

 

 

The optimism surrounding Amir had nothing to do with his NBA statistics or professional resume to that point. It was all about his potential, a word that has become synonymous with the latest Raptors rebuild.

 

Amir has shown that immense potential in flashes and stretches of brilliance over his two-year run with the Raptors, and while some point to the fact that he’s played six NBA seasons without truly making a name for himself or learning how to avoid foul trouble, others still see an exciting 24-year-old who remains more than capable of breaking out.

 

http://blogs.thescore.com/raptorblog/2011/08/31/ultimate-raptors-rankings-%e2%80%94-no-24-amir-johnson/

 

As I am sure most of you know, or at least those of you who semi-frequently visit the Raptors forum or read anything Raptors related that I post, I am a big supporter of Amir Johnson and think that he is one of the better backup big men in the NBA. I also think that if he could ever get his fouling rate down to the point where he could play 30 minutes a game that he could become a solid 12/10/1.5 on 55% shooting type of big man.

 

Unfotunately for Amir, he looks like he may end up being the odd man out in Raptorland after they spent two consecutive lottery picks on big men (Jonas Valanciunas and Ed Davis) and also have Andrea Bargnani on the roster. I know that I will be very disappointed if Amir is eventually traded as I think that he could be a very valuable player off of the bench for the Raptors for many years to come.

 

 

 

Number 23 is...

 

Oliver Miller

 

Oliver Miller’s Raptors résumé:

 

•Eighth in franchise history in assist percentage (an estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while he was on on the floor), minimum 4,000 minutes

•Indisputably the worst that any player has looked in a particular NBA jersey in the past 15 years — I mean, just look at that picture

Everyone knows that Damon Stoudamire was the “star” of the Raptors during their inaugural 1995-96 season, but who was their second-best player? You could make a solid case for Oliver Miller, who played the second-most minutes (after Stoudamire) on the Raptors that season while leading the team in rebounds and blocks.

 

Before we get to Miller, the player, let’s address the elephant in the room — so to speak — and discuss his weight problem. At six-foot-eight, The Big O was short for an NBA center, but he made up for that with a long wingspan and his massive bulk which made him immovable in the post. At the 1992 NBA draft camp, he weighed in at 318 pounds and 22 percent body fat. (Miller reportedly claimed the scale was “broken”.) He was advised to lose weight but most accounts have him weighing upwards of 350 pounds for much of his NBA career.

 

When sportswriter LZ Granderson saw a shirtless Miller in 1995 when he was a Piston, Granderson thought he looked like “a shiny mudslide with legs” and he told his editor, “I can’t believe that dude is a professional athlete. I would be surprised if he’s on the team next year.” Sure enough, the Pistons left him unprotected for the 1995 expansion draft and the Raptors snatched him up with the 27th and final pick.

 

 

Without question, Miller’s best NBA season was his first go-round with the Raptors — his single-season career highs in all the major stats occurred in ’95-96. In 76 games, he averaged 12.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.9 blocks. If that seems like a fairly unusual stat line, that’s because it is — since the 1995-96 season, there have only been 27 player seasons with per-game averages of at least 1.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks. That stat line speaks to the completeness of Miller’s game, in his prime. He was surprisingly agile in the rare instances that he kept his weight under control, he had phenomenal hands and a soft touch around the basket, he was a terrific passer, and he was a fairly effective help defender

 

http://blogs.thescore.com/raptorblog/2011/09/07/ultimate-raptors-rankings-%e2%80%94-no-23-oliver-miller/

 

His first season with the Raptors was very solid, like the author mentions. He actually had a lot of skill for a man his size but as everybody knows, he really struggled with his weight and conditioning and those struggles eventually took its tool on his career and his skills declined to the point where he was out of the league.

 

I think if he could've stayed in shape that Miller could've become one of the better centers in the league and consistently put up averages of around 13-14 ppg/7.5-8.5 rpg/3 apg/1.5 spg/2 bpg which is a very respectable statline for a center.