What Went Right?
Just about everything after December. Chris Bosh made the leap from being a player that put up great stats to becoming a player that put up great stats and helping his team win. He averaged a double double for the first time in his 4 year career with 22.6 ppg and 10.2 rpg. He extended his shooting range to a legit 20 feet and was a constant mismatch for opposing defenses.

T.J. Ford was acquired in the off-season for young power forward, Charlie Villanueva, and flourished in Toronto's up-tempo style. He averaged career highs in points per game (14.0), assists (7.9), field goal percentage (43.6%) and free throw percentage (81.9%). He teamed with Jose Calderon, the backup point guard, to form one of the most productive point guard combos in the league. The Raptors were arguably better in the 4th quarter when Jose was at point because of his deadly shooting (51.2%).

Most importantly for the team's success was the production from both of their rookies, Andrea Bargnani and Jorge Garbajosa. They combined to average 20.1 ppg and 8.8 rpg. Their play during the last 3 months of the year keyed the Raptors meteoric rise to the Atlantic Division title.

What Went Wrong?
The Raptors got the worst production year out of Morris Peterson that they've ever had. He played the fewest minutes of his career and his second worst scoring year of his career at 8.9 points per game. Despite this major part of their attack being ineffective, they still managed to have a very successful season.

The big blow to the team's success was the injury to Jorge Garbajosa. He suffered a displaced ankle joint with a ligament tear and had his fibula broken during a late March game against the Boston Celtics. He had surgery and was originally thought to be out for 6 months but seemed to recover in time to play in Spain's FIBA Tournament in September. The Raptors went 9-3 in the regular season after the injury but had lost their primary intangibles guy. The Raptors struggled immensely in the playoffs against the Raptors due to their lack of depth in the post. The Raptors were out rebounded in 3 of the 4 games that they lost in the playoff series. It left the city of Toronto with a lot of disappointment that such a great regular season could be erased so easily in the playoffs but also with a lot of hope and excitement for the next season to come.

Off-Season Overview
The Raptors had a pretty quiet off-season after such a hectic one the year before. They substituted one shooter for another and added to their front court depth with another player that has had success overseas.

Players Added- Forward Maceo Baston (Free Agent, Indiana), F Jason Kapono (Free Agent, Miami), Shooting Guard Carlos Delfino (Trade, Detroit)
Players Lost- Forward Morris Peterson (Free Agent, New Orleans Hornets)

Phil Barnett's Impact Players-
Last year’s improbable turn around has awakened a league. Chris Bosh is amazing, but the Atlantic Division is a lot better than it was last year. This team has a lot of youth, but that could ultimately hurt them down the road.

Breakout Player: As much as I want to say Jose Calderon, I think Toronto’s breakout player is going to be Andrea Bargnani. He had a great second half and played well in the playoffs. In the Raptors last three playoff games, he averaged 17 points and shot 66% from behind the arch.

Disappointing Player: Carlos Delfino comes to mind when talking about future disappointing players this season. Not because he is going to have a terrible year, but because the Raptors gave up two second round draft picks for him. He has never put up amazing numbers. He’ll have to put up career numbers this season for him to be worth the trade.

FantasyInsideronline.com Fantasy Sleeper-
Andrea Bargnani , Power Forward/Center- Bargnani really came into his own as a player during the last 2 months of the season. He averaged over 14 points and 4 rebounds per game during that stretch. For the year, he developed into a legit outside threat that was a perfect compliment to Bosh and Garbajosa. This year, I think you can expect a major increase in Andrea's production. It looks like he'll play center for the Raptors this year and if he can rebound at a rate of 7 per game, he'll be able to stay in the game and be a serious matchup problems for opposing centers. Expect 16 to 17 points per game with 7 rebounds and a 3-point percentage of around 40%.

Best-Case Scenario
The Raptors stay healthy and are able to continue to win as the young players develop even more. Chris Bosh puts in an MVP type performance and leads the Raptors to a 50+ wins season. The Raptors get a top 3 seed again in the playoffs and take advantage of a low seeded team. Second round isn't out of the question if they can get homecourt advantage in the first round.

Worst Case Scenario
The injury bug hits and Chris Bosh's thin frame breaks down for half the year. T.J. Ford can't hit an outside jumper to save his life and as Jose Calderon takes over his starting job, the two begin to fued. Andrea Bargnani hits the sophomore slump and takes a huge step back in his production. The injuries destroy the team and they have the same type of a season as the Grizzlies of last year. Sam Mitchell loses his job by February and they miss the playoffs by 20 games.

Talkhoops.net Prediction- 2nd in Division, 6th in East
I see the Raptors winning about 45 to 50 games and missing out on the division title by a couple of games. Expect about 49 wins and the 6th seed in the East. Chris Bosh will finish top 10 in MVP voting and Jason Kapono will prove to be a bad signing after not getting wide open looks because Shaq isn't on his team anymore.