It is report card time for the Raps

When I was in school you knew when report cards were coming. The point in the year where you got to see how you were doing and it would give you an idea of what you had to fix to be successful.

Well that time has come for the Raptors. With a nice little break until their next game against the Spurs on Friday I figured it was a good time to dish out some grades after 29 games. Some will be very happy with their report card, some, not so much. Here is the good and the bad.

Chris Bosh - A - What else can you say about CB-4? I could be picky and say the team is not winning as much as they should but really is that his fault? It is easy to blame the best player when things are going bad but Bosh is proving that being named an All-Star was no fluke.

He is fighting hard, still recovering from an injury and becoming one of the best players in the NBA at getting to the line. He is a walking double-double, a nightmare cover and an all around leader in the making. Toronto did the right thing turning the keys over to Bosh and making this team his, win or lose.

T.J. Ford - B - T.J. was having a great season before stingers and flagrant fouls got the better of him. His jumper was money and the league was having a hard time dealing with his speed. He is still out of control at times, still shoots too much for a point guard and of course is very injury prone with his fearless playing style.

If and when he comes back, maybe he will revert to a more tradional PG? Maybe he just will play the same and accept the consequences? Whatever it is I hope he comes back soon because in the grand scheme of things, Toronto needs his chaos and scoring. He can add some much to both ends of the floor and for being the smallest guy on the team, he is one mentally tough dude.

Andrea Bargnani - C - The big guy is struggling and maybe that is to be expected in his second year. But when you are the number one pick and players like Brandon Roy who were picked behind you are dominating, fans can get fickle. I still love his game and I think he is a work in progress that will payoff when it happens. Big men need time to grow (haha) and being a big man with no real post game, it will take Bargs longer to become Dirk-like.

The one thing Toronto cannot do is stunt his development like the Pistons did with Darko. I don’t think you can ever recover unless you have some amazing mental toughness. I think making him the full time starter and tossing him in to sink or swim will be the best thing for Andrea. He has crazy skills and if he gets the confidence boost the Jose Calderon has found, skies the limit.

Anthony Parker - B - Parker is a lifer at the B spot. The guy is not great and will never be a letdown. He is status quo and that is very needed on such a deep team. You know what you will get every game, never less, rarely more. Parker is the man among boys on the team that everyone can look up to. He thinks like a coach and is the glue on the floor.

He does not need credit or glory, he just wants to play and win. You have to love that about the guy considering where he has battled from to get where he is.

Jose Calderon - A - Wow the Spanish flea is the man! Bosh is the team MVP but a close second has to be Calderon so far this season. Where did he get his new found confidence? Wherever it came from he should bottle it, sell it and let us all sprinkle it in our fine Spanish coffee. He is a true point guard who thinks pass first but now has the jumper to burn people. He goes to the hole with fire and I swear he shocks people at how fast he goes by people.

He has fire and passion and wants to win so bad you can see it in his face. He does not let the whole two PG situation affect his game and he loves the team and the city. He knows the payday is coming but for now he just wants to win.

Joey Graham - D- We love you Joey G but it is hard to get more than a D when you can’t get on the floor. Moon, Hump and Delfino are all ahead of you on the pecking order now and it will be very hard to dig out. You are a good team guy you do try your best when you play but your chance has passed for this team. I do hope you start to play better so you become a good asset for trade bait.

Carlos Delfino - B- What a pickup for BC. I know Joe Dumars gave him away for cap room and because with Prince in Motown, there was no room at the inn for Carlos. Who knew he would have this immediate impact. What he brings to the team is a tough swagger on D and a very much improved jumper. He is doing everything that we lost in Mo Pete. He is the guy on the floor after drawing charges and he is the guy that has to guard the other teams best player.

Last week when he got a hard blocking foul and came up with a bloody forehead, it symbolized what he means to this team. Raptors fans love hard workers and Carlos brings his fancy Argentine lunch box to work every night.

Jason Kapono - C - Maybe I am being a little hard of Jason but he needs to play a little defense to get in the B range. Don’t get me wrong the guy can shoot and I don’t know how Miami could let him go. He has gotten better every month as he gets used to the new team and system and I can only see this keeping up. Wait til the games start to matter and he will nail some money threes that will have the ACC going bonkers.

Rasho Nesterovic - C - Ah the Rasho-saurus. Looks like his days as a starter are over but he does still serve a purpose. He is a giant body and knows how to play post defense. Good guy coming off the bench and you gotta love his non-smile smile.

Jamario Moon - B - Now before you comment and say I am smokin’ dino poop, a B for Moon is like an A for everyone else. I can’t give him an A for being in the league for 29 games. But that being said he has shocked us all with his defense, his jumper and his all around cool attitude. A diamond in the rough that can be great trade bait one day or a permanent fixture in the lineup.

Kris Humphries - B - This probably should be a C but the Hump has it going on lately. He has figured out his role and is filling up the stat sheet. His rebounding and surprising offensive game (he did lead the Big Ten as a frosh) is becoming a constant and that is what Toronto needs off the bench. I love the Hump and I hope he keeps it up. Hard to believe he was what became of the nightmare known as Hoffa.

Juan Dixon - D - Hits some jumpers, fills in at point but I don’t see him being part of the team long term. Good team guy to have around though and can add some winning experience from his Maryland days.

Darrick Martin - D - Dad, chucker, Skee-lo, floor coach, call him what you want but this guy seems to help out the team. He can fill in at point but shoots way to much. Just keep talking and helping Sam out and one day you will probably be holding a clip board and doing halftime interviews with the Swirsk.

Sam Mitchell - B - Some might say Sam is not doing as good a job as last year when he won Coach of the Year. But keep this in mind. He has to manage a long bench, find the best lineup and deal with injuries that keep popping up. This time last season everyone wanted him gone. Wait til they get healthy and the depth starts kicking in over the rest of the league. Stay tuned….

Offense - C - When they are hitting shots they are great. When they are cold, they don’t have a backup plan unless T.J. is playing. Bosh and Ford are the only two who can create their own points so it is key to hit those jumpers. Toronto is the best three point shooting team in the league but that may trick them into taking too many.

Bosh has got it going on down low, now if they can get Bargnani going they can only get better.

Defense -D - When they really want to lock down and pressure, they seem to be able to do it. So why do they not do it all the time? The perimeter D is brutal and I am tired of teams hitting wide open threes. Without Ford they lose the chaos factor and they seem to lose the pressure. Moon and Bosh are blocking shots but the rebounding still needs work.

Is there a move coming to bring in a monster on the boards? The Raps need one and BC knows it.

Overall - C - I may of ranked the players a little higher than I should of but whatever. The team is hanging on and dealing with a lot of injuries and working in new players. They are staying in the race in the East and seem to play well against the big boys.

If they can get T.J. back and have a full lineup they should start to make some ground in the new year. They have a lot of home games coming up and they have to cash in to get in the top half of the playoff race. I think they will finish strong and this year they will keep the foot of the pedal going into the playoffs. From their it is anybodys guess what happens.

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