Insider Special: Raptors Plan

Will the Raptors stop the Vinsanity?

By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider

Over the course of the past two seasons, nothing has gone right in Toronto.

Injuries have destroyed morale. Coaching turnover has demolished continuity. The front office has been in absolute disarray. Caught in the storm has been Vince Carter, Toronto's reluctant hero.

Carter believes he is the most important piece of the franchise. He believes he should have been consulted when the Raptors hired a new GM. He was upset when the team hired a new head coach without his stamp of approval. He desperately wants input when the team makes draft picks, free-agent signings and trades.

So far he's gotten jack squat. GM Rob Babcock may be the right guy for the job, but the way the Raptors went about hiring Babcock instilled no confidence in his ability to change the organization.

Sam Mitchell may be the right coach, but Vince has his doubts.

Rafael Araujo may be the team's center of the future, but again, forgive Vince if he doesn't believe an undersized college five is going to turn around the team overnight.

The Raptors, in his mind (and almost everyone else's, for that matter), are in disarray. Vince wants out now.

If you're Babcock, do you acquiesce and start rebuilding, or do you try a quick turnaround job?

Here's a look at what to expect as Insider continues its summer blueprint series.


Raptors Summer Blueprint
DRAFT: The Raptors needed a center in the worst way, but the team shocked most league observers by selecting Brazilian big man Rafael Araujo at No. 8. Araujo had a very solid senior season at BYU. He's tough, has a smooth shooting touch and, most importantly, he's ready to play now. The Raptors were sold.

While Araujo can help immediately, there was some criticism they drafted Araujo too high. He's talented, but his upside is limited, and many felt they left better players on the board. Still, the Raptors filled a need that would've been tough to address in free agency. Araujo is going to be a solid NBA player.

FREE AGENCY: The team has just one significant free agent, Mo Peterson, and it's likely he'll sign elsewhere.



AlstonToronto spent the bulk of its mid-level exception to address another need -- point guard. Rafer Alston was great in a backup role for the Heat last season and put up solid averages of 12.2 ppg and 5.7 apg in the 28 games he started.
Alston is a fan-favorite wherever he goes because of his ballhandling and New York street moves. But last year he became more than a sideshow -- he's now a legitimate NBA point guard who is at his best in an up-tempo game.

With the rest of their money, the Raptors need to land a few more big men. As it stands right now, Araujo and Chris Bosh are the only two bigs on their roster. Greg Ostertag, Michael Doleac and Keon Clark are the best big men left on the board. However, in this market, they should all command more than what Toronto can offer.

TRADES: By all accounts, the Raptors would prefer to be talking about moving Jalen Rose or Alvin Williams -- but no one wants them.

If they are going to do something to shake up the team this year, it's going to mean losing either Carter or Donyell Marshall, their two most productive players last season. Marshall is the easiest to move, since he's in the last year of a reasonable contract. Marshall averaged 16.2 ppg and 10.8 rpg last season and proved he still could be a valuable contributor.

However, Marshall won't get them back too much in return. That's where Carter comes in. He's unhappy in Toronto. He's made it known he wants a trade. While both his camp and the Raptors deny he has compiled a list of teams to which he wants to be traded, everyone knows Vince wants out.


If the Raptors trade Vince Carter, they must get a player with equal star power in return.
Should Babcock trade him? The problem with trading a superstar, especially one who comes down with jumper's knee every few months, is that you rarely get back value in return. Carter provides a double whammy. Not only is he one of the best swingmen in the league, he's also one of the three or four most marketable players in the NBA.

Babcock can't afford to give Vince away, both for basketball and financial reasons. Raptors fans are still coming to games, despite the poor performance on the court. That won't continue once Vince leaves the building.

Unless, that is, the Raptors find a player with as much marketing pull. There's been a lot of talk over the past month about a Carter-for-Allen Iverson swap. However, both sides deny any interest.

On Tuesday, the New York Daily News claimed the Dallas Mavericks were in hot pursuit of Carter and were working on a four-team deal that would bring Carter to Big D. The only problem with the report? While it mentions who the Knicks would be getting as partners in the four-way trade (Antoine Walker and Erick Dampier) and who would head to the Warriors (Kurt Thomas), the only player reportedly landing in Toronto would be Shandon Anderson.

I don't care how new to the job Babcock is, that just isn't happening.

A deal that could make some sense for the Raptors? Carter, Lamond Murray and Jerome Moiso for Ray Allen, Jerome James and Vladimir Radmanovic.

That would give the Raptors a top-notch two guard, a young talent at the three, help in the middle and cap flexibility after next season (all three contracts are set to expire). It also allows them to clear one bad contract, Murray, off the books.

COACHING: After two straight head coaching disasters, the Raptors are hoping Mitchell gives them the best of two worlds. Lenny Wilkens got along great with the players but was too laid back and lacked discipline. Kevin O'Neal has the discipline thing down, but his rapport with players was lacking.

Mitchell reportedly is the type of coach who can get a long with players and rule with an iron fist.

"People ask me how I'm going to be as a coach," Mitchell said. "I'm going to be me. I'll say what I have to say when the time is right. I'm not going to go out of my way to be a hard guy, but if it's called for, I'll be one. That's just the nature of the business."

Mitchell is already trying to establish a presence in the locker room. His first task is to remind Carter who's in charge.

"If he's upset then he should give me a call," Mitchell said after learning Carter was unhappy at not being consulted on the hire. "I would say to Vince what I'd say to any of our players, give Rob and I a chance. That's all we're asking for. We think if we're given a chance we can put together a team and a winning attitude that everybody's going to be proud of."

FRONT OFFICE: Babcock is already off to a rocky start, but none of it was his fault. There was a reason some of the top candidates in the business turned down the opportunity.

The hiring process was a farce. The new GM wasn't promised the authority he really needs to clean house. His star player sounds like he wants out and was angered when he wasn't allowed to have input, as he was promised. Not only do players not really want to play in Canada, the Raptors have trouble even getting the front office folks to live there.

"We're going to do our job and our job is to put together the best team possible, and we will do that," Babcock said. "Our hope is that Vince is going to be there 100 percent -- physically, mentally and emotionally. But we can't control Vince.

"My feeling is, and Sam (Mitchell) feels, too, that we've done everything we can. If there are things with Vince that are in the past, they are in the past. There's only so much we can do, but we're here for him and we feel comfortable we're establishing a basketball team Vince or any other player would love to play for."

Babcock is preaching patience, while his boss is still talking playoffs. If Carter is staying put, then everything the Raptors do has to be with an eye for the here and now. If he's leaving, the team can start building for the future. Ownership sounds like it prefers to keep Carter. Babcock sounds like he'd prefer to rebuild.

Carter, who has longed for a say in so many matters, may have the ultimate vote on the direction of the franchise in Toronto. He can't hire the coach or the new GM. But if he ultimately demands a trade, he'll shape the future of the organization for years to come.

Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.