I’m thinking that maybe Chris Bosh likes Jay Triano and that is the reason he will get to coach the Raptors this season. He was 25-40 (38.5%) as a interim coach last season for the Raptors. The Raptors expect to win and win big this season! If they don’t, then Triano won’t be coaching the team long. But if he does a good job this season he can probably buy a house in Toronto.

23-year old center Andrea Bargnani is not a typical center. He is not a good rebounder or defensive player. His game is offense and shooting as he nailed 40.9% of his three point attempts last season. He played in 78 games for the Raptors last season and he averaged 31.4 minutes, 15.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game. His skills match up well with Chris Bosh’s as they form a almost perfect tandem. 33-year old Rasho Nesterovic will back up Bargnani this season. He played in 70 games for the Pacers last season and he averaged 17.3 minutes, 6.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He should do a solid job this season for the Raptors. 23-year old Pat O’Bryant will be the #3 center for the Raptors this season. He played in 39 games for the Raptors last season and he averaged 6.5 minutes, 2.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CENTERS IN 2009-2010: B

25-year old Chris Bosh is in his free agent walk year so look for him to have probably the best season in his career, and that should be scary for the opposition. He played in 77 games for the Raptors last season and he averaged 38.0 minutes, 22.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game. The Raptors went out and made the kind of moves that would make you think that they were trying to please Bosh. The Raptors acquired Reggie Evans in the off season to back up Bosh and he brings muscle and defense to the table. He played in 79 games for the 76ers last season and he averaged 14.4 minutes, 3.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. 22-year old Amir Johnson was also acquired in a trade (with the Bucks). He played in 62 games for the Pistons last season and he averaged 14.7 minutes, 3.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game. He has a nice upside but he might not get a lot of playing time this season for the Raptors.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POWER FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: A

The Raptors will have a bright, new shiny look at small forward this season. 30-year old Hedo Turkoglu will be the starter for the Raptors after coming to the team in a huge 4-team trade. He played in 77 games for the Magic last season and he averaged 36.6 minutes, 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. Turkoglu’s numbers should all go up this season as the Raptors run way more than the Magic do. 25-year old Antoine Wright came to the Raptors in the same trade as Turkoglu who he will back up. Wright played in 65 games for the Mavericks last season and he averaged 23.9 minutes, 7.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He will likely see his minutes go down this season but he will still be effective. Wright can also play some shooting guard if the need arises for the Raptors.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SMALL FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: B

Gone is Anthony Parker who is off to the Cleveland Cavaliers. But the Raptors have a lot of young players to choose from at shooting guard. 25-year old Jarrett Jack likely will get a lot of time at both shooting and point guard this season. He played in all 82 games for the Pacers last season and he averaged 33.1 minutes, 13.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. When a taller player is needed at shooting guard the Raptors will turn to rookie first round pick DeMar DeRozan out of USC. He has the athletic ability that the Raptors love. 23-year old Marco Belinelli was brought in from the Warriors in a trade in the off-season. He played in 42 games for the Warriors last season and he averaged 21.0 minutes, 8.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He can really run the court and he is a good shooter so he should fit right in on the Raptors. 25-year old Quincy Douby comes off the bench shooting the rock. He played in 27 games for the Raptors and Kings last season and he averaged 11.1 minutes, 4.3 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Douby won’t likely get too much playing time this year. 23-year old Sonny Weems is also with the Raptors this season. He played in 12 games as a rookie last season for the Nuggets in which he averaged 4.6 minutes, 1.6 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Don’t expect much out of him this year.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2009-2010: C