Toronto Raptors History Online Information and NBA Betting Odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook

NBA Toronto Raptors History betting odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook

NBA Toronto Raptors History History Struggles of a new franchise The Toronto Raptors were established on 30 September 1993 when the NBA, as part of its expansion into Canada, awarded its 28th franchise to a group headed by Toronto businessman John Bitove. The Raptors, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, played their first games in 1995, and were the first NBA teams to play in Canada since the 1946–47 Toronto Huskies. A nationwide contest was held to help name the team and develop their colours and logo. The final top-10 list, from over 2,000 entries in the contest, was composed mainly of animal names. The final selection—Toronto Raptors—was unveiled on Canadian national television on 15 May 1994.

The choice was influenced by the popularity of the film Jurassic Park. On 24 May 1994, the team's logo and first General Manager, Isiah Thomas were revealed at a press conference. The team's colours of bright red, purple, black, and silver were also revealed; "Naismith" silver was chosen as an ode to Canadian James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. The team originally competed in the Central Division, and before the inaugural season began, sales of Raptors merchandise ranked seventh in the league, marking a successful return of basketball to Canada.

As General Manager, Isiah Thomas quickly staffed the management positions with his own personnel, naming longtime Detroit Pistons assistant Brendan Malone as the Raptors' first head coach. The team's roster was then filled as a result of an expansion draft in 1995. Following a coin flip, Toronto was given the first pick, and selected Chicago Bulls point guard and three-point specialist BJ Armstrong. Armstrong refused to report for training and Thomas promptly traded him to the Golden State Warriors for power forwards Carlos Rogers and Victor Alexander. Thomas then selected a wide range of players in the expansion draft, including veterans Jerome Kersey, Willie Anderson and his former Pistons teammate John "Spider" Salley.

Following the expansion draft, Toronto was then given the second pick after the Vancouver Grizzles in the 1995 NBA entry draft. They selected Damon Stoudamire, a point guard out of University of Arizona, whom Thomas chose to build the franchise around. The selection of Stoudamire was met with boos from fans at the 1995 NBA Draft at the SkyDome in Toronto, many of whom wanted Ed O'Bannon of UCLA, the NCAA Final Four MVP. After averaging 19.0 points and 9.3 assists per game, however, Stoudamire won the 1995-96 Rookie of the Year Award. In the team's first official NBA game, Stoudamire recorded 10 points and 10 assists in a 94–79 victory over the New Jersey Nets. They concluded their inaugural season with a 21–61 win-loss record, although they were one of the few teams who defeated the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who set an NBA best 72–10 win–loss regular season record.

Attendance for Toronto games rose in the 1996-97 NBA season and the team improved on its win record by nine games. They selected centre Marcus Camby with the second overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. By the end of the season, Camby earned a berth on the NBA's All-Rookie Team while Stoudamire continued to play well, averaging 20.2 points and 8.8 assists per game. As in the previous season, the Raptors were one of only 11 teams to topple the eventual 1997 Champions, the Chicago Bulls. The Raptors also defeated the Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz and Miami Heat, all of which were eventual conference finalists. Yet, the Raptors could not defeat teams who were not of championship calibre, including three losses to the 15–67 Boston Celtics.

Early in the 1997-98 season, the team had numerous injuries and slid into a 17-game losing streak. General Manager Isiah Thomas resigned after his ownership bid for the Raptors failed and Glen Grunwald replaced him. With Thomas gone, Stoudamire immediately sought a trade. On 13 February 1998, he was shipped to the Portland Trailblazers along with Walt Williams and Carlos Rogers for Kenny Anderson, Alvin Williams, Gary Trent, two first-round draft choices, a second-round draft choice and cash. Anderson refused to report to Toronto and was traded to the Boston Celtics on 18 February with Zan Tabak and Popeye Jones for Chauncey Billups, Dee Brown, Roy Rogers and John Thomas. Following the trading deadline, the Raptors became the youngest team in the league with an average age of 24.6. They had five rookies on their roster, including the 18-year-old Tracy McGrady, who at the time was the youngest player in the NBA. The inexperienced Raptors struggled throughout the season and their regular season record regressed to 16–66.

During the 1998 NBA Draft, in what became a defining move for the franchise, Grunwald traded the team's 4th overall pick Antawn Jamison to the Golden State Warriors for Vince Carter, who was selected 5th overall. To bring further credibility to the Raptors, Grunwald traded Camby to the New York Knicks for Charles Oakley, a veteran with playoff experience. Kevin Willis, another veteran acquired from the trade, solidified the centre position, while the coaching staff temporarily rotated Dee Brown, Alvin Williams and Doug Christie to play point guard. Both Christie and Williams became talented players in their own right. Christie developed into one of the elite defenders in the NBA, while Williams improved his play on the offensive end. New coach Butch Carter was also credited with much of the team's turnaround during the lockout shortened 1998-99 NBA season. Although the team did not make the playoffs, many were optimistic with the impressive performances of Rookie of the Year Vince Carter and a much improved McGrady.

Return to the playoffs

The 2006-07 season represented a watershed year for the Raptors franchise as they captured their first ever division title, captured third seed in the Eastern Conference, made the playoffs for the first time in five years, equalled their best ever regular season record, and secured homecourt advantage for the first time in franchise history.

The 2006-07 Raptors roster was largely overhauled, including the selection of 2006 NBA Draft number one pick Andrea Bargnani, the acquiring of point guard T.J. Ford in exchange for Charlie Villanueva, and the signing of shooting guard Anthony Parker and small forward Jorge Garbajosa. Bosh was given a three-year contract extension, while Maurizio Gherardini of Benetton Treviso was hired as the club’s vice-president and assistant general manager.

The first half of the season produced mixed results as Toronto struggled towards the .500 mark. However, Toronto ended the regular season with a 47–35 record, securing them the third seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2007 NBA Playoffs. Bosh recorded career-highs in ppg and rpg, and was voted to start in the 2007 NBA All-Star Game. The Raptors were also lauded for their improved defense and ball-sharing over previous seasons. Colangelo, Gherardini and Mitchell were largely credited for Toronto's turnaround this season, which was one of the best in NBA history in terms of league standing and defensive ranking. Mitchell was subsequently named the 2006-07 NBA Coach of the Year, the first coach in Raptors history to receive the honor, while Colangelo was named 2006-07 Executive of the Year. On 24 April, 2007, the Raptors won their first playoff game in five seasons, with an 89–83 victory over the New Jersey Nets, but lost the series 4–2.

In the off-season that followed, Toronto was largely barred by salary cap from making any drastic changes to its starting lineup, but it remained active in transfer activity. The Raptors first drafted Giorgos Printezis in the 2007 NBA Draft, and followed up with signings of Carlos Delfino, Jamario Moon, Maceo Baston and three-point specialist Jason Kapono. On the other hand, veteran swingman Morris Peterson signed a a four-year, $23-million US contract with the New Orleans Hornets.

Season-by-season records

Season	W	L	%	Playoffs	Results
Toronto Raptors
1995–96	21	61	.256
1996–97	30	52	.366
1997–98	16	66	.195
1998–99	23	27	.460
1999–2000	45	37	.549	Lost First Round	New York 3, Toronto 0
2000–01	47	35	.573	Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals	Toronto 3, New York 2 Philadelphia 4, Toronto 3
2001–02	42	40	.512	Lost First Round	Detroit 3, Toronto 2
2002–03	24	58	.293
2003–04	33	49	.402
2004–05	33	49	.402
2005–06	27	55	.313
2006–07*	47	35	.573	Lost First Round	New Jersey 4, Toronto 2
Totals	388	564	.408
Playoffs	10	16	.385

Sportsbook Expert Columns
	NBA odds: Does Mo Williams make Cavs East's best? - WagerWeb Sportsbook Sports Betting at WagerWeb Online Sportsbook Cleveland superstar LeBron James has been clamoring for a true No. 2 scoring option on the Cavs since he arrived on the NBA scene, and it appears the team finally has gotten him one.The Cavs received read full article...
	NBA odds: Blazers' Oden taking big steps toward return - WagerWeb Sportsbook Sports Betting at WagerWeb Online Sportsbook Last year’s No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, Greg Oden, is clearly progressing in his return from 2007 knee surgery, as he worked out in front of the media for the first time since that surg read full article...
	NBA odds: Childress bolts Hawks for Greece - WagerWeb Sportsbook Sports Betting at WagerWeb Online Sportsbook Leave it to the Atlanta Hawks to get cheap a season after the team finally showed some life, even taking the Boston Celtics to the limit in the first round of this past year’s NBA playoffs.But t read full article...
	NBA odds: Deng gives Bulls an ultimatum - WagerWeb Sportsbook Sports Betting at WagerWeb Online Sportsbook Luol Deng turned down a $57.5 million extension from the Chicago Bulls last offseason, which looked like a bad move when he and the Bulls had down years.Deng, a small forward, is a restricted free age read full article...