NBA Betting Preview – Toronto Raptors on the Rise

The Raptors somehow turned a hobbled T.J. Ford in to the exact kind of player that they need. Jermaine O’Neal’s arrival in Toronto sends the message that the Raptors are going with a “now or never” mindset. There have been obvious concerns about the state of O’Neal’s knees, but there’s genuine reason to be excited north of the border.

Jermaine O’Neal phoned it in last season, but at times he showed glimmers of the player that we voted in to the All-Star Game as fans. In the month of December alone he averaged 19.1 points per game and 7.9 rebounds. His season average tumbled to 13.6 and 6.7 on the year, but with a reason to be excited, O’Neal can rise to be a star again.

Those that are willing to give up on O’Neal and the Raptors need to remember how morbid things got in Indiana. The Raptors are a great situation for O’Neal, and he won’t be asked to be a one-man show. There are only a few teams in the entire NBA that can handle a front-court of Chris Bosh and O’Neal. Pending O’Neal’s healthy and vigor, the Raptors are an immediate threat to Boston in the Eastern Conference.

Jose Calderon rightfully inherits the starting job, and while that should quell the betting investor’s concerns at the point, Jose is still not an elite athlete like Ford. Ford had the speed to guard anyone in the league at the point, and Calderon gets blown up by faster, more athletic guards. That is slightly offset by the interior defense as guards will have to deal with Bosh-O’Neal as soon as they get past Calderon. Offensively, he can run the offense and has shooters all around him like Jamario Moon and Jason Kapono.

Overall, Toronto only turns the ball over 12.6% of the time they have the ball, which is 2.2% lower than the league average. They’re one of the best shooting teams in the league, but Kapono especially has to prove he is worth the cash that Toronto spent on him in free-agency.

They are perhaps my favorite NBA betting future in our sportsbook in the Eastern Conference. They lack some backcourt depth – their bench overall is not strong enough to contend with the big dogs when they have to dig deep in to their rotation – but the addition of O’Neal can turn the Raptors in to legitimate contenders. They’re a top-5 team in the Eastern Conference undoubtedly but may lack the perimeter scoring to crack the top-3.

This is do-or-die time for Chris Bosh. He hasn’t had the supporting cast like he has right now. Let’s see what the All-Star can do.

2007-08 Record: 41-41 SU, 40-42 ATS

Odds To Win Eastern Conference: +2000

Odds To Win Championship: +4000