Team page/schedule | Stats: Preseason | Roster
Last year: 47-35, second in Central, fifth in conference
Coach/GM: Lenny Wilkens/Glen Grunwald
Arena, first game: Air Canada Centre (19,800); Feb. 21, 1999
All-time franchise record/NBA titles: 182-278/0
Notable: Franchise-best record, and first playoff series win

THE ROTATION
Pos	Player	Key Stat	Skinny
PG	Alvin Williams	123 steals	As starter, averaged 11.5 ppg, 7.6 apg
SG	Vince Carter	27.6 ppg	What bad? That he wanted to graduate?
SF	Morris Peterson	9.3 ppg	Sophomore has a future; can shoot
PF	Antonio Davis	10.1 rpg	Back to normal PF spot, could thrive more
C	Hakeem Olajuwon	11.9 ppg	Wrong side of 38, presence is critical
6th	Keon Clark	154 blocks	Not a true center, but had 12-block game
7th	Jerome Williams	.463 FG	Junkyard Dog had bad year, can rebound
8th	Chris Childs	.403 FG	Insurance if Alvin, Vince play SG and SF

		It all has to come together for the Raptors. They did the right thing in keeping all their free agents -- Antonio Davis, Alvin Williams and Jerome Williams. Then they added Hakeem Olajuwon. From what I've seen, Morris Peterson seems to be playing with more confidence. Vince Carter is a high-quality player, among the league's best. Alvin Williams gives them a quality point guard. For the Raptors to advance and become the best in the East, though, I sense that Carter has to play more of a team game. He must create shooting opportunities for his teammates, defend better and play more of a complete game. The Raptors are good enough to be the best in the East.

By Jeffrey Denberg
Special to ESPN.com

It's five months after Vince Carter's celebrated flight to Chapel Hill damaged his team in its biggest game and the Toronto Raptors are bigger and badder than ever.

Through good fortune -- no team had the money or, in one case, the inclination -- to overpay Antonio Davis.

Hakeem Olajuwon grew tired of being nickel and dime'd by Houston and changed garish uniforms -- from a dumb rocket ship cartoon to a dumb prehistoric monster.

Carter, who begged free agent teammates to re-enlist, abruptly did the same and settled the issue of his future in Toronto and that of the Raptors in Canada. Davis, Alvin Williams and Jerome Williams are now long-term.

Now's the time for Toronto to step up. In the wake of Isiah Thomas' departure, the club has made marvelous strides -- from 16-66 to 23-47 to 45 and 47-win seasons. This is the chance for another big step up.

Who's Who
While Olajuwon's physical problems became an increasingly important story (his only complete season among the last four was the strike-shortened 50-gamer in '98-99), the great center was much better last winter. Once the question of blood clots was dealt with he played well, averaging 11.9 points, 7.4 rebounds in 58 games. If he was no longer the go-to guy, he commanded respect in the post. That's all the Raptors ask over the final three years of his career. As one Raptors coach said, "We only really need him to play 20 games (the playoffs)." Olajuwon's biggest contribution is already made. He allows Davis to return to power forward, his natural position and the spot where he can be so effective defensively. That easily moves Toronto up a notch. Rookie forward Michael Bradley out of Villanova is another nice addition, although he is not going to find the right playing time that was there last season for swingman Morris Peterson, who was good enough to get rare rookie minutes from Lenny Wilkens.

FANTASY SLEEPER

Alvin Williams, PG -- Want the definition of a dream job? How about feeding Vince Carter off the break or dropping a lob pass in to Hakeem Olajuwon for a patented "Dream Shake" turnaround J. That is a major part of Williams' job description, which will be enough to keep him among the leaders in assists. But he can also score and was ranked in the top 20 last season in steals despite less than 30 minutes of PT.

The Big Question
Deep as they are on the front line and at the shooting spots, the Raptors are dangerously thin at point, where Alvin Williams is still learning his trade and Chris Childs is an unreliable backup. If Williams or Childs goes down for an extended time, the Raptors' offense could suffer greatly. That's why GM Glen Grunwald has been desperate to add another slot. But this is a ticklish situation. Toronto has 15 guaranteed contracts and no team is likely to accept the likes of Michael Stewart or Eric Montross, each with four fat contract years ahead of him. Talks with Denver are ongoing. As a secondary issue, remember that Charles Oakley took umbrage with Wilkens' habit of soft practices and the coach's refusal to challenge his players. Now that Oak has worn out his welcome, the Raptors need a strong, replacement voice in the locker room. Not as easy as it sounds.

Best/Worst Case Scenario
At best the Raptors will win 55 games, at worst 45. Basically, this team has to be good, the only question how good and how motivated Wilkens can keep them. Assuming Carter's brilliance and another scoring year in the high-20s, plus the competence of Davis and Olajuwon, the Raptors need at least one more player to step up and provide a secondary offensive threat. Only Carter and Davis scored in double figures last season with Peterson and Williams down the ladder. But this was a poor shooting team. Dell Curry is fading and Carter is going to see a lot of early double teams to deny him the ball. Assuming they deal with these logistics, the Raptors can challenge the best in the East. If they can't, they'll still finish fourth or fifth in the East, but that would be much less satisfying.

OVERRATED	UNDERRATED	TEAM MVP
Chris Childs. My, that half season in Jersey can carry you a long way.	Alvin Williams. Finally looks ready to run a team, but needs consistency.	Vince Carter. Now at 27 ppg, potential is there for 30 a night, but team's better if it's 25.