So, how'd all these guys do this year? Well, we'll tell you!

Okay, sure, the season isn’t officially over yet but what the heck, let’s see how these guys did. (Besides, I don’t have a lot of witty things today on the last day of the regular season).

The bright ones among you will notice no grades, as is traditional, because I personally think they’re silly. Do you grade against the best in the league? The worst in the league? Themselves? Their past? Their future? See? Silly.

Anyway …

ADRIEN VECZAN/REUTERS

What should Chris Bosh do this summer? Here's a hint.

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Oh, one thing first. Tomorrow, as you know, is the day after the season ends and what’s a better way of spending the day after the season ends than by having a wee chat with your favourite grunt? (That’d be me, sillyheads!)

So, if it’s okay with you, I’ll be around at 1 p.m. on Thursday to answer a few questions for an hour or so.

Now, let’s look at these guys:

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Jose Calderon

Highlight: Should set all-time NBA record for free throw percentage; unless Calvin Murphy puts some long-distance hex on him tonight. He’s missed three all year; Dwight Howard’s missed three since you starting reading this.

Lowlight: Right, that pesky hamstring injury that robbed him of six weeks of practice in the middle of the regular season isn’t something anyone will remember fondly. Especially because it’s the one thing that ruined the season more than anything else.

Summer job: No one wants the little fella to turn into Lou Ferrigno or anything but he’s got to get stronger. Fighting through screens on defence is not one of his fortes; neither is lateral quickness and if he could find a sprint coach to work with, that’d be cool.

TARA WALTON/TORONTO STAR

Teams are looking for what Anthony Parker brings to the table.

Anthony Parker

Highlight: Who knew? Point guard becomes a very sore spot and there’s AP, bringing the ball up, handling pressure, making smart decisions. They found that out and it should be another reason to keep him around next year.

Lowlight: Got awful old awful early in the season, which led to another of his chronic slow starts. Oh, and posting career lows in field goal percentage (42.7) and three-point percentage (39.0) was nothing to write home about.

Summer job: Settling the future would be Job 1 – is Europe really an option? Would a team like, say, Philly or Atlanta, covet his leadership? That, and get used to a reduced role because that’s what he’d have in Toronto.

Shawn Marion

Highlight: It’s not like the Raptors were ever filthy rich in defending, rebounding, court-savvy small forwards so the simple fact he could do those things made uber-valuable.

Lowlight: Providing filthy richness in defending, rebounding and court savvy is one thing, but in the name of all that’s good in the world, couldn’t the guy be a bit better finisher around the rim?

Summer job: Wait for July 1, plan meeting with financial advisers, get out bankbook, find out how much of a salary hit he can afford to take because that’s what’s coming and whether that means he stays in Toronto or leaves is entirely open to debate for that reason.

Chris Bosh

Highlight: Blistering November may have been his best month ever as a Raptor (remember the M-V-P chants?) and showed how much his game could improve at both ends.

Lowlight: Another knee woe, although he did miss only four games, which is hardly a huge thing; there was that funk that enveloped him in December, just when the season really went in the toilet.

Summer job: Get some rest. Seriously. Do nothing. Do not play. Do not work. Sleep like you’re a worn out grunt. The last time he took a full summer off was 2005 and he came back to have an excellent season. Oh, and maybe figure out what’s what for 2010? Nah, that’s not going to happen.

Andrea Bargnani

Highlight: He improved in nearly every facet of the game, which is not a bad nor unexpected thing for a third-year big man. If there was a bright spot for the franchise, he was it. Anecdotically, he probably committed fewer silly offensive fouls than he ever did.

Lowlight: Okay, so he’s still not the Italian Rodman. He’s getting better but there were too many one, two, or zero rebounding games.

Summer job: If he does play for the Italian national team, and he most likely will, perhaps he could bribe the coach to run an offence centred around him in the low post so he can work on his game. Oh, and maybe develop some rebounding skills.

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

Roko Ukic had some great moments driving to the hoop.

Roko Ukic

Highlight: Say what you will about the kid, but he’s got ice water in the veins; not too many rookies can win two games down the stretch like he did against Orlando and San Antonio with big-time, late-game baskets.

Lowlight: Quarter’s ending. Ball’s in his hands. Teammates anxiously awaiting passes. Yeah, right. Working on giving the ball up every now and then would endear him to his coaches – not to mention his teammates.

Summer job: How’s 500 jumpers a day sound? No? Okay, how’s 1,000 jumpers a day sound? Kid’s a gym rat and a summer in some Croatia gym, working with the words of coach Gord Herbert ringing in his ears, would be nice.

Joey Graham

Highlight: Showed more in four months under Jay Triano than he did in any other four-month period before; except for maybe that 16-game spell in ’07. Shocking athleticism was on display.

Lowlight: Showed little defensive consistency, even in that four-month stretch, and that’s been a sore spot for him for years.

Summer job: Sit back and wait because his future really isn’t his to decide. Other offers may come flooding in but he’s a restricted free agent so it’ll depend on what Bryan Colangelo wants to do. And in the game of Raptor Dominoes, he’s nearer the end than the front.

Jason Kapono

Highlight: Maybe you don’t remember them right away but there were a few games where he looked great, assertive on offence and hitting his shots. For real. Check the boxscores. There were. Honest.

Lowlight: How about a three-point shooter who doesn’t take a lot of three-point shots? And the little running hook in the lane? That’s gotta go.

Summer job: Work on lowering the old handicap would do it. Oh, and keep the phone on because there’s a high probability Colangelo will try to move him. And, if he wants to develop a, ahem, J Killa attitude in basketball, that’d be nice.

ANDREW WALLACE/TORONTO STAR

The ball was a bit too slippery in his hands, but at least Pops was in the paint.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu

Highlight: The kid’s crazy good on the offensive boards and his activity and effort gave the fans something to get excited about; without, you know, all that ripping off of shirt and faux wrestling persona.

Lowlight: This whole “grab-the-offensive-board-bring-the-ball-down-to-his-knees-where-every-little-guy-in-the-world-grab-it” thing has to stop. It sort of takes away from the whole rebounding thing.

Summer job: If he’s going to come back, he’s going to have to spend a whole lot of time working on the offensive parts of the game. If he can’t score, he really can’t be on the court at crunch time.

Patrick O’Bryant

Highlight: Looks great in pre-game warmups and has had a couple of moments in games – he’s quick and long and not a bad finisher – that makes you go, “oh, that’s why he was a No. 9 draft pick.”

Lowlight: Never really got a chance to compile many of them, actually. But watching him get bounced around under the glass isn’t something the coaches want to see.

Summer job: If they decided to pick up his option for next year – and that’s a tough call because they need to add depth – he’s got to get in the gym and get stronger.

Quincy Douby

Highlight: Provided one of the best names in franchise history. But also showed he can handle both backcourt positions in nothing games against going-nowhere teams at the end of a lost season.

Lowlight: Never got a chance to play a meaningful minute in a big game. Raps really don’t know what they’ve got in the young guard.

Summer job: Kill at summer league so he can keep guaranteeing his contract.

Kris Humphries

Highlight: Was a big hit in Ask Hump over at From Deep. And the locker room byplay with him, Moon and AP was hilarious at times.

Lowlight: That whole broken fibula thing was a bummer.

Summer job: Get with the coaches – not with any friend or family members – and work on his game. Get strength coach Keith D’Amelia to work him back into shape.

Nate Jawai

Highlight: Killing the selfish style of play in the D League, not to mention slagging Idaha, was a pretty cool interview.

Lowlight: A pesky cardiac condition that robbed him of half his rookie year sucked.

Summer job: Play. Wherever he can.

Marcus Banks

Highlight: No, I can't think of one, either.

Lowlight: The season-ending toe surgery was pretty bad.

Summer job: Get back in shape, go play in the summer league, try to be more than an end-of-the-bencher next year.

Jake Voskuhl

Highlight: No one committed more smart, hard fouls. And he's a great guy.

Lowlight: The six fouls in eight minutes or whatever it was in Phoenix was a classic.

Summer job: Get his agent working because I cannot see how he can come back.

Okay, that’s a look at the players. We’ll have more, including some stuff on the coaches and the front office, over the next couple of days.

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Oh, right. Award time.

All right, it’s time to put up or shut up on the last of the awards I’ve got to do: Coach of the Year.

Man, it was hard.

You know I think coaching is kind of over-rated (too much credit when they win, too much blame when they lose) and that’s primarily because talent wins out over all. To me, the secret of really good coaching is getting your team to play consistently, with effort and pride and being able to adapt to injuries, deal with knuckleheads and avoid any catastrophic personality meltdowns over the course of a long, long regular season.

So, when it comes time to e-mail my ballot away later on today, here’s how it’s going to look:

George Karl

Rick Adelman

Stan Van Gundy

(Although I may flip a coin and put Nate McMillan in third)

Yes, Mike Brown has great talent in Cleveland and the best record in the NBA; sure, Phil Jackson dealt with no Andrew Bynum and convinced Lamar Odom to come off the bench; yeah, Jerry Sloan (of the eighth place Utah Jazz, by the way) is going to the Hall of Fame before he’ll be a coach of the year.

But Karl has the Denver Nuggets second in the West, integrated a new point guard after a trade, dealt with the rather diverse personalities of Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin and J. R. Smith and somehow kept it all together. That’s no mean feat.

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All right, kids. A bit longer than usual today but it’s a special day. And don’t forget to check back here tonight at 8 for the final in-game Raptor blog of the season.

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Comments

[b]

Doug, what would be a realistic return for Kapono if BC does manage to trade him?

Blogger's note: Sorry, I have no idea because I don't know who might possibly be available.

[Dan]

Does the league give any guidelines on the Coach of the Year ballot? I suppose it's rather straightforward, but it seems to me it would be very difficult to judge the coaching performance of someone you aren't around regularly. There's too much going on behind the scenes and too many little things that happen in games to allow most people to make an informed decision on this award.

Blogger's note: No, no real guidelines; they leave us pretty much on our own.

[j.carlos]

I dont understand why these players make so much fuzz with the amount of money they earn. For God's sakes, my yearly earnings is the amount they spend shopping...and they complain for taking a 1 million dollars paycut?

Blogger's note: It's not the amount of money at all, it's the fact it's a pay cut; I know if my boss came to me and said I was going to make less money next year than I did this year, I'd be miffed; if you're okay with that, go tell your boss you'll give some of your salary back.

[pooks]

Thanks for the review Doug! Got this in a bit early, I see :)
No matter what happens I wish these players all the best...even some of the new faces gave us some pretty memorable moments this season.

Blogger's note: Yeah, figured I'd beat the rush

[Nick]

Possible bidders for JKilla?

Blogger's note: Am trying to find that out; am not going to speculate.

[Vincent Lam]

I was reading your in-game blog in Washington after the fact. I have a few questions. You mentioned this about Roko, "No way in the world Roko was passing on that last possession. And, trust me, his teammates are noticing." Does that mean his teammates are getting in his face to straighten the rookie up, or are they just cursing under their breath? Also, you mentioned Pops having bad hands. During the telecast, Jack said he's been dealing with a hand injury. This might explain why he was stripped of the ball so often.

Blogger's note: I don't know who says what to who in the privacy of the locker room or practice court.

[Pete W]

For the Q&A session tomorrow did you want questions sent in advance?Will it be like the live blog that we can also go back and re-read later?

Blogger's note: It'll be like the in-game blog, no need to send questions now. It will be moderated to some degree so I don't get swamped (like that would happen!) but it will be there to re-read after it's completed

[Erc]

As I'm prone to do, from time to time, I made a very stupid statement awhile ago -- ' if Pops isn't back next year, I won't be either' -- or some dumbazz line like that.
I fell in love with the game Pops brought when he first came here. The energy, the effort -- it was like a big, lovely slice of lasagna to a guy on a carb-free diet. Love that Pops!
I should have known better. I fell for Moon's game early last season -- the athleticism, the blocks, the transition game, the quick hands on defense.
Moon couldn't sustain that effort over a season, let alone a career. Pops? Sign him for anything reasonable and let's see. A valuable lesson to me, is this -- if they've been in the bushes for awhile, there's generally a reason. Will their work ethic sustain their ability over the course of an NBA season -- THAT is the question.
Which brings me to Roko. He won our hearts with his nerve and willingness to go to the bucket late in games. It was like a big juicy slice of lasagna ..... .
Lately, reality has surfaced with a vengeance. A point guard's primary job is to get everyone involved and to get the ball to the hot hand in a position where he can score. Roko has been HORRIBLE, ABYSMAL, TER-R-R-R-IBLE in doing that, over the latter part of the schedule in particular.
Yes, Jose worked hard and improved. Yes Roko works hard. Maybe he will show the same improvement. Maybe not. There had better be a serviceable back-up point guard in place next season, OTHER than Roko, or this team is in bad trouble.
Some experts say this is a deep draft in PG and not so much in wings. If it's a choice between a superior young PG and a mediocre wing, BC may opt to add the point guard.
I will guarantee this -- if that happens and if the kid lights it up the first 20 games -- I'm not gonna figure he's the second coming of Alvin. Been there. Done that.

[Steve Gosse]

Doug..
If Colangelo decides not to go with Jay next year as head coach, do you see him coming back as an assistant? Or do you think getting a taste of the big-time will make Jay want to remain a head coach.. whether here, or somewhere else?

Blogger's note: I cannot envision a scenario where Jay is an assistant here, no.

[Uncle Zeke]

"Under terms of the league's collective bargaining agreement, the Raptors can offer him more money than any other team (in years and in annual raises) and that will play a part in what he decides. But, he said, that won't be the only factor."

Can't see this coming into play at all as there is no way the Raps will be maxing Marion out. If this guy gets an offer of more than 8-9M a year he should take it and run...

Blogger's note: Who said anything about a max? Raptors can offer higher annual raises than any other team.

[CARLoS M.]

Doug, as always an excellent read. THanks for the great work this year!

CARLoS,.

[Michel G]

Hey Doug. The FAN 590 was again discussing the rumour of Nash coming to Toronto. I'm probably the only person in Canada who doesn't think this is the best idea. There's no comparison between Nash and Calderon, but the point guard position is not the real problem with this team. Would you go after Nash?

Blogger's note: Depends on the price but the dude is a two-time MVP

[Mark]

Is it me or did you miss Marcus Banks on your review?

Blogger's note: He and Jake got inadvertently clipped, they are there now

[Rob]

I get that under the CBA the Raptors can offer Marion a higher annual raise than other teams in the league but is that something that is realistically on the table in his case? I typically get an annual raise because there is an assumption that I'm getting better at my job over time, it's pretty clear that at this point Marion isn't getting better, he's getting worse so over time he's actually becoming less valuable to his team, not more. To me that tells me that he shouldn't deserve a raise from year to year, combine that with the fact that the Cap #s could be going down this year and maybe beyond that and would any GM really be willing to give him a contract with raises built into it?

Blogger's note: He will, without a doubt,, get a contract that includes annual increases. It's just the way things work

[Serge P]

Doug, what are your plans for the blog this offseason? Will you continue to post daily, scale it down or *gasp* take the summer off?

Blogger's note: We've got more than two months of playoffs, the draft, free agency, the summer league. Don't worry, we'll be around here regularly.

[Jason]

"Dwight Howard’s missed three since you starting reading this."

Thats is the funniest comment you've ever made and thats saying alot as your usually pretty sharp on the humor.

[Kelsie]

Hey Doug,

Just some observations regarding the coach for next year. A lot of the media outlets and broadcasters are saying that Jay is most likely the leading candidate for the job. I heard Jack on the radio the other day say he would be "shocked" if Jay wasn't the coach next year.

Which leads to my observations. Usually an interim coach takes over for a fired coach during the year. I could see the immediate wisdom in retaining Jay if the team performed better under his watch, (like Cito with the Jays last year) but they did not.

The next thing I would look at then is if the wins haven't gone up, what about the style of play, the teams defensive intensity, mental toughness, etc. I watch the games but in my opinion those things haven't been established and in some cases might have gotten worse, but no real significant change in those areas.

So the only reason I can seem him being the leading candidate right here right now, is if there is acknowledgment that the roster as it is comprised right now, does not have enough talent and that if more talent is added then we will see Jay's true coaching ability?

My question is do you think the Rap's are actually going to do this the right way and interview candidates (including Jay) to find the best person for the job, or is Jay going to be handed the position at the end of the year?

My issue and concern is that it is very difficult for even the biggest Jay supporter to tell me he's a good NBA coach. He might end up being that, but we don't know for sure and the stats certainly don't indicate that, in my opinion.

Is this a situation in which Jay being a Canadian, that this may be his only chance and the fans only chance to see a Canadian coach, coach "Canada's team"? I am sure the brass (Tannenbaum) has been a supporter of his for some time now but I'm wondering if all of this talk of Jay being the right guy for the job is related to this element more than anything else.

Tough analysis Doug, and I know you must be delicate with it but what do you think honestly about the coach for next year and how the Raps should handle hiring their head coach for the 2009-2010 season?

Blogger's note: I think all the things they want in a coach -- respect of the players, work ethic, solid systems, good relationship with the GM -- they have in Jay and I would be equally shocked if he didn't get the job. As has become glaringly apparent all year, it's a talent and depth issue with this team, not a coaching issue

[Mauro]

Hi, Doug.
I really would like to know if Andrea will be followed during this summer by the same guy (Gord Herbert ?) that worked with him last summer. Also the Big Man Camp he attended was worth the money.

Blogger's note: He'll do much the same stuff, yeah; but he's also got national team obligations this year he didn't have last year

[Sean]

The "Deadbeat Dad" Story wasnt the lowlight for Bosh? It seems like his play was affected when all this was going on behind the scenes (before the story actually broke).

[K Price]

Hey Doug, just wonderng if u know when Raptors end of season media will be held and televised??

Blogger's note: Think it'll be late morning Thursday and I presume Raptors TV will show it; it's not like they've got a playoff preview to produce or anything

[Pharaoh]

"A point guard's primary job is to get everyone involved and to get the ball to the hot hand in a position where he can score. Roko has been HORRIBLE, ABYSMAL, TER-R-R-R-IBLE in doing that, over the latter part of the schedule in particular."

I wouldn't agree with that assessment at all. Yes, Roko can be selfish at the end of a quarter, as Doug rightly points out. Still, I can't help but think that noone would really mind that selfishness so much if Roko converted consistently (have you ever heard anyone criticize Kobe for being selfish at the end of the clock?)

That aside, I think Roko does a reasonably good job of finding open guys. I've noticed, for example, that Kapono gets a lot more open shots when Roko is on the floor. I'd like to see more consistency from him, but I'd also like to see more consistency in terms of minutes as well. This season was lost a long time ago, and with Calderon's injury, I think Jay missed an opportunity to contribute to Roko's development.

[Dave]

What the heck is "Anecdotically", Doug? Does it refer to a funny story?

Blogger's note: It's anecdotally with an extra syllable because I was typing too fast, I guess

[David]

A destination for Kapono? After watching the 76ers on Sunday and Tuesday, they need three point shooting in the worst way, even if it's just to give them some options in late game situations and spread the floor for Iguodala or TYoung. If they re-sign Andre Miller, they'll have little money to spend, and no need for Lou Williams. Williams has been a bit of a disappointment. He's paid less than JK but has a longer deal. Williams would give the Raptors bench more speed and athleticism and offer a bit of upside.

[Dallas]

Hi Doug,

I thought annual raise limits only really mattered on a max deal. If not, please explain to me how you can have a front or backloaded contract if all annual raises are preset? The idea that he will make more with us, if he's not getting a max contract, is false isn't it? Another team could simply just offer him a larger contract, if they had caproom. And I'm not an expert, like you, but wouldn't all non max contracts be fairly flexible in terms of structure. If not how could we rejig Jos like we did this year to stay under the luxury tax? I'd say, in Marion's case, seeing as how he's not worth the max, all we have going for us versus another team is bird rights. If I am wrong please enlighten me.

Here's why I think we'll keep Marion, and why we will overpay, but we will do so to benefit us as well. Basically, we can spend more money to improve the team if we sign our own guys, bringing us over the cap and using the MLE and/or LLE to add a player. In this case, re-signing Marion means we get him and whoever we can get with the MLE. If Marion leaves, we only have the space we have under the cap, as we can go over the cap to sign our own guys (this is bird rights) but not to sign FA's. And we can't use the MLE or LLE if we are not over the cap. To maximize what we can get, and we need a lot, we need to be at the cap, or we'll simply be stuck with whatever room we are under the cap, which, I think if we renounce everyone we can, would still only be around 10 mil, give or take.

Because we are over the cap now, it's not like if Marion leaves as a FA we have his 17 mil to spend elsewhere. This is why BC has said it will be a sign and trade, if he's not resigned. If he simply walks, Wow. BC traded two draft picks, TJ, and Rasho, for 8 mil of cap space, which actually cost us the MLE, which we would have had if we were at over the cap. So as you can see, it's in our interest to pay Marion to a level that puts us over the cap, and look to the draft, or the mle for a 2. And his agent, the infamous, Dan Fegan surely know this.

Now if Bosh's traded, obviously who knows what we will do. Maybe if BC can't re up Marion, and the takers for a S&t aren't there, maybe BC will have to trade Bosh, because we just can't go back with the same team, minus Marion, next year and realistically expect there to be an improvement.

Thanks

Blogger's note: Free agents that re-sign with their teams are eligible for up to10 per cent annual raises; free agents that sign with new teams are eligible for eight per cent annual raises. Of course, if one team wants to offer $8 million and the existing team offers $5 million; the value, regardless of increases, will be greater.

As for the rest of your scenario, who knows how it will play out. But keeping above the cap to have the mid-level exception available can be done without re-signing Marion or any of the other free agents because of the book-keeping cap holds that go with their contracts. They could sign a free agent at the mid-level on July 7 while doing nothing with Marion, or Graham, or Parker, or Delfino, or Voskuhl, or Pops and then deal with them later

[Bball]

Doug, your colleague Dave Feschuk has suggested on April 10 that Colangelo may or may not be around tomorrow for the year end wrap up because of NBA Board of Governor meetings and that Bryan may not do his year end review with the media for several more days. Do you know if that is in fact the case? If so, do you know when Bryan will be holding his year end media press conference? Thanks.

Blogger's note: I'm sure they'll do something the beginning of next week.