9. Raptors small forward • The main candidates: Jamario Moon, Jason Kapono, Andrea Bargnani, Joey Graham • The skinny: Moon was one of the NBA's big surprises a year ago, coming out of nowhere as a 27-year-old rookie to start 75 games. The 6-foot-8 leaper figures to be the main guy again, but he could be pushed. Kapono came alive during last year's playoff series against the Magic, and his outside shooting touch might be needed to create spacing for Chris Bosh and new Raptors big man Jermaine O'Neal down low. Bargnani, the No. 1 pick in the 2006 draft, is viewed more as a backup power forward/center, but the 7-footer's potential as a long-range marksman also puts him in the mix at this position. SI
The fix is in for Moon, but I haven't been hearing good things about him. Not showing up to camp early is a bad sign for someone who should be fighting for his position.
I'd lean towards Kapono unless Moon or Graham show some serious growth this camp. But I'm not totally confident in the choice. Adding him to the starting lineup kind of puts Anthony Parker on an island when it comes to perimeter defense.
And that's where Sam has a tough call. A lot will depend on how the post defense assembles around Chris and JO. If the perimeter guys gamble or in our case, be slow, maybe our bigs can seal things off around the bucket. If so, maybe Kapono can start. It's not like Moon is a crazy good defender or anything. He's just athletic and that makes up for lack of positioning sometimes. His specialty is on the fast break/ once the shot goes up. And I love the idea of using Kapono as a last guy down the court. The odds of any of these guys getting much better at individual defence is slim.