Young Guns(z) Era Is Here

Bryan Colangelo stated on the Fan 590 that if Chris Bosh was not coming back that re-signing Amir Johnson was high on the Raptors priority list. So the fact that Amir Johnson was re-signed by the Raptors was not a surprise. What might have been a surprise was the contract that has reportedly been agreed upon. Both the amount of money which is 34 million dollars and the term of 5 years as well. This firmly establishes the Young Guns(z) as perhaps the new faces of the Raptors. Many tend to forget that Amir is still pretty young himself as he was the last high school draftee before the rules changed in the NBA. We saw flashes of what Amir could do when Chris Bosh was sidelined with an injury at the end of the season. While we will wait to see how the rest of the summer plays out to determine Johnson's actual role. It is clear that he will have one given the commitment the Raptors have made. It is unclear on if Andrea Bargnani will remain at the 5 and leave the 4 spot open in which Johnson could start. There is also the Raptors rookie Ed Davis who could compete for that spot as well. However Johnson if Bargnani remains at the 5 would be the front runner with the current roster to start.

Johnson potentially has more minutes for himself. However if he can not stay out of foul trouble that will not matter. Bosh being gone and leaving minutes for Johnson can only be taken advantage of if he is able to remain on the floor. Johnson had been giving every indication that he wanted to remain in Toronto. The group they have established with he and Weems and DeRozan by many fans is being adopted as the new faces of the franchise. While Andrea Bargnani and Hedo Turkoglu would both be considered more talented. It seems clear that the fans have made up their minds and declared this the Young Guns team.

Lights, Cameras ....Free Agency

While Amir is coming back, the long good bye for Chris Bosh goes on. In fact you may be able to watch it all unfold on a DVD at some point. While Bosh has been meeting with potential teams he has had a camera crew along for the ride. They are filming a documentary as Bosh goes through this free agent process. Not sure if the meeting with the Raptors will make the cut. However the 2 sides have apparently met and according to some reports Bryan Colangelo was not even in attendance. That tells you all you need to know. If that is factual it may be sending Bosh a message that Colangelo has not appreciated the cold shoulder Bosh has given the Raptors for the last month. Raptor fans hate of Chris Bosh grows with every tweet he puts out. However as far as this documentary goes, if it is done correctly it could make for a very fascinating viewing experience. The Chicago Bulls were not exactly thrilled to see the camera crew reports say. Raptor fans likely will not watch this either. Some Raptor fans may point out that things like this are why Bosh didn't win. Bosh is very active with projects outside of basketball and it has caused more than one person question if that impacts on his focus on the game. It is a fair point. Makes you wonder what teams think about it. Chicago likely was not the only one not impressed. Still it would, if done correctly could be a great documentary.

Ed Davis Has A Passport....We Think

It would appear that Ed Davis has his passport. He is scheduled to be in town Monday to meet with the media. The fact he did not have a passport and the G-20 summit more so, were the reasons for the delay. Solomon Alabi will be on hand as well, as the Raptors traded to get him in the second round. Ironically we could find out where Bosh is going on the same day that Ed Davis is introduced. Davis is also the same height and weight as Bosh was when drafted. The comparison ends there though. It will be interesting to hear from both the newest Raptors and see what they have to say.

My apologies for no blog yesterday. I ended up doing the Jays extra inning baseball game for The Score. Then I had promised my mother I would watch the Ti-Cats opener and that didn't go so well. But will be back Monday. A bleated Happy Canada Day to our Canadian readers, and Happy Independence Day to our American readers on July 4th.