Can Danny?

Well, Toronto's done three things right so far. They've hired Bryan Colangelo, won the lottery and announced that they are changing their uniforms. While they're at it, they should change the name but let's not get ahead of ourselves. While I did like the Raptor red, I think losing the purple and giving the team a new look could be a step in the right direction.

The Core: Chris Bosh

Honestly, everyone else can be had. While Charlie Villenueva might have proved his doubters wrong, he can't escape the fact that he is best suited for the 4 which is Bosh's domain. Colangelo could always go small ball and play Charlie and Bosh together but my guess is that Charlie is worth more on the market than on the court right now.

The Needs: Pretty much everything. They have a young prospect in Roko Ukic in Europe but waiting on him probably isn't the best route since nobody knows when he's coming over or how good he'll be when he does. The most pressing need is a legit center and a point guard to replace Mike James, who is 90% out the door.

The Bait: If there's one thing the Raptors have plenty of, it's trade bait. Villain, Mo Peterson, and a bevy of short mid-level contracts.

Cap Space: 15 million, assuming only Mike James opts out of his deal.

So where do they go from here?

Trade The most obvious deal would be Charlie for Magloire, Mo Williams, and Ersan Ilyasova. Magloire might actually stay since he's from Toronto and Mo would be the starting PG. A trade with Seattle could work but it sounds like Seattle's asking price for Ridnour might be a bit too much right now for a deal of Luke and the #10 to work. Another deal would be Villenueva would be to Chicago for Ben Gordon. Colangelo gets his point guard and the Bulls get a low post scoring opton. If 6'5 Ukic comes over, he could be a great complement to Gordon in the backcourt. Depending on the draft, the Raptors either take the Bucks deal or the Chicago deal.
If the Hornets are looking for veteran guards (and hoping to dump JR Smith and Arvydas Macijauskas both of whom were in Byron Scott's doghouse), the Raptors should offer up Morris Peterson for the two.
They should hold onto Alvin and Eric Williams until the trade deadline to see if there isn't any talent that couldn't be had for some expiring deal.

Draft The pick is hard to gauge. Unless someone falls in love with Aldridge or Bargnani, I can't see many teams giving up a ton to move up. Most offers will likely be deemed either too much for the other team (Telfair and the 4, Green and the 7) or not enough for the Raptors (JR Smith, the 12 and 15, Pietrus and the 9). While people seem to love Bargnani, he doesn't fit with Bosh since they are both PF's. This also eliminates Ty Thomas. In my opinion, it comes down to Rudy Gay vs. LaMarcus Aldrige. Both have knocks against them that they are soft but I'm going to go with the guy I had pegged at #1 from the beginning, Rudy Gay. Of course, Colangelo could completely alter the face of the team and deal Bosh for a top pick to get Bargnani (and build a possible Marion/Nowitzki like tandem) but I think that's a little much for the first few months on the job.

Free Agency This is a weak free agent class and Toronto would be best served saving their room. Al Harrington would be an interesting small forward to team with Bosh and Aldridge but his asking price could be more than he's worth, especially if he has to come to Toronto. Smaller level guys like Matt Harpring, Jared Jeffries, Fred Jones, etc might be better to fill out the bench. The former two are trickier signings since they are restricted FA's but they are the level of guy (low price wih potential) that the Rapz would be best pursuing.

Possible 2006/7 Lineup: Mo Williams, JR Smith, Rudy Gay, Chris Bosh, Jamaal Magloire with Ukic, Arvydas Macijauskas, A & E.Williams, Araujo, J. Graham
The bench is weak but that lineup doesn't include their second round pick and any role players that they could pick up via free agency.

Can they get there from here? The Raptors most certainly could buid a team that could make a push for the playoffs in a couple years and then bigger things after that. Jerry Colangelo has a ton of assets to play with and has never been afraid to overpay for something he wants, so he could easily disregard the youthful angle I've chosen and try to add talent to win now. Only time will tell, but in time I believe the Raptors will be back to the top of the Eastern Conference in a few years.