This upcoming season, the Toronto Raptors have plans to celebrate the teams 15th season in the NBA with tribute nights to honor an assortment of players who have contributed over the years. Focus is on players like Alvin Williams, Damon Stoudamire, Charles Oakley (check at the end of the post for complete list) but strategically missing is any kind of tribute to the man who brought the team into the spotlight – Vince Carter. This is a sticky situation for the team, no fan wants to honor a guy who bailed on the team but you can’t deny what he did for basketball north of the border and getting the team recognized by the media in the south.
As a long time season seat holder, I have been attending games since 1997. Previously, I have recapped the Raptors draft history and now its time to take a walk down memory lane…

1995-96 Season (Record: 21-61)
Highlights…

• Movie Madness – Fans got to poll and chose the name Raptors for the team during the peak of the the Jurassic Park phenomenon.
• Grand Entrance – Isaiah Thomas was named the 1st GM of the expansion Raptor who were robbed of a chance at the 1st overall pick. On Draft day, (held in Toronto) Thomas burst through a raptors logo and there began the roller coaster ride.
• Playing Spoiler – The team called the Skydome home (Baseball Park: Blue Jays) and won their first ever home game against the NJ Nets while playing spoiler on March 24th when they beat the 72-10 Chicago Bulls, 109-108.
• Mighty Mouse – Damon Stoudamire was named Rookie of the Year, with 19.0 pp and 9.3 apg

1996-97 Season (Record: 30-52)
Highlights…

• The Lost Year – Marcus Camby was drafted by the team from UMASS. I seem to have no memories of this season aside from a victory over the eventual NBA Champion Bulls.
• Video – The Early Years

1997-98 Season (Record: 16-66)
Highlights…

• The End of an Era – Isaiah Thomas severed all ties upon a failed bid to acquire the Raptors and was replaced by Glen Grunwald who made a promise that he will turn things around after a bleak season.
• Trade Winds – Damon Stoudamire asked for a trade saying he would not re-sign in Toronto. Before the end of the season he was moved to Portland in exchange for a new fan favorite, Alvin Williams
• Say Who? – Fans were stuck cheering for the likes of Popeye Jones, Carlos Rogers, Walt Williams and Zan Tabak
• Bench Bound – Rookie Tracy McGrady spent most of his time on the bench and would have to wait another year to get his time to shine.
• Short Lived – Highlights of TMac’s time in Toronto

1998-99 Season (Record: 23-27)
Highlights…

• Family Ties – A year after drafting high school star Tracy McGrady, the team made a quick draft day trade to select his cousin Vince Carter.
• Hold Up – Fans would have to wait to see the new duo as the NBA went into a lockout making this a shortened season.
• Movin’ on up – The team relocated from the Skydome to the Air Canada center and manged to get a W in their first home game at the new venue
• Shiny Hardware – Vince Carter became the 2nd Raptor in 4 years to win Rookie of the Year with 18.3 ppg and vowed to the fans at the end of the season to take the team to the playoffs the following year.
• Top 10 Vince Moments from his Rookie Season (ignore the voice over)

1999-00 Season (Record: 45-37)
Highlights…

• Liters not Kilometers – Enter Antonio Davis, he may not have embraced the city but he brought some veteran experience to the team
• Show Stopper – Vince Carter wins the Dunk Contest at All-Star weekend in Golden State. The birth of Half Man-Half Amazing
• Step 2 – Vince Carter came through on his promise and the Raptors made their first ever post-season appearance. They got swept by the Knicks but the team was finally heading in the right direction.
• ME, ME, ME – Raptors would be jilted once again, this time by Tracy McGrady. Tired of playing under the shadow of his cousin, he took his act to Orlando where he could be the star of his own team.
• Threats – Raptors coach Butch Carter also saw his time in Toronto come to an end after a successful season on the court but a tumultuous one in the locker room.
• Top 10 Plays of the Season

2000-01 Season (Record: 47-35)
Highlights…

• Winning-est is a word? – Hall of Fame coach, Lenny Wilkins was brought in to lead the team to the next level.
• Bonafide Star – Solid season from Vince helped the team finish 2nd in the division and make another appearance in the playoffs.
• Mayhem at the Mecca – The Raptors stunned the Knicks 93-89 at MSG in a game 5 to advance to the 2nd round against the top seed Philadelphia 76ers.
• Private Jets – Vince Carter decided he needed to be at his University graduation the day of Game 7 in Philadelphia.
• Clank – In an Epic 7 game series that saw one of the greatest one on one battles between Iverson and Vince Carter, a last second heave that hit rim sent the team packing after a successful playoff run.
• The Duel – Allen Iverson v/s Vince Carter

2001-02 Season (Record: 42-40)
Highlights…

• Money Talks – The team dished out big money to retain its star players and brought in another big name, Hakeem Olajouwan
• Flying Solo – The Vancouver Grizzlies relocated to Memphis leaving the Raptors as the sole Canadian team in the NBA.
• Half Man-Half a Season – Midway through the season, Vince Carter crumbled to the ground revealing a knee injury that would scar the rest of his tenure in Toronto
• Feel Good Stories – With no Air Canada, the team struggled. Alvin Williams the heart and soul of the team, put them on his back and rode them right into the playoffs.
• SHOT CLOCK!! – They were in tough against the Pistons but an ill advised shot from Chris Childs sealed the fate of the team and the Cinderella story was over as quickly as it had begun.

2002-03 Season (Record: 24-58)
Highlights…

• Medic! – The team lost an NBA record number of player games due to injury.
• Let’s Dance – Fans had begun to question Carter’s heart and desire and he didn’t seem to be a hurry to get back in the lineup. This aggravation grew stronger when Carter was dancing on stage with Nelly as the Raptors, were getting blown out by the Hawks in Atlanta.
• Losing-est? – Coach Lenny Wilkins who already held the record for most career wins set the record for most career losses as a coach and was fired at the end of the season.

2003-04 Season (Record: 33-49)
Highlights…

• The Prize – With a crumbling star in the wings, the Raptors selected Chris bosh in the 2003 NBA Draft. Only 19 years old, he would soon be on billboards across the city and the future face of the franchise.
• Enter the Mad Scientist – Detroit Pistons assistant coach, Kevin O’Neil was hired to turn things around for the Raptors but his stint was a brief one that ended with a bill from a hotel for damages.
• Bi-Polar – Beating the 2-time Eastern Conference Champion New Jersey Nets 90-87 was an accomplishment but it was followed up by a humiliating loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves setting a post shot clock record by scoring just 56 points.
• Blockbuster – A deal was made with the Chicago Bulls on December 1st acquiring Jalen Rose, Donyell Marshall, and Lonny Baxter in exchange for Antonio Davis, Jerome Williams, and Chris Jefferies.
• We Hardly Knew Ya! – Exit Lenny Wilkins and Enter the Smitch Era.
• From Bad to Worse – Exit Glen Grunwald and Enter the Rob Babcock Era
• Rock the Rim – Bosh dunks on hometown hero in his rookie season

2004-05 Season (Record: 33-49)
Highlights…

• Switch – The Raptors who were part of the central division since inception were now moved over to the Atlantic division
• The Hoff – Babcock started off on the wrong foot by drafting NBA bust Rafael Araujo to be the starting C. He was given his chances but now is just remembered as the guy picked before Iggy (Iguodala)
• Tippin’ – Vince Carter had become the disgruntled locker room distraction. Things reached a new low when it was speculated that he told the Supersonics what play the team was going to run in the final moments of an 88-87 loss.
• Highway Robbery – Rob Babcock had pissed off fans with his draft pick and he dug his own grave when he traded Vince Carter for a no-show (Mourning) and a bunch of NBA players (if you can call them that) with the last name Williams.
• Smitchness – Rafer Alston wasn’t a good fit with Rookie head coach Sam Mitchell which had the PG treading on thin ice after being suspended for 2 games due to “conduct detrimental to the team”
• Oh My Bosh – Chris Bosh started to emerge as the new star with a solid 16.8 ppg and 8.9 rpg in just his second year.
• The Final Memories

2005-06 Season (Record: 27-55)
Highlights…

• Re-Set – The team begun its rebuilding process with 2 Rookies, several disgruntled veterans and only one bright light. Charlie Villanueva, a rookie took a lot of heat on draft day but proved he belonged coming 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting.
• Rollercoaster Ride – Starting off the season 1-15 marked a new low for the team but they managed to come together as Chris Bosh began to emerge as a leader making his first all-star team.
• The Game – January was the date of the infamous game when Kobe Bryant put his team on his back and torched the Raptors for a record 81 points.
• Shuffle – With another lost season, the management was once again changed and brought in was a former executive of the year, Bryan Colangelo.
• Video Feature – Charlie Villanueva Rookie Mix

2006-07 Season (Record: 47-35)
Highlights…

• Extreme Makeover (pt. 1) – Bryan Colangelo had money and the 1st pick in the NBA draft. He rapidly changed the look of the team bringing in International flavor to compliment Chris Bosh.
• Transitions – With 9 new faces the team stumbled out of the gates going 2-8 but began to come together in the new year when Chris Bosh was honored with his first “Player of the Month” award.
• On Top – The team maintained their winning ways and captured their first ever division championship. In April the Raptors would continue to play well wining six in a row to equal a franchise best 47 wins.
• Accolades – With wins came recognition. The division title would bring honors to the men responsible for the turnaround, as Sam Mitchell was named Coach of the Year, with General Manager Bryan Colangelo winning the Executive.
• Premature Exits – The team was good but they were still young and meeting Vince Carter and the NJ Nets in the first round was more pressure than they could handle.
• Season Recap

2007-08 Season (Record: 41-41)
Highlights…

• Powerhouse – The Raptors had a year of experience under their belt but the new look Celtics were too much of a force. Celtics won the division with the Raptors a distant second.
• Hack-a-TJ – In a game midway through the season in Atlanta, Al Horford inadvertently whacked at TJ Ford while he was mid-flight bringing him crashing to the ground and keeping him away from the game for 30+ games.
• The Birth of a Rivalry – Dwight Howard made waves during the dunk contest and Raptor fans got to see first hand what the hype was all about. The Raptors met the Magic in the 1st round of the playoffs and hardly put up a fight losing the series in 5 games racking up the teams 4th first round exit.
• Season Recap

2008-09 Season
Highlights…

• Quick Fix – The PG controversy was short lived and TJ Ford was moved to Indiana bring in Jermaine O’Neal to play along Bosh. The experiment was a failure and JO’s stint in Toronto didn’t last through the end of the season.
• Underachievers – Struggling to find consistency, a 132-93 loss to the Denver Nuggets essentially sealed the fate of Coach Sam Mitchell. He was fired two days later, and replaced on an interim basis by Jay Triano, the first Canadian-born head coach in NBA history.
• Top 10 Plays of the Season

2009-10 Season
Highlights…

• Extreme Makeover (Pt. 2) – Bryan Colangelo could not sit still after the way things went down in the previous season. He has pulled off a complete overhaul of the team leaving them barely recognizable. What is in store for the upcoming season is still unclear but I can’t wait to get this show started and fill in another year of Raptors history. This time around anything less than a 2nd round playoff appearance would be disappointing…

Tribute Nights (Including 6 Huskies Nights):
November 4th 2009 – Charles Oakley / Alvin Williams
November 22nd 2009 – Brendan Malone
December 20th 2009 – Morris Peterson
January 3rd 2010 – Matt Bonner
January 17th 2010 – Popeye Jones
February 17th 2010 – Damon Stoudamire
March 31st 2010 – Marcus Camby
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*BONUS* – Toronto Raptors Uniform History

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