COACH: Sam Mitchell | 2003-04: 33-49
Toronto Raptors

Coach Sam Mitchell (L) and GM Rob Babcock (R) welcomed Rafer Alston back to Toronto.
Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images
You Can Go Home Again

Alston
The man with his own cult following returns to the team that hosted his coming out party two years ago.

Rafer Alston, a.k.a. NYC playground legend "Skip to My Lou," played three uneventful seasons in Milwaukee before finally putting it all together in Toronto in 2002-03. That season, after being cut by Golden State in training camp, he toiled briefly in the NBDL, before answering the bell for the injury-plagued Raptors.

Now, after a year as a mainstay in Miami, where he averaged 10.2 points, 4.5 assists and 1.39 steals, Alston is back with the security of a long-term contract for the first time in his life. He is the team's only true point guard, and one of the few experienced veterans on the Raptors bench, so he should have plenty of opportunity to showcase his handle.

2004-05 Mini Packs
Ten great games, 10 great opponents. You'll have your choice between two great 10-game packs as part of our 10th anniversary season.

Carter
Although he opened camp with a request to be traded, guard Vince Carter appears to be back with the program and ready to lead his team once more. This is good news for new coach Sam Mitchell and company, as Half Man-Half Amazing holds the keys to Toronto's postseason hopes. Such is the burden you bear when you have career averages of 23.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, as Carter does.

Along with Carter, Chris Bosh give Raptors fans a reason for optimism. The 20-year-old stepped into the starting lineup early in his rookie campaign, and averaged 11.5 points and 7.4 rebounds. Those numbers should improve as Bosh goes around the league a second time.

Starters Jalen Rose, Donyell Marshall and Alvin Williams also return. Along with Carter, the Raptors come to camp with all five starters in place from a year ago. Ditto sixth man Morris Peterson.

The Raptors upgraded their point guard situation with the return of Rafer Alston and added beef in the middle with 6-11, 290-pound draftee Rafael Araujo. But after that, the bench lacks punch, as it did a year ago, which forced the starters to play a lot of minutes. This impacted the team over the long haul, as they started 25-25 but won only eight of its final 24 games.

If the Raptors can build enough depth to finish strong, then the playoffs may not be out of reach.
Chris Bosh: If Raps find a center, Bosh could thrive at four
Alvin Williams: Backcourt is crowded with Alston's arrival
"The Vince Carter situation has to be very distracting. Sam Mitchell has his first job up there and now his star player isn't buying into anything. That's tough … Of all teams, they've had the least amount of change. They really haven't done much -- Rafer Alston, but if Alvin Williams is healthy, he'll start. When Williams is healthy, he's the guy … It's hard for Jalen Rose and Vince to co-exist. That's what happened last year. They were playing well and then they made the trade and Jalen started to dominate the ball … Rafael Araujo plays below the rim."
--Eastern Conference scout
PLAYER/2003-04 STATS
PPG
RPG
APG
PG
10.2
2.8
4.5
SG
22.5
4.8
4.8
SF
15.5
4.0
5.0
PF
11.5
7.4
1.0
C
--
--
--
F
14.7
9.9
1.5
F
2.9
3.2
0.2
F-G
8.3
3.2
1.4
G
8.8
2.7
4.0
C
3.2
3.5
0.3
C
Draft
G
Free agent
F-G
Re-signed
C
Free agent
--
--
--
PPG
22.5
RPG
9.9
APG
5.0
SPG
1.21
BPG
1.51
Points Scored
85.4
(29th)
Points Allowed
88.5
(6th)
Field-Goal Percentage
.418
(28th)
Opponents' FG%
.428
(7th)
Rebounding Diff.
-5.45
(29th)
Nov. 3 vs. Houston (7 p.m. ET, RSN) | Buy tickets
T-Mac comes to town with a new team to start the Raptors season.
TV: Raptors TV
Web: Official site | Inside Ticket