10 Toronto Raptors

Admit it: you wouldn't have blamed Chris Bosh for wanting out. After his fellow stars from the draft class of 2003-- LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade--went to the playoffs last spring, they signed contract extensions with their teams. The Raptors, meanwhile, have gone 93--153 since Bosh's arrival. Perhaps a change of scenery was in order? "Not at all," says Bosh, who signed a three-year, $44 million extension in July. "The losing was hard. It's tough to come to the gym during a 10-game losing streak, but I have a chance to be the franchise player here. Opportunities like that don't come around too often."

The 6'10" Bosh is the centerpiece of G.M. Bryan Colangelo's rebuilding effort. The league's 2005 Executive of the Year while in Phoenix, Colangelo joined the Raptors last February and has since shaken up the roster with several trades. Among them: sending 2005 first-round pick Charlie Villanueva to the Bucks for dynamic point guard T.J. Ford, who'll now try to play Steve Nash to Bosh's Amar� Stoudemire in a new up-tempo offense. "The coaches have been talking about running, running, running," says Bosh. "They want us always to be on the attack."

They may have to be. The Raptors allowed opponents to shoot a league-high 49.1% last season and added no discernable defensive presence over the summer. (Sorry, Rasho Nesterovic.) With nine new players, they play 19 of their first 31 games on the road. "We're going to find out who we are pretty early," says Bosh. "We have to hit the ground, well, running."

Projected Starting Lineup with 2005--06 statistics

Record: 27--55 (12th in East)

Points scored: 101.1 (4th in NBA)

Points allowed: 104.0 (29th)

Coach: Sam Mitchell

(third season with the Raptors)

Rasho Nesterovic
POS. C
PPG 4.5
RPG 3.9
APG 0.4
BPG 1.10
SPG 0.26
FG% 51.5
FT% 60.0