Well, training “officially” opens today on the Raptors 2009-2010 season. I’m excited. Are you excited? I’m excited.

It’s a very different Raptors team, as we all know. If you want to see these guys’ stats, who they are what they’ve done, etc., there’s plenty of that info on the Web - I’m just gonna throw out some general thoughts on the team, because, well, I have thoughts and I have to put them somewhere.

On Chris Bosh: Huge disappointment that he’s missing the start of camp with a hamstring injury. It’s not so much the “training” portion I’m worried about - I’m confident he’s in good enough shape - but it’s working with his teammates. Nine new faces, and none of them get to practice with the team’s best player for their first two weeks with the Raptors? That is a huge blow. This isn’t San Antonio where you’re three best guys have been together forever and everyone else revolves around them. This team has no identity right now, and it won’t have one for as long as Bosh isn’t practicing with his teammates.

On Andrea Bargnani: I think the $50 million contact extension was… a little much. That’s a lot of money - and a long time (five years) - based on 1.5 years of solid play (his rookie year and the second half of last year, and 1.5 years of brutally awful play (everything in between). Yes, I know it’s a bargain if second half Andrea is what we get from here on. But that is one VERY large “IF.”

Don’t get me wrong, I hope he does prove to be worth it. Obviously I want the guy to succeed, and I’d much rather it happen here, than he goes elsewhere and develops. But five more years after this one…

On the starting 2-guard: So this is the only spot up for grabs coming in to camp. Some think DeMar Derozan is a lock; others think it should be Antoine Wright; still others, Jarret Jack.

Personally, I think giving it to Wright makes for the best overall starting lineup, but I’m OK with Derozan in there, for the most part (and Jack should not even be in the discussion; I want him backing Jose). I like that there will be little pressure on DeMar on the offensive end, what with four other scorers out there. He won’t need to do too much, and he’ll get a good feel for the game playing with his team’s best, against the other team’s best.

But, on the other hand, those four scorers are terrible defenders. And he’ll be playing against a lot of top-teir two-guards. He might get overwhelmed, and then painted as a scapegoat, when the Raps can’t stop anyone. Meanwhile Wright is probably the best defender on the team.

Really, this is the first test for the coaching staff: who makes the best starter? I’ll leave it up to them to decide, but I hope they make the right call.

On Hedo Turkoglu: Comes in a little banged up from his international play, but I’m not too worried about that; it’s not like he relies on his athleticism. I’m a little concerned about the lack of PT with Bosh, as mentioned; after playing with low-post threat Dwight Howard for three years, it’s going to be a huge adjustment for him to play pick-n-roll with two guys in Bosh and Bargnani who are allergic to the “roll” part of the equation. It’s something the staff needs to train Bosh and Bargnani to do more of, even if they don’t want the ball in that situation, because it keeps the defense honest. The pick-n-roll is useless if the defender know the picker isn’t going anywhere.

That aside, I’m obviously looking forward to seeing a guy in a Raptors uniform who actually knows what to do with the ball when the clock goes under 10 seconds. Thank God, we never have to see Chris Bosh iso’ed with the ball and the clock winding down again! (And if we do, I promise you I will be calling for Triano’s head the very next day.) That’s why we brought Hedo here. Chris Bosh should never, ever be anything more than a rebounder in those situations. You hear me, Jay? NEVER. EVER.

On Jose Calderon: Big year for Jose. He’s never had as many weapons around him, and he should be healthy after not playing internationally this summer. He’s still one of the best value-for-dollar players in the league… but there’s still the feeling that he could be even better. Probably not gonna happen at age 28; most players have reached their potential and plateaued by then (and please, no Steve Nash comparisons).

One good thing is that, with Turkoglu and potentially DeRozan around to score, not to mention Bosh and a hopefully consistent Andrea, my biggest complaint against Jose - that he’s not aggressive/doesn’t look to score enough - should be nullified. Last year, given Bosh’s struggles after December and lack of trust in Bargnani, I felt Jose was the team’s best offensive option - but he didn’t shoot enough; this year, there should be plenty of options.

And you read that right, my biggest concern was Jose’s offence, not his defense. Yep, Jose sucks on D. Deal with it - it is what it is.

On Marco Belinelli: Totally have no idea what to expect from this guy. Seems to have lots of offensive potential, seems to have a rep as a poor work ethic guy… but honestly, I have no idea if those are accurate. He’s never gotten consistent minutes. Maybe he’s our best bench player… maybe he can’t even crack the 10-man rotation? I don’t know. But we gave up nothing (Devean George) for him so anything we get from him will be a bonus.

On Reggie Evans: Might only play a few minutes a game, but Bryan Colangelo told The Star that he’s already upped the intensity level of “informal” practices. Hooray for that. Hopefully it translates into games because the Raptors have been shockingly lackadaisical when it comes to getting after boards and loose balls over the past two years.

All right, that’s it for today, we’ll be back with more throughout camp!