We drafted our all-time Raptors teams. Now you decide who wins a series.

Who versus?

While I appreciate that we are in unprecedented times for content, I have at times in the past few weeks found myself reacting thusly to my own ideas for articles:

It’s one thing to draft an all-decade Raptors team, an all-fan ire team or an all-should have played more team. Those are fun activities, and my (or our) opinions are, of course, infallible. But there’s a little something missing in these exercises, and in these times in general: Competition.

So, instead of writing some all-time Raptors roster piece or collaborating on one, Eric and I decided to do it against each other. We will draft all-time Raptors rosters head-to-head, and then you, the readers, will determine whose team would win a playoff series between them.

Here are the guidelines we’re operating within:

• We are focused on a player’s peak. DeMar DeRozan’s longevity does not help his case. We’re not getting as granular as selecting which season — we’d end up drafting seven Kyles Lowry — but consider the player’s high-water mark with the franchise.
• Only time with the Raptors counts. Tracy McGrady became an All-Star. Hakeem Olajuwon is one of the best to ever do it. Neither of those things were the case in Toronto.
• We have to select a coach within the draft. That means there are 32 picks instead of 30. No front office will be selected, because we’re the front office here.
• Fit and chemistry matter as much as you/we want them to. We’re pitting the two sides up against each other in a best-of-7 series, and we know the best talent 1-through-15 doesn’t always win those battles.
• We’re playing under current-day rules.
• Salary cap and luxury tax considerations are not factored in. Eric, a.k.a., The Lead Writer would have to ask me for clarification before every pick after the top five or so, so I’d essentially be drafting against myself.

To determine the No. 1 pick, Eric threw a trivia question (by way of friend of the site, Dan Grant) my way: How many of the franchise’s top 10 offensive rebounders (by total) could I name? He initially suggested an over-under of 10.5 names, meaning I’d have to get 11 of the top 10 correct. Even as a Lead Writer card, that was a bit much. So we settled on 7.5 – I had to get eight out of 10 in 10 guesses.

I got eight. I incorrectly guessed Andrea Bargnani (somehow top 10 in games and minutes but not offensive rebounds, despite being 7 feet tall), and I’m now ready to conclude that Bargnani was not good. I also incorrectly guessed Ed Davis as my final pick. The two names I missed were Morris Peterson (a longevity oversight) and Tracy McGrady (who I didn’t get until my 14th guess – he’s a wing and is 25th in minutes!). 

The full list is as follows:

Raptors Top Offensive Rebounders

Player	Offensive Rebounds	Blake Correct?
Chris Bosh	1369	Y
Jonas Valanciunas	1209	Y
Amir Johnson	1050	Y
Antonio Davis	957	Y
Vince Carter	740	Y
DeMar DeRozan	514	Y
Morris Peterson	503	Miss
Jerome Williams	466	Y
Kyle Lowry	438	Y
Tracy McGrady	413	Miss
Andrea Bargnani	401	Wrong
Ed Davis	397	Wrong
Kevin Willis	378	N/A
Serge Ibaka	367	N/A
Charles Oakley	355	N/A

So I have the first pick. We’ll follow a snake format from there. Let’s get it.

Pick No. 1 (Murphy): Kawhi Leonard
Murphy: If we were playing out an entire season here, Leonard may not be the pick. Vince Carter’s best regular seasons were a shade better by advanced metrics like PIPM or Win Shares, as are some of Lowry’s. It kills me not to take Lowry, and not to have Lowry on my team in general. I think everyone knows how I feel about his brand of basketball and how he drives team success, even in the playoffs (for you dinguses who still need to hear that). 

But we’re talking peaks here, and we’re playing this exercise out in a playoff series. Nobody touches Leonard in that regard, whether by metric (his 4.9 win shares are almost double the next best Raptors postseason), accolade (NBA Finals MVP), reputation (best player in the NBA status for a moment there) or all-around playoff utility. There’s no better option to guard Carter and there’s nobody to guard him. His demeanour sets a tone of quiet confidence. He has control of the magnets at Scotiabank Arena.

This is a peak exercise. Nobody’s had a higher one. I’m sorry, Kyle.

Pick Nos. 2 & 3 (Koreen): Vince Carter, Kyle Lowry
Koreen: For the record, I picked Carter second and Lowry third. Carter might be pouty in an unproductive way if I picked him behind Lowry, and Lowry would definitely be pouty in a productive way if I relegated him to third. Playing mind games with my players already.

These were no brainers for me. The No. 1 thing you need in a playoff series is a player who can get his own shot whenever he wants it, and even against Leonard, I think Carter is that guy if given his prime athleticism. His run in the 2001 playoffs had some bumps, but was still special: 27.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game on 43.6/41/78.4 shooting. His efficiency would be higher if that year came in an age when 3-pointers were encouraged. I’m assuming since this hypothetical series is taking place during the current pandemic, there will be no game day graduations to attend.

Lowry would be the perfect point guard to play next to Carter, and we’ve spilled enough words on him in the past that how much he drives winning should be obvious. 

Pick Nos. 4 & 5 (Murphy): Chris Bosh, DeMar DeRozan
Murphy: DeRozan had a better Raptors career but Bosh gets the nod here first because he’s more central to how we’ll need to build this roster out. Employing DeRozan for a playoff series brings with it some challenges and Bosh helps address those — he’s a big who can space the floor a bit, work as a pick-and-roll partner and pass fairly well, and he’s versatile enough defensively that between him and Leonard, there should be ways to protect DeRozan defensively. Bosh was also just really good, and that happened well before he went to Miami. Hopefully, we can modernize things here well enough to utilize Bosh even better.

There’s not much way around DeRozan at five. There’s a pretty big drop-off after the franchise’s top five, depending on your appetite for one-year wonders or players who might have a bit of a recency boost. The fit is imperfect, but DeRozan’s late-tenure improvements as a playmaker help. The hope here is that we can also land P.J. Tucker later so that DeRozan tries on defence.

Pick Nos. 6 & 7 (Koreen): Marc Gasol and Nick Nurse
Koreen: OK, OK — this might be crazy. Hear me out.

This is where I really started to think about format and positional drop-off. And over the course of seven games, we just saw last year how Gasol and Nurse can make massive differences. At his peak, even if we are including just his time with the Raptors, Gasol is probably the second-best defensive player the Raptors have ever had from an overall-impact standpoint. Gasol would be as effective as checking Bosh as anyone else available, and his intelligence makes it nearly impossible for teams to play him off the court because of his lack of speed.

Besides, if I’ve got Nurse, which coach in Raptors history is really going to try to force my team’s hand and really manipulate the matchups? With apologies to the others, I think the gap between Nurse and the next-best playoff coach in Raptors history is huge. With Nurse versus the rest of the coaches, my team automatically wins Game 1, meaning I’ve only got to split the final six. How valuable is a coach? That is open for debate. I’m saying he’s as important as a back-end starter, even considering the shortened rotations of the playoffs. I feel a bit queasy leaving the guy who would have been my fourth pick on the board for you, but this was a huge opportunity waiting to be taken.

Pick Nos. 8 & 9 (Murphy): Pascal Siakam, Doug Christie
Murphy: I’m torn between being upset with the Nurse pick and being thankful. I think this is probably a bit too high, even though I agree that Nurse is an order of magnitude better than any other options. Not to get all “who would you rather, Giannis Antetokounmpo or Brad Stevens?” but that’s going to be a big edge for you. Do I get Nurse as an assistant if I take Dwane Casey? I have until the final pick of the draft to think on this now.

Siakam feels like an easy pick. Where he was when the season hit hiatus was flirting with breaking into the top five in terms of individual Raptors peaks. Gasol was probably the right pick for the reasons you explained, but Siakam rounds out a 2-through-5. Bosh will start at centre. That will have a notable talent edge, a ton of offensive firepower, and a lot of switchability on defence. I’d be more comfortable with Nurse coaching the group dynamically, but here we are.

Christie is a move away from the talent-over-everything approach. This is about fit and matchup. I’m actually going to start him at point guard and throw him on Lowry, as he’s perhaps the best individual perimeter defender in franchise history and an absolute hound creating turnovers. DeRozan should be sufficiently covered with this starting five. Christie isn’t a natural lead guard, but the group has three wings capable of initiating and Christie had seasons of 41.4, 38.4, and 36 percent from 3 as a Raptor to help with spacing.

Pick Nos. 10 & 11 (Koreen): Tracy McGrady and P.J. Tucker
Koreen: For Nurse, it wasn’t him versus my first choice. It was Nurse versus Siakam, who would have been my next pick, as option 2.5. It was tough, but I’m happy with my choice, even if it leaves me a bit short on creation at the moment.

I don’t get prime T-Mac, but I get a player who, as I’ve written about, was underutilized in Toronto and who would undoubtedly be put in a better situation to succeed by Nurse. He had a shaky postseason debut for the Raptors, but memory says he was a lot more impactful than his numbers indicate. We’re looking at a player who hovered around a 20 PER and produced about 6.5 win shares per 82 games in his last two seasons. That makes him a slightly poor man’s Siakam from last year.

I’m adding Tucker as the key to unlocking versatile lineups. If Gasol doesn’t fit in the series, Tucker can play the 5 in a pinch, as we’ve seen in Houston. He is a very reliable 3-point shooter if you stick him in the corner in spread pick-and-roll. And he is probably the best available defender on both Leonard and Bosh. McGrady isn’t quite as switchy as Siakam, but I’ve got a very malleable defence with my starting five, and I’ll add further flexibility as the draft goes on. 

Pick Nos. 12 & 13 (Murphy): Jonas Valanciunas, Anthony Parker
Murphy: To pull back the curtain a bit, Eric just messaged me that he’s stepping away for an hour or so between picks, to which I responded, “I’d need a break if my team were this bad, too.” Got his ass. (Even if I don’t actually feel that way.)

We’re at a tough point in the draft for me, not only because the “obvious” picks aren’t as obvious now or they introduce fit and stylistic issues, but also because Eric gets to craft a “Lowry and bench” unit while I don’t. The curse of the No. 1 pick and best player and winning the exercise, I guess.

Valanciunas is pretty straight-forward here. Bosh is going to start at centre, but Valanciunas has a lot of use as a backup who can absorb some usage, and who, by the end of his Raptors tenure, had become a solid rim-protector. He’s also the best rebounder in franchise history, which is a nice specialty to grab here on a team that should get plenty of stops.

Parker was a tougher choice, primarily because I’m continuing to punt on a true point guard. The franchise is rich with backup-quality point guards, though, and so it doesn’t feel like I’m risking too much here. It’s not like Eric is going to take two in a row and have three point guards just to keep my guy Jose Calderon away from me. Parker, meanwhile, had a pair of elite role player seasons in Toronto as a versatile 3-and-D piece and a third serviceable one. He can guard two or three positions and hit 42.4 percent of his 3s as a Raptor, peaking at 44.1 percent. In a more modern offence, his 3.8 attempts per-36 minutes will go through the roof. He’ll have plenty more opportunities to fire from 18 Parkerville Court here.

I’ve left someone on the board here who I don’t feel great about still being around at 16.

Pick Nos. 14 & 15 (Koreen): Antonio Davis, Danny Green
Koreen: There are a few directions I could have gone in for my backup big, but I decided to go for the one with the best overall Raptors career: Davis. I might be leaving something on the table in terms of rim protection by going with Davis, but his best Raptors seasons are untouched by his competitors from an offensive standpoint (except for one, strange exception) and he was as reliable and stout as they come. Remember: He was the Raptors’ go-to guy in a playoff series, and he nearly led them to an upset over a second seed. He won’t have to do as much on this team, but he can hang with Valanciunas and deny Bosh post position. In terms of his place in franchise history, I think Davis is the best value pick so far, although that’s not the activity we’re engaging in — not exactly.

I was tempted to go with a point guard with my next pick, but there are three guys I like there. Although I have a preference, it’s not overwhelming, so I don’t mind letting you have the choice, if that’s your pick. Green gives me more defensive versatility, plus one of the greatest 3-point shooting seasons in Raptors history.

Pick Nos. 16 & 17 (Murphy): Donyell Marshall, Jose Calderon
Murphy: Danny Green, eh? I knew you had to do it one time.

Choosing a fourth big is probably the deepest pool to pull from, save for maybe when we get down to third point guards. I know with Davis you probably considered a few names, and thankfully you opted against Marshall. Marshall ranks very high on a list of before-their-time Raptors, and like with Parker, his ability to hit 3s takes on greater value under modern rules. (Ironically, my roster profiles as one that could really use Nurse.) Marshall not only hit 12 threes in one game, he also shot 41 percent on five attempts per-game as a Raptor, was a solid offensive rebounder and can play some small-ball five if we get to that point in a series.

While I was tempted to see just how long you’d punt this down the line, I finally had to pull the trigger on a point guard here. I had a really tough time deciding. On the one hand, Damon Stoudamire was immensely important to the franchise and his first two seasons were really good, if a bit inefficient on the scoring side. Calderon, on the other hand, has a stronger overall career and a better single-season peak by advanced metrics - his 2007-08 was a monster 10.2-win, +2.21 PIPM, 50/40/90 season. Mike James has a case, too, but there’s no riot to loot in here as a lead scorer.

I went with my heart and chose Calderon, which almost certainly means Christie will lose his starting role soon. 

Pick Nos. 18 & 19 (Koreen): Serge Ibaka, Norman Powell
Koreen: I definitely considered Marshall with the Davis pick, but something about choosing a Raptor with no playoff experience felt weird. Marshall might have more experience as a role player, especially when his utility in a modern game is considered, but Davis never had a tough time fitting in. He’s probably only a centre now given his lack of range, but that’s fine.

I’m especially fine with it because Serge Ibaka was still available. How do you quantify being a beloved teammate, Blake? Do you have a spreadsheet on that? How is your team going to come together when Calderon steals another guy’s spot. I’ll tell you how: Christie is going to wear a headband in protest of his coach, just like he did in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first-round series against the Knicks in 2000. Meanwhile, Serge will keep things totally copacetic in my locker room, and can step in if the situation calls for a little more traditional rim protection.

I’m taking Powell, another player whose Raptors peak was probably this season. Again, I think I can wait on a backup point guard, and I took Powell over a fairly similar player, right down to playoff resumé, in order to swing one of the three middle games of this series in dramatic fashion. 

Pick Nos. 20 & 21 (Murphy): Damon Stoudamire, OG Anunoby

Murphy: Ah, the old “why not make the entire team out of the championship team” approach. Ibaka was a tough exclusion for Marshall, I just preferred the role utility/specialization since I already have Bosh and Valanciunas. And I’m not sure I’d ever go to Ibaka over one of those two or a smaller multi-wing look. I don’t know, it’s the fourth big. Ibaka probably should have gone earlier. It’s getting tough to split these hairs at this point.

The first pick here is straightforward: I know there are other good PGs to choose from, but with no “natural” starter, the value on Stoudamire is too much to pass up.

My gut here is that the player you picked Powell over is Morris Peterson. I’m going to test your appetite for redundancy and see if I can get him at 24. Instead, I’m going with Anunoby here. Landing an All-Defence candidate as my 11th man up against Carter and McGrady - and who can slide bigger if the series dictates - feels like the right fit. And I have more than enough offence and shot-creation for Anunoby to comfortably play a low-usage role. Role specialization is apparently a big factor for me.

Pick Nos. 22 & 23 (Koreen): Fred VanVleet, Lou Williams
Koreen: I will take Finals MVP vote recipient Fred VanVleet, thank you. I could have gone with either James or T.J. Ford here, and I could have chosen Stoudamire or Calderon earlier. Frankly, I was kind of hoping VanVleet would fall to me. He does not have a single season as good as any of those players, save for maybe Ford, but Nurse trusts him implicitly, and he does not have trouble holding his own against bigger players defensively. I’m elated to have him.

Lou Williams’ playoff history is … spotty. I thought about straight-up specializing here, but it’s a bit too early for that. Williams can come in for a six-minute run that ends a dry spell, if necessary.

Pick Nos. 24 & 25 (Murphy): Morris Peterson, Amir Johnson
Murphy: Please, I am begging you to play Williams in this series with how many one-on-one scoring threats I have. Thank you.

Waiting on Peterson worked out here. His best seasons are nothing incredible, but it continues to build the roster out with multi-position players who can shoot and comfortably man lower-usage roles around my fulcrums. Peterson also has some solid playoff experience - he shot 38.7 percent over 33 career playoff games, and while a shaky 2002 hurts his Raptors numbers, he was 10-of-21 across 2001 and 2007, with massive games in clutch spots against Philadelphia, Detroit and New Jersey.

The way our rosters are stacking up probably doesn’t necessitate a third centre, but since we’re going 15-deep, why not? Johnson is an analytic darling who can man either big spot and do all of the little things that help drive team success. It’s not quite the specialization I leaned on early, but a guy with four five-plus win seasons and one of the best PIPM seasons ever for a Raptor is a heck of a floor pick.

Pick Nos. 26 & 27 (Koreen): Mike James, Matt Thomas
Koreen: I am irrationally upset that you took Amir, even though he would have essentially been my fifth big.

As was the case when you took Stoudamire as a third point guard, James is my value pick. In his lone Raptors season, he produced the 22nd-best season by win shares in franchise history. (The highest available player beyond James on that list produced the 45th-best season.) Now, he did that as the lead guard on a team bereft of perimeter talent, but he was legitimately good that year, no matter how much you remember him as a chucker.

Also, my end-of-half lineup when I need just a bucket of Carter, Lowry, Gasol, VanVleet and Thomas is awesome. Leave Mr. 99 percent to collapse on Vince. I dare you!

Pick Nos. 28 & 29 (Murphy): Alvin Williams, Peja Stojakovic
Murphy: I can really go anywhere with these two picks, which are effectively my 14th and 15th men or inactive spots most nights. I’ve got five bigs, two natural point guards, extra wings and shooting. That kind of makes these picks tougher, even though they’re the lowest-leverage ones.

I’m going with Williams in the first slot for several reasons: I wouldn’t mind a third point guard to be safe; he has three of the top 10 remaining Raptors seasons by win shares and the best Raptor career of anyone still left on the board; he has the experience of a strong 2001 playoff run, and he’s a heck of a locker room guy.

My final pick is purely me being cheeky in response to your Thomas selection. I see your “46.7 percent 3-point shooter as a Raptor” and raise you “66.7 percent.” GameOps will be playing “hit the pager like I play with Stojakovic” as the drop for his 3s by the way.

Pick Nos. 30 & 31 (Koreen): Bismack Biyombo, Bruno Caboclo
Koreen: Peja. Pfffft. That’s a step away from picking Alonzo Mourning.

I’m picking Bruno with the hope that you’re so shook by seeing him on the other side, even if he’s in a suit, that your nervousness/discomfort/confusion sends negative vibes down your through organization. Plus, the buzz in Scotiabank when my team is up by 16 with three minutes to play and people start whispering, “Is Bruno active?” There is an intrinsic value to that. Count the (D-League) ringz.

Biyombo is a beloved teammate wherever he goes and had one of the best one-and-done seasons in Raptors history, which was capped by a super-memorable playoffs. Plus, he and Ibaka are going to go fit for fit on the red carpet.

Pick Nos. 32 (Murphy): Dwane Casey
Murphy: I gave some consideration to other options here. After Nurse, it’s a pick-your-poison situation. Sam Mitchell won a Coach of the Year and employed a pre-modern offence as far back as 2004. Lenny Wilkens was very decorated, just a little checked out by the end of his time in Toronto. I don’t know enough specifics about Brendan Malone, Darrell Walker or Butch Carter.

It’s not that complicated, though. Casey was a much better regular season and macro-picture coach than he was a playoff coach or game manager, and that’s a concern here. He is also without much question the second-best Raptors coach ever. It’s a disadvantage in relative terms but something close to a no-brainer regardless.

And yeah, I had Bruno in the Peja spot originally. Bebe, too. I opted for the slight possibility we get Thomas and Stojakovic warming up at the same time and Alex Wong breaks a disposable camera trying to get pics off too fast.

Supplemental Pick Nos. 1 & 2 (33 & 34 overall) (Murphy): Jordan Loyd, Chris Boucher
Murphy: Only I’m allowed to have two-way players on my roster because only I care about such things. You’ll finally regret not giving Random Guy In A Suit his due attention when he plays the Lowry role on the scout team and helps Christie hold Lowry to zero points in Game 1.

MURPHY: I’m pretty happy with how things turned out here. You definitely have more championship experience — I only have two players who played in the NBA Finals last year to six plus a coach for you. We’ll see how big a factor that really is. Not getting Nurse is especially annoying the way I ended up filling out my roster, but I think I come away with a talent edge and a more cohesively built group. I also have the best player in the series, which is a pretty helpful thing to have, we’ve learned. 

KOREEN: Not having Leonard put me on the defensive immediately following the “duh” portion of the draft. Based on talent and Raptors career, McGrady and Tucker were probably both picked too high. But you need defensive options on the perimeter, and those guys definitely could fit in. I must admit to being surprised you picked DeRozan with your third pick. Don’t get me wrong — he was clearly the most talented guy on the board, but his fit next to Kawhi is going to be awkward. Can’t wait until Casey pulls him in the fourth quarter and your team makes a valiant, if unsuccessful, comeback. I’m thrilled with my versatility, even while ceding the overall talent edge to you. I’ll be honest: Having Lou Williams and Mike James in likely non-playing roles is probably not ideal for team morale.

Let's hear the takes in the comments.

(Top photo: Mark Blinch / NBAE via Getty Images)