Ranking Every Raptor : Journeymen’s Tales — #180 - 151

It’s time for part two! If you missed it, we’re ranking every player to have played for the Raptors. That’s 218 players, so excuse me for the abbreviated preamble. Check out part one if you haven’t read it yet or just want to hear about Corie Blount’s insane drug charge one more time. Now, on to players who were all better than Anthony Bennett.

218 - 181 |

180. Jamaal Magloire, C (2011-2012); 34 GP / 1.2 points / 3.3 rebounds / 1 post-career coaching gig locked up

Had we been taking post-playing careers into account, Magloire would probably be ranked a little higher based on his years as Toronto’s Assistant Coach in Charge of Fight Management. He’s gonna throw an actual punch one day. I bet it’ll be at a Lopez brother.

179. Aaron Williams, C (2004-2005); 37 GP / 7.1 minutes / 1.6 points / 1.2 rebounds / Better than Alonzo Mourning

Aaron Williams is the reason I snicker whenever I hear someone suggest star players don’t fetch the same returns they used to back in the day. I’d retroactively sacrifice a nut to get Buddy Hield and a pick for Vince Carter.

178. Alfonzo McKinnie, SF (2017-2018); 14 GP / 3.8 minutes / 1.5 points / 0.5 rebounds

If there was a drawback to OG Anunoby’s early arrival and the bench unit shredding opponents on the nightly during the 2017-18 season, it’s that we were robbed of Alfonzo McKinnie throwing down some grade-A yams.

177. Nate Huffman, C (2002), 7 GP / 10.9 minutes / 3.3 points / 3.3 rebounds / 0 other NBA games played

Back before he had his identity stolen by Jack Black in School of Rock, Nate Huffman enjoyed a seven-game NBA career spent entirely with the Raptors. At age 27, after three wildly successful years with Maccabi Tel Aviv, Huffman signed a three-year / $5.2 million deal with the Raptors, only to be cut halfway through his first year with the club. The Raptors accused Shelbyville Shawn Bradley of hiding a knee injury from them when he signed. He responded by suing their asses and winning a $2.5 million settlement. It’s all so very early Raptors.

Sadly, Huffman died in October 2015 due to complications from bladder cancer. He was just 40.

176. Trey Johnson, SG (2011); 7 GP /11.6 minutes / 4.0 points / 1.6 assists / 1.0 rebounds

Between the years 2002 and 2015, Johnson played for 19 teams between college, the pros and the international stage: Northeast Mississippi, Alcorn State, Jackson State, Hemofarm, Bakersfield Jam, Cleveland Cavaliers, Basket Club Maritime Gravelines-Dunkerque, Bakersfield Jam again, Pallacanestro Biella, Bakersfield Jam again, the Qatari national team, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, Bakersfield Jam again, Pallacanestro Biella again, Marinos de Anzoátegui, Maccabi Rishon LeZion and Hitachi SunRockers.

His one game with the Lakers was used as the climax of a 2012 short doc by director Jeff Camarra about Johnson’s road to the NBA. I can’t find the film available anywhere. Please DM me if you have it.

175. Lloyd Daniels, SG (1998); 5 GP / 13.7 minutes / 5.7 points / 1.2 rebounds / 0.7 assists

In a pure gunner showing that would make Mike James proud, Daniels scored 21 of his 34 career points with the Raptors in his debut with the club — a 102-93 win over Cleveland on January 10, 1998 that lifted the Raptors’ record to a sterling 5-30. Daniels added just two rebounds and a steal in the game, while going 6-of-10 from the field and 8-of-10 from the line. Toronto went 3-3 in games Daniels played that year — 13-63 in the games he did not.

174. Robert Archibald, C (2003-2004); 30 GP / 3 starts / 1.0 points / 1.7 rebounds / 0.1 blocks

Scotsman Robert Archibald was the third-string goalkeeper for Scottish football club Cowdenbeath FC, who was sent to the NBA as a publicity stunt after The Miners were relegated to from the second to the third division at the end of the 2002-03 season.

173. Jermaine Jackson, PG/SG (2002-2003); 24 GP / 1 start / 11.9 minutes /

Jermaine Jackson’s pro career makes Trey Johnson’s look stable.

This section of players is by far the most uninteresting group of ex-Raptors when it comes to what they did with Toronto. Not long-serving or good enough to have any signature moments in the uniform, yet not miserable enough to be worthy of notable scorn. That said, these guys are unmatched when it comes to commitment to The Grind.

172. Derrick Dial, SG (2002); 7 GP / 4.0 points / 1.6 rebounds / 0.6 assists

171. Damone Brown, SF (2003); 5 GP / 3 starts / 5.6 points / 3.0 rebounds / 1.6 PER

Boy, this franchise sure has employed a lot of guys who just sorta happened, huh. Both Dial and Brown, like Jackson and Johnson, played for a lot of teams that undoubtedly played home games in YMCAs.

170. Donald Whiteside, PG (1996-1997); 27 GP / 1 start / 2.2 points / 1.3 assists / 0.4 steals

Whiteside’s time with the club is a bit lost on me but I’m willing to bet he’s the least loathsome Whiteside in NBA history.

169. Kornel David, SF (2000-20001); 17 GP / 2.5 points / 1.9 rebounds / 1 double-digit scoring game

David is the only Hungarian-born player in NBA history. This was not the most successful foray into international waters the Raptors have made.

168. Anthony Carter, PG (2011-2012); 24 GP / 2.0 points / 1.4 assists / 1.4 rebounds

Anthony Carter was the most aggressively 2000s third-string point guard to play for a franchise that also employed Darrick Martin and John Lucas III, which is a greater honour than I could ever bestow upon him with a higher ranking.

167. Primoz Brezec, C (2007-2008); 13 GP / 8.5 minutes / 3.7 points / 1.4 points

166. Patrick O’Bryant, C (2008-2010); 24 GP / 8.3 minutes / 3.3 points / 1.8 rebounds

165. Eric Montross, C (2000-2002); 61 GP / 25 starts / 2.1 points / 2.8 rebounds / 39.6 FG%

If Anthony Carter is the definitive of the journeyman point guard of the aughts, then Brezec, O’Bryant and Montross epitomize shitty backup Raptors centres from the same time period.

164. Dwight Buycks, PG (2013-2014); 14 GP / 10.4 minutes / 3.1 points / 1.6 rebounds

Former HQ-er Sasha Kalra brought us inside Serge Ibaka’s home to learn about where he gets that good fumbwa this year. I don’t think it’s off base to suggest Sasha’s feature provided the inspirational spark that got Serge’s off-season cooking show off the ground.

Never forget Sasha’s rise to stardom started right here.

163. Malcolm Miller, SF (2017-2018); 15 GP / 4 starts / 2.5 points / 1.0 rebounds / 38.1 3FG%

Miller, like McKinnie, was a victim of the Raptors being too damned deep this past season. An injury cut into his training camp; by the time he got up to speed, the bench unit had a +20-something NET Rating. Still, Miller was an important cog in the 905’s plans as a two-way guy, and was one of the reasons Jerry Stackhouse’s squad made its second-straight G-League Finals. Here’s hoping he rips it up with the Formosa Dreamers in the ASEAN Basketball League next year.

162. David Andersen, PF (2010); 11 GP / 5.1 points / 3.1 rebounds / Wasn’t Chris Bosh

Despite bearing the unenviable burden of playing power forward during the first 11 games of the post-Chris Bosh era, Andersen proved to be the greatest Aussie in Toronto Raptors history. Nathan Jawai’s standard did not offer much resistance.

161. Jason Thompson, PF/C (2016); 19 GP / 4.6 points / 4.2 rebounds / 55 playoff minutes

Jason Thompson’s significance for the Raptors franchise was more symbolic than it was tangibly productive. This was a guy who willingly and eagerly joined the team during the buyout window, branding the Raptors as one of those “contenders” that Woj says everyone who gets bought out aims to sign with. Thompson was no great shakes, and today’s Raptors are able to sign dudes like Greg Monroe to be vet minimum luxuries, but Thompson picking the Raptors really felt like a step towards legitimacy at the time, as pathetic as that sounds.

160. Alexis Ajinca, C (2010-2011); 24 GP / 11.0 minutes / 4.8 points / 2.5 rebounds / 0.7 blocks

Remember the time the Raptors hosted the Pelicans with Anthony Davis out of the lineup and Ajinca scored 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting with six boards and three assists, and Dwane Casey had Greivis Vasquez guard a Tyreke Evans ISO on the final play of regulation on which Evans scored with ease for the win? That game blew ass.

159. Nando de Colo, PG/SG (2013-2014); 21 GP / 3.1 points / 1.3 rebounds / 1.6 assists

It is so incredibly cool that Nando de Colo flipped the bird at a career as an NBA back-up, and instead opted to be a basketball God in Europe. Since departing the Raptors after the 2013-14 season, de Colo has compiled three All-EuroLeague first-team honours along with one second-team, a EuroLeague MVP award, a scoring title, a EuroLeague title and a Final Four MVP. As opposed to putting up piddly numbers to be forgotten like he did with Toronto, he is probably going to make the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Per noted smart boy Blake Murphy, de Colo remains an RFA under the Raptors’ control if and when he decides to return to the NBA by virtue of a qualifying offer extended this past summer. Kyle Lowry only has a couple years left on his deal and may be embarking on a graceful decline. I’m not saying, I’m just saying.

158. Rasual Butler, SF (2011-2012); 34 GP / 14 starts / 3.2 points / 1.9 rebounds / 27.3 3FG%

A day 1-er of the Dwane Casey era, Rasual Butler seemed like a delightful person to be around, as supported by the countless tributes from former teammates and coaches that streamed in after Butler’s death in late January.

157. John Long, SG (1996-1997); 32 GP / 4.0 points / 1.3 rebounds / Was 40 goddamned years old

As you may remember, Isiah Thomas was a bad GM. Back in 1996, Thomas signed John Long, a wing who had once averaged 20+ points a game with the Pistons and had 13 years of NBA experience. Not a bad idea for a directionless team in its second year, right? Except at the time, Long was fresh off five full years away from the NBA, and was 40 freaking years old. From the LA Times report on the signing:

“I believe that experience was a missing ingredient on our team,” General Manager Isiah Thomas said. “John has the ability to help give our team the perspective it needs to successfully make it through the long NBA season.”

Apparently Thomas had dutifully scoured the market for wizened veterans who had played an NBA game in the 1990s and weren’t teammates of his in the mid-80s to come in and make half a million bucks to do next to nothing, but there was no such player available.

156. Michael Curry, SF (2003-2004); 70 GP / 15 starts / 17.6 minutes / 2.9 points / 1.2 rebounds / 0.8 assists

Curry is just another in a long line of players who did impossibly little with a startlingly large role with the Raptors. He’s the Montross of Toronto wings, if you will.

That reputation followed him to his head coaching career, where he oversaw the death of the extremely cool 2000s Pistons as the coach for Detroit’s 39-43, 2008-09 season, and later compiled a 39-84 record in four years as the head coach at Florida Atlantic. He does not have a gig right now.

155. Greg Foster, PF/C (2002-2003); 29 GP / 9 starts / 18.6 minutes / 4.2 points / 3.5 rebounds

154. Chris Jefferies, SF (2002-2003); 51 GP / 10 starts / 3.9 points / 1.1 rebounds

If nothing else, giving 19 combined starts to Greg Foster and Chris Jefferies helped boost the lottery odds for the 24-58, 2002-2003 Raptors. In a way, they’re the reason Toronto happened into Chris Bosh. Thank you, Greg and Chris.

153. Dominic McGuire, SG/SF/PF (2012-2013); 15 GP / 9 starts / 15.3 minutes / 2.1 points / 3.2 rebounds / 0.5 blocks

Dominic McGuire could have been something meaningful for the Raptors had he come along a year or two later. Wing defense has been a sore spot for Toronto for years (not anymore, of course, because ICYMI, Kawhi Leonard is a Raptor now). McGuire was a switchy defender that went unappreciated in his time. He could have, for example, guarded Tyreke Evans on that stupid last-second play against the Pelicans instead of Greivis Vasquez. Or helped lasso Paul Pierce’s old ass in the playoffs. Or locked down Gerald Henderson on those nights where he’d channel his inner MJ. Basically, McGuire could have been the antidote to everything that ailed the Raptors during the Casey era. Cut Malachi Richardson and lure McGuire away from the Uruguayan league to fill the 15th roster spot, I say.

152. Roger Mason, SG (2003-2004); 23 GP / 3 starts / 4.0 points / 1.2 rebounds / 1.0 assists / 35.6 FG%

In a game against the Bulls in April 2004, Mason fouled out in 9 minutes of action. That’s some Bebe shit.

151. Bruno Caboclo, Sweet Boy (2014-2018); 25 GP / 1.1 points / 0.6 rebounds / 26.2 FG% / 35 million hearts throbbed

You’d be hard-pressed to find an NBA player who left a more defined imprint on the fabric of a franchise in as few minutes of on-court action accrued as our dearest Bruno. It began with The Bruno Game — the 124-82 win over Milwaukee in November 2014, during which the ACC crowd (myself included) chanted and pleaded for Bruno to make his NBA debut. Coach Casey obliged in the fourth, sending Bruno in to reach what remains to this day his professional apex. In 12 minutes of extreme garbage time, Bruno scored 8 points (30 percent of his total as a Raptor), including a half-court lob finish to kick it all off.

Between that game, the milk mustache, the NBA TV Canada commercial that will be almost surely be playing until 2023, the D-League title-clinching, 31-point explosion, and that time Drake scared him, Bruno enriched our lives far more than he had any business doing. And after all we’ve been through, it’s a bit of a bummer that Rockets fans get to enjoy the next stage of his career and maturation. Daryl Morey’s a smart guy. Any time you can sign the NBA’s handsomest boy to a minimum deal, you have to do it.

Masai was right. He was always gonna be a good one.

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Come back on Wednesday for players 150 through 121! We might actually start coming across some good playe—lmfao.