rst three NBA seasons. 1. Vince Carter (1998-2004) Ra

With the Toronto Raptors celebrating their 20th anniversary season in 2014-15, Josh Lewenberg and TSN.ca take a look back at the franchises first two decades with weekly Top Five lists, counting down the standout and signature players and moments in team history. Raptors Top Five: Best wing players 5. Anthony Parker (2006-09) Raptor stats (3 seasons): 11.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.1 steals, 46% FG, 42% 3P, 235 games played/226 started Right off the top, a notable omission from this list is former NBA scoring champ Tracy McGrady, who very nearly snagged this spot. Make no mistake, McGrady had one of the best pro careers of any player to have ever put on a Raptors uniform, but thats not the benchmark here. If it were, Hakeem Olajuwon would top next weeks list of top Raptors bigs and, spoiler, he wont. McGrady played his last game as a Raptor before his 20th birthday and didnt make a significant impact until his third and final season with the club, helping lead them to their first-ever playoff berth while looking an awful lot like the superstar he would soon become in Orlando. Good, but not enough to top Parker, who was a consistent - and some would say undervalued - contributor for three full seasons early in his 30s. The versatile, guard-forward was one of Bryan Colangelos first and better finds, plucking him out of the Israeli league just in time to play an integral role for the 2006-07 division-winning club. Parker was an iron man during his tenure in Toronto, missing just 11 games in three years while logging over 32 minutes per contest in each season, shooting an efficient 42 per cent from three-point range and often defending the oppositions best perimeter player. Quietly dependable and always a consummate professional, Parker gets the nod here. Did you know?: Two of Parkers three years in Toronto (2006-07, 2007-08) rank among the franchises six best single-season effective field goal percentages, thanks in large part to his efficient three-point shooting. Jose Calderon and Amir Johnson account for the other four. 4. Doug Christie (1996-2000) Raptor stats (5 seasons): 14.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.1 steals, 41% FG, 36% 3P, 314 games played/299 started In the same mold as Parker, Christie was an underrated, do-it-all fixture for the first quarter of the franchises existence. Arriving in a trade midway through the Raptors inaugural season, Christie spent his prime in Toronto, where he helped bridge the gap between the Damon Stoudamire and Vince Carter eras. For a couple seasons, prior to Vinsanity, it looked like he may have been nothing more than a good player on a horrendously bad team, but his true value was felt when he shifted back to his natural role as a complimentary piece next to Carter on the Raptors first ever playoff team. Christie was a Swiss Army knife for them that season, playing and defending three positions and even starting playoff games at point guard. Not only was he the teams best perimeter defender, but he was also one the top stoppers in the league at his position. He started every game he played, logging at least 31 minutes a night in each of his four full seasons before he was sent to Sacramento for Corliss Williamson. Did you know?: Christie is the Raptors all-time leader in steals (664), steals per game (2.1) and steal percentage (3.2) 3. Morris Peterson (2000-07) Raptor stats (7 seasons): 12.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, 42% FG, 37% 3P, 542 games played/364 started In 2000, the Raptors transitioned from the traded Christie to Peterson, their first-round draft pick that summer. Coming off a national championship at Michigan State, Peterson was entrusted right away and played an immediate role on one of the best teams in club history, a team that was one shot away from the conference finals. With Carter hurt the following season, Peterson - along with Alvin Williams and Antonio Davis - shouldered the load on a team that fought their way into the playoffs and nearly knocked off the favoured Pistons. It didnt take long for him to find his niche in the NBA, as one of the leagues more reliable three-and-D players, he would spot up in the corner at one end and work his tail off on the other. His circus shots, work ethic and dependability made him an instant fan favourite, but his importance to the franchise is in his longevity. Peterson is the only Raptor to have played for the organizations two most iconic teams (prior to last seasons renaissance, that is) - a member of the playoff series-winning club in 2000-01 and the 2006-07 division champs. Did you know?: Peterson owns the franchises iron man streak, appearing in 371 consecutive games. He played all 82 games in four straight seasons. 2. DeMar DeRozan (2009-present) Raptor stats (5 seasons): 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.9 steals, 45% FG, 27% 3P, 383 games played/371 started Theres been a lot written about DeRozan in this space - what hes been able to accomplish, coming into the NBA with little more than raw athleticism and playing for a series of bad teams - all of it a credit to his exceptional work ethic. A true self-made all-star, who at the age of 25-years-old, is still adding to his game and getting better. So, Ill leave it at this...When the Raptors took their training camp to Vancouver this fall, a fair-weather reporter asked DeRozan if he feels hes following in Vince Carters footsteps. If he cared to put as little effort into the answer as the reporter did in the question he could have easily shrugged it off, said Yeah, sure and moved on. His response: I hope to leave a legacy of my own. Obviously, Vince started off here and put the city on the map. My goal is to continue and have my own legacy as DeMar DeRozan and not follow what Vince Carter did. Well said. Did you know?: DeRozan set a career-high with 313 assists last season, 99 more than the year prior, his previous career-best. He recorded five or more assists in 27 games after doing so 12 times in 2012-13 and five times total in his first three NBA seasons. 1. Vince Carter (1998-2004) Raptor stats (7 seasons): 23.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks, 45% FG, 38% 3P, 403 games played/401 started Carter remains the most controversial figure in franchise history. Hes also its best player - bitterness aside, its hard to debate that. His legacy is somewhat tarnished by his ugly break-up with the team, his admissions of dogging it and the less-than a kings ransom they got back in return. Only recently, as his (possible) Hall-of-Fame career comes to a close, has the city started to forgive. That said, he meant everything to a young franchise that was still without an identity when he was drafted ahead of the lockout shortened 1998-99 campaign. You cant take that away from him. Its become something of a cliche (see DeRozans quote above), but yes, he put Toronto on the basketball map in a way that the team is only recently beginning to replicate. He was marketable, he was dynamic and captivating, he was must-see television. On a nightly basis, he would do something jaw dropping and, evident in the stat youll see below, that translated to immediate team success. Did you know?: Carters name is all over the Raptors record book, but perhaps most impressively, Carter is responsible for the teams two highest single-season win share totals (an estimate of the number of wins contributed by a player); 2000-01 (12.9) and 1999-00 (11.8), the franchises first two playoff appearances. He finished sixth and seventh in the NBA, respectively, in that category during those seasons. The only players ahead of him both years: Shaquille ONeal, Karl Malone, Tim Duncan. Honourable mentions: Tracy McGrady (1997-2000), Jalen Rose (2003-06), Tracy Murray (1995-96, 2001-02), Walt Williams (1996-98), Dell Curry (1999-2002) Expert picks: Jack Armstrong 1. Vince Carter 2. DeMar DeRozan 3. Morris Peterson 4. Doug Christie 5. Anthony Parker Leo Rautins 1. Vince Carter 2. Doug Christie 3. DeMar DeRozan 4. Morris Peterson 5. 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Argos general manager Jim Barker uttered those words during an interview with TSN 1050 radio just prior to the CFLs annual free agent frenzy.Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Los Angeles Kings have waived former All-Star center Mike Richards, according to multiple reports Monday. Richards will be on waivers until noon on Tuesday. If he is not claimed by another team, he will be assigned to the Kings AHL affiliate in Manchester. Richards, who turns 30 in February, has seen his production decline in recent seasons with just five goals and 15 points in 47 games for Los Angeles this season. He was an All-Star in two consecutive seasons from 2009-10 with the Philadelphia Flyers and had a career-high 80 pooints in the 2008-09 season.dddddddddddd The Kings acquired Richards from the Flyers before the 2011-12 season for forwards Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn as well as a second-round draft pick. He is owed $23 million over the final four years of his contract and counts for $5.75 million against the salary cap, the apparent reason he was waived. In his 10-ye