Change Is Good, Smart Changes Better

Change has been a big theme around this Toronto Raptors season.

T.J. Ford, Carlos Delfino and Juan Dixon left town. Jermaine O'Neal and his All-Star resume arrived to save the day.  Sam Mitchell was let go after a rough start.

Key players all took time off for injury, and seeing Roko Ucik leading the attack became uncomfortably normal.

But then another change came, right out of left field, and Jay Triano showed that he is definitely capable of thinking outside of the box: Anthony Parker at point guard. That sort of move is reminiscent of Mitchell's two point guard packages, that saw T.J. Ford and Calderon on the floor at the same time.

Even though Parker has not been scoring like he was in his first two seasons with Toronto, he is a dangerous shooter, and the kind of player who should be on the court of the time. With Jason Kapono and Andrea Bargnani vying for minutes as well, Parker has been lost in the shuffle at some points this year.

Triano's solution appears to have Parker run the point at least some of the time, keeping his best five players on the court as much as possible.

Creative changes like this one will be necessary for the Raptors to have a hope at making the post-season and if they continue, NBA betting enthusiasts can expect the Raptors to win more frequently down the stretch as they compete for a playoff spot.

The writer, Gavin Inkster, is a consultant on basketball betting