Raptors re-sign Amir Johnson

The Raptors made an expected, yet important move today in locking up promising 23 year old big man Amir Johnson for $34 million over 5 years.

The same the age as some of the rookies coming into the league, armed with 5 years in the NBA under his belt and the opportunity for playing time presenting itself; this may be the season we see this former McDonald’s All-American break out and start to consistently produce.

As Bryan Colangelo said on the FAN590, Amir Johnson has become a key piece to re-sign with Bosh on his way to Miami.

Amir Johnson forms an exciting young core with Ed Davis, DeMar DeRozan and Sonny Weems. All four are young athletic forwards with the skills to be a factor on the defensive end.

Here are ESPN Insiders comments on Amir Johnson prior to July 1st:

The clearance rack

When you need a big man who can clear the paint and man the fort

Amir Johnson
He’s 23 years old and had a better player efficiency rating than All-Star Chris Kaman this past season. He had the best pick-and-roll numbers of any NBA player not named Dwight Howard. He was one of four players to average a steal and 1.5 blocks per 36 minutes. He’s a former McDonald’s All-American and cleaned up the glass better than Andrew Bynum and Kevin Garnett. And yet, despite the accolades, most people have never heard of him.

At 6-foot-9, Johnson played backup to Chris Bosh in Toronto and did the dirty work for the 40-win squad this past season. Offensively, he’s a putback machine and understands his low ceiling as a scorer. He’s the team-first warrior whom every playoff team needs. Stick him in a Glen Davis-type role for a contending team, and everyone will know his name.

It was only a matter of time before Bryan Colangelo signed his top free agent target in Amir Johnson. With Chris Bosh leaving Amir Johnson is expected to play a key role as a starter or reserve next year depending on what happens with the rest of the Toronto Raptors roster which is still in a state of flux at the moment.

With the roster as it currently stands we would hope that Amir Johnson and Ed Davis open the season as starters, though it is likely Bargnani will be Amir’s front-court mate to open the campaign.

Amir Johnson is a double-double waiting to happen and if he can cut down on his penchant for fouls can become a force on the offensive end despite his current limitations.

Amir Johnson has admittedly been working on his jump-shot as he is wisely expecting a bigger offensive role on the Raptors this season.

Amir’s hustle and energy are two key characteristics that make this ‘Young Gunz’ member a Raptor fan favourite.

Congratulations Amir, we are thrilled that you will be giving us your blood, sweat and tears for the next five years.

Authors note: For those of you complaining about his deal, we will all be applauding BC in two years for locking up Amir ‘on the cheap’.

What do you think Raptor fans? Contract notwithstanding are you happy to see Amir return to a possible key role on the Raptors?  We want to hear your thoughts! Leave a comment below or send us an email at raptorcity@raptorsdigest.com