Bryan Colangelo is looking more like Old Mother Hubbard these days.

It’s so easy to think of the NBA draft as the be-all-and-end-all of offseason transactions. Maybe it’s the fantasy of young potential. Maybe it’s the glitz and glam. But to get a clearer picture of the Toronto Raptors’ needs, let’s look at what they got in the cupboard first before we do some window shopping.

Listed below are players still under contract, by position.

Center
starter: Andrea Bargnani
backup: Chris Bosh, I s’pose, but not ideally.
depth: Patrick O’Bryant, Nate Jawai
needs: A vet backup who can show these young’uns the ropes and maybe add toughness.

Power forward
starter: Chris Bosh
backup: Kris Humphries
needs: Same as above. Can the Raps kill two birds with one stone and get a veteran 4/5? (Garbo would’ve been good. *sigh*) Or will a combo forward vet like Shawn Marion fill the need?

Small forward
starter: not Jason Kapono
backup: maybe Jason Kapono
depth: Jason Kapono, if he were cheaper
needs: Move Jason Kapono (and remind him his contract is EXPIRING). Oh, and add players. Good ones. Marion was a good fit, being a defending, rebounding, been-there-done-that vet, so he’s welcome back for the right price.

Shooting guard
starter: who?
backup: what?
depth: Quincy Douby
needs: See Small forward.

Point guard
starter: Jose Calderon
backup: Hey, I can put down the Croatian rose-tinted glasses and see that Roko Ukic is not the solution … yet.
depth: Marcus Banks, Roko Ukic
needs: A veteran who can spell Calderon 15 minutes a night and buy time for Ukic.

To sum up: The Raptors need

1. a starting shooting guard – Carlos Delfino?
2. a starting small forward – Shawn Marion?
3. a backup shooting guard – this year’s number-one draft pick?
4. a veteran backup point guard – Anthony Parker?
5. a tough veteran center or 5/4 – Rashoooo?

Boy, those are some key ingredients we’re missing at the mo’.

Looking the 2’s, the starter would be more a defender than scorer, no? There’s only one ball to go around on O, and a pair of Killer B’s to feed. The backup would have a sixth-man role, coming in for instant offense and being the oft-mentioned shot creator.

And we’re assuming Bosh will stay. If he goes? Huge changes in Raptorland. Either way, it will be an exciting summer.

Who do you think will fill the five Raptor needs? Comment below.