Anthony Parker

What will life be like in Cleveland after the departure of LeBron? That remains to be seen. But one thing it'll probably involve is a little bit more of Anthony Parker on the basketball court. Last year, Parker played a role that's common in offenses built around one or two stars – that of the three-point specialist. And truth be told, Parker played the role well. Despite taking only 5.9 shot attempts per game, Parker managed 3.2 three-point attempts per game, converting them at a rate of 41.4 percent. Still, to understand what Parker's numbers might look like in 2010-11, we probably have to look at his three-year tenure with Toronto, starting in 2006-07. During that time, Parker still took about 3.0-3.5 three-point attempts per game, but also averaged 9.5-10 shots overall. This year should resemble those Toronto years more closely than last year's run with Cleveland.

Parker's 6-6 frame is something Cleveland really needs especially on the defensive end. Parker shoots the ball pretty well from long range and from the charity stripe. You can expect Parker to back up both Delonte West and LeBron James at the shooting guard and small forward spots, respectively.

Parker plays a role for the Raptors similar to the one held by Raja Bell in Phoenix – he simply spots up at the 3-point line and waits for either the distributing point guard or the scoring big man to kick the ball out to him for three (1.6 3pg). Because Parker’s shots are generally wide open, he’s able to shoot a good percentage (47.6% FG on 10.1 attempts) while scoring in the low double-figures (12.5 ppg). He also averaged a solid 4.1 boards and 1.0 steals, and shot 81.6 percent from the foul line. Parker should remain the starting shooting guard for the Raptors this season, though his attempts could go down with the arrival of Jermaine O’Neal.

Originally drafted in 1997, Parker spent three seasons trying to catch a break in the NBA before heading across the Atlantic and becoming a bona fide star in Europe. Now back in North America Parker proved to be, if not a star, then an exceptional complementary player, playing over 33 minutes a night with 12.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.1 APG and 1.0 SPG while shooting 47.7% from the field and 83.5% from the line. He quickly became a key defensive player for the Raptors as well, and his steady play at both ends of the court gave his flashier teammates like Bosh and Ford more room to maneuver. Parker will be 32 this season but should still have a few good years left in him as a wingman to the Raptors’ younger guns.

Parker was brought back from Euro powerhouse Maccabi Tel-Aviv to bring a strong, veteran defensive presence to the Raptors’ back court. He’ll be no better than the third option on offense, so don’t expect a big points total, but Parker could provide some fantasy value in threes and steals in deep leagues.

Acquired in the draft day trade from New Jersey, battling for the final guard spot on the roster.