The 2004–05 NBA season was the Raptors' tenth season in the National Basketball Association.^[1] A new management team of head coach Sam Mitchell, and General Manager Rob Babcock was hired before the 2004–05 season by the Raptors.^[2] On December 17, 2004, disgruntled All-Star Vince Carter was traded to the New Jersey Nets for Eric Williams, Aaron Williams, and Alonzo Mourning.^[3] Mourning would never report to Toronto and he was waived not long after the trade. He later signed with the Miami Heat for his second stint. Guard Alvin Williams missed the entire season due to right knee inflammation. The Raptors finished fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 33–49 record, which was the same record as the previous season. Sophomore star Chris Bosh showed improvement averaging 16.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

This season marked the end of the Vince Carter era and began the Chris Bosh era in Toronto and the Raptors' first season without Carter on the roster since the 1997-98 season. Carter, now as a Net, returned to Toronto on April 15, 2005. He was booed by the Toronto crowd during starting lineups and whenever he touched the ball. This tradition continued until 2015, where he has since played for the Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, the Atlanta Hawks.

Offseason

In the NBA draft, the Raptors selected Rafael Araújo and Albert Miralles. Miralles was traded to the Miami Heat for Pape Sow and a 2005 2nd round draft pick on draft day.^[4] Araújo would only play three seasons in the NBA: two with the Raptors, and one with the Utah Jazz.^[5]

Over the offseason, the Raptors signed two free agents. On July 14, they signed Rafer Alston, and on August 18, they signed Loren Woods.

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	8	Rafael Araújo	Center	Brazil	BYU
2	39	Albert Miralles (Traded to Miami)	Power Forward	Spain	Roseto Basket (Italy)

^[6]

Roster

Toronto Raptors roster

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Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From PG 11 Alston, Rafer 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 171 lb (78 kg) 1976-07-24 Fresno State C 55 Araújo, Rafael 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 280 lb (127 kg) 1980-08-12 BYU C 16 Bonner, Matt 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1980-04-05 Florida PF 4 Bosh, Chris 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1984-03-24 Georgia Tech PG 1 Cook, Omar 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1982-01-28 St. John's PF 42 Marshall, Donyell 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1973-05-18 Connecticut SF 21 Murray, Lamond 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 236 lb (107 kg) 1973-04-20 California PG 10 Palacio, Milt 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1978-02-07 Colorado State SG 24 Peterson, Morris 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1977-08-26 Michigan State SF 5 Rose, Jalen 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1973-01-30 Michigan C 9 Sow, Pape 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1981-11-22 Cal State Fullerton C 34 Williams, Aaron 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1971-10-02 Xavier G 20 Williams, Alvin  6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1974-08-06 Villanova SG 17 Williams, Eric 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1972-07-17 Providence C 3 Woods, Loren 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1978-06-21 Arizona

Head coach Sam Mitchell Assistant coach(es) Alex English Jim Todd Jay Triano Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Last transaction: April 9, 2005

Roster Notes

• Guard Alvin Williams missed the entire season due to a knee injury.

Regular season

The Raptors started the season well, winning their first three games. On November 9, they lost against the Sacramento Kings, but they would win the next game against the Utah Jazz. the Raptors then suffered a five-game losing streak, which was snapped when they won against the San Antonio Spurs on November 21. They would lose against the Washington Wizards on November 23, and the next day, they would win against the New York Knicks. They would lose two straight games against the Knicks and the Wizards, and they would win their last game of the month of November against the Miami Heat. At the end of November, the Raptors had a 7–9 record.

December was the team's worst month of the season, winning 20% of their games. They started the month with a seven-game losing streak which ended on the 15th with a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. On the 17th, Vince Carter was traded to the New Jersey Nets for Alonzo Mourning, Aaron Williams, Eric Williams, a 2005 1st round draft pick, and a 2006 1st round draft pick. The same day, the Raptors played against the Indiana Pacers and lost. Aaron Williams, Eric Williams, and Mourning did not play the game due to a pending physical.^[7] Ironically, the next game (on December 19) was against the New Jersey Nets. However, Vince Carter did not play in this game. The Raptors beat the Nets 110-99. The next day, the Raptors lost to the Houston Rockets. On December 22, the Raptors beat the Utah Jazz. To end the month, the Raptors went on a 3-game losing streak against the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Golden State Warriors. At the end of the month, the Raptors had a 10-21 record, and during the month of December, they were 0-10 on the road.

January was the team's best month of the season, and they won eight of the 14 games they played during the month. They won two games in a row against the Orlando Magic and the Sacramento Kings to begin the month, and they lost on January 7 against the Milwaukee Bucks. They once again won two games in a row, beating the Golden State Warriors on the 9th, and the Boston Celtics on the 12th. In the game against the Celtics, Morris Peterson scored a team-season high of 37 points. They were defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers on the 14th. The Raptors then went on a three-game winning streak, which would be ended by a loss against the Wizards on the 21st. They won against the Charlotte Bobcats on the 23rd, and they would end the month with a three-game losing streak. At the end of the month, the Raptors had an 18-27 record.

In February, the team once again won more than 50% of their games played in the month. In every game played during February, either Chris Bosh or Jalen Rose was the team's leading scorer. The team started February by winning two consecutive games: the first against the Indiana Pacers, and the second against the Wizards. The Raptors then lost four games in a row against the Dallas Mavericks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Philadelphia 76ers. On February 11, the team waived Alonzo Mourning. He would sign with the Miami Heat on March 1, marking his second tenure with the Heat. The Raptors won on February 13 against the Los Angeles Clippers, which would be followed by a loss to the Chicago Bulls on the 16th. The team ended the month with a three-game winning streak, and their record at the end of the month was 24-32.

In March, the Raptors won a third of their games played during the month. They started the month with back-to-back losses against the San Antonio Spurs and the Memphis Grizzlies. They then won against the New Orleans Hornets on the 6th. The next day, the Raptors lost to the Dallas Mavericks, which was followed by a win against the Orlando Magic. On the 11th, they lost against the Atlanta Hawks. On the 13th, they won against the 76ers. They lost two consecutive games against the Celtics and the Detroit Pistons. On the 20th, the Raptors won against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Raptors then lost two straight games against the Chicago Bulls and the 76ers. They won against Atlanta on the 26th, and the Raptors ended the month with two losses against the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic. At the end of the month, the Raptors' record was 29-42.

In April, the Raptors had a mediocre month. Having a 4-7 record for games played in April, they were successful on the road, but they were unsuccessful at home. Their first game of the month was a win against the Charlotte Bobcats. They would then lose two games against the Pistons and the Grizzlies. On April 8, the Raptors won against the Hawks, which was also followed by two straight losses to the Bulls and the Pacers. On April 12, the Raptors won against the New York Knicks, which was again followed by two consecutive losses, which were to the Nets and the Celtics. In the April 15 home game against the Nets, Vince Carter returned to Toronto to face his former team. As the starting lineups were announced, Carter was booed by Raptors fans.^[9] On April 19, the Raptors won against the Milwaukee Bucks, and they lost the last game of the season against the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 20. At the end of the regular season, the Raptors had a 33-49 record, and they missed the playoffs.

Standings

Record vs. opponents