WATERLOO, Ontario -- Here are five observations of the Toronto Raptors from training camp:

	Jelani McCoy, top, will be one of many Raptors trying to fill the team's gaping hole at center.

1. With Keon Clark now helping the Kings battle the Lakers, Hakeem Olajuwon all but retired and Eric Montross out with a foot injury, the Raptors have some serious problems up front. Antonio Davis and Jerome Williams are still around but they're going to need some help. However, Toronto is in luxury tax range and won't be much of a player in free agency. The best big man in camp so far has been Jelani McCoy, acquired from the Lakers along with Lindsey Hunter in the trade that sent Tracy Murray and Kareem Rush to the Lakers. Davis has been encouraged by McCoy so far, but asking McCoy and Michael Bradley to pick up the slack for Davis' energy may be a reach.

2. The Raptors are very pleased with Lamond Murray, who was picked up from Cleveland just before camp for little-used Michael Stewart. Toronto has no choice but to be more of a perimeter squad this season and Murray can still fill it up. "The guy is patient, he's smart," coach Lenny Wilkens said. "He knows how to get you off your feet. He knows how to use his body, and so, I'm impressed."

3. Players acknowledge that the big expectations on the team last season may have weighed on them early on. Once they lost 17 of 18 after the All-Star break and appeared to fall out of the playoff picture, they relaxed and started playing free and easy. They hope they can fly under the radar this season like they did two years ago, when they reached Game 7 of the Eastern semis before losing in the final seconds.

4. Wilkens would like to run more this season. The Raptors were very good defensively last season, finishing fourth in the league in points allowed. But they were fifth from the bottom in the league in points scored. Toronto needs Alvin Williams to recover from offseason surgery on both knees if it's going to score in transition. He's just getting back into form.

5. Vince Carter would have loved it if fellow Tar Heel Julius Peppers had decided to stick with basketball instead of pursuing his NFL career as a defensive end. The two played against each other in high school. "It wasn't fair, because he was about the size he is now, as a small forward," Carter recalled. "Julius is a big body who can fly. He can play, I don't know if he'd be a starter but he'd be a good compliment. Small power forward. He'd be the Barkley type, definitely."

David Aldridge, who covers the NBA for ESPN, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.