A new general manager, a new head coach, and an up-tempo style of play has the Toronto Raptors off to their best start in franchise history.  

 After finishing 33-49 last season and missing the playoffs for a second straight year, the Raptors seemed to be a franchise without direction.  

 Gone was head coach Kevin O?Neill, who lasted just one season, and general manager Glen Grunwald.  In came rookie GM Rob Babcock and first-year head coach Sam Mitchell- Toronto?s third bench boss in as many seasons.  Then, the meltdown appeared to be complete when franchise player Vince Carter began his off-season long campaign to be shipped out of T.O.  Adding insult to injury, Fox Sports.com basketball writer Charley Rosen went as far as to call the Raptors ?an intentional disgrace? worthy of re-location.

 But all seems well in Raptorland after a 3-0 start to the season.  Not only is there a sense of optimism again- which hasn?t been the case since the end of the 2000-2001 season, when the Raptors were one missed shot at the buzzer away from reaching the Eastern finals- but the team is even beginning to show some of the swagger all winning teams possess.

 ?We?re in a great position, and the league should watch out, the more wins we get, the more confident we feel,? said Carter, who suddenly has a newfound enthusiasm for the franchise.  ?We feel we?re a really good team, we can compete with anyone.  We?re surely but slowly gaining respect around the league.?

 ?I definitely feel we are going to make the playoffs this season and from there it?s wide open,? added small forward/shooting guard Jalen Rose.  ?I feel like we?re a team that?s going to surprise people.?

 Granted, we?re only into the second week of the season and Toronto has yet to play a road game thus far (a six-game west coast road trip beginning this week will serve as the real litmus test), but victories over Houston, reigning NBA champion Detroit and Portland are nevertheless anything to scoff at.  

 Neither has the job Mitchell has been able to do in his first season as coach.    

 A complete contrast to the over-zealous and vociferous O?Neill, the soft-spoken yet demanding Mitchell has seemed to earn the respect of his players.  Asking nothing short of a maximum effort each and every night, Mitchell has been able to implement an up-tempo, fast-breaking offense that better suits the type of talent he has at his disposal.  

 Through three games, Toronto is averaging 99.0 ppg- a sharp contrast to last season?s league-worst average of 85.4 ppg- while shooting .456% from the field as a team.  Four players are averaging in double-digit scoring so far, led by Carter at 17.7 ppg.  

 But in order to get out in transition it is essential to make stops defensively, which the Raptors have been able to do for the most part during their season-opening winning streak.  Toronto has allowed only 88.5 points per game- good for fifth in the league, while opponents are shooting just under .450% from the field.  

 While Mitchell has been receiving a lot of credit for the work he?s been able to do on the sidelines, GM Babcock has been just as instrumental for the transactions he?s made from upstairs.  

 Babcock has quietly been able to address some important areas of need in the form of free-agent point guard Rafer Alston and center Loren Woods.  Alston, who has been steady if not spectacular, has solidified the point position, averaging 14.0 points and 6.7 assists per game, while Woods, an NBA castoff for much of his career, has provided sophomore sensation Chris Bosh with some much needed help defensively in the low post, chipping in with 8.3 rebounds per game.  

 Despite the fast start, however, fan interest remains lukewarm.  Only 13,863 fans attended Sunday?s game versus Portland at the Air Canada Center- the smallest crowd in franchise history (although one wonders what the Atlanta Hawks would give to have an average attendance of just under 14,000?). Clearly, after two dismal seasons, it is going to take some time yet before fans return.  But Carter promises fans will eventually come out to support the team in large numbers.

 ?This is what fans come to see, fast-breaking, high-flying, a lot of shots, and just acrobatic plays.  You?ll see a lot of different stuff this year than you?ve seen in years past.  We?ll be a more exciting team to watch because of the way we play.?

 Hopefully, fans will see more wins in the standings as well.