Editors Note: RR would like to welcome Blake Murphy as a regular contributor to The Republic. Blake publishes The On Deck Circle, and is a rabid sports fan. We are very pleased to have him on board, and are sure that y’all will enjoy what he has to say…
The Toronto Raptors swung for the fences with the #9 overall pick this year. In a draft thought to have very little superstar talent but a bevy of serviceable role players, Bryan Colangelo et al took the player still on the board who had the highest upside, USC product: DeMar DeRozan.
Irrelevant to this article, I went back and forth in my head trying to figure out my feelings on DeMar as the pick. On one hand, he wasn’t a superstar at USC. On the other, though, he showed marked improvement as a college freshman, wanted to come to Toronto, and is a highlight reel waiting to happen. Throw in his YouTube highlight reels and his apparent commitment to being a better player at both ends of the floor, and I was sold.
So as summer league took place I tried to watch closely. I ended up watching two and a half of the Raptors’ five games, and read as much as possible about the games afterward. A few days removed from the entire experience, and I’m still trying to figure something out…
Where exactly does DeRozan fit with the Raptors?
By all accounts, he is ready to be a contributor. He scored with relative ease in the Pac-10 and the Summer League, his defense will be serviceable, and his shooting touch seems to have developed even since the end of the college season in March. The reports I have read, and my own observations, lead me to believe that DeRozan should fit in with this current Raptors squad immediately. A David Thorpe tweet (I can’t believe I’m citing tweets) outlined the following:
DeMar DeRozan really comes off the curl with speed, balance and elevation-very controlled. Will come off a decade’s worth of pindowns.
ESPN.com’s TrueHoop added the following:
He also rarely takes a bad shot — uncommon among rookies and in Summer League, and particularly uncommon among rookies in Summer League.
It’s clear that DeRozan is ready to be an efficient contributor. His ability to get an open look, his open-court athleticism, and his beyond-his-age decision making should make him a popular target for Jose Calderon, Chris Bosh, and Hedo Turkoglu. The Raptors project as a team that shares the ball pretty well, with four of five potential starters (Bosh, Calderon, Turkoglu, and DeRozan) capable of handling the rock, creating their own shot, and finding teammates. For a team that did well spacing the floor and moving the ball last season, DeRozan’s offensive fluidity and versatility should be a welcome addition.
While DeRozan may be an immediate fit, as I mentioned, the Raptors were hoping to swing for the fences with this pick. An NBA-ready contributor with the #9 pick is nothing to be upset about, but if Colangelo was hoping to add another superstar to pair with Chris Bosh moving forward, there are still question marks. Another David Thrope tweet explains:
I don’t see DeRozan force plays very much. That’s both good and bad. Bad because he ends up not making much happen for anyone…including himself.
Additionally, DeRozan’s defense, while adequate for Summer League, is not yet at a level to guard starting NBA 2-guards, especially on a team with perimeter defense as bad as Toronto’s promises to be. TSN’s Tim Chisholm felt similar:
His defense was certainly a work in progress, as was expected after one year of college ball. He looked lost A LOT off of the ball, rarely moving or using his length to disrupt plays, and he was beaten by his man frequently. While this isn’t a huge issue for a rookie like DeRozan, who was seen primarily as a scorer/athlete, it probably affects the plans of the Raptors going forward.
So the Raptors may not have found ‘the answer’ in DeRozan, yet. He promises to be an exciting player immediately, and someone who should contribute at an acceptable level on the offensive end. Ultimately, his potential depends as much on the other Raptors as himself; if Jay Triano and the Raptors’ ball handlers can do a good job of getting DeRozan his fair share of looks and opportunities, I feel he has superstar-level offensive potential. He has repeated his desire to learn and improve as well, which is always a good sign.
Of course, the Raptors may not need a second superstar to pair with Bosh. While the NBA has been dominated, Cavaliers excluded, by deep teams with several stars as of late, the Raptors boast a strong top-six with the addition of Jarrett Jack (and possibly top-seven if Delfino is, in fact, re-signed). To steal an overused baseball analogy, sometimes when you swing for the fences you end up with a single or a double…in the Raptors’ case, a hit of any kind should suffice in the short term.
The fellas at Netscouts checked in with an exclusive interview with DeRozan:
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56 Raps
Great read…welcome aboard, Blake.
Could have done without that Delfino line as being factored in as a “strong top seven”. Still don’t see it.
Neihter do I.
Also, I think Bargs could be slotted in there as at least decent passer and own shot creattor.
First of all, welcome Blake.
It seems like there are a few people out there that don’t see DD’s defense excelling at this point. Who do you think will get the starting job between him and Antoine Wright? I mean Wright did start for the most part for Dallas.
I like Wright starting to begin the season, and if DeRozan can win the spot, it should go to him. But I want to ease him into the NBA game, SG is a tough spot to defend.
DD’s mental speed is fine on offense, but he is at best slow to react on defense, at worst he just don’t care
but hopefully the raps bust his ass for coasting on D
48 win team baby!
I like the versatility Delfino adds. I think he’ll perform better with Triano at the helm and in an offense that has the potential to be much more fluid than in 2007-08. I’m optimistic about his potential as a ’7th man.’
What about at $5mil/year? That price tag sets expectations for me.
True, Isn’t 5 or even 4 Million alot of money for the 7th man !!
If Turkoglu is worth 11 per, Delfino is probably worth 7 or 8.
He was lost in Detroit (as was pointed out in Arsenalist’s fantastic podcast) and didn’t blow me away in his first Toronto visit. He’s not worth more than $3mil in my opinion.
Not sure about the fluidity in this offense. If you are referring to a running game, Bosh and Bargs will slow that down. Our best weapon will be to pass the ball, something we didn’t do much of in Triano’s term last year. The talent we have now may cause Triano to come into camp with a whole new style and playbook. Be interesting to watch.
Definitely interesting…he’s probably not worth the 4-5Mil that is being discussed, especially when you consider future luxury tax considerations. However, it’s money the Raptors can ONLY spend on him because of his retained rights (unless they pull off a sign-and-trade), so it’s not a case of the money being allocated elsewhere (not explicitly, anyway), it’s a case of overpaying for ‘Loso or not spending it at all.
Doubt many other GMs out there feel he is worth that money, though. Length of contract would also be a factor.
If we sign him for more than 4 million he’ll be an untradable cap hit. No one else would pay him that money. No need to create another Banks-esque contract.
But he’s much much better than Banks, and provides much of what this team is missing at the 2 spot. Again, since we can’t afford anyone better, and since he happens to provide all at once the rebounding, adequate defense and three point shooting we are currently lacking at SG, at 5 per year he would be playing a very big role on this team, unlike Banks.
Delfino is one of the better rebounding SGs in the league. This team is going to be very very bad at rebounding as currently assembled. It seems pretty obvious to me.
I’m not at all sold on DeRozan as a starter. Like in his USC days, I don’t see him immediately coming into the league and playing with confidence. And as shown, when he isn’t leading, he’s floating. While Antoine Wright may also put up negliable offensive statistics, at least he isn’t a defensive liability and can shoot with a moderate level of consistency.
I’d be all for letting this guy start the season in the D-league.
“I’d be all for letting this guy start the season in the D-league.”
The D-league is where you send good prospects to die. This kid needs to learn in the big league. I agree he may not be a starter yet but he could add some punch offensively off the bench while working on his defence and since the raptors new second unit seems to be a little more capable defensively it may be a good balance.
Are you…..insane?
The reason you WANT him in the starting line-up is because he will be the 5th option on the court and there’s less pressure on him to make plays immediately. By playing with the big boys, he’s surrounded with enough talent that he can be utilized in the best way possible and enhance his ability to drive the ball and not force plays.
By making him come off the bench early in the season, you’re essentially throwing him into the fire a little too early and expecting him to be one of the first options on the floor.
Sending a 9th pick, with his talent and basketball IQ, to the D-league is just ridiculous logic.
While that comment was mostly intended to be an exaggeration of a point, the responses to it were…interesting.
BigSmoke thinks it would be best for DeRozan if he came off the bench; anon wants to give DeRozan experience by letting him watch the big boys make plays around him (his game is as a scorer…a scorer is NOT a 5th option on a team); and mathodical never played with lego as a kid.
The problem is that this season should not be about DeRozan. The Raptors selected him fully knowing that he was a developmental project; the only reason he is even being considered a starter is the Raptors’ (former) dearth at the SG position.
The fact is, DeRozan is a PERFECT candidate for another year of college ball. His game requires him to be dominant, and he needs an arena where he can excel and have opportunities to develop those skills. Unlike baseball, the NBA doesn’t have AAA, but if it did, DeRozan would be there.
If only the D-league wern’t such a joke…
While that comment was mostly intended to be an exaggeration of a point, the responses to it were…interesting.
BigSmoke thinks it would be best for DeRozan if he came off the bench; anon wants to give DeRozan experience by letting him watch the big boys make plays around him (his game is as a scorer…a scorer is NOT a 5th option on a team); and mathodical never played with lego as a kid.
The problem is that this season should not be about DeRozan. The Raptors selected him fully knowing that he was a developmental project; the only reason he is even being considered a starter is the Raptors’ (former) dearth at the SG position.
The fact is, DeRozan is a PERFECT candidate for another year of college ball. His game requires him to be dominant, and he needs an arena where he can excel and have opportunities to develop those skills. Unlike baseball, the NBA doesn’t have AAA, but if it did, DeRozan would be there.
If only the D-league wern’t such a joke…
(That dislike rating of -27 makes my heart feel warm)
So now the Majic have signed Barnes. Bass and Barnes were my top 2 FA picks for Raps. Ugh…Orlando will be tough to beat this year.
How the hell can moon get twice as much money as Barnes
What is Moon getting offered? I haven’t heard a confirmed number yet. Would be very hard to understand if Moon gets more than Barnes…is Cleveland that much of a shit-hole? Or is LBJ’s departure the worst kept secret amongst NBA players?
2 years for $6 million
He’s more visible? For some reason, his story and reputation skyrocketed + dunk contest = 2x the money?
Yah this is mind-boggling.
It’s incredible, i’d rather have barnes 10 times out of 10.
Orlando is the team to beat IMHO this season. They dramatically improved.
Ya it really looks like it now. The additions they’ve made to an already great club are fantastic.
+1
The concern I have for DeDe, or any rookie with more high school ball than college ball experience is contained in this sentence:
“He looked lost A LOT off of the ball, rarely moving or using his length to disrupt plays, and he was beaten by his man frequently.” – TSN Tim Chisholm
This reminds me of the many H.S. players who vanish if they don’t have the ball in their hands. These guys get away with it because they can dribble and score, a lot. The rest of the players must play strong ‘team’ bball to cover up for these fan ‘heroes’.
I hope DeDe doesn’t have this mentality buried deep in his brain requiring on court brain surgery to eliminate this ballitis disease …otherwise he will be riding the pine. We shall see …..
I like Chisholm but I don’t know if I agree with that statement. DeRozan wasn’t going as hard in summer league as most other players but still managed to do well on offense. A lot of defense is effort and I think Tim’s observation is based on a lack of effort rather than something technically or mentally wrong which you’re presuming stems from a lack of college experience.
It’s just summer league and he’s 19. Stuff like that doesn’t matter at all. If he’s still doing that by the end of the season, then you can be mildly concerned going forward.
Although our team defense was BRUTAL for most of last season, I think that with Iavaroni coming in this year will really help our whole defensive scheme. I think DD will be just fine if he really buys into team defense during training camp.
Through watching a bit of DeRozan play at USC and a limited number of games in the Summer League (small sample space but it is what it is), plus reading some articles, I think that the concerns of DeRozan’s lack of effort are more attributed to DeRozan feeling things out than actually not trying. In both the collage season and during the summer league he really seemed to start slow and finish strong. I think there is a good chance that the perception of lack of effort is due to the fact that he wants to make sound basketball decisions on the court and doesn’t want to force what he believes isn’t there. So if he is taking the ultra-conservative approach for a few games to not turn the ball over a ton, that makes sense to me, and if he looks weak on D, because he is still feeling out the defensive end of the floor and doesn’t want to commit 5 fouls in 20 minutes, that makes sense to me too. It seems like he really doesn’t want to do anything detrimental to the team when he is on the court. He stated during his days at USC that he strived to be a good teammate and he has shown that he tends to avoid high risk plays that have a high percentage chance in resulting in a turnover.
What Jay Triano needs to do is try to push DeRozan a bit outside of his comfort zone, so DeRozan can realize more quickly what he is capable of on an NBA team.
Starting him on game 1 is a great way to push him out of his comfort zone. Normally I’m not a fan of teaching on the fly, but with the talent in our starting line up Triano actually has that luxury.
Never believe anything about Summer League.
Never quote anyone from TSN if it has to do with basketball.
Wait ’til training camp and then it will be clear.
lol @ “never quote anyone from tsn if it has to do with basketball” You sir are rap of the day.
For the most part I agree, but I’ve agreed with most of Tim Chisholm’s blogs this summer, especially the one about Wright/DeRozan/Delfino and the starting SG position.
I had to watch sportscenter for 45 minutes straight yesterday to get a 10 second clip confirming the Jarrett Jack signing….
Disagree….Tim Chisholm is usually spot on.
+1
Chisholm is a very good bball writer analyst (i.e. blogger for TSN).
+1
Chisholm is my favorite Raps writer (paid Raps writer that is)… he’s the best of the lot.
I think Wright will start at SG, for his experience and defence.
With DeDe being part of the 2nd unit and being counted on to score, I think the Jack signing becomes that much more important to the Raps. The Raps now have a fantastic backup PG that can control the tempo and do a good job of calming down the 2nd unit and distributing the ball to the scorers – ie: DeDe. With less pressure, a good distributor and a deep roster, I think DeDe will develop quite well playing on the 2nd unit.
I expect DeDe to be part of the rookie team at the all-star game and to be pushing Wright/Triano for starting minutes in the second half of the season.
I disagree that DeRozan has the potential to create his own shot and handle the rock, at this point. The scouting reports hinted at a mediocre handle and I saw the same in Summer League action. I consider him similar to Andrea Bargnani. Both players have the ability to take it to the rack or pull up for a J, but they depend on the split-second advantage that they get from coming off a pick or receiving a pass. In a true one-on-one face-up situation, they’re much easier to defend.
I see DD was as a combination of Shawn Marion (great athlete in up-tempo system who can’t create own shot) and Richard Hamilton (great off the ball running through screens making catch-and-shoot jump shots).
2-4 years of hard work (and fan patience) is needed for him to become the player he’s destined to be – a la Bargnani.
Let’s be serious here, were talking about a 19 year old kid, who has played 35 games in college and 5 games in the SL of me ist BB, coming into the NBA, starting, and guarding players like Kobe, DWade, et al, on defense.
Nicely Said. The selection criteria for SG for this team SHOULD be Defence. who ever can defend better in that spot , should start. This team has so many scoring option in in its starting 5 that does not need it SG to score but needs a guy who can close the lanes to the basket and help Jose too.
Training camp and preseason will decide on who is the best fit to start at SG.
Mr. Murphy has a cute smile and is that the throwback WCW/nWo World Heavyweight title on your shoulder?
Matt Barns…looks like he’s signing a deal with the Magic.
nice read. i too was not that convinced at first that derozan was our guy. my first choice was jonny flynn, but good thing he was smuggled by minnesota right after getting rubio. i really think he will flourish with the raptors, and not become a joey graham/jamario moon, as jay triano said that derozan will get his minutes and might even be a possible starter.
antoine wright started for dallas i believe mostly for defensive purposes. jason terry was their main offensive 2. but they couldnt have him guard the likes of kobe, wade, lebron, etc. and he was also help in the wing since josh howard was out most of the time. i would prefer derozan to start over wright.
i dont think we will need delfino, now that he’s asking 5 million/season. that;s too much for a guy who hasnt played in the league for over a year. i would have wanted barnes too as he is a 2 way player who could play the 3 and 4 spots. but since the magic got him, i would want the raps to get rasho as the final guy. he is an upgrade over voshkul, proven veteran, loves toronto, great locker room guy.
Since when we are calling Bosh a superstar?
Reminder Superstar means: a star that outshines other stars.
Examples: Lebron, Kobe, Howard, D Wade
Used in a sentence: Kobe is a superstar!
Bosh is a higher end star in the NBA. I would never go that far of calling him a star
I meant superstar
With regards to Delfino, I’m pretty sure any team in the league would go as far as paying him over 3m/year.
I understand that we can’t get anyone else at this situation, but common 4-5 m/year?
I was reading today somewhere that they are talking 3 year 15 million deal for Delfino. I am serious it is not a hoax!
http://thestar.blogs.com/raptors/2009/07/if-this-is-tuesday-it-must-be-hoops.html
If BC is that stupid to make a deal like that, I am pretty sure anyone in this site would lose all of their respect for him.
If Delfino is willing to only get paid for one year, I would go as far as paying him 5 million. If he is asking 2 year 10 million I would forget about him. It is not like we are going for a championship, we can wait until next to get better guys for that kind of money.
But I agree, his would greatly contribute to the team this year, but common 3 year 15 million? We could get Allen Iverson for that kind of money.
I love DeDe. Mark my words, HE WILL BE A STAR IN THIS LEAGUE. He will be named the steal of this years draft!
Colangelo is negotiating with both Nesterovic and Delfino, with the talking points about length of contract, and guaranteed money. He stated on PTS today that he has $7.1 mil to spend and that’s it for this year, and he wants to have short term contracts, due to the uncertainty next year. Hopes to have finalized in 7/10 days.