Put the brakes on the DeMar DeRozan starting talk. Triano says:
I’d like to start him, to give him minutes and let him grow as a player with the starting unit but not at the expense of somebody who outworks him through training camp. It may be a position that we jockey for a while until we find the right combination. He’s picked things up well but it’s a different world to him compared to the university level.
It looks like Jay’s giving him some tough love the first couple days and it shouldn’t be any other way. Even though DeRozan is being hyped all summer long and has impressed Triano with his speed (along with Weems), the starting role is still up for grabs, much like it wasn’t a year ago when we handed it outright to an under-performing Parker. The tightly knit Raptors unit is doing all it can to help DeRozan, Triano says:
I’m impressed by the professionalism the veteran guys have shown, they’ve taken him under their wing and are making him accountable in every single drill. It’ll turn into a competition because they’ll want those minutes and it’ll make DeMar a better basketball payer.
I’m presuming the fight for wing minutes is between DeRozan, Wright, Weems and Belinelli. Our podcast guest Ryan McNeill of Hoops Addict thinks that Belinelli could have a great shot at the starting SG spot. We also talk about Bosh’s weight gain, the Raptor that parties the most, Banks’ loneliness, the joker that is Amir and how an audio switch can ruin your day. Some very positive things about Antoine Wright were echoed by Ryan who was there on Media Day and spoke to most of the players. You can listen to the whole chat by clicking the play button below or in iTunes. You can also download the file.
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A couple days back Evans went hard at Bargnani and today Bargnani says it’s all for the better. He’s saying Reggie’s going to make him better (much like JO) and that playing under the security of a new contract helps matters. Apparently he’s bringing it in the first two days just like he did last training camp. He’s also saying that a player’s confidence is proportional to his experience in the league. I beg to disagree and point to him as an example. Super confident in his first year and a deer caught in headlights the second. Some lose their confidence after a few bad games, some maintain it even if they’re launching bricks for two months. Bargnani’s confidence is fragile and it’s subtly reflected in his refusal to give a prediction for himself at the end of the video.
Reggie Evans is one of those guys whose voice is the opposite of his persona. Matt Devlin insists that he’ll be loved by Raptors fans because of all the obvious reasons and Reggie Evans agrees. He thinks the #1 thing he wants out of his play is to earn the respect of his opponents, peers and fans. All hail Reggie who takes a mild swipe at last year’s Raptors team in the video. He says that he’s changing the tone of this team especially the one set by players who are “across the water” with “slow feet” and who “can’t jump”. He says:
We have a lot of players from across the water. A lot of those player get portrayed as not being defensive players. So now I have like six players and that’s a huge challenge so we got to make sure we’re on point all the time. You hear things like ’slow feet’, ‘can’t jump’ so we got to find ways…and coach has a good scheme going to close out the middle which is good. Close the middle and run out to the shooters and that’s our emphasis. We’re going to try to ingrain that into everybody’s heads where we close out to the middle and work our way out.
So there you have it folks, Triano’s already preparing a plan for what happens when the guards get beat and is going to “collapse and recover” every chance he gets. Those wing close-outs need to be super-quick for a scheme like that to work but at least he’s starting to teach it from Day 1. He’s recognized the athleticism he has at his disposal and is going to put it to good use at the defensive end, instead of the onus being on the big man to come out and help the penetrated guard, the responsibility will fall to everyone as they collapse and try to recover.
The question of leadership often comes up and this year’s team appears to be very mature as Ryan pointed out in the interview. Jarrett Jack, Reggie Evans, Antoine Wright, Jose Calderon and Rasho Nesterovic are no-nonsense players that can keep this group in check when things start going south. We don’t have to look towards Bosh to be the leader anymore; if one of the above players can take charge of this team, maybe it’ll lift the pressure off of Bosh and he can perform in his contract year.
Finally, Colangelo’s saying that Hedo’s got a fatigue factor going after playing in Europe over the summer but that’s something they all knew already and everything’s going according to plan. He’s not risking anything with Chris Bosh and will take his sweet time in getting him 100%. He also bigs up Hedo:
I think it’s going to help this team. We haven’t had a guy to go to late in the game, break down the defense, create a shot for someone else or for yourself. He’s going to be a great draw and bring a lot of the defense towards him. He’s going to open up opportunities for Chris in the post, open up opportunities for players on the perimeter to knock down shots. In late game situations I know he’s got that mindset where he knows what to do with the ball.
That’s your training camp report! I’ll actually be trying to make the trek to Ottawa for the Saturday scrimmage.
26 Raps
great podcast,
one thing i disagree with is that Bargnani’s confidence is unstable. I remember a game two years ago against Portland, A-barg was having an absolutely awful night but sure enough in the last seconds, the ball ended up in his hands and he hit a 10ft baseline shot to win it. After the game he went up to smitch and said “see – even if i miss all game, im still going to hit that shot.” that really showed me that he knows hes a scorer and hes willing to miss a couple knowing hell hit them in the end. Now that was a couple of years ago before his “half” breakout season so im hoping now hes got his extension and the starting gig locked up – hes going to come to play.
I hopoe you are right, but you are still just pointing to one isolated example and forgetting the 10 prior misses.
That has been exactly Bargnani’s patern, a good game sandwiched between average to mediocare showings. We need him to hit those 9 shots and miss the last one, by than we will be up by 20.
“I remember A game two years ago against Portland..”
I hope you are right…. its just that I remember 2 and a half seasons of potentially scoreless games when his confidence was down.
AB lets his confidence run his game…. you can see it in the way he runs, the choices he makes, how he holds his head and his shooting. I want to see him do well, but he needs to remind himself that he got to where he is because he IS a good player.
Mitchell killed his confidence in second year.
he never give him confidence on the floor…always in and out
Andy describes himself “as a good soldier…that do what the general says”
all it took to him to show the best of his game, was someone who let him stay on court 30 minutes a night…
The Raptors are only a team in name .. this is not a real NBA ‘team’ .. and it will take several years before it’s a polished ‘team’ that can compete and get into the playoffs if at all.
Jeeeeez … all this hype over the Raptors with 9 new players and having to sit in a classroom to learn all about basketball Triano’s way …LOL
As for DeDe starting in the NBA with only one unspectacular season as a college freshman … give me a fucking break … and stop dede-luding yerselves …!!!!!
I bet Bosh must be wondering wtf is happening with all these new retread players on the Raptors. Life has been cruel to Bosh playing for the Raptors all these years and going through all the screwups. He must be eagerly looking forward to either being traded mid-season to a contending team … or just take a walk back to the USA and closer to his warm home in Texas.
FAQ, Do you think there was enought talent in the team from last year? I am just curious as what would have been your solution if you were the GM ??
I like how this question has been asked many times before and every time, he just dodges it. Truth is, he has no answer; he can only criticize because criticizing is easy.
FAQ YOU!!!!
Yo FAQ, asides from the Raptors, can you make us a list of other stuff you really hate but still follow religiously? My guess is:
- Oprah
- Broccoli
- Melrose Place (the new one)
- Classic broadway reenactments
- Environmental law
- Fireworks
- Postmodern teaching techniques
Inquiring minds want to know!
Faq…the new Khandor
Ever noticed how Khan ain’t around anymore? Hmmm. Curious!
FAQ – you are a true tribal-honking fan of your own repeated posts for “The Raps won’t gel” and “Bosh will leave” fan clubs.
The last Raptor team to have this number of changes to its roster won 47 games. That team took about a month to gel and perform at a high level. I’m not necessarily saying that this team will do the same, but it’s not impossible.
For that matter, the Boston team of two years ago replaced a significant part their team and won everything. It didn’t take them long to gel, did it?
As far as DD starting, Triano said that this is his initial plan, but you keep missing the fact that Triano has also said he is not just going to hand it to him no matter what. DD has to earn it by working hard and effectively on defense.
Why on earth do you watch the Raptors if they are causing you so much anguish and pessimism? Yes, there’s a lot that could go wrong with this team but there’s also a lot that could go right.
Reggie Evans?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mWW6kRITEY&feature=player_embedded
“He’s also saying that a player’s confidence is proportional to his experience in the league. I beg to disagree and point to him as an example. Super confident in his first year and a deer caught in headlights the second.”
Oh yea ’cause you’ve played in the NBA right? So you would know.
Sorry dude you’re coming of a bit arrogant.
Oh, he is prefectly right. That’s what it was. How else would you describe it? Are all the sports reporters ex-players? You have to be an obeserver and a fan of the game to understand the game and you have to be a good writer to write about it. Arsenalist does a fine job.
I don’t think there is anything arrogant about the comment. There is a direct correlation between confdience and players performance, and I think Bargs is the most obvious example of that.
Confidence is a huge issue in sports, especially in basketball. In the NBA, that’s why you see players go on hot streaks, good teams coming back in the fourth quarter to win, and shitty players playing awesome for a fluke game (Roko in S.A.).
As for the newly aquired players, it’s going to be hard to underachieve as much as they did last year. There’s way more depth so way more compitition between the players. In all basketball teams I’ve played on this always translates to more effort on the court, which is something we didn’t see last year. Now I’m not saying I’ve played in the NBA or anything but the same principles should apply.
Isn’t Hedo the obvious leader for this incarnation of the Raptors? Euro player so he has something in common with half the roster and can focus the “nobody respects our game” attitude. On the other hand he’s been to the finals and played for the Spurs (as well as the Kings when they were good) so he’s got the experience in the trenches thing. Who knows how things will go but I’m thinking if it goes well it will be because Hedo (along with Rasho, Bosh and maybe Evans and Calderon) is the guy in the huddle at time-outs saying what needs to be said (in broken English)
Have you watched his interviews? If that’s any indication of how he is in the locker room, the way he communicates would be a large detriment to his leadership abilities. He’d have to lead by example only, which I think he can do. But to call him the obvious leader is a stretch, especially with that all-star PF we have. Sure, he hasn’t been to the finals, but make no mistake about it Bosh is our best player hands down and its his leadership that will make or break us this season.
Luckily, with so many solid veterans in the lineup, Bosh won’t have to lead to nearly the same extent as last season when he had to put up with sub-par talent.
One thing I disagree with:
Luckily, with so many solid veterans in the lineup, Bosh won’t have to lead to nearly the same extent as last season when he had to put up with sub-par talent.
Bosh needs to be the guy who gives any teammate who breaks a defensive assignment all kinds of shit in the locker room. If needed, escalate that to a death stare in game. Implicit in that statement is that Bosh needs become a defensive rock himself so that he has credibility when he chews out someone else. We’ve started to see that type of leadership from him but he needs to fully bring it this year.
Yup. Bosh really needs to lead WITH example. Hedo will do what he does.
I don’t want to see Bosh chewing out players for missing defensive assignments when he’s doing it himself. That’s a surefire way to sabotage chemistry. Yeah, he ripped into Jamario last season, but really, Bosh gave up too.
Cool, the intro to your Podcast is Madmen. I never got into the show (yet) and after the great plot and acting, there’s always Christina Hendrix from the Emmys Ceremonies that gets stuck in your head in a good way.
For starters, Antoine Wright should start because he has the most SG experience and success out of all the SGs (even though he rode the Kidd, Nowitzki, RJ and Carter train), might as well make him the Dahntay Jones of Denver from last year.
The intro is an RJD2 beat. “A Beautiful Mine” by Aceyalone and RJD2 from the album Magnificent City. Not the greatest album but I would suggest the track “Solomon Jones” to anyone with an ear for hip-hop.
New RJ coming out early next year! I sincerely hope he steps his game up. The Third Hand sucked balls.
Better practice players hopefully translates to a couple more wins and better development of all our players as a whole.
Banks was amazing on nba live 05! :P
Yeah!! I remember he was :D :D…those videogames gave us hope and then…BANKS!! in our face xDDD
I don’t like when people compares Banks and POB. At least POB has attitude and some potential, is still a very young man. He’d never be a great player, but can serve right to the raps in the future if the franchise helps him in his development. I saw very worse things las season from banks than from POB…:/