If there is a great unknown at Raptors camp this year, it comes in the form of Sonny Weems, the 6-foot-6 guard/forward who came to the Raptors along with Amir Johnson in the Carlos Delfino/Roko Ukic trade with Milwaukee. Weems is a high flyer with plenty of speed but an undefined role with his new club. Weems kind of took care of that yesterday when he became the frontrunner for team funny man jumping into a DeMar DeRozan scrum with various media and announcing — much to DeRozan’s delight — "Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time." Not sure if this makes him a Kanye West fan or a Beyonce fan but DeRozan seemed to enjoy it.
DeRozan’s role remains undefined, although Triano has said he’d like to start him at the shooting guard spot. That would allow DeRozan to get about six or seven minutes with the first team to start each game and each third quarter before ceding time to more experienced teammates. The coaches see that as a way to hasten his development in rather low-pressure points of a game, but Triano said Wednesday that idea is not cast in stone.
"I’m not going to give it to him," said the coach. "In an ideal world, 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 someone who outworks him throughout this training camp and the pre-season. It may be a position that we jockey for a little while until we find the right combination."
Jarrett Jack is a point guard and a shooting guard and he does prefer one over the other. Slightly. "Probably the one," the Raptors guard said this week. "It’s something that’s more natural to me but since I’ve been in the league, the two is something I’ve grown accustomed to playing. I feel comfortable doing both." The best part of playing the point are the intellectual demands. "You have to learn everybody’s tendencies, likes and dislikes."
However, there is a reason more rookies do not start.
"Obviously if they do end up inserting him into the lineup, he’s going to have to know that he’s going to have a challenge every day that he plays," Jack said. "You have Kobe Bryant at that position. You have Dwyane Wade. You have a guy like Brandon Roy, Manu Ginobili, the list goes on and on.
"He’s going to be a rookie. And other teams are going to pick that out and obviously try to pick on him a little bit. The only thing that’s going to get him through it is him having a thick skin."
"DeMar, if he starts, is a very solid defender, potentially," Colangelo added on Tuesday. "Potentially, he’s got great lateral quickness, lateral movement. He’s very athletic. He’s capable of being a very effective defender."
"I have the feeling that overall it’s getting more and more appreciated, and definitely the international community is looking at Toronto more frequently than I would say a lot of other teams," said Gherardini, the GM of Italian powerhouse Benetton Treviso before Colangelo hired him in 2006.
"Definitely I feel we have the eyes of the international community on us. We are pioneers in a certain way, but at the end of the day more and the more the team reflects what Toronto’s all about."
"This password will work for all regularly scheduled home games during the 2009-2010 season"
Raptors Presale Offers
Start: Thu, 10/01/09 10:00 AM EDT
End: Thu, 10/01/09 05:00 PM EDTToronto Raptors presale password: BBALL
Good to hear Reggie Evans having a positive effect on practice. It would be great to see Bargnani get better at boxing his man out, something I think he’s fairly poor at right now. I think it’ll be easier for Bargnani to develop this part of his rebounding, rather than his ability to grab a lot more rebounds.
It’s also nice to hear a bench player pushing a starter … we didn’t hear that often enough last season.
"In an ideal world I would like to start him," head coach Jay Triano said yesterday. "Give him minutes and let him grow as a player with the starting unit but not at the expense of someone who outworks him throughout this training camp and throughout the pre-season. It may be a position that we jockey for a little while until we find the right combination."
Read into that what you will. It could be nothing more than the coach attempting to light a fire under his rookie. But the fact remains, DeRozan has something no one else in this lineup, save maybe Sonny Weems, can bring.
DeRozan is exactly what the Raptors lacked last season. An athletic, jump-out-of-the-gym, make opposing defences tremble kind of player. He’s quick, heady, and confident in his own abilities. That’s what he has to sell.
But he is also a 20-year-old young man with just a single year of college under his belt and a shot that requires some modifications if he’s going to have any consistency at all at the NBA level.
DeRozan is doing his part already in camp to make an early impression on his new coaching staff in Toronto. Since the draft in June, he has focused on preparing his body for the rigours of a full NBA season by adding 10 pounds to his 6′7"-frame. The now 220-pounder has also been working on his jump shot, in an attempt to improve his perimeter game, to go along with the explosive first step he already possesses.
While it was DeRozan’s raw talent caught the eye of scouts, it’s his work ethic that has garnered attention from those in the organization.
One of the many men behind the scenes responsible for assembling the team, Maurizio Gherardini, took some time to talk with Hoops Addict about what the plans are for the team leading up to the World Championships next summer.
Let’s get back to the reason this team was constructed, shall we? Why did Bryan Colangelo go sign Turkoglu when the addiction was obviously not going to do enough for the team to really matter. Correct answer? To keep his job! I know what you’re going to ask now. I’ve become pretty good at this. “Didn’t he win Executive of the Year just a second ago? How can his job be on the line?” The answer is that two seasons ago they went .500, last season they really bad, and this year didn’t look any better. Turkoglu absolutely doesn’t help the team down the road, but he might help them win enough games to help Colangelo justify his job. Hard to imagine, but when you get a job as an NBA GM, you really don’t want to give it up. He’d probably get another job, but there’s no guarantee. The BUS will help just a bit.
Some of the things that I liked about Bosh’s interviews the other day were things that we actually criticize him for. He said that he wasn’t going to come out and make any predictions, which some people point to as the usual Chris Bosh not wanting to step up and be a leader. But realistically, I have just about had enough of predictions and I sure as hell don’t want to hear any more guarantees. There have only been two guarantees in sports that I think mean anything. 1. Joe Namath’s guarantee, just because it hadn’t been done on that scale before he did it and then he went out and delivered as an undergod. 2. Mark Messier with the Rangers, just because to do that in a sport like hockey, where one guy cannot typically dominate the game and deliver all by himself, shows the kind of leadership he had…in a huge market…with all eyes on him. So I’m okay with Bosh avoiding any of that garbage, because he doesn’t need any added pressure on him.
I have not been around NBA players in many years. It is an experience when you get a chance to meet an NBA player. The first think that blows you mind is how tall these guys are. I remember the first time I saw Vince Carter. Now I knew he was taller than me but it was really amazing to see it face to chest. I never have met Chris Bosh or Andrea Bargnani but I did meet Alonzo Mourning and him sitting on a chair was the same height as me.
Anyway I am pretty excited and I admit a bit nervous which is rare for me. Doing interviews on the phone 1 on 1 is a much different animal from doing them in scrums with other media folks around of bigger stature than me. However I look forward to it and hope I can get some good from this experience.
I have made it no secret that the Blazers are my team in the west and it’s finally time to see how they match up with the Raptors. Today’s guest preview was contributed by Stu from NBA Noise.
Look, I know we haven’t seen the new look Toronto Raptors play even a single pre-season game, never mind one that counts. But I just have a good feeling about the 2009-2010 edition of the Raptors.
The Raptors certainly look good on paper and GM Bryan Colangelo is cautiously optimistic that his dinos can win 50 games this year.
You know what? Count me in.
15 Years of Raptors Basketball
Calderon will come into the season like a man on a mission, picking up where he left off last season, and will run the team with a more up-tempo style. He will also find more opportunities to shoot the ball as he leaves playmaking, at times, to his other teammates. His injury will not be a factor this season as the time off in the summer has given him time to rest and prepare for the rigors of a long schedule.
Jarrett Jack will provide support off the bench at both guard positions and there will be no questioning of who should start or finish games. Jack will give the Rators a fresh look on the second unit and a valuable piece to plug into key in-game situations. He will be a major improvement over Will Soloman and Roko Ukic and will lead a very deep bench.
25 Raps
If Bosh’s hamstring injury is more than they;re making it out to be and lingers like Calderon’s did, will it have an effect on his max contract?
Only a career threatening injury can dislodge Bosh from a max contract, in my opinion.
However nothing is written in stone, he can have a meltdown, go into the playoffs and not make a shot, be caught up in some scandal. All highly improbable scenarios if you ask me.
If you were the GM and you thought Bosh wasn’t going to re-sign in 2010, would you trade him for, I don’t know, how about SA’s Richard Jefferson and DeJuan Blair plus a future draft pick? You could commit to small ball with Jefferson, get a banger for when the game slows down with Blair, and a possible lottery pick when the Spurs break up in a couple of years.
Everyone has hamstring injuries. For an injury to impact his future earning potential, it needs to be something that will either cause him to miss a significant part of the next few seasons (i.e. chronic plantar fasciitis a la Wally Sczerbiak), or something that will hurt his ability to perform at the same level.
I didn’t put this team together to save my job. I did it because it is my job.
Exactly. I don’t know why people like coming up with crazy conspiracy theories. A season under .500 doesn’t put your head on the chopping block, it just means that you made a mistake and you should fix it. BC is doing his job, and quite radically. Let’s hope this season works out for the better.
u tell them Mr Colangelo p.s screw espn
The Bambino’s homerun over there point of the bat is one of the greatest alltime sports predictions
There was also this fellow named Cassius Clay.
Oh, can anyone remember a raptor 2nd year rookie promising the playoffs to a franchise that never had them?
BC and Triano are talking up DeDe to jack up season ticket sales and camouflage the instability inherent in a team with 9 new players and only a month to make them into a ‘team’ that can survive in the NBA.
Why do I suspect that Bosh is faking a hamstring on instructions from BC and Triano … to see how the newbies step up.. or else they are resting Bosh now because he will be playing 42+minutes a game in the first couple of months of the regular schedule..!!!
Why would they play the shit outta Bosh?? .. Obvious .. to squeeze as many wins as possible before he is traded mid-season at his request now. Hope he racks up high scoring and rebounds so he looks valuable for a trade.
Gawd .. it must be stressful on the coaching staff to mesh the players. Scrimmages must be sloppy and turnover-filled. Look to a lot of experimenting in the pre-season games …!!!!
depressed, suicidal thoughts?
go fuck someone ….
+1
Ok, I’ll bite.
BC and Triano are talking DD up (if that’s what you want to call it) because he is a very promising rookie. He certainly looked good in Summer League and demonstrated growth in his one college year. Yes, it’s a bit of a shot at AB, but he could be the best player they’ve drafted since Bosh.
Why on earth would Bosh fake an injury? This is nutty conspiracy theory at its weirdest. Bosh needs a good year to have plenty of options if he truly wants to play elsewhere. Having a full training camp would help him here. You keep telling everyone that this team needs to gel to go anywhere and I think everyone, including Bosh, agrees with this (we disagee about how long it will take) but CB4 faking an injury to rest would be disruptive.
There’s no indication that they will “play the shit” out of Bosh. Last year, Smitch started CB4 with heavy minutes because he didn’t trust anyone else on the team (rightly so, as it turned out) to score consistently. This year’s team doesn’t look like it has that problem.
Stressful, perhaps, but I’ll bet this is the type of thing that top-level coaches enjoy most. I’ll bet that Jay already knows that he is going to have some sloppy scrimmages at time, especially at the beginning of camp, but this would all be expected as being part of creating a team. In fact, if you think about it, Jay has had plenty of experience mashing together the National team in short order.
I will gladly debate you when you are being sensible. However, continue to make idiotic comments like you did in your post and I’ll not respond any further. I’ll just click “Dislike” and move on.
1. BC and Triano have admitted that it will take time to determine roles and responsibilities. Triano seems open to making adjustments as necessary. BC and Triano are talking up Dede because they want him to be confident. Note that there is always an addendum to the positive element of what they say indicating that he will need to earn his playing time.
2. You suspect that Bosh is faking his hamstring issue because you’re either a combination of conspiracy theorist and idiot (maybe Bosh was on the grassy knoll that afternoon in Dallas – it is his hometown, right?).
3. As for as many wins as possible by mid-season, isn’t that the goal for the entire season. Higher seed means lesser first round opponent.
4. Yes, this should prove highly stressful for a coaching staff that has the full support of management and an assortment of players who bring a variety of different attributes to the table. And I expect that the pre-season will show a variety of different line-ups – that’s why it’s the pre-season.
Now obviously FAQ, you’re simply a troll looking for responses. That being said, your drivel has forced me to look more analytically at a team that I was disgusted with last season, with the overall result that I’m feeling more positive about this Raptors squad and believe that they will actually make the playoffs. Will they go far? Probably not, but step one is getting there.
FAQ = Altraps/Arsenalist. Self sabotage conspiracy theory. You read it here first.
Not to sound negative, but why do you guys have a useless poll of greatest Raptor? More interesting might be greatest Raptor after Bosh and Carter. We all know it will come down to those 2, so why the waste of time?
Because it is not just about who wins it. Through the process you will find what people think of players. For example, people don’t really think highly of Bargs. He lost to a Mo peterson… which was really amusing.
Maybe ’cause Mo Pete was freakin’ awesome! I mean, sure he couldn’t carry us through the injury plagued seasons, but I don’t know why he was expected to. And he’s one of the best perimeter defenders the Raps ever had. His fallout with Mitchell (if we can assume it was a fallout) is the only reason he’s not a Raptor imo.
We could have won that NJ series if Smitch had just put Mo Pete on Vince.
That blew my mind. Not only was he by far our best perimeter defender, but he also played with Vince for years and knew his tendencies. Instead, Smitch brings Mo Pete off the bench, and the rest is history.
Mo shats, indeed.
MoPete has a lot of fan love, and was a Raptor for a much longer time than Bargnani has been. And as you can tell from all the trade suggestions begging to bring MoPete back, he’s on the side of overrated. If anything, that Bargnani almost beat MoPete is kind of surprising.
Yeah that’s right FAQ…and then it will all get revealed when they dig up the ACC and find Jimmy Hoffa buried there with the gun that assassinated Kennedy.
Will somebody please get him his meds.
I wish everyone would ignore FAQ. His attitude and barbs changes from post to post in the hopes of illiciting responses. He probably sits in his Mother’s basement laughing.
Ignore him!
The more I see of the new look Raptors, the more I like!
Jay is emphasizing defense!
Raptors will be tougher than expected.
I’m not convinced of that…they seems to be emphasizing defense, but not only with that you get a good defense team. I think the job with the season going will be even more important in that way, correcting the mistakes the Raps make in games, improving day by day.
Training camp is useful, but I still have my reservations…
Jesus Christ FAQ – Did Colangelo run over your puppy and sleep with your momma! I’m sensing some deep resentment.
Consider me on the optimistic side. Our goal this year is playoffs. Nothing more. Come mid season I might add first round victory but not yet.
Do you know who is going to determine if Bosh stays? BC. If we have a great year the decision is easy, Bosh resigns. If we stink, gone by season’s end. Somewhere in the middle? Totally BC’s call.
Reall y find it hard to swallow some of the negativity. This team has, almost overnite, gotten younger while adding crafty experience, toughness and athleticism lacking for sometime. A team headed in the direction. Prepared to beat the Celtics and Cavs come playoffs? Doubtfull, but that shouldn’t be our goal.
Do you not remember the sad sack roster we finished last season?