"I had a good practice (yesterday) and hopefully another one (today) and hopefully get some playing time (tomorrow) and hopefully be part of the team from now on," said a hopeful Turkoglu, adding that he’s been both mentally and physically worn down since the end of the summer. "I want to try to work my way up to the best shape I can before the regular season starts."
The Raptors open up the regular season on Oct.28 against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Air Canada Centre.
Turkoglu told the Turkish media this summer that he hopes to become an NBA all-star this season.
He certainly had a good year with the Orlando Magic last season, averaging 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists.
Johnson, the last player to go right from high school to the NBA, is also averaging 4.5 fouls, including five, along with 12 boards, in Toronto’s 100-93 win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday afternoon at the Air Canada Centre. However, Triano believes Johnson will cut down on the fouls once he gets comfortable with the new systems.
"The better you understand the schemes, then you’re not rushing, you’re there ahead of the play," Triano said. "He can learn a lot of that from Rasho (Nesterovic). Rasho’s a guy who isn’t quite as quick or explosive, but certainly knows where to be all the time and I think they’re a nice pair.
"His ability to understand when to show and when to get back, and his help-side defence is very good," added the coach. "He’s extremely aware at the defensive end."
“We have a lot of talented guys who can do a lot of good things, but we have to be a group,” said Turkoglu. “Coach Jay is also giving a lot of young guys an opportunity. So we’re in a learning process as a team. Hopefully, as we get close to the season, we’ll all become ready.
“Our expectations are high but we’re capable of (living up to them),” he added.
Turkoglu has only played with one other current member of the Raptors, centre Rasho Nesterovic. The two played for the San Antonio Spurs during the 2003-04 season.”
The 6-foot-9 forward-centre has brought a measure of athleticism to Toronto’s frontline that had been sorely lacking in recent history. He’s shown a willingness to get to loose balls and take up space in the paint and protects the rim as well as anyone on the team.
He’s still raw, but at just 22 years old, there’s lots of promise there.
"I’ve been working a little on my offence this summer, shooting that jumper, but I know the offence will probably come later," he said. "I’m just trying to focus on the things I can do right now."
Coach Jay Triano is reluctant to admit the Raptors had any doubts about Johnson before they acquired him and Sonny Weems from Milwaukee in a trade for Roko Ukic and Carlos Delfino.
Players like to hear that they’re wanted and the coach is accommodating.
Jarrett Jack has done this before. Just last year he had to get used to a new team, the Indiana Pacers, after spending his whole career up to that point with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Last year, he had a new offence to adapt to. This year, the same is the case.
"It didn’t come easy," Jack said yesterday of learning Jim O’Brien’s system in Indiana. "They had a really unorthodox system down there, too. It took us maybe two months to get it down to where we were running it the way we were supposed to. Who knows? Hopefully it won’t take us that long."
Lest they want the Chris Bosh rumours to heat up quickly, the Raptors do not have two months to get the offence clicking. Toronto needs to come out hot when the season kicks off.
Then again, expectations were high for the Raptors last year before their colossal flop. Bosh still hasn’t proven himself as an elite go-to guy, and Calderon’s stock is down from a year ago when he was considered an up-and-coming star point guard. Turkoglu could be the answer, or he could just be a product of the Orlando system who doesn’t perform with a bigger load on his shoulders in Toronto. DeRozan and Johnson will make highlight reels, but also have noticeable holes in their respective games. The wing positions still aren’t ideal: There isn’t a true small forward on the roster behind Turkoglu, and if DeRozan doesn’t make an impact immediately, two-guard is stocked with career role players like Antoine Wright, Belinelli and Quincy Douby.
Speaking of salary dumps, they sold Marco Belinelli to the Raptors for just over $1.5 million in the summer (yes, they got Devean George, but the Raptors gave the Warriors cash to cover his contract this season). Not to say Belinelli’s an all-star or anything, but unless we’re talking soccer the phrase “sold a player” should be reserved for when asking for a loosey. They were rumoured to be interested in Amar’e, until Stephen Curry fell to them at #7 in the draft. Now, they’re being linked with Bosh again, but that’s pure speculation. There’s no way Colangelo is interested in trading Bosh until closer to the deadline at least. And as a Raptors fan, I certainly hope it’s not for a package “centered around Andris Biedrins”.
Triano hasn’t given DeRozan any free-rides; he was yanked out of last Wednesday’s loss to Philadelphia after making a couple of terrible decisions shooting the ball. DeRozan responded to his coach’s tough-love on Friday by picking up a sloppy 11 points against Minnesota, but poured in 19 on Sunday versus Washington when the Raps won their second pre-season contest in a row. Triano will have a difficult decision to make on how to handle this young specimen of athleticism.
CHRIS BOSH WILL HAVE A CAREER YEAR, LEAD THE RAPTORS BACK TO THE PLAYOFFS AND RE-SIGN
Yes, I’ve started out with a bold prediction. First of all, Bosh has never entered a season with so much pressure on him, not only individually, but as a team. Three years ago, when Colangelo took over and remade the roster, no one really expected the Raptors to make a huge impact. The new players were nice, but only T.J. Ford was a proven commodity. It’s different this year.
19 Raps
Off Track
——————
I watched the Clippers-Warriors game last night.
A couple of comments
1. Something happened in that game that I have never ever seen before in a preseason game either on TV or in the box score. I will probably never ever see it again.
A plyaer played all 48 minutes in a preseason game. Yes, Nellie kept A. Murrow in for all 48 minutes. At the end of the game Murrow didn’t seem a bit tired as his magnificent jumper just kept going swish, swish and swish. It is a thing of beauty to watch for sure.
2. Blake Griffin was pretty impressive. The Warriors tired playing Maggette and M. Moore and S. Pruitt on him. Griffin was too tall for Maggette and too strong for Moore. Pruitt who is more Griffin’s size seemed to do a little better defending him.
However, Griffin is probably too quick for any big man in the NBA to guard. He will be monster no doubt, even with the “current holes” he has in his game.
“Lest they want the Chris Bosh rumours to heat up quickly, the Raptors do not have two months to get the offence clicking. Toronto needs to come out hot when the season kicks off.”
1. Bosh wants to play on a winning playoff team.
2. The current edition of the Raptors is not a playoff team.
3. Bosh will not want to play on the Raptors.
Simple Socratic logic …..
Easy there champ. Point #2 is highly debatable therefore point #3 is pointless and stupid.
Try making your argument using some basketball logic instead of whatever the fuck Scorates told you.
Okay, dumbo … this simple enough for ya …???
1. Bosh wants to play on a winning playoff team.
2.
3. Bosh will not want to play on the Raptors.
but then your logic and reasoning is lost…. not that is a suprise to any of us.
if 1 is true
and 2 is now blank (unknown)
therefore 3 has no proof or reasoning
therefore the entire statement is invalid (again not a suprise)
OMG… I feel the retardation setting in again….
Howz this:
1. Bosh wants to play on a winning playoff team.
3. Bosh will not want to play on the Raptors.
that is no different than before
1. Bosh wants his guaranteed $130 million contract.
2. Bosh knows only Toronto can sign him to that contract.
3. Bosh isn’t an idiot and isn’t going to give up $30 million of his guaranteed money to have a shot at getting his name on some title. A shot everyone knows is never guaranteed.
Money Talks and BS walks – NO One has ever walked away from that much money before!
Only a total fool risks their fortune for a chance at fame!
Bosh isn’t a fool.
Under the current CBA, No player has ever left their current team’s max offer to sign for less elsewhere. This isn’t some hobby job!! There’s Real Money in Play Here!
brothersteve … What if BC only offers Bosh the same any other team would offer … some $100 Million over what .. 5 years … would Bosh walk???
Why should MLSE pay a premium for Bosh when they can pick up a couple of decent athletes for the same money and make the Raps a more competitive team than they would with Bosh … plus the protection of having two players rather than risking it all on one player – Bosh.
Bosh is nothing special, and it’s only the besotted tribal honkers who can’t live without him on the Raptors.
I think most people would say the current edition of the Raptors ARE a playoff team.
Second round might be a stretch, but they’ll make the playoffs baring a disaster of some sort
I think yer statement would be more assertive if you also capitalized “most” … but you are wise to insert the codicil “baring[sic] a disaster of some sort” … (”baring” means going naked .. which I guess would be a disaster too ..)
Man, that argument may not even be valid, regardless of whether number 2 is true.
“winning playoff team” (in 1) may not be the same as “playoff team” (2). Is a “winning playoff team” a team that makes it to the playoffs, or a team that wins in the playoffs? If it is the second sense, then your argument is invalid, because that is different than what you have in the second premise.
I can’t believe I just wasted my time poking holes in this guy’s screwed logic, which he has employed repeatedly over the last few months to support absurd conclusions like the Raptors will be winless for the first two months. Who do they look like, the Leafs???
Seriatim:
- “may not be valid”? .. it’s either valid or not valid … yer argument is slightly pregnant …
- okay … “losing playoff team” … happy ..???
- not ‘winless for the first two months’ … maybe in the first month …
.
“Let him that would move the world, first move himself.”
Socrates (on Bosh)
As for your take on making the play-offs, and that opinion, I’ll have to quote Socrates once again ….
“One thing only I know, and that is that I know nothing.”
.
To Bosh or not to Bosh, that is the Question ….
LOOOOLL, why is everyone replying to FAQ :) Who the F…. is this guy ??? LOOOOLLL
FAQ takes some getting used to! He is the only Raptor hater who spends hours on a Raptor Blog site! I bet he wakes up every morning and is pissed because of it! He gives the mailman the finger, curses his wife and kicks the dog on the way out the door and his logic sucks (as it usually does) but he does often shine some reality on the Raptor Lovers and when you get right down to it…is he wrong in his thinking? Toronto looks to be a 42-48 win team. The hope is they finish 4-5 to give themselves a possible victory in the playoffs. If it doesn’t happen they are going against Bos, Orl or Cle and will get crushed! If that happens will Bosh reup? The Raptors could resign him and still have their midlevel to sign a decent FA.
So if they win 45 games, come 6th, lose to Orlando in 4, and then add a SG with the $$$ Under that senario I would put the chances of Bosh signing at less than 25%.
What will make him stay? He needs to have a reason to believe this team is going some where and their is only 1 thing that will make him believe that the Raptors have a chance to compete for a title in the next 3 years. One of our young talents needs to make him believe they will be a star! Bargnani or DeRozan need to be special this year. If DeRozan plays to a level where Bosh can say this guy is an All Star in the making then even if we win 30 Games Bosh will Stay. If Bargnani can realize the potential and show that he can play team D and protect the paint while grabbing 8 boards….He Stays. If Bargs is Bargs and Calderon plays solid and DeRozan is okay. Bosh is gone to a warmer setting via sign and trade. Believe it. We may even be better off for it but he will leave if they have no reason to believe they can make many more steps with the current roster because Colangelo’s sleeves are getting empty and time is running out on this core to prove they are worth holding on to.
i completely agree on Bosh. I think he knows that two or more stars makes a championship. If the Raps will not go over the cap next year when that is the only way to have the possibility for postseason success, then Bosh will likely leave.
But, Mark did point out something else that might make him stay:
If DeRozan proves to be the next T-Mac, or Bellinelli the next Manu, then that may also do the trick. The problem is, both these guys are projects and will be for a couple of years most likely.
Sorry FAQ, that last post made me sound like I hate you! I don’t. I just get a kick out of your glass is COMPLETELY EMPTY attitude :)