Of road trips and shooting drills and all sorts of fun things
The fact that teams are cutting costs these days is nothing new ? the fact just about every corporation in the world is cutting costs these days is not new, in fact – and the Raptors point was hammered home a little bit yesterday. Counting heads when we got into practice ? it’s something we do every day – there was one guy missing: Assistant coach Micah Nori. Figured he hadn’t gone off to help the Evil Empire Yankees hit with men in scoring position (he was a Mighty Yankees hitting consultant this summer) but where in the world could he be? Then it him me: He had to be off scouting the Cavs before opening night.
Raptors? Johnson back on familiar turf
Johnson, a reserve forward with the Toronto Raptors, spent 22 games, or the better part of three months, in South Dakota three years ago, playing for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the National Basketball Development League. He’ll be back there Friday, when the Raptors close out their NBA pre-season schedule against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was pretty good, Sioux Falls. It kind of grows on you, Johnson said. ‘there’s not too much to do. The fans are great. The food was great, actually. Johnson might not know everything about Sioux Falls – population: almost 155,000, as of last year; area code 605 – but the Raptors might learn a little bit about themselves there Friday.
In Raptors’ final pre-season tuneup, Johnson knows role – thestar.com
Johnson's had a solid pre-season and, with an injury to Reggie Evans taking one Toronto big man out of the rotation, seems poised to play significant minutes once the regular season begins Wednesday.
Toronto Raptors-roster analysis 2009-2010 NBA preview – NBA – SI.com
DeMar DeRozan is going to be a premier rookie, Hedo Turkoglu was a good get and they have better backups up front and at point guard. I like this team now. They're going to be back in the playoffs. The big story is going to be whether they can keep Chris Bosh as a free agent this summer. It's important for them to have a good year because if they don't make the playoffs, it will be devastating.
Quincy Douby loves Toronto, despite the trade that wasn’t – Posted Sports
The situation was this: Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo had signed free agent Hedo Turkoglu, but he was in the midst of turning that signing into a four-team sign-and-trade to ensure the Raptors could keep some of their salary cap exceptions that they would otherwise have had to forfeit.
Raptors just what Toronto needs
But for the Raptors, who open the NBA regular season against Cleveland next Wednesday at the Air Canada Centre, things might just be getting good. Toronto is craving a winner, and winning creates bandwagons crammed with casual fans that, once upon a time, helped the Jays set those attendance records.
Can Toronto Build a Winner Around Bosh? – The Wages of Wins Journal
The Toronto Raptors appear to be on a mission. Somehow, someway, this team needs to convince Chris Bosh to stay in Canada. The issue for the Raptors isn’t money. To convince Bosh to stay, Toronto must convince Bosh that he will someday play for a winner. So far, though, the facts presented to Bosh haven’t been too convincing.
Not Raptor related, but I always wondered what happened to Bryant Reeves: After six seasons as a Grizzly, "Big Country" retired from the NBA in 2001 at the ripe old age of 28, with chronic back pain. The big man from Gans, Oklahoma (population 208) was a big scorer at Oklahoma State University and also a great rebounder.
What Makes A Great Scorer? : The Picket Fence
Bargnani's big enough to score over smaller defenders inside, which makes him a bit of a matchup nightmare. It’s no wonder many Raptor fans foresee stardom in Bargnani’s future. The problem, however, is that despite Bargnani being a great shooter, he’ll simply never become a great scorer. Why? The answer lies with his inability to get to the line.
Match Ups – Toronto Raptors v/s Indiana Pacers – Heels on Hardwood
A lot of the hopes for moderate success in Indianapolis hinge on the health of Mike Dunleavy, Jr. The offseason loss of Jarrett Jack means that TJ Ford, Danny Granger and the recently acquired Earl Watson are really the team’s only capable perimeter ball-handlers other than MDJ, who was essentially the Pacers de facto “point forward” much of the time he was on the floor the last time he was, you know, actually on the floor. So if he can’t suit up and be 100% for more than, say, 60 games, that doesn’t bode well at all for Indiana.
Is 2010 Jose Calderon’s All-Star Year? | Bleacher Report
But this year, Jose Calderon has slipped below the radar of many NBA analysts and, sadly, many Toronto Raptors fans. Sometimes we need to be reminded that each season Toronto fans have witnessed the development of one of the better point guards in the NBA.
Toronto Raptors Starting Shooting Guard Dilemma – Brothersteve’s Green & Red Raptor Blog
The contrarian view says DeRozan just isn’t ready to start. He is too young and too inexperienced to be asked to guard a NBA starting shooting guard on a nightly basis. A bad experience could hurt his confidence and retard his development. This is definitely a decision best left up to the coaches. If Jay Triano believes DeRozan’s development is best served by starting, he is in the best position to make this determination.
Devlin And The Czar: Part 1 – Oct. 22, 2009
Check out part one of Matt Devlin's audio interview with Mike Fratello!
34 Raps
Has the tsunami already hit RR?
Anyway: if Bosh stays, good. If he walks, we should get a real center (someone like Brook Lopez) via some deal, and play Bargs at the 4 spot. We should be fine with that and probably his lack of rebounds wouldn’t be noticed as much as today.
I’m curious about this. Bosh already averages about 10 rebounds per game. What difference will it make if we grab a centre that does the same thing? Are we hoping that centre will only focus on rebounding and average something like 14 rebounds per game instead?
I think a defensive center as opposed to offensive is what this poster was suggesting. I too believe that if we could get a defensive center or at least one that is more interested in rebounding/blocking/defense and scoring just on putbacks (ideal average 10, 14, 1.5 or something similar) would be the best complement to Bargs….IF bosh is traded.
I am not advocating the trading of Bosh, but IF it has to happen, I would want someone similar (is there anyone in the league like that) to the above in return….
career stats for Emeka Okafor: 14.03 pts rebs 10.65 and 1.88 blocks
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/playerStats?statsId=3819
Yes, he’d give us more BPG and more RPG, so I can see him paired with Bargnani as well. In fact, his career numbers are all better than David Lee’s. Only Dwight Howard is superior in both stats, and there’s no way we’d be lucky enough to get him!
You’re right, rebounds would probably remain roughly the same, but rebounds are not the key there, more of a general issue for the Raps. I’m just saying it wouldn’t be noticed that much, because the play interaction between the 4 and the 5 would work better than now. Bosh and Bargs tend to overlap on the same hunting grounds on offense at times, which is not good for the front court balance. A true centre would change that: on defense (besides other aspects) you could display a blocking duo of 7 footers – don’t forget that Bargs has improved on defense and blocked shots – , on offense I have no doubt Andrea could play the 4 (mmm, actually he already does, as does CB4. That’s what we have right now, 2 PF, no C), and he would match pretty well with a real low-post player. This would eventually work in the same way or better even in a vice versa situation: Bargs gone, Bosh staying.
I know both Bosh and Bargs have said to be committed to play more low-post and back-to-the-basket ball this year, so I’m really curious to see how things will work out on offense. Hopefully very well. But if Bosh decides to go away, we’ll surely lose a great player, but gain a more balanced front court.
The contrarian view says DeRozan just isn’t ready to start. He is too young and too inexperienced to be asked to guard a NBA starting shooting guard on a nightly basis. A bad experience could hurt his confidence and retard his development.>>
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Growing up where DeRozan did, I don’t think “a bad experience” will hurt his confidence.
The question is simply. Are the Raptors best served with DeRozan starting or someone else like Wright starting?
I would start DeRozan and let him work through the rookie mistakes. If the Raptors do that and stick with him, by the second half of season after the all-star game DeRozan will more than make the coaches and fans happy that they did.
I agree, That garbage about hurting his confidence is silly. If he is the best then he will start and play big minutes. It’s not about nuturing him or throwing him to the wolves its about winning games. If he’s the best great! If he’s not, then he will play back up minutes.
Anyone one who thinks they shouldn’t play him as much even if he is the best option because the better SG’s in the league might get the best of him knows so little about basketball I can’t even tell you. If he could get rattled by that he’s not a star anyway. This guy is a stud from Compton who is best friends with Lil’ Romeo. He comes across as humble and soft spoken but I don’t buy it. I garauntee he has the swagger to compete and the other thing is who gets their confidence hurt by getting scored on by Bryant or Wade? Nobody! They score on everybody! If Delonte West and Courtney Lee are lighting you up then you have a problem but it ain’t happening so stop saying it.
It is important that we win as much as possible by Christmas. If Bargnani, Bosh, Turkoglu & Calderon are mostly about O, then it just makes common sense to start Wright to balance it out with some more D. And if Evans, Johnson & Jacks are mostly about D, then it just makes common sense to sub DeRozan to balance it out with some more O. I think that even if we don’t start out that way, that’s were we’ll be soon enough.
I agree. The argument was not that DeRozan would get rattled by the other star SGs of the league. It’s that the entire team would suffer while he learned the ropes during the first stretch of the season. And looking at how tough our early schedule is, I’d rather have Wright out there.
But consider this if Wright started. Wright won’t be getting the same starters minutes that LeBron James or Ray Allen will be getting. So DeRozan will still be getting experience guarding the top tier talent in the league. He just won’t get so much of it. Sometimes he’ll be playing against LeBron, and other times he’ll be playing against Jamario Moon.
If DeRozan begins to prove he’s better than Wright as the season progresses, then you start him. But to say “You’ll have 8 minutes in the first and 8 minutes in the 3rd, show me what you’ve got.” is ridiculous. If DeRozan is getting exposed in the first 8 minutes of the game and Triano’s consensus is that “You don’t lose games in the first 8 minutes”… well, you just let LeBron get going. Now that he’s on fire, who’s going to stop him?
We haven’t seen Wright play in a raps uni yet, but if last season is any indication he is certainly capable. Dallas even had a similar line up back then loaded with offensive talent, just like we do now. It just fits!
I expect DeMar DeRozan will start as it’s the best option Jay has.
STARTING LINEUP: I think Wright should start at SG, for his defense. DeRozan can be an athletic, scoring spark on the 2nd unit, along with Jack. The rest of the 2nd unit is going to be defensive minded (Rasho/Evans/Johnson) and an inconsitent/streaky shooter (Belinelli). I know there have been comments made about DeRozan being better overall than Wright and that DD should start because he deserves more minutes – remember, just because one player starts the game, it doesn’t automatically mean he plays more minutes by the time the game is done. Start Wright, with DD averaging more minutes per game.
BOSH: IF Bosh does leave, the type of player the Raps should go after is David Lee. Lee had the most double-doubles in the NBA last season, plays an inside game and is far more aggressive going after rebounds than Bosh. Obviously Bosh is a better shooter and all-around player, but a PF with a game like Lee’s would be a good compliment to Bargnani’s outside-first game. Also, IMO, there is no way that Bargnani is a legit PF in this league, he is a C. As long as one of our C/PF has a strong inside presence, that is all that matters – we get in trouble having Bosh/Bargnani whenever Bosh forgets about his inside game and falls in love with 15′ jumpers. I would love to Raps to keep Bosh, but David Lee would be my #1 backup plan if Bosh does leave.
“IF Bosh does leave, the type of player the Raps should go after is David Lee.”
Because the Raptors need another big man who is a weak defender? I don’t understand Raptor fans’ fascination with this guy. Lee is a great rebounder, but he would immediately become the worst defender on the front line. And I, as well as many others, have a feeling his stats are inflated because of the style of play.
If Bosh leaves, what the Raptors need is a rebounding guy who can also play tough defense. Okafor would be nice, if he could stay healthy, hell even Joakim Noah (14th in blocks per minute and 11th in rebounds per minute, last season). If the Raptors are forced to replace Bosh, somehow, then they need someone who has a good chance to one day be on the All-Defensive team, simply to make up for the weaknesses of the other starters. Just to tantalize people, if Bosh decides to sign with Chicago, would the Raptors be able to do a sign and trade and get Noah?
I agree. Lee is good offensively and at rebounding, but has flaws on the defense, plus he tends to disappear in the 4th. The fact he couldn’t get an acceptable contract outside NY speaks a lot about this. A Noah or Lopez kind of guy is what we would need, should Bosh leave: rebounds are looked like the real problem, but I think it’s more about chemistry between the 4 and the 5. You can always make some minor move on the roster to add a few overall rebounds. But if you play with 2 PF on your starting 5, there’s a little you can do about it in a short period of time. I hope CB4 and AB7 can mix things up in the front court this season, and show they can cohabit in a productive way.
If one is going by stats per minute, Chris Anderson, DeAndre Jordan, Roy Hibbert & Sam Delembert have to be added to Joakim Noah, and there may be more …
I support the David Lee suggestion. A player with high rebound stats is needed to be paired upfront with Bargnani. Another suggestion would be Andris Biedrins. In addition, David Lee only has a one year contract with the Knicks because of the free agent sweepstakes in 2010. I would love him packaged with Wilson Chandler, the 22 year old swingman for the Bosh trade maybe with Marcus Banks.With Chandler, we sure up our 3 position for the future.The Knicks would like this trade because having Bosh would really attract LeBron or Wade to the Knicks unlike the disparate players they have now.
Biedrins would be great, but he’s also a good defender. Why would you want a below average defender, like Lee, when one of the Raptors obviously weaknesses is defense? Why are so many Raptor fans intent on having these defensively deficient players simply because they put together some nice looking stats (Villanueva, Ben Gordon, Lee)? I don’t get it.
Quite frankly, Lee doesn’t rebounder that much better than Bosh to make up for his defensive deficiencies. At least Bosh is a great scorer.
I really wish people would get off this Bosh for Lee tangent. Bosh is a much more superior player than Lee, and wanting to downgrade to Lee doesn’t make any sense.
Besides, I’m pretty sure Lee can’t be traded this year, because he just signed a one year contract, so let’s just forget about it.
From a psychological point of view, I think that many fans are thinking and talking about trades for Bosh as a defensive stance to prevent them from getting burned emotionally. That is exactly what happened with Vince Carter, and I think that fans want to avoid that whole mess.
If Bosh would show us some more love (e.g., by saying something similar to “If this team grabs the 6th seed or better, I WILL be staying!”) then I think that much of this chatter would die off.
If he really does want out, I think that seeking a solid sign-and-trade is our best option, mainly because we have a set of owners that is willing to spend the cash needed to make us a winner. A sign-and-trade would allow us to stay above the cap, where if Bosh just leaves we simply lose that cap space, regardless of how willing we are to spend the cash (that’s just not how the NBA cap works).
I can see not wanting to get nothing for Bosh, but giving him away at a huge discount on the off chance he won’t re-sign is ridiculous. And Raptor fans have to remember that Vince DID re-sign, but Rob Babock’s moronic moves drove him to want to be traded. If Babcock was smart, the first thing he should have done when he was hired was trade Vince from a team that was obviously far too many pieces away from contending. Instead, he waited a year and a half, while doing nothing to advance the team.
Since Bosh has given absolutely no indication he has been nothing but happy in Toronto, I am going to assume that if the Raptors have a good season and show promise, that Bosh will re-sign. If he doesn’t THEN you cross that bridge and, as you say, get something back in a sign and trade.
No GM has ever been successful by being a chickens**t, and that’s what a lot of fans apparently want. You don’t trade someone at a loss on the off chance they may not re-sign with you.
I actually agree. I am not suggesting a preemptive strike here. I am saying that if Bosh goes to Colangelo and says, “I want out,” that we should try to trade him in a sign-and-trade deal.
What I was talking about in terms of psychology is that I think many fans are more or less preparing themselves for disappointment, but hoping to be proven wrong. It is similar to how the team seems to be looking at this season compared to last season: the staff and players were quite vocal about their high expectations last year, and got burned. This year, people seem to be more reserved and tempering their excitement.
Tim seems right about Lee. Checked up his stats and they show some defensive deficiencies. The goal if Bosh leaves or if he can’t be paid max is to get a power forward with defensive presence coralling a lot of defensive rebounds and can bang in the post – a contrast to Bargnani. That will set this team into the ‘contender” talk as a inside-outside threat like Orlando will be the benchmark. I would prefer players like Emeka Okafor, Andris Biedrins and others. In addition, a young swingman(under 25)like Wilson Chandler will sure up the future after Turkoglu leaves. Finally, if Colangelo wants to see this team win, he needs to employ a big man coach for Amir and Andrea just like the Abdul-Jabbar case with Bynum. In summary, for Toronto to be a ‘contender”:-
1. A big post presence defender like Okafor or Biedrins is needed to cover up for Bargnani’s deficiencies. The inside-outside threat will make this team unpredictable like Orlando.
2.A young swingman(under 25) to sure up the future if Turkoglu regresses or leaves like Wilson Chandler and anyone that comes to mind.
3.More 3 point shooters(let’s face it – Jose and Bargnani are the only 3pt threats, Bellineli has sucked),I would like a Matt Caroll or Jordan Farmar trade for Belinelli and Marcus Banks.
4.A veteran 3 point shooter like Michael Finley, Ime Udoka.
In conclusion, the recipe for a ‘contender’ basketball team is:-
1.Defensive minded players, coaches and coordinators.
2.An inside-outside threat of a low post presence and an array of 3 point shooters like Orlando’s that keeps defenses honest and makes other teams pay for blown defensive assignments.A reason for Cleveland’s failure last season was little low post.
3.Veteran 3 point shooters to close the game out like Turkoglu, Finley or Udoka.
A model team in my example will be a mix of Vujacic, Farmar, Biedrins, Bargnani, Jose, Finley with a couple of other players.
In addition,
4.A veteran coach like Flip Saunders, Larry Brown also will make the team a ‘contender’.
I can’t believe you’re writing Belinelli off after one preseason! The guy is a much better shooter than he’s shown so far. Give him time.
You’re right, judging from preseason only is not enough and equal, but that’s the base a coach dealing with new players has to chose from. I was expecting a lot more from Marco: I still believe he can contribute to this year’s mission, but he has played his cards really bad up to date. He had to show off and deliver in training camp to show Jay he could be up for a starting spot or a short rotation loop. He failed. He can still recover positions coming from deep bench, but it will be difficult. As of today, we’re missing his skills and game instincts’ promises. I’m kind of cold on him right now because, just like you, I think he could be a great shooter and have a huge impact from the bench. But he has failed to impress Triano & C.
Tim, I think Belinelli has been given his chance. So far, he has failed. Getting real tested 3 point shooters like Vujacic or Farmar will really help this team. If they can waive Belinelli, they should or if his contract expires – good riddance. We don’t want streaky 3point shooters, we want consistent ones(like Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis contribute to ‘contender’ teams not streaky ones like Belinelli) as the team knows what it is getting out of its consistent players on a daily basis(3-4 threes per game from Rashard or Ray, 2-3 threes from Sasha and Farmar maybe) unlike Belinelli(how many threes per game?)
CalgaryRapsFan, I agree with your thinking, but your reservation about Bargnani at PF hasn’t convinced me. I’d want to see Lee at C with him for 30 games or so to come to my own determination. BC won’t have that luxury, but that’s what he’s getting paid for.
Already another poll with Andrea Bargnani leading over Chris Bosh. Is this really what you people want? Bargnani leading the team as the franchise palyer. Get real, Bosh is the franchise player, he’s the one who will attract free agents, he’s the one who will win games, he’s the one that keeps them relevant in the media. If he gets traded or signs elsewhere this franchise is screwed. Bosh is the man we must root for the most.
I fully agree with you. However, you are misinterpreting the question, which was “Of our four big guns, who has been the best this pre-season?”
Now, looking at their stats, the answer might be debatable, but Bargnani was there from the first preseason game and has looked consistently solid (from what I’ve seen).
Also, that answer does not mean much. For one, Bosh was injured and missed time. He is starting to warm up. And two, Triano was not playing his true rotation yet, because these games just don’t count.
Again, I fully agree with you, but without having seen the last game (against Boston) I did vote for Bargnani. Bosh is still the vastly superior player (overall).
The team is not screwed if Bosh decides to leave. It just takes us back to the drawing board and might be a blessing in disguise. It will allow us to get a low post presence we need in the weak front court with Bargnani.
Bosh has most likely told BC he wants to be traded asap, because he doesn’t want to jeopardize his career playing on a team that is most likely to flop badly in the regular season.
Triano played Bosh for 36 minutes against Minny, just to pad Bosh’s stats so he looks better than he is for a trade. So obvious …..
This is just about the most ridiculous comment I have ever read…”jeopardize his career”…if the Raptors only win 30 games,Bosh is still going to be sought after as a top free agent. He played 36 minutes against Minnesota…could be because he missed most of the pre-season and Triano is trying to get him back in game shape.I guess Calderon is on the chopping block too…he played 38 minutes. What about all the other players in the league that played 36+ minutes. Are being shopped around as trade bait. Anthony Morrow played two 48 minute games last week and scored 32 and 34 points respectively…So obvious…Nelly is padding his stats so he can trade this young stud with huge potential.
are there any feeds to watch the game tonight…why the hell is minisota so cheap to hire a broadcast crew
Bueller? Bueller?!?