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ESPN Insider: Hollinger's Raptors Outlook (Revisited 2010/11 Season)

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  • ESPN Insider: Hollinger's Raptors Outlook (Revisited 2010/11 Season)

    Here's John Hollinger's preview of the Raptors. Can't post the entire article for obvious reasons, but he goes on the say that our biggest strength is shooting and our biggest weakness is frontcourt defense. No surprises there.

    Outlook
    Toronto was the league's worst defensive team and no player on its roster finished in the top 75 in PER last season. Other than that, everything should be great.

    While the Raptors have several players who can score at a respectable clip, they're likely to struggle again on the defensive end. One hopes the effort will be less pathetic than it was a season ago, but with the same coaching staff and many of the same players, there isn't any compelling reason to suspect that will happen.

    Instead, I expect Toronto to be on the tail end of numerous 128-110 shellackings. The Raptors have some shooters but lack star talent on offense, so minus Bosh it will be difficult for them to rank above the league average at that end. Meanwhile, they'll again place 29th or 30th in defensive efficiency.

    Add it all up and it should be a long, bitter winter in Toronto. Raps fans straining for good news will note that Toronto has more rebuilding pieces in place than most teams in this situation, as the roster is fairly young, there's cap space in the future and the draft will begin pushing it forward in coming seasons.

    But for 2010-11? This is going to be ugly; in fact, Toronto may finish with the league's worst record. I'd be shocked if the Raptors so much as challenged for the playoffs, let alone qualified for them.

    Prediction: 22-60, 5th in Atlantic Division, 15th in Eastern Conference
    Source - ESPN Insider - Raptors Preview

  • #2
    do you think the players or raptors coaching staff read articles about the team?

    i think they should, and share things like this with the organization to serve as extra motivation on the upcoming season.
    dont know about you guys but me personally, one of the worst feelings is knowing that people think you suck, so youd try to do everything in your power to change the mind of people.

    Comment


    • #3
      surely the young guns have to be checking the espn site regularly, so hopefully they take this as motivation and do well this season.

      Comment


      • #4
        We'll be pretty bad. 22 wins is a bit low though. There's a consolation prize though - a possible top-5 pick.

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        • #5
          I think he's bang on as far as the win-loss prediction. I think it's going to be in the 20's somewhere... and looking at the East it's hard to find a team that is going to be worse (several candidates in the West though). I disagree on the Defensive/Offensive ratings - We improved on Defense simply by ditching a few of the poorer defenders who through their lack of effort had a cancerous effect on our team defense. I also think he's giving us too much offensive credit - too many players playing big roles for the first time to expect us to expect us to be above the average for offensive numbers.... but overall his predictions are solid.
          When Tom Chambers dunks an NBA player gets their hops...

          Comment


          • #6
            tbihis wrote: View Post
            do you think the players or raptors coaching staff read articles about the team?

            i think they should, and share things like this with the organization to serve as extra motivation on the upcoming season.
            dont know about you guys but me personally, one of the worst feelings is knowing that people think you suck, so youd try to do everything in your power to change the mind of people.
            Triano did say on numerous occasions that the media writing them off this early served as motivation for them. Words though, don't mean much.

            Comment


            • #7
              On the bright side, if we finish last in the Atlantic division, we will get relegated to the Far East Atlantic division (a.k.a. the Euroleague). We can become a Euro superteam. It's all part of Maurizio & BC's master plan. ;-)

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              • #8
                I think it's kind of odd that to Hollinger Marc Iavaroni and PJ Carlesimo are apparently the same person.

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                • #9
                  daveyboy wrote: View Post
                  I think it's kind of odd that to Hollinger Marc Iavaroni and PJ Carlesimo are apparently the same person.
                  I keep telling this to people but despite the lack of action on the trade and TPE front, the biggest, most important, and least discussed move this off-season was bringing on P.J. Carlesimo.

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                  • #10
                    What I think will happen is they'll start the season in the basement and by the end of the season they'll be sitting 10th worst, having effectively played themselves out of the playoffs in the first two or three months and then played themselves out of a high lotto pick in the last three months. Classic Raptors basketball.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Matt52 wrote: View Post
                      I keep telling this to people but despite the lack of action on the trade and TPE front, the biggest, most important, and least discussed move this off-season was bringing on P.J. Carlesimo.
                      You mean the guy who blew a golden opportunity to coach and mold Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook? The guy who follows Rick Adelman and makes those teams worse (POR, GSW)? The guy who got choked by Latrell Sprewell? THAT is our biggest, most important off-season move?

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        golden wrote: View Post
                        You mean the guy who blew a golden opportunity to coach and mold Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook? The guy who follows Rick Adelman and makes those teams worse (POR, GSW)? The guy who got choked by Latrell Sprewell? THAT is our biggest, most important off-season move?
                        I suggest you review his coaching career:

                        Assistant coach on Dream Team '92

                        Sprewell choked him? Did you ever consider Sprewell is a douchebag? "I ain't takin' no $24M/3yr extension. I got to feed my family man." What happened the next year? Sprewell never played again and I believe all his possessions have been repossessed since as well. Did you ever consider Sprewell had the issues? Did you ever consider Sprewell was a primadona who couldn't handle a demanding coach who expect accountability? Oh right! Isn't that what Triano was oft-criticized for last year along with defense.

                        After Carlesimo followed Adelman in Portland in '94, the team made the playoffs each year. They did not make it out of the first round of the playoffs though but the Blazers played better defense under him than any other Blazers coach. He came in at the end of Drexler's run with the vetern players and before the Blazers became the JailBlazers.

                        He did shit with the Warriors I'll give you that but have you seen the players he had to work with? And who has had any success in Oakland the last 17 years minus Don Nelson's 8th seed/1st round victory? ANSWER: No one.

                        What about the positives?

                        The guy worked for 5 years with one of the most successful coaches and organizations of hte last 15 years. How many former Spurs front office guys are working around the league?

                        You should also look back at Seattle's roster from 2007-08 and 2008-09. Then when you get wood from the names there remember the first year Durant and Green were rookies and had little else plus they finished with the worst recored in the West I believe. THen in 2008-09 they started 1-12 with a rookie PG in Westbrook.

                        Taking nothing away from Scott Brooks, but he came in with the golden opportunity not Carlesimo. Carlesimo gets this assist here.

                        You are entitled to your own opinion, obviously, but you shoud make sure you give the whole picture instead of spouting half truths.

                        Carlesimo has a proven record of teaching/coaching great defense and getting results while taking no shit or excuses. I think this is great for a young team.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Arsenalist wrote: View Post
                          Triano did say on numerous occasions that the media writing them off this early served as motivation for them. Words though, don't mean much.
                          The media has been written them off for the past 2 years and the media and critics were right! MLSE marketing spin doctors are doing whatever they can to convince the casual fan that this team has a legit shot in making the playoffs.

                          If there ever was a season to finish in the bottom 3 teams in the league and potentially get a shot in a player via the draft that could turn this franchise around, it would be this upcoming season. This group of guys are here to build something for the long haul but they can't do that until they get at least one legit star in one of the starting position while hoping that Derozan will become the other star.

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                          • #14
                            Hotshot wrote: View Post
                            The media has been written them off for the past 2 years and the media and critics were right! MLSE marketing spin doctors are doing whatever they can to convince the casual fan that this team has a legit shot in making the playoffs.

                            If there ever was a season to finish in the bottom 3 teams in the league and potentially get a shot in a player via the draft that could turn this franchise around, it would be this upcoming season. This group of guys are here to build something for the long haul but they can't do that until they get at least one legit star in one of the starting position while hoping that Derozan will become the other star.
                            For sure, throw in Irving/Barnes/Jones and get another big guy via trade or FA and there will be a great foundation there for years to come.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Matt52 wrote: View Post
                              I suggest you review his coaching career:

                              Assistant coach on Dream Team '92

                              Sprewell choked him? Did you ever consider Sprewell is a douchebag? "I ain't takin' no $24M/3yr extension. I got to feed my family man." What happened the next year? Sprewell never played again and I believe all his possessions have been repossessed since as well. Did you ever consider Sprewell had the issues? Did you ever consider Sprewell was a primadona who couldn't handle a demanding coach who expect accountability? Oh right! Isn't that what Triano was oft-criticized for last year along with defense.

                              After Carlesimo followed Adelman in Portland in '94, the team made the playoffs each year. They did not make it out of the first round of the playoffs though but the Blazers played better defense under him than any other Blazers coach. He came in at the end of Drexler's run with the vetern players and before the Blazers became the JailBlazers.

                              He did shit with the Warriors I'll give you that but have you seen the players he had to work with? And who has had any success in Oakland the last 17 years minus Don Nelson's 8th seed/1st round victory? ANSWER: No one.

                              What about the positives?

                              The guy worked for 5 years with one of the most successful coaches and organizations of hte last 15 years. How many former Spurs front office guys are working around the league?

                              You should also look back at Seattle's roster from 2007-08 and 2008-09. Then when you get wood from the names there remember the first year Durant and Green were rookies and had little else plus they finished with the worst recored in the West I believe. THen in 2008-09 they started 1-12 with a rookie PG in Westbrook.

                              Taking nothing away from Scott Brooks, but he came in with the golden opportunity not Carlesimo. Carlesimo gets this assist here.

                              You are entitled to your own opinion, obviously, but you shoud make sure you give the whole picture instead of spouting half truths.

                              Carlesimo has a proven record of teaching/coaching great defense and getting results while taking no shit or excuses. I think this is great for a young team.
                              Sorry, but those "positives" aren't exactly knocking my socks off. Catching a ride on the Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich gravy train as your biggest accomplishment doesn't exactly scream "most important off-season move". And let's face it, PJ is only the assistant coach. The head coach is the one who demands the accountability and enforces that by doling out minutes and roles. Jay's got to do that - not PJ. The real positive here is that we've got an assistant coach waiting in the wings who will get into guys faces. Hopefully the players recognize that and will play for Jay if for no other reason than to avoid the alternative. His bigger contribution might be helping Jay grow a pair, in which case I would start to agree with you.

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