# Raptors 2015/16 Season Discussion Thread



## Porn Player

Coming off the back of our most successful regular season ever (49 wins) and a pathetic playoff performance (0-4), here we are, re-tooled and ready for battle.


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## ozzzymandius

Sooo... Let's see what we've got ... Now I'm just guessing on some players and roles outside of our starting lineup. But here's what I have so far.

Starters, 2nd unit, backups ...

1. Lowry, Joseph, Powell
2. DeRozan, Powell ??? (not sure who's our 2nd here)
3. Carroll, Ross
4. Scola, Patterson, Johnson, Bennett
5. Valanciunas, Biyombo
With ... Caboclo, Nogueira and Wright in the DLeague

Arguably much better than last year in the starting 5. Carroll and Scola just better and more versatile than their predecessors (strangely enough on both sides of the court) except when Ross plays to who he can be ... which is not often enough sadly. Are we in a contract year yet on him? I guess that's when it'll all 'click' right!??! And then we'll get a season of insane level play, followed by an insane contract and then the drop-off... Sigh. 

Still .. Looking forward to a great season. Good Luck to us all  !!!


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## Porn Player

As always, I'm now ridiculously excited. So glad that basketball is back.


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## AllRim

Hell of a 3rd Q. Lowry/JV looked legit. DD showed flashes of all-star play. I liked the feisty effort on D, hopefully our O can gel some, looked very sloppy


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## ozzzymandius

DeRozan 25 points .... I think he was playing down during the preseason on purpose!! Just to make us sweat ... Lowry 23 points ... and Valenciunas with 21 and 15 boards! Wow!! Ugly game in stretches but in the end ... we got the W and that's all that matters ;-) 

Lotsa potential !!


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## Porn Player

I like Carroll, he's like a physical Anthony Parker, exactly what this team was lacking last season. The backup role should allow Ross to play without fear and we might finally see the best out of him. 

Lowry. DeRozan. Valanciunas. 

The big three.


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## Porn Player

DeRozan continued his strong play. 

The big thing for me, Carroll and Ross our SF rotation both scored 20+ points.


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## seifer0406

I don't understand Casey's hate for JV. The guy was a boss in the first game and this game he ends up playing 23 min. I know he had foul trouble but let the guy play through it.


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## Porn Player

seifer0406 said:


> I don't understand Casey's hate for JV. The guy was a boss in the first game and this game he ends up playing 23 min. I know he had foul trouble but let the guy play through it.


If you ever truly want to be happy, you will have to let go of any hope in understanding Casey.


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## ozzzymandius

Ohhh WOW!! The last two games were stunning. Not perfect but, MAN... We've really got something going on here!! I'm Starting to like Biyombo. Rough night in finishing for him but right place, right time and additive to the game overall. He'll get his. Ross doing it again!! Patterson making shots, JV just beasting it, Carroll making a huge difference..... AND ... I even have to call out Casey for that key timeout in the 4th. Good play right off of that and then the team just coming together to close out the game and shut the door. 
DAMN!!! Solid game and the defense making a difference. 
Don't look now, but this team is seriously on the rise!!


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## AllRim

Tough road sched upcoming, true test time. Impressed with Ross off the bench, seems that's where his comfort level is at.


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## Porn Player

Pretty dominant performance. Has Jonas finally taken the step? He looks great. 

I'm very happy with what I've seen from almost everybody. It's weird, I'm not even mad at Casey. Oh and kudos to the man for becoming the franchises most winning coach of all time.


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## RollWithEm

AllRim said:


> Tough road sched upcoming, true test time. Impressed with Ross off the bench, seems that's where his comfort level is at.


This is the most impressive thing I've seen in the (very) young season from this Raptors team. Ross is really embracing this role and excelling at it. He might actually be a 6MOY candidate. Didn't really see that one coming.


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## AllRim

RollWithEm said:


> This is the most impressive thing I've seen in the (very) young season from this Raptors team. Ross is really embracing this role and excelling at it. He might actually be a 6MOY candidate. Didn't really see that one coming.


Ya hopefully its not a short term showing. I actually saw him attack the basket, which was unheard of until now.


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## ozzzymandius

But yet we haven't put in a contract extension offer to him yet. Tonight (30 minutes to go) to NBA deadline and still nothing on the airwaves.... Hope they do something before this becomes a distraction for Ross and the team.


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## AllRim

ozzzymandius said:


> But yet we haven't put in a contract extension offer to him yet. Tonight (30 minutes to go) to NBA deadline and still nothing on the airwaves.... Hope they do something before this becomes a distraction for Ross and the team.


well you got your wish, at an extremely hefty price.


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## AllRim

SCOOOOOOOOOLA


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## ozzzymandius

I wonder if Casey is lamenting all the end of game scenarios last season when left JV on the bench?? Cause he dang well should be after last nights dominant play!! He helped us just blow it open. Very sweet win!! 
Honorable mentions....Lowry, Scola, Derozan, JV !!
What the hell happened.... Patterson, Carroll, Ross (when Demar signed his WTF contract he came out and destroyed in his first game!!!) from TR we got fizz :-(


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## RollWithEm

This game @OKC tonight should be a real barometer for where this team actually stands in the grand scheme of the early season.


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## AllRim

4 point game and the Bismack gets tagged with the worst offensive foul call i have ever seen, then they T him up and a 4 point play ensues........ that completely changed the game. Doubt the Raps bounce back from that


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## AllRim

Well I was wrong, they over came it. DD and the D went crazy in the last 6 minutes. Huge W


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## ozzzymandius

Who are these guys?!?!???
Talk about finding a way to WIN.... Just Do It!! 

Did anybody see this coming?? Off of a back to back on top of it??


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## RollWithEm

Best player on the floor tonight for the Raptors for my money... albeit in limited minutes... was Cory Joseph. Incredible job by him.


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## RollWithEm

I also think the Lowry/Joseph/DeRozan/Carroll/JVal line-up that they closed the game with is probably their best 5 guys. That line-up should see a ton of floor time together moving forward.


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## Porn Player

We look like the best team in the East. This feels different as well, it feels legit.


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## ozzzymandius

Has anyone seen our teeth??
CAUSE THEY JUST GOT KICKED IN!!! AGAIN!!!
Bosh, Winslow, Whiteside!!! Sweet Jesus! Call us an ambulance ...


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## Porn Player

That Heat team is sneaky good.


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## RollWithEm

Porn Player said:


> That Heat team is sneaky good.


I don't think it's all that sneaky. If they learn to play together, they are just going to be legitimately good.


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## Porn Player

RollWithEm said:


> I don't think it's all that sneaky. If they learn to play together, they are just going to be legitimately good.


Looking at the squad, I agree. But were they all that different last year?


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## RollWithEm

Porn Player said:


> Looking at the squad, I agree. But were they all that different last year?


Totally different team last year. No Bosh, very little Wade, no Dragic for half the year, Whiteside developed later in the season, no Gerald Green, etc.


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## Porn Player

RollWithEm said:


> Totally different team last year. No Bosh, very little Wade, no Dragic for half the year, Whiteside developed later in the season, no Gerald Green, etc.


So it was the same team, they're just all able to play this year.


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## Porn Player

DMC needs to return. We're horrible without him.


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## Porn Player

Or we just need to play the 76ers every night. 

Luis Scola is such an underrated basketball player, I can't believe we managed to snag him for next to nothing. 

Jonas has elevated, he's playing much bigger and a more imposing style of basketball. No more stupid pump fakes, he's actually just getting into his man, using his size and then finishing well. His shooting numbers are ridiculous, 61 FG% and 77 FT% (65.7 TS%). 

Nice to see Powell get a few buckets, including a beautiful break away jam.


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## Porn Player

The progression of JV continues, he beasted on the Pelicans for 20/10. 

Tough schedule of games coming up, all on the road, let's see how we do.


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## ozzzymandius

That was a hard loss. No reason at all for that collapse.


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## ozzzymandius

Too Much GState....
Too much Curry, Thompson, Green, Bogut
Too much individual play, too many stolen balls off the inbounds, lazy passes
Too many open threes, too much of their offense and not enough of our defense. 

And even with all of that... We close the gap in the third qtr from 17 down to 6 down and still working hard with heads held up high ... Gotta love the ability to stick with it.


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## ozzzymandius

Closed it down to just one point .... But here comes Curry back on the floor :'-(


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## AllRim

I'm not one to blame refs but that loose ball call Joseph was absurd, and that offensive foul on Lowry should be a play on in that situation (usually always let go in late game situations) not to mention the 2 apologies the Raps have already received from the NBA makes me a little curious with how our games are being officiated.


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## Porn Player

Impressive that we played them close.


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## ozzzymandius

So after taking care of business with the Lakers (with a good effort from everyone... I could expand on that but we all saw it) we lost JV. That hurts a lot!! At least he's chosen rehab over surgery so that's a really good sign (the fact that he had the option at all anyways). So now to make things really interesting we're calling up Bebe!! Yeah we're going to see Lucas Nogueira in action!!! Naturally for very, very limited minutes and only as a last resort when we just need some size.
Should be interesting..... http://www.nba.com/raptors/press-releases/nogueira-112115


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## Porn Player

DMC looking great to start this Clipper game. Biyombo bring a lot of energy on the boards, causing LAC a lot of problems.


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## Porn Player

We're up by 26 or something stupid and we're not even at the half. The Clippers have played horribly, but give credit to our guys, we're relentless, we're punishing everything. That's what the good teams do. 

DMC has tied his season high in points already too, let's see what he can do.


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## Porn Player

End of the 1st half and we're up by 29. That's remarkable. 

I've never seen the Clippers play this poorly, the announcers were talking about their shitty schedule, but still, they have zero life in them.


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## ozzzymandius

Yeah it's crazzy. I've never seen the Cluppers so lame. At least they came alive in the third. But still. Good on our guys to push the intensity through the first half and into the second.


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## Porn Player

Managed to catch the Wizards game live, which was a rare treat. I thought the hustle and determination to win the game was outstanding. 

He doesn't get much love (and rightfully so), but Ross brought a lot of defense and effort to that fourth quarter. It was kind of sad to see them all run up to CoJo after the game winner and Ross not able to get involved, he's clearly on the 'outside', even with the team.


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## Porn Player

Big game against the Hawks tonight. Will be interesting to see how they react to DMC returning.


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## AllRim

K Low playing with the Flu and dominates the 4th. 22 Points in the 4th.......crazy. Almost turned the game off when the were down 17, glad I didn't.


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## AllRim

Bebe looked REALLY solid on D


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## ozzzymandius

Couldn't agree more! Historically we're the ones who collapse but this was a total dominance on so many levels. Nogueira was very impressive, in the right place at the right time, didn't get into any type of foul trouble, played to his game and what the team needed him for and was even trusted and in the right spot for a couple easy baskets. Our future with him and Coboclo looks very bright!!!
Great win (27pt swing!!) and good to see the solid defense from our bench in Biyombo and Bebe while JV is out.


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## Porn Player

4-1 since JV went down. Bebe took his chance last night and really played well, I was thrilled to see it, he wants nothing more than to succeed in this league. 

KLow with an MVP-esque performance while battling flu, this guy really is terrific when he has everything firing.


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## ozzzymandius

Decided to hit the ACC tonight and check out the game LIVE !!!

Ohh yeah baby!!


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## ozzzymandius

Down by 11 at the end of Q1.... Slow start again :-/ 
Nogueira is a real bright spot. Despite the one bad foul.


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## ozzzymandius

Fixed the dang defense!!!  Demar dunk, Lowry gets the elbow and Demarre does the dunk!!! SWEEET !!


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## ozzzymandius

Down by 2 in the fourth!! Nogueira with another highlight dunk for 12 points!!!


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## ozzzymandius

Someone definitely needs to post a Nogueira reel tonight.


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## Baller4eva

Lowry and Nogueira both had great games today and they kept the Raptors in the game all the way through. This team is a real quality squad in the East.


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## ozzzymandius

^^ Agreed!! 
What's also interesting when you see it live is how often Nogueira was in position below the hoop and calling for the ball. Unbelievable!! And the team trusting him enough after just three games to give him possesions to score 14 pts. And he could have had more! I think we're in fine shape at the 5 for the next few years


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## scdn

3 games to play Bebe in the 4th. Took 3 years for Casey to play JV in the 4th.


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## AllRim

Timeout......

Never saw anything like that before. Soon as that happened i knew they were going to lose in OT. Thats a rough one.


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## Porn Player

Big win over the Heat, DeMar is playing some of the best basketball I have ever seen him play over the last few weeks. 

Biyombo is a hole offensively, but I really enjoy having the defensive presence he brings in protecting the rim. The team has hardly missed a beat with JV being down, testament to the depth of the squad that Masai has put together.


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## ozzzymandius

Shitty slow starts!! Game was over as soon as KLow was asked to leave. Stupid stupid stupid


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## Porn Player

I don't even mind Lowry getting throw out, I think you need a few players in each squad with that level of intensity in the game. 

Not a great game, but to be fair, the Kings are a handful to deal with.


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## AllRim

When JV comes back they should try BB and JV starting and use Scolas scoring off the bench. BB is a beast on the boards, quickly falling in love with his game


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## ozzzymandius

DEMARRE CARROLL UNDERGOES SURGERY
Posted: Jan 06, 2016
The Toronto Raptors announced Wednesday forward DeMarre Carroll had arthroscopic surgery this morning on his right knee. The procedure was performed by Dr. David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Carroll’s status will be updated as appropriate.

Carroll sat out Monday’s game at Cleveland with a swollen right knee. He had played in the previous five contests after missing nine games (December 7-22) with a right knee contusion.

Carroll has averaged 11.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 31.9 minutes in 23 games. He had a season-high 21 points on two occasions: October 30 at Boston and November 22 at the Los Angeles Clippers. The Raptors face the Brooklyn Nets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Barclays Center (TSN/TSN1050 Toronto)

http://www.nba.com/raptors/press-releases-demarre-carroll-010616


And with that my friends ... we start to hurt :-( 

Biyombo has been a fantastic fit and surprise for us ... really lucky to have both him and JV healthy and ready to battle for us ... Just love what they give us in terms of options for the 5-spot in late game situations and match ups!!
But having said that ... defense is where it all begins and we've just taken a major lunch in the gut! Hopefully he can make it back in time for playoffs ... if not. We're a first round exit yet again...


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## Porn Player

Anybody have any idea when he will be back or is he done for the season? Such a big blow, he really is the glue that elevates this team to East contender status.


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## ozzzymandius

I haven't heard or seen anything yet ... it was just announced this morning .. so I'm not expecting he'll be back until just before the playoffs .... if we're lucky.


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## Porn Player

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/684817367306780673


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## Porn Player

... If that's true, it's far better than I was expecting.


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## ozzzymandius

Better than what I'd expect too ... but look how long he was out initially and that was without surgery .... so i'm hopeful, but skeptical :-/


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## AllRim

I really don't see a series victory this year unless they can add a legit starting 4...


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## ozzzymandius

Soooo PP did you get to see the game or what ???
@pornplayer


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## Porn Player

ozzzymandius said:


> Soooo PP did you get to see the game or what ???
> @pornplayer


I actually didn't attend. 

I planned to, then life got real busy and I completely forgot to try and buy tickets. When I remembered, the tickets had sold out completely. 

I was at the last OT game when we played the Nets in London, so in some comforting way, I was at least glad another fan that maybe didn't get the chance to go last time, got to see a thriller this time. 

Great win, DeMar and Kyle had horrible shooting nights, but we still found a way to win.


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## ozzzymandius

That's too bad. Their number one fan in the UK missed out. 
Oh well. Life is very much like that. Ups and downs and every year is busier than the last. I didn't even get to see the game at all!! Forgot to pvr it and I don't have the primo sports package ($$$) to watch the replays :-(
But at least they one ... So we'll just hang out hats on that and look forward to all star weekend ;-)


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## RollWithEm

I've watched 3 of the games on this little 4-game win streak, and point guard play has really stood out to me with this team. Lowry is back to his form from late last season, and Joseph is a very steady presence off that bench. I feel like this team only gets near its peak when those PGs are controlling the action.


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## AllRim

RollWithEm said:


> I've watched 3 of the games on this little 4-game win streak, and point guard play has really stood out to me with this team. Lowry is back to his form from late last season, and Joseph is a very steady presence off that bench. I feel like this team only gets near its peak when those PGs are controlling the action.


If they could add a go to front court piece I'd have a lot more faith in them. But relying on Lowry/DD every night isn't going to get this team past the second round at best


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## ozzzymandius

Our boys have been on FIRE!! And on so many levels it's incredible!! 
I don't even know where to start ... 
Lowry .... Stellar. Unconscious on offense and defense
Demar... Really expanded his game with a consistent 3
Ross .... Ohh my goodness who gave him that wake-up call?? Thank You, thank you!!
JV .... In very very fine form these days on both sides of the court. A lot of key plays
Bismack .... Solid off the bench. A small loss on offense but he makes it up ten fold on everything else. This guys is truly finding his stride with Toronto. Two strong bigs!! How sweet is that and when (if ever) have we had that strength at the 5?
Patterson .... Suddenly remembers how to shoot, defend and contribute! I'm astounded..
Joseph ... Smart, heads up plays! Drives to the paint, dropping shots, assists EDT (every damn thing!)
Johnson and Scola doing their part too. 

Excellent play all around in these last 9 games .... 
So big question ... Are we trading? Who? And Why?


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## Porn Player

I'm pleased Ross has begun to live up to his contract (at least somewhat). I honestly believe he's the key to a deep playoff run for this franchise. When Ross and PP provide spacing, Lowry and DeMar can operate, rather than try and play hero ball. 

Love this team.


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## Porn Player

By the way, I apologise for my lack of posts. My laptop is on the brink and I shouldn't really be posting while at work. 

I'll try and get this resolved in the next week or so.


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## seifer0406

It's rumored that the Raptors are interested in Markieff Morris. I hope that we get him. He's one of the few power forwards that has talent and is affordable. With how much money we have tied up elsewhere I think he's our best option.

I know he has attitude problems but I actually side with Morris on his conflict with the Suns organization. It was a shaddy thing to do to trick him into taking a pay cut in order to play with his twin brother and then trade his brother a year into the deal.


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## ozzzymandius

That would be interesting.... Maybe now is a good time to package up Ross, Patterson or Johnson and a pick. I'd be ok with losing any one of them for a good 4. What would a trade look like y'think? And when's the trade deadline. Isn't that coming up at the end of the month?


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## ozzzymandius

Trade deadline is Feb.18th at 3:00 pm Eastern.
Interesting...


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## -James-

If I'm not mistaken, the Morris twins also beat some guy up at a rec center last year after they signed their contracts. I'd want no part of that guy, or even Blake for that matter with that rumor circulating.


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## seifer0406

-James- said:


> If I'm not mistaken, the Morris twins also beat some guy up at a rec center last year after they signed their contracts. I'd want no part of that guy, or even Blake for that matter with that rumor circulating.


I don't think character is that big of a problem. Kyle Lowry was a headcase before he came here. While Lowry never had off court trouble, it's not like Markieff Morris had constant run in's with the law. It was one instance where both him and Marcus along with 3 other people were charged with assault. As far as I know Marcus Morris hasn't been a problem since he got traded to Detroit.

As it stands now our team doesn't have enough talent to get by the Cavs or even the Bulls. Our main weakness is at the power forward position especially on offense. Getting Morris especially if Casey can get him motivated would solve this problem completely. He's also on a bargain contract (22M for the next 3 years) which is great since the Raptors don't have much cap room after we re-sign DeRozan.

I think we should offer the Suns Patterson, one of Delon Wright or Bebe, and 1 or 2 second round picks (we don't have a 2nd rounder next year, so it'll be 2017 or 2018). If this package isn't enough then perhaps throw in our 1st round pick next year which should be around the 25-30 range.


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## ozzzymandius

Okay ... So we're a week away from the trade deadline and there are lots of options and players on the table. Last week I was really high on making a trade, but after the last few games I'm betting Ujiri won't mess with the current structure. We've been playing some damn fine basketball lately with Ross and Patterson finally hitting their shots. 
Our defense has been good, offense is clicking and with the eventual return of Carroll and Johnson we stand only to get better.

Last year we died in the playoffs when Lowry hit the wall. We were a one-man team with backups and when he died, we died. But this year is totally different. We're got several top players in Lowry, Derozan, Carroll, Joseph and much improved players in JV, Ross, Biyombo, Patterson, Johnson and more. So I'm not seeing that collapse happening again this year ... I'm just not. Built as we are and based on what's been happening in the last 15 games, I don't think any playing with this roster is worth the risk right now (not to mention the future cost of trading away our youth today) .... 
So, I'll say it first, let's not change a DAMNED thing!!


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## Porn Player

Agreed, this is the best we have ever looked. Honestly though, if Ujiri deems a move worthwhile I trust him. He's done a hell of a job.


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## ozzzymandius

Ohhh and of course there is that ... FAITH in Ujiri doing the right thing for now and in the future. So far he'll been stellar in executing on a vision of what should be.

And JoshLewenberg called it all out sometime today with this


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## seifer0406

I think Donatas Motiejunas is another guy that might fit our team. He's on the last year of his rookie deal but he might not get a lot of money next year because he's been out due to back surgery. He's basically a younger version of Luis Scola and also being from Lithuania he'll pair up nicely with JV. With Houston faltering and perhaps looking to reload or even rebuild we might be able to snatch him off them for cheap. Maybe a combination of Delon Wright and James Johnson would be enough to acquire him.


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## ozzzymandius

Back surgery is really hard to judge. I haven't looked him up yet but being young means he should be wiling to listen and mold into a system. Especially with our new training center and gym. Cheap is also good and not too bad of a trade .... BUT how's his defense/ offence for what we're giving up??


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## seifer0406

ozzzymandius said:


> Back surgery is really hard to judge. I haven't looked him up yet but being young means he should be wiling to listen and mold into a system. Especially with our new training center and gym. Cheap is also good and not too bad of a trade .... BUT how's his defense/ offence for what we're giving up??


From what I've seen out of him he's very crafty in the low post and has 3pt range (albeit some what inconsistent). Defensively he's very average. Not a rim protector and does not have great lateral movement but he does have a high enough basketball IQ to stay within the defensive scheme. I think with Casey's help he should be a serviceable guy in our system. What I like about him is his ability to operate in the post. He's a good passer and has a wide range of post moves and hooks that he can do consistently. While he doesn't shoot that many 3s like Patterson he does hit enough of them so that when he's out there the opposing team will have to cover him which creates good spacing for the wing players.

Like I said, he's basically a younger, taller version of Luis Scola. The back surgery is a bit worrisome but the guy is only 25 and should not require that much asset to acquire him.


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## ozzzymandius

Just a few thoughts after the All Star break....
1. I'm so proud to be a Torontonian .. Awesome job on the ASW!! Not only did we not embarrass ourselves.. but we really set a tone with the association that Toronto is not only up and coming... but we're legitimate and here to make waves!
2. With that, another thing comes to mind.... We're here to win NOW!! And with Demar and Lowry playing their best games ever, I'm sure Ujiri is seeing the need to impact and improve the team for a deep playoff run NOW as opposed to later. We've never been so deep and so primed internally as well as in the eyes of the rest of the NBA for something to happen NOW.

3. I was fine with standing still a couple weeks ago ... but with all that's gone on with the ASW and what I'm seeing online everywhere I'm expecting a move for our sore spot at the 4 !!

Time will tell all .....


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## scdn

I feel we should move all-in this year, but only if the player is worth it. A rental Horford would not in my opinion. 

Carroll will almost be like a trade acquit ion at this point.


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## ozzzymandius

I'd be very happy to see Young or Faried at this point. Apparently we've already walked away from Markieff. Of course with Ujiri you just never know. The trigger he finallypulls will probably be on something that's not even on the radar anywhere. 

"The Raptors are chasing a power forward this week. Sources say Brooklyn’s Thaddeus Young, New Orleans’ Ryan Anderson, Denver’s Kenneth Faried and the Phoenix duo of Markieff Morris and P.J. Tucker have all been pursued this month by the East’s No. 2 team."

http://hoopshype.com/rumor/1037445/


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## ozzzymandius

Gotta admit.... I'm disappointed


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## scdn

Yeah me too. I get not overpaying your future but with the risk of DeMar leaving and the fact we might have our best chance at a deep playoff run makes me wish we upgraded in the post.


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## AllRim

Meh, seeing how Masai has operated the last few seasons I'm not surprised. All interviews post deadline with Masai, he's been saying it will be much easier to make a move in the off season and that there is no chance they will be keeping all 4 picks over the next two seasons. 

Soooooooo

that was a letdown after the allstar break. Blow a huge lead to the shorthanded Bulls. I don't get it, hopefully we don't play them in the first round.


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## Porn Player

Bulls just have our number. Isn't that something like 15 games without a W against them?


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## Porn Player

I'm glad we stood still, I don't see DeMar going anywhere and we will be in a much better place in the offseason to upgrade. We're in the best spot the Franchise has ever been in, messing around with that makes no sense, unless we had the chance to land a real superstar, which we didn't.


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## ozzzymandius

Well I'm ok with the stand too..... But I would have been happier with a trade for one of the 4's that was available. Given one could have been had for Patterson, a pick we admitted to not needing and Delon Wright (a very seldom used guard) .... Not overly expensive for what we'll be facing and needing come playoff time....


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## Porn Player

ozzzymandius said:


> Well I'm ok with the stand too..... But I would have been happier with a trade for one of the 4's that was available. Given one could have been had for Patterson, a pick we admitted to not needing and Delon Wright (a very seldom used guard) .... Not overly expensive for what we'll be facing and needing come playoff time....


Who are you referring to? 

All of the available 4's came with their own flaws, I didn't necessarily see a clear upgrade over Scola & Patman. 

I think the win against the Grizzlies reiterated what a good team we are. As long as we can avoid the Bulls in the playoffs, we should get our first series win.


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## ozzzymandius

I would have liked to see us get Thaddeus Young or Ryan Anderson ... both of which were apparently available for a reasonable deal with the exchange of Patterson, Wright and a pick or two. I didn't check salary numbers myself but that's the word that was coming across the wire .... 
And now we're supposed to be interested in Joe Johnson??? I dunno enough about him ... but either way that weakness at the 4 has got to be shored up. We'll get out of the first round, probably do well enough in the second but won't make it any further with that hole.


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## ozzzymandius

OMG !!! WOW!!! 
And with that .... King and company should be very concerned. They're already at peak and we're still growing. One full man down in Carrroll and two more playing at less than half strength.... Uh-Oh ....


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## Porn Player

Man. I hate playing Chicago.


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## ozzzymandius

Well,with our loss and Detroit's humiliation, Chicago is back in the eighth spot and heading to playoffs if everything stays the same. Only good thing is we'll probably never see them... but still a stupid, stupid loss.


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## ozzzymandius

Chicago loss aside & more importantly though is how we do against the Pacers this week. The series is tied at 1-1 and we have this week's game and one more with them left. We're likely to face them in the first round of playoffs if things stay the same so these games will be crucial. Not only to get the wins but also secure home floor advantage!!


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## seifer0406

I'm still not sold on our team. Our offense relies too much on DeRozan getting to the line. At any moment when the refs decide to let the game get more physical our offense turns into a combination of wild shots and complaining to the refs. When Carroll comes back hopefully our outside shot becomes more consistent. Scola has really faded in the past month or so and guys like Patterson and Ross are inconsistent. I like what Powell brings but he needs to refine his shooting if he wants to stick around in the league.


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## ozzzymandius

The team did ok with the Pacers. Despite all the sloppiness I think the Raps had it under control all game. Both teams obviously have a lot more to give and can do much, much better but I think the Raps had more poise, leaders and options on both ends of the floor. 
Most importantly we got the W!!

It's going to be a fun series.


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## ozzzymandius

seifer0406 said:


> I'm still not sold on our team. Our offense relies too much on DeRozan getting to the line. At any moment when the refs decide to let the game get more physical our offense turns into a combination of wild shots and complaining to the refs. When Carroll comes back hopefully our outside shot becomes more consistent. Scola has really faded in the past month or so and guys like Patterson and Ross are inconsistent. I like what Powell brings but he needs to refine his shooting if he wants to stick around in the league.


Yeah I'm seeing some of this too. But I like what DeRozan is trying to do. He either passes up his own opportunities to get others involved early (Scola, PP, JV and even Powell) which is good because he saves his own energy for crunch time and it's good training for them when the playoffs come and he's double teamed. And if he's not doing that, then he drives to the rim and cries out like a girl to get the refs attention and draw the foul. Either way we get better overall although I'd like to see him drive more without the crying. 

True, true on the inconsistent offence though. But with Lowry and DeRozan being somewhat stable we only need two or three other key contributors per game to make it work. Between JV, BB, PP, TR, Scola, Powell and Joseph we never see the same two night in, night out but offence by committee seems to be our thing. Add in Carroll when he comes back and I'm still seeing a run to eastern champ playoffs!!!


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## Porn Player

This team is special. I don't see any of the inconsistencies that have been mentioned in this thread. DeRozan gets to the line at will. Lowry is doing everything. Terrence Ross is a huge spark from the bench, he's finally playing with confidence. 

The only player struggling is Scola, but the added competition for the PF spot seems to have already reignited his game. 

My love for Sir Bismack is growing as well, what a fun player to have in Toronto. Never gives it up on the defensive end and never tries to go out of his scope on offence. 

Small shout to Powell, 2nd rounder that has started and performed well. It allows us to keep Ross as the 6th man spark, something this team really needs. 

We're going to run straight past 50 wins, I'm intrigued to see how high up we get, there's an outside chance we even take the 1 seed.


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## ozzzymandius

Yes the team is special... Best I think we've ever had from many standpoints ... but just looking at yesterday's game stats would prove out what we're saying. TRoss wasn't all that good (9pts) neither was PatPat (7pts) and Powell had 10. Everyone after that was in single digits. Scola was the one who stepped up in that one with 17pts early on... Like I said we're very inconsistent in who steps up after Lowry and Demar, but luckily someone usually does.

On the Bismack front .. interestingly enough the Sun just had an article going over the who our best center is!! They both have plus and minuses... I'd love to keep them both for what each brings to the table .. but apparently we can't ... "The only way the Raptors can keep Biyombo is if Valanciunas and/or Terrence Ross get moved for cap space." 

How's that for crazzy.. Trading JV to keep Biyombo ???? Ahhhh HELL NO !! .... Or maybe we pay Demar less so we can afford it ??? HAHAHAAHAAAAAAA


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## Porn Player

ozzzymandius said:


> Yes the team is special... Best I think we've ever had from many standpoints ... but just looking at yesterday's game stats would prove out what we're saying. TRoss wasn't all that good (9pts) neither was PatPat (7pts) and Powell had 10. Everyone after that was in single digits. Scola was the one who stepped up in that one with 17pts early on... Like I said we're very inconsistent in who steps up after Lowry and Demar, but luckily someone usually does.


This is where I think we differ. I see 4 players behind our All-Stars that contributed. If you can get 20+ PPG from your superstars, and then roughly 10+ PPG from your backups, you're in a pretty good spot. We have guys at the end of the bench that chip in and consistently deliver. We're a consistently deep team, you very rarely see 2 or 3 of our bench with 0 points, which a few years ago was all too common (Landry era).


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## ozzzymandius

See... games like tonight is where disagree with you on expectations on our highly paid bench players.... I think they should be capable of 12-15ppg consistently. Everyone has off games, no issue there at all.. but where we see more off days than on, I'm thinking trade, trade, trade.....


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## Junkyard Dog13

draft the best possible PF with the ny Denver pick trade ross and the 2nd 1st rnd pick for a future pick to dump cap room to extend bismack and still have a shot at durant if Demar is willing to settle under 23 mill at say 17-20 mill per year a significant jump from 10 mill, and should be a enough to offer durant a decent 3-4 year deal to play on a team where with him added we are instant title contenders.


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## ozzzymandius

UGGG--LY loss. Nothing went right on either offence or defense. 
Perfect humbling game before the playoffs. 
Message: Get back to work, watch the tape, drive to the basket, stop crying about calls and Prove You Belong!!


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## Porn Player

Durant and Westbrook balled out. They definitely have that capability, so I'm not going to get too disheartened. 

We seem to be struggling a little bit at the minute though, getting over that 50 win milestone is proving to be more difficult than it should. 

The team lacks continuity, out starting line-up is constantly changing and our only consistency is from the bench. Carroll coming back is going to be big for this ball club, let's hope he can stay healthy.


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## ozzzymandius

Uhh yeah ... Well as you know, the Raps are only as good as Lowry is and apparently there are some health and performance concerns around him now. He had his elbow drained of some fluids just after the game. It's been bugging him for just over a week now...

http://i.tsn.ca/story/?id=576317


And for more fun, there's talk of just benching Carroll when he does become available as he won't be in game shape fast enough and may actually be a liability.

http://m.thestar.com/#/article/spor...-down-demarre-carroll-for-rest-of-season.html


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## Porn Player

Lowry is getting the chance to rest up. He will be in good condition for the Playoffs. 

Norman Powell, what a 2nd round pick he is proving to be. We really did land a game changing GM in Masai. 

The biggest question, who will get that 7th seed? Mathematically, I think we're only looking at Detroit and Indiana. 

Here's the three possibilities of how the season plays:

If Detroit go 2-0, Indy must go 3-0 to close out to finish 7th.
If Detroit goes 1-1, Indy must go 2-1 to close out to finish 7th.
If Detroit goes 0-2, Indy must go 1-2 to close out to finish 7th.

Pistons remaining games: vs. MIA, @ CLE
Pacers remaining games: vs. BKN, vs. NYK, @ MIL

It's going to be really interesting, but you expect Indy to pick up a minimum 2 out of those 3 games. That's preferable for me, I don't like that Pistons team, they seem to have a little something about them.


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## scdn

Yes I believe Pacers would be a better match up than the Pistons as well.


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