# Raptors Free Agency 2015 (Signed: DeMarre Carroll, Bismack Biyombo)



## Porn Player

With all of the buzz surrounding LMA visiting us tomorrow, I wanted to create a thread to hold all of the discussion for this years FA, especially in concern to our Raptors. 

Link



> Aldridge "has an interest" in the Raptors, per Charania, though it's unclear how serious. Aldridge reportedly told the Blazers he won't re-sign, and reports suggest that the Spurs, Lakers and Mavericks are front-runners for his services. The Rockets may also enter the picture.
> 
> However, the Raptors could be a viable threat. The draft day trade of Greivis Vasquez to Milwaukee ensured they will have the ability to create maximum cap room. They must renounce the rights to key free agents Amir Johnson and Lou Williams in order to officially create that room, but they will likely do so if they have a real shot to sign Aldridge.
> 
> Adding Aldridge to a core of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, Jonas Valanciunas and Patrick Patterson could push Toronto out of the dreaded middle of the Eastern Conference. The Raptors finished 49-33 last season before being swept by the Washington Wizards in the first round of the playoffs.
> 
> Toronto is also attempting to clear enough cap space to make a run at Kevin Durant in 2016. They will likely have the room to sign Durant even if Aldridge arrives, though it may cost Toronto Ross and Valanciunas.


Further news, A F Aminu has scheduled a visit of Toronto as well... 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/615238878522441728
And we have interest in W Matthews 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/615753614473035776
And Biyombo 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/615651401029521408


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## seifer0406

I don't think theres any possibility that we land Aldridge so we can forget about him. I think we should offer the max to Greg Monroe and try to get a second tier wing like Khris Middleton.

There has been talks about us trading DeMar. If we end up trading him then depending on what we get in return next year could be a throwaway year where we tank.


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## Porn Player

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/615893125504995328


> Ridnour's contract, however, has one stipulation that puts him at the top of wish lists: His $2.75 million salary for the 2015 season is non-guaranteed, and if he's waived before July 10, the Thunder (or whatever team still has him) won't have to pay Ridnour a dime. Essentially, Ridnour is a $2.75 million salary cap dumpster.


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## Porn Player

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/615608684513726464


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## ozzzymandius

Is be quite happy if we kept De Colo. He showed good promise and poise when he was with us a couple years ago.


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## Porn Player

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/616275705333186560

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/616276740772511744


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## Porn Player

__
http://instagr.am/p/p%2F4mXm3qmVAZ/


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## Bogg

So now you guys probably go chase a power forward on the trade market, right?


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## Porn Player

Bogg said:


> So now you guys probably go chase a power forward on the trade market, right?


It looks that way. Ross has just become very expendable and his potential, plus others assets, could be enough to entice a few teams into sending us an upgrade at PF.


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## Bogg

Porn Player said:


> It looks that way. Ross has just become very expendable and his potential, plus others assets, could be enough to entice a few teams into sending us an upgrade at PF.


Denver's dangling both Faried and Gallinari, for what it's worth.


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## Porn Player

Bogg said:


> Denver's dangling both Faried and Gallinari, for what it's worth.


Masai has a great understanding of what those players can bring, especially Faried. 

If he thinks that Faried would be a good fit next to Jonas, then I would endorse the move.


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## ozzzymandius

Bogg said:


> Denver's dangling both Faried and Gallinari, for what it's worth.


I'm really liking this move with Carroll .... and the upside to moving Ross in his prime. Usually we hold onto players too long until we realize they're never going to get any better.

Only question ... what's the skinny on Carroll?? I don't know anything about him, other than his position.


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## Porn Player

ozzzymandius said:


> Only question ... what's the skinny on Carroll?? I don't know anything about him, other than his position.


Defensive stopper, 6 foot 8, great build, .400% 3PT shooter, not afraid to play against the likes of LeBron and Pierce. He had 6 straight 20 point games in this past playoffs.


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## ATLien

ozzzymandius said:


> I'm really liking this move with Carroll .... and the upside to moving Ross in his prime. Usually we hold onto players too long until we realize they're never going to get any better.
> 
> Only question ... what's the skinny on Carroll?? I don't know anything about him, other than his position.


He is a good defender and shooter, but he doesn't create. A lot of his points came off assists and opposing teams usually focused in on Kyle Korver so he always got open looks. I think it's a great signing for Toronto. Probably overpaid just a little, but not bad.


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## King Joseus

Porn Player said:


> https://instagram.com/[B]p/4mXm3qmVAZ[/B]/
> 
> @Basel - How do I get this picture to show?


The bolded part above goes in the IGM tag.


__
http://instagr.am/p/p%2F4mXm3qmVAZ/


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## Bogg

Apparently you guys aren't quite done, and are now making a push to sign Wes Matthews too. Interesting.


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## Porn Player

Bogg said:


> Apparently you guys aren't quite done, and are now making a push to sign Wes Matthews too. Interesting.


Bullshit. Really?

We must be trading DeMar. Will we land Cousins?


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## Bogg

Porn Player said:


> Bullshit. Really?
> 
> We must be trading DeMar. Will we land Cousins?


Maybe the plan is to throw out a bunch of smallball lineups featuring Lowry/Derozan/Matthews/Carroll with one of Patterson or JV in the middle.


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## Porn Player

Bogg said:


> Maybe the plan is to throw out a bunch of smallball lineups featuring Lowry/Derozan/Matthews/Carroll with one of Patterson or JV in the middle.


Casey would love this. 

Supposedly DeMar has been heavily involved in the recruitment of Matthews and Carroll, so you could be right.


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## Bogg

So much for tearing things down.


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## c_dog

I like Carroll and Matthews. I'm just not sure about the price tag. Paying premium for a big always make sense though. It's surprising how not more teams are interested in Monroe's services.


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## Drizzy

Bogg said:


> Apparently you guys aren't quite done, and are now making a push to sign Wes Matthews too. Interesting.





Porn Player said:


> Bullshit. Really?
> 
> We must be trading DeMar. Will we land Cousins?


Marc Stein @ ESPNSteinLine

ESPN sources say Wes Matthews has had meetings with officials from both Mavs and Raptors so far in free agency 1h


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## Adam

Great signing.


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## Porn Player

Amir has officially gone. Sad day for the franchise. He's been a brilliant ambassador and never let up. All class. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/616328872146042880


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## Drizzy

Amir was always one of my favorites.


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## Porn Player

Drizzy said:


> Amir was always one of my favorites.


Dude got paid as well. I'm thrilled for him.


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## Junkyard Dog13

I think go after Monroe for max or Davis west on a 3 year 38 mill deal, re-sign lou 3 20 mill try adding De cole and Corey Joseph on min deal. PF trade ross for Gallarani or Faried as with both you can use them at the 4 with the ability in some match ups to use if say we get D Gal at the 3 in a small unit to stretch the 
posibble

pg lowry wright olo
sg derozan lou (hopefully) wright joseph
sf carroll [pos gallinari faried] patterson bruno
pf[monroe/west]/ bismack/faried patterson bruno
c jv vet luca


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## ozzzymandius

Wow!!! Sooo much going on and so fast!! This is an awesome start to free agency. 
I'm not too worried about overpaying right now as the cap will increase substantially when new TV deal kicks in. So even if we max out this year we'll have space next year. 

Sorry to see Amir go ... but a necessary move on both sides. I think he's given us his best and we shouldn't risk/push the ankles anymore. 

Thanks for the details on Carroll ... I'm starting to see the bigger picture here.


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## Porn Player

As always, Amir has shown his class. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/616439422049857536


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## ozzzymandius

Not too many totally class acts like him left anywhere!!!
Full respects and props to Amir! He'll be missed, but it's all for the best


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## Porn Player

Wesley Matthews appears to be on his way to Dallas for 4 years. Salary TBC. 

Here is a nice audio link to a Carroll interview following his decision to join Toronto: Link



> Carroll: Raptors blew me away with their presentation


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## Porn Player

Very happy with this deal. It's dirt cheap.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/617386843697344512


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## RollWithEm

Porn Player said:


> Very happy with this deal. It's dirt cheap.
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/617386843697344512


Decent enough Amir replacement, I guess. 

Raptors should still be a top 4 team in the East.


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## Porn Player




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## Wilt_The_Stilt

Biyombo was a good signing. Great price.


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## ozzzymandius

I'd rather have him coming off the bench playing the 5 as a backup for JV than as a replacement for Amir. I think we still have a hole there. But good looking signing for sure. He's got good hands, anticipation and lateral movement - fast actually for such a big boy and a good aggressive presence no doubt. 
Yup!! I like this move at this price point.


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## Porn Player

Lou Williams has signed a 3 year deal with LA Lakers for $21m. Not a bad value contract and I wish him all of the best. 

We're going to struggle with our offense next year. Hopefully Masai will be bringing in some fire power to replace Lou off the bench, maybe Gerald Green.


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## ozzzymandius

Yikes!!! That's a real loss :-( Wow that's gonna hurt more than anything. We're already offensively challenged enough ....


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## seifer0406

We just gave Cory Joseph 30 mil over 4 years.

I'm just going to say it now. Masai has lost his mind. I didn't like that Carroll deal but this one takes it over the top. A backup point guard who was hardly in the Spurs rotation in the second half the season and the playoffs shouldn't cost you 7+ mil a year. We still don't have a starting forward and our bench got a lot worse after Lou left. I wasn't a big Lou Williams fan but at least he's someone that can score. Assuming that Patterson starts (looking like a possibility since we have no money left) our bench now consists of Joseph, Ross, Wright, James Johnson, plus some minor players. Unless there are some major trades incoming this roster isn't making it past the 2nd round and isn't bad enough for the lottery.


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## -James-

^Unlike you, I don't believe that taking a round in the playoffs is necessarily such an awful thing but I'll agree that this is quite rich. I generally like seeing guys I got to play against get theirs (lets me pat myself on the back a little bit), but this really seems like far too much.


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## Porn Player

Cory Joseph is a Toronto native, probably part of the reason we have gone after him, I know Masai is serious about making us more of a Canadian team. 

The money seems too high, and it leaves us in a predicament regarding our PF spot. That said, Joseph is coming from a winning culture and has looked good for San Antonio over the past year, he really has learnt a lot from Tony Parker and Manu, as can be seen in this highlight montage;






He can shoot, defend, play the PnR and he seems to go after the drive relentlessly. That's something we lacked last year. I'm really excited to see him land in Toronto and hope he can continue his upward trend. He's only 23 and he's improved considerably every year. 

This signing will keep Lowry honest.


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## Bogg

I like the Biyombo signing, for what it's worth. He's a wreck on offense - doesn't catch the ball well enough to really be an effective dive man on the pick and roll - but he protects the rim and rebounds with the best of 'em. Even if he's really in his mid-twenties, as is rumored, he's a solid signing as a backup at $3 million per.


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## RollWithEm

The Raptors clearly came into free agency intent on improving their overall team defense... and succeeded with flying colors. They basically turned Amir, Vasquez, and Lou Williams into Biyombo, Carroll, and Joseph. That's a defensive improvement at each of those spots.


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## Bogg

RollWithEm said:


> The Raptors clearly came into free agency intent on improving their overall team defense... and succeeded with flying colors. They basically turned Amir, Vasquez, and Lou Williams into Biyombo, Carroll, and Joseph. That's a defensive improvement at each of those spots.


For the record, Biyombo's a better post defender and rim protector, but Amir is probably more mobile laterally when guarding out on the perimeter. I'd say that Biyombo's a defensive upgrade at center, but doesn't have the versatility to play the 4.


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## ozzzymandius

So interesting article in CoJo ... (So much like CuJo) but anyways .... Apparently Ujiri's interest in LA was a pretty big feint and distraction so he could get his real targets... Not the first time I've heard of this ...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/josephs-homecoming-more-than-just-a-good-story/



"His calling card for the moment is the 14 games he started this season for San Antonio when Tony Parker was injured. Joseph shot 56.2 per cent from the floor including 44 per cent from the three-point line while averaging 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds a game in 36 minutes of playing time.

Was that a blip or a suggestion that there is more where that came from? If it’s the latter – and Joseph’s stints running the point for the Canadian national team suggest it is – the Raptors will have one of the best point guard tandems in the Eastern Conference.

The Raptors had targeted Joseph all along. This summer when it was rumoured that Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge was going to jump to the Spurs in free agency the Raptors saw that outcome as the best possible consolation prize if their own pursuit of Aldridge was unsuccessful.

It was believed that signing Aldridge would force San Antonio to relinquish their rights to Joseph to create space under the NBA’s salary cap, and sure enough that’s what happened.

The Spurs and Aldridge reached an agreement on Friday and the Spurs renounced Joseph Sunday afternoon. By Sunday night the deal with Toronto was done."


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## seifer0406

i'm pretty sure the Spurs wouldn't have matched 30 over 4 with or without LMA.


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## -James-

For the record, I do believe that Joseph has developed into a pretty legit two-way player, and will have a solid tenure here backing up Lowry and probably finishing a lot of games alongside him, but this still seems to be a massive overpay for what he has actually shown on the court. I'll hope for the best, but I'm wary for sure.


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## ozzzymandius

^^ Yup!! I think we're all on the same page there!! Despite whatever cap changes come along next year. I would have preferred we just kept and played DeColo. Who we've secured the rights to just last week!! So now what are going to do with him. I'm sensing a sign a trade along with Ross maybe??


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## seifer0406

I'm more mad about not having money to fix the other glaring holes on the roster. If we wanted to sign Cory Joseph then we should've drafted Bobby Portis or Hollis Jefferson. I think the drafting of Wright was more drafting for need then drafting BPA. If we wanted to spend 7 mil on a backup point guard then theres no reason for us to draft a guy that's destined to be a career backup.


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## Porn Player

seifer0406 said:


> I'm more mad about not having money to fix the other glaring holes on the roster. If we wanted to sign Cory Joseph then we should've drafted Bobby Portis or Hollis Jefferson. I think the drafting of Wright was more drafting for need then drafting BPA. If we wanted to spend 7 mil on a backup point guard then theres no reason for us to draft a guy that's destined to be a career backup.


This makes no sense. 

We've lost Lou and Vasquez this summer. Both of whom played 25mpg for us last year. 

So what does that mean? It means we have 50 minutes of combined on court action for two guards. Guess what we acquired, Cory Joseph and Delon Wright, two guards. 

These two new guards are also 23 and 22 respectively, and both locked up for four years. Kyle Lowry is 29 and while he is currently a starter and leader, he now becomes expendable if he's out played by the in-house competition. 

If Delon Wright becomes a serviceable backup PG during his tenure in Toronto, then he was an excellent 20th pick in my opinion. 

Bobby Portis is a piece of shit. Why do we need a piece of shit that can't defend on our roster?


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## seifer0406

Porn Player said:


> This makes no sense.
> 
> We've lost Lou and Vasquez this summer. Both of whom played 25mpg for us last year.
> 
> So what does that mean? It means we have 50 minutes of combined on court action for two guards. Guess what we acquired, Cory Joseph and Delon Wright, two guards.
> 
> These two new guards are also 23 and 22 respectively, and both locked up for four years. Kyle Lowry is 29 and while he is currently a starter and leader, he now becomes expendable if he's out played by the in-house competition.
> 
> If Delon Wright becomes a serviceable backup PG during his tenure in Toronto, then he was an excellent 20th pick in my opinion.
> 
> Bobby Portis is a piece of shit. Why do we need a piece of shit that can't defend on our roster?


Ross was destined to be a bench player after last year's performance. When you consider that we still have James Johnson at the 3 we are really missing 1 backup point guard. If you want a backup scoring guard to fill the void that was left by Lou's departure, neither Cory Joseph nor Delon Wright would fill that.

I'm not that upset about the Wright pick since let's face it, any player drafted in the late teens to the end of the 1st rd chances are he wouldn't be in the league in 3 years. We have a glaring hole at the power forward spot and we have no money left to fill it. We could've spent that money on a guy like Brandon Wright, David West, or even our old friend Ed Davis. I don't know if Masai tried to get those guys and failed and then ended up spending it on Cory Joseph but the fact is our roster as it is now will encounter serious problems next year on offense and on the boards.


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## Porn Player

seifer0406 said:


> We could've spent that money on a guy like Brandon Wright, David West, or even our old friend Ed Davis. I don't know if Masai tried to get those guys and failed and then ended up spending it on Cory Joseph but the fact is our roster as it is now will encounter serious problems next year on offense and on the boards.


I completely understand this frustration, but Masai can see this hole in the roster too. As I've stated, our defense was a huge issue last year, we've brought in talent to change that. 

We also have a lot of flexibility to make a move and upgrade at PF (Ross, Johnson, Bebe, Clippers 1st, Toronto 1st etc) should all be readily available to make that happen. I've heard rumours surrounding Faried, Taj Gibson and Terrence Jones, so let's sit tight and see where we end up before the season starts. 

David West was not an option for us, he wanted the Spurs. Ed Davis and Brandon Wright aren't upgrades over Patterson either, so why spend the cash on them? 

Don't forget we also own the lower of the NY / DEN picks. They selected 2nd and 7th respectively this past draft. Adding a potential Top 10 talent in the next draft could be huge for this franchise.

We're in great shape in my opinion.


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## seifer0406

Porn Player said:


> I completely understand this frustration, but Masai can see this whole in the roster too. As I've stated, our defense was a huge issue last year, we've brought in talent to change that.
> 
> We also have a lot of flexibility to make a move and upgrade at PF (Ross, Johnson, Bebe, Clippers 1st, Toronto 1st etc) should all be readily available to make that happen. I've heard rumours surrounding Faried, Taj Gibson and Terrence Jones, so let's sit tight and see where we end up before the season starts.
> 
> David West was not an option for us, he wanted the Spurs. Ed Davis and Brandon Wright aren't upgrades over Patterson either, so why spend the cash on them?
> 
> Don't forget we also own the lower of the NY / DEN picks. They selected 2nd and 7th respectively this past draft. Adding a potential Top 10 talent in the next draft could be huge for this franchise.
> 
> We're in great shape in my opinion.


If Masai can acquire either Faried, Gibson, or Jones then our situation would improve but as it stands right now our front court rotation consists of JV, Patterson, Biyombo, and Bebe.


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## Porn Player

seifer0406 said:


> If Masai can acquire either Faried, Gibson, or Jones then our situation would improve but as it stands right now our front court rotation consists of JV, Patterson, Biyombo, and Bebe.


And last year it was JV, Patterson, Amir and Chuck Hayes/Pyscho T. 

To me, we've hardly downgraded while improving both our guard and wing rotation. 

Those PFs mentioned are rumoured to be available, so let's see what Masai can do.


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## Porn Player

@seifer0406

It looks like we're going to add Carlos Boozer on the cheap as well. He's killed us over the years. Obviously past his best, but as an option off the bench, I'll welcome his offensive prowess, especially if he's playing next to Biyombo.


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## seifer0406

Porn Player said:


> And last year it was JV, Patterson, Amir and Chuck Hayes/Pyscho T.
> 
> To me, we've hardly downgraded while improving both our guard and wing rotation.


That's hardly saying much considering the power forward spot was one of our main weaknesses both on offense and defense. No interior scoring meant we got no easy baskets because everything came from either Lowry, Demar, or Lou's isolations. With Amir at least we had someone that can play the pick and roll but now we don't even have that available. Patterson is a good player but if he's your starting power forward I honestly doubt the team will go anywhere. He's like the Thaddeus Young of power forwards. A starter on a bad team but a decent rotation player when you're winning.


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## Porn Player

JYD V.2! 

Link



> There was this one shooting drill we had in practice, and Kyle would just dominate everybody. It took me a while to even build up the courage to challenge him. I practiced for a couple of weeks and was hitting most of my shots, so I called Kyle over and said I was ready to take the throne. I told him I’m the Black Kyle Korver.
> 
> We each took turns putting up five threes, and when I made four out of five, he’d make five out of five. If I hit three out of five, he’d make four out of five. No matter how many times we played, Kyle always found a way to beat me by one if I missed a shot.
> 
> He told me to try again next year when I was ready. Well, I’m telling him now that Black Kyle Korver will get his revenge. It’s on.





> God bless all of you. I’m really proud of what we accomplished together.
> 
> Best,
> 
> DeMarre
> 
> P.S. Toronto, I know you guys loved Jerome Williams back in the day. Well, get ready for JYD 2.0 to come to your city! I’m ready!


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## -James-

A couple things.

First, I do think we have a roster that is viable enough to win 45-50 games as currently constructed (more likely towards that lower limit, though), and that, barring some trade, any FA big would not make any meaningful impact on this projection. I also believe that despite my preference for an old school, "bully ball" style of play, the lineup of Lowry, Joseph, DeRozan, Carroll, and Patterson/Biyombo/JV is actually good enough to win some games in today's NBA particularly in the East, though I'm skeptical that there is enough talent there to take even one round in the playoffs.

That said, our big man rotation is straight trash (prepare for a hot take). We know what we get from the incumbent Patterson. I believe Biyombo, however, is a massive downgrade from Amir. He is an adequate weak side help defender that quite frankly has not shown much thus far in his career. Sure his contract went for a nice number, but it's a nice number because he hasn't looked very good thus far. Then there's Jonas. He really needs to take a leap this season. I'll say he is huge and by virtue of his size he is a presence on both ends, and he does seem to play with some fire. But he's very mechanical and disappears far too often. I get that he's young, but that doesn't suddenly mean that we should disregard how weak our frontcourt appears.

This said, among the names mentioned, I think Taj Gibson, Brandon Wright and even Faried could immediately legitimize our front court, particularly if we could hold on to James Johnson who could be a presence on the glass as well. But until a meaningful player joins the fold, we should expect to get crushed on the glass consistently.


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## seifer0406

-James- said:


> A couple things.
> 
> First, I do think we have a roster that is viable enough to win 45-50 games as currently constructed (more likely towards that lower limit, though), and that, barring some trade, any FA big would not make any meaningful impact on this projection. I also believe that despite my preference for an old school, "bully ball" style of play, the lineup of Lowry, Joseph, DeRozan, Carroll, and Patterson/Biyombo/JV is actually good enough to win some games in today's NBA particularly in the East, though I'm skeptical that there is enough talent there to take even one round in the playoffs.
> 
> That said, our big man rotation is straight trash (prepare for a hot take). We know what we get from the incumbent Patterson. I believe Biyombo, however, is a massive downgrade from Amir. He is an adequate weak side help defender that quite frankly has not shown much thus far in his career. Sure his contract went for a nice number, but it's a nice number because he hasn't looked very good thus far. Then there's Jonas. He really needs to take a leap this season. I'll say he is huge and by virtue of his size he is a presence on both ends, and he does seem to play with some fire. But he's very mechanical and disappears far too often. I get that he's young, but that doesn't suddenly mean that we should disregard how weak our frontcourt appears.
> 
> This said, among the names mentioned, I think Taj Gibson, Brandon Wright and even Faried could immediately legitimize our front court, particularly if we could hold on to James Johnson who could be a presence on the glass as well. But until a meaningful player joins the fold, we should expect to get crushed on the glass consistently.


On the grand scheme of things I would prefer the Raptors break up the current core and start over when the new cap hits. I'm scared of giving DeMar the max and have Chris Bosh as franchise player v.2 where we exit every year after the first round. I've given Demar a chance but the guy has failed two playoff series. With how the league has grown into a 3 pt league I simply don't know how successful a wing player can be without a 3pt.

If we're not breaking things up just yet then we need to move in the other direction which is to improve the team. I think Carroll will solve one of our major problems which is mainly Ross's shitty play. But our other weakness which is power forward got even worse with Amir's departure. If we can bring in a Markieff Morris or Gibson it would make things a lot better but as it stands now I feel like our team has gotten worse this off season.

@Porn Player

If we can get Carlos Boozer for the vet minimum I'm not against bringing him in. But as far as solving our front court problems Boozer really doesn't improve it by that much.


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## -James-

Here's the thing, though I disagree that we should break up the band and bottom out (I actually hate this strategy), I am inclined to agree with your assessment of the team. Though I will admit that I was wrong about how good DeMar would ever be, he still has legitimate defensive shortcomings and his inability to shoot, and beat high level defenders off the bounce consistently leads me to believe that the ceiling of any team where he is their best player will always be severely limited. That said, Bosh is an exponentially better player and prospect than DeRozan ever was, and I don't think that there is a really meaningful comparison here. Bosh lacked help. There is a solid supporting cast here, but DeRozan appears to be capable of being little more than a member of that cast. He's just not _that_ dude and given how long he's been in the league, I suspect he never will be. 

This brings us to Jonas. If we think that he can be _that_ dude, he has to start showing it fast. Franchise players don't become franchise players out of nowhere, and the longer he looks like a such a stiff, lumbering guy, the less likely it seems he will ever be a legitimate number one option. Again, he can be a very nice player. But it seems like there will always be limits to teams where he is the best or second best player.


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## RollWithEm

seifer0406 said:


> If we can get Carlos Boozer for the vet minimum I'm not against bringing him in. But as far as solving our front court problems Boozer really doesn't improve it by that much.


That's my assessment as well. He will be a rich man's Carl Landry coming in and getting 8 points in 8 minutes at times, but he'll be a sub-average defender at best.


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## Drizzy

> Luis Scola ‏@LScola4 3m
> 
> We the north...
> 
> Here I come


Not sure of contract details yet.


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## Basel

Drizzy said:


> Not sure of contract details yet.




__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/619007612097409025


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## Drizzy

Nice signing. Can't really hurt, right?


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## c_dog

I'm not impressed with Masai's work to date. I will however change my opinion of him if he somehow brings in Faried, even at the cost of derozan.


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## Porn Player

c_dog said:


> I'm not impressed with Masai's work to date. I will however change my opinion of him if he somehow brings in Faried, even at the cost of derozan.



You do realise all Faried does is hustle and rebound right? 

He's not on the level of DeMar. We could likely get Faried for Ross + Clippers 1st or something of similar value. 

@ Luis Scola, I haven't seen him play in a season or two. Similar to Boozer not only with his voluptuous hair growth, but his ability to score the basketball. 




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## ozzzymandius

Ok. Addresses the need and the 4, easy contract, not too long or too much money ... But is it just me or does it not feel like we've just filled up the roster with wanna-be's, used to be's, never will-be's & scrubs? Obviously no over the top talents that'll take us to that next level. 

Only good thing with this last one is he'll be gone in time for a growing Bruno to join the roster next year.


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## Porn Player

ozzzymandius said:


> Ok. Addresses the need and the 4, easy contract, not too long or too much money ... But is it just me or does it not feel like we've just filled up the roster with wanna-be's, used to be's, never will-be's & scrubs? Obviously no over the top talents that'll take us to that next level.
> 
> Only good thing with this last one is he'll be gone in time for a growing Bruno to join the roster next year.


You have to build a squad of good players to attract great players. That's how it works. We're slowly moving our pieces around to improve the overall talent level in the franchise. 

PG: Kyle Lowry / Cory Joseph
SG: DeMar DeRozan / Terrence Ross 
SF: DeMarre Carroll / James Johnson 
PF: Patrick Patterson / Luis Scola 
CE: Jonas Valanciunas / Bismack Biyombo 

I certainly think we've upgraded over the 2014/15 roster.


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## seifer0406

Porn Player said:


> You have to build a squad of good players to attract great players. That's how it works. We're slowly moving our pieces around to improve the overall talent level in the franchise.
> 
> PG: Kyle Lowry / Cory Joseph
> SG: DeMar DeRozan / Terrence Ross
> SF: DeMarre Carroll / James Johnson
> PF: Patrick Patterson / Luis Scola
> CE: Jonas Valanciunas / Bismack Biyombo
> 
> I certainly think we've upgraded over the 2013/14 roster.


You mean the 14/15 roster?

It's too early to tell if we improved our roster this off season. Lou /Amir/Vasquez like them or not they are proven NBA players. Biyombo and Joseph are two big question marks and one has to wonder how much Scola has left in the tank. Carroll should be a good fit on paper but then again most of his offense back in ATL came from the Hawks system. Can Casey really change the Raptors offense from last year's iso heavy offense to one that can utilize Carroll's shooting?

If everything goes right I think the ceiling for the team is the Eastern Conference finals where we end up losing to the Cavs. If not I honestly think it's more or less then same as last year or the year before.


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## Porn Player

seifer0406 said:


> You mean the 14/15 roster?
> 
> It's too early to tell if we improved our roster this off season. Lou /Amir/Vasquez like them or not they are proven NBA players. Biyombo and Joseph are two big question marks and one has to wonder how much Scola has left in the tank. Carroll should be a good fit on paper but then again most of his offense back in ATL came from the Hawks system. Can Casey really change the Raptors offense from last year's iso heavy offense to one that can utilize Carroll's shooting?
> 
> If everything goes right I think the ceiling for the team is the Eastern Conference finals where we end up losing to the Cavs. If not I honestly think it's more or less then same as last year or the year before.


Thanks. Struggling with hangover brain today. 

I liked Lou and Vasquez but they had serious defensive shortcomings, and we were one of the poorest teams in the league in that regard. 

You seem worried about our offense, but the stats suggest that last season we were operating one of the most effective systems in the league. Our ball movement has improved over the past few seasons and by adding Carroll, Joseph and Scola - we're only accentuating that with players that understand the value of the extra pass and spacing. 

I would like to see us achieve a level of consistency that I felt was lacking last year. Players like Lou and Vasquez were a big part of that problem, if they weren't making shots, they weren't able to influence the basketball game at all. We've brought in defensive specialists that will be able to compete night in and night out.


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## ozzzymandius

Don't forget Wright as a 1&2 combo guard. 

And you're quite right about the slight increase in compete level and contributions to both sides of the court. So I'll agree to that ... but overall I'm still feeling that we're lacking true intensity, firepower and excitement here. Kinda like we filled up with a bunch of Matt Bonners.


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## Porn Player

ozzzymandius said:


> Don't forget Wright as a 1&2 combo guard.
> 
> And you're quite right about the slight increase in compete level and contributions to both sides of the court. So I'll agree to that ... but overall I'm still feeling that we're lacking true intensity, firepower and excitement here. Kinda like we filled up with a bunch of Matt Bonners.


Matt 'Double NBA Champion' Bonner. 

I agree that after such a disappointing playoff appearance, as fans, we all probably expected something 'bigger' this offseason. But when we look at the current position of our franchise, I'm not sure we've ever been stronger. 

We have a team capable of 50+ wins. We have 2x All-Stars. We're back to back Atlantic Division Champions. Aside from what we've accomplished, we also have a wealth of youth (Bruno, Bebe, Delon Wright etc) that could yet flourish and push us further. On top of this, we own *FOUR* 1st round draft picks in the next 2 seasons. There is a strong chance one of those will be in the lottery (...thank you NYK)! 

So all in all, we haven't made huge strides, but we've taken some steps to improve ourselves as a basketball club. We have the chance to become perennial playoff contenders and if we luck out in the draft or FA with a star, we might even win it all. 

Considering the years I've spent talking about Andrea Bargnani and those horrible post-Carter years, I'm loving the current situation.


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## ozzzymandius

Ok so ...I'm finally starting to build some excitement towards next season and accepting the 'idea' that we've gotten somewhat better. How much remains to be seen. But with a mix of defense minded players who knows ......

BUUUTTT !!! I still feel let down with Biyombo... I just don't see this guy as a good backup center. And we have a huge history of awful players and failings in this spot (actually better question is who was our last good C before JV?), so maybe that's where my hesitation comes from. After we prove out Carroll, Scola and Roberts .... I'd like to see something happen by the trade deadline to bring in a real C to backup JV.


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## ozzzymandius

Raptors sign F Ronald Roberts ....

https://twitter.com/raptors/status/623520860087779329

Yup! I'm ok with this. Another helper at the 4 spot. Always good to have options and who knows how well he'll fit in.


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## Porn Player

ozzzymandius said:


> Raptors sign F Ronald Roberts ....
> 
> https://twitter.com/raptors/status/623520860087779329
> 
> Yup! I'm ok with this. Another helper at the 4 spot. Always good to have options and who knows how well he'll fit in.


He's an incredible athlete and dominated down in the D-League. 
Not a terrible 3rd string choice by any stretch. 

I can't believe we have to wait until October to see some basketball. :gunner:


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## ozzzymandius

Well ... good thing is October is really just around the corner .. time flies PP, time flies 

Besides ... have you seen this yet ??

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/07/22/raptors-off-to-england


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## Porn Player

ozzzymandius said:


> Besides ... have you seen this yet ??
> 
> http://www.torontosun.com/2015/07/22/raptors-off-to-england


I have seen this, and I couldn't be more excited. 

I'm sure the NBA knows of my good work in this forum, so they look out for me by sending my guys over every few years 

:baseldance:


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## ozzzymandius

Porn Player said:


> I have seen this, and I couldn't be more excited.
> 
> I'm sure the NBA knows of my good work in this forum, so they look out for me by sending my guys over every few years
> 
> :baseldance:



I totally agree!!  That must be it for sure... You'd better get those tickets on day 1 of the season and cheer like mad!


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## Porn Player

> Nicolas Batum has interest in playing for the Toronto Raptors when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2016.
> 
> Toronto is an international city that appeals to Batum.
> 
> The Charlotte Hornets acquired Batum this offseason from the Portland Trail Blazers despite him entering his contract year.
> 
> General manager Rich Cho and assistant general manager Chad Buchanan are familiar with Batum from their time with the Blazers.
> 
> “We are very comfortable given that Chad and Rich know Nic well,” said Hornets' vice-chairman Curtis Polk.
> 
> “We’ve seen over the last few years that players want to be here,” Cho says. “Free agents want to come here.”


Link


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## RollWithEm

Batum needs to have a really great comeback season in Charlotte to get anywhere near what he's making currently. He has really taken a step back these last 150 games or so.


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## ozzzymandius

Ok. I'm starting to feel a bit more excited about our upcoming season and free agent signings .... Scola blistering team canada for 35 pts at FIBA helps. 

http://m.thestar.com/#/article/spor...lls-to-argentina-in-fiba-americas-opener.html


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## ballocks

Tough game yesterday. Especially sucks for the players themselves, who come home feeling like failures. They made such incredible strides at the tournament- imo they've legitimized themselves as a bona fide basketball power- it's too bad that most of the world will only remember the one misstep at the end.

Silver lining: they have another excuse to play again (up to three times) in prep for the Olympics next year. It might ironically help them in their ultimate pursuit of a medal, although our media will shift the focus instead on the possibility that they_ might not be there at all_. Same old story.

Hindsight is always 20/20 but one concern I've always had is their _age_. Did they really not have a choice? 

peace


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