With the playoffs starting to wind down, and free agency & the draft coming up quickly; we decided to talk to other bloggers about their team, and how they might figure into the plans of the Raptors come this offseason.
We unpack how the outcome of the draft lottery order will affect the Raptors picking at #13. We also look at how the idea of Avery Bradley going #13 to the Raps is gaining popularity, especially in the eyes of loyal RR reader, Chad Ford. We suggest 3 quick steps to make this team a contender again. Without Chris Bosh.
“If you trade a great player, you’d better get a whole lot in return because there are so few of those guys,” Phoenix Suns GM Steve Kerr said. “It’s a lot easier to add to the base that you’ve already got and reshuffle the exterior people than break up the whole thing and trade a dominant player.”
Chris Bosh is apparently not even talking to the Raptors which means Bryan Colangelo needs to get his sign-and-trade game-face on. The good news is that he’s pulled off one pretty decent sign-and-trade deal in the past.
As the playoffs trudge along, there will be a Raptors moment in it. Not in the actual playoffs of course, but at 7:30PM on Tuesday when the NBA holds its draft lottery and DeMar DeRozan represents.
Assuming that the ping pong balls on Tuesday night keep everything the same, and that the Raptors pick at #13, look for the Raptors to draft 19 year old Avery Bradley, the 6’3″ Texas guard.
Big name free-agents are always wooed the most by their own teams. This year the Miami Heat started a website dedicated to keeping Dwayne Wade in town; in Cleveland students have launched a campaign to keep LeBron James; in contrast, there’s little going on in Toronto to keep Chris Bosh.
The second product offering from Raptors Republic. RR Classic Hats are to be worn by every warm-blooded soldier in the Republic. They come in black and red.
This week on The Doctor is In, ESPN TrueHoop Editor, Kevin Arnovitz, drops by to talk about the NBA playoffs, free agency, the Raptors need for improved defense, Chris Bosh’s impact (if any) and all things NBA.
After listening to Tim's interview I feel a refreshing sense of hope regarding the Raptors. Irrespective of how the team plays this season it seems that a foundational change is on the horizon, which will hopefully result in a complete overhaul of the team and its league wide perception. I'm a lifelong Raptors fan and will continue to be one regardless of wins/losses or playoff position. I do feel we have some strong pieces, specifically JV, with whom the franchise can build its future. I've seen the game enough to know that the best NBA players all share some common characteristics which include determination, intelligence and a burning desire to win. JV embodies these characteristics they're plainly written on his face any time he's in the game. We need to pair him with a high quality power forward and a traditional point guard. I know a lot of people don't like Derozan but I actually think he's developing well and seems to have a strong understanding of which areas to improve on. Rudy Gay and Bargnani need to go and we need to develop a deep bench which could potentially be anchored by TRoss but for that we would need to get much much stronger. Toronto needs to stop acting like some kind of second rate team. We're the fourth largest market in North America, the city continues to gain recognition along multiple platforms and we have a fan base second to none. Lets hope Tim can deliver.