David Thorpe is an NBA analyst for ESPN.com’s Scouts Inc. and the executive director of the Pro Training Center in Clearwater, Florida, where he oversees the player development program for NBA and college players. Follow him on Twitter.
Some of the discussion topics:
- Can Dwayne Casey be the difference in Toronto? How much of a difference can a coach make, and what kind of defensive schemes can we expect to see him run here in Toronto to work with guys like Bargnani and Calderon?
- Bargnani said in an interview a few weeks back that he thinks part of his problem has been that he has been playing out of position for the last five years. Coach Thorpe gives his thoughts on Andrea Bargnani moving back to his “natural position” of power forward.
- How does the hiring of Casey impact how the Raptors draft? Who is the big time defensive guy the Raptors could take at #5? Are any of them ready to come in and contribute right away on the defensive end at the NBA level?
- What is up with Bismack Biyombo?
- Before the draft last year we talked about Solomon Alabi, who Coach Thorpe is a big fan of, and the Raptors were able to get him late in the second round. Where is he at in his development and where does he fit in with the Raptors? Coach drops some interesting tidbits on Alabi’s summer so far.
- Ed Davis – how he looked in year one, what his roadmap looks like, and what kind of a center suits him.
- Brandon Knight vs Kemba Walker – Who does the coach like better?
Grab the iTunes feed or the plain old feed. You can also download the file (23:28, 22.5MB). Or just listen below:
So Dwane Casey’s the new Raptors head coach, here are the thoughts I gave a while back on why he’s the right choice, turns out Colangelo and I do agree somewhere.
And finally, don’t forget the RR Draft party happening at St. Louis Bar and Grill – 528 Yonge St. (Wellesley or College Subway stops) starting at 6:30PM on Thursday.
The email is phdsteve@gmail.com, hit me.
