Everything Amir Johnson

[white men can't jump]

I like how people were so against around the trade deadline but now thier all on board for Boozer.

Also, there were pretty big implications with the tax if they acquired him before the deadline. See the repeater tax issue.

And still a pretty good chance this team would not have made the playoffs. They were what? 22-33 at the deadline, I believe. Assuming .500 for the playoffs, that would have meant going 19-8 in the last 27 games. That's crazy. That's like a .700 winning %. The only teams doing that well overall are Miami, San Antonio and OKC. I think we would just see a slightly better version of the team currently being trotted out, so maybe with Boozer, an at least .500 ballclub, or likely maybe just bit better...but not .700.

I always said I didn't like the Boozer trade at the deadline. Even as a fallback option, there's a strong chance it's still there in the summer. Chicago clearly didn't go out to target Bargnani, he was just the best possible deal they could get for Boozer in terms of cost and fitting into their team. That will still be true in the summer. I think it actually made sense to wait out, if they didn't like the deal, screw it, see if Bargs bounces back (which he obviously didn't) while showcasing him...and again, regardless, the possibility should still be there after the season.

[Nilanka]

I'm usually not a fan of +/-, but when its looked at over the course of a full season, I think it's a very telling stat.

This is insane. RT @alex_rucker: Amir update: Raptors are +169 when he's on the court, -334 when he's on the bench.

— Holly MacKenzie (@stackmack) March 28, 2013

[Rapstor4Life]

Just goes to show how important he is, because anytime he isnt out there its like a big red carpet is laid out to our basket...

[JawsGT]

"If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with"- Crosby, Stills, Nash

The guy plays hurt all the time, hustles on every play, continues to develop his skills and focus at only 25 years old, is now competitive vs every opponent in the league, has shown all kinds of commitment to the team/organization, is on a steal of a contract. Yet so many complain about wanting bigger breasts. sheeeeesh. Blake, Love, Dirk, LA, etc aren't coming to play for the Raps any time soon, so appreciate the guy, minus all the "yeah buts".

Thank you. And how many players in the starting lineup do we need whose best assets are putting the ball through the basket? Derozan, Gay and Lowry's best abilities are scoring, not defending, rebounding or passing. JV is developing into a good low post scorer, and may someday be dominant offensively in the position. And yet, many fans seem to think we need another scorer for the PF position. Going completely in the wrong direction!! I'd argue we could use one less scorer in the starting lineup. Replace Gay or Derozan with a hard nosed winger that does all the little things, especially defend, and I think this lineup would be much better. Stop picking on Amir, everyone knows there are better PF's out there, but do we really need one? Boozer and Gasol are 16-18 mil/yr players, and would provide this team with too many players that require the ball offensively to work well together. Thats my opinion. Tell me one team in the league that has 5 scorers in their starting 5? None that I can think of. And many teams these days are electing to keep one of their best scorers on the bench. LAC - crawford, OKC - Martin, SAS - Ginobili, NYK - Stoudemire, even Miami has Allen.

Amir doesn't need to be allocated to the bench, nor do the Raps need a more prominent PF. We need to retool our offense and start playing some actual bball, instead of this ISO, one on one school yard crap.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

Thank you. And how many players in the starting lineup do we need whose best assets are putting the ball through the basket? Derozan, Gay and Lowry's best abilities are scoring, not defending, rebounding or passing. JV is developing into a good low post scorer, and may someday be dominant offensively in the position. And yet, many fans seem to think we need another scorer for the PF position. Going completely in the wrong direction!! I'd argue we could use one less scorer in the starting lineup. Replace Gay or Derozan with a hard nosed winger that does all the little things, especially defend, and I think this lineup would be much better. Stop picking on Amir, everyone knows there are better PF's out there, but do we really need one? Boozer and Gasol are 16-18 mil/yr players, and would provide this team with too many players that require the ball offensively to work well together. Thats my opinion. Tell me one team in the league that has 5 scorers in their starting 5? None that I can think of. And many teams these days are electing to keep one of their best scorers on the bench. LAC - crawford, OKC - Martin, SAS - Ginobili, NYK - Stoudemire, even Miami has Allen.

Amir doesn't need to be allocated to the bench, nor do the Raps need a more prominent PF. We need to retool our offense and start playing some actual bball, instead of this ISO, one on one school yard crap.

Things I agree with:
- no more scorers needed in the starting lineup
- a good glue/defense guy would bring balance to the starting lineup
- not enough ball movement in the starting lineup
- too much individual/ISO plays on offense from the starting lineup
- Gay & DeRozan are a bit redundant in their strengths and style of play

Things I disagree with:
- not needing a more offensively gifted starting PF


I agree with most of your points, but I think your logic is a little flawed:

- If you replace Johnson with a starting PF who demands double-teams, it will open up driving lanes and outside shooters for more efficient scoring opportunities and better ball movement (+1 scorer)

- Removing the redundancy of Gay/DeRozan and adding a glue/defense guy, could both be achieved by a single change in the starting lineup, ie: Fields becomes starting SG (-1 scorer)

- Both of these observations would seem to make a potential trade of DeRozan for the TBD starting PF a logical solution to all the points you raised (lets face it, Bargnani is unlikely to return such a PF and DeRozan would be wasted money as a bench player)


The solution seems simple to me:
1. trade Bargnani for anything positive (ie: not just an equally bad or worse contract)
2. amnesty Kleiza
3. trade DeRozan (possibly with Bargnani) for a starting PF
4. Fields becomes starting SG (defense, glue-guy, balance in the starting lineup)
5. Johnson becomes backup PF / 3rd big, improving the team's depth and 2nd unit quality

[JawsGT]

Things I agree with:
- no more scorers needed in the starting lineup
- a good glue/defense guy would bring balance to the starting lineup
- not enough ball movement in the starting lineup
- too much individual/ISO plays on offense from the starting lineup
- Gay & DeRozan are a bit redundant in their strengths and style of play

Things I disagree with:
- not needing a more offensively gifted starting PF


I agree with most of your points, but I think your logic is a little flawed:

- If you replace Johnson with a starting PF who demands double-teams, it will open up driving lanes and outside shooters for more efficient scoring opportunities and better ball movement (+1 scorer)

- Removing the redundancy of Gay/DeRozan and adding a glue/defense guy, could both be achieved by a single change in the starting lineup, ie: Fields becomes starting SG (-1 scorer)

- Both of these observations would seem to make a potential trade of DeRozan for the TBD starting PF a logical solution to all the points you raised (lets face it, Bargnani is unlikely to return such a PF and DeRozan would be wasted money as a bench player)


The solution seems simple to me:
1. trade Bargnani for anything positive (ie: not just an equally bad or worse contract)
2. amnesty Kleiza
3. trade DeRozan (possibly with Bargnani) for a starting PF
4. Fields becomes starting SG (defense, glue-guy, balance in the starting lineup)
5. Johnson becomes backup PF / 3rd big, improving the team's depth and 2nd unit quality

Good points, but one of the main reasons I do not want to replace Amir is JV. I'm sure a good, experienced power forward would actually help JV off the court and in practice, and maybe even so during games. But I really fear that a low post power forward would hinder his development due to a lack of touches. That may not be the case of course, but I see it going that way. We are not in Memphis. Furthermore, I want and believe that JV will be the low post guy that demands those double teams and opens up driving and passing lanes for other guys. How long will it take for him to develop into that type of player if he is sharing touches with a scoring PF, as well as the high volume shooters in Gay and Derozan? Lets find a backup for Amir and let JV explore his potential.

[thead]

I am now of the mind that Amir is our starter...I came to it gradually, but I believe JV can be our low post option.

What I would like to see is Reggie Evans back on this team

[Rapstor4Life]

So if we land Carl Landry off the bench would everyone be happy with this? It would mean Amir is the starter. btw Boozer had 21 pts 17 boards last night against the Heat thats the kind of bruiser this team needs...And Nate Robinson added 14 in 20 minutes off the bench....

COULD OF HAD THEM!

[isaacthompson]

If you replace Johnson with a starting PF who demands double-teams, it will open up driving lanes and outside shooters for more efficient scoring opportunities and better ball movement (+1 scorer)

This is a good point.

However, if Colangelo doesn't go for a new starting PF, he'll most likely be relying on the fact that JV should grow into this role (ie. someone that can can be dominant enough to draw double teams / open up shooters).

[isaacthompson]

I am now of the mind that Amir is our starter...I came to it gradually, but I believe JV can be our low post option.

What I would like to see is Reggie Evans back on this team

22 points and 26 boards last night. Been a beast as of late.

[ReubenJRD]

Grade Amir Johnson's 2012-2013 season.

[Rapstor4Life]

A+ he brought every night not much to say but hes a warrior, such an important Raptor MVP in fact. I always use to think Davis would eventually be the guy and Amir would be dealt somewhere, this season made me realizae how wrong I was and Im glad we have him over Eddy. The city loves Amir and he loves the city heres hoping hes a Raptor for the rest of his career. High energy guys that can produce are rare.

[white men can't jump]

A+.....

No one had a better season than Amir. He improved all aspects of his game, and continued to weed out mistakes that have plagued him from his early days. I'm not even going to get into many details, because he literally did improve every aspect of his game, even in some small ways that had been long plaguing him.

For example, the reduction in his charges for one, has been very pleasant, as every time he used to put the ball down to go to the basket I'd cringe, expecting a defender to draw the foul. Now he has that hook shot down, and a nice little spin to go with it if he needs to gather himself and create space. I never cringe anymore.

Negatives??? Really small ones. The inexplicable turnovers on thigns like outlet and out-of-bounds passes where it's like he doesn't even see the defender is right there. Didn't have many of them but they were flabbergasting when they happened. He also still gets caught reaching a bit much for my liking, but his fouling is not a problem as often as it used to be.

[octothorp]

I'm not really into grading the players at the moment, but looking back on the season I was just realizing that Amir probably provided my highlight of the year: his last shift in the Indiana OT game was epic, with four points and three offensive rebounds in the last few seconds of regulation, then a jump-ball win, dunk, rebound and assist in the first minute of OT before fouling out.

[Miekenstien]

gave him an a. i hated on him for his constant excuses and really wanted him out and davis promoted and he played better than i could have expected. good year from amir.

[Matt52]

I gave him the B.

I love what Amir brings but I would like to see more consistency.

Look through his game log in February, March, and April (when he was consistently starting minus the NYK games). They are all over the place.

[tucas]

I'll give him an A. Great all around season, one of the best on the team, but a little inconsistent.