Masai on The Fan - November 19

[isaacthompson]

If anything, that is an indictment on how Bargs was used while in Toronto. He is still an absolute sieve on defense but NY has figured out how to effectively use Bargs on offense.

They wouldn't have figured out how to use him effectively if Tyson Chandler had been healthy this entire time.

[JimiCliff]

First bold and second bold are kinda contradictory no? They haven't figured out how to use him, they're just using him the right amount and at better instances. Sounds exactly like they figured out how to use him.I know it's hard to give NY credit since it was painfully obvious to all of us Raptors fans that the correct way to use him is the way NY is, but that again just goes to show how bad a coach Casey is. Even Mr. Potato Head Mike Woodson figured out how to use Bargs, and he's a pretty terrible coach himself.

No one's figured anything out there, and no one didn't figure out anything here. The Knicks have Melo. This means Bargs gets open shots. End of story.

[psrs1]

All I got was a lot of "aahs", "ers" and "nos/maybes". My crystal ball remains very murky. Like one of the pundits said "the gms around the league dont even know his intentions" (paraphrase)....and he talks to them all the time.

Has anyone read/seen an interview with Dan Tolzman (director of scouting) who came over with MU from Denver? Please provide a link if available. I have personally seen nothing....which speaks to the tight control Ujiri has on Raptor information.

Thankfully unlike BC.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

Wouldn't it be much better to hire a new coach and get his input on the roster decisions? He will, after all, be the one coaching these guys for the next 4+ years. I think that would make it even more likely for everyone to be on the same page since they all made the decisions together.

I agree Casey is a lame duck coach, I'd just rather have a lame duck coach who isn't fighting for his job at the expense of our young players development (see JV). Just promote one of the assistants, tell him to focus on player development, and that his assistant coach job is safe and he'll be an assistant for whoever the new head coach is next season. Both Nurse and Bayno were Ujiri hires, not Casey, so I'd assume they will remain whenever a new Coach is brought in.

I think JV and Ross are both earning more playing time with their play, so I'd be surprised if Casey doesn't start playing them more. I could also see MU talk to Casey and request they play more, if he's not satisfied with their court time. Also, if MU blows the team up, then it's likely that Casey would essentially be forced to play them more, especially if it becomes apparent that the team is no longer playing for this year.

Personally, I would have fired Casey in the offseason, but I totally understand MU coming in and playing the 'wait and see' card with both the roster and coach. He very well could fire Casey in the 2nd half, as part of a massive overhaul of the team. I just don't think it really matters all that much in the grand scheme of things whether that happens during the season or offseason.

[Nilanka]

Sarcasm noted...but...

NYK is normally a target to deal with and unload. Alas, their cupboard is bare...I mean really bare. Ironically, it has been MU who has helped with the depletion since his Nugget days. Would you do a Shumpert (they are trying to trade him) and ballast for DD? I waver.

Like Primer said above, I think DeRozan can net us more than Shumpert and parts. He's playing pretty well right now. I'm sure the league has noticed.

[Mediumcore]

Like Primer said above, I think DeRozan can net us more than Shumpert and parts. He's playing pretty well right now. I'm sure the league has noticed.

Shumpert would be a low ball offer for DeMar. Would you take a chance on Tyreke Evans? His numbers don't look that great right now, but I wonder if that has more to do with adjusting to coming off the bench.

[Nilanka]

Shumpert would be a low ball offer for DeMar. Would you take a chance on Tyreke Evans? His numbers don't look that great right now, but I wonder if that has more to do with adjusting to coming off the bench.

Personally, I'd stay away from Tyreke at all costs. He's neither a point guard, or a shooting guard, or a small forward....

...but he is a malcontent.

[Axel]

Personally, I'd stay away from Tyreke at all costs. He's neither a point guard, or a shooting guard, or a small forward....

...but he is a malcontent.

Agreed. He can't shoot and is a ball dominant player, so how is that an improvement from DD or Gay?

[Primer]

Shumpert would be a low ball offer for DeMar. Would you take a chance on Tyreke Evans? His numbers don't look that great right now, but I wonder if that has more to do with adjusting to coming off the bench.

Tyreke Evans? I thought we were trying to get better at SG, not worse. We'd just be adding an extra $3M per year of salary for an inferior player. No thanks.
I'd expect Demar to fetch something more like Schroeder and Millsap from ATL (just to throw something out there).

[Axel]

Tyreke Evans? I thought we were trying to get better at SG, not worse. We'd just be adding an extra $3M per year of salary for an inferior player. No thanks.
I'd expect Demar to fetch something more like Schroeder and Millsap from ATL (just to throw something out there).

Keep dreaming. No way we'd get a haul like that.

[ebrian]

Wouldn't it be much better to hire a new coach and get his input on the roster decisions? He will, after all, be the one coaching these guys for the next 4+ years. I think that would make it even more likely for everyone to be on the same page since they all made the decisions together.

I think we all agree that this team is going to get blown up this season at some point in time. But barring a miracle, I think a lot of the moves made this season will be intermediate steps towards improving the team. I don't think, for example, we are going to be able to trade Rudy Gay or Kyle Lowry for players who will be with us for the next 4+ years.

I agree Casey is a lame duck coach, I'd just rather have a lame duck coach who isn't fighting for his job at the expense of our young players development (see JV). Just promote one of the assistants, tell him to focus on player development, and that his assistant coach job is safe and he'll be an assistant for whoever the new head coach is next season. Both Nurse and Bayno were Ujiri hires, not Casey, so I'd assume they will remain whenever a new Coach is brought in.

I don't think Casey is fighting for his job. I think he's just coaching the way he think is right, which is unfortunate... but even still, I think think that he's a guy that will get snatched up immediately when we don't re-sign him. Maybe not as a head coach, but as an assistant, teams will gladly take him on (assuming he is willing to go somewhere as an AC).

I still see a guy that has a few months left and should be left alone until his contract is finished. And I think the upper brass have told him as much. It doesn't make sense to me to fire this guy (and continue to pay him) and then promote another guy to act as a temporary stop-gap. Btw, this is not a question of whether or not he deserves to be fired, but rather whether it makes sense for the franchise long term.

[japetas]

Monroe + Vilanueva to DeRozan + Gray
You can change Vilanueva to Stuckey or/and Gray to Hansbrough (after DEC 15th)

C Jonas Valanciunas
PF Greg Monroe
SF Rudy Gay
SG Terrence Ross
PG Kyle Lowry

And this is not necessarily the final lineup before trade deadline But this trade would definitely hurt our tanking ratio.

[white men can't jump]

Monroe + Vilanueva to DeRozan + Gray
You can change Vilanueva to Stuckey or/and Gray to Hansbrough (after DEC 15th)

C Jonas Valanciunas
PF Greg Monroe
SF Rudy Gay
SG Terrence Ross
PG Kyle Lowry

And this is not necessarily the final lineup before trade deadline But this trade would definitely hurt our tanking ratio.

I am really not a big Greg Monroe fan. Not a guy I really want to add to the team, and if he was, I would hope it's not as a building block, but as a trade asset who's time with the Raps has an expiring date.

To understand why, read this article, especially from the quoted passage onwards:
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/...etroit-pistons

Monroe is a very good offensive player, but he's a glaring liability on defense in a league getting smaller and quicker. He's a turnstile trying to contain the pick-and-roll out on the floor — a mess of bad footwork, poor timing, lazy reaches, and bad choices....

[ball4life]

I am really not a big Greg Monroe fan. Not a guy I really want to add to the team, and if he was, I would hope it's not as a building block, but as a trade asset who's time with the Raps has an expiring date.

To understand why, read this article, especially from the quoted passage onwards:
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/...etroit-pistons

Monroe is a very good offensive player, but he's a glaring liability on defense in a league getting smaller and quicker. He's a turnstile trying to contain the pick-and-roll out on the floor — a mess of bad footwork, poor timing, lazy reaches, and bad choices....


if the above are what the weaknesses of a player... then we shud probably make a three team trade where we aquire indiana's player development staffs and the the player with those weakneses...

simply put... to correct those kinds of weaknesses should be what the objectives of player development staffs

and clearly... the Raptors suck in that department


HOWEVER, personally, I STILL WOULDNT like Greg Monroe on THIS team

[AJ360]

I thought there were a couple comments that MU made on the fan 590 on Tuesday that were rather revealing.

First of all, he discussed the ways in which a team can be built, through the draft or through trades/free agency.
He said specifically that he thought building through the draft was the better way to go about it.

The other revealing comment he made, was in a discussion regarding the term tanking itself. He essentially said that referring to draft-oriented team building as tanking was erroneous, because it is a valid approach to team construction, taking a step back to take two steps forward.

I think these comments are calculated. While it doesn't actually reveal a plan, by both softening the language used to describe tanking and emphasizing draft-oriented team building as a valid approach, he can influence the way fans think about the topic.