Everything Dwane Casey

[Nilanka]

JV has been incredible in the playoffs, but there will always be question as to whether he can be incredible on a team where he is the focal point of opposing defences night in and night out. Bosh averages a double/double for the longest time in Toronto with nobody around him.

On the plus side what we've seen so far in the playoffs is the tip of the JV iceberg. Would be very interesting to see how they structure this team next season. Would they continue to use JV as a role player?

I think there's a happy median between his current usage (distant 3rd in the pecking order), and being the #1 guy.

Jonas will be setup to fail if we expect a Pau Gasol level of mastery with the ball in his hands. But he most definitely deserves to be getting looks ahead of DeFrozen.

[Barolt]

JV has been incredible in the playoffs, but there will always be question as to whether he can be incredible on a team where he is the focal point of opposing defences night in and night out. Bosh averages a double/double for the longest time in Toronto with nobody around him.

On the plus side what we've seen so far in the playoffs is the tip of the JV iceberg. Would be very interesting to see how they structure this team next season. Would they continue to use JV as a role player?

The thing is, you don't have to just 'put the ball in his hands'. You can use a multitude of options to get a player looks. JV's been good off cuts, as the pick and roll big man, and even as a spot-up guy from midrange. He's also good on post-ups. He's a solid passer out of the high post.

Misdirection, player and ball movement all work to get good looks. Just because we don't do any of those things currently, doesn't mean we can't start under our next coach.

[tDotted]

If Lionel Hollins can get canned after a franchise high in wins and a Conference Finals appearance, Casey should get the boot too.

[KHD]

Jonas has been a revelation in the playoffs. But I can't help but think it's unsustainable over a full 82 games. It looks like he's exerting a ton of energy out there. Fueled by playoff adrenaline.

hey, as far as im concerned he doesn't have to go this hard for 82.

he's only going to get better. he'll be able to play with regular-season effort and be extremely effective. He's already a 13 and 9 guy in 26 minutes this past year. He'll be at leasta 15 and 11 kind of guy if you give him 30 minutes. give him more offensive touches and he will score 18-20. his defence has come a long way and that's not effort, it's smarts.

then he can go ape shit in the postseason.


rinse and repeat every year for the next 10.

[Mess]

Jonas has been a revelation in the playoffs. But I can't help but think it's unsustainable over a full 82 games. It looks like he's exerting a ton of energy out there. Fueled by playoff adrenaline.

I think it's partly unsustainable because the refs won't let him, or anyone else, get away with the shit he's done (and had done to him) all playoffs. That one beast move where he tipped it to himself and dunked over 2 Heat, he came from out of bounds to shove Haslem out of his way.

Though I hope the way he's been performing these past 2 rounds will earn him some leeway with the refs going forward.

[djsunyc]

I think it's partly unsustainable because the refs won't let him, or anyone else, get away with the shit he's done (and had done to him) all playoffs. That one beast move where he tipped it to himself and dunked over 2 Heat, he came from out of bounds to shove Haslem out of his way.

Though I hope the way he's been performing these past 2 rounds will earn him some leeway with the refs going forward.

reputations are built in the playoffs. all media was touting him as our best player and giving him major props. george + wade were calling him a monster. the injury is very unfortunate b/c of he played and his dominance continued, not only will that carry over next year as coaches will vote him for asg, but refs will start giving him respect like he's been getting as the playoffs continued.

on the other side of the coin, derozan's rep has been hurt so much that i fear he may not get as many calls next season b/c of it.

[rocwell]

Casey: "I'm sleeping like a baby... waking up and crying"

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 10, 2016

[white men can't jump]

Jonas has been a revelation in the playoffs. But I can't help but think it's unsustainable over a full 82 games. It looks like he's exerting a ton of energy out there. Fueled by playoff adrenaline.

Nilanka, that's 100% supposed to be the case. You're supposed to have another gear you can get up to for the playoffs. JV clearly has that. It's a good thing. It's not like he goes from bad to good. He went from very very good but underutilized to stud but underutilized. I mean really, he's been probably the 2nd best big in the playoffs after Aldridge and arguably the top non-Cavs player in the east.

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[OldSkoolCool]

Casey: "I'm sleeping like a baby... waking up and crying"

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 10, 2016

This is actually a golden quote.

Nilanka, that's 100% supposed to be the case. You're supposed to have another gear you can get up to for the playoffs. JV clearly has that. It's a good thing. It's not like he goes from bad to good. He went from very very good but underutilized to stud but underutilized. I mean really, he's been probably the 2nd best big in the playoffs after Aldridge and arguably the top non-Cavs player in the east.

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Have we ever seen DD play with a hard nosed intensity?

Like he busts out the stink face but that's not what I'm talking about...I'm talking about he turns the ball over then goes ape shit and plays super aggressive D and gets in peoples face to get the ball back. Never seen him do it. I definitely seen more intensity from Terrence Ross more often.

[magoon]

This +1000000000000

http://deadspin.com/what-the-hell-is...ing-1775727583

I honestly think that article - and really, most of this board since forever - is remarkably uncharitable towards Dwane Casey.

This team only has three legit lead scoring options on it: Lowry, Jonas and DeMar. The fact that DeMar has gone cold doesn't change the fact that for most of the season, DeMar was a primary scoring option for this team and an extremely effective one, and that most of the team's plays that they're used to are focused around getting him the ball for a good drive or using him to draw attention away from three-shooters.

In the second half, when Casey wasn't playing DeMar, he was able to get away with it because Lowry was facilitating the offense, both running it and drawing defenders away - even cold, Lowry is a player the other team have to pay attention to. You need one of those on the floor in order to have a chance to score points when the other team's stars are playing. You can talk about Biyombo's rim protection all you like, but Wade and Dragic were slicing around Biyombo all night long, and that's not a knock on Bismack but just a recognition that Wade and Dragic are really superb offensive basketball weapons.

If DeMar doesn't find his scoring touch again, what happens? Carroll can't be the lead dog, he's a complementary player. So is Ross. So is Patterson. None of them are players who really want to be The Guy, they want to be members of a team that has a star, and that's fine, every team needs good guys like that. (You can tell that Powell wants to be a lead dog but he's still a rook with an iffy jumper at best.) If you're not the Spurs, you need someone who can be the focal point of the offense, and DeMar was the only option available with Jonas injured and Lowry fouled out.

Everybody was screaming for the CoJo/Ross/Carroll/2Pat/Biyombo lineup, but come on, that's a bench unit against Wade, Dragic and Joe Johnson. Regardless of how good the defense might be (and the Raptors' defense has been excellent this series and too many sportswriters are chalking up Miami's low scores to them just having bad game after bad game, but that's not it at all) that lineup doesn't outscore the Heat, and Casey knew it. Better to gamble on DeMar rather than assure an almost certain respectable defeat with Biyombo? That's a valid coaching decision. It turned out to be the wrong one, but that doesn't mean inserting Biyombo was the right decision either. Without Lowry and Jonas on the floor the Raptors had very, very little chance of winning the game; that's just a fairly obvious truth.

[DogeLover1234]

Jonas has been a revelation in the playoffs. But I can't help but think it's unsustainable over a full 82 games. It looks like he's exerting a ton of energy out there. Fueled by playoff adrenaline.

I agree for the most part, hes a guy to will have another level to step up in the playoffs, which is a criticism i have for DD and Lowry. While i think Lowry can still go crazy in playoffs, he still has shot aweful for whatever reason. DD on the other hand has a game centered around getting to the rim and ft line, which is significantly more difficult in playoffs, plus he just doesn't have another gear to go to

[DanH]

Everybody was screaming for the CoJo/Ross/Carroll/2Pat/Biyombo lineup, but come on, that's a bench unit against Wade, Dragic and Joe Johnson. Regardless of how good the defense might be (and the Raptors' defense has been excellent this series and too many sportswriters are chalking up Miami's low scores to them just having bad game after bad game, but that's not it at all) that lineup doesn't outscore the Heat, and Casey knew it. Better to gamble on DeMar rather than assure an almost certain respectable defeat with Biyombo? That's a valid coaching decision. It turned out to be the wrong one, but that doesn't mean inserting Biyombo was the right decision either. Without Lowry and Jonas on the floor the Raptors had very, very little chance of winning the game; that's just a fairly obvious truth.

Outscored the Heat? Who expected that lineup to outscore the Heat?

Casey first abandoned the big lineup that was working with 5 minutes left and a 7 point lead. Biyombo was jerked in and out of the lineup over the next few minutes as the lead shrunk to 2.

Then the last minute and a half, with Biyombo on the bench for DeRozan so the offence has a chance, the Raptors scored two points total, while giving up 4 points on free throws and a layup at the rim because we had no rim protection. DeRozan's lone contribution being - shock - a missed 20 foot jumper.

I flew the no all bench lineups flag all year, advocating for always having one of DD/KL out there. But the DeMar in these playoffs and in this game in particular is pretty obviously not the same DeMar. The logic no longer holds, not with him putting on a display like that. You put shooters out around the CoJo/BB pick and roll and hope for the best. Instead they ran DeMar mostly off ball while running screen plays for Joseph anyway? For that we took the hit defensively? It makes no sense.

[DanH]

Long story short, all they had to do was break even - which the no KL, no DD lineups last night managed (+/- of 0) in their three minutes last night.

[Apollo]

Casey: "I'm sleeping like a baby... waking up and crying"

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 10, 2016

Not to mention he is unable to clean up the many messes he's made.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

Outscored the Heat? Who expected that lineup to outscore the Heat?

Casey first abandoned the big lineup that was working with 5 minutes left and a 7 point lead. Biyombo was jerked in and out of the lineup over the next few minutes as the lead shrunk to 2.

Then the last minute and a half, with Biyombo on the bench for DeRozan so the offence has a chance, the Raptors scored two points total, while giving up 4 points on free throws and a layup at the rim because we had no rim protection. DeRozan's lone contribution being - shock - a missed 20 foot jumper.

I flew the no all bench lineups flag all year, advocating for always having one of DD/KL out there. But the DeMar in these playoffs and in this game in particular is pretty obviously not the same DeMar. The logic no longer holds, not with him putting on a display like that. You put shooters out around the CoJo/BB pick and roll and hope for the best. Instead they ran DeMar mostly off ball while running screen plays for Joseph anyway? For that we took the hit defensively? It makes no sense.

In addition to everything you mentioned, DeRozan had also been benched for the 4th quarter so he was out of rhythm and ice cold, on top of having an injured shooting thumb, a bad shooting night, and shattered confidence.

Plus, the lineup out there had been playing really well, getting good ball movement. Joseph, Ross and Carroll were playing really well and shooting the ball well. Patterson is a glue guy who can knock down open 3's, while Biyombo provides the P&R option and rebounding at both ends.

The moment Lowry picked up that foul (he seriously needs to stop picking up dumb ticky-tack fouls), I knew Casey was going to go to DeRozan, and I had a bad feeling that they were going to cough up the lead once again by going into their 'prevent' mode.