Ric Bucher on DD: "I haven't been blown away by his progress so far."

[Matt52]

"Dave (London)


Demar Derozan = Rip Hamilton? As in, a guy who can be good for 20 a night coming off screens, catching and shooting? Do you think he becomes Toronto's future star player? Or a decent 2nd fiddle?

Ric Bucher (1:53 PM)


Getting a ton of Euro love, for some reason. DeRozan and Rip have same body type. DeRozan is a much better athlete, not as good of a shooter and could be first-team all-defense. His potential is greater than Rip's but it remains to be seen if he can make the most of it. I haven't been blown away by his progress so far."

How many Raps games do you think Bucher has watched? The guy has steadily increased his scoring average and methods of scoring each month since the season started. Some of his post moves and turn-around jumpers of late have been beautiful to watch. If he can continue the lane will start to open up as people respect his mid-range. It seems like his jump shot is good as long as his foot is on the 3 point line.

Defensively has been a struggle but the tools are there and he has shown flashes.

I chalk this comment up to another ignorant commentator who knows little about the Raps except they play in Canada. To say you haven't been blown away by his progress - as he was drafted as a project and is still raw - means expectations are unrealistic.

In the end though - I guess he is entitled to his opinion as I am mine.... it is just my opinion is correct - lol.

[joey_hesketh]

"Dave (London)


Demar Derozan = Rip Hamilton? As in, a guy who can be good for 20 a night coming off screens, catching and shooting? Do you think he becomes Toronto's future star player? Or a decent 2nd fiddle?

Ric Bucher (1:53 PM)


Getting a ton of Euro love, for some reason. DeRozan and Rip have same body type. DeRozan is a much better athlete, not as good of a shooter and could be first-team all-defense. His potential is greater than Rip's but it remains to be seen if he can make the most of it. I haven't been blown away by his progress so far."

How many Raps games do you think Bucher has watched? The guy has steadily increased his scoring average and methods of scoring each month since the season started. Some of his post moves and turn-around jumpers of late have been beautiful to watch. If he can continue the lane will start to open up as people respect his mid-range. It seems like his jump shot is good as long as his foot is on the 3 point line.

Defensively has been a struggle but the tools are there and he has shown flashes.

I chalk this comment up to another ignorant commentator who knows little about the Raps except they play in Canada. To say you haven't been blown away by his progress - as he was drafted as a project and is still raw - means expectations are unrealistic.

In the end though - I guess he is entitled to his opinion as I am mine.... it is just my opinion is correct - lol.

Well the fact that he's saying Demar could 1st Team All-Defense just shows he doesn't watch Raps games. haha

Rics only looking at the fact that Demars minutes and shots have increased, thus his Points should naturally increase as well. On paper, it's not all that impressive. But on the court, its far from unimpressive to watch. I say he's just not seeing what we are seeing.

[Tim W.]

Well, first of all, why does Bucher assume that this Dave is from London, England?

Anyway, I also wondered how much he's watched DeRozan lately. In the last month I've seen big improvements in his jumpshot, moving without the ball, and some improvement in defense, rebounding, passing and ballhandling. Watching him the last few games he's really reminded me of Richard Hamilton in the way he's been moving without the ball and scoring within the offense. For a while, he seemed to try to do too much isolation and create off the dribble. His handles simply aren't good enough for that, yet. The last month or so he just seems to "get it".

[Matt52]

Well, first of all, why does Bucher assume that this Dave is from London, England?

Anyway, I also wondered how much he's watched DeRozan lately. In the last month I've seen big improvements in his jumpshot, moving without the ball, and some improvement in defense, rebounding, passing and ballhandling. Watching him the last few games he's really reminded me of Richard Hamilton in the way he's been moving without the ball and scoring within the offense. For a while, he seemed to try to do too much isolation and create off the dribble. His handles simply aren't good enough for that, yet. The last month or so he just seems to "get it".

I made reference to Rip after the MIL game. That is a good comparison of late, IMO. His handles are not a necessity if he can play with a PG and within a team structure that allows him to catch in scoring situations for his skill set. With that said, having handles would certainly be a bonus. The rebounding is noticeable too, averaging 5 per game the last 5 games, to go with 18ppg, 2.5 asts, 1.4 stl, only 1.3 TO (and none in last 3 games), and over 50% shooting from floor.

Bucher may be correct - this isn't progress - this is incredible growth from a young player!

[Ranly]

Ric bucher is correct to a point. Demar is perfect example of a player improved numbers on a bad team. There are improvements on his game because he is playing more minutes, more plays are run for him and you don't have ruPaul dominating the ball. Ric Rucher stated that demar he is a decent defender. Anyone who was unfortunate enough to watch a raptor game knows demar is a horrible defender.

[Nine New Faces]

Yeah I'd have to agree with the Rip Hamilton comparison, which is unfortunate. DeRozan needs to keep attacking the basket and getting those repetitions in. I don't think it's a good thing that he's focused so much on the jumper lately, effective as it's becoming. You hate to knock the guy for just trying to be as efficient as possible and get a win, but he won't be meeting his potential until he figures out how to finish with contact, go up without getting stripped, use a crossover, dribble with his left, etc. Why settle for rip Hamilton?

Oh and forgot to add: the reason DeRozan still seems raw to Bucher is that he is; chances are Bucher didn't ever see much of DeRozan that first year outside of highlights. Compared to a lot of his class DeRozan is still way underskilled, but that's not taking into consideration the jump he's made in a short time. It's gonna take another 2 years at least of developing his skills to start seeing how good DeMar could actually be.

[Rg1990]

There are many good players on bad teams. I mean Kevin Love is a perfect example and he still gets noticed. Yeah his rebound totals are ridiculous but let's face it...when your only other big man is Darko, your going to get your points. I don't think any of us thought we'd see such an improvement from Demar. His defensive game still needs work, but he's been pretty consistent. If you've noticed his hitting a lot of shots lately and in a smaller amount of minutes. Remember when Ray Allen was lighting it up for the Sonics? A sonics team who never got to the playoffs often? No one gave a crap then. This guy seems like a typical moron who likes to talk to talk. What is the point of burning a 21 year old sophomore? I mean he's done well compared to say James Harden...although in his defense he plays in the shadow of Durant and Westbrook. I don't think anyone but Raptors fans and management expect Demar to be a star. No matter how good you are offensively , if you can't defend your going to hear about it. The whole minutes thing is dumb too. Derozan is a starter...therefor he plays heavy minutes. That goes for all starters, even Guys like Kobe and LeBron

[Rg1990]

He works for ESPN so I can see why he's like that. He also called Utah Jazz fans vicious Mormons. I'd say he lost his credibility.

[Tim W.]

There are many good players on bad teams. I mean Kevin Love is a perfect example and he still gets noticed. Yeah his rebound totals are ridiculous but let's face it...when your only other big man is Darko, your going to get your points. I don't think any of us thought we'd see such an improvement from Demar. His defensive game still needs work, but he's been pretty consistent. If you've noticed his hitting a lot of shots lately and in a smaller amount of minutes. Remember when Ray Allen was lighting it up for the Sonics? A sonics team who never got to the playoffs often? No one gave a crap then. This guy seems like a typical moron who likes to talk to talk. What is the point of burning a 21 year old sophomore? I mean he's done well compared to say James Harden...although in his defense he plays in the shadow of Durant and Westbrook. I don't think anyone but Raptors fans and management expect Demar to be a star. No matter how good you are offensively , if you can't defend your going to hear about it. The whole minutes thing is dumb too. Derozan is a starter...therefor he plays heavy minutes. That goes for all starters, even Guys like Kobe and LeBron

Getting good scoring numbers on a bad team isn't hard, obviously, but what is hard is to show the type of game that Love has shown. He's putting up the best rebounding numbers since Rodman, but he's also scoring efficiently, including being in the top 10 for 3 point percentage. You can score on a bad team, but it's hard to score efficiently.

And to call Bucher a moron is a little much. I think he's seen very little of DeRozan lately, and that's probably his biggest problem. Still, let's not get carried away with the DeRozan hype. What I've seen is certainly encouraging, but there's a big difference between doing it over a month and a whole season.

[Bendit]

Lol on the assumption that the question came from London, England. What if the call/note originated from Paris (Ontario!!)?

Oh well. But why do we give so much creedence to these pundits who occasionally take calls/q & a sessions and then pontificate on any player in the entire league who happens to come up in the discussion. Seriously, does Boucher or any of the others who do this are up-to-date on all of the players (about 450) at any given time? And what does it say about the DD questioner from London who should really scour local TO rags / blogs for an assessment of DD than some bb "expert" sitting in Florida or whereever.

[Employee]

If I was Bucher I wouldn't be watching many Raps games either.

[Matt52]

If I was Bucher I wouldn't be watching many Raps games either.

Fair point but I've enjoyed this season more than any of the last 2.

[Brasky]

DD has turned it on lately but on the whole he hasn't been much better than last year. Let's see him keep it up till the end of the season.

[Matt52]

DD has turned it on lately but on the whole he hasn't been much better than last year. Let's see him keep it up till the end of the season.

I mean no offense in asking but have you been watching the games?

I don't mean to come off as a cheerleader as he still has a lot to improve upon - consistency being a major one - but this DD is head and shoulders above the DD from last season and even the DD from November and early December of this season.

He was drafted as a project and still needs to work on his game but, IMO, one has to give credit where it is due - and DD is certainly deserving of some credit for where he has elevated his game in the last 2 months.

[Brasky]

I mean no offense in asking but have you been watching the games?

I don't mean to come off as a cheerleader as he still has a lot to improve upon - consistency being a major one - but this DD is head and shoulders above the DD from last season and even the DD from November and early December of this season.

He was drafted as a project and still needs to work on his game but, IMO, one has to give credit where it is due - and DD is certainly deserving of some credit for where he has elevated his game in the last 2 months.

Yes, I've seen every game thus far. I'm not sure you have. You're cherry picking a good stretch of games, and not looking at the whole season. That's why his season numbers to date are so mediocre and not much of an improvement over last year. He needs to keep it up until until April. Many marginal players in this league have stretches of good games, especially players on bad teams who are getting force fed minutes and possessions. I do love Derozan and think he will do well in the long run.

[Matt52]

Yes, I've seen every game thus far. I'm not sure you have. You're cherry picking a good stretch of games, and not looking at the whole season. That's why his season numbers to date are so mediocre and not much of an improvement over last year. He needs to keep it up until until April. Many marginal players in this league have stretches of good games, especially players on bad teams who are getting force fed minutes and possessions. I do love Derozan and think he will do well in the long run.

I missed the west coast games as I get up too early and I am on the east coast but have watched every other.

I'm talking about his continued improvement over the last 2-2.5 months from December 1st. That is 35 games, 36 tonight versus Portland, out of a career of 130 games. That is a long enough stretch where cherry picking is not a valid description for a 21 year old with 1.5 seasons under his belt.

No doubt about the marginal players. However, I am talking about a 21 year old who is just scratching the surface of his physical abilities and still very much learning how to play at the NBA level.

It is way to easy to be negative - especially for this Raptors season. There are a few bright spots on this team and DeMar is definitely one of them.

[Tim W.]

Yes, I've seen every game thus far. I'm not sure you have. You're cherry picking a good stretch of games, and not looking at the whole season. That's why his season numbers to date are so mediocre and not much of an improvement over last year. He needs to keep it up until until April. Many marginal players in this league have stretches of good games, especially players on bad teams who are getting force fed minutes and possessions. I do love Derozan and think he will do well in the long run.

The whole point of looking at a player's progress is looking at how he has actually progressed over the year. Is he a better player now than he was a month ago? Two months ago? Three months ago? In DeRozan's case the answer is yes. He's vastly improved his jumper and his movement without the ball. He's gotten better defending, rebounding and ball handling. Obviously you give more weight to more recent play because that's how development works. You can't choose a two week period at the beginning of January and look at that. But that's not what we're doing.

The fact of the matter is that DeRozan is a much better player than he was last season, and has improved every month.

DeRozan averaged
11.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 1.7 apg in November
15.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 1.7 apg in December
18.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 1.9 apg in January
19.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 2.3 apg in February

All while shooting a decent percentage from the field and improving in all aspects of his game.

Last year, he performed adequately, but lost his starting position to Weems late in the year, had no jumper or ability to handle the ball, and simply plays with far more confidence.

My question is, what exactly have you seen that DeRozan HASN'T improved on over last year?

Oh, and just for the record, I've seen every single minute of every single game.

[jlongs]

I have been pretty impressed with DD's progress lately, but I can't really say that I have been "blown away" by any of that. In the beginning of the season I was quite disappointed in his lack of improvement, and increasingly apparent horrible defense. It's been quite a surprise that he's been improving on both ends of the court (and still has a very long way to go). I used to even picked Weems over him to start. Well, not anymore.

On the other hand, I have been blown away by Amir Johnson's jumper and FT efficiency this season.

[smushmush]

"Dave (London)


Demar Derozan = Rip Hamilton? As in, a guy who can be good for 20 a night coming off screens, catching and shooting? Do you think he becomes Toronto's future star player? Or a decent 2nd fiddle?

Ric Bucher (1:53 PM)


Getting a ton of Euro love, for some reason. DeRozan and Rip have same body type. DeRozan is a much better athlete, not as good of a shooter and could be first-team all-defense. His potential is greater than Rip's but it remains to be seen if he can make the most of it. I haven't been blown away by his progress so far."

How many Raps games do you think Bucher has watched? The guy has steadily increased his scoring average and methods of scoring each month since the season started. Some of his post moves and turn-around jumpers of late have been beautiful to watch. If he can continue the lane will start to open up as people respect his mid-range. It seems like his jump shot is good as long as his foot is on the 3 point line.

Defensively has been a struggle but the tools are there and he has shown flashes.

I chalk this comment up to another ignorant commentator who knows little about the Raps except they play in Canada. To say you haven't been blown away by his progress - as he was drafted as a project and is still raw - means expectations are unrealistic.

In the end though - I guess he is entitled to his opinion as I am mine.... it is just my opinion is correct - lol.

the commentator is ignorant due to some bias or has not watched dd played of late - so what ric said should not be a concern. dd is doing well, once the team improves and is respected by refs, he will start getting calls driving to the rim. 'nuff said.

[DunkinDerozan]

The whole point of looking at a player's progress is looking at how he has actually progressed over the year. Is he a better player now than he was a month ago? Two months ago? Three months ago? In DeRozan's case the answer is yes. He's vastly improved his jumper and his movement without the ball. He's gotten better defending, rebounding and ball handling. Obviously you give more weight to more recent play because that's how development works. You can't choose a two week period at the beginning of January and look at that. But that's not what we're doing.

The fact of the matter is that DeRozan is a much better player than he was last season, and has improved every month.

DeRozan averaged
11.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 1.7 apg in November
15.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 1.7 apg in December
18.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 1.9 apg in January
19.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 2.3 apg in February

All while shooting a decent percentage from the field and improving in all aspects of his game.

Last year, he performed adequately, but lost his starting position to Weems late in the year, had no jumper or ability to handle the ball, and simply plays with far more confidence.

My question is, what exactly have you seen that DeRozan HASN'T improved on over last year?

Oh, and just for the record, I've seen every single minute of every single game.

Hypocrite!
When Bargani has a bad stretch you seem to ignore his good games!
You fail to mention his improvements
yes yes you are a complete hypo