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HW: Brotherson - What is next for the Raptors? & Brigham - JV is not AB

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  • HW: Brotherson - What is next for the Raptors? & Brigham - JV is not AB

    Interesting read:

    With the fifth pick of the 2011 NBA draft, the Toronto Raptors select 19-year-old Jonas Valanciunas (pronounced vah-lahn-CHEW-nahs) from Lithuania. The Raptors had finally drafted the athletic rim protecting center Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo had been searching for.

    "He is definitely the best big man in the draft, and in his age group, the best big man in the world," said Raptors Vice President and Assistant General Manager Maurizio Gherardini.

    "He is 6' 11.75" tall with no shoes, you could almost list him as 7' 1" (in shoes), so he has Tyson Chandler size. He has a good body that he is filling in. His feet are good feet. He can jump, he can run well, he is an athlete. He turned 19 on May 6 and he is a guy who has been playing a couple of years in the Euroleague."

    "The decision was made according to our roster," explained new head coach Dwane Casey. "We have umpteen million guards and we were looking at the young men Walker, Knight, and Leonard, but we had a lot of players at their position. What we don't have is rim protection, length, and athleticism in the middle. Amir is a good player but he doesn't have the length of this player.

    "I watched a lot of tape and gave my opinion. I like the young man. He blocks shots, rolls the lane, can catch the ball. I just came from Tyson Chandler and Tyson Chandler at the same age was not as good as this young man."

    Valanciunas has spent the past two seasons playing in the Lithuanian and the Baltic leagues and last season he also played in the United VTB and Euroleague putting up impressive numbers for a teenager. Unfortunately for the Raptors, Valanciunas has three years remaining on his deal with his home club and his recently completed buyout will not permit him to leave until the start of the 2012-13 season.

    Valanciunas will be a big part of the Raptors future, just not next season.

    The Raptors Next Steps

    Every year, Colangelo has made it clear that he believes he owes it to the fans to try and put a playoff contending team on the court. It wasn't until injuries decimated last year's roster that he was willing to just go with the young guys and let the chips fall where they may. There is no reason to suspect that Colangelo will not try to field the best team he can next season, whenever next season finally gets around to starting.

    "We still have that hole in the middle that we have talked about being the center," said Colangelo. "Either through free agency or trade this is something that we look to address. We don't want to put too much pressure on a young player too early, so even if Jonas came over right away, you are not looking at a scenario where you would just throw him in. Obviously we want him to gain experience and that's important, but we want to let it happen kind of naturally. So our number one goal in trades and free agency this off season is to address the need of a big man, and maybe it's a bridge to the future.

    "Anybody we selected with the fifth pick was not likely to come in and be an immediate contributor. There might have been one or two players on the board who could have given us a little spark, but no one was going to take us from where we are as a young team to that plateau where we want to be which is a championship contending team."

    Toronto believes they will still have some salary cap room under the future collective bargaining agreement that they will be able use to acquire free agents or to facilitate trades and is basing their plans for this off season's work on that premise.

    "The good thing about our situation is we do have flexibility in our budget," said Casey. "We have some excellent free agents out there that I can't talk about now that we are planning to target. We talked about that and there is a plan in place for that center position.

    "This was done with that in mind because we do have needs for this coming year and we do plan to address those in free agency. If you look at the long list of free agents that we will be recruiting our behinds off and working to get and that's going to fill that need."

    The Raptors have three power forwards returning next season in Andrea Bargnani, Amir Johnson, and Ed Davis. All three of these players can continue to make a substantial contribution to any success the Raptors have next season. However, if the Raptors acquire a starting quality center, one of these power forwards could be traded.

    "I know we have some things that we are looking at with respect to some trade discussions to maybe make some changes to this roster that would bring in something else," confirmed Colangelo.

    Colangelo likes the young talent he has acquired and he doesn't like to disrupt his team's chemistry with trade speculation. Beyond acquiring an athletic rim protecting center or someone to fill that role until Valanciunas is ready to take over, Colangelo has not identified any other needs on his club or any player he might be willing to trade.

    The fact Colangelo took a center who will not be available for a year instead of a more NBA ready college player could be taken as a vote of confidence in Jerryd Bayless and James Johnson

    "I think so, in a way you could draw that conclusion," said Colangelo. "I think James is excited that I didn't draft a small forward and Jerryd might have been excited that I didn't draft a guard, but the point being that these guys are here (today). They were excited to be at that (draft) party last night and be part of the activity mingling with the fans. They like Toronto, they like the city, they like playing for this organization and we are adding a piece here (Valanciunas) that is going to help them be better basketball players down the road."

    Toronto does have enough talent and depth at the guard and wing positions for a young developing team to head into next season without making major changes.

    Point Guard

    The 22-year-old Jerryd Bayless started 14 games for the Raptors last season and averaged 18.1 points, 6.7 assists and has likely earned himself a shot as the starter when next season gets underway. The team's veteran Jose Calderon averaged nearly 10 points and 10 assist in his 55 starts, but he has been particularly effective coming off the bench in the past and hasn't always shown Bayless' ability and willingness to play defense.

    Baring injuries, the Raptors may not require any help at the point next season. Look for Bayless to start and Calderon to come off the bench and mentor him. The two point guard lineup we saw in Dallas last year could become a regular feature in Toronto.

    Shooting Guard

    The Raptors are set at the two guard spot with the 21-year-old DeMar DeRozan who is quickly becoming one of the faces of the franchise. DeRozan had a break out year in his sophomore season averaging 17.2 points in 34.8 minutes per game. A lot more is expected from the hard working DeRozan next season.

    The deadline is fast approaching for Leandro Barbosa to decide on his player option for next season and for Colangelo to extend a qualifying offer to the very popular Sonny Weems. Either player could back up DeRozan next season. (Update: Barbosa has exercised his player option for next season.)

    Small Forward

    Last year's free agent Linas Kleiza hurt his knee in training camp but didn't realize the seriousness of his injury until midway through the season. He is not expected be done rehab before January, however the 26-year-old has three years left on his contract and will be back in a Raptors uniform if at all possible next season. Kleiza was expected to be a big part of the Raptors rotation when he was acquired.

    The Raptors acquired 24-year-old James Johnson from the Bulls at the trade deadline to fill that big hole at small forward and he started 25 games for Toronto last season.

    "I feel more confident now that I know I am going to come into the season playing minutes," said Johnson. "That is big for me and that alone gives me the drive everyday to go as hard as I can to condition, to lift, to shoot jumpers. That alone just makes me want to push to be the best I can.

    "I see that this management loves my game, they know me as a person, and they want me here, so I am going to work as hard as I can for them."

    Johnson averaged 9.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 1.0 steals for Toronto doing a little bit of everything on the floor.

    "You see James Johnson come in and he already had morphed from the time he got here into a player in much better shape and condition with us," said Colangelo. "Now he has lost another 15 pounds. He is in fighting shape if you will. He looks like he is more eager than ever and he is very committed to the process."

    The Raptors are giving Johnson his shot at starting small forward when the season starts.

    Coaching

    The Raptors have already made the change that should have the biggest impact on the franchise next season. They hired Dallas assistant coach Dwane Casey to be the team's new head coach just days before the draft.

    Casey brings a NBA Championship and a defensive focus to the league's worst defensive team, but he brings much more than that to a team in search of an identity.

    "I don't want to force leadership," said Colangelo. "But short of a true leader right now in that locker room, the leader is Dwane Casey. He is prepared to take on that role until someone emerges and I like what I have seen so far just in the interaction with him and our staff. Even just his quick discussions with the players, the way he has taken an interest in each of them, wants to spend some time with them, communicate some ideas and thoughts so when we do attend training camp they hit the ground running."

    In virtually no time at all, the Raptors have become Casey's team, but Casey may have had an inside track that most of us were not aware of.

    "I know (Casey)," said DeRozan. "I work with him a lot every summer out there in Vegas. He has showed me a lot and now that I am playing for him it should definitely be good."

    What's next for Toronto?

    It feels like Coach Casey is setting the overall direction for the Toronto Raptors and for those who had become weary of watching inconsistent and sometimes inept efforts at the defensive end of the floor, the change to Casey's team can't happen fast enough.

    "We have made a coaching change," said Colangelo. "There has been a defensive philosophy instilled almost immediately in terms of everything we are talking about from preparation to personnel to just the practice we are going to be in of creating a different style for aggression and those are things that are all encouraging.

    "We have young players that are committed to the development process. They are getting better. They had a great growth season last year. This is just taking the next step."

    Except for the focus on obtaining a center once free agency opens up, it does not look like there will be many more significant player changes in the immediate future. Where the Raptors go from here will be wherever Coach Casey tells them to go and they go as far as the young talent that Colangelo has put together can take them.


    Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?...#ixzz1QL7eosvO

  • #2
    Nice read.

    I like the fact JJ has dropped some 15 more lbs, he should definitely become quicker and that much better. I also don't think there's a tonne of minutes to be thrown around with the big men up front(Amir, Ed, Andrea), so adding a C should mean one of them being traded. I'm pretty sure it won't be Davis, and I like Amir who should perform well under Casey's style of play. Which leaves Andrea, who could likely fetch the most talent in return anyways, and he doesn't seem to fit into the equation moving forward with the Jonas selection. I'm hoping they can snag a 2012 first rounder and a decent bench/potential starting C for him.

    The future is looking bright in my opinion. I almost wanna fast forward until draft night next year!

    Comment


    • #3
      Mack North wrote: View Post
      Nice read.

      I like the fact JJ has dropped some 15 more lbs, he should definitely become quicker and that much better. I also don't think there's a tonne of minutes to be thrown around with the big men up front(Amir, Ed, Andrea), so adding a C should mean one of them being traded. I'm pretty sure it won't be Davis, and I like Amir who should perform well under Casey's style of play. Which leaves Andrea, who could likely fetch the most talent in return anyways, and he doesn't seem to fit into the equation moving forward with the Jonas selection. I'm hoping they can snag a 2012 first rounder and a decent bench/potential starting C for him.

      The future is looking bright in my opinion. I almost wanna fast forward until draft night next year!
      Before the draft I thought Andrea would be the one going as well. With Jonas selected I am not certain at all. Listening to the interviews and pressers, it sounds to me like Colangelo would love to get a defensive Center in for this year to see what Bargs looks like at the PF. The Casey hiring and the talk of a "Chandler type" center makes me think he still wants Andrea to be Dirk. I am now leaning hard toward Ed Davis being traded (if it's between Davis, Johnson and Andrea). He has never shown me a lot of excitement to be in Toronto (not sure if he shows excitement for anything) and I think Colangelo can use "potential" with him for a decent return.

      Comment


      • #4
        BC Boy wrote: View Post
        Before the draft I thought Andrea would be the one going as well. With Jonas selected I am not certain at all. Listening to the interviews and pressers, it sounds to me like Colangelo would love to get a defensive Center in for this year to see what Bargs looks like at the PF. The Casey hiring and the talk of a "Chandler type" center makes me think he still wants Andrea to be Dirk. I am now leaning hard toward Ed Davis being traded (if it's between Davis, Johnson and Andrea). He has never shown me a lot of excitement to be in Toronto (not sure if he shows excitement for anything) and I think Colangelo can use "potential" with him for a decent return.
        I don't really want to see Ed go, but I totally agree with your evaluation of his attitude toward Toronto. When he was drafted here, he did not look enthused. Although it could be because he dropped in the draft. Ever since I have tried to read his body language and I don't see that love for this team. That could just be his personality.

        If we could pair him up with Bayless or Calderon to get a better point guard, that would be ideal.

        I would like to see how Bargs does at PF before we make a trade though.

        Comment


        • #5
          What caught my eye was JJ and the small forward position. I think he was a great pick-up - way better than anything we could have drafted in the late 1st round. Knowing you have the confidence of the organization gives you motivation. I think he will come into his own next season, and be a solid SF. I am glad that BC got this guy for basically nothing. I am looking forward to seeing what this cat can do. Nice work.
          Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

          Comment


          • #6
            BC Boy wrote: View Post
            Before the draft I thought Andrea would be the one going as well. With Jonas selected I am not certain at all. Listening to the interviews and pressers, it sounds to me like Colangelo would love to get a defensive Center in for this year to see what Bargs looks like at the PF. The Casey hiring and the talk of a "Chandler type" center makes me think he still wants Andrea to be Dirk. I am now leaning hard toward Ed Davis being traded (if it's between Davis, Johnson and Andrea). He has never shown me a lot of excitement to be in Toronto (not sure if he shows excitement for anything) and I think Colangelo can use "potential" with him for a decent return.
            I tend to agree, unfortunately. I have not heard Casey or BC mention ED at all this summer. I have found it a bit strange considering the great promise he showed last season.

            Comment


            • #7
              BC Boy wrote: View Post
              Before the draft I thought Andrea would be the one going as well. With Jonas selected I am not certain at all. Listening to the interviews and pressers, it sounds to me like Colangelo would love to get a defensive Center in for this year to see what Bargs looks like at the PF. The Casey hiring and the talk of a "Chandler type" center makes me think he still wants Andrea to be Dirk. I am now leaning hard toward Ed Davis being traded (if it's between Davis, Johnson and Andrea). He has never shown me a lot of excitement to be in Toronto (not sure if he shows excitement for anything) and I think Colangelo can use "potential" with him for a decent return.
              and unfortunately that makes total sense under this current regime. Take what looks like the most promising player on this roster and move him so the guy who has already had an opportunity and failed can get another.

              As to the article.... if the Raps make the playoffs this year, great. If they go out of their way to build a team to try and make the playoffs, that may be the most (well 2nd most) retarded thing BC has done to date.

              Comment


              • #8
                Not very often anyone at HW, other than Brotherson, writes about the Raptors in a positive manner. However, this article by Brigham sums up my feelings of the Raptors with JV perfectly.

                Jonas Valanciunas Is Not Andrea Bargnani

                Kyrie Irving was the clear-cut top pick in this year's draft, but there are those who believe when this thing is all said and done, Jonas Valanciunas will be considered the best player from this class. Almost nobody had him pegged to end up in Toronto, but Bryan Colangelo must've been on the same wavelength as those who think so highly of the Lithuanian big man, even though on the surface they really don't seem to need another center.

                It's not entirely surprising to hear that some Toronto fans are afraid that their team just drafted Bargnani 2.0, but that simply isn't the case. Valanciunas is an entirely different player, setting up most often in the paint instead of floating around offensively like Bargnani tends to do. Valanciunas is also more of a banger, someone who compares himself to Pau Gasol (where Bargnani is more like a very poor man's Dirk Nowitzki), and that's something that should give heart to the Raptors faithful, not instill fear.

                While it may be easy to question the pick, mostly because Toronto will not have a lottery pick this season to help them improve upon last year's dismal season, long-term this could prove to be a genius move. If there's a lockout-shortened season, Valanciunas will continue getting experience in Lithuania while every other rookie will be pumping iron at a Gold's Gym somewhere.

                And if the Raptors are frustrating for another season, it's not the end of the world. We've already established how good the 2012 draft class is, and since the Raptors were pretty far from championship-caliber anyway, one more year of mediocrity towards the rebuilding process isn't necessarily a bad thing.

                Valanciunas's buyout is complete, and it means he'll be a Raptor in 2012-2013, along with one other marquee rookie stud. Those are the foundations of legitimate rebuilding.

                A question worth asking, though, is what will happen with Bargnani? Does Valanciunas and the rest of the team's corps of banger power forwards signal the eventual end of the former #1 pick? That's a tough call for another day, but in the meantime, fret not about the pick, Toronto fans. It was a good one, even if it means delayed gratification.

                Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?...#ixzz1QNoGJssT

                Comment


                • #9
                  Matt52 wrote: View Post
                  Not very often anyone at HW, other than Brotherson, writes about the Raptors in a positive manner. However, this article by Brigham sums up my feelings of the Raptors with JV perfectly.
                  In regards to the article, my concerns about the pick:

                  - will he ever really be able to be a 'banger' in the NBA? I like Pau and all, he's a talented player but definetely not a banger. Quality PF that can play C in certain situations... but not a regular starting C (showed that in Memphis, and even in LA where Bynum and even Odom play the C) I have a bad feeling the Raps just obtained their 4th big who should be a PF.

                  - what does this mean for the Raps jam packed front court? Are the Raps matching him with Bargnani as Casey has seemed to claim? Or will he replace Bargnani like I hope? I really don't mind the idea of a JV - Ed - Amir off the bench - back up C front court

                  - he doesn't expect the Raps to have a lottery pick? I'm expecting a top 5 pick unless something amazing (or stupid) happens

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    GarbageTime wrote: View Post
                    In regards to the article, my concerns about the pick:

                    - will he ever really be able to be a 'banger' in the NBA? I like Pau and all, he's a talented player but definetely not a banger. Quality PF that can play C in certain situations... but not a regular starting C (showed that in Memphis, and even in LA where Bynum and even Odom play the C) I have a bad feeling the Raps just obtained their 4th big who should be a PF.

                    - what does this mean for the Raps jam packed front court? Are the Raps matching him with Bargnani as Casey has seemed to claim? Or will he replace Bargnani like I hope? I really don't mind the idea of a JV - Ed - Amir off the bench - back up C front court

                    - he doesn't expect the Raps to have a lottery pick? I'm expecting a top 5 pick unless something amazing (or stupid) happens
                    Pau Gasol is not an aggressive player by nature. The buzz word this year is 'high motor' it seems. Pau does not have one. By every account JV does. Noah is a banger and has a smaller frame than JV. He turned 19 on May 6 and is a shade under 7' - give him a chance. I'm 6'8" I couldn't gain a pound until about 20 years old and really didn't start adding muscle until 22.

                    Who knows what happens to the front court of the Raps. It is better to have too many options than not enough. Personally, I hope Bargnani is trading but time will tell.

                    I'm not sure where you get Brigham saying there is no lottery pick next year. Getting a marquee rookie stud usually means a high lottery pick, from article:

                    Valanciunas's buyout is complete, and it means he'll be a Raptor in 2012-2013, along with one other marquee rookie stud. Those are the foundations of legitimate rebuilding.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Brigham was referring to no lottery pick showing up to play this year

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I like both articles. I am one who is very anti-Bargnani at this point in his career as many who read my posts can surmise, however IF Casey can get him off his ass to put in consistent effort, and he pairs with JV, it could be an interesting size matchup issue with two 7-footers. That said, I have little faith he will put in the consistent effort, his D against PFs is truly disastrous, and he would garner talent back in a trade IMO. I like Ed's hard play, his father's influence and style of play when he was in the league, and his potential.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Best thing I see about JV is that he idolised Sabonis. That in and of itself would be a solid style to model after.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Maleko wrote: View Post
                            I like both articles. I am one who is very anti-Bargnani at this point in his career as many who read my posts can surmise, however IF Casey can get him off his ass to put in consistent effort, and he pairs with JV, it could be an interesting size matchup issue with two 7-footers. That said, I have little faith he will put in the consistent effort, his D against PFs is truly disastrous, and he would garner talent back in a trade IMO. I like Ed's hard play, his father's influence and style of play when he was in the league, and his potential.
                            I'd like to see the Raps wait until the trade deadline and try to pawn Bargnani off on a lottery team next year for their 1st round pick. Probably won't happen given how highly regarded this draft class appears to be but I can dream.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Matt52 wrote: View Post
                              I'd like to see the Raps wait until the trade deadline and try to pawn Bargnani off on a lottery team next year for their 1st round pick. Probably won't happen given how highly regarded this draft class appears to be but I can dream.
                              With ya there Matt. I forgot to add that while there is merit in experimenting with Bargnani under Casey and the potential Bargnani JV pairing, it is definitely risky to his trade value in case he does not fair well or improve with Casey at the helm.

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