Is the Future not as Bright? (or is the future brighter? see post 130)

[Nilanka]

Right and you're basing this on 15 games this season. Trade him now because he's been struggling off and on over the first 15 games. Does that sound reasonable? If the Raptors traded a player every time fans got on the internet complaining the team would have turned over six times in the past three years. Part of developing a roster from the ground up is giving players time to develop and work things out. If his struggles were a case of him being lazy. not practicing, not working out and dogging it in games that would be a different story. The reality is that he's a hard worker.

If I think we're getting a better player in return (which I think Mayo is), they yes, trading DeMar does sound reasonable to me.

[Apollo]

Why does Memphis do that trade? And why does DeMar have to be the guy to be traded when there is an obvious lack of talent on the wing and an obvious log jam at the big man positions which will only be more prominent come next season? Last time I checked around here there was a dozen threads complaining about how bad the options are the the 3.

[Nilanka]

Why does Memphis do that trade? And why does DeMar have to be the guy to be traded when there is an obvious lack of talent on the wing and an obvious log jam at the big man positions which will only be more prominent come next season? Last time I checked around here there was a dozen threads complaining about how bad the options are the the 3.

Memphis does it if they think DeMar's got the potential to be a star in this league. If they're convinced by Colangelo's sales pitch, that DeMar has unlimited potential (especially when you factor in his strong work ethic), maybe Memphis is intrigued enough to pull the trigger. And when you consider the fact that Mayo is only averaging 20 mpg, it might seem like a low-risk move for them. Colangelo tells Memphis that the Raps need a SG who is less of a project, and who can contribute more today.

As for the lack of talent at the wing, Mayo (IMO) would be an upgrade over DeMar, Bayless, Forbes, or Barbosa at SG.

I'm not saying this is the be-all-and-end-all required to fix the Raptors. The hole at SF would still need to be addressed, and the plethora of big men would still need to be addressed (especially if we draft A.Davis or Drummond).

[Nilanka]

I really think Mayo can have the type of resurgence that Joe Johnson exhibited after his first 3 seasons.

[mcHAPPY]

I don't understand why DeRozan has to be as good as Vince Carter or why he has to play the game like Vince Carter for him to be worth keeping. His contract isn't large and if he's as bad as some people make him out to be in here then his trade value would be minimal. I personally think he should add some muscle and make the shift to small forward.

It seems to me, that DD is trying to play that type of early VC game. The problem is he doesn't have the strength and/or concentration to dunk on people and finish through contact like VC did.

In another thread I mentioned I thought DeMar should start watching Rip Hamilton tape. I think he has a skill set and ability where his game would be similar to Rip's.

If DeMar can't bang with the SG's of the league, he is in trouble going against the LeBron's and Gay's of the league.


(Heinz - I just gave you a hanging curve ball)

[Apollo]

Memphis does it if they think DeMar's got the potential to be a star in this league. If they're convinced by Colangelo's sales pitch, that DeMar has unlimited potential (especially when you factor in his strong work ethic), maybe Memphis is intrigued enough to pull the trigger. And when you consider the fact that Mayo is only averaging 20 mpg, it might seem like a low-risk move for them. Colangelo tells Memphis that the Raps need a SG who is less of a project, and who can contribute more today.

So you're then assuming that you're smarter than the Grizzlies scouting department? If you're right what makes you think they don't hold the same view as you?

If DeMar can't bang with the SG's of the league, he is in trouble going against the LeBron's and Gay's of the league.

This is why I said he should add more muscle. He has the frame to play the 3, he just needs to fill that frame out. Also, just who in the league can bang with LeBron James? It's not a very realistic goal for anyone to work towards keeping up with LeBron James. It's like PG's back in 80's thinking they could develop into a player who could hang with Magic. It aint' happening.

[mcHAPPY]

This is why I said he should add more muscle. He has the frame to play the 3, he just needs to fill that frame out. Also, just who in the league can bang with LeBron James?

lol - very good point on LBJ.

We'll have to agree to disagree on DeMar at the 3. Personally, I just don't see it being likely. I still think, as you've mentioned, his bandwagon will be full by Valentine's Day.

[Apollo]

I'm not saying now, I'm saying down the road. Adding the muscle, even if he weren't to change positions, would be a great move on his part because he needs to have an edge somewhere and it certainly isn't going to be in the razzle dazzle category. He needs to go back to getting in the paint and drawing contact. He needs to develop a post game, hell, get Jalen Rose to come in and work with him in the summer on post up techniques in guard play. They need to start giving him more guidance. I know the lockout really hurt him because he had no access to coaches and missed out on applying his devolving abilities in summer league. People can ask the question, "well why isn't everybody struggling" but not everybody spent the summer trying to change their game. Most guys who aim to make big changes have the guidance of a coach and not the guidance of guys like Kobe Bryant who have out of this world talents and make it look like child's play. He needs a by the book tutor if he wants to stretch his game out like he's been trying to do.

[Nilanka]

So you're then assuming that you're smarter than the Grizzlies scouting department? If you're right what makes you think they don't hold the same view as you?

This has got to be one of the silliest responses I've ever read on the forums.

You asked me why Memphis would make such a move, and I suggested a plausible scenario to answer your question. I'm not making any claims about anyone's intelligence.

[Apollo]

No, I'm making a very valid point. If you don't think it's a fair trade then why would a group of pros who do this for a living think it's a fair trade? And if he's as limited and hopeless as you think he is, why would they look to bring him in? The Grizz are a team on the rise. This sounds like a step back for them based on all the comments I'm reading in here about it.

[Pizzaman]

ya its complete BS. Once he gets the offense going and our perimeter players start hitting some shots he'll be all good. It takes time with a new coach and limited practice time.

Except that he is a perimeter player and he's not hitting his shots. He started out lucky but his mechanics are showing he still cannot shoot the ball like a SG

[Pizzaman]

can you tell me what he's immensely talented at? Shooting?, ball handling? Passing? He can slash but he falls down and fades at the rim. His talent is he can take the ball in transition and finish on one defender, but he cannot play half court offense. I agree that last year he got to the line more and that is critical, but to get to the line he needs an assortment of offensive ability so his defenders cannot play to one thing. His poor shooting keeps them off him enough that he finds it tough to drive, and if he does he cannot handle the ball against real defense, or finish at the rim against bigs. A shooting guard needs to be able to shoot a high enough percentage that defenders get up close so he can step around them, and his first step is no good either.
He is a lucky shooter at best from 3 and it's shown of late. No real shooter shoots 10 of 16 from three, followed by 2 of 18 from 3.

[Pizzaman]

DeMar doesn't have the athletic ability, nor the fundamental skill set to ever duplicate what Carter did.

yes, nor does he have the ability to put the team on his back. He already hogs the ball too often trying to do just that with horrible results.

[Pizzaman]

not too long ago many on this site and others compared DD to a young Kobe which was the funniest exaggeration I have ever heard. Obviously he will never be even close in any basketball skill to Kobe, but not the question is will he ever have enough skills to be a starting SG

[NoPropsneeded]

You guys are shitting on this guy after 16 games... You'll eat your words when he starts playing good again. Like Matt said by February everyone will be back on the bandwagon. You can't expect him to score 20 + points every night coming off a locked out season with a really short training camp and an entirely new coaching staff and philosophy.