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Dwane Casey's vision of the roster next season: see post 37 for update

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  • Dwane Casey's vision of the roster next season: see post 37 for update

    LOOKING AHEAD

    Now 39 games into the season, Casey has a pretty good feel for what he has and what he doesn’t and without mentioning any names, gave a pretty good indication of what he is going to be looking for in the off-season when Bryan Colangelo taps into that $17 million or so he has at his disposal in free agency.

    First and foremost Casey wants guys who knows the league and aren’t shy when things get physical.

    “Experience along with the young guys coming in is going to be important,” Casey said. “I don’t think we can bring in a lot of young guys in next season and expect to make the big steps that we want to make next year. I think we’ll be looking for experienced guys, guys who are tough, battle tested and been through the wars, I think that is important and I know Bryan has his eye on some guys who are going to be free agents next year.”

    So forget the young improving guys. Casey already has those. He wants tried and tested.

    “Mostly toughness and shooting are two of the keys,” he said. “We have a big man coming in, we have some perimeter players that are going through the natural progression of improvement with DeMar (DeRozan) getting stronger and bigger. James Johnson’s improvement. We’ve got some pretty good pieces as far as that’s concerned.”


    Source: Toronto Sun
    (With JV and 2012 pick cap hold, the Raptors really only have about $11M in cap space - not $17M as reported above.)

    Those are some serious quotes from Casey. Those quotes make me think the trade route will be the way the Raptors are looking to go this off season. Free agency (list found here) does not appear to have many players you could classify as "... experienced guys, guys who are tough, battle tested and been through the wars...." although there could be a few (guessing on my part!):

    PG: Hinrich, Nash, Felton, Miller (none would be classified as PG of the future though)
    SG: Allen, Fields, Lee
    SF: Barnes, Chandler, Nocioni
    PF: Too many as is
    C: Gray, Magloire

    Casey's comments imply to me that Aaron Gray most definitely should be back - I hope it happens. An argument could be made for Magloire as the 3rd stringer with Alabi sent packing.


    What players available through free agency or trade do you think Casey's comments would be applicable to?

    ***Keep in mind this is total speculation - toughness and shooting are the only criteria***

  • #2
    Not sure if he's willing to come off the bench, but I think having Ray Allen on this roster would do wonders for everybody, not just DeRozan. His experience would be priceless.

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    • #3
      If Gray isn't retained, I like the idea of Robin Lopez as a backup 5.

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      • #4
        I don't see that as suggesting they would be looking for starters in free agency. It sounds like Casey envisions Demar and James Johnson continuing to improve. I'd be surprised now, given what we've heard and see over the last couple of weeks, if they looked for a replacement at SG for Demar; probably would look for a sharpshooting backup. And I think they might concentrate on SF in the draft, thinking that Johnson can start again next year.

        A lot depends on what they do with Jose in the offseason, but if he stays, I would think Colangelo will be looking primarily to improve the depth of the team vs. looking for bonafide upgrades at the starting spots.

        With that in mind, I wouldn't mind looking into:

        PG: Nash, Hinrich, Jason Terry
        SG: BARBOSA, Keyon Dooling, Jamal Crawford, Rudy Fernandez
        SF: BATUM!, Chandler

        If they could land Batum or Chandler, I would assume that sends JJ to the bench. I would do that for Batum, but not for Chandler, personally.

        In terms of PG, I think Nash is the dream (only if they trade Jose), Hinrich would be a great backup who fits what Casey says he wants, and Terry would be Barbosa with better court vision. All decent options for the right price.

        At SG, Crawford would be a good add for scoring, not so much of an upgrade on D, and might be too expensive. Fernandez is tough and can shoot, but I don't know if he'd be happy off the bench behind Derozan/JJ.

        Bottom line for me is a hardcourt press for Batum. He's the guy who has all the pieces: toughness, talent, and the right age to grow with the rest of the roster.
        Definition of Statistics: The science of producing unreliable facts from reliable figures.

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        • #5
          First, we'd need to find out if all the rumours of Batum disliking Toronto, are true.

          As for Fernandez, I heard he's seriously considering going back to Spain next year.

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          • #6
            I think Mo Williams will be an option at PG. I'm not sure he really digs his bench role in LAC...HOWEVER...I have no proof of this
            For still frame photograph of me reading the DeRozan thread please refer to my avatar

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            • #7
              As for Fernandez, that might be a good call on his part. He seems like he might have an inflated sense of self-worth...

              On Batum, yes, of course, we'd have to see. But I can't imagine a scenario where a player is offered top dollar to come to a growing franchise where international players are pretty well-respected and he turns it down because of some 4-year-old perceived sleight. Pretty sure they could paper over any concerns during negotiation.
              Definition of Statistics: The science of producing unreliable facts from reliable figures.

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              • #8
                Nilanka wrote: View Post
                First, we'd need to find out if all the rumours of Batum disliking Toronto, are true.

                As for Fernandez, I heard he's seriously considering going back to Spain next year.
                I can't really blame the guy. He needs a team to give him an opportunity to play his game. Right now he is getting passed around like the new guy in prison
                For still frame photograph of me reading the DeRozan thread please refer to my avatar

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                • #9
                  you offer Batum 30million over 4 years and see how quickly bygones become bygones
                  For still frame photograph of me reading the DeRozan thread please refer to my avatar

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                  • #10
                    I wouldn't be surprised to see Colangelo over $40 million over 4 years...

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                    • #11
                      Nilanka wrote: View Post
                      I wouldn't be surprised to see Colangelo over $40 million over 4 years...
                      Hopefully Stefanski checks him
                      For still frame photograph of me reading the DeRozan thread please refer to my avatar

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                      • #12
                        Chandler, Kirilenko, Batum, Nash and Allen jump out immediately.

                        I could see BC targeting Allen as a backup SG, to be the Oakley/Dell Curry type player for this Raptors team, but I think he might be too old (and targeted by too many other teams to entice him to sign with Toronto).

                        A few other wings caught my attention, as they are tough veterans who can shoot
                        - OJ Mayo
                        - CJ Miles
                        - Josh Howard
                        - Courtney Lee

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                        • #13
                          thead wrote: View Post
                          you offer Batum 30million over 4 years and see how quickly bygones become bygones
                          And how quickly Portland matches.

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                          • #14
                            Just speculating, but Casey not wanting too much youth for next year may imply that JV is enough and that their first round pick might be a bargaining chip in the trade deadline.

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                            • #15
                              Mediumcore wrote: View Post
                              Just speculating, but Casey not wanting too much youth for next year may imply that JV is enough and that their first round pick might be a bargaining chip in the trade deadline.
                              That is, until Casey sees Anthony Davis up close in pre-draft workouts

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