Don't Forget about Amir just yet.

[pesterm1]

I am loving Amir. I hope he put the same intensity in to his game as he has his body.

I think he got a bum rap last season due to the off season surgery and rehab that limited him from any bball related drills. I think he had a lot of rust coming back. I'm not saying Amir is anything other than a spot starter and third big man but any great team needs a great spot starter and third big man.

He does look big.... but I hope he did more than arm curls! FYI there is a study done somewhere (you can google it if you don't take my word for it) that had 2 test groups. one group did Olympic-style lifts and no arm workouts in their training and the other group did arm workouts as part of their training. The findings are surprising: no arm workout people had stronger arms. So if strength is what you are after, skip the curls and remember:

^^^ this guy was stuck in a wheel chair after an injury he received while serving in the Army. This is a picture of him after being healed and getting himself on track.... yahhh......

[white men can't jump]

Still, like some people have said, hope he didn't forget to work out his legs...which he seems to forget every offseason.

[Joey]

^^^ this guy was stuck in a wheel chair after an injury he received while serving in the Army. This is a picture of him after being healed and getting himself on track.... yahhh......

Eek.. Awwkwaaard.

[RAPresenting]

Always a good sign to see players in the weight room but it's what their doing in there that makes it worthwhile or not. Arm curls are useless for actual strength and just for show (can't really blame him). I hope he's working on his base (legs) and his core strength as that will be much more useful. Would much rather see a picture of him doing dead lifts then arm curls.

[p00ka]

Always a good sign to see players in the weight room but it's what their doing in there that makes it worthwhile or not. Arm curls are useless for actual strength and just for show (can't really blame him). I hope he's working on his base (legs) and his core strength as that will be much more useful. Would much rather see a picture of him doing dead lifts then arm curls.

I would imagine that with McKechnie being the basketball conditioning guru, and from all I've read about him, core strength is very much on everybody's agenda.

[Joey]

Also keeping in mind that he started off as this:



..and is now at his current physique.

If Jonas can do anything CLOSE to that transformation, I'd be thrilled!
Ditto Demar, but I think with Demars frame, it won't need to be nearly as drastic.

[mcHAPPY]

^^^ this guy was stuck in a wheel chair after an injury he received while serving in the Army. This is a picture of him after being healed and getting himself on track.... yahhh......

Do you have a link for that? I'd be interested in seeing it.

The point remains the same though regardless of the origins of the picture. Spend time in any gym (especially on a Friday evening!) and you see huge arms and chest walking around with rounded shoulders and skinny legs.

[theycallmeZZ]

Also keeping in mind that he started off as this:



..and is now at his current physique.

If Jonas can do anything CLOSE to that transformation, I'd be thrilled!
Ditto Demar, but I think with Demars frame, it won't need to be nearly as drastic.

You forget that Jonas was skinny wire man when he was drafted (recorded at 231). After one year working with McKechnie, he's somewhere between 245-248 seemingly without any loss of quickness. Kid's got a lot of time to grow.

[golden]

I think Amir bulked up a bit too much last year and that hurt his quickness for rebounding and finishing. He looks stronger, but not as bulky as last year, in the picture. Also, it seems like certain guys like Demar, Amir & Ed, who did well under Jay Triano seemed to take a step back under Casey, while unlikely guys like Jose and Bargs did better. Not sure why that is, but I think there might be something theory there. Amir is a very valuable player, if he can get back to his previous form and avoid the fouling. A high energy, low usage big who can finish well and give you extra possessions with his outstanding offensive rebounding.

[Craiger]

I think Amir bulked up a bit too much last year and that hurt his quickness for rebounding and finishing. He looks stronger, but not as bulky as last year, in the picture. Also, it seems like certain guys like Demar, Amir & Ed, who did well under Jay Triano seemed to take a step back under Casey, while unlikely guys like Jose and Bargs did better. Not sure why that is, but I think there might be something theory there. Amir is a very valuable player, if he can get back to his previous form and avoid the fouling. A high energy, low usage big who can finish well and give you extra possessions with his outstanding offensive rebounding.

easy answer. Pace and offensive rebounding. The Raps played like snails to keep possessions down, keep scores close while running back after the shot to get the defense set.

Not suprisingly it effected the young athletic guys (and the better offensive rebounders) more than the experienced players

[charlesnba23]

That Instagram thing is gettin on my nerves

[mcHAPPY]

I think Amir bulked up a bit too much last year and that hurt his quickness for rebounding and finishing. He looks stronger, but not as bulky as last year, in the picture. Also, it seems like certain guys like Demar, Amir & Ed, who did well under Jay Triano seemed to take a step back under Casey, while unlikely guys like Jose and Bargs did better. Not sure why that is, but I think there might be something theory there. Amir is a very valuable player, if he can get back to his previous form and avoid the fouling. A high energy, low usage big who can finish well and give you extra possessions with his outstanding offensive rebounding.

That could definitely be it or part of it but the ankle surgery and rehab certainly didn't help his cause either. It will be interesting to see him this year as there will be no excuse.

[BallaBalla]

I am loving Amir. I hope he put the same intensity in to his game as he has his body.

I think he got a bum rap last season due to the off season surgery and rehab that limited him from any bball related drills. I think he had a lot of rust coming back. I'm not saying Amir is anything other than a spot starter and third big man but any great team needs a great spot starter and third big man.

He does look big.... but I hope he did more than arm curls! FYI there is a study done somewhere (you can google it if you don't take my word for it) that had 2 test groups. one group did Olympic-style lifts and no arm workouts in their training and the other group did arm workouts as part of their training. The findings are surprising: no arm workout people had stronger arms. So if strength is what you are after, skip the curls and remember:

This is one of my favourite pics of all time...gets me every time

everyone loves Amir, but I think his time is basically up

[Joey]

everyone loves Amir, but I think his time is basically up

Not sure what you mean by this ... Like his time in the NBA? with the Raptors? Past his prime?

All of which I would disagree with, obviously.

[Nilanka]

Every team needs a reliable backup big man. Amir is that player. He doesn't even need to improve his game much to provide value to the Raptors in this role. With Bargnani and Jonas logging the bulk of the front court minutes for the foreseeable future, Amir fits the roster quite well. Nobody should be expecting Amir to turn into a double-double guy, or a go-to post presence. His job is to keep the boat afloat while our main guys get a breather (or get into foul trouble)....a job he's more than capable of doing.