Raptor Media: Finally a bold statement from......

[Matt52]

I like how they appropriately lumped in Landry Fields with other "end of bench" guys Alan Anderson, Dominic McGuire and Linas Kleiza. Yea he's injured but let's call it like it is.

Nice avatar Matt. I'm glad to have you on my side for a change.

I understood what you meant a month back about how it didn't make sense to be so pessimistic even despite Colangelo's past record. You were right, I had every reason to be optimistic because it was illogical to doubt the future of a team based on the GM's past historical blunders. Truth is I've been blind to anything positive with the Raptors due to me calling for BC's head (or Bargnani's) for years now. I hate to be right in this case and witnessing your 180 just makes me sad.

I would like to think I've been rational and reasoned in my opinions. I would like to think now is no different.

There has always been, what seemed at the time, logical explanations for the poor play. All those excuses are now gone and there remains only 3 constants: Bargnani, Calderon, and *Colangelo*.

Casey really made a push last season to make a change in the franchise. It would appear to me, barring some unknown head trauma, that he has been told to go in a different direction. How else can one explain the absolute collapse on defense?

Basically all that was going well with the franchise has been undone in just a couple of months.

In my opinion there was always noticeable progress (even in losing) the last few years. Now what we have is a team that might contend for a playoff spot at best.

It is time to make changes. The excuses have run out. Too many players and coaches to delude oneself in to thinking otherwise.

I definitely agree it is sad. As many have experienced first hand, I usually always try to find a positive angle. I can't right now.

[d749]

i want everything gone but lowry,ross,dd,ed and jv gone at this point. that includes casey and bc. our only chance at being relevant for an extended period of time is starting to look more and more like andrew wiggins. we need a star whos not going to leave for nothing so we can finally develop a winning culture. wiggins and jv with a soild supporting cast would keep us in the playoffs for the next 10 years

[Axel]

In my opinion there was always noticeable progress (even in losing) the last few years. Now what we have is a team that might contend for a playoff spot at best.

I definitely agree it is sad. As many have experienced first hand, I usually always try to find a positive angle. I can't right now.

The positive is that the team, despite seemingly awful, has competed in most games and hung tough against opponents like the Spurs and Utah. Even our current 4 game losing slide had two 1 point games and the OT game against a much much much much much (x infinity) better team. Demar is played better than we dared to hope. JV is more NBA ready than we dared to dream. Lowry has been better than advertised.

We lack a veteran presence to help us close those tight games, we are guided by Lowry who hasn't done that much winning himself in the NBA (but is still a great player to have) and no one else. The culture change has started, and there have been positives signs.

It is baffling that the team has regressed on offence, but I agree that there may be executive influence on how Casey is running the team. MLSE is famous for making money, not winning championships (or even making the playoffs).

But there are still positive's Matt. Don't go to the darkside!!!

[Nilanka]

DeMar DeRozan on the Raptors’ record: “We are not a 3-11 team at all. Period. I don’t just say that. That’s our record, but it does not define us. That’s not what we are. We lost a good nine games that we should have won. That’s the difference right there. Turn things around and things start rolling for us, we’ll be fine. I think we’ve got a little bad luck spell right now. Once we get over that, we’ll be fine.”

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/...ng-to-houston/

[Matt52]

The positive is that the team, despite seemingly awful, has competed in most games and hung tough against opponents like the Spurs and Utah. Even our current 4 game losing slide had two 1 point games and the OT game against a much much much much much (x infinity) better team. Demar is played better than we dared to hope. JV is more NBA ready than we dared to dream. Lowry has been better than advertised.

We lack a veteran presence to help us close those tight games, we are guided by Lowry who hasn't done that much winning himself in the NBA (but is still a great player to have) and no one else. The culture change has started, and there have been positives signs.

It is baffling that the team has regressed on offence, but I agree that there may be executive influence on how Casey is running the team. MLSE is famous for making money, not winning championships (or even making the playoffs).

But there are still positive's Matt. Don't go to the darkside!!!

If Bargnani was dealt and the Raps returned to Casey-ball, I am back.

[slaw]

Many people on this site, RealGM, RaptorsHQ and Raptorblog have been making these arguments for 3 years but this is the first time I have seen anyone in the Canadian MSM explicitly call for his head. It's about time. There are only three reasons Colangelo has survived this long:

1. His last name.
2. The fact that MLSE doesn't know the first thing about running a NBA team.
3. Tanenbaum loves him. In fact, I have been told repeatedly by someone who is pretty dialed-in to the MLSE org that this was the only reason he survived his last contract expiring.

[Axel]

If Bargnani was dealt and the Raps returned to Casey-ball, I am back.

Well there are enough Barg's trade threads and discussion in the media that even BC might finally pull the trigger. Heck, amnesty him and led Ed Davis, JV and Amir take all the minutes.

[c_bcm]

I would like to think I've been rational and reasoned in my opinions. I would like to think now is no different.

There has always been, what seemed at the time, logical explanations for the poor play. All those excuses are now gone and there remains only 3 constants: Bargnani, Calderon, and Casey.

Casey really made a push last season to make a change in the franchise. It would appear to me, barring some unknown head trauma, that he has been told to go in a different direction. How else can one explain the absolute collapse on defense?

Basically all that was going well with the franchise has been undone in just a couple of months.

In my opinion there was always noticeable progress (even in losing) the last few years. Now what we have is a team that might contend for a playoff spot at best.

It is time to make changes. The excuses have run out. Too many players and coaches to delude oneself in to thinking otherwise.

I definitely agree it is sad. As many have experienced first hand, I usually always try to find a positive angle. I can't right now.

Really? Casey is a constant? Not even a full season with the team and you lump him in as a constant. I respectfully disagree with you here. Maybe you're on tilt a little bit today with your vitriol. Did you mean BC instead? 15 games ago he was heralded as the great savior. Not sure i'm ready to throw him under the bus just yet.

[Matt52]

Really? Casey is a constant? Not even a full season with the team and you lump him in as a constant. I respectfully disagree with you here. Maybe you're on tilt a little bit today with your vitriol. Did you mean BC instead? 15 games ago he was heralded as the great savior. Not sure i'm ready to throw him under the bus just yet.

That was a typo on my part.

I am going to fix it.

[TheGloveinRapsUniform]

The article has inspired an avatar change.

Enough really is enough.

I want to see if and what he can do with Bargnani before he is shown the plank, arrrrr me maties.

Damn Matt you beat me to it!

I agree, although on my wish list, i also have trade Calderon and get DC an offensive assistant coach.

Jose has been atrocious on D this year. DRating may not show it, but ive seen games where he got eaten up by Holiday, Tparker leaving him at halfcourt. He seems to let his man pass him leaving the help D to scamper. And those 2 brutal inbounds again the SAS. Yikes.

If BC is able to trade Bargnani and Calderon before the deadline, i dont mind him staying as the GM, but if he doesnt, then Adios.

[sleepz]

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/...ng-to-houston/

Washington has won 0 games yet I believe 6 or 7 have been decided by 5 pts or less. Are they a .500 team masquerading as a 0 win team?

It's nice that there is passion but the record is as it is. The Raps think thye are better than they are but the only real stat that indicates this is wins. They are exactly what their record indicates they are.

[BasketballCrush]

A good old fashioned public flogging could bring this fan base together.

[IROR]

Does anyone actually expect BC to be GM next year? I'm hoping he moves to the boardroom and leaves basketball ops to Stefanski

[Nilanka]

Washington has won 0 games yet I believe 6 or 7 have been decided by 5 pts or less. Are they a .500 team masquerading as a 0 win team?

It's nice that there is passion but the record is as it is. The Raps think thye are better than they are but the only real stat that indicates this is wins. They are exactly what their record indicates they are.

Oh, I completely agree. The Raptors deserve their 3-11 record.

My post was more to highlight that the team genuinely believes good things are just around the corner. They haven't given up yet, which is impressive considering their record. Win or lose, that should give us some more entertaining games to watch this season

[ebrian]

Good point sleepz. There have been close games but everyone has close games. I never buy the excuse that a few lucky bounces means we had more wins. We've lost 11 games so far -- case closed.

I think the article was too quick to judge Terrence Ross. I actually like this kid.

I still don't think there is anything wrong with Casey. I don't understand the minutes Bargnani has been getting, but I've been questioning Barg's playtime for 4 years so it's nothing new to me. There has to be another explanation there because Bargnani has been getting too much playing time for his entire career.

[Green Maple Leaf]

Are Raptors fans kidding me? Colangelo sticks with these guys because nobody else wants to play in Toronto, not even Nash. You guys are full fledged retards who have no clue whats going on, worst fans in the world.

[yertu damkule]

Washington has won 0 games yet I believe 6 or 7 have been decided by 5 pts or less. Are they a .500 team masquerading as a 0 win team?

It's nice that there is passion but the record is as it is. The Raps think thye are better than they are but the only real stat that indicates this is wins. They are exactly what their record indicates they are.

whether anyone wants to admit it or not, there is a degree of luck involved in any sporting event...and DD's point, as rooted in excuse-making as it is, is simply a reflection that the teams feels that they've been unlucky to some degree. he's wildly exagerating the # of L's that would have been W's if not for bad luck - i'd put the number in the 4-5 range, optimistically.

basically, win probability (the % likelihood that a team will win at any given point in a game) fluctuates during a game depending on how that game is going; a team up 20 with 2 minutes left has a very high win probability. but a close game that goes down to the wire is essentially a 50-50 proposition to very end, and often is decided by 1 or 2 plays. good/great teams simply turn those plays to their favour in close games more often than not. the difference between what separates a 'horrible' team from an average one (and an average one from an elite one) are often much smaller than we generally assume.

i know we like to whip hollinger something fierce around here, but his rankings are more objective in nature than most (being stat-based), and he slots the raps in with other teams with much better records...which in & of itself doesn't say a whole lot, other than the stats bear out the notion that the team is playing better (and is playing their opponents tighter/tougher) than their record would indicate.

so yes, at the end of the day, their record is what it is...but i feel better about this team when i factor everything in (new players, injuries, bargs shitting the bed on a continual basis, luck/karma/pissing off the basketball gods by continuing to play bargnani signficant minutes when he's a lazy motherchucker, etc) than i probably should. yes, the losses are dispiriting, but i'd rather they struggle now, fight through the rough patches, learn how to play together, incorporate JV into the gameplan, #freeED, etc) and realize they need to move on from certain players (and start freeing the reigns on other players th fool themselves into thinking they're better than they are by eking out wins & having a record that artificially inflates how 'good' they really are.

[Copywryter]

Making the playoffs is not 'success'.

[Axel]

Are Raptors fans kidding me? Colangelo sticks with these guys because nobody else wants to play in Toronto, not even Nash. You guys are full fledged retards who have no clue whats going on, worst fans in the world.

And why exactly are you a member of the RAPTORS Republic? To be an ass-clown in front of people trying to share views and discuss their basketball team? Good job!

[c_bcm]

The problem is that in the NBA you reward failure with a Draft pick. So the little success he has had, was due to his failure.

Even when he failed, he failed at failing. We managed to get the worst picks, while teams like Cleveland were double dipping. Who the fuck is Terrence Ross?



Bryan is a loser regardless of how you arrange the letters.

I don't necessarily agree with you, although I don't entirely disagree either. The system is supposed to give opportunities for bad teams to patiently build a good team, suggesting that success should be cyclical if each team is managed properly. I don't think BC's draft choices have been bad considering who was available when we picked (although he did get lucky with the JV pick). He explicitly stated that the last 2 years were re-building years...meaning we will intentionally suck to acquire assets and cap space. To me, his real test as a GM will be how he manages the transition out of re-build. Which he has failed in the first 14 games of this season IMO. Lets see if he trusts this group to come together in the coming months or not.