A more mature James Johnson ready to win with Raptors | Toronto Sun
“It was a crazy road for me but you learn a lot from your mistakes and I felt like Masai and the rest of the Raptors felt the same about the situation and feel the same way about my play and what I can bring to this team,” the 27-year-old small forward said. “I still have a lot to prove but them signing me for two years and giving me this boost of confidence, I’m just going to work my hardest to help us go further than what we did last year.” His return begs the question what has changed in two years? The answer is plenty on both sides.
Raptors: Returning forward James Johnson buries hatchet with coach Casey | Toronto Star
“It never was bad, we had our bumps, but that’s war,” Johnson said. “It’s a war out there when we’re playing a game and sometimes you say stuff that you regret or you say stuff that you don’t really mean. “Dwane Casey is a great guy and I feel like he realizes that and we’ve moved forward from where we were at. We had a great conversation and I’m just ready to win and I know he is.” Johnson returns to the Raptors following stints in Sacramento and Memphis. The 27-year-old Wyoming native averaged 7.4 and 3.2 assists while with the Grizzlies last season.
Lewenberg: Meet Nogueira, the other Brazilian Raptor | TSN
“It’s contagious, infectious,” coach Dwane Casey said of Nogueira’s personality. “He’s sharp and witty, which is a good thing in this league because it’s such a frustration-filled league and it can get you down and you can’t let it happen as a young kid. You’ve got to learn, bounce back and get ready for the next play.” Asked about his perspective and approach, things that have helped him stand out early in his Raptors tenure, Nogueira credits his upbringing. He grew up in Rio de Janeiro. He was adopted. His family has supported him and has taught him positive values. His siblings are much older, his brother is 38, his sister 40. He’s the youngest, hence the nickname, Bebe. “It started in Brazil,” Nogueira said of the moniker, insisting he has no preference between that and his first name, Lucas. “My family, they called me Bebe. I grew up with Bebe all my life. I don’t care [if you call me that] because everyone says it, my mom says it.”
Toronto Raptors: Summer League Highlights Need Of D-League Franchise
In the upcoming season, Toronto will share the Fort Wayne Mad Ants with 12 NBA teams, but 17 others currently have an exclusive affiliation consisting of either outright ownership of a D-League franchise, or what’s known as a ”hybrid” affiliation, which allows the NBA team to essentially run the basketball operations of its D-League partner without actually owning it. If the Raptors owned a D-League franchise, Ujiri could send Caboclo there in order to gain some valuable playing time while the Brazilian developed under the tutelage of coaches hired by the organization. And for a young player like Caboclo who is both new to the NBA as well as North America, the structured environment would often mirror daily life as a pro and give the rookie an opportunity to slowly wade into the NBA waters. But the concept is far from perfect, and the current rules state that anyone sent down to the D-League would still cost Toronto a roster spot on the team’s two-man inactive list. Also, only players within their first three years of NBA service can be shipped to the D-League without consent from the player and the union, and everyone counts as a hit on the salary cap. While the system has its faults, only a financial commitment from Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, who own the Raptors, stands in the way of a D-League franchise, and it’s no secret that MLSE has the cash to make it happen.
Raptors’ Bruno Caboclo mini meltdown shows how much he cares | Toronto Sun
The Raptors love that Caboclo wants to dominate, to do a bit of everything, but recognize that is not yet possible, so the trick is getting through to him that he needs to be patient. “Today was more about getting back to being a defender and someone that can help us role-wise, instead of trying to be the hero and trying to put it on his shoulders to try to win the game for us,” Mermuys said. “He’s not there yet. We love the fact that he wants to be there and he was trying to be there but he’s not there and so now let’s try to go out and get inside his role to do what he can to help the team.” For head coach Dwane Casey, this is all part of the process, and he would much rather have a player that is committed and is emotionally invested, than the numerous wastes of talent that dot the league. “It is (a good thing) because it shows he cares. He wants to play well, he wants to play better. I told him, ‘this is a marathon, not a sprint,’” Casey said.
My bad if you guys think this should be on the Raptors thread but that’s not my territory and I think theres some discussion that can be had. I went to summer league today to watch the Knicks game and got to catch the Raptors game afterwards. The rookie that they drafted was doing pretty well throughout the game. Around the 3rd quarter he got posterized badly by CJ Fair and then got a tech for pushing another player in frustration. I was sitting close to courtside on the opposite end and after that dunk happened and I was paying attention to him. He walked straight to the bench and asked to be subbed out and I kid you not he was crying like a little boy until the end of the game. Like tears running down his face that he kept wiping off with a towel. You might be able to catch it on the game replay. I think this says alot to GMs that want to draft these 18/19 year old players that have upside. They have all the potential in the world but maybe they just arent emotionally ready to play with the “big boys”. He was doing solid before that moment, but after that it just took him right out of the game.
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