Raptors’ coach Casey a keen strategist | Toronto Sun
“One thing that was really impressive about (Casey) was he was a real student of the game,” McMillan told the Toronto Sun earlier this fall in Indianapolis, where he is now associate head coach. “He had notebooks on every coach that coached a game and their plays and their calls. He had this envelope, this folder that he kept all of the plays on. He even put coaches that were fired and came back into the league two, three four years later. He would go to his garage, get out his folder, because they were pretty much running the same plays and their calls were pretty much the same. For everyone. He knew every play, every call each team was running,” McMillan said, smiling at the memory.
Why DeRozan could be the most important Raptor | Sportsnet.ca
It’s a stretch to call the sixth-year guard the best player in Raptors history — he might not even be the best on his team. But it’s no exaggeration to suggest DeRozan is the most important player in the history of the franchise, in no small part because he wants to be. In conversation, DeRozan can come across as a bit sleepy-eyed and can easily be characterized as laid back, at which point you’ve grossly underestimated him and he’s about to blow right by you. At heart DeRozan is a rebel, an explorer, someone who can only be happy carving his own path. As an uncharted territory, Toronto turned out to be the perfect place for him to be drafted. “After Vince [Carter] left it was a team that no one paid attention to. Everyone heard that,” he was saying after practice on Monday as the Raptors prepared for their season opener against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday at the ACC.
Lewenberg: Lowry poised for All-Star sequel to breakout campaign | TSN
If you ask Lowry to list off his goals for this coming season, he’ll likely do so without making a single reference to himself. First and foremost, he’ll talk about winning, about getting better as a team, returning to the playoffs and going further than they did a year ago. When he lists o
ff those goals – team goals – he’s not being disingenuous. That’s the type of leader he’s grown into. But whether he’d admit to it or not, Lowry is leaving a block open in the middle of February, hoping to be in New York for what would be his first NBA All-Star Game this winter. And why shouldn’t he be? Some are still skeptical of Lowry’s NBA rags to riches story. They’ve been burned by the ‘contract year player’ before. Professional sports is littered with athletes who have taken their game to a new level with a raise on the line, only to regress back to the mean after getting paid. But the alternative is not unprecedented. Lowry’s a late bloomer, but bloom he has.
Raptors embrace healthy attitude toward bioanalytics: Feschuk | Toronto Star
If the droves of data can be daunting to digest, McKechnie soon emerged with one surprising takeaway. According to the Catapult numbers captured during Raptors scrimmages, some 80 per cent of movements were performed laterally or backwards. Only 20 per cent of athletes’ collective movement was of the forward variety. McKechnie beckoned Gary McCoy, Catapult’s senior applied sports scientist, to have a look at what he’d discovered. “Alex says to me, ‘All our conditioning is done going forward. We don’t train laterally or backwards,’” McCoy recalled. “Alex said, ‘That’s the first change we’re going to make.’” The changes the Raptors have made since embracing Catapult technology aren’t merely the stuff of tech-savvy trivia. One of the underplayed stories of Toronto’s first playoff run in six years was that, along with benefitting from the Rudy Gay trade and career-best work from a handful of key pieces, the Raptors were the least-injured team in the league in 2013-14.
NBA Eastern Conference preview | Toronto Sun
Skinny: Favourites to win the division for the first time in ages. Perennial lottery dwellers now will have to deal with the pressure of being highly regarded. Should have no trouble scoring, but could slip slightly defensively. Are two-deep at every position. Kyle Lowry will push for first all-star berth, while DeMar DeRozan keeps getting better. Johnson and Williams were underrated acquisitions. Burning question: What is Jonas Valanciunas? Is he a decent starting centre or a potential star? While playing internationally, the Lithuanian has looked like a standout in waiting, but he has yet to put it all together in the NBA. When he plays mean, he gets it done. When he relaxes, he is merely average. The better Valanciunas plays, the more lucrative his new contract will be next year.
2014 NBA Preview: Key Offseason Pickups Should Give The Cavs A Boost | FiveThirtyEight
After stints in Memphis and Houston, Lowry has blossomed into one of the toughest and best offensive point guards in the league. He ranked third among point guards in wins above replacement and ninth in points created off assists, which includes passes that led to free throws. According to Synergy Sports, Lowry’s pick-and-rolls created 0.89 points per attempt, the eighth-best mark among starting point guards. The only issues with Lowry’s offensive game are his propensity for turnovers — historically he has averaged more than 2.5 per game — and a strange inability to finish drives to the basket. Lowry only made 53 percent of his attempts within 3 feet of the basket last season, well below the league average of closer to 60 percent. In short, Lowry is a top-10 point guard at a time when the position has seen an incredible influx of talent and has taken on additional importance. That alone makes his below-max salary (in line with Steph Curry’s very favorable deal) a bargain.
2014-15 NBA Preview: Toronto Raptors | Pounding The Rock
The jury continues to be out on Casey and his X’s and O’s chops (he’s notorious for not fouling in late-game situations where they’re trailing), but General Manager Masai Ujuri had little choice but to reward Casey with a contract extension after the team won the Atlantic last season even though Casey was out-coached by Jason Kidd.
Britt Robson’s NBA preview: Eastern Conference | MinnPost
A year ago there was the distinct possibility Toronto’s roster would be razed and coach Dwane Casey fired. But after forward Rudy Gay was dealt early in the season, the Raptors flourished to their best-ever record. The off-season was about consolidating those gains, as the Raps signed their top free agent Kyle Lowry to a fat contract (along with Lowry’s backup, Greivis Vasquez), brought back former Raptor James Johnson, and traded for gunner Lou Williams. Demar DeRozan is the holdover All-Star, Amir Johnson the low-post stalwart on defense, Jonas Valanciunas the slowly developing seven-footer, Terence Ross the athletic tease. Lowry and DeRozan had career years—but are at a prime age to either maintain or improve those performances.
N.B.A. Preview 2014: Breaking Down the Conferences | NYTimes.com
The Raptors found a core to build around in Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. If Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas can raise their game this season as well, Toronto should have no trouble winning one of the league’s weakest divisions. With Drake providing the team with a signature celebrity fan and Masai Ujiri proving to be one of the league’s best executives, the Raptors could soon be a team that free agents are clamoring to join.
NBA season preview: A lot of trash, not much treasure in the Atlantic | Sydney Morning Herald
The pride of the division. Keeping, and paying, Kyle Lowry was a great step. It showed everyone the intent of the Ontario-based franchise. Along with DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross, the Raptors are well served in the point guard and wing positions. With all the games they have against Boston, Philadelphia and New York, the wins will come. Prediction: Should win the division. That means home court in the first round of the playoffs. They’ll probably fail to make that count again. Winning this division doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a top team.
The NBA Every-Single-Game Preview | Entertainment: GQ
In 2008, the cast of the famously defunct NBA blog FreeDarko.com previewed every single game of the upcoming 2008-09 season. It was a miserable failure, in that very few of their predictions actually came to pass. Six years later, we are giving it one more go, hoping to find redemption.
Why Toronto Loves Amir Johnson | BALLnROLL
It’s easy to love Amir for what he does on a basketball court. No one works harder, expends more energy. When asked if his game mirrors the hardworking, blue-collar fans that fill the ACC every night, he laughs. “Yeah, I would describe my game the same way. When I’m on the floor I give it my all, no matter what,” he says. While he has gained fans both in Toronto and outside of the city for what he does for a living, Amir is more than simply a basketball player—the guy wearing the number 15 jersey for the Toronto Raptors. Outside of an NBA arena is where Amir truly makes his mark with the community. He’s visible, he’s approachable, he’s charismatic. Raptors fans understand that hasn’t always been the case with their hardwood heroes.
NBA Rumors Chat With Steve Kyler 10/27/14 | Basketball Insiders
I don’t think any of those guys can be had in trade. Atlanta wants Millsap long-term. Gibson is a core piece and Monroe has the ability to veto a trade because he picked up his qualifying offer. If any of those teams were to seriously entertain something, it’s likely costing you first round draft picks and guys like Terrence Ross.
