Defiant DeMar DeRozan vows to make a difference: Arthur | Toronto Star
It will require DeRozan’s defiance when it comes to making difficult shots that he shouldn’t be able to make. Remember when Ujiri bellowed out “F— Brooklyn” before Game 1 of the first-round playoff loss to the Brooklyn Nets, and said it was a spur-of-the-moment thing? It was, a few minutes earlier, when he was speaking to a group of season-ticket holders and yelled out the same thing. He liked it. He told the world. The ‘We The North’ thing is marketing, but Amir Johnson writes it in the dust on dirty cars, and it taps into something. Here we are, and we’re proud to be here. The crowd outside the Air Canada Centre in the Square became a beacon, and it looks like Toronto. There are parts of this city that have waited a long time for something to be built. “You look at something you can do in one place and leave your legacy there that will last forever, it means that much more,” says DeRozan. “I look at Alvin Williams. He comes back here and they treat him perfect, like family.”
From the mag: DeRozan’s next step | Sportsnet.ca
Farr broke the silence. “This is where your life changes,” he told DeRozan. “You see that?” he said, pointing down to the valley. “That’s where we come from, DeMar, and you can never forget that valley.” He turned to the contrasting skyline past the water. “That is where basketball can take you. The game is what will make it all possible, but it’s hard work that will get you there.” It’s a message that has stayed with DeRozan to this day. “That really put everything in perspective for me,” he says, sprawled comfortably across the curvy suede couch in the Raptors players lounge. “I realized then that I can never have an excuse for anything. If you work for it, you’ll deserve what comes. Hard work. That’s been my approach ever since.” That is the attitude DeRozan is building his reputation on. It’s allowed him to raise his game every season, bringing the franchise that took a chance on him along for the journey. Around his team, the 25-year-old is known as the guy who comes back to the arena a third time after two-a-days.
Raptors trying to control hype ahead of season opener | Toronto Sun
Sure, the franchise-best 48 wins last year and sterling 22-7 mark at the ACC post-Christmas were significant achievements, but Casey thinks his squad needs more time to prove itself. “You can’t put a number on who you are, especially where we are in our program,” Casey said Tuesday. “Right, wrong, indifferent, we’re not in that elite status yet. We haven’t earned that yet, so we’re still on our way of doing that. That’s what makes (50 wins) the unrealistic expectations. “We have to embrace (expectations) because they are there, but … if you’ve established that, you can feel that way, but coming from where we are, where we are going, we have no right to feel that way and we’ve got to continue to have that chip on our shoulder of the underdog.” Casey is nothing if not consistent. He has long refused to let his young charges rest on their laurels. He won’t accept anyone putting the proverbial cart before the horse. He has simply been in the game far too long for any of that.
Lewenberg: Raptors temper expectations on eve of season opener | TSN
“Now we know that we’re a good team and we know what we can do,” said Amir Johnson, who – along with DeMar DeRozan – is the team’s longest tenured player, entering his sixth year in Toronto. “There’s a lot of stuff we can definitely clean up, and we’re working everyday, but we know that we’re good and we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it on the court.” What would make this a successful season for the club? “In my eyes,” Patrick Patterson said, “winning more games than what we did last year and going further in the playoffs.” A reasonable answer and pretty straightforward method of evaluating growth, only Casey knows it’s not always that clear-cut. “There’s a great possibility we could win less games than we did last year and be a better team,” said the Raptors’ coach. “That’s a distinct possibility and if that happens so be it. So I’m not going on wins and losses or what we did last year. I’m more concerned about our development and getting better.”
Raptors roster at a glance | Toronto Sun
JAMES JOHNSON: Skinny: Savvy veteran will be used in a situational role. Might not play too often, but remains a leader in the locker room and a tremendous low-post defender. Can improve: He is what he is. Contract status: $5.95 million left on expiring deal.
Granted, most of the so-called experts believe the Raptors will indeed defend their division title, but will do so with fewer victories. I’m not sure if that has something to do with the lack of quality teams within the division or whether it is expected that the Raptors will occasionally lose focus during the season since the expectation is another playoff run—this time hopefully deeper than one round. Within the team the Raptors espouse a simple goal—to win the division and take the next step in the playoffs, winning a round. For his part Coach Casey also espouses simple goals—to continue the process, the development and to keep getting better. This is still a young team says the coach. There is no way the team should be satisfied with last season’s success. One year does not make a career. The ultimate goal is an NBA championship and though the Raptors are not considered to be among the elite they should have their sights set on loftier goals this year.
Raptors: Top five things learned from the pre-season | Toronto Sun
James Johnson wanted to do too much on offence during his previous stint as a Raptor, even though he lacked the skills necessary to be a big scorer. Now, he knows what his role is. Johnson is the team’s defensive stopper. He will be tasked with guarding three positions and he has the size, athleticism and smarts to give the Raptors something they have lacked for years. The trick will be keeping Johnson happy with put-backs and transition points. Once he starts launching jumpers, his game slips. Patterson pointed out that the Raptors have struggled, allowing too much dribble penetration. Johnson might even spend some time bothering guards in order to fix that issue.
Raptors-Hawks: NBA game preview | Toronto Star
Horford is still not back to 100 per cent after missing more than 50 games last season with a torn pectoral muscle but he’s good enough to give the Hawks an imposing frontcourt . . . Atlanta lived and died with the three-point shot last season; Korver is one of the best from distance ever . . . Teague’s one of the quickest guards in the league, and one of the more under-rated ones . . . How’s this for constant change: The Raptors have never started the same five players on consecutive opening nights . . . Toronto is opening Maple Leaf Square for a game-night event, similar to the ones that became such a playoff phenomenon last spring . . . Coach Dwane Casey cautions about any over-confidence: “The team we’re playing . . . went as far as we did last year, Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs and nobody’s even talking about Atlanta. They add an all-star player and a player who started for a 60- or a 55-win team in OKC (Thabo Sefolosha) who is coming off bench now.”
When Masai Ujiri signed him to a low-risk two-year deal this July, it was easy to call Johnson a changed man. A trip to the D-League had taught him to relish a spot in the NBA; bouncing around the league had made him thirst for some stability. That is not just a nice story — it is at least partly valid. “It’s crazy. I’m six years in and I’ve had eight different coaches,” Johnson said. “Everybody coaches different. Everybody has his own philosophy of winning and as long as the coach can stay consistent, it’s easy to buy in. “As long as I have a job, I’m blessed.” However, that is not the whole story. A breakdown in communication involves at least two parties, and usually more. While Johnson might have been the instigator back then, Casey failed to bring him back onside. During training camp in Vancouver, Casey admitted that he made some mistakes, too.
Toronto Raptors: Why Kyle Lowry Will Make His First All-Star Appearance | Bleacher Report
By playing with this group once again, Lowry has the chance to meet two critical qualifications for the All-Star game: leading a playoff-caliber team and thriving statistically. Producing above-average numbers is a must for any All-Star. Since Lowry will play alongside multiple offensive weapons in Toronto, he will have no issue putting forth a high number of points and assists on a regular basis. However, as far as winning goes, not every All-Star is part of a successful ballclub. But when it comes to qualifying for the last few spots on the roster—a position he may find himself in come selection time—the final decision of the 15 Eastern Conference head coaches could lean heavily toward who can win. And the Raptors will win games. As a leader of this team, Lowry understands it’s on him to control the focus night in and night out.
Excitatron 2014: Kyle Lowry Over Everything | Hardwood Paroxysm
I am so happy that Kyle Lowry didn’t sign with Miami. It would have made for a boring story. Maybe you’ve heard the story before – a kid grows up with big dreams, gives everything he has to achieve them, then grows fat and complacent after finding success and just becomes another rich person, with the big house, the fancy cars, maybe a yacht, expensive food. No, Kyle Lowry doesn’t deserve an ending like that. Sure, he has his money now, but he has something else too – opportunity. As one of the franchise players with the Raptors, he has the opportunity to prove the skeptics wrong and succeed where others have failed. It fits his personality, doggedly doing what others doubted he could accomplish. When people tell him, “You can’t do that,” he just puts his head down and doesn’t give up until he finds victory. So go ahead and plow into the lane, pull up for transition 3-pointers like no one can stop you, sky for rebounds against taller competitors, and don’t give an inch on defense. Let’s knock some heads this season.
How well would Kawhi Leonard fit on the Raptors? | /r/torontoraptors
It looks like Leonard could be a free agent this summer so i was wondering if you guys thought he would be a good fit for us? Would you pay him the max?
