Raptors’ Jonas Valanciunas showing signs of improvement | Toronto Sun
Valanciunas made seven baskets on Saturday against Boston — tied for the team high — blocked three shots and showed improved vision with the ball. “Jonas was big-time, on the boards, rebounding,” Dwane Casey said afterward. “He was dominating the boards, being a physical presence and setting good screens for Kyle (Lowry) in the pick-and-roll situation.” He also found Terrence Ross for two three-pointers, after going many games this season without picking up even a single assist. “He’s seeing things better, he made a great pass out (Saturday night),” Casey said of one of the finds.
“It’s getting easier [to trust them] because they’re learning,” Casey said. “They’re not making as many mistakes. Just trying to get them going both at the same time has been the most difficult thing. Usually Terrence has a big game and JV doesn’t or vice versa. They’re young. We want them to be a 10-year vet yesterday but that doesn’t happen in this league.” Still, if the Raptors are going to make as much of this year as they would like, they are going to need Ross and Valanciunas to both make leaps that they have yet to make. The Raptors need their skill sets. Casey might have to learn to live with a few more of their mistakes. For the most part, however, the onus is on the players to earn that trust. At some point, they are no longer kids.
Raptors set to renew hostilities with red-hot Pistons | Toronto Star
The Raptors are not nearly good enough to look past any opponent, they have to play against a team and not that team’s record because a lackadaisical approach will bite them in the collective butt regardless of their opponent. So it is near certain that Casey will make the same point — publicly and privately — ahead of Monday’s game against the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons may only be 13-24 — down among the bottom-feeders of the Eastern Conference — but they are red-hot of late, winners of eight of their last nine games and playing as well as any team in the conference. And with Toronto having lost four of its last five, taking the Pistons lightly would be folly.
Detroit Pistons (13-24) at Toronto Raptors (25-11): 3 keys to victory | Raptors Rapture
The Pistons are relying on the 3-ball to a surprising extent for a team with a formidable front line of Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. They made 17 long balls against Cleveland, and tried 43 against Atlanta. Van Gundy appears to have solved the Pistons’ floor-spacing issues with Smith’s departure, so young gunners like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have the green light from anywhere. Point guard Brandon Jennings has always issued himself a green light, and has made enough recently to warrant the license. Monroe must be more comfortable also, as he’s registered double-doubles in his last six games. Drummond ranks second in the NBA in rebounds, with 13 Per Game. To the relief of the other 29 teams, he’s not a prolific scorer. In particular, he’s a bricklayer (41.4%) from the charity stripe. Kyle Singler, their small forward, is Kirk Hinrich’s younger brother…well, not literally, but he’s another one of those guys who seems to run around with little impact.
Raptors vs. Pistons tipoff | Toronto Sun
Andre Drummond vs. James Johnson: They don’t guard each other, but it will be interesting to see if they renew hostilities at all after the Dec. 19 dustup at the Palace. Johnson had been showboating a bit after torching the Pistons and after throwing down the dunk of the season on Drummond. Drummond nailed him with a cheap shot elbow not long after, setting off a melee. They said all was good afterward, but both were hot and Johnson wanted to have a few words with Drummond in the tunnel post-game. Kyle Lowry vs. Jennings will be a great one-on-one battle.
Detroit Pistons at Toronto Raptors: Monday NBA game preview | Toronto Star
The Pistons have won eight of their last nine, losing only to red-hot Atlanta, and are now firmly in the Eastern Conference playoff race. . . . Monroe is averaging about 17 points and 13 rebounds in his last seven games. . . . Detroit’s also won its last five road games, but will be playing its fifth game in seven nights.
NBA Preview – Detroit Pistons at Toronto Raptors – Jan 12, 2015 | CBSSports.com
Since Dec. 26, the Pistons are 5-0 on the road and 3-1 at home, losing only to Southeast-leading Atlanta 106-103 on Friday. They bounced back the next night at The Palace, downing Brooklyn 98-93 behind 20 points and 11 assists from Brandon Jennings and 17 rebounds from Greg Monroe. After owning the NBA’s third-worst record on Christmas, Detroit now finds itself just three games out of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference with 45 games to play. “It was big,” Kyle Singler said of Saturday’s win. “Coach (Stan Van Gundy) said something after the game last night saying we’re not falling back into losing and going backwards. This was big for us.”
Toronto Raptors Chat On Sportsnet Tonight | Hoops Addict
I joined Sportsnet Tonight to chat about the Toronto Raptors. We talked about DeMar DeRozan’s imminent return, if Masai Ujiri should make a big trade prior to the trade deadline and Toronto snapping out of their losing streak.
NBA Lockdown – Front Office Special | ESPN
Raptors shouldn’t underestimate Pistons in first meeting without Smith | The Globe and Mail
Cutting Smith sent shock waves through the NBA. He was arguably their best player and had two years and some $27-million (U.S.) left on his deal, and the Pistons got nothing for him. He was averaging 13.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, but had a dreadful true shooting percentage and was widely considered inconsistent and mercurial. But now few are questioning the bold call made by first-year coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy. Without Smith, the team has improved to 13-24 and is drawing crowds back to a building that has been cavernous. The Pistons sit a couple of games out of the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Smith’s departure has coincided with the return of Jodie Meeks from a back injury. It has also created more space on the floor for big men Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond and shooters such as Meeks, former Raptor D.J. Augustin and Brandon Jennings. During this nine-game stretch, it has become routine to see upward of six Pistons score in the double figures each game. That happened just three times through the 28 games they played before Smith’s release.
James Johnson Nickname Idea. | /r/torontoraptors
I can haz yo linkz??! rapsfan@raptorsrepublic.com
