What’s to say about Philly other than they’re Philly? They’re the team that in-sources player development and tanking, so other teams can get a more developed player and don’t have to suffer through the rookie years of guys who should still be in college. I always wondered how it felt like being a Philly fan these days so I asked one:
Me: Hey Philly Fan, how does it feel supporting a team that’s so horrible that it lost to the Knicks at home?
Philly Fan: I think about hurting myself every day.
This is obviously not a healthy environment to be living in, I do hope the guy gets some help soon.
The Raptors have beaten Philly twice this season, the last time being in DeMar DeRozan’s return. This is a game where if you lose, the sky will fall, but if you win it’ll be dismissed as a game that you better have won, making this is a lose-lose situation for the Raptors.
More importantly, this marks the return for Kyle Lowry – freshly selected to the All-Star team – to his native Philadelphia. His All-Star selection is a pretty good story in the context of an undeserving guy like Kobe Bryant making it. Whereas fans did the “wrong” thing by selecting Bryant over James Harden in the West, they did the “right” thing by not going by Dwayne Wade’s reputation and selecting Lowry over him. I get that the push to get Lowry in was at a national scale in Canada and fans didn’t necessary reflect on their selection too much, but it’s good when someone gets their due.
Lowry does not get in to the All-Star game as a starter with the same numbers and same impact if he had played for, say, the Pacers. This was a situation where playing in Canada helped him tremendously at a global scale, and I don’t know if that’s ever happened before? That’s something good to feel about, and I’m sure it’ll be used as a pitch when recruiting more free agents in the summer and going forward.
Dwane Casey’s been getting heat as usual, and I’ve been part of that as well. Whether it be mocking his clipboard or questioning his in-game decisions. I, like many other, are guilty of subconsciously ignoring any good a coach does, and focusing on the negative. After all, good coaching decisions are rarely talked about because they’re subtle in nature, whereas the errors are often glaring and cause an immediate inflammation for fans. This effect is heightened when it’s a close loss where a decision here or there could’ve made all the difference.
I sometimes wonder how a more experienced coach with a winning track record might handle the confidence conundrum that is Terrence Ross, or Jonas Valanciunas (though I don’t think there’s much to handle there, just give him the requisite PT). The raised expectations of this season has meant that the younger guys are expected to produce at a higher clip than if we were still in ‘rebuilding’ mode, and Casey’s approach has reflected that. We as fans, and Casey as a coach, are often trying to find a balance between the need for development which means playing through mistakes, and winning now. However, in Jonas Valanciunas’s case, they’re the same due to the dearth of options at the center. For Ross, the matter is more complex because James Johnson is currently the better player.
I don’t know what’s up with James Johnson, I would’ve thought he’d have played more against Memphis, his former team. Someone suggested that he may be in a doghouse for suggesting that Jeff Teague was the best point guard in the league. I don’t buy it. I’m guessing Casey values three-point shooting more than driving the ball right now, since he already has two guys who can attack the rim with DeRozan and Lowry on. There’s something to be said for floor spacing as well which is imperative when your offense is structured around clearouts. Diversifying things at this point in the season could be tough, and I don’t expect Casey to dole out plays with back-cuts, misdirections, heavy use of pick ‘n roll, and all that sexy stuff. Our hope is that whatever the Raptors are doing right now, they simply do better.
Tonight is another step in a very long NBA season. A not very interesting step that we may as well get over with.
The Raptors are favored by 10 points which is the most they’ve been favored on the road this season.
