Johnson’s worth, though, is not redeemed with a deeper look at the Raptors’ numbers. That is new: From 2010-13, while the Raptors toiled in sub-mediocrity, Johnson routinely lifted up whomever he played with. One season, he had the best individual plus-minus of any player in the league on a sub-.500 team. This year, the Raptors have allowed points at nearly the same rate with Johnson on and off the floor, and the offence has benefitted with him on the bench. Worrisomely, the Raptors have been outscored with Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas sharing the court. The Raptors’ other main frontcourt options have been more successful. More than anything, the Raptors’ collective woes work against Johnson staying in Toronto. As the Raptors have struggled, it has become clear that the Raptors do not have enough talent on the roster, as is, to create a legitimate contender. If Ujiri hopes to make a significant splash in free agency this off-season, he will likely have to sacrifice Johnson and Lou Williams to create enough space under the luxury tax to change the composition of the team. And it just so happens that in Patrick Patterson and James Johnson, the Raptors have enough options at power forward that are signed through next year that Johnson could become expendable.
This team can be good. The proof is in the record. They’re just not good enough to sustain that kind of drop-off from 40% of the starting five on any given night. We’ll cut Kyle Lowry a little slack here because he’s just back and finding his way after a three-game absence, but he needs to get it going soon, too. Tuesday night against the Spurs will mark the third game of his return. Casey used Sunday’s game as an example of what happens to the team when more than one of its key minutes eaters is not delivering on the same night. “I thought down the stretch last night our bigs weren’t consistent,” Casey said. “We had a rotation that was pretty good in the first half. Second half and the end of the game we would have liked to have Amir in where we could blitz a little more. JV trying to blitz was not good. It’s not who he is or what he does.”
DeMar DeRozan definitely appears to have recovered fully and is playing some good ball right now, averaging 28.5 points per game on 51.6 percent shooting in four March games. The problem with this is he’s only taking 4.3 free-throw attempts per game in that span, a number that’s actually inflated because of the 10 trips to the charity stripe he had last Monday against the 76ers. The Raptors are 11-1 when DeRozan takes 10 or more free throws so there’s a direct correlation between his freebie attempts and team success. The Raptors need anything to get back on track right now, so why not put emphasis on getting DeRozan to the line?
Raptors searching for resolve amid late-season collapse | TSN
The Raptors still lead the Atlantic Division by a whopping 12 games – more than any other division leader – over Boston and Brooklyn. Winning their division guarantees them no worse than the fourth seed but they could still relinquish home-court advantage if the fifth-place team has a better record. If the playoffs were to begin today, they would host the fifth-seeded Washington Wizards, who are in a similar tailspin. The Wizards have a record of 13-19 since Jan. 1 and they too have lost eight of their past 10 games. All-Star point guard John Wall recently admitted to feeling “beat up”, a familiar concern for those who have watched Kyle Lowry’s game deteriorate in Toronto. Of course, the simplest explanation for the Raptors fall from grace is Lowry’s dip in production, which may or may not be injury-related. Through the seasons first two months, the Raptors’ point guard was putting in MVP-calibre work, masking many of the team’s warts and taking them to another level. Since then he’s been average, at best. He averaged 16.6 points on 37 per cent shooting in January as they began to lose. Those numbers fell to 11.9 on 34 per cent in February before the team decided to give him three games off to rest his aches and pains.
The Buddy System: Raptors and Wizards Dropping Like Stones | Raptors HQ
With the recent slide, it appears as though Raptors fans may once again be heartbroken come May. One of the team’s potential first-round opponents is the Indiana Pacers, who have quietly posted a net rating of 8.8 over their last 13 games, going 11-2. If Frank Vogel’s squad can continue the torrid pace, they could shoot up the standings. They could also be getting superstar wing player Paul George back in the lineup before the playoffs begin making them a truly fearsome foe. I seem to remember another Paul ending Toronto’s playoff run a season ago.
Raptors eager to add Canadians: GM | Toronto Sun
“We are an NBA team, it’s important we look for talent everywhere, but it is on our minds to get a Canadian player or Canadian players,” Ujiri said at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre, after he had delivered his address. And then Ujiri dropped a mild bombshell. “We are studying it. I even considered last year hiring somebody to concentrate just on Canadian players and I think I’m going to go through with it because the growth of the game here is so big,” he said. “It’s the fit. We can maybe take our time and study it a little bit so it is the right fit and not do it just to do it. It’s going to come, there is no doubt in my mind. It’s an obligation that I think we have to fulfil. We are a Canadian team and I think to have Canadian players, I think will be phenomenal.”
Masai Ujiri: “There will be a Canadian player on the Raptors” | CBC Sports
Another thing that was clear during his appearance is that Ujiri has a lot of passion for growing the sport of basketball in Canada, which is great news for the next wave of emerging Canadian talent.
Masai Ujiri of Toronto Raptors on ‘F— Brooklyn’ remark — ‘Ain’t taking that back’ | ESPN
Nearly a year later, it doesn’t appear Ujiri has any regrets. In fact, the confident GM would like another crack at the Nets, who eliminated the Raptors from the playoffs in seven games in 2014. “Trust me, I ain’t taking that back,” Ujiri said Monday night at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport’s Canadian Basketball Speakers forum. “I hope we play them again. I’ll say it again.” Ujiri’s comment prompted laughter from the audience, according to the Toronto Sun. He chuckled, too, the newspaper reported.
Five thoughts on Ross, Raptors and more | TSN
It’s been back-to-back starts for Ross now and his presence in the line-up creates better spacing and movement. But now for the big question: Can he produce on a consistent basis? Ross hasn’t shown the ability to sustain his focus and performance for extended periods. This will be a significant early career test for him. At some point, it’s got to lock in and become habit. The 3 spot has been an issue for the Raptors and the opportunity is there in the present. It won’t be there forever, though. The time is now.
Raptors pick the wrong time to be in San Antonio | Toronto Star
It is a far different crew than the one Toronto beat 87-82 in February at the Air Canada Centre, warned Raptors coach Dwane Casey after a video session and practice Monday afternoon in San Antonio. There’s nothing, really, the Raptors can take from that February clash as a lesson for this time around, Casey said. “Not really, they’re a different team. Different mojo, different energy, different swagger, different intensity than they were at that time. I think they were kind of in a malaise, sort of like we are now,” said Casey. It’s a stroke of bad luck, but there’s no point in dwelling on it, Casey said. “Timing’s everything, and we’re catching them at a time when their mojo is back, their swagger is back, their championship mentality is what we’re trying to do,” Casey said.
Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Toronto Raptors | Pounding The Rock
the Raptors come to town Tuesday night. Toronto’s struggled mightily (losers of nine out of their last ten) during one of the tougher parts of their schedule, with the team’s only win coming against the Sixers. Both Kyle Lowry and DeMar Derozan have shot terribly in that stretch, and their role players haven’t stepped up to make up for it. Toronto has enough talent to compete every night, but it still doesn’t seem sure what to make of its parts. Starting center Jonas Valanciunas still doesn’t get regular playing time at the end of games; Terrence Ross has regressed in Year 3, and Derozan is what he is at this point — an effective, but flawed, offensive player. As a team they’re capable of moving the ball well and spacing the floor, but their leading scorers (Lowry and Derozan) average 32% and 22% from deep, and often resort to hero ball. I don’t expect San Antonio to shoot 33% from the field, as they did in their loss in Toronto, and I don’t expect the Raptors to play as terribly as they have. A game in the high 90s – low 100s seems probable, and I think the Spurs hold on for a sixth win in a row.
San Antonio Spurs vs Raptors: Prediction, Key Players, Injuries | Air Alamo
DeMar DeRozan- When healthy DeMar DeRozan is one of the best wings in the league. He is averaging 18.8 points and 4.2 rebounds this season. He is averaging 28.5 points over his past four games so the Spurs must be aware. Kyle Lowry- Kyle Lowry is in a slump but he’s still one of the better point guards in the league. In the past 7 games Lowry is averaging 13.9 points and 4.9 assists. His season averages are much better, 18.1 points, 6.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds. Jonas Valunciunas- Jonas Valunciunas has stepped up his game this season. The 22 year-old center is averaging 12 points and 8.6 rebounds. The problem with Valunciunas is his inconsistency as shown in the past week. After going for 26 points and 11 rebounds against Cleveland, he went for 9 points and 6 rebounds against Charlotte.
NBA Preview – Toronto Raptors at San Antonio Spurs – Mar 10, 2015 | CBSSports.com
Finally close to full health and producing points at a high rate, the Spurs go after their sixth consecutive win Tuesday night against a visiting Toronto team that’s having trouble at both ends of the floor. The Spurs (39-23), just 2 1/2 games back of a top-four seed in the Western Conference, shot 48.9 percent and hit 9 of 22 from 3-point range in Sunday’s 116-105 victory over Chicago in the third of a six-game homestand. Since averaging 95.9 points on 43.6 percent shooting over a 2-5 stretch, they’ve scored 111.2 per game and shot 47.9 percent during their longest streak since a season-high eight-game run Nov. 17-Dec. 1.
Raptors-Spurs: Tuesday game preview | Toronto Star
The Raptors’ last win at the AT&T Center was in 2007.
Photo courtesy of Canadian Press
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