Why do Raptor Fans hate Demar Derozan? | RealGM
Well see here on the raptors board we expect nothing but kd/lebron tier players and they must sign for the minumum. Also if they have a bad game they must look in the mirror. Derozan is a bit worse than those guys so we dont like him here. Plus we dont like guys who work hard and play hard or shooting gaurds who can put up 21 4 and 4. If you have a flaw you cant be liked on this board. In all seriousness derozan is a very good player in this nba. His shot is average but hes elite at getting to the line, hes great at slashing, has improved defensively, and is great at finding the open man. He has bad games primarly when spacing is an issue like last night when were playing 4 on 5 with biyombo.
So what’s the difference? First of all, Joseph is much better perimeter defender than Williams and Vasquez and draws the more difficult defensive assignment, which allows Lowry to match up with the easier check and conserve his energy for important offensive duties. The partnership has been beneficial for both of them. Lowry is playing like the All-Star he proved he could be in the first half of last season, averaging 19.6 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.7 rebounds. Joseph is putting up a modest 9.5 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in 25 minutes per game, which would all be career-highs. The Raptors were always intrigued by the possibility of pairing Lowry with Joseph. For it to work, though, they would need Joseph to make a leap to rotation regular after being mostly a bit player his first four years in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs.
Lowry: Joseph ‘can get to the basket at will’ | Sportsnet.ca
“Cory is just figuring out that he can get to the basket at will and finish the ball. He was in a system where everything was ball movement, ball movement and he drives-and-kicks, but he’s starting to understand that he can get into the paint and get his shot. We talk every game and I told him he has to be aggressive. With the type of team we have we need our guards to be aggressive. That’s the one thing he’s learning to be. …
Five thoughts on Joseph, Curry and more | TSN
I’m really impressed by how well he is playing. You reflect on his development as a player and it’s pretty nice to see the steady, gradual climb that he has made. Too often young players are immediately thrown to the wolves and expected to produce when, in most cases, they’re far from ready to play. Joseph’s experience in San Antonio is an example of being in the right environment early in your career, which acts as a springboard for later rewards. The fruits of his labour are deservedly paying off. This was a very good free agent acquisition.
Scenes from the return of the Junkyard Dog, DeMarre Carroll | Hardwood Paroxysm
“I don’t want to come back and play ten minutes and be on a minute restriction. I want to come back and go full out. Coach and them did a good job of making sure that once you come back, you come back full strength.” I got handed a copy of the final box score on my way down to the locker room after the game. Carroll had played 33 minutes, just a shade less than the team’s leaders in playing time for the night. Coming off plantar fasciitis, it was surprising how much he played. There was a heel lift, arch support, and a million other things in his shoe, and the possibility of lingering pain in the morning after existed. But when the game was over, Carroll had a wry smile on his face. When asked about playing so many minutes on his first night back, he said, “Junkyard Dog anticipates any kind of minutes.”
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Instead, each time Commissioner Adam Silver walked to the podium, Wright said the words with him aloud—“With the first pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select, Delon Wright…” And so on, until with the 20th pick, his words matched the Commissioner’s. The crowd went wild as Delon’s face flashed on the big screen with a Toronto Raptors logo beside his name. So what was his next thought after the “I just got drafted” feeling wore off? “Drake,” says the 23-year-old. “Drake was the first initial thought.” What a time to be alive, indeed.
Dose: History in the Making | Yahoo Sports
I like to think of Kyle Lowry as mini-Westbrook, and he went to work on Sunday tallying 22 points, seven assists, six trey-bombs, two boards, four steals, one block and five turnovers in 39 minutes. A lot of players have these random weight loss/gain stories during the offseason, and I always question the authenticity of those numbers, and chuckle as to whether the weight-whatever (gain/loss) will translate to any statistical difference on the season; but Lowry is making me re-think my logic. Lowry looks noticeably lighter after dropping roughly 20 pounds during the offseason, and he’s currently hitting career-highs in points (19.4), steals (2.6) and three-pointers (2.6), which has him churning out first-round value. There’s really no reason to believe he’ll slow down, and the only thing that will hold him back from a top-10 season will be an injury. Yes, he has dealt with various injury issues in the past, but I think that’s been overblown for the most part, so if I’m a Lowry owner (I am), I’m not looking to sell high.
Raptors will need to be perfect to beat unbeaten Warriors | Toronto Star
Curry’s dominance has not gone unnoticed by others who practise his craft. “Man, I’m a fan,” Raptors guard Kyle Lowry said after his team practised here Tuesday afternoon. “I’m a fan of the game and I’m a fan of what he’s been able to do and how he’s been able to get better. As a basketball fan, it’s pretty impressive, but tomorrow I’m definitely going to be a competitor.” As much fun as it might be to watch from afar, it’s torture to try and plan against. “I tell you what, the key with him is, his range is unbelievable,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “I have never seen anyone in the league in my 23 years or whatever, or even in college. “You say, ‘OK, we are going to get up into him.’ He takes two or three steps across half court and drills it. That is what makes him so dangerous.” The Raptors — as it is with any team that plays Golden State these days — are going to have to be nearly perfect to pull an upset in Oakland on Tuesday. They are going to have to be far better than they were against the Kings, when they spit up a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead in a stunning collapse.
Raptors in tough vs. Steph Curry and Warriors | Toronto Sun
He’s averaging a league high 33.4 points a night, shooting 51.7% from the field and 45.3% from three-point range. He’s averaging just over five rebounds a night and almost six assists. His 57 three-pointers, many of them taken from a distance most normal players wouldn’t even attempt, is better than two entire teams have managed this year — hello, Brooklyn and Minnesota — and as many as two other teams — that would be you, Memphis and San Antonio. To say Curry has been great would be doing Curry a huge disservice. He’s been better than that. “I tell you what, the key with him is his range is unbelievable,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said. “I have never seen anyone in the league in my 23 years or whatever or even in college like this. This kid has deep range and that makes it hard to game plan. You say, ‘OK, we are going to get up into him.’ He takes two or three steps across half court and drills it. That is what makes him so dangerous. Also his passing is impeccable. And then also he is surrounded by three other, sometimes four when Draymond Green plays the five, three-point shooters. It makes it difficult. This team (Tuesday) night is an extra special problem.”
Raptors at Golden State Warriors: Tuesday game preview | Toronto Star
The Warriors are the lone unbeaten team in the league at 11-0 and have been home and resting since dispatching Brooklyn on Saturday night . . . How tough is it for the Raptors in Oakland? The last time a Toronto team beat Golden State at home was in 2004. They’ve lost 10 in a row since . . . The Warriors are also 45-2 at home since the start of the 2014-15 season . . . Golden State averages 114 points per game . . . Former Raptor Leandro Barbosa, who missed Golden State’s Saturday game with a family issue, is averaging more than 13 points a game in about 13 minutes.
Toronto Raptors vs. Golden State Warriors Preview | VAVEL
As for the Warriors, the main focus should be to continue what they’ve been doing. With Stephen Curry dropping 30+ a game, and shooting nearly 52 percent from the field, it would be hard for the Warriors to lose a game as long as he stays hot. The only concern thus far for the Dubs, is Klay Thompson’s health. He has been fighting back issues, and is currently questionable for this game after missing their previous game against the Brooklyn Nets. If he is unable to go, Leandro Barbosa is returning and ready to fill in at the shooting guard spot.
