DeMarre Carroll has soared since leaving the Hawks | Toronto Star
“Atlanta gave me a great opportunity to be where I’m at now,” Carroll said. “They gave me the opportunity to expand on my game and show everybody how I play. So, I think it’s a great feeling just going in there.” The Raptors went into their off-season focused on creating a defensive identity. Signing Cory Joseph and Bismack Biyombo helped, but the addition of Carroll set as much a tone with the team as any move can in July. “That’s what he brought us with the change: a defensive presence and a defensive personality,” Casey said of Carroll.
Carroll returns to face team that launched his career | TSN
Carroll first came to Atlanta as a free agent in the summer of 2013 after showing flashes with Utah Jazz the year prior. It was an under-the-radar signing late in the off-season. At the time, he had a career scoring average of 4.2 points. He had hit just 28 per cent of his threes. He was a hard-nosed defender but, in a league that values versatility, he didn’t offer much else. Fastforward a couple years later – the Raptors were one of several teams to make Carroll a top priority this past summer. They were the first to make contact with the veteran forward, offering him a four-year deal just after the market opened on July 1. He was one of the first free agents to sign on the dotted line. Carroll’s Hawks had won 60 games in 2014-15, but both parties understood it was time to move on. With Paul Millsap, an All-Star, also hitting free agency and ultimately commanding a three year, $59-million deal of his own, Carroll knew he was going to be the odd man out in Atlanta. He doesn’t harbour any hard feelings. Things didn’t work out too badly for him, after all.
DeMarre Carroll returns to Atlanta in Raptors uniform | www.myajc.com
Carroll’s return will be welcomed by some of his former teammates. However, it would seem, not by all of them. When asked for his thoughts about facing his former teammate, Jeff Teague stared straight ahead. “I don’t really care,” is all he said Tuesday. When then asked for a memory of playing with Carroll, Teague was nearly as succinct. “He played well here when he was here. He had a really good year last year.”
Toronto Raptors’ Cory Joseph saves the day: The Post-Up podcast | National Post
In our 23rd episode, Koreen and MacKenzie discuss the Raptors’ upcoming date with the unstoppable Golden State Warriors, James Johnson’s dissatisfaction with his role, and Kobe Bryant’s legacy and 81-point game against Toronto.
Behind the scenes at the @holtrenfrew #alltogetheratholts spring shoot
A photo posted by Cory Joseph (@coryjoseph) on
Free Association: Jalen Rose, Kyle Lowry, the Drake Effect & more | Sportsnet.ca
Rose takes a shot at the Free Association Quiz and explains why Drake’s affiliation with the Raptors holds more weight with the rest of the NBA than you’d think. Which is perfect, because the guys are also joined by Dalton Higgins, Drake’s biographer and author of his newest book, Rap n’ Roll, looking at the impact of musicians crossing over into sports and popular culture.
Kyle Lowry’s superstar play has gone under the radar | Raptors Cage
hen evaluating how Kyle Lowry’s impact has changed one must also consider the situational variables in the equation. For instance, in this year’s version of the Raptors, Lowry is usually on the floor with more talented offensive players from a positional perspective, with Demarre Carroll and Luis Scola being the key additions in this respect. Teams now have to game plan for a potent scorer at each position. Now an opposing team must account for Carroll’s versatility in terms of putting the ball on the floor but also being able to knock down three pointers, as well as Scola’s craftiness around the hoop. This doesn’t mean that Lowry, like DeRozan, won’t still be the primary focus of their opponent’s defensive game plan, but now they have to divide their attention amongst more threats at risk of getting exposed. Another underrated aspect of how the new pieces affect Lowry’s impact is how well they set screens. Bismack Biyombo in particular has proven to be very good at setting hard screens that have resulted in help defenders trying to over compensate for the primary defender that Biyombo has effectively taken out of the play. Scola is a veteran player who is fundamentally sound in all of the major big-man skills and screen-setting is no exception, but we’ve come to expect this from him now. It is also worth mentioning that Jonas Valanciunas has always been solid in this area, but this year he’s rolling more confidently after setting a pick which has made him an even more effective screener when combined with Lowry as the ball handler.
Raptors vet Luis Scola staying relevant by pumping out threes | Toronto Sun
Luis Scola chose to stay relevant. Scola has hit 14 three-pointers on 28 attempts this season, after making only 10 on 60 attempts in his previous eight seasons combined. It has become a deadly weapon, almost out of nowhere, and has surprised even those who know Scola best. “As long as I’ve been with him and as long as I’ve seen him, I’ve never seen him take a three,” Patrick Patterson, a teammate of Scola’s earlier on in Houston, said on Tuesday.
Ranking the NBA’s Atlantic Teams | Basketball Insiders
There’s really not much more that you can ask for from Dwane Casey and his team, as Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are combining for about 42 points per game while Jonas Valaciunas, at least prior to his injury, was continuing to progress. As the Raptors continue on into the winter and head toward the All-Star break, it is the healthy return of the Lithuanian big man and Carroll that will likely determine whether the Atlantic Division championship remains in Canada or grabs its passport and returns to the Northeastern United States.
December Schedule Review: How will the Raptors do? | Raptors HQ
There. With my back-of-the-napkin, totally made up math, I figure the Raptors are good for a… 9-6 month. Will the Raptors enter 2016 with a 20-13 record? Am I crazy?
Scott Suggs discusses the 905’s ups and downs | Upside & Motor
Coming back to Mississauga, we had our home opener against the Maine Red Claws. They had a couple NBA guys sent down from the Celtics (Terry Rozier and James Young). Rozier played pretty well in the first contest and they were able to pull out the win against us. We ended up playing them two more times (back-to-back games at their place) and finally got our first win in that 3rd game. Shoutout to Jay Harris for making a spin-move into a half-court jumper at the buzzer (end of the 3rd quarter) that sparked us going into the 4th! Our second unit did a great job of changing the game in our favor. Myself and Bruno were in foul trouble basically the whole game, so we had our second unit (who can ALL HOOP by the way) in for a lot of the 2nd half. Everyone contributed to that win, but that second unit deserves soooo much credit. Jay Harris, Melvin Johnson, and Ash Smith really stepped up big time for us! Bruno Caboclo, who didn’t let foul trouble frustrate him, also came in and made some HUGE plays (game-deciding block and some key free throws) down the stretch. So shoutout to those guys!
Road To The Six: Week 2 Recap | Toronto Raptors
Scott Suggs has been a model of consistency. With the exception of Sunday’s loss he has scored no less than 18 points a game. The 6’6 guard is shooting 48% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc. Suggs could be a player to keep an eye on for a potential NBA call-up as an instant-offense off-the-bench player. Ronald Roberts made his season debut, starting at centre for the home town team on November 25th against Idaho. In 31 minutes Roberts had 11 points, 13 rebounds, along with two emphatic blocked shots. The 6’8 prospect who participated in the Toronto Raptor’s training camp followed up with an even more impressive performance, tallying 22 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in a loss against the Delaware 87ers. Roberts has looked very active and has filled in masterfully protecting the paint with Lucas Nogueira being recalled to the Raptors.
The Story Behind Drake’s $25,000 Custom Jackets Lined With Toronto Raptors Jerseys | Complex
This past Wednesday, during the Toronto Raptors’ now-annual “Drake Night” at the Air Canada Centre, the team’s General Manager, Masai Ujiri, presented Drake with a custom camel cashmere overcoat lined with a No. 6 black and gold “OVO Alternate” jerseys. It’s become a tradition of sorts for The 6 God to receive one of these custom jackets from the Raptors. But how did it start—and why? David Tran, head of special projects at Garrison Bespoke, the #1 bespoke tailor in Toronto and the company responsible for both Drake’s jackets and those $20,000 bullet proof suits, says they had been working with the rapper before he became the Raptors’ official Global Ambassador. In 2013, Drake approached Garrison Bespoke for a custom suit to wear to Diddy’s New Year’s Eve party. From there, he told Tran that he wanted a special suit to rock during the Raptors’ inaugural “Drake Night” in January 2014. “What we generally do at Garrison is we find ways to really make every suit represent the man that’s wearing it,” Tran told Complex. “We try to think a little bit deeper. We find out how they grew up, what music they listen to, those sorts of things.” Tran learned that Drake was a huge Vince Carter fan growing up, so he and his team dug for a rare Vinsanity rookie jersey—which, according to him, was no easy feat. “[Drake] was ecstatic, but even his first comment was, ‘How did you find the jersey?'” says Tran. Drake was ecstatic about the final product, but Tran admits he was surprised when the rapper took the jacket off during the press conference that same night and showed off the lining. “[The lining] was meant to be his little secret, something we made for him,” he explains Tran. “But it was really exciting for us to see the jacket all over the news the next day.”
Raptors Have Found A Sixth Man In Cory Joseph | Pro Bball Report
Any doubts about Joseph being able to score should be gone and it’s a good thing for Toronto. With both Terrence Ross and Patrick Patterson mired in early season shooting slumps, Joseph has become head coach Dwane Casey’s best offensive weapon off the bench by a significant margin. Not only is the young point guard finishing around the rim at an unbelievable 85.2 percent, he’s hitting 54.5 percent of his long twos and Joseph is Casey’s best three-point shooter not in the starting line-up. While Joseph’s success around the rim is high, he was known for his ability to drive and drive and kick – thanks Spurs. However, his ability to make three-point shots was something a lot of people had in the “prove-it” category. He has been getting better at it each year, but the volume was too low to rely on and no one can remember anything he did in an NBA game like the pressure packed three-point game-winner Joseph recently hit in Washington with time expiring. “I’ve just been practicing everyday,” Joseph told Pro Bball Report. “After shoot-around, practice, just practicing a lot, a lot of repetition so I am confident in my shot.”
Tipoff: Raptors at Hawks | Toronto Sun
Atlanta still has the old Detroit Pistons-style approach of contending with no superstars, but rather a solid collection of quality starters. The team is coming off a huge home win over Oklahoma City, in which Jeff Teague, Al Horford and Paul Millsap each scored at least 21 points. Millsap has been brilliant since re-signing with the club, while Thabo Sefolosha and Kent Bazemore have replaced some of what DeMarre Carroll provided. Kyle Korver is no longer posting historic shooting numbers, but is at career levels for two-point marksmanship.
Toronto Raptors at Atlanta Hawks: Wednesday game preview | Toronto Star
Hawks rallied late Monday night to beat Oklahoma City at home and run their record to 12-8 … Thabo Sefolosha has supplanted Kent Bazemore as the Hawks’ starting small forward, primarily for his defensive capabilities … Atlanta thrives on the work of its frontcourt, both Millsap and Horford are capable of moving away from the basket to drill three-pointers … Toronto hasn’t been too shabby from beyond the arc either, having made 10 or more three-pointers in four of its last five games and shooting 41.4 per cent as a team in that span … Atlanta is second in the league in assists per game, averaging more than 25 per outing.
DeRozan & Powell Reflect On Bryant’s Influence | Toronto Raptors
It’s impossible to ignore the influence Bryant has had on DeRozan’s game. You can see the hours and years DeRozan spent in the gym, mimicking Bryant’s moves. DeRozan first got to know Bryant at a skills camp when he was 16 years old. The two remained in contact, crossing paths during summer workouts, and developing a mutual respect for the other’s work ethic. When DeRozan suffered a torn ligament in his groin last season, Bryant was on the phone, reaching out with advice about how to handle the time away from the game. “He’s just one of them guys who wants every single thing out of the game of basketball. He sacrificed so much to do that. I think a lot of times people don’t appreciate that side of him. But, you know, my experience with him, he’s a hell of a guy. I think people won’t realize that until he’s away from the game.”
