It already feels like the Toronto Raptors have been off forever. They haven’t. They haven’t played since Saturday, flying out to London, England on Sunday ahead of Thursday’s tip-off against the Orlando Magic. It’s a fun trip, one that’s meant to help grow the game globally, and to that end it’s beneficial for the league. It’s probably beneficial for the Raptors, too, as despite disrupting routines, playing just once in eight days ahead of a seven-game home-stand provides some well-timed rest.
DeMarre Carroll would have been out anyway
Speaking of timing and the trip, Carroll’s knee surgery obviously precludes him from making an appearance overseas. That would have been the case, anyway, though – Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun reported Tuesday that Carroll would not have traveled for the trip regardless, as he and his wife are expecting another child, one who’s due this week.
This is something I hinted at when he first hit the shelf with swelling, suggesting this would have been a good stretch to get him extended rest. The “physical” in parentheses was because I can’t imagine new parents get a great deal of sleep, so Carroll’s reprieve would have probably only been for his knee.
Re: Carroll, after Saturday, Raptors play just once in 8 days. Just has to make it to that stretch and (physical) rest is waiting.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) January 4, 2016
(I would have been more clear, but I wasn’t sure if such things were meant to be public or not.)
Pics from the trip
For the places this game can take you… 🏀🇬🇧#NBALondon16 #NBAGlobalGames @Klow7 @Raptors pic.twitter.com/emHqKYYdpM
— NBA (@NBA) January 12, 2016
The @raptors take their team photo in front of Big Ben! #NBALondon16 #NBAGlobalGames 🏀🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/dVi161jfOa
— NBA (@NBA) January 12, 2016
Tourist type things @demar_derozan #bigben#itsreallifebrickouhere#london
A photo posted by Kyle Lowry (@kyle_lowry7) on
Zach Lowe is great
Lowe made the most of his time in Toronto over the holidays, nailing a piece on the Raptors that dropped for ESPN on Tuesday. It’s a must-read if you’re a regular reader here, as he touches on several of the issues I’ve been discussing for most of the year: The Raptors making the jump from good to great is a difficult one, but the East’s open enough to maybe warrant trying; the Raptors are a super-weird team to try to find trade fits for; and Ujiri is probably open to moving a pick, but may not be for a rental.
There’s also plenty of good stuff about DeMar DeRozan (who will have multiple max offers waiting for him), Jonas Valanciunas (who might be underused on offense), and head coach Dwane Casey. Go read it, because I don’t want to co-opt too much from it. Except for…
Raptors on Christmas
Contained within Lowe’s piece is a note that the Raptors are “pushing hard” to be included on the league’s marquee annual Christmas Day slate. Only 10 teams get that honor, and usually six or seven of those spots are spoken for well in advance, for obvious reasons. The Raptors probably lack the star power and rivalry history to be a major draw, so they’ll need to have a strong playoff run this year to have much of a case. So, y’kno, do that.
All-Star $$
Maybe the momentum from Toronto hosting the 2016 NBA All-Star Game can help boost the Raptors’ Dec. 25 profile?
Tickets for All-Star Weekend went on sale today, but the Toronto Star reports that a very small percentage of seats have been made available to the public, and that they’re, not surprisingly, quite expensive. MLSE told the Star that the public getting tickets for lower-end events like the Celebrity Game or Rising Star Challenge shouldn’t be an issue. Those tickets are now on sale at NBATickets.com
The big events, however, are subject to the demands of media members, organizers, people from around the league(alumni, families, sponsors), corporate partners, and after all those needs are served, season seat holders. This shouldn’t surprise anyone, and it’s a good look for the city and team that demand is so high. It just sucks a bit for the little guy.
The NBA sent a release Monday that introduced Centre Court, an interactive fan festival on the CNE grounds (Enercare Centre) throughout the weekend. Here’s the full schedule of events for the weekend:
Jonas army duty
Jonas Valanciuanas was drafted into the Lithuanian military Monday. He is exempt but says he will for sure participate somehow this summer.
— Mike Ganter (@Mike_Ganter) January 12, 2016
Lithuania brought back mandatory military service this past September and Valanciuanas had his number called.
— Mike Ganter (@Mike_Ganter) January 12, 2016
Nothing to be concerned about here.
