On the quiet brilliance of Masai Ujiri | Getting Benched
As far as general managers go, Ujiri is remarkably patient. Others buckle at the altar of urgency; Ujiri stands his ground. It opens him up for criticism – keeping Dwane Casey last summer, standing pat at the trade deadline – but he cuts past all the noise and never panics.
The only legitimate gripe that catches traction with Ujiri is that he hasn’t built a true championship contender. Detractors point to his Denver and Toronto teams failing in the playoffs despite attaining success in the regular season as evidence. Sure, the Nuggets and Raptors haven’t gotten very far when the chips are in, but to hold him up against a standard of perfection logically dictates that he is worthy of those expectations.
What Ujiri did in Denver, and again in Toronto, is put a team on the precipice of greatness after starting off with very little. And while the finishing blow is always the hardest to execute, he deserves all the credit in the world to have the Raptors where they are right now.
Eye on Basketball Podcast: Steph Curry is absurd, Raptors pushing | CBSSports.com [podcast]
Can the Raptors push the Cavs for the 1-seed? Does it matter if they do?
Against Pistons, rest was best for Kyle Lowry | Toronto Sun
The past week alone in which he had his first triple-double of the season in a win over New York and then a career high scoring night in a win over Cleveland was extreme to put it mildly and yes, won him the Eastern Conference player of the week honours.
If there was a good time for a rest, this was it.
What else should be noted is that the Raptors were not giving up the game simply by resting Lowry.
That is still a winnable game for Toronto even without Lowry, but a confluence of events took it the other way.
Despite struggles, Raptors fans fear Bulls the most in NBA playoffs | Toronto Star
Regardless of what the Bulls are doing now, or how they finish the regular season, they remain the team the majority of Raptors fans fear most. Chicago has beaten Toronto eight times in succession, including three this season — with a fourth meeting to come at the Air Canada Centre next month. Of all the possible first-round matchups, Bulls-Raptors would create major trepidation.
First, though, the Bulls have to figure themselves out in the next six weeks.
“There are times we look really good,” Pau Gasol said after Saturday’s loss, “and there are times where we’ve played down to the level of competition.”
Person of Interest: The 411 on new Raptor Jason Thompson | Sportsnet.ca
Board-Aid
Again, Thompson was brought in as a steady, proven veteran who brings a little more than half a seasons experience embedded with one of the greatest regular season basketball teams we’ve ever seen and the reigning champs. His range extends slightly passed the foul line, and he does a decent job of running the floor, but the area in which he can help the Raptors most is on the glass, where his rebounding acumen can help his new team, which currently sits 17th in the league.
Kyle Lowry named Eastern Conference Player of the Week | Raptors HQ
For the week, Lowry averaged 28.7 points and 8.7 assists per game. He also shot [checks paper] 60 percent from the field and 41 percent from three-point range. Folks, that is damn good. The Raptors went 3-1 for the week, and it was largely because Lowry has been driving this team in a direction its never quite been before. Up, up, up, up, up.
Raptors waive Anthony Bennett, sign Jason Thompson | Toronto Star
It was the final indignity for a 22-year-old well-liked by coaches and teammates, a young man given likely a last-gasp chance at reclaiming his career in his hometown but who failed.
Raptors insiders, and those who closely watched Bennett in his one season in Minnesota, will tell you that as hard as they tried to work him and make him into a professional, the demands were just too great for him to accept.
Privately, NBA people worried about his true love for the game, his dedication to conditioning, his willingness to consistently put in the time necessary. Everyone likes Bennett — he is a nice, shy, polite young man who people want to see succeed — but they all grew increasingly frustrated with his inability to grasp what it really takes in the cut-throat world of the NBA.
Bennett has yet to find a comfort level in the league, a tweener in the parlance of the game, a six-foot-eight forward not strong enough to battle power forwards or quick enough to play on the perimeter.
Report: Raptors sign Jason Thompson, waive Anthony Bennett | Raptors HQ
This is probably a bittersweet development for Raptors fans. As the first Canadian taken with the first pick in the NBA Draft back in 2013, it’s a shame to see Bennett let go from his third team in three years. His future in the league is anything but certain. In his limited minutes this year, Bennett hasn’t displayed a discernible NBA skill that makes him a must-have on the Raptors roster – or any other for that matter.
As Raptors Republic’s Blake Murphy has suggested more than once of late, his best bet may be to latch on with Raptors 905 as a full-time affiliate in order to get some continuous reps in hopes of rehabbing his value.
Raptors to release former No. 1 overall pick Bennett | Toronto Sun
Bennett was up and down four times with the Raptors 905 of the NBA Development League as the team tried to get him some playing time.
Playing time was scarce with the big club. He made it into just 19 games, averaging 4.4 minutes per contest almost exclusively in garbage time.
At 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds, and with the versatility to play either power forward or centre, Thompson gives the Raptors more coverage.
While he appeared in just 28 games with the Warriors this year before being waived, he spent the previous seven years in Sacramento logging pretty steady minutes for the Kings.
Barring an injury, Thompson is expected to provide depth in the front court and nothing more, but in the event of an injury he does give the Raptors a player who can step in and hold his own against most bigs in the NBA today.
Report: Toronto Raptors to cut Anthony Bennett, & sign Jason Thompson | Raptors Cage
Bennett’s homecoming was a nice storyline for what has been a great season for the Raptors, however his impact on the court has in large part been minimal.
Anthony Bennett Waived As Toronto Raptors Sign Jason Thompson | VAVEL.com
Thompson is known for his high activity level on both ends of the floor which fits nicely with Toronto, especially defensively. Offensively, the six-foot-eleven forward has a nice enough shooting stroke to knock down a couple of short to mid range shots to keep the defense honest. He is not going to provide elite post moves or any offensive fire-power but Thompson is the kind of player that you like to have on your side because of his relentless effort.
Thompson is by no means the answer to Toronto’s frontcourt problem, but he provides a solid third option in the case of an injury and may even earn himself a spot in the rotation. Nothing is set in stone, obviously, as the 29-year-old just signed with the team.
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