If I die and go to hell real soon / It will appear to me as this room / And for eternity I’d sit at desk / In my gym shorts, over tired / With a gel pad under my wrists
The Toronto Raptors have assigned Lucas Nogueira, Delon Wright, and Bruno Caboclo to Raptors 905 of the D-League, the team announced.
The team also announced that all three will be recalled for tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks. So, why bother? Well, on game days, the Raptors do an early shootaround and then pre-game work, and with the Mississauga practice facility a short jaunt away, this is an opportunity to get the three youngsters some additional work in.
I often receive questions along the lines of “Why send them up and down?” or “Why not leave them down there?” The organization sees value in the young players being around the NBA team, even if they’re not going to play. While it’s true that both teams run mostly the same sets and schemes, and so practices are more or less the same, there’s something to be said for developing a chemistry with NBA teammates, seeing how the pros go about their work, and giving the coaching staff a close look at how each player is progressing. Wright and Norman Powell have also spoken about the value they’ve found in being able to watch and pick the brains of their NBA counterparts.
These things are intangible and maybe very marginal, but the 905 team is right there, so why not?
The assignment also tells me two things:
- The team does not agree with my suggestion in the pre-game that Lucas Nogueira could and even should see run against Atlanta. Or maybe they want him to go down and work on a few very specific things to get ready for the Hawks matchup.
- All three players are likely to be assigned for the 905’s game on Friday. The 905 may have asked for them to get a practice in this week so they can prepare for Friday’s game rather than coming in blind. I’d imagine Caboclo stays down for the 905’s game on Saturday, too, with the others recalled for the Miami showdown.
So, yeah, this happened. As a note, I will not be writing up when they’re recalled. By the time you read this, it will probably have happened (practice started at 1:30).
