Raptors should shut down DeMarre Carroll for rest of season | Toronto Star
Carroll has not played since Jan. 3 and he had knee surgery on Jan. 6 — a surprise operation there was no hint of even a day before. He hasn’t played since and hasn’t even been through a full five-on-five practice.
To expect him to come back and contribute immediately is both folly and wishful thinking. He’s played in just 23 of 70 games and battled plantar fasciitis even before the knee issues popped up necessitating the surgery. To imagine he’d get fully healthy and in game shape in the 16 days left in the regular season defies logic.
With just 10 games left in the season, the Raptors have to wonder what they’ll be getting if Carroll suddenly appears in uniform again and whether it’s worth the disruption it might cause.
Conditioning would be an issue, as there are at most five days left in the season for full practice. And with the paramount concern of not wearing down the players too much, the chance of any of them being held at full speed and with full five-on-five contact is remote at best. The chance of getting Carroll back to full speed is remote indeed.
Wishing ‘stiprių kiaušinių’ to this Easter bunny :))
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Raptors can’t let bad habits creep in | Toronto Sun
“We’re in a little grey area right now” Scola said. “… But we still have to remain focussed. It’s just a few weeks but we still have to play well. It’s going to be important because it will carry over into the playoffs.”
And therein lies the concern.
Complacency breeds bad habits in any professional sport and must be avoided at all costs.
With nothing really to play for over the final 10 games of the season, the onus falls on Dwane Casey and his coaching staff to avoid even a hint of complacency.
Even with back-to-back losses at the beginning of the just-completed three-game road trip, Casey believes the Raptors have thus far avoided that pitfall. There’s no question he’s on alert to even the first signs of it, but he likes what he has seen from an effort standpoint.
“Everything was kind of off-kilter a little bit,” Casey said of the early part of the trip. “It wasn’t from lack of effort, I don’t think, it was just a lack of rhythm. We have to be smart on how we rest guys versus losing our rhythm.”
Raptors-Oklahoma City Thunder: Monday game preview | Toronto Star
Key matchup:Russell Westbrook vs. Kyle Lowry.
The Thunder point guard is a triple-double machine, posting 15 already this season, including three in a row last week. It’ll be another big challenge for Lowry, who is still nursing a sore right elbow.
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