The bigger question, then, becomes how many different suitors he’ll have and, more notably for this site, how much the Raptors will be willing to offer. It’s long sounded like DeRozan will stay, as his comments and those of Masai Ujiri make it sound as if both sides are committed long-term. See here, here, here, and here for more.
That’s great, and surely possible, but you can’t blame people for raising the question as DeRozan’s struggles wear on. The Raptors are tied 2-2 with the Heat in Round Two more in spite of him than because of him, with DeRozan shooting 33 percent from the floor, 15.8 percent on threes, and an uncharacteristic 73.8 percent at the line. He’s averaging 17.7 points, the worst playoff average of his career, and 2.5 assists to 2.4 turnovers, far worse than the 4-to-2.2 ratio he posted in the regular season. A lot of that is due to the quality of defensive opposition he and the team have faced, as well as an injured right thumb (he can hardly tie his shoe), but how poorly he’s played on offense at times is still striking.
Again, I’ll save the midgeting stuff for Whiteside, but if there’s general interest in the strategy, let me know and I’ll put it up whether he returns or not.
Sticking with Ram Stagger, the Raptors went back to it on their very next possession. This time, there’s no baseline cross, Patterson just comes right up around a Biyombo screen and the bigs stagger quickly (although neither screen is particularly effective), and Dragic successfully ICEs, with Stoudemire zoning up Lowry.
What’s different this time, though, is that instead of spacing out to the 3-point line, Patterson comes across to set a screen for DeRozan. Biyombo is going to do the exact same thing, giving this play more Stagger than your local lush at last call.
Raptors’ Luis Scola stays positive through ups, downs of NBA playoffs: Arthur | Toronto Star
Right now, it’s what Scola can offer. He was 3-for-14 in 55 minutes in the first round, and after leading the Raptors in three-point percentage as a spot starter, was 1-for-9 from long distance. Thoughtfulness only goes so far.
Still, Scola cuts to the heart of what has ailed the Raptors in these playoffs. He points out that expectations inside and outside this team are haywire. After a Game 1 loss he said, basically, relax.
“We are going to lose more games,” Scola says. “We’re not going to win 4-1. I’ll tell you that right now. We’re not going to beat them by 20. They are going to make a run. All those things are going to happen, and if we have to be OK because that’s the way you build a series . . . We can’t play thinking we have to be up 10 from the first quarter all the way to the end. We can’t think that we cannot lose.
“We are meant to be in the conference final, and we are meant to fight in the conference final for the spot in the (NBA finals). But all that make us have this kind of like mental break. It’s like, ‘Oh my God, it’s happening again,’ ‘oh my God, they had a run.’ (In Game 1) they make this little run, they get up three and our whole body language, oooh. The whole crowd was like, ahhh. We were down three. What were we expecting?
#raptors #wethenorth #notfunnybutkinda
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Slowing Wade down is Raptors’ top priority | Toronto Sun
“They’re not shooting the ball well, it’s written history,” Casey said. “We know about it, Miami knows it. We’re trying to do things to get around it. We’re trying to create more offence with those guys struggling the way they are, but again, they’re going to be our guys because at some point they’re going to get their rhythm, their shot. Someone else is going to step up and they may be more of a decoy or whatever, but’s not like we’re going to bench Kyle and DeMar and go away from them. They’re our guys. We believe in them. They’re our two all-stars and sooner or later they’re going to come through or be a part of what we’re trying to do.”
So put a cork in the bench whoever talk. It may happen for a quarter, or maybe even two, but just know that every player that has worked his way into the core of this team — Lowry and DeRozan are at the front of that list — is going to get the chance to show they have it on each night until there are no more nights in this season.
Biyombo critical for Raptors | Hang Time Blog
Valanciunas’ absence for the remainder of the series means that the Raptors will have to play some minutes with Patterson or Lucas Nogueira at center. But Biyombo can play a few more minutes than he did on Monday, and he could definitely be on the floor down the stretch, when his value on defense is greater than a smaller player’s value on offense.
Casey believes that the first key to protecting the basket is containing the ball on the perimeter. But the Heat aren’t going to stop attacking. Their offense has been ugly for most of the series and they’ve bailed themselves out of some ugly possessions with tough jumpers at times. But they need paint attacks to survive. And those attacks have come more often and more successfully when the Raptors haven’t had a center on the floor.
With either Valanciunas or Biyombo in the game, 22 percent of the Heat’s shots have come in the restricted area, where they’ve shot 61 percent. With neither in the game, 44 percent of the Heat’s shots have come in the restricted area, where they’ve shot 74 percent. They’ve scored more points at the basket in 37 minutes with neither on the floor than they’ve scored in 69 minutes with Biyombo on the floor.
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DeRozan needs to be DeRozan in Game 5 | Toronto Sun
Momentum is now on Miami’s side, for what it’s worth given the many swings in this series.
Justise Winslow responded from his Game 3 benching by playing lock-down defence, one of many Heat players who responded when Miami trailed by nine points with just under seven minutes to go in regulation.
While Bismack Biyombo played well in the absence of Jonas Valanciunas, Biyombo can’t score on his own and becomes a liability on offence.
When Miami went small, the Heat imposed its will, especially on defence.
With Wade in vintage form, it’s now up to the Raptors to throw something at Wade in an attempt to slow him down.
He’s playing down hill, almost like a running back running through a hole between the tackles, with no one putting a body on him.
The moment of truth has now arrived for the Raptors, who simply must find a win, by any means, in Game 5.
In 2-2 series with three OT games, questions abound | NBA.com
Can Dwyane Wade keep up this level of play?
Wade finished with 30 points in Game 4, giving him a total of 68 total points in Games 3 and 4. With 6:40 remaining in Game 4, Toronto held a 77-68 lead. Wade then got a bucket, grabbed three rebounds, then scored five more points to make it a two-point game. With just over 12 seconds left in regulation, Wade weaved his way to the basket for a layup to tie it and send it to overtime. He iced the game with a steal and dunk at the end of overtime.“He’s getting stronger,” said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. “It’s the work that he has put in. You can’t just turn it on at this time of the year. He’s put in a ton of work in the offseason. This is probably the hardest he has worked.”
“Games like this, moments like this, that’s what I go back to,” Wade agreed. “I go back to the hard work I put in and how I was pushed by my trainers, and all the work I do on my body night in and night out. Some days I don’t want to do it, but when you have games like I’ve been able to put together, it makes you want to continue to do the things so you can feel as good as possible on the basketball court.”
Plenty of pain, very little gain in tight Raptors-Heat series | Toronto Star
“(It’s) two tough teams making adjustments to their lineups, their substitutions, their match-ups, so everything is going to be evolving as the series goes on,” Casey said.
What hasn’t evolved yet is the offence from both teams. Dwyane Wade is scoring at a high clip, but the 100-point mark has only been breached once, by the Heat in their Game 1 overtime win.
With the extreme physicality and scoring wedged firmly in the 90s, the series feels like it’s gone back to the ’90s itself. That is, of course, when you extract the punishing big men that used to so freely clog the lanes.
The Raptors’ lack of star contributors — DeRozan, with his thumb injury, was 4-for-17 in Game 4 and spent a quarter on the bench, and Lowry went 2-for-11 in a foul-plagued night — isn’t helping the aesthetics of this series either.
Casey looked past his all-stars’ shortcomings and praised his bench for its play. Joseph and Terrence Ross had 14 points each in the Game 4 loss.
“It’s going to be different storylines each night, different ways trying to win,” Casey said. “A different way to try to find offence, and most of all a different way of trying to keep the ball in front of us (defensively) on the perimeter.”
The consistent storyline so far (other than overtime) has been pain for everyone involved. Players are bruised and hobbled and fans are hurting watching what they’re being served up.
Free Association: Is DeMar DeRozan an injured max player or flawed all-star? | Sportsnet.ca
The guys discuss the frustration Raptors fans are having with DeMar DeRozan and debate if he should still be re-signed as a max player given his playoff struggles.
And of course the podcast wouldn’t be complete without JD giving his take on the Dwyane Wade anthem-gate.
It’s time Raptors backup guards got more time | USA Today
DeRozan’s thumb is bothering him, and that’s apparent not only in his shooting numbers but also in a missed layup that DeRozan could have easily dunked. His production at the foul line is telling, too.
“He was having shooting woes before the thumb. Now, he has the thumb. It’s a double whammy,” Casey said.
Said DeRozan: “It’s something I’ve got to deal with it. There’s no complaining or making excuses. The missed layup really showed me how much I have to deal with. I’m going to push through it. You can’t let frustration get to you at all.”
As DeRozan struggles, Raptors must make adjustments | Toronto Sun
“And I think that the missed layup really showed me how much I have to deal with it, but it’s nothing I’ll ever make an excuse about. Like I said, I know for sure I’m not going to shoot like I did tonight next game. I know that for a fact. It’s just something I’m going to have to deal with and push through.”
But there’s no evidence so far that he can do that. Dwane Casey has said repeatedly he will ride and die with his stars, while teammates have supported DeRozan and said they are happy with his shot barrage. But there needs to be an intervention. The ball must be distributed more. Terrence Ross and DeMarre Carroll have stepped up, Norman Powell can score, Patrick Patterson can do more and, sooner or later, more of Lowry’s shots will start dropping.
DeRozan can still get touches, but they should come with him playing up front, even at power forward in small lineups. His effectiveness as a shooting guard is completely absent at this point. Post him up, let him work inside as his mid-range game has abandoned him with his ability to grip the ball properly.
This isn’t a one-game thing. DeRozan was 6-for-17 in Game 3, missing a boatload of free throws two days before that.
Unlike Lowry, DeRozan doesn’t impact the game enough in other areas (Lowry still had nine assists, four steals and seven rebounds on Monday, helping to offset his own disastrous 2-for-11 shooting night) to justify running him out for big minutes with the lion’s share of shot attempts.
It is just asking for disaster.
Heat Check Podcast Ep 56: Let Heat vs Raptors Into Your Heart
Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) and David Ramil (@dramil13) talk about the greatness of Dwyane Wade’s playoff run, why Heat vs Raptors has actually been a good series, Erik Spoelstra’s small ball, who should start at center and what’s next for Hassan Whiteside.
ASK IRA: Can Wade stand up to weight of this series? | Sun Sentinel
Q: Can the Heat keep counting on Dwyane Wade like this? I know he came through Monday night, but what about the other guys carrying their weight? — Jacques.
A: Do they really have any other option, with Hassan Whiteside and Chris Bosh out? And it’s not as if the Raptors, with the struggles of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, wouldn’t kill for a Dwyane Wade at this stage. To me, though, what made Monday so heartening, even after all the earlier slop, was the box score of the overtime. Five players scored in the extra period, with Wade’s lone basket of the extra period coming at the close of the period. Yes, the night belonged to Wade. But the overtime showed the possibilities of Joe Johnson, Luol Deng, Goran Dragic and Justise Winslow, each with their moments, each with points in the fifth period. If each can step up with one or two such plays earlier in games, the Heat might not have to go overtime for victories against the Raptors, which has been their only path to victory so far to this point. Monday also opened a window into where the trust stands, and that has to be especially heartening to players such as Winslow and perhaps even Tyler Johnson going forward.
Miami Heat will have to win one in Toronto, lend more support to Wade | Miami Herald
But the Miami-Toronto series is kind of a mess, with neither team finding its groove or playing its style. Perhaps they are saving their peak for the Eastern Conference finals against the Cavs.
Spoelstra said the Heat was “more recognizable” doing “the things that brought us success” on Monday but admitted “it’s changing fast; at times teams are able to get to their game and a lot of times they’re not.”
Toronto coach Dwane Casey said of Wade’s gritty effort: “There was nothing fancy about it. He put his head down and went to the rim.”
Pretty? No. This is like a mediocre boxing match with plenty of whiffing and clinching.
Taut? Yes! Three overtimes in a postseason series is a first for the Heat. Only Oklahoma City and Memphis had more with four in 2014. Boston and Chicago had three OTs in 2009. Only five points’ difference through four games.
Heat due for breakout after ‘ugly’ start to series | Sun Sentinel
With the exception of Dwyane Wade, no active player in the series has been a consistent offensive threat. Each team had its lowlights. The Raptors missed 14 free throws in a four-point loss in Game 2. The Heat shot 5 of 33 from the 3-point line the past two games.
And then there was Game 4 that drew criticism from fans and media on the Internet for the lackluster play. It spawned the headline, “The Raptors Are Bad, The Heat Are Bad, But Dwyane Wade Is Good,” from the popular Deadspin website. ESPN and 790 AM radio host Dan LeBatard tweeted, “This game is a landfill.” Yahoo! Sports national NBA writer Michael Lee chimed in, “Some folks thought this series would get a little prettier without Hassan & Jonas because it would force both teams to go small. Uh, nope…”
On top of that, a few hours later, fans were treated to Golden State guard Stephen Curry’s game for the ages against Portland — he scored more points in overtime (17) than the Heat and Raptors combined (15) — on national television.
“We’ll have a game or two where we’ll knock some down,” said Heat forward Joe Johnson, who is 0 of 13 from the 3-point line in the series. “We’re due for an offensive explosion. Hopefully it comes soon.”
Miami Heat teammates say Dwyane Wade’s stellar play defies description | Miami Herald
Wade’s playoff run feels a little like what we witnessed during some of those Heat playoff appearances in the pre-LeBron era.
And unless multiple teammates erupt Wednesday, Wade likely will need to prop this group on his shoulders and carry the Heat on the road in Game 5 of its second-round series against Toronto, which is tied at two wins apiece. The Heat again will be without injured center Hassan Whiteside.
“I’m as confident as I’ve been all season right now,” Wade said. “Every other day we’re playing and it is very taxing. I love that every time I come out on the court, I feel as good as I did the last game. It allows me to play the game that I love the way that I can. I’m having fun.”
During Game 4, Wade said Chris Bosh “kept saying, ‘If we’re going to go out, I want to go out with you having the ball.’ He kept telling me to be aggressive.”
Spoelstra says report of tension between Wade, Dragic is ‘silly’ | Sun Sentinel
“Goran and Dwyane, not only are they playing much better with each other, that takes time,” Spoelstra said. “They’re both aggressive, ball-dominant players, but they enjoy each other. They enjoy when the other guy’s able to be aggressive. They want to be able to play their games.”
In his report – which was discussed additionall on ESPN’s His and Hers – Windhorst indicated the uneasiness between Dragic and Wade stemmed from Dragic’s limited minutes late in Miami’s Game 3 loss to Toronto, a game where Wade scored 38 points to no avail.
And Windhorst said it was that tension – not the absence of the injured Hassan Whiteside – that could be problematic for Miami as it looks to get past the Raptors and into an Eastern Conference finals matchup against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“The Heat have put their faith in Dwyane Wade over and over and he’s delivered them banners and they love him and Erik Spoelstra yields to him, but when the Heat are at the best, it’s when really, their highest-paid player, which is Dragic, is allowed to be who he is, which is a dominating guy with the ball who works with Wade working off him,” Windhorst said, though it’s Chris Bosh that is the highest-paid player on the Heat’s roster this season. “At the end of the game the other night, Erik Spoelstra basically sat Dragic down and said ‘I’m going with my guy, Wade’ and Wade had 38 points. It was amazing, but it was a losing effort. The Heat really have to make a decision, Spoelstra has to make a decision. It’s either going to be Dragic at the controls or Wade and I honestly think that they’re better on the long-haul with Dragic. That’s a huge decision for Erik Spoelstra to make going forward here.”
Joe Johnson taking on a different role for Miami Heat | Miami Herald
In the past, Johnson has been the focal point of his team’s offense. He averaged 18 shots per game and made six All-Star teams during seven seasons in Atlanta, and he has made a league-leading seven buzzer-beaters during the past 10 years.
In Miami, Johnson is not the primary offensive option. Instead, he’s doing the little things, making a dazzling no-look pass or delivering an unexpected big-time block.
After blocking three shots in his first 34 games with the Heat, Johnson delivered two key rejections early in Monday’s overtime period, keeping the Raptors off the scoreboard until the Heat found their offensive footing.
“We thought Joe was underrated as an on-ball defender,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after Game 4. “Because of his length and his size, he can guard multiple positions. … He really stepped up with some big plays defensively.”
“I take the challenge defensively of guarding my guy,” Johnson said. “I never want to be a liability on either end of the floor.”
In this series, Johnson has been a liability from beyond the three-point arc. He has missed all 13 three-point attempts through four games.
The Raptors know this, so with the clock ticking down in overtime and the Heat leading by two, Patterson gave Johnson room to fire a long-range shot he has made countless times throughout his career.
Hyde5: Who has the edge now? 5 thoughts on Heat series | Sun Sentinel
Is Wade doing the improbable at 34?
Well, Larry Bird was down to 10 limited playoff games at 34, because his body had broken down. And that’s where a lot of us expected Wade to be by this point considering the manner he played early in his career. Instead, Wade is averaging 22 points on 48.1 percent shooting (and 61.5 percent from 3’s) and 5.3 rebounds.
How did greats do at 34?
Michael Jordan, at 34 in his last Chicago season, averaged 32.4 points on 46.2 percent shooting (30.1 percent on 3’s) and 5.1 rebounds.
Kobe Bryant, at 34, averaged 30.8 points on 43.9 percent shooting (28.3 percent on 3’s) and 4.8 rebounds.
So Wade is riding in the rare air of greatness.
What The Hell Is Dwane Casey Doing? | Deadspin
There are a great many decisions from this series that one could point to as evidence that Casey is either in over his head or trying to coach himself out of the league, but let’s keep it relatively simple. In Game 2, Heat point guard Goran Dragic hit a three to tie the game at 86 with 10 seconds remaining. Casey called a timeout and drew up a play for his team, which would get the final shot in regulation. This is how that shot went down:
That shot was, you know, not optimal. The good news for Casey is that last night’s Game 4 brought a chance for redemption. After Dwyane Wade’s clutch layup tied the game at 83 with just over 12 seconds to play, Casey called a timeout and once again found himself with the opportunity to draw up the final play of regulation. Somehow, this is what he came up with:
I mean, just what the hell is that? Either Casey’s end-of-game playbook is just an index card with “score a hoop” written on it, or his players are completely ignoring his instructions in crunch time. Neither scenario makes him seem like a coach who is fit to lead a playoff team, especially one with as many deficiencies as these Raptors. A team doesn’t need to be perfect to make a spirited playoff run, but it at least needs to be talented or smart. Right now, Dwane Casey and the Raptors are neither of those things.
DeMar DeRozan not worried about free agency despite playoff struggles | CBSSports.com
DeRozan is turning 27 this summer, so his next contract will take him through his prime years. He averaged a career-high 23.5 points with a 55 percent true shooting percentage in the regular season, and he has improved immensely as a playmaker and passer. Combine all that with the rising salary cap and the relatively weak free-agent class, then ask yourself this question: What would DeRozan have to do to cost himself money this summer?
I honestly don’t know the answer. This postseason, Toronto has been significantly better on both ends with him on the bench. Raptors coach Dwane Casey benched him in the fourth quarter of their Game 2 win in the first round, and he did the same on Monday. It still seems impossible, though, that DeRozan will get anything less than a max deal. He played too well in the regular season, and the circumstances this offseason couldn’t be more favorable.
DeRozan truly doesn’t have anything to worry about. Aside from his efficiency, his thumb injury and his team trying to make the conference finals, that is.
4 reasons Raptors are in big trouble — and 1 cause for hope | Toronto Sun
With Valanciunas out, Miami is ignoring Bismack Biyombo, making life even tougher on the struggling backcourt
Instead of Valanciunas demanding attention inside and opening things up for the other Raptors, Miami has decided to double-team, even if it means Biyombo is wide open. They figure he won’t go up quickly enough or hit enough free throws to punish them.
To Biyombo’s credit, the big man made some nice finishes and was effective. But that will have to continue for the Heat to switch things up and go back to one-on-one coverage.
Odds Outlook: Vegas still predicting Raptors to win the series | Raptors HQ
The Dinos still have a 40/1 shot win the NBA title, while the Heat’s odds come in at 50/1. Considering how sloppy the series has been, and with the Cleveland Cavaliers fresh off another sweep, I would not suggest putting any money down on this. But hey, I’m not your dad. You do you.
Did Goran Dragic take a swing at Cory Joseph in Heat-Raps Game 4? | Ball Don’t Lie – Yahoo Sports
You can make an argument, as at least some Raptors fans surely have, that Dragic’s swing constitutes a punch. According to the NBA’s rulebook, punching fouls are supposed to prompt automatic ejection, two free throws and possession for the team of the punched party, and, at the commissioner’s discretion, a fine of up to $50,000 and/or a suspension. Clearly, that wasn’t the interpretation on the court at the time, with the refs electing to allow play to continue, perhaps viewing a not-quite-punch as a fair repayment of Joseph locking onto Dragic’s arm. (Or, perhaps, not viewing it at all, given Callahan’s vantage point from behind Joseph.)
Either way, it ought to be interesting to see if the play receives any further review from the league office ahead of Wednesday’s Game 5, because even if we’re not sure exactly what should have been called there, it sure does seem like something excessively physical happened.
Through injury and poor play, DeMar DeRozan still one of coach’s main men | The Globe and Mail
Tied 2-2 heading into Wednesday’s Game 5 in Toronto, the Raptors need more from their star shooter or they’ll be forced to experiment further with player combinations that make up for his missing points.
“Now, he has the thumb and he’s dealing with that along with the confidence in his shot and his offensive rhythm,” Casey said. “It’s something he wants to play with, he says he’s okay, he says he can go, but I see him losing the basketball in a crowd and guys hitting [him]. When other teams know you have an injury, they’re going to whack at it.”
Casey stressed – once again – that the Raptors won’t simply bench DeRozan or Kyle Lowry, the star point guard who seemed to have come out of his scoring woes with a 33-point showing in Game 3’s win, but then answered with a dismal 2-for-11 shooting performance on Monday.
Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan has some good company in struggling playoff stars: Feschuk | Toronto Star
A season ago Aldridge’s situation was awfully similar to DeRozan’s. Aldridge, like DeRozan, was an impending free agent who had just led his team to a 50-plus-win season and a division title. Aldridge, too, was suffering with a thumb injury — one sustained mid-season that required off-season surgery. And Aldridge, a 47 per cent field-goal shooter in the regular season, shot a DeRozan-esque 33 per cent in a first-round playoff series — a dropoff of about 14 percentage points (i.e. two percentage points worse than DeRozan’s current spread).
None of that dissuaded teams, including the Raptors, from aggressively courting Aldridge in free agency. He signed a max deal with the San Antonio Spurs and, heading into Tuesday night’s action, he was shooting a blistering 56 per cent for the 2016 playoffs.
Also on that list? It was six years ago that Kevin Durant experienced a from-the-field downturn that was worse than DeRozan’s, going from 48 per cent for the regular season to 35 come the playoffs, this in a campaign in which Durant led the league in scoring and finished second in MVP voting. But far from taking the kind of heat DeRozan is experiencing, Durant was lauded for, among other things, his lockdown late-game defence on peak-powers Kobe Bryant — a contribution that helped the just-emerging Thunder put a scare in the defending-champion Lakers in a memorable six-game test in the first round.
“A lot of coaches say — it’s something I didn’t believe but — ‘If you do other things, then your scoring’s going to come around,’ ” Durant said in 2010. “I’m like, ‘No, that’s not true because if you’re off, you’re off, right?’ But it does happen. It does help. It gives you confidence that your next shot’s going to go down.”
Three of the four games against Miami have topped the million mark, with Monday’s loss topping the list at 1,245,000 on TSN. This follows a record rating in Game 7 of the Indiana series (1.53 million.)
What has to be encouraging to Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment is that these kinds of audiences might not be a flash in the pan. Once a team has made it past the first round, it takes on a new legitimacy — something last year’s team failed to achieve.
If the Raptors go on to the next round, those numbers will continue to grow — and so will a fan base that’s likely to come back next fall.
Creating that kind of loyalty is something Raptors management can see just by looking down the street. Despite a disappointing start, the Toronto Blue Jays are continuing to bring in big TV audiences on Sportsnet. Already, the team has topped the million mark six times (including once last week) and finished April 58 per cent ahead of where they were last season.
The Raptors Should Consider Alternatives to DeMar DeRozan | Raptors Rapture
Instead, Dwane Casey should give Ross a look to reward some strong play from the shooting guard against the Heat, but also to shake things up and give Miami a different look to the start Game 5. This doesn’t necessarily mean that DeRozan won’t get a heavy workload if Ross fails to impress, or if DeRozan can get hot coming off the bench. But with eleven games of evidence, it is not unreasonable to wonder if the Raptors could be better served by looking at different options in the starting lineup.
The Raptors would not need to rely on Terrence Ross to carry the offensive work load that is so often placed upon the shoulders of DeRozan, but rather it could inspire a more balanced (and efficient) offensive approach when you don’t have DeRozan putting up 20+ shots per game at only 35% efficiency. Ross, as limited as his opportunities have been, has shot 49% from the field in this series and Carroll, Joseph and others have all shot fairly well through four games against the Heat.
In light of his continued struggles, discussion regarding the health of DeMar DeRozan, particularly his thumb has increased. Although this potential injury to his hand would certainly explain his struggles and inefficiency (including a woeful 54% from the free throw line), it only strengthens the argument that the Raptors should consider looking elsewhere until he can prove that he can contribute consistently and efficiently. Removing an All-Star from the starting lineup is never an easy decision to make, but in a hard fought playoff series with 3 of 4 games heading to overtime, all options need to be considered in pursuit of a series victory.
What should the Raptors do with DeMar DeRozan? | CBC Sports
Limited options
Finding a replacement for DeRozan in free agency could be difficult. The options are slim, as Charlotte Hornets guard Nicolas Batum appears to be the only viable option on the wing. Batum averaged 12.4 points over the last three seasons compared to DeRozan’s 22.1 points per game during that span. Not exactly an ideal replacement.
The Raptors could look internally to options like third-year guard Terrance Ross or standout rookie Norman Powell. However, Ross has yet to prove himself as a legitimate starter, and despite Powell’s strong play in the playoffs, asking the 22-year-old to play more than 35 minutes per game would be risky (Powell averaged 14.8 minutes this season).
DeMar DeRozan’s Playoff Struggles Costing Big Time Bucks | The Runner Sports
In the waning moments of Game 4 with the Raptors just hoping to hold on to the lead after Kyle Lowry fouled out, Casey decided to put a cold DeMar DeRozan (-11 +/-) back in the game instead of rolling with Bismack Biyombo (+11 +/-). That was probably the difference as we watched Miami drive to the bucket for easy shots and offensive rebounds possession after possession down the stretch. I just want to take a moment to point out that although I was right about Lucas Nogueira getting some minutes in Game 4, he was obviously lost on the defensive end and not an option for long stretches. We’ll see if he can get his rotations down for Game 5 if Casey gives him more minutes. I don’t know if you should blame Lowry for fouling out, DeMar for continuing to take bad contested shots, or Casey for putting DeMar back in and not being able to draw up anything except isolation plays down the stretch of games, but the Raptors should have been able to close out that game and go up 3-1, but instead they’re looking at another 2-2 series.
Game 5 preview: Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors | Toronto Star
Key matchup:DeMarre Carroll vs. Dwyane Wade. It will fall to Carroll to try and slow Wade, who had 30 points in Miami’s Game 4 win and is averaging 27 points per game in the series. Of Miami’s 94 points in Game 4, Wade, Joe Johnson and Goran Dragic (15 each) accounted for 60 of them. Keeping Wade in check — a historically challenging task — will be crucial to the Raptors taking Game 5.
Did I miss something? Send any Raptors-related content to rapsfan@raptorsrepublic.com
