Raptors Weekly Podcast, June 6 – Buddy Got Game | Raptors Republic
The podders look at Dwane Casey’s extension, open letters, and trade chips, There’s a glancing look at the draft, Bryan Colangelo, and which form of ESPN-sanctioned headache is easier to endure.
Draft workout notes: Domantas Sabonis | Raptors Republic
The shooting mechanics are maybe the most interesting note Tolzman made. Sabonis is listed as a forward-center, but without range, he may be tough to play alongside certain fives. He hit five triples as a sophomore but didn’t show great range consistently (he took just 45 shots from the mid-range and out, hitting an encouraging 22), and improving in that area could not only open up lineup options, but also Sabonis’ own face-up game, where he’s pretty savvy attacking one-on-one. That inside-outside approach would be a great balance, as while Sabonis is a little predictable going over his right shoulder (he’s a lefty), he shot 67 percent on post-ups, per DraftExpress.
More important than his own ceiling may be his potential fit, particularly if teams see a sub-7-foot wingpsan and deem him incapable of playing a smaller five. That means, for the Raptors, Sabonis may have to play alongside a traditional center in Jonas Valanciunas, at least if he’s to see expanded run. The Raptors, however, seem to be looking at Sabonis as more of a “basketball player” than a specific type of four or five, though the fit with Valanciunas certainly registers.
“Yeah, I think that’s definitely something that we’re looking at,” Tolzman said. “He’s a guy that, I think he’s such a good team player that he could probably play next to a lot of guys. He’s definitely a guy that makes others better around him. With his improving jump shot and all the different things he brings to the table with rebounding, and hustle, and setting big screens, whether it’s JV or anybody, if it’s coming off the bench or playing alongside the starters, whoever it is, he’s the type of guy that, in certain situations, could make a lot of players better.”
NBA Draft Notebook: Sabonis Raptors’ latest target with No.9 pick | Sportsnet.ca
Obviously part of what attracts attention to Sabonis is his last name— his dad, Arvydas, was a legend overseas and spent seven seasons toward the end of his career in the NBA starting at centre for the Portland Trail-Blazers. Domantas is hardly the physical force his old man was, but he is a skilled passer for a big man, like his Pa, and his familiarity with the NBA game could give him a leg up. “It’s a thing that people take for granted a lot,” said Tolzman when asked about Sabonis’ lineage. “Kids when they’re around the NBA from a young age, when you see kids shooting around after a game— Steph Curry was a ball boy for the Raptors way back when—just being around that high level of basketball just kind of gets in there by osmosis. It’s definitely a part of skill development that…you can’t really put a price on. It’s something that other kids would kill for.”
Domantas Sabonis revels in his father’s name | Toronto Star
“In Lithuania, we say basketball is our religion, it comes first before everything and everyone loves it. Everyone in the country is a fan.”
As storybook as it would be for the younger Sabonis to join his good friend, compatriot and national team teammate Jonas Valanciunas in a Lithuanian-centric frontcourt with the Raptors, the chances are slim.
The six-foot-10 Sabonis is a stretch for Toronto to take with its No. 9 pick in the June 23 draft and he will be long gone when Toronto exercises its No. 27 selection; his skills really don’t complement Valanciuanas’ even if they are ever-expanding. And history would suggest he has deep in his soul a background that should allow him to flourish.
“Just being around that high level of basketball, it just gets in there by osmosis,” Dan Tolzman, Toronto’s scouting director said Monday. “They eat, sleep and breathe basketball and I think Domantas is a guy like that. His dad was one of the greatest big men of all time and the type of thing he’s probably handing down to his son in conversations and learning the game that way, those are things regular people can’t get.
“It’s something you can’t put a price on, he grew up with it and it’s something I think other kids would kill for.”
One thing for sure is that if it were to ever happen, the Raptors would be the No. 1 team in more than one country.
Draft workout notes: Damian Jones, Diamond Stone, coaching note, and more | Raptors Republic
*Rex Kalamian is staying on Dwane Casey’s staff for 2016-17, per Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press. The Raptors previously gave permission for Kalamian to interview with the Houston Rockets, and there were said to be multiple other teams interested in his services. The Raptors, however, have since denied teams permission to interview Kalamian and Andy Greer and, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, are working to secure both for the long-term. Failing that, the team holds options on both for next season, while Nick Nurse is still under contract.
*That doesn’t mean the organization still isn’t at risk for a bit of brain-drain at some point this offseason, though.
Report: Bismack Biyombo opts out | Raptors Republic
With Biyombo’s decision, he’ll now become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He’ll possess an estimated cap hold of $3.8 million until he signs elsewhere or the Raptors renounce their non-Bird rights to him (which allow them to go over the cap to sign him to a salary of 120 percent of his previous salary, which won’t get it done).
Again, none of this is really news, but we’re passing along the procedural note.
NBA AM: Biyombo Opts Out, DeRozan Next? | Basketball Insiders
The challenge for the Raptors will be finding the cap room to pay Biyombo, since they only hold his non-Bird rights. The most Toronto can pay Biyombo is $3.4 million without using cap space (and also his cap hold this summer).
If the Raptors successfully re-sign All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan – should he also choose to opt out – the Raptors won’t have the money to pay Biyombo unless they look to trade a player away (such as Terrance Ross or the aforementioned Valanciunas).
Biyombo’s deadline to opt out was a week after the Raptors’ final game (May 27). DeRozan needs to make his opt-out decision by June 15.
DeRozan is entering his eighth season in the NBA, but just the fourth and final year of his current contract that pays a flat base rate of $9.5 million. Through the 2014-15 season, he received an additional $600,000 in incentives.
For the 2015-16 season, based on his number of free throw attempts ($200,000) and assists per game ($200,000), along with his team advancing to the third round of the postseason ($450,000), DeRozan reached $850,000 in incentives.
With those bonuses now considered “likely,” DeRozan’s cap number for the Raptors for the 2016-17 season will be $10.35 million, provided he opts in.
Even though DeRozan is a flawed player – not enough threes for a two-guard, lives on tough shots – there are only seven guys in the NBA that scored more than him on a nightly basis last season and none of them are coming to Toronto to replace him. For the obvious shortcomings that DeRozan has, he’s the kind of every game scorer that you can’t easily replace and that’s going to be a big consideration in how Masai Uriji and the Raptors front office decide to proceed in the coming weeks.
It’s more than just DeRozan’s scoring numbers that make re-signing him make sense. He and backcourt mate Kyle Lowry are one of the top tandems in the league, not to mention close friends that shoulder the load for this team. It was a difficult road, but the duo still lead Toronto to within two games of the NBA Finals this season and a performance like that should be rewarded.
Additionally – and this one can’t be discounted in the least – he wants to be in Toronto. From the day Chris Bosh left for Miami, DeRozan claimed a leadership role with this squad. He appreciates the club drafting him, developing him and helping him reach this point and unlike previous Toronto stars, he doesn’t just want to turn his back on the Raptors and leave for a bigger market.
A guy like that is the kind of guy you want in your locker room, both from a production and a personality standpoint. You can build around and with DeMar DeRozan and given that this crew just reached the Eastern Conference Finals, keeping the core together and seeing if they can take that next step next season would make sense.
A photo posted by Lucas “Bebe” Nogueira (@lucasbebenogueira) on
Top 50 NBA free agents of 2016: A divisive class after Kevin Durant | CBSSports.com
Analysis: The second-best player on a 50-win team. He can get to the rim, draw contact and make tough, clutch shots. Can put up 40 on a given night, but rarely when teams decide to take him out. Underrated as a playmaker. Has slid defensively in recent seasons and needs to re-establish himself as a top-flight guy on that end. His 3-point shooting is his biggest liability. If you can’t shoot 3s as a 2-guard, your value is limited. He has struggled in the playoffs because of his dependency on free-throw rate, lofting terrible shots over double-teams. Can’t be the best player or second-best player on a championship team, but definitely a guy who helps. Toronto is likely to max him. He’s probably the greatest inefficiency on the market. To get him, you have to max him, but he needs the ball more than Conley and his limitations are greater. Tough call. He’s really good but in a way that complicates his value.
4. DeMar DeRozan: Starring Back Home | Bleacher Report
The Raptors didn’t get what they wanted from prized offseason addition DeMarre Carroll and have a boatload of young athletes they’re barely using right now, yet they still finished two wins shy of an NBA Finals berth.
The Los Angeles Lakers are on the opposite end of the spectrum. Any excitement surrounding their young nucleus is overshadowed by this grisly statistic—they’ve set franchise records for total losses during each of the last three seasons. And yet, according to some reports, they’re still a threat to snag DeRozan, a native of Compton, California, and a University of Southern California product.
“He’s made it very, very clear that he wants to be in L.A.,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said, via Lakers Nation’s Ryan Ward. “He has family out there. He’s from out there. He wants to be in L.A. He wants to wear the purple and gold.”
A photo posted by Toronto Raptors (@raptors) on
Meet the marketer behind the Raptors’ #WeTheNorth campaign | Canadian Businedd
Well, in the beginning we had a back-and-forth about how it would work and what it would look like. I think people think that we pay Drake, and we do not. He is strictly here on his own good will. We let him breathe and do his own thing; we discuss certain things—the black and gold uniforms had his input—but it’s not about making someone do something for your brand. When things fit, it’s just about embracing it. So I think that’s where we’ve been successful; we don’t ask him to come out and do appearances, we just respect the relationship we have and try to leverage it as best as possible.
Raptors Player Review: Let’s try to understand Lucas Nogueira, the Bebe on board | Raptors HQ
Role Next Season:
Along with Norman Powell, Nogueira is the biggest question mark on the Raptors roster. Assuming Bismack Biyombo leaves (and this feels like a foregone conclusion), Toronto may be able to press Bebe into a bigger role as the team’s back up centre. He’s shown flashes of his prowess on the offensive end, and (at the very least) a nascent shot-blocking ability on defense.
The question is: can the young Brazilian withstand the day-to-day grind of the NBA playing 15-25 minutes a night? If Bebe can stay mentally sharp and productive, it means the Raptors will have a young big man under a very reasonable contract for the next two years, which opens up all kinds of interesting avenues in terms of spending their resources on other players. If he can’t, the hole left by Biyombo will have to be filled at a cost. And the Raptors will have to decide once again if Nogueira is worth having around.
Report: Raptors assistant turns down offers from Rockets, Wizards | Sportsnet.ca
Toronto Raptors assistant coach Rex Kalamian has turned down offers from the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards to remain a part of Dwane Casey’s staff, TNT’s David Aldridge is reporting.
This Toronto Couple Had The Cutest Raptors-Themed Wedding | Buzzfeed
Arun Manoharan and Ajitha Jeganathan are serious about basketball. Like, spending every Valentine’s Day watching the All-Star Game serious. So when it came time to tie the knot, incorporating the game and their favourite team, the Raptors, was a no-brainer.
A photo posted by Toronto Raptors (@raptors) on
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