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The Case for Norman Powell over Terrence Ross – Raptors Republic
n the results-oriented world of professional basketball, Norman proved he can contribute to winning in the most difficult and high pressure environment the sport has to offer – the NBA playoffs. As a rookie. The mental maturity that the combination of those two facts entails cannot be overstated. A significant portion of NBA players who perform at an acceptable level in the regular season tend to weaken or disappear completely when the post season comes around. Terrence Ross is just such an example – his first playoff series against Brooklyn likely still haunts him late at night while he’s waiting for his next 2K game to load. He shot under 17% from 3 that year, posted an offensive rating of 68 (!), and a defensive rating of 109 in more than 22 minutes of play. Yes, he has improved since then. But has he improved enough to justify knocking a potentially more productive player from the rotation?
Terrence Ross is not a bad player, he simply has not proven to be a consistently good one. Neither has Powell at this point. But what Norm has shown is promising – hard work resulting in quick in-season improvement, and a cold-bloodedness on the court uncommon to rookies. He needs to be given the opportunity to sink or swim in deeper waters, since he’s not a 20 year old project like Bruno with all the time in the world. Powell is 23, quickly approaching his physical prime. As tough as it may be to work in, Casey needs to find some minutes for him, as every game that he remains in the role of bench cheerleader feels like a waste. This could be done by giving Kyle and DeMar a few more minutes of rest each game to keep them fresh for the playoffs, or Carroll to make sure his knee doesn’t flare up. If Powell proves to be a one-hit wonder, he can always be sent back to the end of the pine. But this kid has already displayed the talent and mental fortitude needed to succeed as a valuable rotation piece in the NBA on both ends of the floor, and betting against his continued success feels like a terrible wager. #FreeNorm.
DeRozan’s brilliance covering up Raptors’ mistakes | Toronto Sun
Not surprisingly they are defensive deficiencies and they would be a much bigger deal right now if DeRozan wasn’t doing what he is doing.
One game after Casey lamented a 35-point third quarter that almost cost the Raptors a home contest with the Denver Nuggets, he was chastising his Raptors’ lack of paint and rim protection, again in a win, this time against Washington.
DeRozan restored the Raptors cushion in the third quarter when he scored 15 of his 40 points. If the Wizards don’t commit 21 turnovers leading to 30 Raptors points, it’s likely, as Casey also pointed out, that it is Washington celebrating a double-digit win and not the Raptors.
“We got back in with our offence but we can’t live like that every night if we are going to be an elite team or a good team in this league,” Casey said.
The fact that it is still early in the season and the team is still adapting to life without rim-protector extraordinaire Bismack Biyombo might give some solace, but not Casey and it’s for a very specific reason.
What the Raptors are lacking defensively is basically the backbone of their entire defensive approach.
“Our identity is protecting the paint,” Casey hammered home and lately the paint is wide open.
DeMar DeRozan is Playing Like a Superstar | Basketball Insiders
DeRozan has been doing his damage with mid-range pull-ups and drives to the basket. He ranks first in the NBA in points per game off of pull-ups (15.8) and shoots a very efficient 58.5 percent on those attempts. By comparison, Westbrook ranks second in points per game off of pull-ups, but he makes just 35.4 percent of those attempts. DeRozan is the only player in the top 15 in pull-up points per game who’s shooting above 56 percent. Also, DeRozan ranks second in the NBA in points per game off of drives (12.3) and he shoots 58.6 when he’s attacking the basket.
Rather than forcing things, DeRozan is sticking to his strengths and playing within the flow of Toronto’s offense. It’s working exceptionally well. Believe it or not, DeRozan has attempted only six three-pointers through four games and has made just one. He’s not settling for those shots, as he sometimes did in the past. And honestly, his 36.3 points per game is even more impressive when you consider that he’s doing it solely with two-pointers and free throws.
Toronto is currently 3-1, which is tied for the second-best record in the Eastern Conference behind only the Cleveland Cavaliers (who handed Toronto their lone loss in a close game). But keep in mind that the Raptors aren’t at full strength. Jared Sullinger, a key free agent acquisition this summer, is out because he needs surgery to have a screw inserted into the fifth metatarsal in his left foot. Lucas Nogueira has also missed time due to an ankle sprain. The backcourt is a bit banged up too, with Lowry recently getting three stitches after taking an elbow to the face and DeRozan dealing with ankle issues. The squad is doing their best to get through this short-handed stretch.
Mailbag: Is DeMar DeRozan the greatest Raptor of all-time? – Sportsnet.ca
I think it already has.
Unlike some people, I still have a ton of respect for Vince Carter, the person and the player. He put the Raptors and Canada on the map and put the league on notice too. He helped cultivate generations of Canadian basketball fans and players. To me, there’s no question that his jersey should be retired by the Raptors one day.
But the minute DeMar DeRozan re-signed in Toronto this past summer— on the heels of an All Star season and a berth in the Eastern Conference Finals—on the verge of winning another gold medal at a world competition he took the mantel.
A kid from Compton has adopted Canada. He didn’t even entertain any other offers. It was Toronto, long term, from the second there was a decision to make.
His ridiculous numbers to start this season only add to his lustre. But, coming off a franchise-best 56-win season while playing alongside a fellow All Star, Kyle Lowry (the greatest 1-2 punch the Raptors have ever had) he was already in the top spot.
DeRozan’s name is scattered throughout numerous pages of the Raptors franchise-record books and his stranglehold on history with the organization will only grow. He will sit atop all of the records that matter most.
Carter. Chris Bosh. Lowry. But it now all starts with DeRozan. And when he’s done, nobody will ever wear #10 again for the Raptors.
‘He was a little upset at the rankings…’ – Video – TSN
Raptors point guard Cory Joseph joins SportsCentre to talk about DeMar DeRozan’s impressive start to the season, Kyle Lowry’s contract year, how this season has been different for him from his first year in Toronto and more.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMXucQ5BpH9/
Bringing Up Bebe Week 2: Waiting is the Hardest Part – Raptors HQ
But I do suppose we have to address Bebe matters in this, a Bebe column. The Raptors played three games in the past week, going 2-1, the sole loss coming against the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers in a close game. The unhappiness here is compounded twice-over. We know the Raptors are not title bound, despite what the closeness of the final score suggested in their game against the Cavs. They don’t quite have the stuff to beat a team like that four times out of seven. At least not now.
Moreover, we now know that Lucas Nogueira may not even get a chance to strut his stuff any time soon — not with an ankle at less than 100 percent, and Jakob Poeltl, a rookie, making the kinds of strides of which a coach’s dreams are made. I can’t properly quantify how this makes me feel. In the lead up to this season, after the Raptors made no significant long term moves to upgrade their frontcourt (the Jared Sullinger signing being more of a stopgap measure), all signs pointed to Bebe. What a time to be alive, and all that.
But things fell apart, the rotation has changed, the window has closed. Do not despair, good can still become great, but oof, we’re not in a good space right now. Time can turn against you.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMXbvLCgMuG/
Powell gets call when Raptors hit Wall | Toronto Star
DeMarre Carroll’s knee injury opened the door for Powell last year and his good health has somewhat shut it early this season. An off night from Carroll gave Powell his shot in Washington. That, Casey said, and the fact that nothing else was working against Wall, who seemed to cross into the front court and be at the rim a second later.
“I think he’d still be shooting layups if we’d kept going in there. We have to be better from that standpoint,” Casey said.
“Norm gave (Wall) a different look, physically. There’s going to be games like that. There’s going to be situations where it’s a better matchup for Norm. There’s going to be situations where it’s a better matchup for (Terrence) Ross.
“It’s not that one is doing a bad job or a great job, it’s just the matchup situations, the game situations or the change which we had to have.
“Those adjustments have to be made. It’s different personnel and that’s their role on this team, that’s what they have to do. That’s their job, to come in and do that.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMXrNobAxsC/
We Were North: Joey Dorsey, from Bmore to Barca – Raptors HQ
Dorsey came to a Raptors team in flux. Chris Both had just departed for South Beach, Andrea Bargnani had been designated the team’s ‘star player’ and sophomore DeMar DeRozan was just trying to figure out his game. On the depth chart Dorsey was placed behind power forwards Amir Johnson and a rookie Ed Davis. The team would finish dead last in the division with a 22-60 record in the 2010-11 season. On this bad team, during this bad season, Dorsey — in 12 minutes per games — put up career high averages in points (3.1), rebounds (4.4), assists (.6), steals (.6), and blocks (.4). Dorsey featured in 43 games that season, starting nine. That season he also featured on one of Paul Pierce’s best ever posters.
Dorsey’s time in Toronto, and the odd fondness some may hold for him, is yet another product of Raps fans desperately looking for something to make the ordeal of post-Bosh-pre-Ujiri basketball that little bit more tolerable. No-one was blown away by Dorsey’s skills, but his enthusiasm and occasional spark of ungodly power made him an entertaining reserve. But this wasn’t enough to convince anyone to keep him around.
When his contract lapsed, Dorsey saw his North American market value dry up. With no NBA suitors vying for his services, Dorsey was forced to look outside the association for another shot at playing pro. That shot came from the Basque Country, wedged between Spain and France, and their most historic club — Caja Laboral (now known as Saski Baskona: Andrea Bargnani’s current team).
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMXjwH5lO8i/
Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors: Friday preview | Toronto Star
Valanciunas vs. Whiteside
The two pivots get to pick up from where they left off in their second-round playoff battle, when each player was lost to leg injuries in Game 3. Valanciunas struggled with Gortat’s physicality in Washington on Wednesday and will have to quickly figure out how to combat the seven-foot, 265-pound Whiteside, who’s averaging 20 points, leads the league in rebounds (13.8 per game) and is second in blocked shots at three per game. That playoff version of Valanciunas on the court on Friday bodes well for the Raptors.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMXHTRTFohh/
Game Preview: Heat visit Raptors – Hot Hot Hoops
Toronto is a top 3 team in the Eastern Conference. This will be a very challenging matchup for the Heat for several reasons. The first starts with Jonas Valanciunas. For whatever reason, he has typically played well for the Raptors against Hassan Whiteside. He is crafty around the basket, is a terrific offensive rebounder, and can shoot from mid-range. Whiteside will have to be consistent and stay out of foul trouble to neutralize this matchup.
Next, DeMar DeRozan will have a matchup advantage against whoever lines up next to him. He can get any shot that he wants and is a very athletic player. The Heat will need a group effort to slow him down. Lastly, Kyle Lowry has to be kept in check and constantly challenged on both ends by Goran Dragic. The Heat cannot lose all three of those matchups and expect to win.
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