My first ever post at Raptors Republic was in July of 2009. It was a review of DeMar DeRozan’s performance at Summer League that year, ahead of his rookie season. The Raptors had made DeRozan the No. 9 selection in the NBA Draft, swinging for the fences on an impressive but still unproven freshman out of USC. His summer performance was the mixed bag you’d expect from a rookie, and my vague, inexperienced conclusion was that it may take time, but DeRozan at least looked like he had the potential to be a nice deputy to Chris Bosh as the franchise finally looked for momentum in the post-Vince Carter years.
In the years that have followed, I’ve gotten to watch DeRozan mature from a skinny, raw rookie thrown into much too large a role out of the gate into a bonafide star and one of the game’s elite scorers. He’s grown leaps and bounds off the court, becoming a better and better quote and making his mark on the Raptors’ community. His growth on the court has been more palpable and obvious, yet still doubted at most turns. He wasn’t going to be good, then he wasn’t going to be great, then he wasn’t going to be a star, then he wasn’t going to be an efficient one. Some of the criticisms were fair in the time they existed in, but at every turn, DeRozan has made himself better. His jumper improved. His handle improved. His footwork became godly. There may not be a player who exerts better body control. None of these things happen without an unrelenting commitment to being the very best you can be, and DeRozan is a shining example not only within the Raptors organization and the basketball world, but a pretty good lesson for the world outside of the game.
On Thursday night, DeRozan was voted as a starter for the Eastern Conference All-Star team. It is his third All-Star nod and his most deserved, and it’s his first time getting in via the vote (which was shared between fans, media, and the small number of players who opted to cast legitimate ballots). Through his growth as one of the league’s preeminent drives, in-between players, and scorers, the success he’s helped lead the Raptors to, his Olympic gold medal, and now this nod from fans and peers, there’s little doubt that DeRozan has reached a perch few thought he’d ever get to.
Whether or not DeRozan should start the game is hardly a matter of concern. He’s a deserving All-Star and an important piece of an inextricable two-headed All-Star duo on a very good team. He belongs, and the lines we draw between starter and reserve and wild-card are for the purposes of content and time-killing and distraction and argument, and to be quite honest, they’re far more damaging to the conversation than enlightening. He is an All-Star, and I’m happy he’s been recognized for a third time, this time in the loudest and clearest of ways. He has the respect of fans, players, and the media alike. Few can make a bucket out of a bad situation like he can. Few work as hard as he does. Few have come so far from where they started, deviated so far from where they were expected to go. And few deserve to enjoy that moment as much as DeRozan.
Anyway, the Raptors visit the Hornets for the final game of their three-game road trip, and they might be pretty banged up. The game tips off at 7 p.m. on TSN 1/4 and Sportsnet 590. Here’s the full game preview.
Raptors updates
Alright, try to follow all the bouncing pieces here. Patrick Patterson remains day-to-day with a knee strain. Lucas Nogueira is in the league’s concussion protocol. DeMarre Carroll left Wednesday’s game with a neck injury. Jared Sullinger returned in that game as a surprise. Delon Wright has practiced as much as Sullinger. Whether any of those names are available in this one is still kind of up in the air – Toronto didn’t practice Thursday, and shootaround wasn’t too revealing Friday morning (though Carroll told Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun he would play) – and guessing would be just that.
Ganter also reports that Patterson and Nogueira are out. The lack of update leads me to believe that Sullinger is in and Wright remains out, but we’ll see closer to tip-off.
The point is, the Raptors are quite thin. With Carroll and Sullinger going and Patterson and Nogueira sitting, the Raptors could be able to try some fun smaller lineups with a Carroll-Sullinger fonrtcourt, but Pascal Siakam will be needed (likely in a starting role again), and Jakob Poeltl could find his way to some playing time, as well. The rotation could go a lot of different ways, and some of Dwane Casey’s choices may depend on how the Hornets deploy their own rotation, particularly at the four.
But hey, if nothing else, at least the Raptors have Carroll going. The self-proclaimed “warrior” sounds sore still, but the Raptors wouldn’t let him out there unless he was doing OK. Here’s hoping Patterson and Nogueira reach that “OK” status soon.
UPDATE: Delon Wright is active and available to play for the first time this season. He could find his way to minutes if the game gets really weird (maybe at the two in smaller lineups), and it’s worth noting that the Raptors played three point guards in the rotation on Wednesday. This is exciting news! Wright is a lot of fun, and while he could probably use some D-League time to shake off any rust, he’s quite good. Depth!
UPDATE II: Norman Powell starts, sliding DeMarre Carroll to power forward.
PG: Kyle Lowry, Cory Joseph, Fred VanVlee
SG: Norman Powell, Delon Wright
SF: DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, Bruno Caboclo
PF:DeMarre Carroll, Pascal Siakam
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Jared Sullinger, Jakob Poeltl
OUT: Patrick Patterson, Lucas Nogueira
TBA:
ASSIGNED: None
Hornets updates
The Hornets aren’t nearly as banged up, but they will be without Jeremy Lamb due to a swollen toe. The Ross-Lamb battle is always an interesting one given the playing styles, perceived potential initially, and their respective contracts. So we are robbed – ROBBED! – of that for the evening (the second time that’s happened this year).
Nic Batum will play despite a minor knee issue, though, and that’s huge for the Hornets’ defensive approach to DeRozan. They now have Batum and Kidd-Gilchrist who they can throw at him, and that’s a lot of high-end perimeter defense to try to disrupt his flow. At the same time, just about nobody has been able to disrupt DeRozan’s flow this year, so while it’s a nice challenge, not even MKG is a safe bet to limit the East’s starting two-guard’s output.
PG: Kemba Walker, Ramon Sessions,Brian Roberts
SG: Nicolas Batum,Marco Belinelli
SF: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Treveon Graham
PF: Marvin Williams, Frank Kaminsky
C: Cody Zeller, Roy Hibbert, Spencer Hawes
OUT: Jeremy Lamb
TBA: None
ASSIGNED: Christian Wood
Assorted
- I mentioned a potential 905 assignment for Wright. The Raptors opted not to send anyone down for the D-League Showcase in Mississauga this week (where your boy has been hanging out for three days straight), opting instead to let the focus fall on the D-Leaguers. That’s a strategy I agree with and one that probably ingratiates them to players and agents. If you’re looking ahead to the next potential assignment date, it’s the 905’s Jan. 25 home game.
- The Raptors have an agreement to retain assistant coach and director of sport science Alex McKechnie, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star reports. McKechnie has a terrific reputation around the league and is obviously well-liked by the organization. The Raptors continue to do a nice job retaining high-end talent, even as other suitors surely circle around an organization loaded with it.
The line
It must be tough to set a line with so much up in the air, and while Vegas probably has some educated guesses, the line may be susceptible to swings later. The Hornets were 1.5-point favorites early in the day, and the game is now a pick ’em, an interesting swing. Basically, the Raptors are a little better even shorthanded, but the game being in Charlotte evens things out. The over-under is somewhat surprisingly up at 216, with the Raptors’ habit of busting overs in some jeopardy.
Literally all I care about is that my stream at the Hershey Centre holds up. But a win would be nice, too.
