Who will push for the Raptors to make a push?: Feschuk | Toronto Star
And if you’re a Raptors fan, it’s worth wondering: Who’s playing that role in Toronto?
We know who used to play it. It was Tim Leiweke, the bulldog of a MLSE CEO who arrived in town back in 2013 and almost immediately pulled a version of what James pulled this week. Leiweke would tell anyone who asked that the way Toronto’s sports teams had been operating was unacceptable. Piling up profits wasn’t enough. Being happy with modest successes and accepting of sub-mediocrity — none of it was worthy of a market this rich and this massive.
“We’ve got to be like New York and L.A., where we do not tolerate losing,” Leiweke said. “We’ve got to go for it here . . . Why be in this business if you’re not trying to win championships?”
He was dead right for calling out his organization for its reluctance to go for broke in the pursuit of trophies. A couple of years later, he was out.
And now that Leiweke is gone — well, you can make an argument the Raptors are in danger of becoming too comfortable. They’ve been to the playoffs three straight years. They’ve come through the 41-game mark at franchise-record pace, playing to nightly full houses at the Air Canada Centre. If they don’t make a significant personnel move this season they’ll probably still rake in millions upon millions in playoff-related revenues.
Raptors’ Lowry named to all-star team — finally | Toronto Sun
Quite often, it comes down to how a particular voter views the all-star game. Is it a reward for a season of stellar play or simply a gathering of the most entertaining players in the league with the best numbers?
Dwane Casey is not permitted to vote for his own players, but there’s little doubt Lowry would be on his ballot based on his criteria.
“Winning,” Casey replied when asked what he took into account in identifying all-stars. “Winning predicates a lot and it should. Talking and texting with the coaches, I think it is very important and hopefully they did the right thing. They said they would consider it. Winning trumps a lot, moreso than numbers, because I think that is what an all-star propels his team to be. That was one of the first and foremost things I predicated my vote on.”
There is a school of thought, and it’s probably a huge factor at play here, that with teammate and fellow Raptors leader DeMar DeRozan being named a starter for the first time in his career, that the former wound up hurting the latter’s chances at making it as a starter three years in a row.
DeMar DeRozan rushes to DeMarcus Cousins' defense. Save him, Masai! pic.twitter.com/TuEJb9qhsF
— William Lou (@william_lou) January 26, 2017
Lowry Named to Eastern Conference All-Star Team as a Reserve – Raptors HQ
While DeRozan is having the best season of his career, Lowry is the engine that makes the Raptors go. The Villanova product is averaging 22.4 points and 6.9 assists while shooting 47 percent from the field and 42 percent from downtown through 45 games.
It might be hard for new Raptors fans to totally understand how far Lowry has come since joining the team in 2012. It wasn’t that long ago when he was labeled as a problem child while getting limited minutes in Memphis and Houston, but the Philadelphia native has blossomed into a star since coming to Canada.
A soon-to-be unrestricted free-agent, re-signing Lowry will be the top priority for Raps general manager Masai Ujiri in the upcoming offseason.
Raptors’ Kyle Lowry named reserve for NBA all-star game | Toronto Star
Lowry’s impact on the Raptors goes far beyond his numbers, though. Even though Toronto is in the midst of a gruesome five-game losing streak, his leadership and bull-like playing style has led the Raptors to a 28-18 record and second place in the Eastern Conference.
While loading up on guards, Eastern Conference coaches left off rookie sensation Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and perennial all-stars Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks and Dwyane Wade of the Chicago Bulls.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPv-chJBaRz/
Why is Kyle Lowry so Underappreciated? – RealGM
The guy is leading the NBA in RPMWins…Above Harden, Westbrook, Durant and Curry.
http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/sort/WINS
The Raptors have the best point differential in the East, although they’ve lost 5 in a row (what’s going on there?).
Is it because his box score stats aren’t as gaudy as Harden and Westbrook? Ok, but Kyle Lowry is a stud and plays both sides of the court! Is it because he plays in Canada? Is it because he’s slowly gotten better overtime and wasn’t a huge star when he was younger? What is it?
The man deserves to be in the same breath as all those other mega-stars.
Raptors Reasonablists: Volume I, Part V (the emergency, please don’t panic edition) – The Athletic
So, they can’t win now without Lowry but they can’t win later if he’s less Lowryish. Wonderful. We know this, of course, but it’s always difficult to stomach. At the very least, they play a mostly cupcake schedule — raisin bran muffin at worst — the rest of the way, so there should at least be opportunities to play one star at a time. And there’s that long stretch mostly off in February around the All-Star break. And as always, we have to acknowledge that “minutes played” is but one number in a suite of data the team has on their players’ health. But I will not stop cringing every time Lowry flings himself into a big man like he’s Sami Zayn against Braun Strowman. (Sorry. “Shilling for wrestling.” I’m trying to delete it.)
I’m glad you’re heartened. I don’t disagree, and my general approach over the last few months, along with clearance for running and playing basketball, is to try to put a lot more positivity out into the world. It has been working, as I feel the best I have in months, maybe years. This is not about basketball, but perhaps it can be applied, and perhaps it’s why DeRozan himself has been unflinchingly positive as his team struggles through this rare stretch of adversity. The points you make are correct (especially the shooting, where they are top-five in 3-point percentage once again this year).
As for the win-now/best-later balance, I think Casey’s right to skew it toward the short-term to try to break out of this slump. I’ve written before that the decision to give Carroll more minutes than Powell, while often frustrating, is justifiable with the big picture in mind, but that was easier to stomach when Carroll was flashing “the real Carroll.” There is plenty of time to get him in a groove while also shifting away from him a bit right now.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPv3qhsg6hJ/
Free Association: Is it time for patience or to panic for the Raptors? – Sportsnet.ca
Off the top of the show they discuss if the Raptors front office should exercise panic or patience in response to the longest losing streak of the season?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPv1uUcASxE/
Is Raptors’ five-game slide a reason to panic? – Video – TSN
With the Raptors in the midst of a five-game losing streak, Leo Rautins and Dave Feschuk debate if the slump should be a big concern for Toronto and if they need to make a move before the trade deadline.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPvXr4JgRD4/
Bringing Up Bebe Week 14: To Stand the Test of Time – Raptors HQ
The legacy of trade “throw-ins,” as Bebe was inevitably referred to after his deal to Toronto, is not great. There are some rough gems scattering the landscape, but for the most part these players are considered cap ballast with only the loosest hope attached to their names. Bebe was once one such as this.
We’ve all had our reasons to be skeptical about Bebe’s ultimate development. He’s been thought to be immature, soft, unprepared. I was certain the Raptors would want to get him away from the much more sensitive (and, at the time, valuable) Bruno Caboclo. But the construction of Bebe continued apace anyway. I think some (as the thread attached to that tweet can attest) had some good feelings about Bebe heading into this year, but it was easy to doubt. New developments have a way of subverting norms like that, until they too become the norm.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPvh1-OlS80/
Raptors, Cavaliers dealing with slumps in very different ways – Sportsnet.ca
Is this the Raptors’ time? Do they need to be bold and make a move on Cleveland? Or is the right approach to be more conservative with tweaks and adjustments to make sure they can maintain the No.2 spot in the East and hold off the lurking Celtics, Hawks and fast-moving Wizards?
The only certainty is that Raptors president Masai Ujiri and general manager Jeff Weltman have thought through everything. Mainly, because they always do.
But if there is an enduring theme to the last three seasons, it’s that Toronto has been rewarded for it’s patience—nearly every player on the Raptors’ roster is proof of that.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPvf5VRAyMu/
Dial 905: The Showcase ends and Delon Wright returns – Raptors HQ
Axel Toupane Provides a Spark
Toupane once again looked like the best player on the court in this one. There were some whispers that Axel would possibly be getting an NBA call up before this game but it did not happen. Toupane, in his super sixth man role, played 21 minutes, scoring 13 points, while adding 6 assists and 7 rebounds. He’s good.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPvpeq7FpVr/
NBA Q&A – Twilight tales of Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce
Nowitzki: Vince just had unbelievable athleticism. I mean, he did stuff that I don’t think we’ve seen before in this league. I was in Oakland at his dunk contest in [2000], and nobody’s ever seen the stuff that he did.
But what kept him so long in the league now was really his skill level, even though obviously he still has some athleticism, still has some hops. But it’s his shot, the repertoire of fadeaways that he’s got, his 3-ball was always money and he’s a big guy for a 2 or 3 that was always good on the block. He’d run a pick-and-roll going to his right, where he was always deadly.
I mean, he was a tough matchup because he could post, and he was so freakishly athletic. He’d come off a down pick and just jump up and really nobody could get to his shot. Obviously, he’s so athletic that once he got going to the rim, you could challenge him, but he was going to put you on a poster. He was fun to watch during his prime.
Game day: Milwaukee Bucks at Toronto Raptors | Toronto Star
KEY MATCHUP
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks, vs. DeMarre Carroll, Raptors. Headed to his first all-star game in New Orleans next month, Antetokounmpo is becoming one of the most versatile offensive players in the league. The six-foot-11 guard-forward is averaging career highs in points (23.5), rebounds (8.9), assists (5.4) and blocks (2.0). His length and quickness could give Carroll fits.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPvl2Z7AsYI/
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