The Raptors Need Outside Help, But Face a Dilemma as Trade Deadline Nears | VICE Sports
A year later and the Raptors are unlikely to run into similar constraints. Their salary structure is more varied this year, and the provisions on deals for Ross and Valanciunas are gone. They absolutely have the pieces—in terms of salary, contribute-now players, prospects, and picks—to put together attractive packages if a big name hits the market (not to the degree Boston or some others do, but they can get into conversations). If they’re looking at a smaller-scale move, Cory Joseph and Jared Sullinger have mid-sized salaries and, while Joseph is well-liked and an important part of a successful second unit, the team has ample guard depth. Fans would be loath to see him go, and his minimum salary moves the needle little for matching, but Norman Powell would be one of the more intriguing trade chips a team could dangle.
In other words, the Raptors are in a better position to deal this year. They have a better salary structure. They have assets with real value. And they have a much better knowledge of who they are, what their strengths are, and where their weaknesses lie.
The thing about trades, though, is that they require a second team to make one. It’s one thing to look at a deal for DeMarcus Cousins on paper, and another to convince the Sacramento Kings to eschew the chance to sign him to a no-brainer extension that the new collective bargaining agreement would allow for. It’s easy to say the Hawks should trade Millsap ahead of free agency, and another to convince the Hawks they’re not a legitimate threat to go to the conference finals if they keep him. And you’d have to convince Carmelo Ant… you know what, forget that one.
The Raptors are in trouble. Can Masai Ujiri save them? – SBNation.com
They have the No. 2 offense in the league, but the scoring attack has been roughly average since Christmas. The defense was average for the first two months of the season, and it’s been worse in the past month. The upshot? Fueled by the offense of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors began the season 22-8. Since then, as things have fallen apart, Toronto has gone 8-11.
The injury bug has hit the Raptors a bit. DeRozan has missed five of the past six games with an ankle injury. That puts a greater load on Lowry given Toronto’s lack of frontcourt scoring. Patrick Patterson, the team’s best power forward, missed 10 of 12 games to open January because of a knee issue. He’s played in each of the past six games, but injuries like that — like DeRozan’s ankle problem — can linger until the offseason.
That has a cumulative effect. Last year the Raptors won 56 games. They are now on pace for 49, and we’re past the midway point of the season. Four teams (including the Celtics and Hawks) won 48 games in the East last season. Boston was aiming higher all along, and it looks like Isaiah will take them there despite the team’s defensive malaise.
Raptors fans are '2 am at the bar' desperate for any name on the rumor mill
— William Lou (@william_lou) February 2, 2017
Four potential landing spots for Serge Ibaka – Orlando Magic Daily
The biggest impact Ibaka should be able to make for the Raptors is on the defensive end. The team has struggled to find someone who can protect the paint. Valnciunas is not a great defender and having Ibaka alongside him can ease the pressure on him.
When it comes to looking at a potential deal, the Magic are probably going to get a few expiring contracts in return and possibly Terrence Ross. Hopefully, the Raptors give up a pick or two so the Magic have something to help build towards the future.
‘Loved our fight’: Raptors see positives in loss to Celtics | Toronto Sun
Defensively the communication was better, although difficult in the fourth when the Garden was in full roar and the entire arena seemed to be feeding off Thomas’ expected fourth-quarter heroics.
The wee Celtics guard did not disappoint, with 19 points in the frame and 44 for the night.
That he used an innocuous quote from Jonas Valanciunas offered up three weeks earlier only proves how far a professional player will go to find ways to motivate himself.
Regardless, we’ve seen Casey upset after losses and that was not the case Wednesday night.
“I thought our guys battled, I loved the fight, scrap,” he said. “We have to continue that, get everybody healthy, guys off the minutes restrictions and then we’ll go to war.”
The minutes restrictions would appear to apply to Patrick Patterson, Casey’s glue defender who makes everything about the Raptors defence just seem to mesh. Patterson was held to just over 20 minutes, not near what Casey likely wanted out of his defensive lynchpin, but probably necessary given the team was playing on back-to-back nights and Patteson is still rounding into form after a layoff.
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Can Raptors compete with LeBron, Cavaliers? – Video – TSN
Former Raptors centre Antonio Davis joins Naylor & Landsberg to discuss the Raptors loss to the Celtics, their chances of competing with the Cleveland Cavaliers and more.
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Why Ignoring Player Ceilings Is Costing The Raptors – Raptors Republic
The Raptors have chosen to take players with high floors and low ceilings for the most part during Masai Ujiri’s tenure. Dwane Casey is a big part of the blame, as he has had a lot of talent that he has not known how to utilize. The Raptors overused Rudy Gay, but if he was used as a stretch 4/small forward hybrid properly, he would have been a massive asset to this basketball team.
Cory Joseph and Patrick Patterson are decent players, but Lou Williams and James Johnson both provide so much more upside at their position, and their upsides are being reached in new places. Joseph is a liability at both ends most nights, and Patterson is a solid two way player, but his inconsistency from three point land makes him someone who is hard to label as a high ceiling.
The point of this article is not to say that the Raptors should have never let Rudy Gay, James Johnson and Lou Williams go, but the point is that they misused them which made them the problem. The talent level in all three guys could each severely impact this team in a positive way right now, and it is a shame that the same misusage is happening with Norman Powell, and that the lack of recognition for upside is hurting this team right now.
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By now, it has been pretty well established Norman Powell is not very outwardly emotional. On the court, you can tell that he is intense and fully engaged, but he is generally not one for clear expressions of joy, anger or much in between. He is not at the complete opposite end of the observationally emotional spectrum as multi-purpose human emoji Lucas Nogueira, but he is close.
However, his blank slate face is being tested. Powell is missing a lot of layups lately — like, a lot. He missed one in the final minutes of a two-point game against San Antonio last week, and the bunnies have not been falling at an alarming rate since then.
Finally, on Tuesday against New Orleans, the Raptors forward snapped — or as close as he comes to doing so, which is not very close at all.
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Bringing Up Bebe Week 15: The Power of Names – Raptors HQ
This past week for the Raptors has been rather uneven. It began with rousing win over the Bucks — after which Bebe got talkative about his underwear — before tumbling into an “atrocious” loss to the Magic, a too-close win over the Pelicans, and a humbling at the hands of Isaiah Thomas and the Celtics. Nogueira’s presence in these games has a causality you can track simply by scrolling through the rolls of text on Twitter and scanning for the word “Bebe.” (Or maybe “Long Weeknd” depending on how many shots he is blocking.) It’s awesome to watch in real time. But Bebe also confounds this expectation.
In the Raptors wins this week, Bebe — his most emotive, random form — was a negative in the curious plus/minus stat (-3 vs. the Bucks, -4 vs. the Pels). In the losses? A combined +16. Sometimes things defy easy description, and order cannot quite be asserted. They continue to stand out as themselves, for better or worse. In the case of Nogueira, I contend that this remains cause for celebration.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQB7F3Uj0FF/
The Kyle Lowry Trade Tree – Court is in Session
Imagine how the NBA landscape would have changed if the Lakers didn’t make a last minute push to sign Nash. It was reported that Nash was leaning towards signing with the Raptors before the Lakers came barging in. Nash would have been a Raptor and Lowry would have remained a Rocket. James Harden might still be in Oklahoma City or somewhere else. It is widely known that current Raptors President Masai Ujiri coveted one particular player in the 2013 NBA Draft that many did not know about at the time – Giannis Antetokounmpo. With Nash and their own draft pick, the Greek Freak would have been a Raptor.
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Kyle Lowry to compete in All-Star 3-Point Contest – Raptors HQ
Of course, as we in Toronto know, Lowry deserves to be in the 3-point contest, full stop. This season, Kyle is shooting a career-best 43 percent from three, on a career-high 7.7 attempts per game — which, by the way, is good for exactly half of his shot attempts this year. (It’s also good for fifth overall in the league.)
And these aren’t just any threes, as we Raptors fans know. Lowry has shown incredibly deep range on the season, taking threes from further and further away, and letting fly in pretty much any instance — going left, right, off the dribble, or standing still. Lowr
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Raptors’ Kyle Lowry back in NBA’s three-point contest | Toronto Star
The best three-point shooting season of Kyle Lowry’s career has landed the Toronto Raptors guard an extra gig at the NBA all-star weekend.
Lowry, shooting a career-best 42.7 per cent from long range, will join defending champion Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors in the three-point shootout on Feb. 18 as part of the league’s all-star weekend.
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What skills has Terrence Ross devloped since his rookie year – RealGM
i remember watching his 51pt game live and he was amazing. i honestly thought he was gonna the next paul george but he never got better. he was drafted as 3pt shooter and thats all he is. he has all tools to be a very good player but mentally he is a dumbass. i dont know why masai is scared to trade him
Game day: Toronto Raptors at Orlando Magic | Toronto Star
KEY MATCHUP
Jonas Valanciunas, Raptors, vs. Nikola Vucevic, Magic. The Orlando centre scorched Toronto with 25 points and 10 rebounds in the Magic’s win last week, making three three-pointers. Valanciunas will have to be better chasing him out on the perimeter. The Raptors centre played a season-low 11:47 against Boston on Wednesday, and had more fouls (four) than points or rebounds (three).
Did I miss something? Send me any Raptors-related article/video to rapsfan@raptorsrepublic.com
