Bulls loss comin’
Gameday: Raptors @ Bulls, Feb. 14 – Raptors Republic: ESPN TrueHoop Network Blog
The Toronto Raptors have blown two games in a row. They’ve dropped 10 of 14 overall. They’re 10-15 since their 22-8 start. They’re 1-9 in games that go into clutch scenarios over their last 15 total games, and they’ve been outscored heavily in those stints. They are blowing winnable games, coughing up leads, digging themselves early holes, failing to put 48 minutes together, and generally playing the worst basketball we’ve seen from this team since April and May of 2015.
You know all of this already. It’s bad, and the team is conceding concern, talking openly about the need for help or the need for change or the need to simply, somehow, just be better. And so of course, they visit the Chicago Bulls next, the one team that no matter how shaky or thinned out or downright bad they’re playing will always, always beat the Raptors. The Bulls have been blown out in three consecutive games, are dealing with four key injuries, and may be in just as bad a place as the Raptors, only lower in the standings.
Naturally, the Bulls are huge favorites (psychologically, if not actually) to right their ship against Toronto. Need a reminder why? Have a look, but have some ambient music or a yoga mat nearby for decompression afterward.
- Feb. 19, 2014: 94-92 home loss; trailed all game, cut lead to one late, DeRozan blocked by Butler on final possession.
- Nov. 13, 2014: 100-93 home loss; led for 20 minutes early, outscored 35-14 in third quarter.
- Dec. 22, 2014: 129-120 road loss; went six-plus minutes scoreless, gave up 49 in fourth quarter.
- March 20, 2015: 108-92 road loss; pretty thorough bell-to-bell beating, as Bulls led for 40 minutes.
- March 25, 2015: 116-103 home loss; led for 39 minutes, outscored 39-21 in fourth quarter.
- Dec. 28, 2015: 104-97 road loss; squandered Scola scoring 12 in the first when Snell scored 16 in the fourth.
- Jan. 3, 2016: 115-113 home loss; The Jimmy Butler Second Half Game.
- Feb. 19, 2016: 116-106 road loss; Valanciunas goes 11-and-6 in first, then McDermott drops 30 and Bulls take second half 64-48.
- March 14, 2016: 109-107 home loss; McDermott drops 29 again, Raptors don’t lead over final 47 minutes, DeRozan blocked by Butler on final possession.
- Jan. 7, 2017: 123-118 OT road loss; Butler scores 32 over second half and overtime as Raptors blow 13-point lead in final seven-plus minutes of regulation.
- There was also The VaLINtine’s Day Game the last time the Raptors played on Feb. 14, and if you don’t think Denzel Valentine is going to spin pun-headline gold here, you don’t know these two teams.
https://soundcloud.com/raptorsreasonablists/s1e06-say-it-like-you-mean-it
Time has come for Toronto Raptors to make bold decisions – Sportsnet.ca
Regardless of what path the Ujiri chooses it’s hard to justify him choosing nothing at this stage. But the choices come with consequences. On paper, a deal for Ibaka would seem to help the Raptors now as they struggle to stay among the top-four in the East, and would seem to keep them competitive for the next few years, presuming Lowry is re-signed.
https://audioboom.com/posts/5603941-raptors-02-13-2017-permission-to-freak-out-granted
Raptors Power Rankings Week 16: Is It Time to Worry? – Raptors HQ
It’s never a good thing for a team’s best player to say he’s “starting to get worried.” Sure, the fans can worry, the broadcasters can worry, the reporters can worry, but please, not the best player. Nevertheless, Kyle Lowry did say it, the Raptors keep losing, and here we are. Earlier today, the Raps trotted out after shootaround to douse some water on the fires ignited by Lowry’s statements, but I’m here to tell you: the worry has not dissipated.
Where then does that leave us for the Power Rankings? As you can expect, the situation is a tad grim. After a couple of months spent in the league’s top 5, Toronto continues to tumble out of the top 10 and the questions around the team’s future success keep getting louder and louder. We tiptoe into the Power Rankings this week with much trepidation.
Game Preview: Raptors at Bulls | Toronto Raptors
“There’s a plethora of things that can be changed to help our team but right now everything is magnified to the 20th degree because of how we’re playing,” Kyle Lowry said. “Things are not going well right now and it kind of sucks.
“We’re not responding to adversity well at all [right now]. We’ve just got figure it out. every single thing we do is tough right now on us. Shots are tough, defensively guys are making shots on us. We’ve got to find ways to dictate the game a lot better.”
While the Raptors have been getting better defensively for stretches of the game, those stretches need to get longer. Playing with the lead is also an area where the team needs to improve.
“Moving the basketball, making sure we get screens, proper spacing, all those things [are important],” Dwane Casey said. “This shot may be a good shot when you’re trying to create a lead, but it may not be a good one when you’re up six or nine with five minutes to go.”
Bulls’ young players have looked underwhelming in wake of injuries – Chicago Tribune
“There’s no excuse,” coach Fred Hoiberg said. “Those guys are out here practicing. They’re NBA players. You have to go fight and give yourself a chance. We didn’t do that against Minnesota.
“These guys are itching for their opportunity. Now it’s about performing, doing things the right way, building the right habits for a lot of guys who haven’t had a lot of playing time.”
Granted, it’s hard to fully judge the Bulls these days because of the health picture.
They’re 0-3 without both Wade and Jimmy Butler, who participated in part of Monday’s practice. They’re 1-2 when Butler sits and Wade plays. And they’re 3-1 when Wade sits and Butler plays.
Taj Gibson a rumored target for Toronto Raptors – Blog a Bull
If the Raptors are willing to send 2 from that list of young players and picks, I think this is an easy deal to make. Mason Plumlee, also an upcoming free agent, was just traded for a 2017 first and a player on a rookie deal (Jusuf Nurkic), so it stands to reason that the Bulls could get something similar for either Gibson or Mirotic. That of course assumes they’re willing to sacrifice their slim margin in that ‘stay competitive’ track they’re supposedly on.
Raptors still on same page despite struggles | Toronto Star
“We’re not responding to the adversity well at all,” Lowry said. “We’ve just got to figure it out. Every single thing we do is just tough right now on us. Shots are tough and defensively guys are making shots on us. We’ve got to find ways to dictate the game a lot better.”
The Raptors’ problems did not suddenly become apparent in this most recent 14-game stretch. The last time they faced the Chicago Bulls, who they visit Tuesday night, the team was plagued by a now familiar storyline: the Raptors started the fourth quarter of that early January contest with a 12-point lead, only to blow a game which seemed all but put to bed.
Toronto’s self-destructive behaviour that evening allowed Chicago to put up 33 points in the final 12 minutes and another 16 in overtime.
Toronto was riding a 24-12 record at the time, so while Lowry lamented the loss to the Bulls in the aftermath, no one was pressing the panic button.
Today, things are more dire. But Tuesday is another day, Lowry said.
“We’ve got a chance to go and win games. We win the game and we get better. That’s all we can ask for is to continue to grow and get better as a group.”
The Raptors are bowing to the King: Feschuk | Toronto Star
Lowry wouldn’t speak to the root of his quarrel when asked to elaborate on Monday. And in the wake of another close loss, there were those who theorized he wasn’t thrilled with a coaching staff whose late-game play-calling sometimes raises eyebrows.
“I take that as frustration,” head coach Dwane Casey said Monday, reacting to Lowry’s Sunday comments. “Kyle and I, we have a husband-wife relationship that’s good and bad. We go at each other. But again, we know we’re in the foxhole together. And I didn’t take that in any way as a slight or a negative. “
Coaching isn’t the issue here, folks. It’d be disingenuous for Lowry to complain about the guy calling the plays when Lowry is consistently handed the ball with the game on the line. As much as Casey has been criticized for overplaying Lowry, the bench options are limited, and Lowry can’t be upset that the high-volume workload has helped him post career-best numbers in a contract year.
No, Lowry’s issues have to go well beyond coaching. He can’t be thrilled that the Raptors, after last spring’s franchise-best post-season run, replaced Luis Scola and Bismack Biyombo — along with their combined 14 seasons of NBA experience — with a couple of rookies, Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poeltl, who are promising but green.
Lowry can’t be thrilled that, as a result, the Raptors play every night with a gaping hole at power forward — one Ujiri hoped might be filled by off-season acquisition Jared Sullinger, whose problems with injury and conditioning have rendered him a non-factor. Lowry can’t be thrilled, either, that Jonas Valanciunas has flat-lined as an offensive contributor and remains a slow reactor on the defensive end. Lowry can’t be thrilled that, as a result, the team lacks veteran savvy in the frontcourt.
