44-17; Flat Earth up next
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3sVl_fJ730
NBA Power Rankings – Warriors slump out of the break, fall to No. 2
3. Toronto Raptors
Record: 44-17
PREV. RANK 3 | LAST 2 WEEKS 3-1 | NEXT WEEK BOS, POR, @DET
The mutual love between Raptors fans and DeMar DeRozan genuinely displayed on Friday was one of the best moments of an NBA season beset by superstar discontent and transactional intrigue. On the heels of the big win, the Raptors suffered a letdown loss without Kawhi Leonard on Sunday at home to Orlando. By no means do the Raptors have an easy schedule ahead (not with Boston coming to town on Tuesday), but they will be favored in their next 10 games. — Arnovitz
NBA Power Rankings: Nuggets, Warriors continue battle for West supremacy | SI.com
7. Raptors | Last Week: 1-1 | Overall: 44-17 | Previous Ranking: 5
Sunday’s loss to the Magic stopped a seven-game winning streak and moved the Raptors to three back of the Bucks in the loss column. With 15 of their final 21 games against teams below .500, they’ll have an opportunity to make up ground in the standings, but they won’t have too many more shots to compare themselves to other title contenders before the playoffs start.
Which is why Tuesday’s game against Boston is the one to watch for Toronto. Additionally, this is a time for the Raptors to show just what type of killer instinct they have. The turmoil in Boston appears to have reached a fever pitch. The Celtics just lost to the Bulls by 10, Kyrie Irving is upset over people talking about his friendships and the team is still only fifth in the East.
Toronto has a chance to put to bed concerns that they are destined to flame out in May, showing the world that trading for Kawhi Leonard and Marc Gasol really did move this team into the league’s highest tier.
Power Rankings, Week 20: Blazers, Nuggets make their move | NBA.com
5 There’s still time for the Raptors to tinker with lineups and figure out how their new pieces best fit together. But it’s not clear if there’s anything to glean from Marc Gasol’s first start (Sunday against Orlando) in that it was an ugly afternoon game in which Kawhi Leonard didn’t play. Another issue in regard to data collection is that their game against the Celtics on Tuesday is the Raptors’ last within the top five in the East. With three games in the loss column separating them from the first-place Bucks and another three games in the loss column separating them from the third-place Pacers, no team (well, other than the Bucks) is more locked into its playoff seed than the Raptors. After hosting Boston and Portland this week, they will play 15 of their final 19 games against teams that currently have losing records. They do have eight games remaining against potential first-round opponents (the five teams that currently rank No. 6-10 in the East). Amazingly though, the next four of those are on Sundays.
3. Worst-case scenario: It turns out the Marc Gasol trade doesn’t work out as well as hoped, and the Raptors can’t quite find an identity post-Gasol. (This worst-case scenario, by the way, is the exact opposite of what I expect will happen.) Kawhi Leonard doesn’t find another gear, Nick Nurse shows his lack of coaching experience and the Raptors get handled in the second round of the playoffs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy1qPxXCkTo
Raptors focused on integrating Lin, Gasol ahead of clash with Celtics – Sportsnet.ca
“The hardest part for me, I think, is trying to figure it out when Kawhi’s not there. There’s kind of another team, and another whole different rotation that’s going on — and then keeping that in mind for when Kawhi is back,” Nurse said. “I don’t see playing either one of those lineups tomorrow night, for instance, because he’s back, he fills a hole at the three-four and keeps some size on the floor, keeps OG on the bench and gets him to the size with the second unit.”
Soon, the with-or-without Leonard dance will be over. At least one presumes. The Raptors have some very grave problems if Leonard is forced to miss time during the playoffs. But there has been zero indication to this point that Leonard’s ‘load management’ will extend beyond the end of the regular season.
Watching Sunday’s loss — only the fourth time the Raptors have lost in 17 games without Leonard — from the bench, Leonard took note of how out-of-sorts the Raptors offence looked, and how a few timely Magic buckets, particularly from star centre Nikola Vucevic, put the game out of reach.
“Our offence was a little stagnant,” Leonard said. “Messed up on the defensive coverage a couple times. That was pretty much the ballgame.”
Asked if there will be games like that when a team’s assimilating new players like Gasol and Lin, Leonard shifted focus to the Raptors as a whole, and the team-wide improvements that need to be made between now and the playoffs.
“Just basically executing on offence, having the same energy every night. Really just execution and trying to limit mistakes,” he said. “Little mistakes, big mistakes — you know, just defensive assignments and execution. Execution consists of doing the right thing, knowing what you’re doing with a purpose.”
Boston will provide a good test of that execution Tuesday night. Who’s to say which Celtics team shows up. But the Raptors certainly know which version of themselves they want to show.
Raptors take advantage of rare practice time to get on same page | Toronto Sun
Time is no longer Toronto’s ally.
With February nearly in the rearview, suddenly, the playoffs are within sight. While Toronto’s record is impressive and the expectation is the team will mount a deep playoff run, some important new faces (we’re looking at you, Marc Gasol and Jeremy Lin) have recently arrived, Kawhi Leonard’s been in and out of the lineup, and on some nights it looks like everybody just met.
Nights (or days) like Sunday’s poor performance against the Orlando Magic.
But with the roster finally settled, it’s time for the Raptors to make some hay on the cohesion front. That starts with taking advantage of opportunities to get practice time in, like Monday’s long session.
“I thought we had a good learning day. We, not only for the short term but the long term, we did a lot, a lot of film today on a lot, a lot of topics,” said head coach Nick Nurse.
“Some on last night, some tomorrow night (against the talented Boston Celtics) and some not related to not last night or tomorrow night, relating to the long term. They’re good, super locked in today, very good discussion, very good back and forth, very good intellect so I think it was a good day,” Nurse said.
Raptors continue their quest for consistency as the games get more important | The Star
Leonard’s attitude is much needed for a Raptors team that has had its eyes on playing for a championship since it got together last September in Vancouver. The seven-year veteran, who has played in two NBA finals, is dogged in chasing perfection, even though he knows it’s not attainable.
What is attainable is limiting silly mistakes and playing with consistency night to night.
“Little mistakes, big mistakes … just defensive assignments and execution,” Leonard said, discussing what needs to be worked on. “Execution consists of doing the right thing, knowing what you’re doing with a purpose. Just basically executing on offence, having the same energy every night.”
Leonard’s assertions could seem clichéd — “getting better every game” is as nebulous a goal as exists in sports because it really doesn’t mean anything specific — but they are appropriate to Toronto’s needs over the final quarter of the regular season.
The Raptors have never truly measured themselves against any other team in the league. They have measured themselves against themselves, confident that if they bring out the best in the group consistently, it doesn’t matter what the other guys do.
There will be ups and downs, without doubt. The Raptors will likely have at least a couple of games as bad as Sunday’s thrashing at the hands of the Orlando Magic, but they are also likely to have as many tense games like Friday’s against San Antonio. That’s where learning to minimize mistakes will be the most important. Sometimes winning or losing simply comes down to making or missing shots but effort, cohesion and execution are things that can be worked on constantly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLCYIor6hLM
Figuring out the optimal starting and closing lineups for the Toronto Raptors – Raptors Rapture
Seeing how Gasol plays with the starting group will be the storyline surrounding the team over the next seven weeks. But even more importantly, the Raptors need to see how Jeremy Lin incorporates his playstyle next to the bench – with and without Gasol.
Finding the best closing lineup requires an updated understanding of the current roster. As most fans know, Fred VanVleet is going to miss an additional four weeks with a hand injury, meaning the second unit and a few of the team’s traditional closing units will be affected.
Recently signed guard Jeremy Lin will replace him as lead play-maker in the second unit going forward. This is a bit of an unfair expectation given his time with the team, and though Gasol does not have the advantage in experience with the Raptors, he has the experience, period.
Gasol will become a key piece in the bench lineup when it comes time for VanVleet to take over playmaking duties from Lin. He will serve as the perfect middle-man for both players to be able to play together. While we haven’t seen any of this combination, I personally don’t believe the Raptors have a choice here, unless Norm Powell suddenly becomes a pseudo-bench captain – a scenario that isn’t likely.
Trying to imagine Serge Ibaka playing center next to a pair of play-makers who have little experience together (and one who has proven to be ineffective with Ibaka) is tough to digest. Additionally, OG Anunoby wouldn’t be able to use his strengths as a cutter without a passing five-man on the floor.
Toronto Raptors: Serge Ibaka’s excellent season being overlooked – Hoops Habit
For the season, Ibaka is averaging 15.9 points per game, on track to be the highest scoring average of his career. He’s also grabbing 8.1 rebounds per game, which puts him on course for the second highest rebounding average of his career.
Ironically, he is getting this done despite some of the worst 3-point shooting of his career. His shooting slump pins his 3-point accuracy at 26.1 percent, the worst since he added a long-range game to his arsenal around the 2012-13 season. Imagine what’s going to happen to his numbers if and when he snaps out of this shooting funk.
Of course, Ibaka used to stake his reputation on being a defensive stud. Once upon a time, he was a three-time member of the All-NBA Defensive First Team. He’s also led the NBA in blocks twice. He won’t repeat that feat this year, though he will likely lead the Raptors in blocks (1.3 per game).
While his defense is in decline, Ibaka has more than made up for it on the offensive end. Prior to Saturday’s slate of games, Ibaka placed fifth in the NBA with a 115.8 offensive rating – again, without the benefit of even one made 3-pointer a game.
This simple possession shows why the Toronto Raptors traded for Marc Gasol | NBA.com
If Gasol wasn’t a capable outside shooter – Brook Lopez is the only centre to have made more 3-pointers than him over the last couple of seasons – Aldridge wouldn’t have needed to follow him all the way out to the perimeter.
With him out of the paint and the other Spurs guarding perimeter players, nobody was standing between Powell and the rim when he made a backdoor cut.
Gasol led him perfectly to the basket by lobbing a pass over Aldridge’s long arms, setting Powell up for a layup over Belinelli.
Few big men are as comfortable as Gasol operating from that area of the court. According to NBA.com, he’s led the league in elbow touches per game in each of the last six seasons. He’s also led the league in assists per game from the elbows in five of those six seasons, this season being the first time he hasn’t since 2013-14, though he trails only Nikola Jokic by a small margin.
Even though his assist against the Spurs didn’t quite come from the elbow, one of the five assists he handed out in Toronto’s loss to the Orlando Magic a couple of days later did.
It was almost identical, only with Kyle Lowry selling the handoff as opposed to Powell.
As talented as they are, Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas don’t have those types of passes in their repertoire. Whereas Gasol has handed out five or more assists in more than 200 games in his NBA career, Ibaka and Valanciunas have combined for only four.
Raptors’ Gasol shows potential for greater impact in first start – Sportsnet.ca
Whoever they end up playing, and however far they go, Gasol’s contributions will need to be significant.
Then again, Gasol was made for this — a cliché that fits.
Doing what’s required? Thinking team before personal role? Taking less so that others can eat? Gasol learned all these qualities at home, as his older brother Pau — in town Friday with the Spurs — was happy to explain.
“I think our parents did an incredible job just teaching us what’s really important in life, what matters,” the elder Gasol said. “At the end of the day this is a game that we play. We’re extremely fortunate to be able to do that, and it’s highly rewarded in many ways. So it’s just basketball.
“And you’ve got to sacrifice, and you’ve got to understand that in team sport, everyone’s got to sacrifice a little bit of himself to fulfill the team goals, and succeed as a team. So that’s something we’ve been taught about. Respect and humility and tolerance and all those things, and appreciation.”
Marc echoed his brothers view:
“It’s not just about what you do for a living,” he said. “It’s more about who you are as a person and understanding that whatever you do, there are a lot of moving parts around you and all of them are just as important as you.”
But in the heat of the playoffs — or even in a Sunday afternoon regular-season game — Gasol can often be the most important player on the floor.
The best plays he made weren’t the expert pick-and-roll sequence he ran with Lowry — between them they have 24 years of NBA experience and some of the most advanced basketball understanding in the league.
They’ll figure it out.
After long road back, Jodie Meeks gets some redemption with Raptors | Yardbarker.com
Jodie Meeks played in an NBA game on Sunday for the first time in approximately 10 months, making his first appearance as a member of the Toronto Raptors.
The veteran shooting guard was hit with a 25-game suspension at the end of last season for violating the league’s anti-drug program, was traded from the Wizards to the Bucks in the offseason, and was ultimately cut by Milwaukee.
Meeks, 31, didn’t get another NBA offer until last week, when the Raptors signed him to a 10-day contract.
“When I got the call this past week, I was really excited and knew that I was ready for the opportunity,” Meeks said, per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca. “I’m just looking at it as a chance to prove myself again. I’m trying not to look at it as a 10-day. Don’t put any pressure on yourself — just go out there and play hard. Just come in ready when your number’s called, like any other player on this team. (The Raptors) have treated me very well here. I know I’ve only been here a few days, but it’s a first-class organization. I hope to stay.”
Meeks made a good first impression on Sunday, scoring 10 points and making a pair of three-pointers in 17 minutes off the bench. His 10-day deal will expire Friday night, but if he keeps knocking down shots, he should get another opportunity in Toronto or elsewhere.
02-25-19 – Ferrall on the Bench – Ferrall on Kawhi Leonard | CBS Sports Radio
Ferrall says Kawhi Leonard would be dumb to go to the Clippers this summer and play second fiddle to Lebron and the Lakers
Why do NBA teams keep winning without their superstars? – USA Today
In Toronto, Kawhi Leonard is given much of the credit for the Raptors’ outstanding season, but similarly, don’t be fooled into thinking they can’t play when he’s gone. In the absence of Leonard, Toronto was 13-3 until an untimely defeat to the Orlando Magic on Saturday.
But why?
Well, despite how much we have become conditioned to think otherwise, basketball is still a game comprised of five important players per side.
Having great, transcendent, influential players matters, but it is not the only thing.
Toronto’s Ujiri determined to find the next Embiid via new African league – ESPN
“Outside of maybe LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, there are two freak types in the NBA now,” he says. “Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.” (Bucks star Antetokounmpo, of course, hails from Greece but is the son of two Nigerian immigrants.)
“He’s African. I don’t care what anybody says,” Ujiri continues. “So, you mean to tell me with the development of basketball on the continent, and what’s to come, you’re telling me there aren’t two guys like that walking around on the continent?
“There’s a lot of them. It’s just, how do you develop courts? How do you develop leagues? How do you develop programs? How do you encourage youth? The NBA is doing a magnificent job. We need to do even more.”
Ujiri has been a part of all that. His Giants of Africa camps, which gain attention through basketball so they can teach life lessons, have been around for 15 years. GOA has funded courts. Ujiri has inspired kids. Now, that commitment has contributed to, well, even more.
During All-Star Weekend, nearly a year after Ujiri pledged to continue his push, the NBA and FIBA announced a joint venture: a new 12-team league based in Africa. It will be called the Basketball Africa League (BAL) and will tip off in January 2020.
“This was the next step,” Ujiri says now, sinking into another leather chair, this one in a tiny greenroom. He had just spoken at an event in celebration of Black History Month.
Ujiri doesn’t have an official position with the new league but says that he’s involved and helps when and where he can. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has kept him abreast of developments, and Ujiri’s boss, Raptors co-owner Larry Tanenbaum, has been part of it all as the president of the NBA’s board of governors.
Raptors Record Without Kawhi Leonard is Impressive | theduel
Look for complimentary players like Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol and Pascal Siakam to shoulder more of the offensive burden without Kawhi. In fact, Siakam was ridiculous in his last game without Kawhi, tallying 44 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks while shooting 60 percent from the floor and 80 percent from beyond the arc.
Ultimately, Nick Nurse is coaching at an extremely high level right now. Nurse is maximizing the potential of the Raptors’ roster, which lets Toronto rest Kawhi and keep him fresh for the postseason.
While this team is undeniably better when Kawhi does play, Raptors’ fans have to be encouraged by Toronto’s impressive record without their superstar this season.
Part I: Kawhi Stay Or Kawhi Go, The Case For Canada – Forbes
The Raptors own Leonard’s Bird Rights, meaning they’ll be able to go over the cap to retain him, so ultimately, whether or not he stays will depend on if Ujiri can convince him that Toronto is the best place for him to spend the prime of his career.
If Marc Gasol picks up his player option worth roughly $25.6 million for the 2019-20 season, that would guarantee a hefty tax bill for Raptors’ owner Larry Tanenbaum; but the reality is that all the true contenders tend to go deep into the luxury tax to build their teams, so that just comes with the territory.
The best case for Toronto would be convincing Gasol to opt out and re-up on a comparable deal over a longer period of time. He wouldn’t be looking at an annual salary in the $20-million range, but maybe he’d bite on a three-year deal with an annual salary of $15-$18 million if he felt he had a real chance of chasing a championship in Canada. That’s likely more money than Gasol could hope to make as a 36-year-old free agent in 2020, and it would give the Raptors some more flexibility in filling out the rest of the roster.
Speaking of financial flexibility, while Masai Ujiri has made a lot of brilliant moves during his time at the helm in Toronto, extending Normal Powell to a four-year, $42 million deal during the 2016-17 season could not be described as one of his better decisions. Sure, Powell has had a handful of nice games throughout his career, but it’s impossible to justify awarding a $10 million annual salary to a guy with career averages of 6.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. However, if Ujiri could work some magic and flip Powell for a future pick this summer, that would open up enough cap space to pursue guys like Wayne Ellington, Kelly Oubre Jr., Reggie Bullock or Justin Holiday during free agency.
Danny Green has emerged as a crucial piece on this Toronto team, and with the Raptors also owning his Bird Rights they’ll be able to go over the cap to keep him. Toronto will handle Leonard’s contract situation first, but getting a verbal commitment from Green would bolster their case as contenders when management makes their pitch to Kawhi. The market for shooting guards will be thin this summer, so if they can get Green to agree to a contract with an annual salary in the $5-$8 million range – that would be a no brainer.
Again, how far the Raptors go in this year’s postseason will likely be one of the primary motivating factors in Leonard’s decision this summer, but a hard fought battle in the Eastern Conference Finals (or Finals) would give Kawhi something to seriously think about. This team is built to win now, they can keep the current core together for at least one more season, and with LeBron James ceding the Eastern Conference throne with his move to Los Angeles; a Kawhi-led Raptors team could easily emerge as the new Kings of the East.
Let’s embrace the Toronto Raptors’ future with help from DeMar DeRozan – Raptors HQ
DeMar DeRozan’s first game back in Toronto since he was traded to the Spurs had an uncanny, dreamlike feel. The poetic symmetry inherent in the DeMar DeRozan-Kawhi Leonard trade meant it was destined to be an emotional night; from a narrative standpoint, the two were almost photo negatives, each one’s strengths highlighting what the other seemed to lack. DeRozan is a complex, vulnerable figure who’s been unprecedently open about his emotional life, and his personal journey from rookie to All-Star was so completely intertwined with the growth of this city that he literally made himself its metonym. Leonard, meanwhile, is a charming but completely inscrutable superstar with zero commitment to this city past the end of this season, and an inner life so comically opaque that it’s become a meme.
Trading the former for the latter was a clear statement of priority: DeRozan’s ability to grow as a Raptor seemed to have plateaued, but his dedication to the team over the years was what had made it into the kind of franchise that could afford to turn him loose in the first place. It’s just business, a lot of people said after the trade went through — which is either an excuse or an indictment, depending on how you feel.
The trade may have stung at the time, but no one can deny it’s been exciting to have Leonard on the Raptors. His presence has given the team a new momentum, and DeRozan is playing some of the best basketball of his life — so maybe there’s nothing to feel weird about after all. Still, as coach Nick Nurse himself admitted on Friday, the Raptors’ first messy loss to the Spurs back in January revealed some leftover emotional baggage. There’s a real risk in charging forward into the future before you’ve fully reconciled with your own past. If you’re not careful, you can end up haunted.
