#FlattenTheCurve
Irving: I think come playoff time when we see him defending the likes of the players you just named, we’ll directly point to this past stretch of five games at the start of March and say “that’s where OG gained the confidence he needed to make these matchups possible.”
He just looked fearless out there. Like he could stop any player Nurse asked him to. And the fact that he’s still only 22 years old is insane, too. But we always knew he had a high ceiling defensively. Does his offensive inconsistency worry you at all about his development in the future? Or do you think it’s just a product of him only stepping up when he has to since there’s still so much offensive firepower on this team?
McGregor: I won’t say it worries me per se. Well, as long as the consistency is the next focus in his development.
Like you said, the offensive firepower present on this roster means that he’s probably the fifth or sixth option when the team is at full strength, which is actually scary to think considering he’s again increased his offensive output this season to just under 11 points per game. But consistency is key.
I understand that his role fluctuates because guys on this team essentially take turns stepping up to take over, but when things change up for a seven-game series, you just need to know exactly what you can count on him for. A consistent floor of some sorts.
It doesn’t have to be much. Maybe a corner triple plus a strong drive and a trip to the line per game. But it has to be consistent. It helps that his defence can create offence for himself and others.
Raptors Enter Realm of Unknown as COVID-19 Takes Control | Complex
Serge Ibaka stood slightly crouched at the centre of the Utah Jazz logo at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Monday. His arm, bent at the elbows arched upwards, readying itself to tap the orange basketball that would soon be mid-air away from Rudy Gobert. As referee Rodney Mott sent the ball on its course, the two centres rose and collided, Gobert coming away with the decisive tap to Mike Conley.
On Utah’s second possession, Donovan Mitchell received a pass from Royce O’Neale a few feet beyond the top of the arc and attacked Norman Powell with a dribble going left. Ibaka came over to help after Powell was beat, his contest forcing a miss from Mitchell’s left-handed layup attempt. Over the next 47 minutes, both rosters would jostle for rebounding position, shoot over outstretched arms, and dive for loose balls. Ibaka even performed his customary ritual of kissing the ball after a Gobert free throw.
These were much simpler times, of course, but the NBA’s announcement that the 2019-20 season would be suspended with immediate effect on Wednesday in recognition of a global pandemic in the coronavirus threw each event involving the two players who tested positive, Mitchell and Gobert, under a microscope. As a result, members of the Toronto Raptors, from players to coaches to training staff, were asked to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days, with the hope of addressing priority No. 1 for all right now: social distancing to buy time and minimize the amount of treatment necessary.
Thankfully, the team confirmed Friday night that all the tests conducted Wednesday through Thursday morning on the back of a pair of public appearances—Nick Nurse’s charity concert and Norman Powell’s annual bowling night in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto—came back negative. It appears the Raptors’ defence is capable of even more than we thought.
Still, based on the advice of Toronto Public Health, those who were asked to self-isolate will continue to do so. Gasol hopefully has the accompaniment of several wines of his choice while Lowry is probably watching his beloved Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl and his spectacular 26-point, 10-assist NBA Finals Game 6 performance against the Golden State Warriors on repeat. Chris Boucher and Stanley Johnson have shared through their respective social media accounts that they’re passing time by playing video games, while Malcolm Miller even shared his Twitch account for people to follow him.
As COVID-19 has brought unforeseen challenges to the Toronto sports landscape and entire GTA community, Team Presidents Bill Manning of TFC and the Argonauts, Brendan Shanahan of the Maple Leafs, Masai Ujiri of the Raptors and Mark Shapiro of the Blue Jays have teamed up and are personally contributing and leading the charge for their teams to create a special assistance fund to further assist arena/stadium and support staff for their respective organizations should they be in need of extra financial assistance during this very difficult time.
The Team Toronto Fund will see team management, coaches and players from all five teams contribute to the fund to provide additional aid to the many workers that support them each and every day and night.
“For me, the definition of teammate was never limited to the people who wear our jersey or who work for the Raptors. We showed that last spring in good times. Now we’re coming together to get through these unprecedented times,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said. “Being a good teammate means looking out for our neighbours, friends and the people we work with. Through this fund, we all pledge to be good teammates to our arena, stadium and support staff. We want to be here for them, the way they are always here for us.”
Sheriff’s deputy behind Masai Ujiri lawsuit was convicted of insurance fraud: report | The Star
Fox News affiliate KTVU in San Mateo, Calif. reported Sunday that Alan Francis Strickland, the Alameda County sheriff’s deputy behind the lawsuit, was “charged with felony insurance fraud and making false statements on March 31, 1994.”
“Strickland ended up pleading no contest to misdemeanor insurance fraud on Dec. 7, 2005, court records show,” KTVU reported on its website. “The false statement charge, a misdemeanour, was dropped in exchange for the no-contest plea, which has the same legal effect as pleading guilty. The fraud charge was discovered when Strickland was applying to be a San Mateo police officer in 2005 — a job he did not get, KTVU learned after reviewing court documents and investigators’ notes at the time.”
A spokesperson from Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment said Sunday that the organization would have no comment on the new information. When the suit was originally launched, MLSE said in a statement:
“We are disappointed but not at all surprised Mr. Strickland has elected to take this path. His claims are baseless and entirely without merit. They should and will be viewed appropriately for what they are. The Toronto Raptors and Masai have jointly retained very able counsel who will be handling this matter on our behalf and consequently, we do not intend to make any further statement about it.”
The 48-year-old Strickland was acting as a guard near the Oracle Arena court on the night the Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors to win the first championship in franchise history. He tried to prevent Ujiri from going on to the court to take part in the celebration, later claiming Ujiri didn’t have proper credentials. Raptors guard Kyle Lowry eventually escorted Ujiri on to the court to celebrate.
1. How is your health?
2. Are you going to coach?
3. Should the Raptors retire your jersey?With all that's been going on lately I thought I'd start answering questions I hear the most from ya'll. Comment below with what you want me to answer👇🏿 or text me (305) 931-0233 pic.twitter.com/3IIDak3wKi
— Chris Bosh (@chrisbosh) March 14, 2020
Chris Bosh Believes Toronto Raptors Should Retire His Jersey – Heat Nation
After answering a question about his health and one about his interest in coaching, Bosh answered one from fans wondering if he thinks the Toronto Raptors should retire his jersey.
“Sure, I think so,” Bosh said. “That would be an honor. That would be both an honor and a privilege. You know, it was such good times and the more I get removed from it, the more I realize that it was special and it was some great times.
“Even though we didn’t get as many wins as I would have liked to, it was more about the spirit of the city and wanting to win and I’m so happy that Toronto got their championship last year. They were able to celebrate that and as a city, get to experience that because that’s what the NBA is about.”
