Apologies for the lack of Morning Coffees of late. We’ve had some technical difficulties but like DeMar’s three, that problem’s been resolved.
The future is now for Masai Ujiri and Raptors | Raptors | Sports | Toronto Sun
Like Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Nic Batum and Mike Conley, DeRozan is eligible for a new deal starting at as much as $24.3 million a season and escalating from there, since the cap is rocketing from $63.1 million to $90 million.
Just about every team will have ample cap space, including his hometown Los Angeles Lakers, so DeRozan suddenly will be in a whole new economic stratosphere. Kyle Lowry will be in a similar situation a year later when he also can opt out.
With so many teams having money burning holes in their pockets, both all-stars will get paid a ton, even if they remain in Toronto.
While his hometown Lakers surely will be one of those suitors — they long have had interest in the swingman — DeRozan has always been fiercely loyal to the organization that drafted him, paid him what at the time was considered above market value on an extension (eventually it became one of the shrewdest bargains of then general manager Bryan Colangelo’s career) and made him the face of the franchise. He loves the city and the fanbase arguably much more than Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter or Chris Bosh ever did.
“I think I’m just excited for being in Toronto and people really getting a chance to see what Toronto is like,” DeRozan said Thursday after practice about his thoughts on the upcoming all-star weekend in T.O.
“The city, the culture, really, to put us on the main stage and let this city get the credit that it deserves that I feel like it never got.”
That was merely his latest public praising of his second home.
Bismack Biyombo had a double-double, with 12 points and 12 rebounds, off the bench for the Raptors in their last game against the Wizards. Biyombo failed to score in his last outing against the Nets, but has been getting consistent minutes for the Raptors and can be a threat on both offense and defense with his rebounding, shot blocking and scoring abilities around the basket.
Will he have a 20-20 game against the Wizards? Probably not. But Biyombo can bang with guys like Marcin Gortat and Nene, and he can also make things tough against small-ball four's who are looking for a shot near the basket.
ToT-cast: Are the Raptors Sacrificing Defence for Offence?
Natey Adjei rejoins the show to talk everything Toronto Raptors. We first dive into their recent stretch of play (1:50) where we discuss DeMarre Carroll‘s health and how the Raptors will defend the perimeter in his absence (3:20). Natey also gives us his three big takeaways from this recent stretch of play (8:00)
Raptors GM Ujiri: DeRozan 'knows he's loved here' – Sportsnet.ca
Specifically addressing that New York Post report, Ujiri merely shrugged it off, stating just how confident he is when it comes to DeRozan’s contract situation.
“We take whatever is written with a pinch of salt because, for me, until the reality comes we prepare ourselves,” he said. “Which is our job, to put our self in position to make the right decision when the time comes. …
“It might not go our way all the time, but 100 per cent we’ll be prepared, we’ll be ready and we’ll make him feel like he belongs here. …
“DeMar knows exactly how much we love him. I talk to his agent probably once a week, at least, to catch up on different things, but there’s nothing we’ve missed out on. We’re very precise and very prepared with how we work and he knows he’s loved here.”
Armed with a player option for next season, DeRozan is expected to opt out of his current deal at the end of this season, where he will likely command a max contract.
Trade (Counter) Proposal: Raptors get Randolph, Grizz get ??
I want Z-Bo as a Raptor, but the Memphis counter-offer is too short-term focussed for my taste. Randolph might have this season and next as an effective player, but that’s it. I’m not willing to sacrifice our long-term future for perhaps 100 games from Randolph.
Grizzlie fans note: TRoss negotiated a big pay raise starting next season. He’s under control for 3 more years at $31 million. Whether the deal is a bargain or a financial millstone remains to be seen.
If I were on the Grizzlies’ side …
Nets covet DeMar DeRozan, who plans Raptors opt-out | New York Post
The Nets will have about $40 million in cap space this summer, and they got an up-close look Wednesday at one of their primary expected targets: DeMar DeRozan.
The Toronto shooting guard had 15 points, five assists, four boards and two steals in the Raptors’ 91-74 win at Barclays Center. He has a player option worth just more than $10 million for next season, but a source close to DeRozan told The Post that he will opt out, becoming a free agent. But that doesn’t guarantee he’ll be a Net, or anything other than a Raptor.
“I can tell you he’ll opt out. But how he feels about Brooklyn — or anybody else — I can’t say. Only he can answer that,’’ said the source, who added that DeRozan feels he’s been treated well by the Raptors and “has a trait that’s been lost by so many players. It’s called loyalty.”
DeRozan came into Wednesday 11th in the league in scoring at 22.9 points per game, and averaged 25.0 on 47.1 percent shooting last month, cutting down on his jump shots and getting to the rim or the line consistently. In short, he’d be just what the Nets need.
I had a client on Toronto in Masai’s first year as GM who tells a story about DeMar’s reaction to the Rudy Gay trade. When they traded Rudy Gay, the Raptors were on a West Coast trip and there was word around the NBA that as an organization they had made the decision to go all-in on tanking in hopes of getting the first-overall pick. The night after the trade was announced, they were playing the Lakers. Well, Toronto went out and played one of their best games of the year that night. It was the game Kobe came back from his Achilles injury, and everything on paper was set up for the Raptors to roll over, but for whatever reason they didn’t. After that game, they flew back to Toronto and the story goes that when they landed early the next morning, DeMar got off the plane, went right to the arena, met with Masai and told the GM that if the plan was to tank, he had to be moved as well. DeMar, at that young age, took a stand: He wanted his career to be about something. That stand earned a lot of respect from his teammates.
Ultimately, the franchise’s plan to tank fell apart when the Knicks said no to a deal for Kyle Lowry, a move I’m sure New York regrets to this day. And you can point to that weekend as the turning point for the franchise itself—they have been really good ever since.
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Dinos & Digits: Life without DeMarre Carroll – Raptors HQ
DeMarre Carroll is ninth on the team in Player Efficiency Rating (PER) at 11.6 and 10th in Win Shares Per 48 Minutes (WS/48) at .064.
He's also the only Raptor that's played more than 100 minutes this season and has an Offensive Rating under 100 (99). Losing the team's big free agent acquisition from this past offseason for six to eight weeks is a tough blow, but he simply hasn't been right this season and the time off to heal his various ailments might do him (and the team) some good.
