Toronto Raptors - We can't be pathetic forever, can we?

[T Dot O Dot]

we dont need more energy guys at the 4, we need offense at the 4

psycho-T is redundant when you have Amir & Acy

[hedge]

Hansbrow seems like he'd fit in Toronto. He seems kinda canadian-like. I don't know why...

[sotola]

maybe some of the hockey fans will like the Raps more but I can't support dirty play.... hard, aggressive, work your butt off play.... absolutely. undercutting, cheap shots, body checks.... no thanks. like i said, some nights i will probably like his play but, i suspect, on most nights i am just gonna cringe when he nearly ends a different players' career. He's like Rodman was when he lost his marbles (post Piston to first year Bulls) but without half the talent.

[Bklyn]

Hansbrow seems like he'd fit in Toronto. He seems kinda canadian-like. I don't know why...

LMAO

[T Dot O Dot]

the goon puckheads who love hardhits & hockey fights are gonna cream over Hansbrough

[Jungle Rat]

So are their dads. I hear his mom is a horn dog who likes anal.

[Bklyn]

All true. Little known fact, Hansbrough was one of the few children conceived via anal in America.

It happens all the time in the Meditteranean, fwiw.

[Jungle Rat]

That's why he's so angry. He was born anally.

[sotola]

awesome... we beat the other teams to the punch looking for our BACK UP PG.

3 whole teams wanted this guy... at the most demanding positions in the game.... 3rd string PG.

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/22 ... th-Raptors

[T Dot O Dot]

TANK

[sotola]

wont be a tank until we unload Lowry... and then Gay.

but, I gotta admit.... I had no idea who Stone or Byucks were before these signings. Makes me laugh. I feel like I might still have a chance to make the NBA with the way the Raps are hiring right now.

[sotola]

wow, quite a day for Brian Colangelo..... first Lieweke has an ego filled news conference to say how he's going to make all the MLSE teams champions (yeah, never heard that one before) and then tell the world that he demoted his current employee because "I didn't get along with the GM".... NOT, I didn't get along with Brian in that capacity but rather he spoke of him in the 3rd person (as if he were dead). not impressed with Lieweke.... sounds like an arrogant, pompous, fool that just happened to get lucky in his previous role (one that had an NBA team that attracts a ton of talent, one that had an NHL goalie stand on his head to win a championship, and a soccer club that did seem well managed)

THEN, Casey comes out and says he will coach how he wants next year rather than listen to others (and specifically stating BC and him didn't see eye to eye).

That should make for a fun work place in the future.... especially for BC. I wonder if consultant means.... stay at home - don't call us, we won't be calling you.

[yossarian1234]

They just said out loud what we all knew to be true. So what? We all know he's not consulting anybody. He gets paid to sit at home while out searching for another job.

As for the new regime, I find nothing to be excited about Ujiri era so far. Just meaningless moves that really doesn't do anything and still no sign a decision has been made where they want to go with this team. Patience is good and all but I hope they realize the clock is ticking. This team is somewhere in the middle where it's not going anywhere unless you start making some agressive moves, at least to better balance the roster, the longer it takes to decide where they want it to go, the more catch-up they'll have to play with the crowd that will already be where they want to go.

[sotola]

good read

http://nba.si.com/2013/07/19/jonas-vala ... =uk_t11_a5

the dunk he had in traffic (with 3 guys within 2 feet of him) and getting fouled was pretty impressive.

[sotola]

those 5 on 5's on ESPN can rarely agree on everything so I had to chuckle when I read this one....

3. Who's the most overrated small forward in the NBA?

Cavan: Rudy Gay. Few players personify the stats-eye test divide better than the supremely talented -- and supremely flawed -- Raptors wing. Where proponents point to Gay's bucket-harvesting prowess and smooth flow, detractors, well, point to the numbers. The good news: after corrective surgery, Gay should actually be able to, like, see the basket. Which is important when you're shooting a basketball.

Haberstroh: I'll go with Rudy Gay, one of the last remaining idols of Points Per Game worshipers. Gay has all the tools to be an All-Star and he's paid like one -- did you know he'll make more than Durant this season? -- but his only above-average skill is shot-taking. Though he may be more overpaid than overrated, he's not the franchise player that many believe he is.

Poulard: Rudy Gay. He will make roughly $17.9 million in 2013-14 and yet does not possess a single elite skill. He can create good shots but one expects a better conversion rate from the Toronto Raptor. His salary technically puts him close to the same level as Carmelo Anthony. But his production? Not so much.

Wade: Rudy Gay. Critics spurned the Memphis Grizzlies for punting on the season last year when they traded away their ballyhooed wing in favor of fiscal prudence. Then the team advanced further than it ever had in franchise history. Despite getting swept by the Spurs, this is damning evidence that Gay was merely an ancillary ingredient in the team's success.

Young: Rudy Gay. In today's NBA, small forward has become a position of production, and not just in raw scoring stats, but efficient, well-rounded production. Gay can score, but it's in a volume manner. He's a good player, no doubt, but is there one thing he's really great at?

[hedge]

"but is there one thing he's really great at?"

Getting paid, evidently...

[Bklyn]

He would have been better if he had a different name. He should have changed it like Gerald Ford.

[sotola]

From Casey re Rudy Gay.

“If you look at his career, it has steadily gone down,” Casey said. “He has complained about his eyes, he tried to wear goggles, and that didn’t work. He is supposed to be wearing contacts, and he didn’t like the contacts, he didn’t like having anything on his eyes. So they elected to do the surgery. I am keeping my fingers crossed. For some players, they get that done and it is like seeing a new rim. Hopefully, the same thing happens with him.”

Awesome, hoping laser eye surgery changes his game. I dunno about you but if you can't see well, why the heck are ya trying to shoot so much???

regarding Ross - Casey called Ross one of the most talented players he has ever coached, and added, “He probably has the most upside of all our guys from a potential standpoint.” But Ross was wildly inconsistent in terms of approach and effort as a rookie last year, and the result was 6.4 points per game, shooting 40.7 percent and 33.7 percent from the 3-point line. Ross could be an outstanding sixth man on this team, but he has not yet earned Casey’s trust on either end of the floor.

“The talent is there,” Casey said. “There is not a better athlete in the NBA than Terrence Ross. But just, bringing it on a consistent basis is his own personal challenge. We pushed him as a coaching staff and work with him till the cows come home, but until he makes up his mind mentally that he is going to exert that same athleticism and effort on both ends of the floor, that’s when he will make the next step. … He has been working with a shooting coach this summer, trying to get that consistent, working on his shot. His ballhandling, his defense in pick-and-roll situations, he has been working on that all summer.”

Yep... and that's the depressing part. Will he ever "get it"? No, I don't agree on "not a better athlete".... that's garbage.... but the point is he has tremendous athleticism. Million dollar athleticism... 10 cent head. can't trade him because he doesn't have proven value and you would look foolish if you gave up on him too early.

[T Dot O Dot]

10 cent head or just rookie mistakes?

that's some harsh judgement for our young boy, let's wait a while before we claim he has no basketball IQ

the potential is there & I honestly think Demar, Amir, Lowry have hit their ceilings, Jonas & Ross are our only players with upside

[sotola]

I hear ya dot. And I probably am being too harsh on his IQ but he often made the EXACT same mistakes on consecutive trips down the court. It's one thing not to grasp everything in your rookie year but if guys are all over you during the game, you got to have the mental makeup to make sure you don't make the same mistake so soon.

I think he is a phenomenol talent and I agree with you that only Ross/Jonas should be the only untradeables. But, I still like Amir. He might be playing the best ball he ever will but he is a "glue" guy. I wouldn't trade him unless we got something really good in return. He's the kind of guy that won't be afraid to take the bench, or a secondary role, if Jonas starts to thrive and/or we get another good big. And he is still relatively young. Talent, experience, youth, and leadership.... qualities that are tough to find. But trade him for a comparable, or SLIGHTLY better big.... no thanks.