Raptors Hoops

ESPN: Raptors a Team "at a crossroad"

regnard — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 11:57:08 -0400

With new additions to the roster, the Raptors maybe looking at changes to its core. Will DeMar DeRozan continue to be the main man on the wing? Or will Kyle Lowry dictate the inside-out attack?

Caught the Raptors vs. Real Madrid pre-season game. While the...

regnard — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 09:35:59 -0400

Caught the Raptors vs. Real Madrid pre-season game. While the Raps looked rusty, I appreciate the free pizza.

Toronto Raptors Tickets Contests

regnard — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 14:27:58 -0400

Here’s a couple of interesting contests for Toronto Raptors tickets:

Mr. Sub Courtside Tickets contest: http://mrsub.ca/raptors
#RTZ Twitter Live Chat contest: User the hashtag #RTZ during games. View complete rules here.

I had a chance to play basketball at the Air Canada Centre. This...

regnard — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 23:05:33 -0500

I had a chance to play basketball at the Air Canada Centre. This is me shooting a floater in the lane.

I'm Back in the Groove; The Raptors are Not

regnard — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:05:44 -0500

I’ve been away for a few weeks because I was busy moving in to a new apartment. Now that a majority of the moving tasks are done, I’m back to blogging about the Toronto Raptors.

What happened to the Raps in January? Here’s a quick list:

Main man Andrea Bargnani got injured and missed a lot of games late in January. In this shortened season, missing a dozen games means missing roughly 20% of the season.
The team kept losing. At one point, the Raptors went on an 8-game losing streak. Is it too early to say the Raptors are making a play at the top pick in the 2012 NBA Draft?
There was little personnel improvement. So much for the “organic growth” GM Bryan Colangelo was looking for. Coming into February, youngsters DeMar DeRozan and Ed Davis are far from being big time contributors.
On a positive note, the Raptors have shown glimpses of improved team defense.

I also caught a recent game against the Atlanta Hawks at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors lost horribly, but it was surprising that the arena was 70% capacity— people seem to still support a team hovering below the league standings.

Raptors Buying Into New Defense and Team Concepts

regnard — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:14:34 -0500

If you told me a year ago that the Toronto Raptors team was “defense first,” I’d be rolling on the floor laughing (probably along with thousands of NBA fans).

But so far in the 2011-2012 season, the Raptors are changing the punchline.

The Raptors seem to be buying into coach Dwane Casey’s defense and team-oriented philosophy and their numbers are showing it. The Raptors now are 13th in the 30-team league for the Points Allowed stat. These are the roughly the same team that finished at the bottom 10% last season.

Another good number the Raptors should be happy about is their number of assists per game. They are #1 in the league with 24 assists per game as a team. What’s makes this stand out is that the Raptors average 34 field goals per game and that means 70% of their field goals facilitated by assists. That’s pretty high by NBA standards.

But it’s still a long season and folks shouldn’t speak the P-word (playoffs) until the teams in the league have jelled.

Bargnani Nets 30 and the Raptors Lose Again

regnard — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:28:19 -0500

The folks in Dallas are thanking the Toronto Raptors right now. The sliding champs were win-less prior to the game and a good dose of the Raptors changed the Mavs’ fortunes.

The Raptors gave the Mavs’ the team’s first win of the season and the Raps now find themselves in a 2-game losing skid of their own.

The positives of the game for the Raptors? Andrea Bargnani did his best Dirk Nowitzki impression by scoring 30 points on 11 for 18 shooting and Leandro Barbosa got 20 off the bench. The rest of the game? It was forgettable.

The game became a career night for Mavericks sub Ian Mahinmi (19 points) and the Raptors lost despite holding the Mavs to 28% shooting from downtown.

Another issue sticking like a sore thumb was the turnovers (17 for the Raptors). This is another game where the opponent got less turnovers.

Raptors Drop Home Opener (And I Was There)

regnard — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:37:52 -0500

I’m not disappointed that the Toronto Raptors lost their home opener against the Indiana Pacers. What’s disappointing was watching it in the cheap seats. (Yep, I was at the home opener at the Air Canada Centre.)

The Raptors dug themselves into a deep hole in the game by turning the ball over many times and not getting the penetrations in the lane. The pick-and-roll game was not present and they resorted to jump shots.

Oh, well. At least I got a Raptors t-shirt to show for it.

Raptors Stop Cavs in Season Opener

regnard — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:37:54 -0500

The Toronto Raptors looked impressive over the weak Cleveland Cavaliers squad in their 2011-2012 NBA season opener. The Raptors beat the Cavs 104-96.

What was looked impressive was the defensive effort by the Raptors, challenging shots and blocking a handful of them. The front line was active, with James Johnson, Amir Johnson, and Ed Davis got at least two blocks each.

The Cavaliers looked dreadful in the game. It’s clear that prized rookie Kyrie Irving needs more time to adjust to the pro game. The top pick of the last draft shot 2 for 11 but registered seven assists.

The Raptors face a stronger team in their home opener tomorrow. The Indiana Pacers visit Toronto and look to test the Raptors’ defense.

Toronto Raptors 2011-2012 Season Preview

regnard — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 10:33:02 -0500

I’ll start this post by making a bold pronouncement: The Toronto Raptors will contend this 2011-2012 NBA season.

But they won’t be contending for the NBA championship, or the division title— they’ll be in the mix to get the league’s worst record.

The Raptors brass have already said that this season is a continuation of the team’s rebuilding efforts. And in the NBA, “rebuilding” means sucking to get a high draft pick in June and getting cheap and long term contracts for salary cap flexibility. The way the roster stands, it looks like the plan in is in nicely falling into place.

Let’s look at the roster.

The projected starting lineup is Jose Calderon (PG), DeMar DeRozan (SG), James Johnson (SF), Andrea Bargnani (PF), and Amir Johnson (C).

Looking at the starters, this team is imbalanced. There’s too much focus on offense with the best players (Bargnani and DeRozan) preoccupied by a making buckets. Calderon is a year older and his effectiveness has slight dipped in the last three seasons. James Johnson is still an unproven commodity as a starter and Amir Johnson is undersized.

The key subs are Jerryd Bayless, Leandro Barbosa, Gary Forbes, Ed Davis, and Aaron Gray. The bench is again too offensive-minded. Ed Davis is the bright spot in this group.

Dwayne Casey is a new coach and preaching a new gospel of defense and accountability. The question now is if the players will buy in to his defense-first philosophy. But the team is relatively young by NBA standards (Raptor’s average age is 26.8 years) so they may be open to learning.

As I’ve mentioned, the Raptors will battle for the league’s doormat record. The other teams would be contending for that forgettable distinction the Charlotte Bobcats and Cleveland Cavaliers. The way I see it, it the Raptors will win 16-18 games in the shortened 66-ame season.

If you’re a betting person, I think you’d have a 75% chance of winning if you bet against the Raptors.

This is a team that hopes to have a high draft in 2012 and bring Jonas Valanciunas in to form the NBA’s most lethal European frontline in the next season. Bottomline: Raptors fans shouldn’t hold their breath for a playoff season in 2011-2012.

The Toronto Raptors' Camouflage Jersey

regnard — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:20:06 -0500

The Toronto Raptors, apart from being the only team based in Canada, is the officially the only team in the NBA that will wear military-style camouflage jerseys this season.

According to the team news release, the jersey is a “natural extension of the Raptors and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment’s longstanding support of Canada’s military.” The new jersey has a maple leaf featured on the back, giving emphasis that the Raptors are Canada’s team.

From a design point of view, this design is very tricky but there is good enough contrast to read the player’s name and number in the back.

This jersey will be used next year on March 21, 2012.

Now, if the only the Raptors can win more games…

Bargs Miss and Raptors Lose

regnard — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:40:48 -0500

Andrea Bargnani missed from point blank range on the last second and the Toronto Raptors lose.

Why do I think that this is the type of game summary that will be recurring through out the 2011-2012 NBA season?

The Raptors lose after a tip-in by the unheralded Greg Stiemsma. (Yep, I also went “Who is this guy?”) In the dying seconds, Bargnani gets an offensive rebound and only need to put one in. But instead of a “Swoosh,” it was an unceremonious “Clang!”

Good thing that this is just a preseason game. If the team’s best player (who is supposed to be a shooter) can’t make a gimme shot, then this is going to be one long rebuilding project.

"We’d like to see some organic growth of our roster this season"

regnard — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:38:33 -0500

“We’d like to see some organic growth of our roster this season”

- General manager Bryan Colangelo, explaining Toronto’s continued rebuilding efforts.

Raptors Signings Make Little Sense

regnard — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:40:40 -0500

After getting Jamaal Magloire, the Toronto Raptors signed a handful of players:

Rasual Butler (G/F)
Anthony Carter (G)
Aaron Gray (C)

Non of those names would sound familiar if you’re a casual NBA fan. But let me tell you this: those players are subs at best.

Rasual Butler is a fringe starter for the New Orleans Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers in the past and he spent most of last season sidelined. As a started, the scored 11 points a game and shot around 37% beyond the 3-point line. His specialty is primarily offense.

Anthony Carter is a back-up point guard who spent last season with the Knicks and he played sparingly. His best season was in 2007-2008, when he started for the Carmelo Anthony-headlined Denver Nuggets.

Aaron Gray is a slow-footed back-up center good for 10-15 minutes a game. He’s relatively young and could give Ed Davis a break in the center position.

The three are vets who will probably not see that much playing time. I don’t see the sense in signing older players who’ll just mentor the core of Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan.

What this rebuilding project needs are folks who play defense.

Big Cat Goes Back Home

regnard — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 00:56:06 -0500

Jamaal Magloire, aka Big Cat, is going back home to Toronto.

Magloire just signed with the Toronto Raptors for an unspecified amount of time and money. With the signing, this makes Magloire the very first Canadian signed by the Raptors, the NBA’s lone team based in Canada.

What will Magloire bring to the Raptors? Well, defintely not a lot of minutes. The 33-year old is a shell of his former self— he averaged a meager 1.9 points a game in roughly 9 minutes of playing time.

He’ll probably spell Ed Davis on the center position and mentor the team’s big men. Magloire was an All-Star eight years ago and can teach the youngsters a trick or two in the low blocks.

Raptors Who Should Be In Your Fantasy Basketball Team

regnard — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:57:32 -0500

Last season, the Toronto Raptors were forgettable. But in fantasy basketball, the team does have pieces that fantasy GM’s can nab at the middle to late rounds.

It’s almost a given that Andrea Bargnani, DeMar DeRozan, and Jose Calderon will be taken by teams looking for offensive numbers like points, assists, and threes. On defensive end, not so much.

Here are three Raptors that could be sleepers this season:

Ed Davis - Davis had shown that he’s a double-double threat last season and that will still be the case this coming season. I think he’ll get more playing time on the starting PF role so his production will go up. He could be tabbed for points, rebounds, FG%, and blocks.
Amir Johnson - If you’re looking for cheap defensive stats, Amir Johnson could be your man. Even with reduced playing time, Johnson will most likely get his rebounds and blocks.
Jerryd Bayless - Bayless could be the Raptors’ best two-way player— he plays well both on offense and defense. If he eats up Calderon’s minutes at the PG position, expect Bayless’ assists, steals, and points to go up. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a good free throw shooter.

Assuming the roster doesn’t change before the season starts, these three Raptors could give Fantasy GM’s good contributions.

While we’re waiting for the 2011-2012 NBA season, Toronto...

regnard — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:15:30 -0500

While we’re waiting for the 2011-2012 NBA season, Toronto Raptors followers can enjoy some of the DeMar DeRozan highlights I grabbed from YouTube.

Apart from DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani, no other Raptor is making folks anticipate how the season will unfold. Will the two become a dynamic duo a la Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire of the New York Knicks?

Valanciunas Will Play This Season?

regnard — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:52:00 -0500

Valanciunas Will Play This Season?:

Now ESPN is saying there is a bigger likelihood that rookie Jonas Valanciunas may play this season…

What is the Toronto Raptors Biggest Challenge in 2011-2012?

regnard — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 10:53:01 -0500

Defense.

Yes, that’s their biggest area for improvement this coming season. If you look at ESPN’s Defensive Efficiency rankings, the Raptors were dead last in the league last season by allowing 110 points per 100 possessions. The team also were ranked 26th out of 30 teams in points allowed.

Why are the Raptors bad on defense? Take a look at the roster— the team’s “star” player, Andrea Bargnani, is known for his offense more than his forgettable defense. DeMar DeRozan and Jose Calderon are also offense-focused players.

With the majority of the starting line-up more interested in offense, the defensive responsibilities fall on the shoulders of the two Johnsons: Amir Johnson and James Johnson.

Those two do a fairly decent job of defending the frontline positions, but they won’t be enough to stop the likes of Dwight Howard and Amare Stoudemire. Case in point: last season, Howard averaged 29 points against the Raptors, six (yes, six!) points over his season average of 22.9 points per game.

What can the Raptors do to shore up their defense? Get a defensive-minded big man, like Tyson Chandler or Nene. Bargnani at center doesn’t just cut it and coach Dwane Casey better personnel to utilize his defensive schemes.

If the Raptors don’t learn from last season, we’ll see the same result: no playoff berth, a win total in the 20’s, and a permanent fixture at the cellar of the NBA’s Atlantic Division.

Raptors douse Big V rumours

regnard — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 09:50:29 -0500

Raptors douse Big V rumours:

The Toronto Sun says Raptors rookie Jonas Valanciunas is likely not to play this season.