The Derozan Code

Thanks V,
What I like about the kid,is that he is cocky maybe a little too cocky,but I like that chippy attitude...after all, the media as well as management have made him out to become the "next one".
Management has relaxed the expections a bit,but!!!!
I like the fact that he is up for a challenge,and welcomes it.
I believe a lot of his success or lack of, will depend on who he is on the floor with,starting unit,or off the bench playing the oppositions bench...if its the latter he will be able to build confidence and learn at a more even pace.
However if he takes off on the B line,the temptation to bring him up as a starter may be too strong,and I would be worried that it would be too soon....Only time will tell.
Not a free agent but I would love to see,Azubuike in a Rap Jersey.

On an unrelated note. Maybe Toronto should look to Minny for a backup PG. Telfair may be available and although he is hardly an allstar, I believe his contract is reasonable and he has shown lately that he could at least play as a capable backup.
I am still unhappy with this pick by the Raptors. I feel that they could have traded down a few spots and ended up with either the exact same player or at worst, a player who could contribute. If DD ends up being a bust or best case Joey G, then it ends up being a complete waste of a pick. I know he is a long term investment but I cannot help but wonder if this is the final nail in the CB4 coffin? I guess we can only hope that the lego master isn't trying to build something with broken parts.

DeMar yourock

d279 - I like that attitude as well, and on this team, it's probably needed a little. I think it underlines the important of having Anthony Parker back though... In so many ways, he'll help out as a shooter, a mentor, a team leader, and as a crack backup point guard.

MrG - If he turns into Joey now, I'd have no problems. That'd be basically a wash for next year. It might matter to Bosh, but I think that would be worth taking a chance on. Personally, I believe that they're different players. Joey's more power and DeRozan's more agility, but we'll see how the Raptors integrate him in summer league and training camp.

I'm just not happy for the Raptors to spend any more money or spots on the poing guard position. Considering we have four roster spots filled for point guards currently, unless Colangelo manages to move Banks or pass on Douby, it seems like a waste of space to me. Yes, we were kinda screwed last year, but most teams would be toast if their starting point guard was battling a leg injury for most of the year.

Totally agree abt Telfair, he has improved a lot and would make a decent back up pg for us. Would DeShaun Stevenson be a good defensive SG? He might be available as well. Nick Young or Azubuike would be nice but both impossible to acquire.

I'm not a big fan of drafting on upside but I do see the reasoning behind taking DD. BC is obviously a home run kinda guy who doesn't care to hit singles up the middle.

I'm remaining cautious not to expect 2 much from DD; I read on other forums where fans have him starting at SG alongside Marion etc. which is unrealistic bec the kid is 6'8, can't dribble or shoot very well. I hope he catches on quickly and contributes 15-20 solid mpg next season.

Looking forward to see how BC improves this team; I think all we're missing is a solid back up PG, a starting SG and a Starting SF. If we bring Delfino & Rasho back I think our bench would be decent.

Bosh/Rasho/PO
Bargs/Evans/Hump/Jawia
SF/DeRozan
SG/Delfino/Douby
Calderon/BPG/Roko/Banks

We're not that far off; just need two starters on the wing.

my biggest concern is that DD turns into a Desmond Mason. A tremendous athlete that can jump out of the building... but can't hit a shot to save his life. When a player can only rely on 1 aspect of their game to play... their contributions become limited. (not saying Mason is a bad player.. he is fun to watch...) Regardless I am more than willing to give DD a chance... I just want to make sure he gets minutes so he can prove himself.

I was also curious about "We all know about the immediacy of the Raptors situation" How immediate is the raps situation? Do the Raps really need to become challengers this year? Can they even do it? Will that even matter to Bosh/other FAs? This league isn't going anywhere.... the Raps aren't going anywhere. Aim for short term solution is not the best route to take. There are many more years of B-Ball to come.... even if this one doesn't turn out the way we like.

About the poor shooting. Reports suggest it's his three point shooting that needs improvement, that his form and mid range game are solid to very good. A number of wing players have been successful even with a poor 3p shot (Deng, Rip Hamilton).

Is having Parker in late in games (if he resigns) better than having DeRozan in late, given Parker's tendency to miss one of every two crucial free throws? Memories of last year's New Jersey game are still fresh. Sigh

Why all this backup PG talk? Roko is going to be solid backup for a few years to come at least. It's the one position on the raps that doesn't concern me at all.

utes, your opinion is based on what? Roko's performances last yr or pure optimism? bec Roko's performance last yr was not that of an NBA backup point guard.

I think he's got all the tools to be a backup or even starting pg in this league for many years but he has to first show that he is capable and until then we need to find a veteran backup PG. The drop off in efficiency when JC isn't on the court was horrific last season and although we may have a total of 3 backup pg under contract (Banks, Roko, Douby) none of them are ready for the backup role. I even heard BC in an interview last month saying that the backup PG position was something he intends to address and I agree because no one on the roster has proven they’re capable.

I'm also not concerned about Roko as a back-up. He was decent in the minutes he had last year (even going so far as to make a couple clutch baskets in end-game situations) which was pretty good for his first season.

However, I do feel that it is important to have either Parker back OR to pick up a guy like Hedo (though, not for anything more than 8-9 mil per) as they can handle the ball as a third string pg.

If we can get Marion back at 7 mil per and pick up Hedo at 9 mil per, that roughly works out to what Marion was making last year. Subsitute DD's salary for Joey's, and Delfino's for Parker's and you have basically the same cap figure for a slightly different, but more talented team, in my opinion at least. BUT, signing Marion and Hedo is a clear win-now move that has the potential to back fire in spectacular fashion.

The thing I like about the DD selection is that, should we fail, and the chances are good, to become an elite team with Bosh. If he decides to bolt and we rebuild, we either have a star in the making in three years, or a guy entering the final season of his rookie deal and in which case, we can let him walk and start this whole process over. I really think that, due to the year in which he was drafted, he was the perfect pick. If we were a year away from serious contention, a guy like Henderson might have been a better pick, but since we're not, I like the swing for the fences pick on DD.

re: Roko

We'll have to see. Shooting is something that can be improved through repetition. In fact, I'm not so concerned about that as his decision making at the end of the season. I hope that the summer will allow him to have more time to work on his shooting so that he can concentrate more on just letting the game come to him. But we'll see. Summer time + a gym rat can possibly lead to some interesting results. He's the guy that I'm most interested to see once summer league and training camp starts.

I too am willing to give Roko another season (as long as we have a reliable 3rd 'pg' to cover for him... ie. Delfino, Parker or other). For all his failures he showed many positives. Solid D, good drives and a couple clutch baskets. He really does need to improve his shooting and his play making (maybe decision making is a better term here) but all in all he is worth giving another year or two instead of shipping him off.

There is a lot of talk around the fact that this team is just a few pieces away from a decent lineup.....ummmmm.....no.

From a depth perspective this has to be one of the worst 2nd teams in the league... really.

There are virtually no pure scorers on this 2nd team....none. Roko? Delfino? Evans? Hump? Nada.

Unless AP is retained and plays on the second unit, it's gonna be a rough year as first string players get injured or tired. ROUGH.

That said, I would LOVE to see Roko break out this year! If he's been working on his outside shot like a madman and can start hitting it with consistency, he could be solid. He's got the speed, the height, the slashing mindset and some D to be a very decent backup if he could just hit a jumper.

I guess until then, we'll have to hope that the 2nd unit's defensive capabilities shine through and, while they may not score, they might not let the other team score to much either....fingers crossed.

What kind of value can you get back in a sign and trade? The only two I could find online were Rashard Lewis to the Magic and John Salmons to the Raptors(which eventually fell through). In both those cases, the cost for the player was a conditional 2nd round pick... So how much is Colangelo actually hoping to get for Bosh in a sign and trade?

As for the suggestion that you could get Outlaw and Fernandez in exchange for Marion in a sign and trade, I highly doubt it...

Just a few observations: First, I was glad to hear Triano say that they were going to give this young Derozan,the minutes he will need to develop, however, his handling of Roko last year contradicts this. Secondly, i am surprised at how well Marion has been accepted by you posters here. I guess I missed all the fantastic stuff he did but to me,obtainng a young athletic player like Azubuike or Ariza would be far ahead of signing a guy that age and who doesn't have a jump shot.

RT- its because people still remember Marion from his days with the Suns and hope he can relive that with the Raptors. Problem is... Raps (and Miami for that matter) are missing the one thing that made the Matrix as good as he was.... Steve Nash.

That said... I don't mean to bash Marion because I think he is still a good player. Worth taking for 3 or 4 more years to if you can get him for 7 mil or so (likely a bit more)

RT - I would say that's more on Roko at the end of the year. Playing and making the same mistakes over and over again is not a way to develop someone as they're just practicing mistakes. I think the staff saw enough of Ukic that they just wanted him to get into summer training ASAP.

Let's manage our expectations on the kid. At an interview, he seemed to think he'd done all the growing at college that he needed to do. Wait until Vince and Koby introduce him to the NBA.
This is the time when BC has to earn his coin. Frankly, I do not see where he is going right now. Signing back the same guys who sucked last year seems to be his course of change. One thing I will like is that Evans will give DeRozen some protection, unlike the pussies who watched Moon and Ford get smacked to the floor repeatedly until they are afraid to go near the cup again.

Ease My Pain....well said,I could not agree more.

For anyone with concern of Marion not being able to do the job with Rap's, his numbers for 27 games 14.3ppg vs career 17.8ppg and 8.3rpg vs career 9.9rpg, not too bad having to play with a PG Calderon, who has 8 years less experience, and is as good as his prior one when very healthy.
Marion is an excellent fit in the Rap's up-tempo run offence, and JC is talented enough to run any kind of offence the Coach wants.

A little food for thought for anyone wh has concern about DeRozans ability to make shots.
At USC he shot FG's 192/367 @ .521%, including only 6/36 @ .167% for 3pt. That figures to 186/331 2pt FG's for a .562% making him at that rate the best shooter on the Rap's team.
Definately needs work on the 3Pt shots and the FT%, but I seem to remember a certain PG who shot 16% his first year and became pretty good 2 years later, and would be a good role model for DeMar as the best FT% shooter in NBA history.
The least of his worries will be shooting.

So - will the Raptors opening sequence have "Straight Outta Compton" as the music now?

On a side note: I'll be interested to see what Okur from the Jazz gets in Free Agency (it was reported that he'll test the market)... his contract will essentially be what Bargnani's market value is.

I wonder if Golden State would trade:

Azubuike
Bierdrins

for

Bargnani
Humphries
Marcus Banks (for the contracts to match)

We'd get 2 much-needed starters (SF/SG and C), and wouldn't have to worry about Bargnani demanding a ridiculous deal next year. Bargs seems like a Don Nelson type of player too.

Starting 5 would be:

Calderon
Derozan/Azubuike/Free Agent
Azubuike/Free Agent
Bosh
Bierdrins

I still like a deal with golden state for Bosh (with the obvious caveat that it is understood that Bosh won't be re-signing with us).

If we could somehow swing a Bosh + Banks + 1st round pick in 2010 for Belinelli, Azibuike, Biedrins, Turiaf and Randolph, we instantly get younger, faster and much, much deeper and tougher.

I know that everyone says, why do the Raps want players who couldn't make their old team any better? I get that, but seriously, with that kind of money tied up in Bosh and Banks, we'll never be a contender. If we get these pieces, we can sell them off in bits to get better if we feel they aren't working.

After this trade, our team looks like this:

Biedrins, Turiaf
Bargs, Evans, Randolph
Marion, DeRozan
Belinelli, Azibuike
Calderon, Ukic

And those are the only players who have to hit the floor this season. It leaves us a little thin at point guard, but adds toughness and rebounding, as well as athleicism in the SG spot that we desperately need.

To me, this is a pretty solid win in a trade. And the Warriors have already discussed trading Belinelli, Randolph and Biedrins for the broken down, offensive minded Amare Stoudemire. I'd have to think that the difference in Bosh's game over Amare's is at least worth Azibuike and Turiaf. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I really see this as a win for both teams.

Vicious D - What were the mistakes that Roko keeps repeating?

Casey, I'd do that trade in a split second. Only change would be Azubuike starting over Belinelli. In GS, Azubuike starts most games even over Maggette while Belinelli barely gets any playing time. Azubuike is by far the better player and would start on most teams in the NBA; by the end of last season he was a penciled in starter.

July 1st is fast approaching and not even one rumour? Come on BC.

Casey,I would do that trade tomorow.

RT - He seems to take the same route to the basket a lot of the time, rather than varying his route toward the baseline. He often stays parallel to the key and attacks from straight up. Another problem is that he often has trouble figuring out how to use the offensive weapons on the floor with him. Lots of plays where he didn't use Bosh or Bargnani enough or deliver to them in their comfort zone. When his shot isn't falling, he doesn't seem to use enough picks to get some breathing room. He also tends to force shots around the rim rather than dribble back out of trouble. Just a few things that I think will help him become less predictable.

Some great comments today on DeRozan and Toronto's Free-Agent outlook.

I'll be breaking down some Raptors' Free Agent options tomorrow but a few quick thoughts:

-I agree with McClarky. Right now on paper this team looks to be one of the top contenders in next year's John Wall race...ugh. Now with Marion back, and Delfino off the bench, things brighten. But unless DeRozan tears it up and Roko takes a quantum leap forward, this again looks like a 30-something win team to me.

-In some ways DeRozan appears to me to be a bit of an anti-VC. Yes, the on-court comparisons abound but his demeanor seems way more calm and focussed. That I like.

-I'd love to see BC get some of Golden State's gaggle of mismatched talent but don't think it's going to happen. I think that management situation is such a mess that they're in a holding pattern forever.

-Finally, not a Telfair fan but he might make some sense if the price is right. There are other options I'd prefer though for sure, just a matter of how BC uses the budget. We'll find out starting Canada Day I suppose...

I'm going out on a limb here, but I am predicting Marquis Daniels will be wearing a Raptors uniform next season.

The Pacers didn't pick up his option, and he now becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Toronto will overpay, and he will underachieve.

Should be an interesting upcoming 7-10 days!

Qualifying offer to Pops. Maybe that means something is in the works with a few other guys? Hump perhaps ... please please please!

raptors extend qualifying offer for pops that mean obryant aor humpries might be gone anyways nice to see the BIG DADDY BACK

It would be truly funny if none of our FAs resigned.

Charlie V is a UFA.

Trade Bosh with GState and may be also get him back.

As far as DeRozan's shooting ability, please give it a rest. If my memory serves me, Lebron James got knocked on his outside shot, Larry Bird would never get free to shoot in the NBA, Magic Johnson didn't have a jump shot, Kobe got traded before he could prove himself, Karl Malone has an All-World body but couldn't shoot a free throw, etc, etc, etc. We'll get to know Derozan better soon enough but if his relationship with his parents isn't just hype, we've got someone that'll listen to his coaches, work hard to improve his skills and make us all happy that he landed in Toronto. Welcome to T.O. Demar. If you succeed and Bargnani keeps improving, Bosh stays and the Raps can turn things around quickly.

This one huts... http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/steve_aschburner/06/29/free.agent.ranks/1.html

In Steve Aschburner's ranking of NBA free agent destinatios, Toronto is ranked 22nd of 30... Who was 21: THE CLIPPERS! The F'n Clippers! OUCH!

I'm not sure why there are so many Marion haters out there. Sure he's no All-Star, but he provides exactly the things this team needs, rebounding, running the lane, defense. FOR THE RIGHT PRICE he's definitely our best option at the three.

Secondly, let's all keep in mind that Derozan is a year out of high school. What he'll become will depend far more on how much he wants it, rather than his past stats or current skills. If put's in hte work, a la Kobe, he'll excel, if he doesn't then he won't. so far he's saying all the right things.

I like Marion.

Its not that we don't like Marion as a person. I am just not fond of the idea of paying him anything close to what he thinks he is worth. It will probably take a minimal contract offer of roughly 7-9 million over 4-6 years. For a guy is like 33, that is too much for too long. Do you really want Hakeem Part II?
My bigest issue with the Golden state trade is strictly based on the number of years those guys are all signed for and the amount of skill coming back. Biedrins is ok but at 9 mil til 2014? The other players are all much cheaper and/or shorter length contracts but only Randolph has any real upside. Is Azubuike a good player or just a good player on a bad team? I just do not think we are getting enough cap flexibility and talent to warrant a trade like that. Trading Bargnani for Biedrins will not happen.

Franchise, you do not have to love Telfair to love that you can get him for a reasonable price (both players going out and salary). His salary next season is 2.7 mil, even if he sucked that is still cheaper than Banks and I doubt he will be as useless. Worse case scenario is he starts the season as Calderons back up and ends up playing behind Ukic. Most of the other options at PG are either going to cost too much money (as some one pointed out, we already have like 15 million tied up at the PG spot) or too many years. If the idea is to reduce the pressure on Ukic and allow him to develop this year gradually, then bringing in a guy with 4 years on his contract or getting paid 5 million per year (Earl Watson?) will probably only stunt his development. If the Raps do not believe he will ever develop then trade him now in a package and move on, otherwise, get a short term solution to give you solid minutes and provide insurance in case Calderon gets hurt again and let the kid develop.

CV31 ?
Food for thought...

With Charlie V now out with the Bucks - is there any chance / fit for him back in a Raps uni?

The more I learn about Derozan the better I like this pick. Will repeat whats been said, for a nineteen year old kid you gotta like his attitude.
It's clear the talent is there and we have the coaches to bring him along. I think the minutes will be there for the taking and I think he has the opportunity to get in the discussion for ROY(now that's not premature, is it?).
It seems like a lot of the so-called experts say he might be the most promising(Griffith aside) in the draft. The last-half of his sophomore season he seemed to get it. Take it away Jay and Marc.

From the interviews it doesn't seem like BC is looking to deal Bosh. I think he is hoping he can show him the blocks are being placed to build a contender and entice him to remain.
I like the moves made so far.

Interesting how both Charlie V and Joey are now Free Agents.