The Toronto Raptors Get Their Man in Coach Casey
by Adam Francis on Jun 22, 2011 8:36 AM EDT
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The HQ's Sean Tepper gives his quick take on yesterday's coaching announcement by the Toronto Raptors...
One of the National Basketball Association's worst defensive units is about to get a complete makeover, as the Toronto Raptors confirmed Tuesday that they have hired Dwane Casey to be their new head coach.
Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo introduced Casey to the Toronto media less than two weeks after the 54-year-old Kentuckian helped the Dallas Mavericks claim their first NBA championship in franchise history.
"Dwane's 16-plus years in NBA coaching circles working with some tremendous basketball mentors coupled with his proven ability as a defensive architect will serve as a great backdrop for the future approach of this team," said Colangelo.
Taking over for Jay Triano after a disappointing 2010-11 campaign, Casey, who has been waiting for a second-chance to be a head coach since being dismissed by the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2006-07 season, comes armed with an impressive defensive resume after creating successful defensive schemes against the likes LaMarcus Aldridge, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and most recently LeBron James and Dwayne Wade.
"One thing that I do plan to do here in the upcoming season is to help this team develop an NBA defensive identity," said Casey.
So how does Casey plan to turn-around a defence that allowed 105 points per game and ranked 30th in the league in defensive efficiency last season?
"I want guys to come in and be excited to play defence," he said. "I don't want it to be a job."
In addition to that, Casey promised that all of his drills in practices will have a defensive connotation to them and he made it abundantly clear exactly how he plans on instilling a defensive upon his new team.
"Defensively, I'm going to be a hands-on control freak, so to speak," he said. "Offensively, I'm going to trust [the players] and give them freedom."
While it is true that defence wins championships, Casey acknowledged that offence wins games and insisted that the Raptors will continue to play the free-flowing playoff style of offense that Triano implemented last season.
"The last time I checked, the reason why you win games is scoring, so we're going to put a high premium on that too," he said. "We want to keep the pace up tempo with our young team because we have the athleticism."
Even though he is no longer on the teams' coaching staff, Casey said that he plans on using Triano as a resource to help him develop his core group of young talent which includes guards DeMar DeRozan, Jose Calderon and Jerryd Bayless and forwards Andrea Bargnani, Ed Davis and Amir Johnson.
While it was rumoured that Casey was competing against former Timberwolves coach and current Boston Celtics assistant coach Lawrence Frank, Colangelo said that his mind was almost made up after he got an interesting call from Rick Carlisle at 1:30 a.m. on the eve of the Mavericks' championship.
"They just literally must have just walked out of the building, a few beers and a few glasses of champagne later, I'm sure," Colangelo said. "[Carlisle said] ‘Bryan, I want to know what it's going to take to get Dwane that job in Toronto. It's right for him, it's right for you, it's right for the situation."
Whether or not you believe him to be the saviour of Canada's only basketball team, you have to admit that Dwane Casey was a great hiring for a franchise that has never been a real playoff threat in their 16-year existence, He said all the right things yesterday, has one of the better resumes of the coaches that were available, and comes into the job with more meaningful coaching experience (32 years worth total) than anyone this side of Lenny Wlkens.
Although many people blast the Raptors for their poor defensive play,the fact of the matter is that the Dinos are still a young enough and impressionable enough team that have Casey will have the opportunity to instil a defensive system easily enough.
With that being said, the players that he will be working with in Toronto does not come close to the ones he was used to working with in Dallas.
Although he puts in the most effort out of anyone on the team, Jose Calderon is an open book on defence, while the franchise's alleged "centerpiece," Andrea Bargnani refuses to rebound and is one of the worst defensive big-men in the entire NBA. However, the Raptors' young and inexperienced core of Johnson, DeRozan, Davis and Bayless proved that they are still young and raw, but they are at the stage of their career where they can still be taught.
Maybe Casey won't be able to fix the Raptors' defensive woes, maybe the Raptors' roster is just too bad to work with or maybe Casey is just the man needed to invigorate a franchise that is in desperate need of some success.
Regardless of what you may think, of all the candidates that applies for the job, Casey has the best shot at turning the Raptors into a competitive franchise and it is for that reason that I am extremely excited that Casey will be at the helm of the 2011-12 Toronto Raptors.
SEAN TEPPER
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welcome aboard coach and good luck.
Is he going to make changes to coaching team? perhaps gettinga more defensive minded team just like him.
The Truth About Casey - Dirk - Dirk's Defense and Bargnani
Sometimes you have to look at the numbers and disregard the BS.
I did a comparison of Dirk’s rebounding numbers and defensive numbers before Casey and while Casey was assistant coach for the Mavs. The results aren’t very encouraging for Bargnani lovers
Dirk’s Numbers
Games
-—————————-
Games B4 Casey – 758
Games Under Casey – 235
Minutes Per Game
-———————————————
MPG B4 Casey – 36.5
MPG Under Casey – 36.6
Rebounds Per Game
-——————————————————
Rebounds Per Game B4 Casey – 8.5
Rebounds Per Game Under Casey – 7.6
Defensive Rating – The lower the better
-—————————————————————————
Def Rating B4 Casey – 102.6
Def Rating Under Casey – 106.0
Noting That Dirk’s MPG were basically the same before Casey and Under Casey
Under Casey Dirks Rebounding numbers fell by 10% per game
Dirks Defensive Rating got worse by 3.3%
So the real numbers and not the BS hype show that under Casey Dirk rebounding and defense were actually worse then before Casey
Trade Bargnani now
I know you guys love numbers but
Could that be an example of where the numbers may not tell the whole story and is your intention to discredit this guy before he even gets to the gym?
I don’t think that it was argued that Casey made Dirk a better defender, but that he designed a system to hide Dirk. However, he had Tyson Chandler, Sean Marion and DeShawn Stevenson (three of the top defenders in the league at their positions) to help him do so. Now, that being said, while Dirk’s defensive rating was an abysmal 106 last season, Bargnani’s was an unthinkable 115! So even if the Raptors had Chandler, Marion and Stevenson it would still be significantly more difficult to hide Bargnani than it was to hide Dirk. Even as bad defensively as Dirk was Bargnani gives up 5 more points per 100 possessions… Just embarrassing.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bargnan01.html
+1
Geoff Rahal
Author, RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Jun 22, 2011 10:49 AM EDT up reply actions
Dude!
The whole point is that is being said about him is that he was able to HIDE Dirk’s bad defence within his system! It is not about the numbers with him. They know what they got with Dirk, and that is all they would be getting. The biggest difference is that they trained Dirk to do things like double team better and to maybe get to his spots more quickly.. not the big “Stats”. As I said, Dirk is Dirk… His defence was hidden within the scheme. (and I wrote that twice so that it would sink in).
Bargs is Bargs…. and yes I agree that the best thing would be to move him. But if he stays and at least moves his feet better and we win a few more games…. We will see. I am just so glad we didn’t get Frank for the job. Casey looks to be the proper fit here right now.
You guys really ought to get off Buddha's back on this one...
He isn’t bashing Casey, or claiming anyone said Casey made Dirk better…
He is showing the people who suggested Casey would get more out of Bargnani (and there have been more than a few to suggest it) that he didn’t get any more out of Dirk, so why would he get more out of Bargnani?
“If we don’t trade Bargnani maybe Casey will hold him more accountable.”
“Maybe we should only offer pizza if Bargnani gets more than 10 rebounds per game.”
“Maybe Casey can make Bargs really give a shet.”
“Maybe Bargs should visualize saving a life every time he gets a rebound to create more urgency.”
All these things seem to imply there is SOME opinion that bringing in Casey is going to help Bargnani improve… Buddha simply showed you that it wasn’t the case with Dirk…
"the Truth"
BTW, Dirks rebounding numbers also went down with Casey there (granted some of that was the additions of Chandler and others) so what does that mean for a guy who rebounds like a 2 guard at the center position?
It means an epic level of fail this season. Bargs will make Nate Robinson look like Moses Malone.
Geoff Rahal
Author, RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Jun 22, 2011 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions
I listened to the press conference
I like him..he’s not only gonna bring that defence this team needs but also have a free flowing offence. That was the thing with kevin o neal had great defence but the offence at times was horrible to watch. He really spoke highly about demar on more than 1 occasion during the conference makes you really think he’s gonna be a good one soon.
by sherwin316 on Jun 22, 2011 9:19 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Hard to find fault
with this hire and I as well wish him success, but not too much too soon.
I will be patient and allow him the time to implement his system and acquiring the talents required to do so.
I hope BC remains on course, and continues to let the young talent grow, and does not go for the quick turnaround. Next years # 1 pick should always be looked at as a key piece of our future.
And finally, enough with the Dirk and Andrea comparisons. Anyone who watched the playoffs will tell you, there is no comparison. During the finals I told my son that Bargnani was once called “the next Dirk” and as god is my witness, my 10 year old son fell to the floor in laughter.
There is no point in comparing the two, kinda like comparing JayZ to Soulja Boy.
Haha! Tell your 10 year old son he has more sense than a certain commenter around these parts. As for your “too much to soon” comment, I couldn’t agree more. Next year’s draft is going to be loaded! The Raptors NEED a top 3 pick in that draft in the worst way! Goal for this year for the Raps, play tthe kids< instill the right culture/identity and get a good lottary pick.
or...
if there is a lockout then we could again be in the lottery and therefore have a sweet pic! LOL
Just saying that trying to set a losing mentality before the season even starts is really not what should be done at all. So NO, the goal should never be to go get a good lottery pick going into a season. How does that encourage a winning culture? And yes I know you can claim one year of packing it in to gain an great player…. but during that year how many players here would become pissed, and also how many players around the league would further hate Toronto and not come here?
Just saying that the “Go for the Lottery” idea is something that should only be discussed 1/2-2/3 into the season. And if you are trying to build a winning culture, it should never be discussed!
I would say that the better plan would be to trade Bargs for to a crappy team for a 1’st rounder in next years draft would be the ideal. But what team would go for that?
by Oximusprime on Jun 22, 2011 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions
No one is saying to go into the season tanking. My point is don’t go out and trade for players like Tony Parker (which is a current rumour going around) so the team can win 30 or 35 games and accomplish nothing. Stand pat, play the kids, trade Bargnani for future considerations (i.e. cap relief or a pick(s) if you can get one). The rest will take care of itself. There needs to be a long term approach here. If they do the above and get a good pick in next year’s draft the Raps will be well positioned going forward.
"Goal for next year...get a good lottery pick."
If I recall correctly you don’t get a good lottery pick by winning, so logically, you aren’t advocating trying to win as a goal.
Which is exactly what Prime pointed out…
If the “goal” is to get a good lottery pick, that advocates losing…
If the “bi-product of development” is a lottery pick , that’s a different statement altogether…
"the Truth"
Maybe you need to read my response to Oximusprime again
“My point is don’t go out and trade for players like Tony Parker (which is a current rumour going around) so the team can win 30 or 35 games and accomplish nothing. Stand pat, play the kids, trade Bargnani for future considerations (i.e. cap relief or a pick(s) if you can get one). The rest will take care of itself.”
You can try and twist my words if you wish, but I am not advocating losing on purpose, I’m advocating NOT chasing deals like the Tonay Parker deal that will improve the team by a few wins, but not achieve any long term objectives. Play the kids, focus on development, trade Bargnani, the rest will take care of itself.
If we "play the kids", "trade Bargnani", and implement Casey's defense at all... that pretty much means we would have to try to lose (enough to be top 3 pick)...
Maybe, instead of “earning” a top 3 lottery pick, we trade for one?
At least that doesn’t breed the mentality that losing is okay…
Which is exactly what I draw from your comments… even your revised version…
“Losing is okay because we can get a savior in the next lottery” IS NOT a winner’s mentality…
But I’m not really worried about it considering the team’s record at the end of the season last year and yet EVERY player interviewed said they would rather be trying to win games than improving lottery chances…
"the Truth"
You think it's good for young, developing egos to tell them "We expect to lose when we play you this year..." ?
That is what you’re saying… before the season even starts… if we play these young guys, we expect to lose…
Not the right message…
So I as well am shaking my head and rolling my eyes…
"the Truth"
are you serious? you don’t TELL them that they are expected to lose… you tell them to try their hardest but they’ll just lose anyway because they suck. what mas is saying is that it makes no sense to try to add a player like tony parker at this point
elephant shell
never question our ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory - yardly
It’s all about intent and attitude. We want our players going out and giving their all every game – we want them developing winning habits even when if they lose. Development is the key. If the young team we have goes out and wins 75 games, I’m not going to complain. However, that is unlikely. It’s not that losing is the goal, it’s that development is the goal. Bringing in veterans to take away roster spots and playing time from our young players and any potential young additions is counterproductive in this regard. The bonus of receiving a top pick in the draft is something that shouldn’t affect the on court play – but should be taken into account when personnel decisions are made.
by dhackett1565 on Jun 22, 2011 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
look we all want to win, and we all want our players to do their best and win many games, so that they become more accustomed to winning. but i know deep down every raptor fan wants a top 3 pick in next years draft, or even top 10 as it seems pretty deep. lets not expect anything and just wish our team well and see what happens. right now our team doesnt look like a 30 or even a 50 win team, when compared to the others in the league. if they win, good for them, we they lose, good for us. its a win-win situation (unless of course barnani is still here)
Thank you
Can’t believe it but think we may actually agree. May need to rethink my position! ; )
Can’t understand why this is so hard to understand for others. The best thing for this franchise is to play the kids and let them develop as opposed to bringing in vets TO TAKE THEIR MINUTES and win a few more games. This is much more important than some theoretical, ambiuous “winning attitude”. Which by the way is established through culture as much as it is through winning. Not sure how bringing in Tony Parker is going to help Davis, Derozan and Bayless and whoever the 5th pick would be, reach their potential. It’s just going to take shots, minutes and oportunites away from the core.
I never said I was okay with the trade...
As is evident by my post to Buddhafan below…
I said that telling my young players that I expect the team to lose games because I’m playing them heavy minutes, is a bad approach to handling young egos…
Your original defense was about not having a “winner’s” mentality…
Which you demonstrated further by saying “The Raptors NEED a top 3 pick in that draft in the worst way!”
This doesn’t befit a winner’s mindset, so I still agree, you don’t have a winning mentality…
Do you think Michael Jordan EVER said “Well, if we do happen to lose badly, at least we get a better chance in the lottery…” ?
Never, because winners don’t say things like that…
Read below and you’ll see i agree with your stance on the trade, or don’t, because how I feel has nothing to do with what you do or don’t do… cause that’s what winners are like…
"the Truth"
Prime never said that doing the trade was a good thing, I never said doing the trade was a good thing... DHackett concurred that doing the trade wasn't a good thing...
So when you say:
Can’t understand why this is so hard to understand for others
My only response is, I can’t understand why it’s so hard for you to interpret the basic English language…
This whole tangent stems from Prime saying your mentality about tanking was bad.
You then alleged that he said we should trade for Parker…?
Where the hell you get that from still eludes me…
I added that your comment about playing the young guys heavy minutes will inevitably lead to a high lottery pick is potential damaging to the young players on this team that we all are trying to develop…
If you weren’t so high up on your horse maybe your head wouldn’t be so far up your butt…
"the Truth"
Barbosa waiting on Raptors, European offers
June 22, 2011 @ 4:33 am by Jorge Sierra ·
Here’s a statement from Artur Barbosa on his brother, Raptors guard Leandro Barbosa:
"As the time rapidly approaches for Leandro to make a decision regarding his option to remain in Toronto as part of the Raptors for the coming season, there are several different things that we are looking at. First and foremost, there is the possibility of exercising our option and staying in Toronto. This would allow us to continue the relationship we have with the exceptional fans here and with the entire Raptors organization. However, before we decide, we have been testing the market and the market has expressed a great deal of interest. As we previously said, we are letting the market determine where Leandro will play. For us this is a business decision and will be driven by market competition.
In addition, we are trying to determine what is the best fit for Leandro in the long term and not just for this next year. There has been talk of the possibility of the Raptors offering a multi-year deal so that we can stay here, however as things stand today, no formal offer has come from the Raptors. So at this time we are looking at what is being offered in the marketplace.
We have received offers from different teams in Brazil and while we are in the final stages of negotiations with them, we have yet to come to a final agreement. We are also aware of the heightened interest from many of the top European teams and are definitely open to that possibility. There are several factors that the European teams have indicated that show their interest in Leandro. For example, Leandro’s game suits a European style because of his great shooting ability and many teams in Europe would love a skilled offensive player such as Leandro. Furthermore, Leandro’s reputation as a great teammate and an open-minded player is attractive to European clubs because he would adapt quickly to a new environment. Leandro also has many years of international experience in FIBA basketball.
We will analyze their offers but we also need to make a decision soon (within the next few days). Leandro will be a valuable asset to any club that he plays for; the clubs in Brazil know this and the teams in the Euroleague also know what he can do for them.
cont on link
I find it od when agents (family in this case) say stuff like this. It sounds like they are frantically trying to drum up interest in Barbosa. Why else would they post this kind of information to the public? To be honest, if you read between the lines, it seems Leandro is really-really wanting to leave the T-Dot. While I like the guy, hopefully he will opt-out. Then again if he comes back and plays well we would have a great trading piece for a contender’s 1’st rounder maybe… he would have to play really well. lol
by Oximusprime on Jun 22, 2011 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions
Here’s hoping BC doesn’t bite. Him expiring or being a large expiring contract next year are the two best scenarios.
by dhackett1565 on Jun 22, 2011 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions
However, BC using his “judgement” has already mentioned recently that he wants to extend Barbosa………. Yup…..
Of course it depends on the terms – Barbosa on a longer term but lower salary could actually net more in a trade (potentially, not necessarily though). But I think if he does want to extend him (and him saying so means as little as him saying Charlie V was his guy), that could end up being a mistake.
by dhackett1565 on Jun 22, 2011 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions
Raptors should have zero interest
fail to see how Barbosa fits into our goals.
If Knight Is Gone By The Time That The Raptors Draft
almost all the mock drafts are saying that unfortunately the Raptors will take Chuck It Up Brick City Walker
If that happens it could turn out to be BC’s worst first round pick ever given how high Brick City will be drafted.
cheers
Must you post a Walker hate comment
In every single post? This post has nothing to do with the draft or Walker, it’s about our new coach. Further, no one else in the comments has brought up Walker, the draft, or any other potential draft picks. Give it a rest.
by IWillPartyHard on Jun 22, 2011 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions
Not to mention that there’s absolutely no certainty that Walker won’t be the best player of the options at 5 for Toronto…
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by Adam Francis on Jun 22, 2011 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions
Very Interesting - Raptors set sights on Biyombo
Posted: Tuesday June 21, 2011 9:38PM ; Updated: Wednesday June 22, 2011 8:24AM
Sam Amick>INSIDE THE NBA
If it gets interesting at No. 4 — and it does — it could get really interesting at No. 5. Sources said Toronto president Bryan Colangelo is all-in on the team’s new defensive-minded approach, and he is considering taking Biyombo there despite the widely held belief that the athletic defender/rebounder/shot-blocker would go lower. The Raptors, of course, just hired Dallas assistant and defensive specialist Dwane Casey as their coach and are clearly looking to improve significantly on that end of the floor.
Colangelo has considered moving back to take Biyombo as well. Connecticut guard Kemba Walker, San Diego State small forward Kawhi Leonard and Czech Republic forward Jan Vesely remain possibilities for Toronto, but it sounds as if the love affair is with Biyombo. This comes as a surprise in light of Biyombo’s recent workout at Adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy, where he was even worse than expected on the offensive end and appeared to have hurt his stock.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Kemba Walker could be the player dropping in lottery, especially because sources say Toronto (5th pick) and Detroit (8th) will pass on him. Twitter
As per Wojnarowski the Spurs are also eyeing the Raps pick and are dangling Tony Parker. Parker is signed through the 2014-15 season and will be 32 at the end of his current contract. Only thing is he has a no trade clause, and also if he does waive his clause their is a trade kicker.
by Al Bundy is my hero on Jun 22, 2011 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Just a quick comment on Biyombo's stock after the workout at Addidas Eurocamp
I don’t know what you can learn about a player like Biyombo through workouts besides basic measurements. I mean his game is predicated on hussle and defensive prowess, which can only be measured by in game action. Also, as far as offensive skill set, news flash for NBA execs – his offensive skillset at this point is dunking the basketball and put backs. I can tell you that without flying to Europe to watch him workout. So why is anyone surprised he’s not a good workout player where he basically would have to run shooting drills. Not advocating the Raps select him, just befuddled by the reports out of this workout session.
Biyombo Offensively Is Where Howard Was When Dwight Was Drafted
Not that I am saying that Biyombo could become another Howard.
What I am saying is that when Howard was drafted it was all about his defense and rebounding. His offense was non-existent except for dunks. It certainly was a lot more than that last season.
Biyombo is still young enough that with the right coaching and hard work he could develop a decent offensive game. More recently with the Raptors we can look at Amir. While Amir is certainly no offensive powerhouse he is developing a nice game on offense to go with his defense.
Good coaching and hard work can do that for a young talented player.
In a perfect draft...
BC would manage to secure a 2’nd lottery pick and be able to draft both Bismack and another piece (knight/Kemba… something). I had really hoped they would have been able to swing a deal with Minny to get their pic and hoped it didn’t involve giving up ours. Knight and Biyombo = draft day coup!
Spurs Trying To Move Richard Jefferson As Part Of A Parker Deal
I believe that the Raptors have enough TPE left over to get Jefferson
So we have
TPE for Jefferson
Calderon, Kleiza, #5 for Parker, #29
Pending a Bargnani Trade we would have starting
Amir
Bargnani
Jefferson
DeRozan
Parker
I like the trades except for two things,
1. The length of Parker’s and Jefferson’s contracts
2. Parker’s questionable defense
However this lineup would offer a nice experience of talented experienced players still in their prime who have played under Pop and some good young talent hopefully still improving. Of course it does not solve the Bargnani problem.
Having said that, this lineup could be a playoff contender next season, IMO
Good for Raps... not so Good for Spurs
I like this trade from the Raps point of view, but I can’t see how the Spurs would want Calderon over Parker. The numbers might work, but if would weaken the Spurs rotation. They only have a few more Duncan years left and although I believe they want to add some youth, they still want to compete for the Finals.
by Al Bundy is my hero on Jun 22, 2011 11:17 AM EDT up reply actions
They Want To Move Up To Draft Valanciunas
Spurs Targeting Valanciunas?
The Spurs are rumored to be talking with the Kings at #7 and the Raptors at #5 in order to move up and draft Valanciunas (Good idea. LOL)
They are offering Parker and possibly Jefferson to try and move up to take Valanciunas
NO to Jefferson
He is old and his contract is way way too long and expensive.
Parker would be nice but he is also well overpayed and has the aforementioned no trade clause and trade kicker.
Main thing to ask yourself is, would this team be a championship contender, or does it have the ability to be a championship contender with another piece or two? I would say an emphatic No to both those questions. I think this would be a 7 or 8 seed with a first round playoff exit that is tied up for the future with large contracts to aging players past their primes.
Continue with the youth rebuild, give Bargs one more year (or perhaps until the trade deadline) to try and get his act together (or conversely, help the team get another great lotto pick), and use the draft picks to build toward championship caliber, instead of mediocre playoff caliber like this trade would get us.
by IWillPartyHard on Jun 22, 2011 11:20 AM EDT up reply actions
You Must Be Under 20
Only people under 20 consider someone who is 30 to be old.
How old were the Dallas players this season?
This constant comparison to Dallas
is getting to be a but much. The team is LIGHT YEARS away from being in the same conversation. The Raps are not going to build a championship team this year or next.
I completely agree with IWillPartyHard. Adding Parker and Jefferson would be a HUGE mistake.
Dave "Howland" Randell
Co-Creator of RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Howland on Jun 22, 2011 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Why?
Actually given that Pop who has a far better track record than anyone in Raptors management is willing to give up Parker in order to draft Valanciunas who will be in Europe for one more year tells us a lot about BC if he passes on taking Valanciunas at #5.
I trust Pop’s basketball judgment a lot more than BC’s
As an Amir fan I still think he made a career mistake when he decided to stay with the Pistons by resigning with them instead of taking the offer from the Spurs.
Pop is the Coach
RC Buford is the GM.
Dave "Howland" Randell
Co-Creator of RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Howland on Jun 22, 2011 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
Buddha, I also don't understand why you constantly compare the Raptors to the Mavs...
Experience: Not even close
Talent: Not even close
Age: Not even close
Style of play: Not even close
Superstar on the roster, HOF player on the roster, years of team chemistry
I get that you would like to build an underdog champion… but it isn’t happening for years to come… we need more than Parker and Jefferson to take that step… and adding the Parker and Jefferson’s isn’t the first step in a 10 step process, it’s more like the 7th…
Just don’t get ahead of yourself…
"the Truth"
+1
Dave "Howland" Randell
Co-Creator of RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Howland on Jun 22, 2011 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
LOL
“we need more than Parker and Jefferson to take that step… and adding the Parker and Jefferson’s isn’t the first step in a 10 step process, it’s more like the 7th…”
Love that you are arguing against yourself… So what are steps 1 through 7. Pretty sure its build through the draft and develop young players. Which you seem to think is synonymous with lossing/tanking and therefore doesn’t build a “winning attitude” and ergo is detrimental. So, please enlighten us then Miktaniel. If we shouldn’t be bringing in vets and we shouldn’t be playing our young players, explain your plan for the Raptors rebuild.
Use your brain today MAS...please...
Find where I said we shouldn’t play the young players, find where I said we need to trade for talent now… you can’t because it ain’t there…
What you will find is that while agree with your GM suggestions, I think your mentality towards the youth core of this team is crap…
Basic psychology is a key part of managing too… it just happens to be the part that you lack…
"the Truth"
“I said that telling my young players that I expect the team to lose games because I’m playing them heavy minutes, is a bad approach to handling young egos…”
So what the hell do you mean by this then? Your consistantly contradicting yourself. So you wouldn’t play/develop the young core because that would be a bad approach to handling hteir egos?!!??! Got to be honest with you, having a hard time following your “logic”.
Got to be honest with you, I find it hard to believe you can't read English...
Not one thing I said, NOT ONE, was about who should play, who should sit, who should be traded for…
You’re making all that up in your head because you desperately want to have a defense…
My ONLY point, as I have repeated, and tried to make simpler so you can understand, is about attitude.
The original knock against you by Prime was about a tanking “mentality”…
See? Not actions, THE MENTALITY…
My comment was about tellling the young guys we expect them to put out a losing product… that affects their MENTALITY…
I haven’t contradicted myself once… you create contradiction in your head because it gives you something to argue…
Regardless of whether you think next year’s group is going to win less than 30 games or not, YOU DON’T TELL THEM YOU EXPECT THEM TO LOSE, and YOU DON’T GIVE THEM THE EXCUSE THAT WE AT LEAST WILL GET A TOP THREE LOTTERY PICK WHEN YOU PROVE ME RIGHT AND YOU DO LOSE!
If that isn’t simple enough for you, I really don’t know how to make any simpler… maybe I can find a Special Ed teacher to help me talk to you today…
"the Truth"
Let me try to make this more relatable...
Are you a parent?
If my kid wanted the car for the evening and was a new driver.
I may have my reservations about lending them my car.
I may tell them to be careful, drive safe, use their head.
I most certainly would NOT hand them my keys and say, “Have fun, oh and by the way, I need a new car anyways so if you crash this one, it’s okay!”
No, I’m going to affirm they have the skills to be safe and bring my car home in tact, knowing that the more times they do this, the less I have to stress safety. And if I want a new car, I may have to find another means of getting one.
I hope that helps…
"the Truth"
This is ridiculous
As I said above, and you just can’t seem to wrap your head around, it has NOTHING TO DO WITH MENTALITY. For the third time! “Play the kids, focus on development, trade Bargnani, the rest will take care of itself.”
What the hell do you get out of this that has to do with “mentality”. Are you retarded. Do you think I was advocating going into the locker room and saying to the kids: “we’re going to tank this season for a high draft pic”!?!?!?!?
AGAIN!!!!!!! “Play the kids, focus on development, trade Bargnani, the rest will take care of itself.” Its plainly obvious when I say “the rest will atke care of itself” that THERE IS NOT NEED TO HAVE A TANKING MENTALITY AS PLAYING THE YOUNG KIDS WILL TAKE CARE OF THE RECORD. You point me to where I said " tell them we’re going to try to lose"! You’re just making things up in your head to justify being on the stupid side of this argument.
Agreed it is ridiculous...
Your first position is that “this team NEEDS a top 3 pick”
Then you changed your stance to
“If we play the young guys getting a top pick will take care of itself”…
Then you somehow decide, out of nowhere, that people are saying we should trade for veterans and sit our young players…
Then you ignore repeated clarifications as to what is actually being said…
And then you put your fingers in your ears and repeat yourself loudly…
I will agree, ridiculous…
Come to terms with the fact that you misread what was being said, got upset over something that wasn’t said, and made a long drawn out argument over something that didn’t happen…
It’s ok to have made a mistake…
As far as where I said you have the ability to directly talk to these kids and tell them you expect them to lose, show me that I did, and I take it back, because in NO WAY do I think you have any kind of direct access…
But if you get enough of a fan base together talking amongst themselves that, despite these kids best efforts they are still expected to “take care of” getting a top lottery pick,, then yes eventually it is in effect telling them that…
But it all be a moot point, as Bargnani still hasn’t started rebounding after you told him to either…
"the Truth"
As far as your obscenely politically incorrect "retarded" comment goes, I hope it doesn't get you banned or anything...
I may have inferred that you have a learning disablilty, but the term “retarded” is highly offensive and it’s common knowledge that people who use it in public venues are in the midst of a rather large brain fart…
So I guess that clarifies your current “mentality”…
p.s. obviously you couldn’t understand my dumbed down example either, because I didn’t say anything about telling the team to try and lose, I said you’re telling them it’s okay when they do, not IF they do, but WHEN they do (because that’s what you expect from them) because they can get a draft pick…
Not that they should lose, even worse, that you think they are going to try really hard and fail anyway… That’s a much worse message than just “trying to lose”…
"the Truth"
So wait a minute...
Your problem with my original post is that I said the Raps need a top 3 pick, because you don’t want this filtering back to the players because it would effect their fragile mental state?? Ok this is getting silly now.
Let me put it this way – simple question for you: Do you agree that the team should have a rebuilding plan that is based on developing young talent, not reaching for short-term eteran fixes and aquiring veteran stopgaps and aquiring young talent (obviously through the draft). Until the point in time that enough quality young players are in place that the team is positioned to make the “leap” to the next level and THEN aquire veteran support?
And to clarify, it wasn't MY problem with your original post, it was Prime's...
I merely explained the attitude your post was perceiving to give, and you got all defensive and angry and tried to fight with me over it, in the process putting words in my mouth and making arguments I didn’t make…
So of course I’m going to continue arguing with you until you realize the mistake you made…
I somehow still doubt you even see the mistake…
"the Truth"
What a bunch of crap. So your problem was with the “attitude” in my post?!?!? This is now oficially nuts. So you agree that we need to build through youth and the draft, but we shouldn’t say it out loud because we don’t want the players to read it and get the wrong attitude!?!?! LOL you’re funny man.
hahahaha! LMAO
What YOU said!!! LOL
Dude, there’s something wrong with you. That was exactly my original point that you found so problematic. OK I’m done with you on this. It’s just getting weird now…
See, I knew you wouldn't see your mistake, or you're choosing to ignore it...
Hey, is your last name Colangelo?
"the Truth"
Ugh
Please, please no. Parker has 4 years left on his deal for $50 million. I don’t know if I’d consider trading for him if the pick WASN’T included.
by dhackett1565 on Jun 22, 2011 12:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Kemba Falling Out Of The Lottery?
There is legitimate concern that UConn’s Kemba Walker could be sliding deep into the lottery or even out of it altogether if Sacramento were to pass on him at No. 7. However, Walker’s representation isn’t worried about the number as much as the fit. Walker initially was comfortable that he would be going to Toronto (No. 5), Sacramento (7) or Detroit (8). But the Raptors and Pistons have cooled a bit and a number of teams slotted after the Pistons are actively discussing that he might be on the board when they select.
Good luck Coach Casey
A bit late but belated wish with this Raptors team. Players have to want to play defense. Centers have to want to go get that rebound. Why is it in Evan’s heart and not in Bragnani’s? Is it because Evans does not have that offensive skills that he knows he has to compensate by being great in rebounds? Casey has got to bring his carrots and stick because no rebounds has to mean you sit until you are willing to sacrifice for the team. I hope BC and Raptors fans understand when Barg is sitting and not playing next year. This is easier said than done. Center is like your last line of defense and he has to help out when his teammates got beat by other players to the basket. Why can’t Barg swat balls away like Howard, Wade, etc. when you are there to challenge them without committing fouls? This is where AJ needs to improve as well, not giving away easy fouls. Defense is a team effort. All other players must do the same thing and that will also make Barg’s defensive job easier.
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