Raptors 905 claim Edy, welcome Fred and Bruno, announce Showcase

With the D-League season underway the 905 have made some news with regards to their roster, as well with the league on the whole.

905 claim Walter ‘Edy’ Tavares

The 905 have claimed Walter ‘Edy’ Tavares the former Atlanta Hawks centre. Tavares signed a D-League contract on November 11th and has an agreement to be claimed by the 905. The 905 are currently first in the waiver priority, which means it’s only a matter of time before an agreement is worked out. As it was as it is now official.

Tavares was drafted in the second round in the 2014 NBA draft. In his first season Tavares played in 11 games averaging 2.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. Tavares initially made the Hawks roster to begin this season in which he played in one game where he had two points and a rebound before getting waived. Tavares adds height to this 905 roster as he is 7’3” with a 7’9” wingspan (with huge hands). Tavares will most likely slide into the backup centre role on the 905 behind Yanick Moreira.

Claiming Tavares will mean the 905 will have to cut someone of the roster. Negus Webster-Chan comes to mind as he was a local tryout player and was most likely going to be an inactive.

Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet assigned to 905

In news that shocks no one: the Toronto Raptors have sent down Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet for the foreseeable future.

Many around the league are saying Caboclo is projecting to be a D-League All-Star this season if he plays in enough games. Caboclo last season with the 905 played in 37 games while starting 35. He averaged 14.7 points, 1.7 assists and 6.5 rebounds per game. Caboclo’s development is continuing on what the Raptors hope is the right path.

VanVleet won the 15th roster spot on the Raptors in training camp but is with the 905 now. VanVleet will most likely be the 905’s starting point guard pushing John Jordan and Brady Heslip to the bench. In his senior year at Wichita State, VanVleet averaged 12.2 points, 5.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. With Delon Wright still injured, this is VanVleet’s time to shine.

D-League Showcase Coming Soon

Mississauga will host the D-League Showcase, after being officially announced on November 11th. HQ wrote on this back in July.

The D-League showcase is where all 22 D-League teams come to one arena (Hershey Centre) and play two regular season games. This showcase will host many NBA general managers and scouts, as well as scouts from teams from overseas. The showcase is held in January as that is when 10 day contracts can then be signed. It helps D-League players reach their ultimate goal of the NBA or perhaps more lucrative overseas offers.

“We are honored and excited to be the host team for the 2017 D-League Showcase,” said Raptors President Masai Ujiri. “Following last year’s successful NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto, we are eager to assist the League with the premier event for the D-League, its teams and players.”

As per the Raptors 905 press release:

A record 14 games from the 2017 NBA D-League Showcase will be nationally televised live on ESPNU and NBA TV. For the first time, every NBA D-League team will play at least one live nationally televised game at the Showcase, a platform for players and coaches to be scouted by representatives from all 30 NBA teams.

The showcase will run January 18-22. The 905 have confirmed this report and the schedule is listed here.