Bebe went to Powell for advice after last night's game

[kj_]

Powell should never come off the bench again. He should be a permanent starter regardless of matchup. He's one of the Raps best two way players. If he does come off the bench for whatever reason, he should be playing starters minutes or close to it.

What about vs the Cavs. He'd be asked to guard LeBron.

Thompson - Val
Love - Carroll
LeBron - Norm
Jr smith - Demar
Irving - Lowry

I love what Norm brings... toughness on both ends, stellar D (on guys bigger or smaller, with the exception of LeBron) attacking ability, floor spacing. However, the cavs match up just poses too much of an issue with LeBron. I don't see how he can start against their line up. He'll play a significant role, just don't think he can start, imo.


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[kj_]

Exactly. If need Jonas or another big or whatever in the starting lineup Carroll needs to sit.

But yeah LeBron is unique case. Probably need Tucker to start, but we will have Carroll to guard LeBron and LeBron will get 40 every game if needed.

I think you play Lebron straight up with a combo of Tucker/Carroll, sag off him and try to turn him into a jump shooter. If he beats you with his shot, so be it. Doubling him will only cause 3s to rain down on the Raps and playing him too tight will mean a lot of Lebron FTs.

Agreed. That's the raps only shot. Problem is LeBron won't settle for jumpers all game. He'll post up Carroll/Tucker and run right over them. 2pat may be the one on one option. Quick enough to stay in front of him (sort of) and strong enough not to get posted up (sort of). He's played him for stretches in the past.



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[ontnut]

Exactly. If need Jonas or another big or whatever in the starting lineup Carroll needs to sit.

But yeah LeBron is unique case. Probably need Tucker to start, but we will have Carroll to guard LeBron and LeBron will get 40 every game if needed.

I think you play Lebron straight up with a combo of Tucker/Carroll, sag off him and try to turn him into a jump shooter. If he beats you with his shot, so be it. Doubling him will only cause 3s to rain down on the Raps and playing him too tight will mean a lot of Lebron FTs.

Basically, play him just like we are playing Giannis. Try to wall off the paint on him and hope we can recover on the shooters. Unfortunately we tried this last year and it failed miserably with guys like Frye killing us all day long. We do have better personnel for it this year, but I'm not confident that this same system will work against a time with elite 3 pt shooters all around.

[OhMyBosh]

Powell's minutes are limited due to DeMar's lack of versatility on defense. Powell is asked to guard both SGs and SFs despite giving up a lot of height being only 6'4. DeMar ideally should be able to guard SFs since he's taller and stronger than Powell but Casey has never tasked him to do that before.

Essentially, Powell can only get minutes if the opposing team plays small ball because DeMar is either unwilling or unable to guard non-SGs. In a traditional lineup, DeMar should slide down to SF, which would push Carroll to the bench and open the SG slot for Norm.

[Zhilvis]

Powell is way better player in comparison with DD. Guy has awesome 3pt game, he plays defense 100 time better than DD, he is better passer and facilitator. His ceiling is way above DD. So DD gets 26.5M when Norm gets 0.9M. Think about this Masai.

[TackyRapsFan]

I find Lucas extremely likeable.
And he's better than even he thinks he is. Good kid and I'm glad he made some millions for his family. God bless.


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[Badonkadonk]

Smh at all the posters who said he was a second round pick and we shouldn't expect much hahaha

Full credit to Powell for improving his major weak area that kept him buried in the second round of the draft - shooting.

Actually, over a large sample it's still a bit of a question mark (eg. he shot 32% from 3 this year on more attempts vs. 40% his rookie year), but his toughness seems to allow him to rise to the occasion in the playoffs.

I'm happy to be pleasantly surprised. A 6'4" SG that's not a dead-eye shooter has a narrow opportunity for success in the NBA but Powell is taking full advantage by being so strong mentally and physically, it's mitigated his weaknesses. I do think he might vanish against certain matchups due to those limitations though.

Any comment on Norman's size/height has to be accompanied with his wingspan of 6'11'
That wingspan mixed with his athleticism is what allows him to elevate and dunk on Giannis/Maker at the rim, and what lets him get those steals and blocks.

Yeah I mean his defense (i.e. where wingspan comes into play) has never really been a question - I only raise his height in the context of shooting/scoring, where you don't often realize the benefit of a fully extended vertical arm upon release. The combination of his explosiveness (drives) and the Raps schemes (he's a 3rd option at best on most sets) helps him overcome his size on O.

[Kevin Willis]

Bebe is a unique dude.
there's lots going on in that head of his.
his need to go sober likely hints at some "distractions" he's been fighting. this article and his admission of a lack of focus is not really news. it's no secret that the Raptors' coaching and management has not had much faith in him.
he's not part of a long-term plan here and i hope that, by some miracle, he pulls things together and can have a career in this league

Good post.

If Bebe's mind was right he should be there with Gobert and Capela and that would make him a part of this rotation. That would allow the Raptors to move a more expensive player. I also hope he gets it together either here or somewhere else. Potential label only lasts so long.

[ATLTimekeeper]

When you start getting into the winning part of the season it's hard to look down the bench and see that a guy might be off his game because he was out drumming in a samba band. Casey will always reward guys who's head and heart are committed to the team. Cory Joseph is a good example, it took half a season of awful basketball for Casey to give him two games off. When Kyle went down he threw him in the starting line-up. Good teams rely on that trust. Bad teams see what they can get away with.

I hope Bebe figures it out, because he could be very valuable next year, but he doesn't need Norman's advice. He needs common sense.

[VanWest82]

I struggle with my focus and my confidence, and I see him in here every day. Every day. He doesn’t play, but he never complains. I’m not saying that just because I’m in front of you. He never complains. And he’s an inspiration to me. He is really an inspiration.

This is the important part. It's good that Bebe is able to recognize this in himself. In my experience, people don't change core parts of their personality that much so he has a tough mountain to overcome.

I'm all for taking advantage of Bebe's immense gifts while he's here - seriously, he's s so freaking talented it's scary - but I highly doubt we give him another contract. Strong-willed, mentally tough dudes who are driven to improve (Norm/Lowry/Demar/Tucker, etc.) are so much more valuable to an organization.

[Ipsofact0]

Raptors need to everything in their power to lock up Normal & Delon.

Both have a chance to be stars in this league.

[Ipsofact0]

Powell is way better player in comparison with DD. Guy has awesome 3pt game, he plays defense 100 time better than DD, he is better passer and facilitator. His ceiling is way above DD. So DD gets 26.5M when Norm gets 0.9M. Think about this Masai.

this is a joke right? how do people write such stupid **** on the board.

[VanWest82]

I wonder how close the caricature I have of Bebe in my head is to being accurate. I imagine him getting out of bed at 11am, eating Honey Bunches of Oats or some other fake healthy cereal, then heading down to the gym where he starts doing betwen the legs dribble moves followed by a 360 dunk (without stretching first). Maybe he drains a few threes, or some turn around 10 foot hook shots with either hand.

Before long a coach comes over with a training bag wanting to work on screen setting, or fighting for post position or boxing out, and Bebe just lets out this huge sigh, slumps his shoulders, makes a stupid joke, and continues trying to figure out how many baskets he can score in a row by shooting two balls at the same time.

[phanman]

With the depth we have, Casey shouldn't have to play Demar that any minutes tbh. He should pull him early and try to get him to expend more energy on the defensive end of the floor. There is so much depth currently on the wings that you essentially want the guys to exert 100% effort every minute they are out there since, the next guy up has the ability to contribute. With Lowry, Cojo, Wright, Powell, Demar, Carroll and Tucker it is a pretty good rotation to run out there.

Kind of sucks that we'll never truly know what he is capable of doing on a consistent basis, since Demar occupies his natural position.

[Patman]

I wonder how close the caricature I have of Bebe in my head is to being accurate. I imagine him getting out of bed at 11am, eating Honey Bunches of Oats or some other fake healthy cereal, then heading down to the gym where he starts doing betwen the legs dribble moves followed by a 360 dunk (without stretching first). Maybe he drains a few threes, or some turn around 10 foot hook shots with either hand.

Before long a coach comes over with a training bag wanting to work on screen setting, or fighting for post position or boxing out, and Bebe just lets out this huge sigh, slumps his shoulders, makes a stupid joke, and continues trying to figure out how many baskets he can score in a row by shooting two balls at the same time.

[15Years]

Powell is way better player in comparison with DD. Guy has awesome 3pt game, he plays defense 100 time better than DD, he is better passer and facilitator. His ceiling is way above DD. So DD gets 26.5M when Norm gets 0.9M. Think about this Masai.

this is a joke right? how do people write such stupid **** on the board.

Because they think they're smarter than they really are.

[dante9988]

Powell should never come off the bench again. He should be a permanent starter regardless of matchup. He's one of the Raps best two way players. If he does come off the bench for whatever reason, he should be playing starters minutes or close to it.

What about vs the Cavs. He'd be asked to guard LeBron.

Thompson - Val
Love - Carroll
LeBron - Norm
Jr smith - Demar
Irving - Lowry

I love what Norm brings... toughness on both ends, stellar D (on guys bigger or smaller, with the exception of LeBron) attacking ability, floor spacing. However, the cavs match up just poses too much of an issue with LeBron. I don't see how he can start against their line up. He'll play a significant role, just don't think he can start, imo.


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Why isn't ibaka starting?

[lilswift01]

Give Norm an extension this summer if it means that it will be significantly cheaper then matching Brooklyn offer sheet 1 year from now.

[VanWest82]

Give Norm an extension this summer if it means that it will be significantly cheaper then matching Brooklyn offer sheet 1 year from now.

Norm isn't eligible for an extension as a 2nd round pick (on a three year deal). Needs to be four years to get an extension.

http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap05.htm#Q52

[lilswift01]

Give Norm an extension this summer if it means that it will be significantly cheaper then matching Brooklyn offer sheet 1 year from now.

Norm isn't eligible for an extension as a 2nd round pick (on a three year deal). Needs to be four years to get an extension.

http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap05.htm#Q52

Thats too bad.

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