Chuck Texas & PMOTT3's Early Off-Season Review -- Toronto Raptors

[pbj]

Gave our off-season a solid B

I think the roster is better than at the beginning of last season (but not significantly so), and I think the franchise is off better long-term than the beginning of the season (but not significantly so).

I expect we'll win around the same amount of games, or maybe a few more, but the team will be much more fun to watch and much more competitive against +.500 squads.

[cammac]

The team improved itself with the exception of getting a true starting PF but again the offseason isn't over yet?
Yes Carroll was overpriced but this is the NEW NBA and he plays a position SF which is the leanest in NBA. C
If you look at Cojo >>>>>> better than Vasquez as a back-up he can and has been a injury starter for SAS about 2 million overpay but then we Vasquez $6.6 million C+
Biz a steal the Raptors have never had a adequate back-up C now they do and Bebe is playing well in SL A
Scola put up similar numbers in less minutes than Amir and Amir getting 12 million versus Scola 3 million B
Trade Vasquez for cap space + 43 rd ( Jordon ) and LAC 2017 1st. A+
Drafting Wright B+

Overall B to B+

[0 - 100]

Nice post by both of you.

You guys pretty much hit it on the head in terms of the present outlook on our team.

All the additions we have made have had defense in mind and it's clear our GM has made that a staple for next season. On the offensive end, we have lost Lou who was huge for us but he did hurt our ball movement, so I expect with him gone, more of a balanced team game will happen.

Another point Pmott brought up was Casey. We are all still skeptical of him. His lineups and Val's minutes were a big concern for us last year. That needs to improve. On top of that, it's 2nd round or bust for him. His contract is up at the end of the year and I wouldn't expect him to be back if no improvement happens.

[steamed hams]

Lou gone = more ball movement. He was undoubtedly a net negative because he influenced others on the team to jack up shots, and as always that is unsustainable which led to a 2nd half collapse and playoff embarrassment.

[Asif16]

These reviews are smart and well-thought-out. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

I like most of the players Toronto added as individuals, but there are still questions ahead. The Raps have one above-average big man in Valanciunas, and Casey doesn't seem to trust him much either. And Carroll is a fine, fine player, but it's going to be a culture shock on offence going from Budenholzer's ball-movement system to Casey's grab bag of isos. Basically, I agree with your comment that coaching is going to be a big difference-maker for this team next year. Can Casey adapt?

You dont think our managemnt team saw that? Masai and Casey already said that's gonna have to change. Hence the masai brought players in that's gonna fit that system and help change it.

People thought casey was under some fire this offseason and was gonna get fired, but its clear Masai thought last seasons disappointment was mainly because of the roster, not casey. Hence he changed some of the coaching staff and ofcourse the roster. If by next season, its the same thing, then casey ass is gonna be canned.

[Austincys21]

I agree with them needing another scorer.

I'd be happy to do Nick Young for James Johnson

[Asif16]

Id give our offseason a Solid B as well. Maybe a B+ if Normall Powell can translate his SL games into NBA games.

Our defense, athleticism, Team play and Team IQ improved by a considerable margin i think. Our scoring will take a hit but i think defense is whats important anyways.

Lou is probably gonna be the only one that will be missed. We'll miss his timely scoring and clutch shooting. One of the few players who could create his own shot on our team last year but his defense, chuck shooting and selfish play wont be missed.

[|llsT oNe]

As a Raptor fan, I give us a C+.

Love the draft picks, and the greater focus on defense. Biyombo and Scola were nice pickups as was the Vasquez trade.

I don't love the Demarre and Cory contracts, one is buying at his absolute peak and the other based on potential which is so hard to decipher in a system like the Spurs. Having watched Cory quite a bit, I saw flashes from time to time but no reason to believe he could sustain it for long periods as a starter. I think Delon would have fit us just fine, and we could have used the money elsewhere.

As for Demarre, he's not the type of player whose value will be seen obviously, which will make it frustrating for those expecting to see his $$ worth out there on the court. Hawks run a ball movement system similar to the Spurs, which is very different from what the Raptors run so it's interesting (moronic?) to overpay 2 players from each team.

I get that the Raptors will need to overpay to draw free agents, I'm just not a big believer in non FA destination teams overpaying for non-marquee free agents. I feel GM's of these teams need to get creative and look for value via the draft and trades, rather than the FA route.

[Asif16]

I agree with them needing another scorer.

I'd be happy to do Nick Young for James Johnson

lol nah. We just got rid of lou. We dont need a taller version of him. Have fun with Kobe, Nick and Lou btw. Thats gonna be something to behold.

As far as scorers, Jamal Crawford is someone i like. Dont know if he's gonna be available though.

[ruckus]

JazzfansRamblings: First off props to you guys for attempting this. It's a huge investment of time and energy. You get 30 teams done in 30 days and I'll eat my hat. (or a PB&J with very little P or J)

Secondly: I wonder if you guys are being nice for the sake of being nice. Reminds me a bit of the town of Greater Tuna where all the children are above average. I think Toronto is going to be quite a bit worse this year. The losses were pretty large by my eye. Williams gave them some needed scoring punch and that hasn't been replaced and it seemed to me that Amir was the glue of the team that kind of made things work. And I don't think that's been replaced either.

What were the replacements?

Demarre Carroll: Love the kid. Great story. But, he's a guy that other players make better, not the other way around. Without the players and system he was in at Atlanta he's going to look much more like the player he was in Utah than the player he was in Atlanta. I expect that contract is going to blow up in Toronto's collective face before long and fans will be clamoring for someone, anyone else to be the starting SF.

Cory Jospeph: I'm not even sure he will be 2nd string. That is I somewhat expect Delon to have taken over those duties by the all-star break. Then you have the leagues highest paid 3rd string PG. (I haven't checked that, but, certainly in the running)

And the other guys? Just bench fodder. If you are playing Scola or Biyombo significant minutes you are losing the war.

I don't see a 50 win team there. I see a team that will struggle mightly to score. I'd say closer to 40 wins and maybe not even that. Maybe a lotto team. I would imagine that Dwayne Casey's seat is going to be quite warm 20 games in if he makes it that long.

These are the big "ifs" this season. If this team plays next season the same way they played last season, we're dead in the water. I don't know how likely it is but, I'm hoping for some shifts in coaching philosophy on both the offensive and defensive end. It looks like we have the players to do that but, even with Greer from the Bulls running our D and Nick Nurse running our O, it ultimately comes down to what Dwane Casey wants to implement.

For this team to be successful, they are going to have to move the ball more. They do have to involve Valanciunas on the offensive end more as well. Terrence Ross has to be the main offensive piece off the bench (maybe with Patterson if we start Scola). They also need to adjust the defense to play to the strengths of Valanciunas. So, there are a lot of things that need to come together from the coaching end for this team to be successful.

[Austincys21]

I agree with them needing another scorer.

I'd be happy to do Nick Young for James Johnson

lol nah. We just got rid of lou. We dont need a taller version of him. Have fun with Kobe, Nick and Lou btw. Thats gonna be something to behold.

As far as scorers, Jamal Crawford is someone i like. Dont know if he's gonna be available though.

Lou was 6th man of the year... How are you happy he's gone ?

[Asif16]

I agree with them needing another scorer.

I'd be happy to do Nick Young for James Johnson

lol nah. We just got rid of lou. We dont need a taller version of him. Have fun with Kobe, Nick and Lou btw. Thats gonna be something to behold.

As far as scorers, Jamal Crawford is someone i like. Dont know if he's gonna be available though.

Lou was 6th man of the year... How are you happy he's gone ?

Bad defense. Whole lot of chucking. Not ball movement (selfish play). Gonna continue to shoot even though he's having a bad shooting night. Overall just low IQ.

We clearly took a different direction this offseason. More than half our board wanted him gone lol

[Raptors_Dynasty]

I agree with them needing another scorer.

I'd be happy to do Nick Young for James Johnson

lol nah. We just got rid of lou. We dont need a taller version of him. Have fun with Kobe, Nick and Lou btw. Thats gonna be something to behold.

As far as scorers, Jamal Crawford is someone i like. Dont know if he's gonna be available though.

Lou was 6th man of the year... How are you happy he's gone ?

Most Raptor fans are happy he's gone

He never passed, and it rubbed off on the other players. All he did was score (very well), but also disappeared in the playoffs.

It's addition by subtraction. Before Lou joined the ball movement on the team was pretty good.

I think there is a reason Lou's been a journeyman recently, and why the Hawks and Raptors turned him down

[RealityIsDemar]

A new PF and this is the most complete team we've ever had (probably is already, but a PF would be the perfect ending to the off-season).

Everyone is saying that DeMarre Carroll was a huge overpay, and if you compare his contract to players similar to him (Ariza, Parsons, Hayward) it's not too horrible. He got 15 annually, right now that's about 15% of the cap.. by 2017 when the cap is 109, 15M will be equal to 8M annually. Not too bad for then.

[Shammgod_]

I'll make a few quick comments in regards to some of the outside opinions posted in the thread:

Bismack Biyombo is not really undersized by any means, with his wingspan (nearly 7'7") and athleticism he plays far bigger than he actually is height wise. he is not only one of the better rim protectors in the NBA (something Toronto desperately has needed) but he's also one of the most efficient screeners, something him and Amir had in common (but Bismack makes 9 million less and is 6+ years younger). check out Charlotte's +/- and defensive ratings after Al Jefferson was injured and Bis replaced him in the starting lineup.

Luis Scola basically replaces Amir Johnson's production completely (in 6 less minutes per game no less) and has one of the better and more consistent mid-range games when comparing him to other 4s.

Amir is deservedly one of the biggest fan favorites in the franchises history and a consummate glue guy but his injuries severely hindered him all year (both his offensive production and defensive impact have been replaced and eclipsed entirely by the above two additions).

the losses of Vasquez/Williams in terms of bench scoring are both completely overstated, they were supremely non-efficient players and brought next to nothing on the defensive end, Toronto not only improved defensively with the additions of Delon Wright/Cory Joseph but also added more size, efficiency and the ability to play within team concepts (Casey likes to run 3-guard lineups and Lowry/Joseph/Wright is by far a better one on both sides of the ball than Lowry/Williams/Vasquez).

Iso Lou's offensive spark will be missed at times but he shot us out of games as many times as he won them for us, losing GV/Lou were additions by subtraction in terms of removing some of the stale offensive sets, defensive lapses and inefficiency from Toronto.

Cory Joseph is 23 years old and set to make 7 million this season, our other two former backup guards (Vasquez/Williams) are set to make 6.7 mill and 7 mill respectively this upcoming season, when you put that into perspective he is not by any means overpaid IMO. he plays within himself and a system making him naturally a better fit as an actual two-way player that knows there is more than one side of the court that needs to be played (he also put up solid numbers as a starter when Parker was injured).

every single move Masai has made were upgrades over the players they will replace, this team is a much better one today than the one that exited the playoffs this past season.

B+ off-season at the minimum.

[GreatDane]

lol nah. We just got rid of lou. We dont need a taller version of him. Have fun with Kobe, Nick and Lou btw. Thats gonna be something to behold.

As far as scorers, Jamal Crawford is someone i like. Dont know if he's gonna be available though.

Lou was 6th man of the year... How are you happy he's gone ?

Bad defense. Whole lot of chucking. Not ball movement (selfish play). Gonna continue to shoot even though he's having a bad shooting night. Overall just low IQ.

We clearly took a different direction this offseason. More than half our board wanted him gone lol

The Raptors RealGM board is thankfully a tiny minority of the fan base and most of the time are extremely clueless when it comes to basketball decisions. Ask any random on the TTC or walking downtown and you'll hear a much different take on Lou. A vast majority of the RealGM Raptors fan base wants to run every single Raptor out of time at one point or another, it's nothing new.

Besides, a lot of the negatives you pointed out about Lou directly fall on the coach. No ball movement, bad defense, terrible shot selection, if you're a competent coach you kill that as soon as you can, unfortunately Casey rewarded that while gluing guys like JV and James Johnson to the bench.

[RealityIsDemar]

I agree with them needing another scorer.

I'd be happy to do Nick Young for James Johnson

lol nah. We just got rid of lou. We dont need a taller version of him. Have fun with Kobe, Nick and Lou btw. Thats gonna be something to behold.

As far as scorers, Jamal Crawford is someone i like. Dont know if he's gonna be available though.

Lou was 6th man of the year... How are you happy he's gone ?

There's reasons why we didn't offer him a contract.

[ruckus]

I agree with them needing another scorer.

I'd be happy to do Nick Young for James Johnson

lol nah. We just got rid of lou. We dont need a taller version of him. Have fun with Kobe, Nick and Lou btw. Thats gonna be something to behold.

As far as scorers, Jamal Crawford is someone i like. Dont know if he's gonna be available though.

Lou was 6th man of the year... How are you happy he's gone ?

I'm sure it was by design to make the most out of our talent but, Lou was a ball stopper. There was an overall culture shift with the team last year that rightly or wrongly was attributed to LouWill.

[EFF3KT]

I'm not sold on their frontcourt and the season will weigh heavily on Val's development. To be quite honest, I think this is a make or break year for the kid in terms of what we can expect from him as a player. With Amir gone, there will be more room to work with down low with Scola/Patterson stretching the defense but Val didn't look quite comfortable in the post. At times, I found myself begging him to do his trademark running hook rather than back down just to turn it over.

I worry for the lack of offense off the bench with the loss of Lou but we ran quite a heavy ISO offense 10 men deep.

I think you'll be seeing a 45 win team this season. Our defense will win us games and our offense will lose us games.

[Asif16]

A new PF and this is the most complete team we've ever had (probably is already, but a PF would be the perfect ending to the off-season).

Everyone is saying that DeMarre Carroll was a huge overpay, and if you compare his contract to players similar to him (Ariza, Parsons, Hayward) it's not too horrible. He got 15 annually, right now that's about 15% of the cap.. by 2017 when the cap is 109, 15M will be equal to 8M annually. Not too bad for then.

I really think Masai tried to get us a legit PF via trade. But other teams probably declined or the trade just didnt materialize that would benefit the raptors (maybe asking too much?).

Whatever the case, it forced masai to look at other options/stop gaps. Have a feeling masai is targeting the trade deadline. Scola and Patterson isnt a bad duo by any means and should be able to hold the fort till trade deadline.