So.... what do we do about the frontcourt now?

[MixxSRC]

If Biyombo is available we should absolutely target him. Familiarity, and we know how to use him right. He’s not a complete wash offensively either given his offensive rebounding and almost average free throw shooting

He's back with Charlotte

[Psubs]

Taj Gibson, Ersan Ilyasova, Kyle O'Quinn or Dwayne Dedmon?

[vado]

Taj Gibson, Ersan Ilyasova, Kyle O'Quinn or Dwayne Dedmon?

Out of those guys Dedmon. He'd be good insurance in case Baynes got injured but I don't know if he'd come here because of playing time. Trade route would probably be better

[Psubs]

Taj Gibson, Ersan Ilyasova, Kyle O'Quinn or Dwayne Dedmon?

Out of those guys Dedmon. He'd be good insurance in case Baynes got injured but I don't know if he'd come here because of playing time. Trade route would probably be better

Ask Bembry about Dedmon. Have him take the vet min.

[Local_NG_Idiot]

Donta Hall into the Raps development queue please. I don't want any of the aged bigs at this point.

[Dalek]

I'd go hard or fail hard at this stage. Demarcus Cousins is a HoF type of talent that I would throw a full MLE at if that is what it takes. Just a one year deal though, or a one plus team option.

If he doesn't work out, or gets hurt you tank the year for a good pick.

He is looking pretty light on his feet, so here is hoping he has recovered.

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Considering the Raps already have the Terence Davis situation to deal with, can't imagine they'd even strongly contemplate bringing in another player who has a recent history of aggression towards women.

That is right and I forgot about the verbal threats he was making. I can't see them wanting him either.

[Dalek]

Taj Gibson, Ersan Ilyasova, Kyle O'Quinn or Dwayne Dedmon?

Out of those guys Dedmon. He'd be good insurance in case Baynes got injured but I don't know if he'd come here because of playing time. Trade route would probably be better

Ask Bembry about Dedmon. Have him take the vet min.

For back-up big, I want John Henson. He is still only 29 and can block shots and be good insurance for Baynes. Dedmon would also be ideal, but we would be in competition for him once he clears waivers.

[DangerZone13]

With the current roster construction, I've got a feeling we're going to see a lot more of OG at the 5, with Boucher the primary backup 4, and the third look at Center.

It seems Stormin' Norman is at his best in a starter role, so I could see rolling out a small line-up of Lowry/VV/Norm/Siakam/OG. In the spirit of true Raptors: small, fast, aggressive, and intelligent. This probably jacks Norm's value for a mid-season deal for a good expiring player (ideally a young restricted free agent and expiring filler).

I think OG has the strength and smarts to work the 5 against the majority of line-ups; and you can throw Bruiser Baynes at anyone who tries to bully OG. This approach also helps to conserve Baynes a little on a game, and season approach, as he seems to leave it all out there.

We're not in contention this year, and OG is the youngest part of our foundation. Let's see what all we can do with him. He's not going to get manhandled down there any worse than SlimDuck.

That said, I'd still love to see a flier on Boogie. After injuries, he knows he has to rehab his rep too, and contributing with a first-class organization for a year and staying out of trouble could help.

[Dalek]

Now that we have Baynes and Len, it makes me wonder if we will be playing more drop-coverages. Len is not quick enough to get our on the perimeter, and I am not sure how well Baynes defends in switches.

Baynes is a great defensive communicator so maybe our help defense will excel. I just don't think we will have a guy like Ibaka this year. Baynes fouls a ton and at his age he may not be able to keep up on top.

Boucher might be our best bet to step into a mini-Ibaka role with the smaller line-ups.

[God Squad]

Now that we have Baynes and Len, it makes me wonder if we will be playing more drop-coverages. Len is not quick enough to get our on the perimeter, and I am not sure how well Baynes defends in switches.

Baynes is a great defensive communicator so maybe our help defense will excel. I just don't think we will have a guy like Ibaka this year. Baynes fouls a ton and at his age he may not be able to keep up on top.

Boucher might be our best bet to step into a mini-Ibaka role with the smaller line-ups.

Makes me wonder if Masai going Mini tank lol. I do think Baynes will have a good impact on both ends though. Solid pickup imo. Whenever I watch Len he looks like he's trying "too" much to score or make an impact.

[Gold Dragon]

Baynes starts most games. OG closes any crunch time games. Len and Boucher fill out the rest of the C minutes depending on matchups.

[TorontoRapsFan]

Now that we have Baynes and Len, it makes me wonder if we will be playing more drop-coverages. Len is not quick enough to get our on the perimeter, and I am not sure how well Baynes defends in switches.

Baynes is a great defensive communicator so maybe our help defense will excel. I just don't think we will have a guy like Ibaka this year. Baynes fouls a ton and at his age he may not be able to keep up on top.

Boucher might be our best bet to step into a mini-Ibaka role with the smaller line-ups.

Len is very mobile. Probably one of the most mobile big men in the league. Not saying he can defend on the perimeter regularly. It takes more than mobility. And he is far from a bad defender. And Baynes has been a good defender almost all of his career. Whether he's too slow all of a sudden because of age, I don't know. But both players are likely better on the defensive end than Boucher of last year.

[Denisaur9]

I think we see alot of Ibaka at the 5 and OG at the 4.

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[Morse Code]

I think we see alot of Ibaka at the 5 and OG at the 4.

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Lol bruh

[StopitLeo]

Now that we have Baynes and Len, it makes me wonder if we will be playing more drop-coverages. Len is not quick enough to get our on the perimeter, and I am not sure how well Baynes defends in switches.

Baynes is a great defensive communicator so maybe our help defense will excel. I just don't think we will have a guy like Ibaka this year. Baynes fouls a ton and at his age he may not be able to keep up on top.

Boucher might be our best bet to step into a mini-Ibaka role with the smaller line-ups.

Baynes used to defend the P&R really well with the Celtics. They switched a lot and when they didn’t he was able to hedge and recover. I suspect he has lost that mobility and will defend similarly to Gasol. He is really smart defensively so he should also be able to anchor the defense in the same way as Marc did (or even Serge to a lesser degree).

I think you’re right about Len and Boucher. I’m quite interested to see what Boucher does knowing he will get regular minutes.

[pr0gr4m]

Starting Baynes isn't the best idea even though he's the best we have there. He is still older and has an injury history. Using him as a back up and playing him more in special situations would be best. Boucher is my de facto starter. We aren't winning a championship next season but we should play as much to our potential as possible. With development and rest in mind for the playoffs and the following season I would probably go with:

Boucher /Baynes/Len/Hernandez
Siakam /Oshae
OG /Watson/Bembry/McCaw
Powell /Davis/Thomas/Johnson
FVV /Lowry/Flynn

With Powell being replaced with Davis I could see that with addition of a max Gobert/Giannis being our line up going into the next decade. The first to go from our core of OG/Siakam/FVV will likely be Fred. He too is likely replacable by Flynn.

[OakleyDokely]

Who starts at C doesnt even really matter. It's about who finishes in close games and that will be determined by matchups/performance. Some closing lineups will include Baynes at C, some might have Boucher, some might have OG. Raps are going to play the matchup game a lot.

[nabbs]

A lot of what happens depends on someone getting cut and the TD court hearing.

If TD is found to be not guilty, he likely stays on the team and we either have to cut someone or roll with our current roster unless Harris gets signed two a 2way deal which would then open up a spot I believe (I could be wrong).

If he is guilty, can't imagine he is on the team and he get cut. I still think we are signing guys to camp deals to keep our options open. I still expect Oshae to be back on the team

If Oshae is indeed back I expect our 4 rotation to be:

Pascal/Oshae/Johnson/Boucher/Watson/OG

A combo of those guys moving up and down between 3 and 4.

[coca_scola]

Now that we have Baynes and Len, it makes me wonder if we will be playing more drop-coverages. Len is not quick enough to get our on the perimeter, and I am not sure how well Baynes defends in switches.

Baynes is a great defensive communicator so maybe our help defense will excel. I just don't think we will have a guy like Ibaka this year. Baynes fouls a ton and at his age he may not be able to keep up on top.

Boucher might be our best bet to step into a mini-Ibaka role with the smaller line-ups.

Baynes used to defend the P&R really well with the Celtics. They switched a lot and when they didn’t he was able to hedge and recover. I suspect he has lost that mobility and will defend similarly to Gasol. He is really smart defensively so he should also be able to anchor the defense in the same way as Marc did (or even Serge to a lesser degree).

I think you’re right about Len and Boucher. I’m quite interested to see what Boucher does knowing he will get regular minutes.

Baynes isn't incredibly mobile but he's very tough and strong. He is also really good at using his body to angle guys towards the rim leading to tough and contested attempts at the rim. I think he will be alright on d.

[nabbs]

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This is helpful. So I am guessing Harris gets converted to a 2 way to open up a roster spot to bring in someone else (maybe bring back Brisset?)

They'll keep Watson on a 2 way as long as possible