jonny three time wrote:The board is probably hedging too far towards negative/cynical considering the run the Raptors have been on and that we've retained the main core responsible for it. However, here are some facts about this team that are incredibly difficult to argue...
Okay. I'll have a stab at this.
- we dumped talent and assets simply to remain under the luxury tax, we have less talent now, then at the end of last year
While the
quantity and depth of talent has decreased... the degree to which the
quality of minutes played in games will be impacted (if worse at all) by the young players backfilling for Patterson, Cojo and the two months of Tucker is still very much debatable.
We didn't start last year with Ibaka who, following a full training camp and better implementation with our team, may end up being a better overall talent for the group that remains than any of the 3 who left individually.
It's also possible that an improved Norman Powell and CJ Miles of last year, along with OJ Anunoby minutes near Christmas, may combine for more quality minutes at SF over the course of the full year than what Carroll, Norm off the bench last year and later Tucker provided as a trio. Why? Norm is better as a starter and he'll be older and better as a player. CJ Miles is probably a better bench SF for us and our needs than Carroll was. Anunoby was a freak defender in college. In a highly specialized role to begin with he may bring some of what Tucker brought anyway with fresher legs. I won't be surprised at all if Delon Wright is a story for us and surpasses Cory's impact on both ends.
- we have virtually zero chance at the championship
Does anybody but the Warriors really? Did anybody but the Bulls at the peak of Jordan? Would anyone have stopped Kobe and Shaq during their reign if they hadn't self destructed Kyrie/Lebron style over chemistry issues and let Detroit sneak in there with less talent and beat them? Go back almost any year the past 20 and there was probably only 2 teams who really had a legit shot at the title and it was ultimately one of those 2 teams favored pre-season that won it all in all but a couple cases (Dallas being a notable exception). Every other team probably had a 7% or less chance. Welcome to the NBA. Have all of the other fans in 28 other arenas been wasting their time the past 20 years for watching their teams play basketball and try to go as far as they can before facing one of those two top teams? This isn't unique to us or this era but the Cavs and Warriors feature multiple MVPs and may have had the talent to beat some of those previous champions over 7 games. This era is incredibly hard.
- outside commentators and fans alike almost universally agree that we play a boring style of offense
Many of us don't find it boring. Who cares what outsiders think? Are we so insecure that we can't enjoy basketball that they consider to be too one on one (even when it isn't and is more pick and roll driven)? There's something enjoyable about watching defences know what's coming and still struggling to stop it and the results offensively speak for themselves. This team has delivered offensively the past 2 seasons and been more efficient than many of the flashier offences more predicated on ball movement.
As another poster shared we need to do a better job of defending the 3. That's even a higher priority than our offence.
- our best players struggle in the playoffs
No disagreement here but part of that has been poorly timed injuries and Derozan has shown signs of improvement the past 2 years from the Miami series through the Bucks series prior to losing Lowry and being more aggressively doubled against the Cavs.
- our core is older and have no real upside left, they've likely peaked as a team
Boston's big 3 is the same or older than us and their youngest and most promising talents may still be a season or two away from busting out given the time shares they are in. Washington is slightly younger based on Beal and Porter. Charlotte's big 3 is around the same age as us. Miami's are too. The risers in the East are still too young to make serious top 4 noise and we don't have to worry about anyone in the west but one of the greatest teams of all time if we face them in the Finals. Which... even if it happened would still be thrilling in a David vs Goliath sort of way. We'd get beat but I'd like to see how we looked regardless and see how hard we could fight. It would be a part of history. Even casuals remember most finals matchups of the past.
- we know exactly what each game will look like, there's nothing "new"
I disagree. A lineup of a healthy Lowry, Derozan, Powell, Ibaka and Valanciunas has rarely been seen together as a group. That's new in and of itself. Norm is a huge X factor. What if Delon Wright, Siakam or Poeltl or OG Anunoby surprise considerably?
A healthy Lowry for 70 games and Ibaka there alongside him and some nice surprises from the prospects and this team exceeds its win total next year and possibly seeds higher, avoiding a matchup with the Cavs until the ECF. If the Cavs flub this Kyrie Irving trade and get somebody like Josh Jackson they are much worse overall. Their 3s killed us.
Sent from my iPhone using
RealGM mobile app
Club Shai Shai 
