Summer Runs and Random Player Sightings

[Stromile12]

Boucher looked like it wasn't worth his time being there, too cool. Scottie looked good, pretty much the same, using his strength to get buckets.

I disagree with Scottie looking the same. Compare his Rico runs last year, he was soft going up, athletically he was very "bambi" like. He seemed like he didn't know how to use his length to his advantage.

This year in the Rico runs, he's been getting by defenders, getting low on his drives. He looks much stronger, and his drives have looked very slithery to me. Ball handling looks alot more fluid and tight.

His mindset also seems to be far more aggressive. Last year in the Rico runs he was mostly shooting open 3's and/or passing up the ball. I have high expectations this season. 22/8/6/1/1.

Things that impressed me in the video were his long distance shooting from mid range to that pull up 3.

What still grinds my gears though is his feet are so far apart when he takes a jump shot.

Can you give me a link to last years Rico Runs and this year so I can accurately assess them side by side?

Yeah, his form looks the same to me. Like others have pointed out, we don't see all the misses. He's going to be at his best using his strength to overpower defenders, just like last year. When he got the ball in the paint, it was a pretty efficient shot. I'm expecting the same from him this year, just more assertive and a few more touches.

[Reeko]

Thank god blake joining them every day now

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=0YpMScWXY2zRUqR8fH-usg

Nice. Will be even better if he breaks out of those leading questions by Will and just speaks his full opinion lol.

Yeah, that show just felt so unserious with Will and Alex. I'm listening for real discussion related to the Raptors, not for the banter between Will and Alex. Nobody cares about their poor dietary choices, we want to hear about basketball.

[dTox]

Thank god blake joining them every day now

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=0YpMScWXY2zRUqR8fH-usg

Nice. Will be even better if he breaks out of those leading questions by Will and just speaks his full opinion lol.

Yeah, that show just felt so unserious with Will and Alex. I'm listening for real discussion related to the Raptors, not for the banter between Will and Alex. Nobody cares about their poor dietary choices, we want to hear about basketball.

On one hand, I understand it's the drags of the offseason, when there's not much to talk about, but on the other hand, there's ways to be creative and "make something out of nothing" that other podcasts do (i.e. ranking top 50 prospects under 25, or most confusing teams in the NBA, trade ideas, etc.), instead, they just go the lazy route and talk absolute nonsense that has nothing to do with ball. If I ever listen to the show during the offseason, it's usually for about 2-3 min where I skip through most of the banter, They handed the show to the wrong people. A show featuring Murphy and Sampson would be great content, both are much better analysts than Lou.

[HumbleRen]

Nice. Will be even better if he breaks out of those leading questions by Will and just speaks his full opinion lol.

Yeah, that show just felt so unserious with Will and Alex. I'm listening for real discussion related to the Raptors, not for the banter between Will and Alex. Nobody cares about their poor dietary choices, we want to hear about basketball.

On one hand, I understand it's the drags of the offseason, when there's not much to talk about, but on the other hand, there's ways to be creative and "make something out of nothing" that other podcasts do (i.e. ranking top 50 prospects under 25, or most confusing teams in the NBA, trade ideas, etc.), instead, they just go the lazy route and talk absolute nonsense that has nothing to do with ball. If I ever listen to the show during the offseason, it's usually for about 2-3 min where I skip through most of the banter, They handed the show to the wrong people. A show featuring Murphy and Sampson would be great content, both are much better analysts than Lou.

I mean they're the #1 show in Canada when it comes to Basketball on the Spotify rankings during the season. They clearly chose the right people. They're able to consistently sell out live shows as well.

The off-season is the off-season for a reason, I don't think it's that big of a deal. Murphy will be a great co host to get that right balance of professionalism vs banter.

[720]

Thank god blake joining them every day now

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=0YpMScWXY2zRUqR8fH-usg

Nice. Will be even better if he breaks out of those leading questions by Will and just speaks his full opinion lol.

Yeah, that show just felt so unserious with Will and Alex. I'm listening for real discussion related to the Raptors, not for the banter between Will and Alex. Nobody cares about their poor dietary choices, we want to hear about basketball.

The conversations in between the raptors content is what made Will’s audience and gave him the following to get his own radio show. He was different compared to most Raptors podcasts, his guests were similar personalities as well.

[tecumseh18]

They handed the show to the wrong people. A show featuring Murphy and Sampson would be great content, both are much better analysts than Lou.

If so, that's cuz Blake and Samson are two of the best basketball analysts Toronto's ever seen. But Will Lou has been doing this for years, and isn't exactly bad at it. He's just more passionate because he's a real fan of the team, like early Bill Simmons.

And Alex is a genuinely funny guy. The memes he posts on Twixxer are usually hilarious. His sense of humour clearly meshes with Will's.

Samson will get his day. He's too good not to.

[Reeko]

Nice. Will be even better if he breaks out of those leading questions by Will and just speaks his full opinion lol.

Yeah, that show just felt so unserious with Will and Alex. I'm listening for real discussion related to the Raptors, not for the banter between Will and Alex. Nobody cares about their poor dietary choices, we want to hear about basketball.

The conversations in between the raptors content is what made Will’s audience and gave him the following to get his own radio show. He was different compared to most Raptors podcasts, his guests were similar personalities as well.

I disagree. It was his ability to analyze the game and his willingness to shamelessly and entertainingly slander the opposing teams that made him cultivate his fan base. His banter is great as long as it's Raptors related, but when he's talking about how much sushi or dim sum Alex Wong can put away in a sitting, for me personally, it's off putting.

[720]

Yeah, that show just felt so unserious with Will and Alex. I'm listening for real discussion related to the Raptors, not for the banter between Will and Alex. Nobody cares about their poor dietary choices, we want to hear about basketball.

The conversations in between the raptors content is what made Will’s audience and gave him the following to get his own radio show. He was different compared to most Raptors podcasts, his guests were similar personalities as well.

I disagree. It was his ability to analyze the game and his willingness to shamelessly and entertainingly slander the opposing teams that made him cultivate his fan base. His banter is great as long as it's Raptors related, but when he's talking about how much sushi or dim sum Alex Wong can put away in a sitting, for me personally, it's off putting.

The slander pods give credence to the notion that Will’s personality played a big part in the growth of his following rather than whatever analysis he provides (which is good btw). It’s a combination of both. In my opinion.

[djsunyc]

blake will keep will focused and not go on useless tangents with alex.

[Reeko]

The conversations in between the raptors content is what made Will’s audience and gave him the following to get his own radio show. He was different compared to most Raptors podcasts, his guests were similar personalities as well.

I disagree. It was his ability to analyze the game and his willingness to shamelessly and entertainingly slander the opposing teams that made him cultivate his fan base. His banter is great as long as it's Raptors related, but when he's talking about how much sushi or dim sum Alex Wong can put away in a sitting, for me personally, it's off putting.

The slander pods give credence to the notion that Will’s personality played a big part in the growth of his following rather than whatever analysis he provides (which is good btw). It’s a combination of both. In my opinion.

Yeah, without a doubt it was his personality and analysis that got him to where he is. My issue is more so with Alex and how he impacts Will and the direction of the shows. I think Blake will keep them more on track with the Raptors content, just make the show better overall.

[720]

I disagree. It was his ability to analyze the game and his willingness to shamelessly and entertainingly slander the opposing teams that made him cultivate his fan base. His banter is great as long as it's Raptors related, but when he's talking about how much sushi or dim sum Alex Wong can put away in a sitting, for me personally, it's off putting.

The slander pods give credence to the notion that Will’s personality played a big part in the growth of his following rather than whatever analysis he provides (which is good btw). It’s a combination of both. In my opinion.

Yeah, without a doubt it was his personality and analysis that got him to where he is. My issue is more so with Alex and how he impacts Will and the direction of the shows. I think Blake will keep them more on track with the Raptors content, just make the show better overall.

I agree that Blake is a great addition. His episodes with Will have always been entertaining. Personally I also find Blake to be more realistic. It took Will forever to realize this core was flawed and the long term outlook of this team as unrealistic (going for development and winning at the same time). He finally came around to the realities of the team but it took him awhile. Blake meanwhile asked these questions much earlier and was questioning the decisions made by the org much earlier than Will. I find Will is still one of those guys that puts a disproportionate amount of blame on Nurse plus role players and not enough on Fred, Siakam, Masai, etc. He has gotten a lot better with that more recently though. Blake is a good additional voice.

[And1Skip]

I disagree. It was his ability to analyze the game and his willingness to shamelessly and entertainingly slander the opposing teams that made him cultivate his fan base. His banter is great as long as it's Raptors related, but when he's talking about how much sushi or dim sum Alex Wong can put away in a sitting, for me personally, it's off putting.

The slander pods give credence to the notion that Will’s personality played a big part in the growth of his following rather than whatever analysis he provides (which is good btw). It’s a combination of both. In my opinion.

Yeah, without a doubt it was his personality and analysis that got him to where he is. My issue is more so with Alex and how he impacts Will and the direction of the shows. I think Blake will keep them more on track with the Raptors content, just make the show better overall.

Will is a good host. I would say he's a keeper. Alex brings nothing valuable to the show and yes often off putting - he's too opinionated on his non-basketball interests and views and quite frankly I don't care what he thinks, so there's no point in constantly doing that. I don't listen if Alex is on the show, but if it is just Will or its Will and Blake, I'll listen to it. Will and Blake are more neutral and humble personalities.

[Yeezus_]

The slander pods give credence to the notion that Will’s personality played a big part in the growth of his following rather than whatever analysis he provides (which is good btw). It’s a combination of both. In my opinion.

Yeah, without a doubt it was his personality and analysis that got him to where he is. My issue is more so with Alex and how he impacts Will and the direction of the shows. I think Blake will keep them more on track with the Raptors content, just make the show better overall.

Will is a good host. I would say he's a keeper. Alex brings nothing valuable to the show and yes often off putting - he's too opinionated on his non-basketball interests and views and quite frankly I don't care what he thinks, so there's no point in constantly doing that. I don't listen if Alex is on the show, but if it is just Will or its Will and Blake, I'll listen to it. Will and Blake are more neutral and humble personalities.

Nah Will is super annoying and says "Umm", "that's fair" way too much. He's not even growing as a communicator.

I feel like the show doesn't dive deep enough into topics, it's all surface level talk. When Blake comes on, it's different.

ALSO, since he's in the media, he needs to start having some actual sources, relationships and intel from players, coaches and FO. That's how people take you more seriously and your credibility skyrockets. There's only so many years he can continue with the current approach and be successful long term. Otherwise, people will come along and do what he does but do it better. It's only a matter of time.

[And1Skip]

Will is a good host. I would say he's a keeper. Alex brings nothing valuable to the show and yes often off putting - he's too opinionated on his non-basketball interests and views and quite frankly I don't care what he thinks, so there's no point in constantly doing that. I don't listen if Alex is on the show, but if it is just Will or its Will and Blake, I'll listen to it. Will and Blake are more neutral and humble personalities.

Nah Will is super annoying and says "Umm", "that's fair" way too much. He's not even growing as a communicator.

I feel like the show doesn't dive deep enough into topics, it's all surface level talk. When Blake comes on, it's different.

ALSO, since he's in the media, he needs to start having some actual sources, relationships and intel from players, coaches and FO. That's how people take you more seriously and your credibility skyrockets. There's only so many years he can continue with the current approach and be successful long term. Otherwise, people will come along and do what he does but do it better. It's only a matter of time.

It was just more of a personality thing that Will comes off better as a good guy and Alex doesn't and rubs people the wrong way. I bet Alex is going to read these posts and then start slandering and defending himself on the next show because he doesn't think anything he does is wrong. Will will take these criticisms and say "that's fair".

[DemHeavyHands]

I’m just happy the Fred dick sucking will be over

The raptors show became unbearable towards the end of the season because of that

And I’m happy they got 2 hours now. Too much puckhead talk and not enough basketball, but 2 hours is better!

[TheGeneral99]

I’m just happy the Fred dick sucking will be over

The raptors show became unbearable towards the end of the season because of that

And I’m happy they got 2 hours now. Too much puckhead talk and not enough basketball, but 2 hours is better!

It was less "dick sucking" and more about responding to absurd haters who made weird, irrational personal attacks against Fred on a daily basis like some sort of weird high-school obsession.

That being said, Fred made great contributions to the franchise, is a top 10 Raptor of all-time, but of course he's not worth close to that Houston contract, so it's good he's gone.

[raincityraptors]

I’m just happy the Fred dick sucking will be over

The raptors show became unbearable towards the end of the season because of that

And I’m happy they got 2 hours now. Too much puckhead talk and not enough basketball, but 2 hours is better!

It was less "dick sucking" and more about responding to absurd haters who made weird, irrational personal attacks against Fred on a daily basis like some sort of weird high-school obsession.

That being said, Fred made great contributions to the franchise, is a top 10 Raptor of all-time, but of course he's not worth close to that Houston contract, so it's good he's gone.

Is that what you call a fanbase that is watching a player do everything possible to make the most money he can in a contract year at the expense of the team?

We all know what Fred was doing. We have seen the results of it this summer.

Give people a little grace for reacting to what was undeniably going on.

If you can't do that, I think we know who is acting like a high schooler.

[Mikistan]

I’m just happy the Fred dick sucking will be over

The raptors show became unbearable towards the end of the season because of that

And I’m happy they got 2 hours now. Too much puckhead talk and not enough basketball, but 2 hours is better!

It was less "dick sucking" and more about responding to absurd haters who made weird, irrational personal attacks against Fred on a daily basis like some sort of weird high-school obsession.

That being said, Fred made great contributions to the franchise, is a top 10 Raptor of all-time, but of course he's not worth close to that Houston contract, so it's good he's gone.

Have you ever played basketball with a selfish guy on your team?

[Tha Cynic]

I’m just happy the Fred dick sucking will be over

The raptors show became unbearable towards the end of the season because of that

And I’m happy they got 2 hours now. Too much puckhead talk and not enough basketball, but 2 hours is better!

It was less "dick sucking" and more about responding to absurd haters who made weird, irrational personal attacks against Fred on a daily basis like some sort of weird high-school obsession.

That being said, Fred made great contributions to the franchise, is a top 10 Raptor of all-time, but of course he's not worth close to that Houston contract, so it's good he's gone.

I think a lot of the hate FVV got was due to the heavy bias towards FVV by those same media personnel. I think this is a two way street.

If the media called out FVV for the negative aspects of his game regularly like they did others, fans wouldn't be so annoyed to keep talking about it. I think the whole "balance" thing from the media completely ignores how biased they were towards him because he was their best quotes machine.

Typically when people give off vibes to a huge population those vibes are based on something. Not all those media people are psychologists to try to tell people he's not what they see on the court or in the media. Vibes are a thing and he just had bad vibes. FVV can also be acting a certain way with the media for a calculated reason. You just don't know. But vibes are vibes.

[Los_29]

I’m just happy the Fred dick sucking will be over

The raptors show became unbearable towards the end of the season because of that

And I’m happy they got 2 hours now. Too much puckhead talk and not enough basketball, but 2 hours is better!

It was less "dick sucking" and more about responding to absurd haters who made weird, irrational personal attacks against Fred on a daily basis like some sort of weird high-school obsession.

That being said, Fred made great contributions to the franchise, is a top 10 Raptor of all-time, but of course he's not worth close to that Houston contract, so it's good he's gone.

Is that what you call a fanbase that is watching a player do everything possible to make the most money he can in a contract year at the expense of the team?

We all know what Fred was doing. We have seen the results of it this summer.

Give people a little grace for reacting to what was undeniably going on.

If you can't do that, I think we know who is acting like a high schooler.

Didn’t Fred just get 43 million a year from Houston? A team that was rumoured to be after Harden but pivoted the moment they hired Udoka, a coach who just so happens to have coached a Celtics team to the finals just one year ago.

The harsh reality is that what some people “thought” Fred was doing is simply not grounded in reality. His usage and FGA were lower and his assists were at a career high.

Do people honestly think that executives and coaches would want to give Fred that much money if he actually did what you think he did? Why wouldn’t they have just chosen a way better player in Harden. It’s funny that championship level coaches, executives and players around the league all view Fred entirely different than some posters on a basketball forum.