Samson Folk and Caitlin Cooper dissect the Raptors

[bballsparkin]

How many games do you think Ingram and IQ add collectively?

Then we should add games since the East got weaker.

Add some more because of a young roster adding another year.

I'd argue we're in that 45-50 range.

45 is what I would hope the Pistons make. If the Raptors can meet those expectations I would consider that a success.

[WiggOuts]

I really tried to listen to Samson Folk, god knows I have, but he's just so damn boring...hes too hokey pokey for me lol

[NinjaBro]

I really tried to listen to Samson Folk, god knows I have, but he's just so damn boring...hes too hokey pokey for me lol

+1000

[Badonkadonk]

I really tried to listen to Samson Folk, god knows I have, but he's just so damn boring...hes too hokey pokey for me lol

+1000

Total opposite for me, I can't stand the regurgitated surface level stuff anymore. It's gotten harder to find people who actually speak thoughtfully about what's happening on the court, especially with video analysis. I especially like it when he or Zatzman write articles, but it seems everyone only wants to watch vids. Guess I'm old.

Stylistically, he's from Saskatchewan and (I think) only moved to Toronto within the last 5 years. I'm sure that still plays pretty heavily in his delivery and mannerisms (not that it's a different planet but you can tell when somebody's born and raised in the city)

[JB7]

Won 30 games last year with no Ingram and IQ didn't play most of the season, when he did he was on a minute restriction.

These two are probably our best chances of getting all stars on our team. If Barnes takes a step forward he's also in contention for an all star spot. Those are bets the best president in sports made. The Raptors can get to 50 wins but the limitation will be coaching.

I would guess we keep Darko and give him 2-3 playoff runs to make things happen similar to Casey. The idea will be that he develops our players and assets while they make trades and improve as much as possible. Then you grab a great playoff coach and see what happens.

If he were the best president in sports he wouldn’t have gotten fired. Certainly he hasn’t earned that title from the last 3-4 years.

Vegas has our over/under at 37.5 wins. 50 wins seems like a big reach. If Poeltl misses any time we’re in big trouble. Ingram is no model of health. Absolutely everything would have to go right for us to win 50.

I think the Raps chances are closer to 50, than 37.5. Talking about injuries, consider this: 5 teams in the East, the Raps are competing with, are one key injury away from collapsing (Celtics - Brown; Bucks - Giannis; Pacers - Pascal; Hawks - Young; Pistons - Cade). Raps don't rely on one player as much as those teams will do this season. Even if Barnes was hurt, the team could still manage. It is the teams depth that will lead to their success this season.

[ConSarnit]

Won 30 games last year with no Ingram and IQ didn't play most of the season, when he did he was on a minute restriction.

These two are probably our best chances of getting all stars on our team. If Barnes takes a step forward he's also in contention for an all star spot. Those are bets the best president in sports made. The Raptors can get to 50 wins but the limitation will be coaching.

I would guess we keep Darko and give him 2-3 playoff runs to make things happen similar to Casey. The idea will be that he develops our players and assets while they make trades and improve as much as possible. Then you grab a great playoff coach and see what happens.

If he were the best president in sports he wouldn’t have gotten fired. Certainly he hasn’t earned that title from the last 3-4 years.

Vegas has our over/under at 37.5 wins. 50 wins seems like a big reach. If Poeltl misses any time we’re in big trouble. Ingram is no model of health. Absolutely everything would have to go right for us to win 50.

I think the Raps chances are closer to 50, than 37.5. Talking about injuries, consider this: 5 teams in the East, the Raps are competing with, are one key injury away from collapsing (Celtics - Brown; Bucks - Giannis; Pacers - Pascal; Hawks - Young; Pistons - Cade). Raps don't rely on one player as much as those teams will do this season. Even if Barnes was hurt, the team could still manage. It is the teams depth that will lead to their success this season.

If we lose any of Barnes/Ingram/Poeltl we have zero chance at probably even 45 wins. The guy who 50 wins hinges on the most (Ingram) is the most injury prone player out of any of the above.

If the thought process is “one key injury from collapsing” we have the guy most likely to get injured.

[JB7]

If he were the best president in sports he wouldn’t have gotten fired. Certainly he hasn’t earned that title from the last 3-4 years.

Vegas has our over/under at 37.5 wins. 50 wins seems like a big reach. If Poeltl misses any time we’re in big trouble. Ingram is no model of health. Absolutely everything would have to go right for us to win 50.

I think the Raps chances are closer to 50, than 37.5. Talking about injuries, consider this: 5 teams in the East, the Raps are competing with, are one key injury away from collapsing (Celtics - Brown; Bucks - Giannis; Pacers - Pascal; Hawks - Young; Pistons - Cade). Raps don't rely on one player as much as those teams will do this season. Even if Barnes was hurt, the team could still manage. It is the teams depth that will lead to their success this season.

If we lose any of Barnes/Ingram/Poeltl we have zero chance at probably even 45 wins. The guy who 50 wins hinges on the most (Ingram) is the most injury prone player out of any of the above.

If the thought process is “one key injury from collapsing” we have the guy most likely to get injured.

If one of those 3 (Barnes/Ingram/Poeltl) get injured, the team doesn't fall completely apart. But in the case of the 5 teams I mentioned above, if one of those players got injured, those teams are done. And Celtics and Pacers might even be incentivized to tank this season, owning their picks, and with the injuries to Tatum and Hali.

The only 3 teams guaranteed to be strong this year, and able to manage through some injuries are the Cavs, Knicks and Magic.

[ConSarnit]

I think the Raps chances are closer to 50, than 37.5. Talking about injuries, consider this: 5 teams in the East, the Raps are competing with, are one key injury away from collapsing (Celtics - Brown; Bucks - Giannis; Pacers - Pascal; Hawks - Young; Pistons - Cade). Raps don't rely on one player as much as those teams will do this season. Even if Barnes was hurt, the team could still manage. It is the teams depth that will lead to their success this season.

If we lose any of Barnes/Ingram/Poeltl we have zero chance at probably even 45 wins. The guy who 50 wins hinges on the most (Ingram) is the most injury prone player out of any of the above.

If the thought process is “one key injury from collapsing” we have the guy most likely to get injured.

If one of those 3 (Barnes/Ingram/Poeltl) get injured, the team doesn't fall completely apart. But in the case of the 5 teams I mentioned above, if one of those players got injured, those teams are done. And Celtics and Pacers might even be incentivized to tank this season, owning their picks, and with the injuries to Tatum and Hali.

The only 3 teams guaranteed to be strong this year, and able to manage through some injuries are the Cavs, Knicks and Magic.

If Poeltl gets injured we are in big trouble. Mamu is unproven even as a backup C.

I doubt the Pacers (who never tank) or BOS tank. Those teams are going to default into play-in position because of the log jam in the East. Maybe BOS pivots to a tank. I also think if they do tank it won’t be some massive boon for us that pushes us to 50 wins. We play BOS once after the trade deadline. If BOS or IND pivots to a late season tank we’re not going to get to play them when they really ramp it up.

[WiggOuts]

I really tried to listen to Samson Folk, god knows I have, but he's just so damn boring...hes too hokey pokey for me lol

+1000

Total opposite for me, I can't stand the regurgitated surface level stuff anymore. It's gotten harder to find people who actually speak thoughtfully about what's happening on the court, especially with video analysis. I especially like it when he or Zatzman write articles, but it seems everyone only wants to watch vids. Guess I'm old.

Stylistically, he's from Saskatchewan and (I think) only moved to Toronto within the last 5 years. I'm sure that still plays pretty heavily in his delivery and mannerisms (not that it's a different planet but you can tell when somebody's born and raised in the city)

I definitely appreciate his knowledge and how he disects the game, thats why I do try to listen. There are 2 sides to this type of thing and when you podcast your personality is a huge part of your package, you cant be all substance with no style...when you can be but you won't be appealing to everyone. At the end of the day most people listen for entertainment and if you're entertained just by numbers and stats than more power to you. Imo its basketball, its not math or science, its a game played on a court not on a spreadsheet so there will always be different perspectives

[ATLTimekeeper]

I listen somewhat regularly to his podcast and to characterize him as just relying on numbers and stats is ignorant. He breaks the game down on a technical level to give you an impression of what's important and what isn't.

[JB7]

If we lose any of Barnes/Ingram/Poeltl we have zero chance at probably even 45 wins. The guy who 50 wins hinges on the most (Ingram) is the most injury prone player out of any of the above.

If the thought process is “one key injury from collapsing” we have the guy most likely to get injured.

If one of those 3 (Barnes/Ingram/Poeltl) get injured, the team doesn't fall completely apart. But in the case of the 5 teams I mentioned above, if one of those players got injured, those teams are done. And Celtics and Pacers might even be incentivized to tank this season, owning their picks, and with the injuries to Tatum and Hali.

The only 3 teams guaranteed to be strong this year, and able to manage through some injuries are the Cavs, Knicks and Magic.

If Poeltl gets injured we are in big trouble. Mamu is unproven even as a backup C.

I doubt the Pacers (who never tank) or BOS tank. Those teams are going to default into play-in position because of the log jam in the East. Maybe BOS pivots to a tank. I also think if they do tank it won’t be some massive boon for us that pushes us to 50 wins. We play BOS once after the trade deadline. If BOS or IND pivots to a late season tank we’re not going to get to play them when they really ramp it up.

I would agree that Yak is probably a bit more valuable than BI or Barnes, if there were an injury to one player. But I don't think an injury to any one of those guys has the same type of impact as a injury to one of those 5 players I mentioned above, and their teams.

I definitely think the Celtics are going to choose to tank at some point this season. It is just the perfect situation for them to produce a quick reset for their team around Tatum and Brown. A top pick in a strong draft can be used to draft young, cheap talent, which they need with the contracts Tatum and Brown have. The draft pick could also be used to acquire young cheap talent as well via trade.

I also wouldn't be surprised if Indy tries the same thing as well. They know they have no chance in the playoffs without Hali, and they have already lost Turner, and will probably lose Mathurin after this season (will be hard to resign). So why not look to a good draft to replenish some of that talent, when they clearly are not winning this season.

If both of those teams choose to tank, that is just two less teams for the Raps to compete with for seeding in the East.

And who knows if Giannis demands a trade at some point in the season. Bucks could be another team that falls off dramatically. The Bucks record last year was not just about Giannis. They also had Dame for 58 games, averaging almost 25pts per game, which they don't have at all this season.

There are just a lot of teams in the East that could fall off this season, opening up lanes for the Raps success.

[djsunyc]

side tangent, alex wong kills the podcast. brings will lou down. not a fan. my guess is he finances some of the show so that wont change.

[ATLTimekeeper]

side tangent, alex wong kills the podcast. brings will lou down. not a fan. my guess is he finances some of the show so that wont change.

I disagree. Wong keeps it light and has a good sense of NBA culture and history. Lou's schtick is to care too much, and so Wong helps offset that. Both of them also have a very 905 sensibility that might not be appreciated by wider audiences, but it's comforting for someone who grew up on the fringes of Toronto.

[StopitLeo]

I really tried to listen to Samson Folk, god knows I have, but he's just so damn boring...hes too hokey pokey for me lol

I hear you but it works pretty well with Caitlin Cooper because Samson—unlike many podcast host—knows to remain quiet and let her talk and she''s awesome.

TBH, the podcast made me a lot less optimistic about the team. Or maybe just more realistic.

[StopitLeo]

side tangent, alex wong kills the podcast. brings will lou down. not a fan. my guess is he finances some of the show so that wont change.

I disagree. Wong keeps it light and has a good sense of NBA culture and history. Lou's schtick is to care too much, and so Wong helps offset that. Both of them also have a very 905 sensibility that might not be appreciated by wider audiences, but it's comforting for someone who grew up on the fringes of Toronto.

They are not very good at interviewing people whether you like their styles or not.

[S.W.A.N]

Samson is by far the best raps podcast. very very high knowledge base, good group of co-hosts. Caitlyn is a insanely high level bball mind so any time she is on is a good time to pay attention.

[CPT]

I’d add IQ to the list of players where we’re cooked if they miss significant time.

I’d probably put him 2 behind Jak, actually.

Scottie/Ingram/RJ and the glut of wings can more or less fill in for each other if 1 or 2 go down.

[720]

Always liked Samson Folk and he’s one of the few guys that still has faith/confidence that Scottie could be one of those top guys in the league. Rest of the raptors sports media (and looks like most fans) have now moved on from that.