WTF is a darko?

TakeYourHeart · Post #21 » by **TakeYourHeart** » Thu Oct 30, 2025 3:57 am

Been skeptical about Darko ever since the game in November 2023 where we were getting blown out in the first half...by the Washington Wizards. And Darko had this brilliant tidbit to share about what he said to the team in the locker room:

"I told them I don't expect you to go out there and win the game, but I expect you to go out there and play with joy and play with fun"

I could not believe my ears...at the time I chalked it up to perhaps mean "don't force things, just play basketball." Pascal went full ISO ball in the 2nd half and scored 30pts to will them to victory...was he motivated by Darko's little speech or did he think it was an absolute joke his head said he doesn't expect them to win? Either way, we went on to tank for the next 1.5 years so I let it slide...

But now that it's back to winning time, this interview is back of mind yet again...I can't shake the feeling that he might be a bit of a lame duck coach. He still conducts himself like an assistant coach quite frankly. If the team still looks bad after 20 games...he can go back to being an assistant.

dballislife · Post #22 » by **dballislife** » Thu Oct 30, 2025 4:35 am

i dont know but numbers wise hes having his team play like the worst defensive team in nba history

sbsat · Post #23 » by **sbsat** » Thu Oct 30, 2025 1:07 pm

Defense was the literal focus of off season lolll

Raptors_Dynasty · Post #24 » by **Raptors_Dynasty** » Thu Oct 30, 2025 1:12 pm

After he said Barnes will be the face of the league it’s been hard to take him seriously. Doesn’t seem to be operating in reality.

Nature · Post #25 » by **Nature** » Thu Oct 30, 2025 1:18 pm

Raptors_Dynasty wrote:After he said Barnes will be the face of the league it’s been hard to take him seriously. Doesn’t seem to be operating in reality.

It's not just him. The entire front office doesn't live in reality either. It's a point I've been making pretty consistently and believe it wholeheartedly.

The front office and coaching staff are an unserious, delusional bunch.

Thaddy · Post #26 » by **Thaddy** » Thu Oct 30, 2025 1:23 pm

Nature wrote:
Raptors_Dynasty wrote:After he said Barnes will be the face of the league it’s been hard to take him seriously. Doesn’t seem to be operating in reality.

It's not just him. The entire front office doesn't live in reality either. It's a point I've been making pretty consistently and believe it wholeheartedly.

The front office and coaching staff are an unserious, delusional bunch.

How is Barnes the problem right now? wth?

Raptors_Dynasty · Post #27 » by **Raptors_Dynasty** » Thu Oct 30, 2025 3:01 pm

Thaddy wrote:
Nature wrote:
Raptors_Dynasty wrote:After he said Barnes will be the face of the league it’s been hard to take him seriously. Doesn’t seem to be operating in reality.

It's not just him. The entire front office doesn't live in reality either. It's a point I've been making pretty consistently and believe it wholeheartedly.

The front office and coaching staff are an unserious, delusional bunch.

How is Barnes the problem right now? wth?

He’s not, he’s been playing well to start.

But he will never be the face of the league level which is my point, Darko doesn’t operate in reality.

theonlyeastcoastrapsfan · Post #28 » by **theonlyeastcoastrapsfan** » Thu Oct 30, 2025 4:11 pm

In the Darko era, are we avoiding going zone due to the limitations of the players or the coach?

Merit · Post #29 » by **Merit** » Thu Oct 30, 2025 4:45 pm

theonlyeastcoastrapsfan wrote:In the Darko era, are we avoiding going zone due to the limitations of the players or the coach?

Ouch.

Bobby Plump · Post #30 » by **Bobby Plump** » Thu Oct 30, 2025 5:29 pm

I don't know if Darko is a quality NBA head coach. What I do know is the front office has dealt him a shaky hand with a undersized roster without a quality back up center and a bunch of questionable contracts that leave little room for roster movement.

Bobby Plump · Post #31 » by **Bobby Plump** » Thu Oct 30, 2025 5:30 pm

Oops! Double post.

sbsat · Post #32 » by **sbsat** » Thu Oct 30, 2025 9:36 pm

Bobby Plump wrote:I don't know if Darko is a quality NBA head coach. What I do know is the front office has dealt him a shaky hand with a undersized roster without a quality back up center and a bunch of questionable contracts that leave little room for roster movement.

The rosters have been flawed no doubt but he has been given enough talent to coach to a better record than he has. It becomes more abundantly clear everyday

Jerry Lucas · Post #33 » by **Jerry Lucas** » Thu Oct 30, 2025 10:04 pm

One of the weirdest dynamics I noticed on the board last season is already starting to creep back in this season early.

That being, how some of the most prominent Masai-could-do-no-wrong posters (I'm not going to name names but we all know which posters I'm referring to here) are also some of the most prominent "Darko is an idiot" posters even though he's a Masai hire.

I am going to re-iterate just like I said last season, these posters cannot have their cake and eat it too. If you are going to be such prominent "Darko is an idiot" posters, you have to start criticizing Masai for hiring him despite conducting a large search with a lot of candidates they talked to.

Again, I bet this won't happen though. They will just remain both "Darko is an idiot" and Masai-could-do-no-wrong posters. They could possibly even start turning anti-Bobby to deflect from Masai criticism, by making up a false narrative that Bobby, not Masai, was the main driving force behind Darko's hiring.

djsunyc · Post #34 » by **djsunyc** » Thu Oct 30, 2025 10:35 pm

masai is gone - turn the page.

it's on darko now to make the necessary tweaks/changes or he'll be gone. it's ain't that deep.

sbsat · Post #35 » by **sbsat** » Fri Oct 31, 2025 2:33 am

Jerry Lucas wrote:One of the weirdest dynamics I noticed on the board last season is already starting to creep back in this season early.

That being, how some of the most prominent Masai-could-do-no-wrong posters (I'm not going to name names but we all know which posters I'm referring to here) are also some of the most prominent "Darko is an idiot" posters even though he's a Masai hire.

I am going to re-iterate just like I said last season, these posters cannot have their cake and eat it too. If you are going to be such prominent "Darko is an idiot" posters, you have to start criticizing Masai for hiring him despite conducting a large search with a lot of candidates they talked to.

Again, I bet this won't happen though. They will just remain both "Darko is an idiot" and Masai-could-do-no-wrong posters. They could possibly even start turning anti-Bobby to deflect from Masai criticism, by making up a false narrative that Bobby, not Masai, was the main driving force behind Darko's hiring.

Masai derserves the blame for hiring this mroron coach. Newsflash masai was relieved of his duties. Not seeing many on here pining for him to be re hired

Syd-TK3 · Post #36 » by **Syd-TK3** » Fri Oct 31, 2025 2:49 am

Read on Twitter

This how other teams are talking about our defense

TakeYourHeart · Post #37 » by **TakeYourHeart** » Fri Oct 31, 2025 2:58 am

Syd-TK3 wrote:

Read on Twitter

This how other teams are talking about our defense

Got no problem with leaving Jabari Smith open but those doubles to Sengun leaving KD open were actually insane

Darko needs to change this scheme or he has to go.

Hell, he might have to go regardless for even thinking this scheme was a good idea in the first place.

mihaic · Post #38 » by **mihaic** » Sat Nov 1, 2025 3:48 am

TakeYourHeart wrote:
Syd-TK3 wrote:

Read on Twitter

This how other teams are talking about our defense

Got no problem with leaving Jabari Smith open but those doubles to Sengun leaving KD open were actually insane

Darko needs to change this scheme or he has to go.

Hell, he might have to go regardless for even thinking this scheme was a good idea in the first place.

Durant was always burning us with late game 3 pointers. Hard to defend, he gets his shot off from 3 regardless if he is defended.

That said, are we sure that Darko planned it or not? Perhaps bad player's execution?

Honest question, I haven't seen the Houston game.

dballislife · Post #39 » by **dballislife** » Sun Nov 2, 2025 5:00 am

tanking so dam hard makes it difficult to judge your coaching...now that im watching games thinking about winning, you see this guy super sucks

Appostis · Post #40 » by **Appostis** » Sun Nov 2, 2025 10:17 am

Thaddy wrote:
Nature wrote:
Raptors_Dynasty wrote:After he said Barnes will be the face of the league it’s been hard to take him seriously. Doesn’t seem to be operating in reality.

It's not just him. The entire front office doesn't live in reality either. It's a point I've been making pretty consistently and believe it wholeheartedly.

The front office and coaching staff are an unserious, delusional bunch.

How is Barnes the problem right now? wth?

The haters have their narrative no matter what.