Bruno Caboclo

[dagger]

One of Bruno's best games yet. Great D throughout, caught fire offensively in the fourth quarter with four straight threes.

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In a perfect world Bruno gives the Raps 85% of Siakam's defense with legit 3pt shooting.

Siakam is a good passer, Bruno doesn't know what passing is.

Ha. you're joking, right? Bruno is a good passer. He already does something few Raptors can do - make a quick, on target entry pass to the post. He sometimes tries to be too daring as a passer, giving up a turnover. But the idea he is a bad passer, or doesn't pass, is wrong.

[T-d0t]

I still believe in both Bruno's. Skull and Caboclo

[dagger]

I feel this assessment by Blake Murphy after the recent D League showcase is fair. Bruno is not going to be a star, at least it seems unlikely at this point. And there are no shortage of scouts who feel he'll be out of the league next year. But he has one true believer. An important one - Jerry Stackhouse.

Bruno impressive but divisive
How much has Bruno Caboclo progressed over the years? My son William Lou has generally been a Caboclo skeptic, checking in every so often. He did so this weekend and came away impressed. Caboclo still isn’t where he needs to be as a decision-maker on offence, nor is a confident and smooth three-point stroke falling as much as you’d like. His recognition of passing opportunities, specifically finding his counterpart in the post, has improved, and he’s less prone to disengaging if his shot isn’t there. The defensive potential is obvious, though, and he’s taken major strides as a help defender, while his physical gifts help him make up for occasional mistakes in individual defence.

Those I spoke to were all over the place on Caboclo despite a solid weekend. Some scouts feel he’s still just a long body after all this time, others were negative about how he’s prone to drives without much of a plan. Some were more optimistic, noting how well he’s filled out his frame and how well he fits the team’s defensive system in the role he’s asked to play. A few thought this might be his last year in the NBA, while another figured there will be someone willing to take a low-cost flier, essentially sitting down at the slot machine if the Raptors walk away.

The Raptors have a few months to make their decision still. They’ve invested four years in his development, and if he continues showing progress, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them try to lock him in on a multi-year minimum deal that won’t hamstring their plans but could finally offer a return. (They will almost certainly not, however, tender him a qualifying offer, meaning he’ll be an unrestricted free agent.) And Caboclo has one big name willing to keep betting on him.

“There's no doubt in my mind that he'll be a rotation player for the Raptors. There's no doubt in my mind,” Stackhouse said. “He's gonna be a defender that's gonna stretch the floor. He's just still gotta make sure that he pass and follows as opposed to settling. I gotta just live with — you know he's gonna drive left two times a game. A long as you pass and follow and play on the second side 85 per cent of the time, I'm cool with it. Out of 10 possessions, he's gonna take probably two drives, that we know. That's part of it. He wants to grow in that space and I'm allowing him to do it. I thought he's been really, really good.”

[Yallbecrazy]

In a perfect world Bruno gives the Raps 85% of Siakam's defense with legit 3pt shooting.

Siakam is a good passer, Bruno doesn't know what passing is.

Ha. you're joking, right? Bruno is a good passer. He already does something few Raptors can do - make a quick, on target entry pass to the post. He sometimes tries to be too daring as a passer, giving up a turnover. But the idea he is a bad passer, or doesn't pass, is wrong.

39 assists to 58 turnovers in 940 minutes suggests otherwise. Guy is similar to Klay Thompson on offense in that once he gets the ball a shot will be put up soon after.

[dagger]

I actually watch the games. He’s not a guard, so there aren’t many chances for assists, though he would get a lot of hockey assists. And since he doesn’t drive often, there is little chance of drive and dish assists. He’s not a passing magician, but he isn’t a bad passer.


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[Joker]

Siakam is a good passer, Bruno doesn't know what passing is.

Ha. you're joking, right? Bruno is a good passer. He already does something few Raptors can do - make a quick, on target entry pass to the post. He sometimes tries to be too daring as a passer, giving up a turnover. But the idea he is a bad passer, or doesn't pass, is wrong.

39 assists to 58 turnovers in 940 minutes suggests otherwise. Guy is similar to Klay Thompson on offense in that once he gets the ball a shot will be put up soon after.

Those are general turnovers though - which includes getting stripped, travelling, stepping out of bounds, etc. It doesn't necessarily speak specifically to his passing turnovers.

[Young Moosehead]

I have started to dream about what could be. A little hopeful but imagine it: We fail in the 2nd round or ECF because Casey lets the team revert to losing iso-ball in the playoffs. Masai fires him in the off season. Masai trades Lowry (phili or miami?) and Serge (milwaukee, bkn, nyk?) for players in bad positions hoping for a change of atmosphere, or draft picks. Masai gives the HC spot to Stack. Masai brings in Hopla to work on ft with Jak and 3s with Delon, Fred, OG, Norm, Bruno and Pascal. Stack spends a year or two truly resetting the culture, building a system where we take advantage of DD and JV's offensive efficiency and mask their defensive short comings with the speed, length, shooting and defense of our up and comers, turning us into a modern iteration of the early 2000 Pistons. Masai spends that time replenishing the 905.

We then have a 4-5 year window to compete for a championship with a young, experienced, 9 deep, versatile, high character sqaud comfortable after years playing together and the addition of hopefully one all star caliber player along the way. Lebron will be a shadow of himself in 2 years and GSW will have fallen apart for salary reasons. Everyone will be in their prime except DD, who will be on the tail end of his best years, but I frankly expect him to stand up well to time and play very well into his 30s as he is always remarkably healthy.

This is our best chance at a championship in my opinion, short of something falling in our lap. I think going through Lebron and then GSW as currently constructed is even more pie in the sky than what I laid out above working. Off to bed to dream of the championships. Thats right folks, with an s.

This scenario sets us back 5 years. We become fringe playoff team stuck on the treadmill. Stack may be the real deal but the rest of the scenario layed out is terrible.

In your opinion. In my opinion going all in (trading away picks and prospects) on a team that has invested 50 million a year for three years on two fringe aging all stars that are regressing will set us back a decade.

May I ask what sets us back in your opinion?

Is it DD still as our all star leader during his prime?
Is it JV gaining experience and entering the prime of his career?
Is it our young players having a few years to improve?
Would bringing Hopla back make our shooting worse?
Is it planning a system that plays to our more efficient O and D for 48 minutes instead just the first 45?
Is it replacing Casey with Stackhouse?

So I am not sure how Masai making trades around KL and Serge would set us back five years. If they are so amazing that losing them would set us back 5 years, surely we should be able to get a decent return for them. So with that in mind, how do you explain being set back 5 years?

[omar36]

Siakam is a good passer, Bruno doesn't know what passing is.

Ha. you're joking, right? Bruno is a good passer. He already does something few Raptors can do - make a quick, on target entry pass to the post. He sometimes tries to be too daring as a passer, giving up a turnover. But the idea he is a bad passer, or doesn't pass, is wrong.

39 assists to 58 turnovers in 940 minutes suggests otherwise. Guy is similar to Klay Thompson on offense in that once he gets the ball a shot will be put up soon after.

ibaka right now is at 31 ast to 48 to. career wise, hes 415/824 lol.

my point is ibaka isnt a bad passer (a hog for sure) and bruno isnt bad himself. bruno turnovers honeslty come from alot of terrible dribbling.

[MikeM]

Ha. you're joking, right? Bruno is a good passer. He already does something few Raptors can do - make a quick, on target entry pass to the post. He sometimes tries to be too daring as a passer, giving up a turnover. But the idea he is a bad passer, or doesn't pass, is wrong.

39 assists to 58 turnovers in 940 minutes suggests otherwise. Guy is similar to Klay Thompson on offense in that once he gets the ball a shot will be put up soon after.

ibaka right now is at 31 ast to 48 to. career wise, hes 415/824 lol.

my point is ibaka isnt a bad passer (a hog for sure) and bruno isnt bad himself. bruno turnovers honeslty come from alot of terrible dribbling.

Ibaka is a horrible passer.

[lebron stopper]

So I am not sure how Masai making trades around KL and Serge would set us back five years. If they are so amazing that losing them would set us back 5 years, surely we should be able to get a decent return for them. So with that in mind, how do you explain being set back 5 years?

Trading away Ibaka definitely won't set us back any amount of years LOL he is flaming trash. Sam Presti knew this and sent him away for guys who he then flipped for an All Star, Paul frickin George, a year later. Hell, even Rob Hennigan who trashed Orlando Magic for years with his horrible GMing, knew Ibaka was terrible, and somehow got a late first round pick for him.

It will cost Masai at least five more first round picks to remove Ibaka's tragic atrocity of a botched abortion of a garbage landfill of a contract off this sacred, otherwise-pristine young roster. All of those shipped-out picks will turn into young stud draft steal Rookie of the Year candidates like Kyle Alexander Kuzma, he who Masai missed out on so he could acquire the $20 million man of stone from the ruins of Orlando in the hopes of fortifying the sputtering freefalling Raptors for their next great playoff run.

Ibricka aka Rudy Bargnani aka DeSerge Carroll is a Slow footed, glorified 7 foot swingman "shooting" guard who can't make a shot because he loves to throw up the ball whenever it goes into his hands, compromising the very ball movement that we want from our team. He has no offensive game outside of catching and shooting, and occasionally fighting the other team's players when the Raptors are losing, or driving to the rim to dunk, before he's suspended or ruled out the next game with knee soreness, giving everyone a temporary sigh of relief knowing that we don't have to relive the awful DeMarre Carroll era and watch him chuck up wide open bricks on the next Raptors game.

As a so-called "defensive anchor" Ibaka sucks donkey balls. (He certainly does not hold a candle next to The Donkey from GSW as a defensive anchor, or overall player in general, nor will he ever after this point in time.) His only saving grace on defense is somehow being able to sporadically block random shots like Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks to send Raptors games into overtime, allowing DeMar to reach a franchise-high 52 points to compensate for the fact that Ibaka couldn't hit the ocean that night.

On the perimeter, Ibaka gets blown by, which leaves the paint exposed for easy layups, dunks, and mid-range shots that are nothing but net. He fouls on close outs or gets shots drilled in his face anyway despite putting his hand up. Sometimes even both! There are rare occasions where he will stand there waving his arms around pretending to play defense while a "shooter" (read: LeBron ****ing James) does his free throw routine behind the three point line and then drills a shot in his face. He's no better in the post, he will get overpowered by bigger and stronger players who then beat him there knowing he's too slow to keep up.

Ibaka's rebounding "ability" is mediocre at best thanks mostly to his buttery slippery hands of stone and his inability to position himself intelligently, giving up easy offensive rebounds and forcing our young team as well as old man Kyle to work that much harder to stay in the game. His rebounding inability turns winnable games like Minnesota and San Antonio into close, embarrassing, heartbreaking losses that leave us wondering if the Raptors are truly capable of contending in the playoffs.

It is a testament to the rest of the Raptors roster that they are able to perform at a high level and reach a 32-15 record, in spite of the negative contributions of the grossly overpaid dead weight player Serge Ibaka. I will never forget the San Antonio game where he started an altercation with LaMarcus Aldridge while the Raptors were losing, only for him to be fouled out on a nasty move. I will never forget the Denver game where he got posted up by Paul Millsap, chucked up all kinds of bad bricks beyond the arc, and fouled Millsap on two three pointers en route to Millsap's 19 points in the first quarter, to keep the Raptors out of the game. I will never forget when he made zero difference in the playoffs against LeBron's Cavaliers, as Kevin Love and Channing Frye and others did what they wanted as they pleased for three straight games, embarrassing the Raptors and pissing away any goodwill they built up from their ECF run the year before.

Ibaka is still a unicorn, just not in the way you would expect. Has there ever been a player on the Raptors, or in this league even, who is too slow to guard forwards, too small to guard centers, and too low-IQ to do anything worthy of staying on the court? He needs to pack his bags and leave Toronto for another NBA team if this Raptors team truly wants to improve and be better.

[Young Moosehead]

So I am not sure how Masai making trades around KL and Serge would set us back five years. If they are so amazing that losing them would set us back 5 years, surely we should be able to get a decent return for them. So with that in mind, how do you explain being set back 5 years?

Trading away Ibaka definitely won't set us back any amount of years LOL he is flaming trash. Sam Presti knew this and sent him away for guys who he then flipped for an All Star, Paul frickin George, a year later. Hell, even Rob Hennigan who trashed Orlando Magic for years with his horrible GMing, knew Ibaka was terrible, and somehow got a late first round pick for him.

It will cost Masai at least five more first round picks to remove Ibaka's tragic atrocity of a botched abortion of a garbage landfill of a contract off this sacred, otherwise-pristine young roster. All of those shipped-out picks will turn into young stud draft steal Rookie of the Year candidates like Kyle Alexander Kuzma, he who Masai missed out on so he could acquire the $20 million man of stone from the ruins of Orlando in the hopes of fortifying the sputtering freefalling Raptors for their next great playoff run.

Ibricka aka Rudy Bargnani aka DeSerge Carroll is a Slow footed, glorified 7 foot swingman "shooting" guard who can't make a shot because he loves to throw up the ball whenever it goes into his hands, compromising the very ball movement that we want from our team. He has no offensive game outside of catching and shooting, and occasionally fighting the other team's players when the Raptors are losing, or driving to the rim to dunk, before he's suspended or ruled out the next game with knee soreness, giving everyone a temporary sigh of relief knowing that we don't have to relive the awful DeMarre Carroll era and watch him chuck up wide open bricks on the next Raptors game.

As a so-called "defensive anchor" Ibaka sucks donkey balls. (He certainly does not hold a candle next to The Donkey from GSW as a defensive anchor, or overall player in general, nor will he ever after this point in time.) His only saving grace on defense is somehow being able to sporadically block random shots like Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks to send Raptors games into overtime, allowing DeMar to reach a franchise-high 52 points to compensate for the fact that Ibaka couldn't hit the ocean that night.

On the perimeter, Ibaka gets blown by, which leaves the paint exposed for easy layups, dunks, and mid-range shots that are nothing but net. He fouls on close outs or gets shots drilled in his face anyway despite putting his hand up. Sometimes even both! There are rare occasions where he will stand there waving his arms around pretending to play defense while a "shooter" (read: LeBron ****ing James) does his free throw routine behind the three point line and then drills a shot in his face. He's no better in the post, he will get overpowered by bigger and stronger players who then beat him there knowing he's too slow to keep up.

Ibaka's rebounding "ability" is mediocre at best thanks mostly to his buttery slippery hands of stone and his inability to position himself intelligently, giving up easy offensive rebounds and forcing our young team as well as old man Kyle to work that much harder to stay in the game. His rebounding inability turns winnable games like Minnesota and San Antonio into close, embarrassing, heartbreaking losses that leave us wondering if the Raptors are truly capable of contending in the playoffs.

It is a testament to the rest of the Raptors roster that they are able to perform at a high level and reach a 32-15 record, in spite of the negative contributions of the grossly overpaid dead weight player Serge Ibaka. I will never forget the San Antonio game where he started an altercation with LaMarcus Aldridge while the Raptors were losing, only for him to be fouled out on a nasty move. I will never forget the Denver game where he got posted up by Paul Millsap, chucked up all kinds of bad bricks beyond the arc, and fouled Millsap on two three pointers en route to Millsap's 19 points in the first quarter, to keep the Raptors out of the game. I will never forget when he made zero difference in the playoffs against LeBron's Cavaliers, as Kevin Love and Channing Frye and others did what they wanted as they pleased for three straight games, embarrassing the Raptors and pissing away any goodwill they built up from their ECF run the year before.

Ibaka is still a unicorn, just not in the way you would expect. Has there ever been a player on the Raptors, or in this league even, who is too slow to guard forwards, too small to guard centers, and too low-IQ to do anything worthy of staying on the court? He needs to pack his bags and leave Toronto for another NBA team if this Raptors team truly wants to improve and be better.

Lol, holy **** bro. As a guy who appreciates a good rant...

[pbernardi]

LOL at the rant. Specilly because it is a Ibaka related rant in a Bruno Caboclo thread.

[stanch sabonis]

So I am not sure how Masai making trades around KL and Serge would set us back five years. If they are so amazing that losing them would set us back 5 years, surely we should be able to get a decent return for them. So with that in mind, how do you explain being set back 5 years?

Trading away Ibaka definitely won't set us back any amount of years LOL he is flaming trash. Sam Presti knew this and sent him away for guys who he then flipped for an All Star, Paul frickin George, a year later. Hell, even Rob Hennigan who trashed Orlando Magic for years with his horrible GMing, knew Ibaka was terrible, and somehow got a late first round pick for him.

It will cost Masai at least five more first round picks to remove Ibaka's tragic atrocity of a botched abortion of a garbage landfill of a contract off this sacred, otherwise-pristine young roster. All of those shipped-out picks will turn into young stud draft steal Rookie of the Year candidates like Kyle Alexander Kuzma, he who Masai missed out on so he could acquire the $20 million man of stone from the ruins of Orlando in the hopes of fortifying the sputtering freefalling Raptors for their next great playoff run.

Ibricka aka Rudy Bargnani aka DeSerge Carroll is a Slow footed, glorified 7 foot swingman "shooting" guard who can't make a shot because he loves to throw up the ball whenever it goes into his hands, compromising the very ball movement that we want from our team. He has no offensive game outside of catching and shooting, and occasionally fighting the other team's players when the Raptors are losing, or driving to the rim to dunk, before he's suspended or ruled out the next game with knee soreness, giving everyone a temporary sigh of relief knowing that we don't have to relive the awful DeMarre Carroll era and watch him chuck up wide open bricks on the next Raptors game.

As a so-called "defensive anchor" Ibaka sucks donkey balls. (He certainly does not hold a candle next to The Donkey from GSW as a defensive anchor, or overall player in general, nor will he ever after this point in time.) His only saving grace on defense is somehow being able to sporadically block random shots like Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks to send Raptors games into overtime, allowing DeMar to reach a franchise-high 52 points to compensate for the fact that Ibaka couldn't hit the ocean that night.

On the perimeter, Ibaka gets blown by, which leaves the paint exposed for easy layups, dunks, and mid-range shots that are nothing but net. He fouls on close outs or gets shots drilled in his face anyway despite putting his hand up. Sometimes even both! There are rare occasions where he will stand there waving his arms around pretending to play defense while a "shooter" (read: LeBron ****ing James) does his free throw routine behind the three point line and then drills a shot in his face. He's no better in the post, he will get overpowered by bigger and stronger players who then beat him there knowing he's too slow to keep up.

Ibaka's rebounding "ability" is mediocre at best thanks mostly to his buttery slippery hands of stone and his inability to position himself intelligently, giving up easy offensive rebounds and forcing our young team as well as old man Kyle to work that much harder to stay in the game. His rebounding inability turns winnable games like Minnesota and San Antonio into close, embarrassing, heartbreaking losses that leave us wondering if the Raptors are truly capable of contending in the playoffs.

It is a testament to the rest of the Raptors roster that they are able to perform at a high level and reach a 32-15 record, in spite of the negative contributions of the grossly overpaid dead weight player Serge Ibaka. I will never forget the San Antonio game where he started an altercation with LaMarcus Aldridge while the Raptors were losing, only for him to be fouled out on a nasty move. I will never forget the Denver game where he got posted up by Paul Millsap, chucked up all kinds of bad bricks beyond the arc, and fouled Millsap on two three pointers en route to Millsap's 19 points in the first quarter, to keep the Raptors out of the game. I will never forget when he made zero difference in the playoffs against LeBron's Cavaliers, as Kevin Love and Channing Frye and others did what they wanted as they pleased for three straight games, embarrassing the Raptors and pissing away any goodwill they built up from their ECF run the year before.

Ibaka is still a unicorn, just not in the way you would expect. Has there ever been a player on the Raptors, or in this league even, who is too slow to guard forwards, too small to guard centers, and too low-IQ to do anything worthy of staying on the court? He needs to pack his bags and leave Toronto for another NBA team if this Raptors team truly wants to improve and be better.

christ

[VanWest82]

I feel this assessment by Blake Murphy after the recent D League showcase is fair. Bruno is not going to be a star, at least it seems unlikely at this point. And there are no shortage of scouts who feel he'll be out of the league next year. But he has one true believer. An important one - Jerry Stackhouse.

Bruno impressive but divisive
How much has Bruno Caboclo progressed over the years? My son William Lou has generally been a Caboclo skeptic, checking in every so often. He did so this weekend and came away impressed. Caboclo still isn’t where he needs to be as a decision-maker on offence, nor is a confident and smooth three-point stroke falling as much as you’d like. His recognition of passing opportunities, specifically finding his counterpart in the post, has improved, and he’s less prone to disengaging if his shot isn’t there. The defensive potential is obvious, though, and he’s taken major strides as a help defender, while his physical gifts help him make up for occasional mistakes in individual defence.

Those I spoke to were all over the place on Caboclo despite a solid weekend. Some scouts feel he’s still just a long body after all this time, others were negative about how he’s prone to drives without much of a plan. Some were more optimistic, noting how well he’s filled out his frame and how well he fits the team’s defensive system in the role he’s asked to play. A few thought this might be his last year in the NBA, while another figured there will be someone willing to take a low-cost flier, essentially sitting down at the slot machine if the Raptors walk away.

The Raptors have a few months to make their decision still. They’ve invested four years in his development, and if he continues showing progress, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them try to lock him in on a multi-year minimum deal that won’t hamstring their plans but could finally offer a return. (They will almost certainly not, however, tender him a qualifying offer, meaning he’ll be an unrestricted free agent.) And Caboclo has one big name willing to keep betting on him.

“There's no doubt in my mind that he'll be a rotation player for the Raptors. There's no doubt in my mind,” Stackhouse said. “He's gonna be a defender that's gonna stretch the floor. He's just still gotta make sure that he pass and follows as opposed to settling. I gotta just live with — you know he's gonna drive left two times a game. A long as you pass and follow and play on the second side 85 per cent of the time, I'm cool with it. Out of 10 possessions, he's gonna take probably two drives, that we know. That's part of it. He wants to grow in that space and I'm allowing him to do it. I thought he's been really, really good.”

Good find. Thought I'd add the link for those interested: http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2018/01/27/two-way-caboclo-performance-leads-raptors-905-4th-win-row/

[FluLikeSymptoms]

So I am not sure how Masai making trades around KL and Serge would set us back five years. If they are so amazing that losing them would set us back 5 years, surely we should be able to get a decent return for them. So with that in mind, how do you explain being set back 5 years?

Trading away Ibaka definitely won't set us back any amount of years LOL he is flaming trash. Sam Presti knew this and sent him away for guys who he then flipped for an All Star, Paul frickin George, a year later. Hell, even Rob Hennigan who trashed Orlando Magic for years with his horrible GMing, knew Ibaka was terrible, and somehow got a late first round pick for him.

It will cost Masai at least five more first round picks to remove Ibaka's tragic atrocity of a botched abortion of a garbage landfill of a contract off this sacred, otherwise-pristine young roster. All of those shipped-out picks will turn into young stud draft steal Rookie of the Year candidates like Kyle Alexander Kuzma, he who Masai missed out on so he could acquire the $20 million man of stone from the ruins of Orlando in the hopes of fortifying the sputtering freefalling Raptors for their next great playoff run.

Ibricka aka Rudy Bargnani aka DeSerge Carroll is a Slow footed, glorified 7 foot swingman "shooting" guard who can't make a shot because he loves to throw up the ball whenever it goes into his hands, compromising the very ball movement that we want from our team. He has no offensive game outside of catching and shooting, and occasionally fighting the other team's players when the Raptors are losing, or driving to the rim to dunk, before he's suspended or ruled out the next game with knee soreness, giving everyone a temporary sigh of relief knowing that we don't have to relive the awful DeMarre Carroll era and watch him chuck up wide open bricks on the next Raptors game.

As a so-called "defensive anchor" Ibaka sucks donkey balls. (He certainly does not hold a candle next to The Donkey from GSW as a defensive anchor, or overall player in general, nor will he ever after this point in time.) His only saving grace on defense is somehow being able to sporadically block random shots like Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks to send Raptors games into overtime, allowing DeMar to reach a franchise-high 52 points to compensate for the fact that Ibaka couldn't hit the ocean that night.

On the perimeter, Ibaka gets blown by, which leaves the paint exposed for easy layups, dunks, and mid-range shots that are nothing but net. He fouls on close outs or gets shots drilled in his face anyway despite putting his hand up. Sometimes even both! There are rare occasions where he will stand there waving his arms around pretending to play defense while a "shooter" (read: LeBron ****ing James) does his free throw routine behind the three point line and then drills a shot in his face. He's no better in the post, he will get overpowered by bigger and stronger players who then beat him there knowing he's too slow to keep up.

Ibaka's rebounding "ability" is mediocre at best thanks mostly to his buttery slippery hands of stone and his inability to position himself intelligently, giving up easy offensive rebounds and forcing our young team as well as old man Kyle to work that much harder to stay in the game. His rebounding inability turns winnable games like Minnesota and San Antonio into close, embarrassing, heartbreaking losses that leave us wondering if the Raptors are truly capable of contending in the playoffs.

It is a testament to the rest of the Raptors roster that they are able to perform at a high level and reach a 32-15 record, in spite of the negative contributions of the grossly overpaid dead weight player Serge Ibaka. I will never forget the San Antonio game where he started an altercation with LaMarcus Aldridge while the Raptors were losing, only for him to be fouled out on a nasty move. I will never forget the Denver game where he got posted up by Paul Millsap, chucked up all kinds of bad bricks beyond the arc, and fouled Millsap on two three pointers en route to Millsap's 19 points in the first quarter, to keep the Raptors out of the game. I will never forget when he made zero difference in the playoffs against LeBron's Cavaliers, as Kevin Love and Channing Frye and others did what they wanted as they pleased for three straight games, embarrassing the Raptors and pissing away any goodwill they built up from their ECF run the year before.

Ibaka is still a unicorn, just not in the way you would expect. Has there ever been a player on the Raptors, or in this league even, who is too slow to guard forwards, too small to guard centers, and too low-IQ to do anything worthy of staying on the court? He needs to pack his bags and leave Toronto for another NBA team if this Raptors team truly wants to improve and be better.

Needs salt.

[dalton749]

Haha, When I think of Ibakas contract I think, we can suffer through him for the rest of this year, next year will suck, but then he’s a 20 mil expiring.

[VanWest82]

The Ibaka hate is funny to me. He's a highly effective two way player (most nights) that can play multiple roles for us. He's overpaid by 5M per year, but I'd argue his contract is less detrimental than JV, Norm, or Lowry's if we want to base it on current production.

On the court he's a net positive. Period. To suggest anything else is just hate. His three point shooting has dropped off some of late but lets talk about that again in a month and end of year. Bet he's back up in the 37-39% range like he usually is.

[VanWest82]

I actually watch the games. He’s not a guard, so there aren’t many chances for assists, though he would get a lot of hockey assists. And since he doesn’t drive often, there is little chance of drive and dish assists. He’s not a passing magician, but he isn’t a bad passer.


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I don't think Bruno needs to turn into some play making savant in order to make it. He just needs to know how to play (i.e. be in the right spots, know when to shoot, pass, or dribble, make open threes, have a pump fake + one dribble move to counter close outs, etc). It feels like he still a ways to go as far as consistency with all that stuff.

The more interesting part to me (and again, I don't watch all the 905 games) is he seems to be improving with his defensive reads. That's his ticket to the big show. I'm still not sure what his position is...he's kind of a tweener. But maybe he's a defensive a match up guy off the bench for big wings who don't have a threatening post game (e.g. Paul George types).

[yodamaster]

Channing Frye (vs Raptors) on offense and Rudy Gobert on defense. Not bad. And I thought this was the end for him.

most understated overstatement of the year so far.
that will make him some kinda of super 3 and D...

[LBJKB24MJ23]

Guys Ingram. Is basically Caboclo with an opportunity lol


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