2015/16 Toronto Raptors Season Thread !!

[Dawgger]

Raps sucked. We differ on the black and gold, I like it, just wish they played like they did. Not much to say Cavs whooped them.
Hey I actually saw Ross get an assist last night. Masai should get that video so he can show other GMs if he ever wants to trade him.:frusty:

 

[raptorizedguy]

Raps sucked. We differ on the black and gold, I like it, just wish they played like they did. Not much to say Cavs whooped them.
Hey I actually saw Ross get an assist last night. Masai should get that video so he can show other GMs if he ever wants to trade him.:frusty:

Carrol ability to not stay healthy is a major concern for me ...

 

[Dawgger]

Carrol ability to not stay healthy is a major concern for me ...

That planters thingy he has wrong with his heels will only heal with rest. He will be in and out of the lineup for the rest of the year unless they sit him until it is completely healed which could take the rest of the season. Understand it to be very painful.

 

[raptorizedguy]

That planters thingy he has wrong with his heels will only heal with rest. He will be in and out of the lineup for the rest of the year unless they sit him until it is completely healed which could take the rest of the season. Understand it to be very painful.

Well he is out for quite awhile now .. Just reported that he has had surgery on his knee ... Something tells me that during the time of his contract he will be hurt more often then he plays

 

[Dawgger]

Well he is out for quite awhile now .. Just reported that he has had surgery on his knee ... Something tells me that during the time of his contract he will be hurt more often then he plays

Masai thinks Ross is worth 11 million a year time for him to shit or get off the pot!

 

[Dawgger]

Raps win. Nets are awful! Ross: 19:25 min. 1/5, -8, 2reb,1 steal, 3 pts. Well worth 11 million? hell trade him even up for Bargnani, at least Bargnani is not as overpaid and is gone at the end of the year! Nets looking to reduce payroll, so that won't happen.
Biyombo not playing as well coming off the bench as he did when he was starting. Really do not believe the Raps defense was that good, Brooklyn just bad! Washington at home tomorrow, would like to see a solid effort, instead of a friggin' nail biter!

 

[gfelover]

D., the good news is that TRoss will only grace the courts three times in the next 11 days! :crazy: these new NBA schedule with extended time off for teams (and more extended if you go to London!!:Eek:) within the season really makes management of playing time a real issue depending on break or Backtobacks coming up. And these three are actually as winnable as last night. Wiz again are next. Losing DC is tough but if 8 weeks cures all ails and he comes back 100%, especially no PF, it'll be great!:clap2::thumb: let's get through these 11 days without a loss....

 

[Dawgger]

gfe, I take it you aren't a Ross fan either? I notice that the Raps announcers are more critical of him than they have been in the past,( not as much as me, but my ass is not bought and paid for by the team).
Seeing, they can't or won't trade him,I would start to play Powell either ahead of him or at least share the playing time. That should expedite Powell's development, and send Ross a message. He reminds me of Bargnani, loads of talent, not much effort! They couldn't get Bargnani to show up every night, and, I doubt if they will get Ross to.

 

[gfelover]

D., always thought Ross wud become a skilled, solid NBaer but he is starting to get to that Sonny Weems level where there's smoke but no fire! JV's 16 and Tross's 11 are really 12 and 8 in today's cap which makes them semi affordable but they both really need to show they have a next level more often else ...... Maybe Powell and Wright aren't in the rotation right now is that Casey feels they are too liable for duty. I hope they get more 905 time if this is the case as you're right, kids need development time. But whether it's here or 905 it's got to be done. That's why we picked up that franchise in the first place! Anyways, I'm still confident this group is better than last year's. Bring on the Wiz..!

 

[Dawgger]

That was one of the better games they have played, well, other than the first quarter. Wizards had the bulk of their players in the line up, Nene played sparingly and looks rusty, maybe still hurting.
Raps bench scoring, notta from Biyombo or Patterson, Joseph and Ross before he got hurt were it. DeRozen owned them again 35 points. Worst play of the night had to be Patterson's flagrant 1. There was no need to foul, he was beat and the player was going to score. So they get 2 on the lay up , 1 for the flagrant, and 3 when they are given the ball, and for a brief period, the Wizards had life.
76ers tonight. Last time Raps took them lightly and the deep bench did not get to play. Hope Wright and Powell see some action tonight.

 

[K Douglas]

Pretty easy win against the lowly 76'ers last night. Road record now stands at 13-9, a great improvement over last season.
Lowry is playing great ball right now. My hope is he doesn't fade late like he did last year. Demar is also playing well. JV had a good offensive game last night but let's be honest he was facing a rookie who still looks like he's not 100% health wise.
This team still needs a secondary scorer, an outside shooter. Our 3 point shooting is woeful.

 

[gfelover]

This group are definitely road warriors but more important after Cleveland and Chicago was the D returning with some intensity, notwithstanding level of competition. Hope they use the next few days to iron out details and get down to business against Magic.

D, there was also a TRoss sighting on the foul line last night! like I said, things are on the up and up...!!:thumb:

The home stand after this trip will be crucial to the season, I think. 2 weeks of home cooking and no BtB to boot so these 7 games after trip will be the time to make hay in the standings.

 

[Big Papa Smurf]

This group are definitely road warriors but more important after Cleveland and Chicago was the D returning with some intensity, notwithstanding level of competition. Hope they use the next few days to iron out details and get down to business against Magic.

D, there was also a TRoss sighting on the foul line last night! like I said, things are on the up and up...!!:thumb:

The home stand after this trip will be crucial to the season, I think. 2 weeks of home cooking and no BtB to boot so these 7 games after trip will be the time to make hay in the standings.

The Raps are in a good position. Their biggest threats, Miami and Chicago have player 14 and 16 games on the road while the Raps have will have played 23 after Thursday. That is huge. Barring a complete meltdown, the Raps should finish 2nd or 3rd in the conference.

I'm not the biggest Ross fan, but in his defense, the coaching staff has not developed him properly (same with Valanciunas). They made him a spot-up 3pt shooter which is not his strong suit. The coaching staff has done a better job these last few games better incorporating him into the offense with him coming off double screens, but they need to take advantage of his best asset - his ability to play above the rim. They need to create more oppotunities by having more plays run from the high-post and have Ross cut to the basket for back door lobs.

 

[Dawgger]

Yes Ross played a decent game last night, and supposedly, he was playing hurt. Go figure!?! Big Papa:He did play inside more than usual, and agreed, that is where he needs to play. He can defend and rebound better it will also open up the outside perimeter for him. gfe: I noticed! He usually stands out like a sore thumb cause he does so little, so when I see doing closer to what is expected, believe me I notice. Now did he play well because of the opposition(or lack of it) or are we seeing the Ross, Masai has been telling us about?
And yes Mr. D we need a guy that can hit the outside shot with consistency, IMO that bench still needs upgrading. This isn't a bad team but still is a distance from championship caliber. Effort is usually there, a far cry from the Bargnani error.
I guess the good news is we don't have to watch the 76ers and Nets, play each other. Not sure which team needs the most help.

 

[thewalker]

This guy is one of the best NBA writers out there and he wrote an interesting piece on the Raptors:

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14550490/toronto-spent-money-drafted-young-talent-next

 

[gfelover]

^^^^^^^ SHE'S BaacccKKKKKKKKKK!! :faint: :amen: :focus: ^^^

TW, thanks for the good read and buddy has the right thoughts. These 18 months for the roster will be Masai's defining moment as to what these Raps will be. DD will be the big decision here and I'm still torn on max but he still will get something north of 20M a year somewhere if not here. Power forward is definitely the weakest link and a top line guy here would be great bit it would definitely have salary cap impact. Maybe if MLSE allows for salary raise to luxury tax levels then this group plus 1-2 big hits would make them a contender for years. Anyway buddy wrote a solid piece with tons of food for thought. And TW, good luck with the spreads in the New Year with your picks now that you're back in the game..!!

...need to beat Magic to make up for that debacle the last time in Orlando....

 

[thewalker]

^^^^^^^ SHE'S BaacccKKKKKKKKKK!! :faint: :amen: :focus: ^^^

TW, thanks for the good read and buddy has the right thoughts. These 18 months for the roster will be Masai's defining moment as to what these Raps will be. DD will be the big decision here and I'm still torn on max but he still will get something north of 20M a year somewhere if not here. Power forward is definitely the weakest link and a top line guy here would be great bit it would definitely have salary cap impact. Maybe if MLSE allows for salary raise to luxury tax levels then this group plus 1-2 big hits would make them a contender for years. Anyway buddy wrote a solid piece with tons of food for thought. And TW, good luck with the spreads in the New Year with your picks now that you're back in the game..!!

...need to beat Magic to make up for that debacle the last time in Orlando....

Thanks, bro! But I continued my losing ways last night! Looking forward to this game this afternoon. Brew up a pot of tea with biscuits and let's go Raptors! Do it for Queen Elizabeth!

 

[raptorizedguy]

Raptors not playing have climbed up the standings . Everyone around them are on mini losing streaks .

The East seems like Cavs and 9 teams tied for second ( tied as in quality of team )

 

[Keepingitreal]

https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourcei...rs&vtst=C28Canada-200768-1+C28Canada-201942-1

Let's get our guys in the All star game.

 

[gfelover]

^^^^^^^^^. :thumb: ^^^^^^. :canada: ^^^^^^^ Thanks for the reminder mr. Real!

As it's always said, a win is a win! A few things of the where have we heard this before category : When will we learn to close games out (earlier the better, helps rotation go to 11 or 12), when will we have a game where starters and bench both go off? I'm sure there are other observations but AWIAW! Kudos to bench for big contributions!

Wow, now 7 games at home in a row to balance the schedule. And no Backtobacks either! :happy::happy:Nets, Celtics, Heat, Clippers, Wizards, Knicks, a Pistons then back on the road to Denver and another rough road trip. If the boys rest up and get their focus on, I expect at least 6-1 if not 7-0 for this stand. Do that and we separate ourselves from the pack and provides the MOMENTUM for the rest of the year. Only 35 left after this stand.:dance: let's hope the Nets stay in form on Monday......have a great weekend all......:thumb: