Next year's Toronto Raptors team

I find that when discussing next year’s Raptors team and how they are going to perform in the years to come, it is a topic that is both exciting to some while at the same time meaningless to others. Currently the Raptors are sitting at 30 wins and 48 losses and fifth in the Atlantic division. Because of these current standings the Raptors also only have about a 5.3% chance of getting their draft pick next year which would have been in the top three. Even though the season is almost over and it is clear that this wasn’t one of the better seasons for the Raptors. This season has definitely had its own ups and downs in terms of excitement and news stories. The beginning of the season was pretty much like how the end of the season has been turning out. There were some wins, some surprising upsets, but at the end of it all there was still mostly losses. Of course when I say excitement and news worthy stories I am talking about when Toronto surprised everybody by trading with Memphis to gain Rudy Gay. This was hard for some, because in doing so we lost Jose Calderon. Jose was a steady player for the Raptors and even though he was traded he left with nothing but love in his heart for the city, its team and its people.

When Gay first came to Toronto there was uproar and everything seemed to be turning around for the Raptors and it was working in their favour. It seemed as though Gay brought with him all of the hype and intensity that he was signed on for. Toronto was excited and the whole team was playing much better together; specifically DeMar DeRozan. This has been one of his best seasons and he has put up respectable numbers almost every game he’s played. Another big topic of discussion that had been swirling around the Toronto Raptors was Andrea Barnani and whether or not he would still be a Raptor. He was out for the majority of the season in the beginning and again in the end. And the little time that he did spend on the court didn’t really help out anybody; not himself or the raptors. I believe that he will be traded next year for sure in attempts to retrieve anybody that could help the raptors even if it’s just by a little.
One of the few good things that did come from this poor season is that with Andrea out and the raptors poor streak, a lot of the developing players on Toronto received a chance to step up and show what they’ve got. In looking forward to next year’s Raptors team it is very possible that they will have become a force to be reckoned with and will probably make it to the playoffs. Players like Terrence Ross, Jonas Valanciunas, Alan Anderson, Ahmir Johnson, Kyle Lowry, John Lucas III, Quincy Acey, and of course DeRozan and Gay are all players that will work hard to make sure our team is stronger than ever and moves forward. The Raptors are a young team and are loaded with so much potential that if they truly play their best then they might be able to stand up against any other team when they reach their prime. I believe that the raptors will only get better from here on out and that we should allow them to grow so that will become the team that everyone wants them to be.

Toronto Raptors victory over the Washington Wizards

Last night’s victory over the Washington Wizards was definitely one of the best games for the Raptors. The season is slowly coming to an end, and sadly the playoffs are out of reach for our Toronto Raptors but that doesn’t stop some of our favorite players from playing the best they can and continuously giving their all in every game they play. It was a rocky start for the Raptors as they were playing catch up against Washington in the first two quarters and ended the first half 50-39 trailing behind. However it would seem as though they entered the second half with a new energy and desire to leave victorious at the end of the night. They battled hard and took the lead to make the score 68-62 after the third and didn’t stop there. In the fourth quarter they pulled out all the stops. They made sure to hold onto their lead and although it might have come close at times they pulled away to end the game with a victory of 88-78.
This game was not only memorable because of the victory but also because of the great effort put in by our players. Both DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry had game highs from the match. DeRozan scored a game high of 25 points, while Lowry contributed 9 points, 8 rebounds and his game high of 13 assists. However with this being said, the MVP of the night was undoubtedly none other than the rookie Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas scored career high of 24 points and aggressively grabbed 10 rebounds. He lead the team in minutes played with 40:42 minutes, followed by DeRozan with 37:23 mn and Lowry close behind. And surprisingly enough after dropping 34 points previously against the Pistons, Rudy Gay only played 26 minutes and finished with a total of 6 points. Like I have mentioned in my previous post, I strongly believe that Toronto can only get better with this new team that they have put together, and that our rookies will shine much brighter than expected. I’d like to emphasize on the rookie Valanciunas again. Being that he is only 20 years old and he is already making such a statement he will definitely continue to prove himself worthy of the position he has been placed in. 

 http://youtu.be/ggOQefxiBgo

Is Dwane Casey the best head coach for the Toronto Raptors?

Dwane Casey was born in Morganfield Kentucky, and graduated from Union County High School in 1975. During his university years at the University of Kentucky he was a vital member of his school’s basketball team as he served as the team captain in his senior year and held a career average of 12.3 points and 6.1 assists per game. Casey was never able to make the NBA as a player but instead became an assistant coach for the same school he was a part of right after he graduated. After his time came to an end with Kentucky Dwane Casey was hired on as an assistant coach for the once Seattle SuperSonics.  Casey was able to serve as the Japanese National Basketball Teams head coach over the summers and in 1998 was able to take the team to the FIBA World Championship basketball tournament which was that teams first appearance back there in more than 30 years.

Casey first official position as a head coach in the NBA was with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2005-2006 season. His career was soon ended the next year though as he was fired in halfway through the next season in 2007. The following year Casey was lucky to receive a spot as an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks in the 2008-2009 season. The Mavs went on the next year to win their division title and then the following year they were victorious and won their first ever NBA championship in 2011. After this, Casey was signed to the Toronto Raptors in June 2011. This was a gain for the raptors as we were in need of a new head coach.
There are some who like Casey as the Raptors coach and then there are those who believe that the raptors would be better off with someone else. I believe that Casey and Toronto is indeed a good pair and they go hand in hand. Although the Raptors did not make the playoffs last season with Casey as head coach and it seems as though it is safe to say that they will not make it this year either, the one positive is that Casey along with the rest of the coaching and management staff of Toronto are trying to recreate the Raptors as a team that won’t be overlooked and will one day make it to the playoffs and possibly win a title.
So is Dwane Casey the best head coach for the Toronto Raptors? all I can say is that I believe Casey will continue to be beneficial for Toronto and we should let him do what he’s doing as our team continues to grow.

Loses, win for bench

With four consecutive losses in a row and two back to back losses against the New York Knicks it would seem as the Toronto Raptors have given all they can for this season and are struggling just to simply be able to keep the games close enough to be interesting. After the raptors had that up and down seven day win and then lose pattern, they went on to lose the last four games in a row; a loss of 108-91 against the Heat, 107-101 against the Bobcats, and 99-94 followed by 110-84 against the Knicks. Sadly Rudy Gay was not able to play in the second game against New York due to his reoccurring back spasms, This might be one of the reasons why the score was so widely spread out at the end of the game.
The only positive outcome that one might be able to draw from the way that the Toronto Raptors have been playing recently and how the rest of the season is looking for them is the fact that their usual bench players are able to receive a lot more playing time than they ever would have if the tables were turned. Players that are receiving more playing time are players like Terrence Ross, Landry Fields, John Lucass III, Alan Anderson, and Sebastian Telfair. As you can see this is the Majority of the bench that I have just listed. Although their playing time is still nothing compared to the amount of minutes our starters receive it is still well needed minutes that they are happy to go in for. In times like these where a team is losing and it might seem as though there is no hope to catch up in a specific game, the bench players cannot let this affect them and when they get the chance to go on the court they need to make sure that they show everything that they are capable of doing.  By doing so they allow the coaches and everyone to see that they might one day be able to go into the game under more serious circumstances and maybe one day even become a starter if they continue to improve and support their team.Their are two players that i believe should be a focus for the Raptors and they are Terrance Ross and Jonas Valanciunas. I believe that everyone should keep an eye on these two because they have will go far and they have not yet come close to their overall potential.