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.

Raptors

Lately it seems as though are Raptors team just cant seem to keep it together. The last seven games that the Toronto Raptors have played have gone back and forth every night with wins and loses. After the Loss against the Warriors, the much needed win against the Phoenix Suns end our terrible losing streak, but then seemed to have started us on these up and down games. After the Suns we had a close game but ended up losing to the Lakers, we then were able to beat the Cavaliers at home but unfortunately lost to the Celtics the following game. After the Celtics loss, we triumphed over the Bobcats but then fell short once again to the Miami Heat.

If these past seven games have been any prediction of future games then we should indeed be able to pull off another victory against Charlotte. Hopefully two back to back wins against the same team will stop the win lose pattern and give our guys the boost to beat the knicks in their following game. They’re aren’t many games left in the 2012-2013 NBA season and it would seem almost as though all the surprises and amazements have gone. Are Raptors can only hope to continue playing their best and try to finish off the season the best they can. We must always keep in mind our position for draft picks next year and that we are always building stronger as a team.

Are the playoffs out of sight?

It seems as though playoff hopes for the Raptors are always a mere dream that they are trying to make into a reality. After the Raptors had had such a horrible starting to this season no one would have ever even suggested the idea that they might have had a shot at the playoffs. But with the huge headlining news that was the Rudy Gay trade, things started to look up for the Raptors. When Gay had first arrived the Raptors were playing like never before and had achieved a record of 7 wins out of 10 games. However the past six games have been more of a nightmare for the raptors as they have lost every one except the most recent against the Phoenix Suns; and now sit at 8-7 with Rudy gay (8-8) if you include the game he did not play because of injury. This could lead to the argument that the only reason why the Raptors were winning was because of the adrenaline and the hype that they had received when gay first arrived. Now that everything is settling down and the Raptors are no longer on the tip of everyone’s tongue, their drive has slowed down and their game has equally weakened. One of the most crucial games that the Raptors have lost was the one against the Milwaukee Bucks. This game was nothing short of exciting as it was sent into overtime thanks to Alan Anderson who tied it up at 104 in the final seconds. In the end however, the Raptors still ended up losing 122-114. The Raptors needed to win this game if they wanted a real shot at their playoff dreams. The Bucks are in the 8th and final position for the eastern conference playoffs and the raptors are currently in the 10th position sitting at about 7.5 games behind them. With only 20 guaranteed games left in this regular season it would appear as though the Raptors chances have left them. Some would argue that after their horrible start, there was never really a chance and that Raptors and fans were merely flirting with the idea of any playoff hopes seeing as how they would now have to not only win the majority of their remaining games but they would also need the Bucks and other teams ahead of them to do poorly. One can only hope that it wasn’t just for the moment and that the Rudy Gay trade really was for the best and better things are still ahead for the Toronto Raptors.

Who is our franchise player???

With the trade deadline gone and all trades finalized the answer to this question may seem plain and simple to most, but we must remember that nothing is for certain. Before I talk about the obvious player that we are all thinking about (Rudy Gay); I would like to look into the Raptors history on who their previous franchise players have been, what they have done for the team and why the Raptors might have been struggling in the past few years.

Without going too far back, we all remember the “invincible” Vince Carter who led the Toronto Raptors to their very first playoffs ever in 2000. Vince came into the league in 1998 and brought with him a lot of buzz. Vince Carter was added to the Raptors lineup in 1998 and was named rookie of the year in 1999. Everything was going great for Vince. He was voted an NBA All-Star in 2000 and also won Slam Dunk Contest that same year. All of this praise for Vince Carter was bringing with it a lot of praise for the Raptors. There was no question that Vince was the Raptors Franchise player and arguably the best player they’ve ever had with a career average of 22.2 points per game. Sadly however things took a turn for the worse in the year 2003 when Carter started to have problems with management and was then traded the next year. Luckily for the Raptors the year before Vince’s departure they acquired new talent Chris Bosh. Almost simultaneously as Carter left, Bosh was named the team’s new focus and was being built upon. Bosh was a 1^st round 4^th overall draft pick and like Carter he was also showing impressive numbers and doing big things for the Raptors. In the years following, it was soon made official that Bosh was Toronto’s new franchise player and was voted to play in the 2006 NBA All-Star game (He has continued every year since). Bosh had a steady run with the Raptors averaging 20.3 points per game. But like Carter, Bosh came to the conclusion that he would not likely win a ring with the Raptors anytime soon. So he decided to leave the team that helped make him into who he was and left to become part of the big 3 in Miami, alongside LeBron James and Dwayne Wade in 2010. After Chris Bosh left Toronto it would appear as though Toronto was trying to focus on being and all international team with a focus on European players. It was in this time that Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon were at the forefront of the raptors line up. Hedo Turkoglu also played with the Raptors for a little while. With Bosh’s absence it would seem as though the Raptors no longer had a drive or determination to play as hard or with as much heart as they use too. During this time many would say that Bargnani was the new franchise player, but this was only because he was able to steadily put up the points. However he was still getting the biggest paycheck which is something that is usually reserved for a team’s franchise player but many doubted that he deserved the title. Bargnani was the 1^st round 1^st overall draft pick by the Raptors back in 2006, this made him the second player ever without experience in the USA to be drafted first overall. Ever since then Bargnani has earned a career average of 15.2 points per game. His average has been steadily dropping in the last two years. Bargnani has never been an NBA All-Star and he was unable to lead the Raptors to the playoffs after Bosh left. It is because of this as well as Bargnani’s off and on game performance that has caused Toronto fans to frequently boo him in recent games. However, all of this being said it would seem as though all hope is not lost for Toronto, as new Star Rudy Gay has joined what seems to be a new and greatly improved Raptors team. Gay brings with him a career average of 17.9 points per game. But more importantly it would appear as though he brought a certain fire with him that has once again ignited the Raptors team. The new lineup is indeed an impressive one and alongside Gay is DeMar DeRozan who is averaging 14.9 points per game and continues to be one of Toronto’s most reliable players. DeRozan performance along with the entire team has risen since the arrival of Gay. In the past one could say that Toronto could almost be considered somewhat of a starter team as former players have developed their skills there and then moved on elsewhere. With the acquired Gay however, Toronto has for once picked up a player who is already well established. Toronto fans can only hope that Gay continues to be a positive move for the Raptors as they fight for a spot in the playoffs. If great things are in the future, one can only hope that this is just the beginning for the Raptors and they well continue to rise up as a team with Gay Leading the way.

New Slam Dunk Champ / Grizzlies Loss

This past weekend was an exciting one, not only for the Toronto Raptors but for the entire NBA. This is because it was the All-Star weekend. Fans and players from all different cities and countries gathered together to witness the NBA’s best players in action. Certain events that were held were things like the celebrity game, where comedian Kevin Heart was voted mvp for the second year in a row.  Other events were the rising stars challenge, the three-point shootout, the skills challenge, the shooting stars competition, and of course the NBA all-star game etc. However out of all of the events that took part over this past weekend, the one that stands out most to Raptor fan is definitely the Sprite slam dunk contest; where its 2013 champion was none other than our very own Terrence Ross. Ross’ participation in the competition was due to all of his fans voting for him and creating a tremendous amount of buzz over the internet through the use of Twitter hash tags #LetRossDunk and #RossShallDunk. His first dunk made fans a little nervous as he had almost run out of time before he finally completed his dunk. But none the less he refused to settle and made the dunk that he had planned on. In doing so it seemed the judges acknowledge his determination and gave him a perfect score. Another memorable moment is when Ross surprised everyone by coming out in a throwback #15 Vince Carter jersey to perform his third dunk which secured his spot in the finals. No doubt with thoughts of the former Raptors star player, Ross’ final dunk was between his legs with the added difficulty of jumping over a young fan. All of these spectacular dunks awarded Terrence Ross with the Slam Dunk championship and once again showed the world that Toronto has some amazing basketball players.
In the latest news, our Raptors team went up against the Memphis Grizzlies and are new star player Rudy Gay had to play against his former team face to face for the first time. Although Gay has been explosive and nothing but good for the Raptors, it would seem as though his old team new all of his moves and were able to keep him completely scoreless for the entire first quarter. After this rough start though we started getting back into the swing of things and playing the way we have been that led to our 5 game winning streak, something that the Raptors have not been able to do for years. The game was tied in the fourth quarter at 77 with 4 minutes to play. However even with this push by the raptors to tie the game it was not enough to pull ahead and the Grizzlies won the game 88-82. This now puts the Grizzlies on a 5 game winning streak and ended the Raptors run who are now 7-2 with Gay.