Archive for Raptors Report

Raptors Report: Mid-Season Grades

February 28, 2012 Nat Raptors Report

Andrea Bargnani: A-
The best and worst moment from Andrea came in the game against Utah last month. It sucked that he got injured but the emotion he showed right after was the first signs of how much he actually cared. No one was ever doubting this guy could score but he seems to be in a zone this season, a zone that shows he wants to be great, wants to lead this team to wins and wants to live up to that #1 draft pick pressure. I have no doubt that he would have represented the Raptors at all-star weekend if he was healthy but there will be more in years to come. The question is, does he return with the same fire he had before he went down?

Jose Calderon: A
This is the Jose Calderon that earned the fat contract a few years back. The swagger is back and he has abandoned the clap defense for the most part. Sure he still gets burned by his opposing counterparts but he has been trying harder than ever on D. The offense was always there but Jose has been a coaches dream so far. He brings so much stability to the team and with them being young, he is the perfect PG to make sure they are getting the ball in the right spots and he bails them out with his shot when needed. Right now Jose is playing like an elite PG on a rebuilding team and might just be a victim of the upcoming trade deadline.

DeMar DeRozan: B-
It’s safe to say DeMar hasn’t made the jump most expected him to. Seems that in the process of extending his shooting range this past offseason, DeMar lost some of that athletic ability fans had become accustomed to. I don’t want to start throwing out Vince Carters name and the whole love for the jump shot but things were a little shaky to start the season. He remains an enigma but this last home stretch showed the aggressive DeRozan the team needs. He is still one of the younger guys on the roster with a boat load of talent, give him another 33 games to bring that out.

James Johnson: B+
Probably the biggest surprise so far this season considering how much of a question mark he was coming in. James Johnson has brought a defensive mentality that fans have not seen here since the days of Oakley and Christie. He has yet to figure out the offensive side of his game but that can be worked on. The natural instincts he has shown has ensured him a spot in the starting rotation and if he continues on the path he is on, he becomes one of those un-tradeables at the end of the year.

Amir Johnson: C+
There was the off-season surgery and the in-season personal issues but Amir has yet to put together a stretch of games where he is consistently producing for the team. For the first time in his career, foul trouble is not at the forefront, but with inconsistant production comes inconsistant playing time. Andrea’s injury left an opening for Amir to establish himself as an essential part of the team but he failed to take full advantage of that. His energy is still a big asset but it’s a matter of how long it will take for him to figure out how to use it more effectively.
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Clawing The Net – Dwane Casey Edition (20/01/2012)

January 20, 2012 Nat Raptors Report

The blog had to take a back seat for a couple of weeks as I settled into my new job. With that taken care of, its time to introduce a new friday feature.

Between the 10 mainstream media outlets and countless blogs, there are a ton of good Raptor reads each week. Every Friday I will pick my favorites and link them for those who may have missed out. If I miss any you liked, be sure to put them in the comments.

The Basketball Jones with another instant classic! If this doesn’t get you to vote for Bargnani, nothing will.

  • What Dwane Casey can and cannot say as the Toronto Raptors struggle - Eric Koreen (National Post)
  • Statophile Volume 23 | Bad without Bargnani, Find minutes for Forbes, DeRozan’s (not) Driving - Tom Liston (Raptors Republic
  • Paroxysm At Gametime: Dwane Casey Is Building Something - James Herbert (Hardwood Paroxysm)
  • Casey sees light at end of tunnel - Ryan Wolstat (Toronto Sun)
  • No “D” in “Free” - Joseph Casciaro (RaptorBlog)
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    Raptors Report – A Road Well Traveled

    January 4, 2012 Nat Raptors Report

    After suffering through the 1-15 start in the 2005, this 2-3 start from the Raptors has come as a pleasant surprise. Heading into the season with low expectations and a goal to improve in a multitude of categories, this team has shown a lot of heart and fight early on. Every game has been played with a defensive intensity fans in Toronto have been waiting to see. The offense still needs to get up to speed but considering the tough schedule early on with minimal time to practice, the Raptors are way ahead of the timeline.

    Prior to their first 3 game road trip, I had outlined a few goals the Raptors should try to meet. They fell short for the most part but made up in other ways. In each of the first two games the Raptors did a lot of things well but it took a third game to put it together for a full 48 minutes.

    Raptors @ Mavericks: Facing the defending champs is a tall task in itself, add in the fact that they were 0-3 after losing a heartbreaker to the Thunder and the Raptors looked like they may see an extended period of garbage time. Not the case. The Raptors managed to hold the Mavs to 44% from the field while Bargnani had an offensive explosion, tallying 30 points. After hanging in for most of the night, the Raps managed to take a lead in this one but a rough night from DeMar coupled with little productivity from the bench did not allow them to sustain it. The Mavs eventually showed why they are champions by taking the reins in the 4th and closing it out.

    Raptors @ Magic: For the second game in a row, Bargnani was the best player in a Raptors uniform. This time the guys came out on fire and built a 16 point lead mid-way through the game. Once again inexperience came to the forefront as the Raps started coughing the ball up and gave Orlando a chance to think they were still in it. Once you give a veteran team like that an opening, they are going to take it. Take it they did as the Magic capitalized on the few errors from the Raptors and came storming all the way back to get the win.

    Raptors @ Knicks: Without Amare, the Knicks front line looks a lot less intimidating and Bargnani was up for the task once again. This time aided by a 21 point night from DeRozan, the Raptors put the pedal to the metal and never took their foot off. Sure there were lapses and Melo went off but the key was they found a way to close out.

    Road Trip — 3 Stars
    Andrea Bargnani
    Jose Calderon
    Defense

    Up Next: Cavs @ Raptors. Wednesday, Jan. 4th 2012. 7PM
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    Raptors Unable To Capture The Magic

    January 2, 2012 Nat Raptors Report

    Happy New Year. A very quick recap and no Starting Five today — still trying to recover from the weekend. With another game in a few hours, I will keep the extended analysis for a second post tomorrow.

    The lottery bound Raptors train looked like it was about to take a detour last night in Orlando but managed to stay on track with the help of a 4th quarter collapse.

    The Raptors have always seemed to match up well with this Magic team, winning two of three games last season, and last night was no different. Andrea Bargnani brought his hot shooting to Florida and with some great point guard play from Calderon, they found themselves with a 5 point lead at the half. Bargnani did finish the night with 28 points and 7 rebounds (still can’t seem to hit that 8rb mark.), but the late turnovers and inability to execute as a team down the stretch did them in.

    Hanging on to a 3 point lead with 5 minutes to go in the game, the Raptors allowed Anderson and Turkoglu to catch fire which fueled a 16-0 run Magic run. Shorthanded at the PG spot, Barbosa and Carter got extended minutes and the two vets provided some horrible decision making late in the game. DeMar had another tough night offensively but on the positive side, he never took his mind away from the game and contributed on the boards. The Magic shot near 50% on the night and the new defensive minded Raptors team can’t allow that.

    With a short turnaround and these games suddenly coming early and often, the team will not have too much time to ponder over losses. There is little practice time and we may just see the first ugly basketball from the Raps tonight as they get set to face the Knicks.

    The Night in Numbers

    11 turnovers as a team. The Raptors took care of the rock and in turn only gave up 9 fast break points to the Magic.
    40 minutes for Andrea Bargnani who for a second game in a row was the best player in a Raptors uniform. Well, Jose was close.
    13 assists for Calderon to go along with his very efficient 18 points. He also became the first Raptor player to reach 3,000 assists for his career.
    28 of the Raptors’ 52 first half points came in the paint. The Magic are a big team and the Raptors didn’t back down and settle for jumpers.
    +11  at the free throw line. One of the early complaints this season has been the lack of FT’s from the Raptors so this was a pleasant surprise.
    16 points was the largest lead of the game for the Raptors which came in the 3rd quarter.
    5 minute FG scoring drought for the Raptors in the 4th quarter. The Magic clamped down on D and the inexperienced Raps choked up.
    5-8 from deep was Ryan Anderson who got to play the role of Raptor killer last night.

    Up Next: Raptors vs. Knicks. Monday, 2nd Jan 2012 @ 7:30 PM
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    Raptors Can’t Hang With The Champs

    December 31, 2011 Nat Raptors Report

    For the second game in a row, the Raptors come up just short but get high praise from the opposing head coach. Rick Carlisle went as far as saying he thinks the Raptors will be in the hunt for a playoff spot in the East. Then again, he also said he thinks Vince Carter was a future Hall of Famer. Either way, he wasn’t far off saying this team is headed in the right direction as they played hard against a tough team, just ran out of steam in the end to lose 99-86.

    The Raptors rode the hot hand all night but struggled to crash the boards in the first half. Once the turnovers started piling up it just made things tougher. A 12-0 Raps run in the second kept it close, and a 17-2 run in the third gave them their largest lead at 68-61. The Mavericks went into Championship mode to end the third which essentially closed the book on this one. They had the edge in pretty much every statistical category (most of which are broken down below) and needed just 31 minutes from Dirk to take care of business.

    The Raptors did accomplish one of the 3 goals I had outlined for this road trip in my post yesterday — holding the team to under 45% from the field. DeMar tried to get going early but it clearly wasn’t his night. Andrea fell short in the rebounding category but if it wasn’t for him the final score would have been embarrassing. The team has a day off to watch tape and regroup for another tough team in Orlando over the weekend.

    The Night In Numbers

    50 of the Raptors’ 86 points came from 2 guys — Bargnani (30) & Barbosa (20). The Mavs meanwhile had a much more balanced attack, 5 guys in double figures.
    44% was the magic number tonight as the Raptors held an opponent to under 45% from the field for the third game in a row.
    2 monster dunks. DeMar with flies in for the slam and Amir with the put back.
    7 assists from Jose Calderon who is now just 7 shy of hitting the 3,000 assist mark.
    4-12 from the floor was DeMar DeRozan. He had 7 points at the half but ended with just 11. Never got in a rhythm to play hero in the 4th.
    -30 The Raptors bench. Mavs bench outscored them 56-26, most of that coming from Carter and Kidd.
    38 Free throws for the Mavs and the Raptors got there just 18 times. In the 3rd quarter alone, the Mavs went there 15 times, the Raptors 0.
    7 Turnovers by the Raptors in the 2nd quarter after having just 1 in the 1st Q. They ended the night with 17, Dallas had just 10.

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