Raptors Discussion: v29: Chuckers Gonna Chuck IV: Chuck it like you've never chucked it before

[TMLeafer]

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Nem, put in a title of your choice!

Previous thread:
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[Asif16*]

Raps in 4 baby. We bout to take over.

 

[91Kadri91*]

Raps in 4 baby. We bout to take over.

I'll just go ahead and assume you're referring to summer league.

 

[showtime8]

Watching the summer league, I like what I've seen out of Val. (obvious) but I also like what I've seen from Wright.

He's had some good hops and seems pretty explosive.

 

[Leaf Rocket]

soon to be nba champs.

 

[91Kadri91*]

soon to be nba champs.

Again, I'll just assume you're also referring to summer league.

I suppose they have a chance to win the Las Vegas summer league, but I don't know if I'm as confident as you. They still have three games to play, and next up is Phoenix, which will be a tough test (especially if Val doesn't play).

 

[Eytinge]

Tank Nation reporting in.

 

[Diatomic]

Lets start looooossssinggg!

 

[hockeywiz542]

National Post: Raps’ latest moves could prove costly if team truly wants to rebuild

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2013...-prove-costly-if-team-truly-wants-to-rebuild/

Andrew Wiggins, widely considered to be the top pick in the 2014 NBA draft, has stated his desire to play for the Raptors.

The common reaction to the two acquisitions might be “OK, sure, whatever,†but there is meaning to the moves. They give Ujiri what he is looking for above all else right now: philosophical flexibility.

If the Raptors have a good start to the season and look to be more than an eighth-seed contender, he has a capable, if unspectacular, bench. If the Raptors have a horrid start and decide to go all in on a proper rebuild by trading some of Lowry, Johnson, Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan, than he has cheap players who, playing a lot of minutes, will likely ensure that the Raptors lose a lot of games.

Ujiri wants to play the patient, see-what-I-have card. If he thinks he is not getting decent offers for his players currently, there is little risk in holding on to them. If they play well, perhaps their value goes up. And they might win some games, which Raptors fans have heard great things about.

But to pretend there is no risk here is to cover your eyes and ignore the lessons of the past. If the Raptors head into training camp with this roster, a slight improvement from last year’s 34-48 record is perhaps the most likely result. And if the team ultimately decides it wants to “suck to be good,†as Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Tim Leiweke delicately termed it, any early success would run counter to such a philosophy. (Especially since Andrew Wiggins wants to be a Raptor!) Toronto has lost out on some draft slots by winning meaningless games at the end of the season, and a decent start could be the difference between the 11th pick and the fourth pick, which matters quite a bit.

There is a risk of failure with Ujiri’s chosen path, because there is a risk of failure with all paths. By limiting himself to minor moves and preaching patience, the Raptors GM is not putting himself on the spot in the same way he would if he dismantled the roster Bryan Colangelo gave him or significantly added to it. He is betting that some of those pieces, such as Gay and Lowry, will produce either more wins or trade pieces in the future than they would at this point. But even if he is right, he is still opening himself up to risk. In the asset-obsessed NBA, there is always a potential loss lurking; there are no true win-win situations.

 

[topched]

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2013...-prove-costly-if-team-truly-wants-to-rebuild/

Andrew Wiggins, widely considered to be the top pick in the 2014 NBA draft, has stated his desire to play for the Raptors.

I'm of the absolutely firm belief that the NBA draft lottery is rigged. Too much coincidence for me with Lebron to Cleveland, Rose to Chicago and Davis to NOLA in past years.

I think the raps just need to be in the lottery to land Wiggins. The boys in the NBA office will get in bed with MLSE and the rest will be history

 

[KapG]

I'm of the absolutely firm belief that the NBA draft lottery is rigged. Too much coincidence for me with Lebron to Cleveland, Rose to Chicago and Davis to NOLA in past years.

I think the raps just need to be in the lottery to land Wiggins. The boys in the NBA office will get in bed with MLSE and the rest will be history

I know it was some time ago, but you can add the patrick ewing draft to those that were likely rigged.

 

[Cor]

You would think Toronto would be next on the NBA's list as markets trying to "fix".

Toronto drafting Wiggens would be a bomb in Toronto. Every single game would sell out. Not to me room the playoff revenue.

 

[Hero]

Team is too strong to tank right now.

Gay/Lowy/Derozan/Johnson

 

[Cor]

I'm going to go to our home opener. Shoot Gay in the knee with an arrow

 

[blue82]

I'm going to go to our home opener. Shoot Gay in the knee with an arrow

careful now...people seem to take these kinds of jokes seriously over the internet

 

[Eyedea]

Team is too strong to tank right now.

Gay/Lowy/Derozan/Johnson

That's why you move some of these players. You're not going to get far with a lineup consisting of those players.

 

[Cor]

careful now...people seem to take these kinds of jokes seriously over the internet

"skyrim joke gone bad"

 

[wulfio*]

I'm of the absolutely firm belief that the NBA draft lottery is rigged. Too much coincidence for me with Lebron to Cleveland, Rose to Chicago and Davis to NOLA in past years.

I think the raps just need to be in the lottery to land Wiggins. The boys in the NBA office will get in bed with MLSE and the rest will be history

I doubt the NBA cares about Toronto as much as other franchises.

The Lakers are a mess right now, it's just not an FA destination anymore what with the discontinuity in the front office, and kobe being kobe, but at the twilight of his career.

The Lakers brand is a massive money maker, but they need a generational talent to carry them forward, and Lebron isn't leaving a city where he will have just 3peated. I would make a hefty wager they will win the lottery.

 

[thatshype]

I doubt the NBA cares about Toronto as much as other franchises.

The Lakers are a mess right now, it's just not an FA destination anymore what with the discontinuity in the front office, and kobe being kobe, but at the twilight of his career.

The Lakers brand is a massive money maker, but they need a generational talent to carry them forward, and Lebron isn't leaving a city where he will have just 3peated. I would make a hefty wager they will win the lottery.

You could probably say the same about the Celtics, although Boston looks like they will be significantly worse than LAL this coming season. Both are storied franchises that generate a ton of revenue, but Boston seems more committed to rebuilding. With Kobe playing next season I don't think the Lakers will be bad enough to win the lottery. Boston on the other hand...

 

[wulfio*]

You could probably say the same about the Celtics, although Boston looks like they will be significantly worse than LAL this coming season. Both are storied franchises that generate a ton of revenue, but Boston seems more committed to rebuilding. With Kobe playing next season I don't think the Lakers will be bad enough to win the lottery. Boston on the other hand...

boston is in a terrific position to rebuild. their management has a clear concise plan. they have loads of picks to rebuild with, along with the cap space. LA only has the cap space. none of the rest.

Being worse next year is not at all relevant. The bucks and bobcats(hornets) will probably be better than boston next year. But they are pretty much the worst franchises in the league.

 

[Eyedea]

Kobe could very well be back in time for the season opener (according to himself and Jim Buss). If he's healthy the entire season there's no way they'll be at the bottom imo.

 

[wulfio*]

Kobe could very well be back in time for the season opener (according to himself and Jim Buss). If he's healthy the entire season there's no way they'll be at the bottom imo.

they barely made it to the playoffs with the best center in the league. despite his down year he was still the best at his position. Even with a healthy kobe i find it hard to believe they will make the playoffs.

OKC, spurs, GSW, clippers, rockets, memphis, denver, dallas, utah. these are all .500 or better clubs in the west. I would be surprised if the lakers are much over .500.

 

[Eyedea]

they barely made it to the playoffs with the best center in the league. despite his down year he was still the best at his position. Even with a healthy kobe i find it hard to believe they will make the playoffs.

OKC, spurs, GSW, clippers, rockets, memphis, denver, dallas, utah. these are all .500 or better clubs in the west. I would be surprised if the lakers are much over .500.

Gasol, Nash, Blake missed half the season, they lost Jordan Hill early on too. Overall they were pretty depleted with injuries. I don't think they'll be very good, and there's a good chance they'll miss the playoffs, but they aren't bad bad (like lotto pick bad).

 

[wulfio*]

Gasol, Nash, Blake missed half the season, they lost Jordan Hill early on too. Overall they were pretty depleted with injuries. I don't think they'll be very good, and there's a good chance they'll miss the playoffs, but they aren't bad bad (like lotto pick bad).

nash is just not that good anymore. Maybe if this was MVP version nash, sure. But Nash and Kobe don't compliment each other very well, they both need the ball. Kobe turns nash in to a pick and pop, or spot up guy a lot of the times; and that neutralizes arguably Nash's biggest strength. Gasol is hit and miss which version of him will show up. The strong post presence, or the timid useless version. they lost one of their best perimeter defenders. The rest of the team is garbage. And kobe isn't getting younger.

At the end of the day. everyone who doesn't make the playoffs is in the lottery. And if we're conceiving of the possibility of a rigged lottery. Then my opinion is that Lakers will win it, simply because it's the big glory franchise, and they are totally screwed with no assets, no future, and an aging kobe bryant, who is difficult to play with.

edit: Also, they have a coach who is at his best utilizing highly athletic players who can RUN. This is the polar opposite of the Lakers. He's very slow to adapt, and very stubborn to change. And either unwilling, or incapable of utilizing the strengths of his players. He's got his preconceptions of how to play ball, and he's expecting them to fit to his needs. Not the other way around. That's just not a good coach. There's just nothing good about the prospects of the Lakers 2013-2014 season. Except that they have a chance to be in the lottery for wiggins.

Despite its talent, this is one of the most poorly constructed teams in the NBA. From on court to sideline personnel. They also do not have an identity because they can't do the run and gun style, and it's just like a lets figure it out on the fly approach to coaching.

 

[Eyedea]

Sounds like you're over analyzing the situation.