Raptors Discussion: v89| Those are some big rings | Raptors out to defend their championship

[The Nemesis]

I'm scared Kawahis uncle and the clippers are going to steal OG

If anything, OG's similarity to Kawhi includes his personality. He very much seems to be his own person who moves to his own beat. I don't think he's in it for the glitz and ego-stroking and big splashy showmanship that NBA free agent pitching has turned into. Kawhi went to the Clippers because he wanted to go home. If OG is happy in this organization having basically grown up here and won here, there's no reason for him to need to go anywhere for reasons like Kawhi (for comparison, he was born in England and raised in Mississippi, so it's not like there's some big-time NBA franchise on his front doorstep that could poach him with promises of playing in front of family and friends every night.)

He also kinda strikes me as the type that would stick with the Raptors because it's different and he enjoys making the offbeat choice.

 

[Ignatius Reilly]

Nothing should rattle this team. They came back from freaking 0-2 down to a great Milwaukee team, then they came into Oracle and took all 3 games from the defending champs at the time. A little run in a game by Orlando in October is not going to rattle this team.

I get your point, but.... we did all that with a guy named Kawhi.

Doing it without that guy, that's going to be a lot harder. It's probably impossible, but imagine how sweet it would be for the guys on the team if they did it. I, the team, and the whole city would go completely mental. Even mentaller than last year!

 

[2CHAINZ]

If anything, OG's similarity to Kawhi includes his personality. He very much seems to be his own person who moves to his own beat. I don't think he's in it for the glitz and ego-stroking and big splashy showmanship that NBA free agent pitching has turned into. Kawhi went to the Clippers because he wanted to go home. If OG is happy in this organization having basically grown up here and won here, there's no reason for him to need to go anywhere for reasons like Kawhi (for comparison, he was born in England and raised in Mississippi, so it's not like there's some big-time NBA franchise on his front doorstep that could poach him with promises of playing in front of family and friends every night.)

He also kinda strikes me as the type that would stick with the Raptors because it's different and he enjoys making the offbeat choice.

I appreciate your response and agree with you. My orginal post was me just joking around.

 

[Plat87]

A little run in a game by Orlando in October is not going to rattle this team.

I should hope not.

 

[The Nemesis]

I appreciate your response and agree with you. My orginal post was me just joking around.

Whether conscious or not (and given how shrewd Masai is, I'm willing to be it was absolutely conscious) he seems to have targeted guys with the personality type that makes them more retainable for a "non-traditional" market like Toronto. Be it international guys like Pascal or Valanciunas, independent thinker types like OG, or underdog, chip-on-my-shoulder types who identify with the club's place in the basketball universe like Lowry, it seems like he has prioritized building this sort of "family of freaks" setup that lends it self to guys being more willing to turn down the bright lights and glitz of the big US markets and not be the "but they don't have ESPN and there's the metric system and border crossings" types that bail first chance they get. Sometimes it doesn't work (Kawhi seemed like a reasonable chance to fit in that mold, but they underestimated his drive to return home) but it puts them in a better place than they were in the first stages of the franchie's existence where we watched Stoudemire and Vince and Bosh and every other noteworthy and talented player the org came up with bail when they had a chance.

 

[ronzigato]

The development of OG and Pascal really eases the pain of losing Kawhi. The team has swagger.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Can the Raps beat Dwane Casey for once? I mean FFS!

 

[Suntouchable13]

Man, I love what I am seeing from OG so far!

 

[Jozay]

imagine if these guys knew how to fight lol.

Some big ass boys going at it.

 

[thewave]

Still look like Champs! What a team

 

[The Big Swede13]

Siakam is a f***ing beast

 

[thewave]

Siakam is a ****ing beast

Ohhhhhhhhhhh!!! Did you see that quarter, brilliance awesome just wow insane love it

 

[hoc123]

Holy s*** Siakam that was ridiculous.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Dwane Casey looking at Siakam probably going like "holy shit!"

 

[The Big Swede13]

Ohhhhhhhhhhh!!! Did you see that quarter, brilliance awesome just wow insane love it

The improvement he’s showing is insane. His offensive repertoire is superstar level IM and he’s also no slouch defensively to say the least

 

[stickty111]

Raptors fans, meet your next superstar.

 

[as Pure as Evil]

think this team is playing with a massive chip on its shoulder. out to prove that the raptors won it last year now kawai

 

[Suntouchable13]

OG's D is pretty great. I think Kawhi's influence on OG was huge.

 

[thewave]

think this team is playing with a massive chip on its shoulder. out to prove that the raptors won it last year now kawai

I think the Leonard rejection may be the best thing to happen to the development of this team. They have a great mindset, for sure. Just an awesome team to watch.

 

[Plat87]

What a game by our budding superstar in Siakam, Lowry was his usual all star self. Ibaka was a beast and Normgod showed up, OG being a straight hound on the court.

 

[thewave]

What a game by our budding superstar in Siakam, Lowry was his usual all star self. Ibaka was a beast and Normgod showed up, OG being a straight hound on the court.

Looking like he could be a top 10 to me.

 

[Plat87]

Looking like he could be a top 10 to me.

The sky is the limit for him the way he is rapidly improving.

 

[Jozay]

158-155 rockets over wizards with 13 seconds left in the 4th quarter lol

 

[phillipmike]

 

[Cloned]

Anddddd the Warriors dynasty is officially over.