Preseason thoughts Part 2

       My apologies for the late post as I wanted this post to include last nights game when the Toronto Taptors faced the New York Knicks.  Toronto Maple Leafs fans should be prepared to watch Toronto Raptors games this season everywhere as there is no sight to an end to the NHL lockout. However, let's get to business as I should have posted this blog earlier in the day.

       The Toronto Raptors have played 5 games into preseason are currently have a record of 4-1 tied with the Philadelphia 76ers with the best preseason record in the Eastern Conference and both teams are tied with the Golden State Warriors for the best record in the league. The Toronto Raptors currently have a 4-0 record at home (Air Canada Centre) and 0-1 on the road. Preseason is looking very good and many fans are going to expect the team to play good as the regular season begins.

      Last night, the Toronto Raptors won against the New York Knicks in Montreal at the Bell Centre with a score of 107-88 in front of 22,114 fans and there were many things that I liked and probably you guys liked many things as well. I've also posted highlights at the end of the post if you missed the game!

Thoughts about the game:

- It seems that Andrea Bargnani who left the game when Raptors were facing the Washington Wizards with a calf contusion, seems to have woken up from his slump as he scored his preseason best 20 points. He also played good defence as he posted two blocks and 7 rebounds. Hopefully, there will be more good news in sight for Bargnani as there are two games remaining and the regular season a week and a half away.

 - Jonas Valančiūnas is showing fans and the Raptors management that he is able to adapt to various situations as he was in foul trouble early in the game against the Knicks. He is showing that he is a competitor as he was preventing himself being fouled out in the 4th quarter. Valančiūnas finished with 4 points and 10 rebounds.

- Kyle Lowry seems to be getting into shape after dealing with his injury as he had 17 points(5-6 from 3 point range), 4 assists and 5 rebounds. He also had a couple fiesty moves where he crossed over Raymond Felton and got a three pointer which is in the video at the end of the post if you missed it. He also took it hard to the paint with a point and a foul. Now I know why people call Kyle Lowry a bulldog as I saw that mentality in him last night.

Thoughts of Raptors preseason as it progresses:

        There is going to be competition in the point guard position and I could see José Calderón
being traded as he is good expiring asset because John Lucas III has been performing coming off the bench especially against the Knicks where scored 12 points in 9 minutes. With the previous game against the Wizards with Lowry's return, him and Jose Calderón combined for 26 points, 14 assists and five steals while John Lucas III added 5 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds.

Jonas Valančiūnas: There were many people who grilled Valančiūnas as I mentioned in my other post that he didn't play well in his first game. However, I think these people probably have changed there mind. Although he does have rookie moments as he commits turnovers and fouls, Jonas Valančiūnas has definetly impressed me as he's been playing aggressive in the post as well as protecting the post. He's also made to the highlight reel a couple times including his pump fake dunk that he had against the Washington Wizards and he's probably averaging a double double or near that line.

Landry Fields: I hope my opinion doesn't change about him, but I think Fields has been playing well especially when Lowry returned as he scored 15 points. Fields is also doing the little things that are unnoticed such as his hard-nosed play and agressiveness.

Other notes:

Ed Davis: Injured because of a sore hip and the Raptors want to make sure he is fully healed
Terrence Ross: Sore knee but was back in the line up againist the New York Knicks

       The Raptors have two more preseason games left as they have play once again at home on Monday against the Milwaukee Bucks and then play their last game on Friday away from the Air Canada Centre facing the Memphis Grizzlies. These two games are going to be crucial for the Toronto Raptors players as coach Casey is going to determine the roles for each player as well as the starting line up for at least the early part of the regular season.

       I will have one more blog on preseason thoughts and will also post my predictions for the starting line up on Toronto Raptors opening night on Halloween sometime next week. Also, if you like what I post about, please check out my social media websites with the links above on the side. Feel free to share this article with others by using the share buttons at the end of the blog and also suscribe to my blog to recieve updates on my blog. Happy reading!

Preseason thoughts

Raptors preseason is here and it is kicking. They've already played two teams where one was against Real Madrid at Air Canada Centre October 8th which they won  and Detroit Pistons in Detroit October 10th which they lost. I saw a lot of interesting things in the two games which I liked and disliked about the Toronto Raptors.

What I've liked:

Demar Derozan: So far in two games, Demar Derozan has been consistent and I've liked his effort he has put in scoring as he lead the team in scoring against Detroit with 17 points and 18 points against Real Madrid. He also made a lot of free throws against Detroit making 9 out of 10 in 27 minutes by being aggressive and attacking the paint. Altogether, he's made 19  free throw attempts in 2 games.

John Lucas III: I'm surprised with how good he has been in two games. I expected Lucas III to be a scrub and wouldn't get any playing time unless there were injuries at the point guard position. With the way he is playing, I think he could definitely back up Kyle Lowry if Jose Calderon gets traded. I've been surprised as he had 16 points in each of the two games and also has the ability to make 3 pointers reminding of Mike James.

Jonas Valanciunas: As Valanciunas made his preseason debut, a 5th pick in the first round of the NBA draft in 2011, many people thought that he would put a double double. I didn't expect it and nor was I going to expect much from him against Detroit as he just came back from an injury and is still learning to adapt to the NBA playing style. However, Valanciunas did make a presence on the court and did the little things that people should have noticed who posted two points and 2 blocks in almost 13 minutes.

His size and length could be seen on the court and which allowed him to set up picks for Jose Calderon twice and even for struggling Andrea Bargnani who made two 3 pointers in the corner. He block Greg Monroe twice, who is an up and coming offensive centre.

What I've disliked:

Defence: With all the attention of focusing on offence and playing more uptempo this season, Raptors defence has been horrible at times and even coach Casey knows it. During there game against Real Madrid, Raptors allowed Real Madrid to shoot 44 free throws and 42 percent from the field. The Raptors also allowed the Detroit Pistons to shoot 70 percent from the field during the 1st quarter. Raptors also allowed Pistons to allow 60 points in the paint. I think that Raptors big men have to do a better job to protect the post.

Free throw shooting: Raptors free throw shooting hasn't been good at all. Raptors went 18/28 from the free throw line and 35/57 two games combined. Players to notice are Andrea Bargnani who is 4/11 from the free throw line in two games. On the other hand, Derozan has been attacking the free throw line making 19 attempts.


Andrea Bargnani: Bargnani has been lazy, looks uninterested on the court and hasn't really made a splash in preseason. Perhaps, he might be a little rusty from not playing in the summer and recovering from his calf injury. However, I hope he'll be much different when the season begins because he will be a part of Toronto Raptors success. What he's done for the Raptors in two games is not good as he only grabbed 5 rebounds in two games(only 1 rebound against Detroit). He's made only two 3 pointers in 8 attempts and only 4 free throws in 11 attempts. I hope he can step his game up and be the player he was last year before getting injured.

Other notes:

- Kyle Lowry won't be playing any preseason games because of a strained muscle in his thigh

- The Toronto Raptors next game will be tonight against the Detroit Pistons at the Air Canada Centre. After this game, the Raptors will have 5 days off and play on Wednesday October 17th against Washington Wizards.

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Training Camp

The Raptors training camp has begun in Halifax and have been practicing to prepare for preseason. I have been watching and reading stuff about the first couple days about the Raptors and found some interesting stuff which I want to talk about in this post and express my opinion.

Andrea Bargnani:

       Andrea Bargnani, who missed a good chunk of games dealt with a troublesome calf injury last season says that he's 100 percent healthy after spending his summer in Italy to recover from his injury. It seems to me that he is serious about this season because he never played for his national team either. Not only did he recover from his injury, he also came to training 15 pounds heavier which is very good news.

I think his gained weight is crucial this season because coach Casey and the team will heavily rely on Bargnani to carry majority of the scoring load score each night. The team cannot afford Bargnani to be out of the line up because it would definitely decrease the chances of the Raptors making the playoffs. Andrea Bargnani is also going to be the main anchor for this team and this young team will need presence each game to not only be a scorer, but be a mentor and leader to the younger players. I hope that his gained weight will allow him to be consistent throughout this long season, be a better rebounder and be that same player he was last year before his injury.

Offence:

       Last season, coach Casey made the team focus more on defense rather than offence and "pounding the rock". However, last year, Raptors were 28th overall in points per game(90.7) which was horrible and Bargnani being out was a factor.  It's also important that coach Casey utilizes the teams potential in offense such as scoring and running for players like Ross, Lowry, Derozan, Bargnani and such.

Therefore, coach Casey is making the team focus on offense in training camp to make the team play more uptempo, attacking the paint and making three pointers. In my opinion, I think it's a good approach for the 2nd year raptors coach because last year, the team was 9th overall in points allowed per game, whereas the offense was not great. This team will need to be consistent both sides of the floor (offence and defense) in order to win games and perhaps making the play-offs this season.

Stay tuned, I will be talking more about Raptors preseason as it progresses and I will also make a post about my thoughts on the Raptors first preseason game. Please feel free to comment and talk about how you guys feel about the Raptors preseason so far.

Also, to find out more about the Raptors preseason and media day, you can find it all on the Toronto Raptors website at http://www.nba.com/raptors/

Kyle Lowry v.s Jose Calderon

     With preseason just a couple days away, coach Dwayne Casey will get a chance to evaluate his group and determine who will start on opening day. Coach Casey will definitely keep a close eye at the point guard position to see whether point guard Jose Calderon or newly acquired point guard Kyle Lowry deserve to start on opening night.

As it was announced that the Raptors had acquired Kyle Lowry in the summer, point-guard Jose Calderon was not impressed with the trade. Various sources of media reported that he requested a trade as he was expecting to be the starting point guard for the '12-13 NBA season. Colangelo also said that he has no plans of moving Calderon. Therefore, there will no doubt be competition as to which one of the point guards will deserve the starting role on opening night. Below are the strengths and weaknesses that I found of Jose Calderon and Kyle Lowry to give an idea of who deserves the starting role on opening day. 

Kyle Lowry

Strengths:

- Young (26 years old)
- Good scorer and is able to find ways to score to the basket (15.9 points per game last season)
- Great rebounder (5.3 rebounds per game last season)
- Good work ethic

Weakness:

- Lacks experience as a starting point guard (starting point guard with former team Houston Rockets for only two seasons)

Jose Calderon

Strenghts:

- Pass-first point guard
- Able to make plays for his teammates (8.8 assists per game last season)
- Experience (started 293 games for the Raptors since 2005)
- Valuable (expiring $10 million dollar contract)

Weakness: Poor defender

Based on this comparison, I would want Kyle Lowry to start as he is young and would fit with the young, energetic and fast core squad (Demar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, Jonas Valanciunas, ED Davis and so on). Also, Lowry is pretty young and his hard work and energy will help anchor this team to be energetic and fast paced. In my opinion, coach Casey's plan to make his team more defensive should easily give Lowry the starting role because I think his double dribble penetration defense and pressuring the ball against his opponents will be an advantage over Calderon's poor defense.

What do you guys think? Should Kyle Lowry deserve the start over Jose Calderon or vice versa? Feel free to comment on your opinion and there will be more posts to come!

Part 2 review of Toronto Raptors 2012 off-season

Other off-season moves by the Toronto Raptors:

- The Toronto Raptors finally signed Centre Jonas Valanciunas this year to a rookie contract who was selected 4^th in the first in 2011 by the Raptors as his team agreed to a buyout. Valanciunas is a promising big man with his strength for rebounding and blocking shots which the Raptors really need in the post. 

- Raptors choose not bring back Jerryd Bayless as they removed his qualifying offer of about $4 million who then signed with the Memphis Grizzlies. Bayless did express interest to remain with the Raptors. However, due to the acquisition of point guard Lowry and having Calderon as a point guard would have made it costly for Raptors to keep Bayless

- Raptors traded James Johnson for a 2^nd round pick as we all knew it would happen because of reported conflict between the management 

 

- Raptors signed point guard John Lucas III to a 2 year 3 million dollar contract who is a very good option as a 3^rd string point guard

- Raptors signed veteran Alan Anderson who can provide support to the bench. He was also signed late last season when multiple Raptor players were injured

- Raptors brought back and signed centre Aaron Gray who can be one of the mentors to Valanciunas

Raptors also brought Canadian centre and Torontonian Jamal Magloire, a veteran who has played 12 NBA seasons will be a key mentor to Jonas Valanciunas

- Raptors signed forward Dominic McGuire who played with Golden State warriors last season and appeared in 64 games

     To sum up the whole offseason, it was a good one for the Toronto Raptors. Although they are not likely to win the championship this season, they are heading towards the right direction and getting to the playoffs this season should be their main priority. However, the team must be able to mesh and it could days, weeks or even months.  Please stay tuned to my blog as I will be blogging more about Raptors related news in a couple days!

 

A review of Toronto Raptors 2012 off-season

     Welcome to my blog! This blog will be all about the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association. I will be blogging almost everything about the Toronto Raptors whether it’s a trade, about important games and any other Raptors related news.

As the NBA season is just around the corner and preseason just a couple of days away, my first blog post will be a review of Toronto Raptors offseason. More specifically, my first post will be about the Raptors free agency period and the draft in the offseason for those who may have not paid much attention!

Free Agency

     The Toronto Raptors no doubt did have a busy offseason. Coming into the offseason, the Toronto Raptors had to address their needs which were the point guard position, small forward position and the centre position. 

The Raptors really wanted to address the point guard position by pursuing Steve Nash and did everything they possibly could. Bryan Colangelo and his team met Steve Nash on the first day of free agency to get him to sign with the Raptors and offered him the most money(36 million dollars). However Nash chose Los Angeles Lakers as family was his main priority. 

The Raptors also acquired Kyle Lowry who was playing at an all-star calibre before the all-star break with the Houston Rockets. The Raptors traded away their protected first round draft pick and Gary Forbes. Lowry who is 26 and still young, will bring two way point guard play by pressuring the ball and making all-star plays for his teammates. 

The Raptors also acquired Landry Fields through free agency by signing him to a 3 year 20 million dollar contract. It was reported that the Raptors signed him to prevent New York from a sign and trade for Steve Nash. This may seem a lot of money for Landry Fields, however, if Fields can be the same player in his rookie year when he was named Rookie of the Month twice and named to the NBA All-Rookie first team in 2010, his contract might be worth it.

The Draft

This years draft, the Raptors chose 21 year old athletic Terrence Ross from the University of Washington with their 8^th pick. Many fans were not in favour of the pick as many Raptors fans were hoping for centre Andre Drummond or point guard Austin Rivers with their number 8 pick if Harrison Barnes was taken. However, Terrence Ross is really what the Raptors needed with his ability for athleticism, shooting, defense and rebounding. 

The Raptors also chose power forward Quincy Acy in the 2^nd round of the draft who is similarly being compared to former Raptor, Reggie Evans as he can rebound, defense and score in the paint.

Please stay tuned for more as I will post a part two blog about the Raptors offseason and much more!