Casey: I think DeMar DeRozan can become that superstar

[S.R.]

I don't know, I don't consider myself a big DeMar defender, but I see his game still developing. He was way, way more physical last night than his first couple years in the league. He attacked the paint and initiated contact in a way he didn't used to. He used to just go for dunks when he had an open lane and he never absorbed contact that well. Now he's looking for it. I have a good feeling about his developing post game, too. He's actually looking to put his shoulder into a defender's chest to throw him off balance.

Fields is great, but I don't think he'll ever be able to shoot again. His free throws were bricks and they looked horrible - he has a hitch in his shot now, and this is after working on reconstructing it for months. That nerve damage may be permanent, and if so it's always going to limit him to a 10-15 mpg role player. Your ability to take advantage of the D with quick cuts and hustle plays is limited, and much more effective against bench players. Plenty of starting SF's in this league would deny him on those plays.

[white men can't jump]

I see his game still developing, but I also don't see him as a superstar.

The comparison I've always held for DeMar is to be that Caron Butler type of 3rd or 4th option. Caron has always been a good player, and has even had a couple of all-star appearances and 20 ppg years. Not that dissimilar in game. DeMar's D has to get better, which I hope it's starting to and I'll keep an eye on this season. Butler's 3 % has been good sometimes, but mediocre others.

DeMar probably will never, and should never be that 1st or 2nd guy on your team. I think he's developing nicely into a guy who can fit just after that in the pecking order.

[special1]

Maybe i'm just a positive person BUT I don't know what Casey said that was sooo absurd or silly....

"It would be great. I would love to see DeMar DeRozan rise and grow and become that superstar. He has that ability and it's just a matter of time. That would be great for him to do that."


Shiiiiit - I would love for him to be a superstar too! I hope that true Raptor fans hope for the same thing! Is Casey supposed to hate on Demar like most of the posters in this thread? Yes, i said hate....lol Some of you posters have your reputations pinned on whether Demar succeeds or fails.....i think we all know who you are.

[white men can't jump]

Maybe i'm just a positive person BUT I don't know what Casey said that was sooo absurd or silly....

"It would be great. I would love to see DeMar DeRozan rise and grow and become that superstar. He has that ability and it's just a matter of time. That would be great for him to do that."


Shiiiiit - I would love for him to be a superstar too! I hope that true Raptor fans hope for the same thing! Is Casey supposed to hate on Demar like most of the posters in this thread? Yes, i said hate....lol Some of you posters have your reputations pinned on whether Demar succeeds or fails.....i think we all know who you are.

I also would love for him to become a superstar, but I am doubtful. It is pretty true that superstar talents don't take 5ish years to develop. And usually when they do take long it's because of a lack of opportunity early in their careers. We'll see...

[CalgaryRapsFan]

Maybe i'm just a positive person BUT I don't know what Casey said that was sooo absurd or silly....

"It would be great. I would love to see DeMar DeRozan rise and grow and become that superstar. He has that ability and it's just a matter of time. That would be great for him to do that."


Shiiiiit - I would love for him to be a superstar too! I hope that true Raptor fans hope for the same thing! Is Casey supposed to hate on Demar like most of the posters in this thread? Yes, i said hate....lol Some of you posters have your reputations pinned on whether Demar succeeds or fails.....i think we all know who you are.

The underlined part is the problem for a lot of fans. It's the same sort of false hope and unfair expectations that were heaped on Bargnani. DC can talk about DeRozan being a good player, a good kid and having the right attitude and approach, with a drive to get even better. DC can talk about DeRozan being a key piece of the puzzle for the Raptors and an integral part of the team's core, in terms of success this season. DC doesn't need to mention DeRozan as a superstar or becoming a superstar... that's overselling and creating unnecessary hype/pressure. Even the biggest DeRozan fanboys have to accept that he'll never be a superstar, even if he continues to improve, so why create unrealistic expectations that will only fuel the anti-DeRozan fire?

DeRozan, just like Bargnani, should never have been mentioned as anything more than a #3 option at best. Unfortunately, Bargnani was hyped up and promoted as the face of the post-Bosh franchise and declared the #1 option for several seasons, which was way beyond anything that should ever have been reasonably expected of him. I feared the Raptors were doing the same thing with DeRozan last year; at least acquiring Gay bumped him down to #2. DeRozan is a solid #3 option, but seems to have neither the game or personality to be 'the guy', which is absolutely critical to be a true superstar in the NBA.

[p00ka]

Maybe i'm just a positive person BUT I don't know what Casey said that was sooo absurd or silly....

"It would be great. I would love to see DeMar DeRozan rise and grow and become that superstar. He has that ability and it's just a matter of time. That would be great for him to do that."


Shiiiiit - I would love for him to be a superstar too! I hope that true Raptor fans hope for the same thing! Is Casey supposed to hate on Demar like most of the posters in this thread? Yes, i said hate....lol Some of you posters have your reputations pinned on whether Demar succeeds or fails.....i think we all know who you are.

Really, eh. Get's tiring.

[mcHAPPY]

The underlined part is the problem for a lot of fans. It's the same sort of false hope and unfair expectations that were heaped on Bargnani. DC can talk about DeRozan being a good player, a good kid and having the right attitude and approach, with a drive to get even better. DC can talk about DeRozan being a key piece of the puzzle for the Raptors and an integral part of the team's core, in terms of success this season. DC doesn't need to mention DeRozan as a superstar or becoming a superstar... that's overselling and creating unnecessary hype/pressure. Even the biggest DeRozan fanboys have to accept that he'll never be a superstar, even if he continues to improve, so why create unrealistic expectations that will only fuel the anti-DeRozan fire?

DeRozan, just like Bargnani, should never have been mentioned as anything more than a #3 option at best. Unfortunately, Bargnani was hyped up and promoted as the face of the post-Bosh franchise and declared the #1 option for several seasons, which was way beyond anything that should ever have been reasonably expected of him. I feared the Raptors were doing the same thing with DeRozan last year; at least acquiring Gay bumped him down to #2. DeRozan is a solid #3 option, but seems to have neither the game or personality to be 'the guy', which is absolutely critical to be a true superstar in the NBA.

And the purpose of the post.

He is not a superstar talent - sorry.

I'd love him to be, but he is not, and saying he is truly heading down the path of a repeat of Bargnani.

[AJ360]

When he missed those two free throws last night, I immediately thought that it was not going to be Demar's night... and it wasn't. The Celtics had a game-plan for him, they had Wallace - who is not only bigger and stronger than Demar, but is very much a + defender - guarding him at least 50% of his time on the floor.

I expect Demar to do better than he did last night, even when he has a great defender on him, but for opening night I'm willing to give him a pass because he was very active in trying to get to the rim, especially through the first 2 quarters.



It's unreasonable to expect him not to take any 15-20 ft shots, because when he's attacking 1 on 1, he has to keep the D honest. I would definitely give him a "D" for last night, but I'm going to do what he's probably doing and focus on the next game.

[brothersteve]

Well DeMar certainly thinks he's on the verge of becoming a star player.

DeRozan said. “I (looked at) Kobe (Bryant) and how he approaches the game – how strong he is to be down there in the post. I looked at a lot of older players like when (Michael) Jordan came back, he really took advantage of the post. I told myself, why wait until I am older to try to master that. Why can’t I do that now?"

“(My confidence) is as high as it has ever been. I just don’t feel like anybody can guard me. I don’t really worry about anything on the offensive end. I know I can score when I want to. I can create when I want to or get to the free throw line."

Raptors DeMar DeRozan: Headed To Another Level

A lot of that confidence comes from Rudy Gay keeping SF from guarding DeMar in the post - but does it really matter why at this point?

[Puffer]

Change "superstar" to "all star" and we have a conversation. DeMar will not be, cannot be, a superstar. He just does not have the inborn ability. You can't work your way into being a "superstar". You can work your way into the all star game. Former Raptor Antonio Davis is a great example. DeMar seems to have the drive and work ethic to make it possible.

More power to him.

[p00ka]

Change "superstar" to "all star" and we have a conversation. DeMar will not be, cannot be, a superstar. He just does not have the inborn ability. You can't work your way into being a "superstar". You can work your way into the all star game. Former Raptor Antonio Davis is a great example. DeMar seems to have the drive and work ethic to make it possible.

More power to him.

And IMO, it's importance to our team, not just him, deserves more respect.

[NoPropsneeded]

The thing about him not getting calls isn't an excuse. Many people on here tend to think DeMar supporters are using that as an excuse but really it's not, it's reality. He constantly gets hacked on his way to the basket, but he's learned to ignore it and use his strength to finish through it. He definitely has all star potential but in order to reach that he needs to improve his passing game at least a little. No more ISO pull up jumpers with a hand in his face or mindless Kamikaze drives expecting to get calls. Run some PnR with JV or Amir and try to create for teammates instead of yourself, that's my message to DeMar

[Rapstor4Life]

If DeMar got the calls that Harden, Durant and prime Wade got he would be easily putting 25 ppg efficiently a night.

If Harden never got calls would he really be that great? yes cause he can handle the ball run offense and shoot the 3, but he wouldnt be such a scoring power house. for a 2 guard DeMar is really big to make up for non calls the guy is finishing through contact now.

[blackjitsu]

I don't even know where to start. Dirk, Chauncey (already mentioned), Joe Johnson, Nash (already mentioned)...Kobe took a while to peak (2.5 years), other than rebounds Boogie Cousins isn't demonstrably better than DeMar (obviously these are straight numbers and don't include how much of a defensive beast Boogie is).

As long as the trend is to grab players as freshmen, or junior level pros from Europe it's going to take longer for NBA players to reach their peak. That doesn't include late bloomers like Nash and Billups. Can DeMar become a star? Sure, he's young enough. He has the mentality and demeanor of a player who demands improvement. It is possible. Likely? That's another story, but the idea shouldn't be taken lightly.

As far as this nonsense that Ross is better than DeMar. First let see Ross have a run of 10 games where in at least 8 of those games he doesn't completely disappear before we have this debate. Ross hasn't earned the right to even be spoken of as better than Landry Fields, let alone DeMar yet.

Finally, the Celtics game was not really that close. If Casey called a timeout to stop that 3rd quarter run that whole point of argument does not exist. Please don't confuse poor coaching with poor play. Also, despite a positive +- a large amount of that happened because DJ Augustin disappeared defensively in the 3rd. Why Casey didn't sub in Lowry for a short spell to steady things is a mystery.

Casey may get fired mid-season with a winning record with his nonsense. The Raps aren't a vet team. He can't expect them to shift momentum without a timeout. It's not the Mavs team he assisted, or the Spurs. The only player capable of that sort of play is Rudy, and he doesn't run plays. You need the right type of point guard and vet players to do that. DJ can't change pace, and the only players on the Raps brave enough to call for the ball in that scenario are JV, Gay, and DeRozan. Only Gay was on the floor. DJ was incapable of getting it to him...Also, why does Casey go 10 deep? That's ridiculous.

Ahh...sorry for the tangent.

[tkfu]

other than rebounds Boogie Cousins isn't demonstrably better than DeMar (obviously these are straight numbers and don't include how much of a defensive beast Boogie is).

Just did a double-take. Am I missing some sarcasm here? If not, you obviously haven't watched Boogie beyond the highlight reels. He's an awful, awful defender.