Are you happy with the direction of the 2011-2012 Raptors?

[yertu damkule]

It really sounds like you're talking about DDR being a different player than what he is. I don't want to start this debate again, but that doesn't happen. Players come into the league with the raw material there and make very small adjustments to their games. They don't develop skills they never had in the first place. If that was possible any of us could play in the league given enough practice time. And many hours of practice doesn't always yield any results. Shaq worked on his free throws for many hours and never got better at it. Many post scorers work on their moves but don't get as good at it as Hakeem.

true, but only to a degree (calderon & rip hamilton are two examples off the top of my head of guys who weren't good deep shooters initially, but who worked on that aspect & improved considerably, though in rip's case, he's been inconsistent shooting the 3, and is more of a mid-range guy).

the things that DD needs to develop the most (deep jumper & defense) are rooted in practice & effort. he's shown the ability to shoot the ball, he's already got a solid mid-range J, so expanding that range really is a matter of technique & practice. i highly doubt he'll ever be a top-flight 3-pt shooter in terms of shooting %, but he should be good enough that he's a threat to hit from 3, meaning defenses can't sag off him.

defense is, IMO, more psychological than physical, especially for someone who is already gifted physically (though DD will likely always struggle to keep quicker guards in front of him, as he doesn't have great lateral quicks). hopefully, someone like casey can provide the technical fundamentals he needs, and instill a drive/desire to be a top defender (or at least to treat D as more than an afterthought).

[Hugmenot]

So you think he could hit his ceiling this season then I guess? At age 23? He's going to be a 20PPG player this season.

Is 20 PPG the over and under line for this year?

DeRozen was an awful defender last year; at least as bad as Bargnani in my opinion. He needs to improve his hande significantly not to speak of his 3 point shooting. I hope he will NOT hit his ceiling this year because he is unlikely to be an average defender at the end of this year due to the shortness of the training camp and the condensed schedule.

I view DeRozen's ceiling as the 25th best player in the league - a star but also a borderline all-star - and thus I agree with Matt's assessment.

[planetmars]

The Paul to Clippers trade scenario seems like its almost done:

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...geles-clippers


This got me thinking about the Raptors. The Clippers have a horrible owner, and have never been able to attract top free agents or big names. They also have to share the stage with their gifted and far more talented older brother. Once they got Griffin things changed. They have a young and exciting team and with Minnesota's #1 pick, have a lot of chips to lure in someone like Paul who would be willing to sign an extension to play there.

In the summer of 2013, the Raptors could look like the Clippers in 2011. They will have a potential stud that they draft in 2012 (aka our Griffin), a very good center (Val as compared to Jordan), a very good SG (Demar as compared to Gordon), a veteran player who can be seen as above average (Bargnani as compared to Kaman), and possibly still a high pick in the 2013 draft (our pick compared to the Minny pick).

You could even argue that the Raptors squad in 2013 could look better on paper than the Clippers squad this year.

We could have a very nice summer in 2013, and move into the contender territory with just a handful of moves.

[Hugmenot]

I give BryCo a 9.5 for consistency this off season because he stuck to the plan started last year. He performed due diligence by talking to some of the higher profile free agents but he stuck to the plan when it became clear their asking price was too high.

I give BryCo a 5.5 for the off season moves. The new additions are all meh at best but they're not bad contract and won't hurt the franchise.

I am OK with the direction of the team because it's a reasonable plan and its implementation is (for the past 16 months) have been consistent. Hopefully the plan will bring us a good team in 2 years and, with a few liucky breaks, a contender in 6-7 years.

[slaw]

The path today is the one they should have taken in 2006. Since I've been arguing that for 5 years I have to say that I am happy with the general approach. It's a gamble to rely on drafts and prospects but that is the only way forward for the Raps, so, it has to be done.

The one thing I don't like about this plan is that Bargnani is still apparently part of the future but that's been discussed ad nauseum, so I'll let it go. For now.

[Nilanka]

I like the direction of this team. But I also liked the direction of last years team when everyone was calling for BC's head.

Last year, it seemed BC settled into this "rebuilding" mode by default. He certainly wasn't thinking about rebuilding when working on the Diaw/Chandler trade. It was only when that deal fell through did BC take the long-term approach because he had no other choice.

Imagine how handcuffed we'd be right now if that trade went through. We would've lost the opportunity to draft Valanciunas, the trade for J.Johnson likely wouldn't have been made (since we had Diaw), and Miami would've won a title, lol.

[Apollo]

Carter shot 28% his rookie year and 40% his second year.
DD shot 25% his rookie year and 9% his second year.

Carter shot 28% at age 22 and 40% at age 23. Would it be fair to compare Wade's rookie season at age 22 to Bryant's rookie season at age 18 to determine who would have the better career? I would say absolutely no because Wade had the luxury of four extra years of development. The correct way to compare is by age. Carter wasn't ready to enter the league at age 19, DeRozan was. He shouldn't get penalized for that.

[mcHAPPY]

Carter shot 28% at age 22 and 40% at age 23. Would it be fair to compare Wade's rookie season at age 22 to Bryant's rookie season at age 18 to determine who would have the better career? I would say absolutely no because Wade had the luxury of four extra years of development. The correct way to compare is by age. Carter wasn't ready to enter the league at age 19, DeRozan was. He shouldn't get penalized for that.

Good point and one that I usually remember.

I look forward to seeing what DD does this year and next.

[white men can't jump]

I'm pretty happy with the direction of the team:

- Decent crop of young, talented players : check
- Flexibility (possibly huge amount of capspace if we amnesty someone next summer) going forward: check
- Chance at a high lottery pick: check (plus JV coming over makes 2 high picks coming in next year)
- Coach and management committed to changing culture : check

Nothing is certain but at least we're in a decent position. Yes it sucks that we're going to lose a lot again, but things can change really fast if things fall into place. We can get a better read on the career outlook of guys like Amir, Ed, Bargs (because we'll clearly be trading at least one of them at some point), JJ and Bayless to see if they're more than just rotation players, Demar to see how high he can raise his game, just to know where we stand at one wing position going forward. And I'm also keeping in mind that Jonas or the next draft pick could end up being the best/most talented player on the team. Add the flexibility and some players that we can use in deals, and there's reason enough to be optimistic, the only real question is will we be fighting for the playoffs next season or the one after it? I really hope it's the former.

[Apollo]

Good point and one that I usually remember.

I look forward to seeing what DD does this year and next.

Me too. My hope is that he can get to the line six to eight times a game while showing more consistency and range on his jump shot. I also want to see him become a leader on defense and show hustle and toughness on that end that we've yet to see. I think Casey will help with that, although we might have to wait a year to truly see it play out.

[Hugmenot]

Carter shot 28% at age 22 and 40% at age 23. Would it be fair to compare Wade's rookie season at age 22 to Bryant's rookie season at age 18 to determine who would have the better career? I would say absolutely no because Wade had the luxury of four extra years of development. The correct way to compare is by age. Carter wasn't ready to enter the league at age 19, DeRozan was. He shouldn't get penalized for that.

Is the NBA 3-point line further out than the college 3-point line? If so, is it fair to say any college player, regardless of his age, must adjust to the new distance when he joins the NBA?

I think the key element is Carter made significant improvment between year 1 and year 2 while DeRozan did not, quite the contrary. Whether he will eventually increase his effective range beyond the 3-point line is far from a given at this point.

[Apollo]

Is the NBA 3-point line further out than the college 3-point line?

It is

If so, is it fair to say any college player, regardless of his age, must adjust to the new distance when he joins the NBA?

I would suggest it's not fair to assume that. The marksmen in college are typically showcasing their range(intentionally or not) to NBA scouts by taking NBA range shots in games. Carter shot 36% from the three point line in college. He wasn't known as a long range marksman.

I think the key element is Carter made significant improvment between year 1 and year 2 while DeRozan did not, quite the contrary. Whether he will eventually increase his effective range beyond the 3-point line is far from a given at this point.

DeRozan can take a leap forward in a number of different ways. He doesn't have to mimic Vince Carter.

[mcHAPPY]

Is the NBA 3-point line further out than the college 3-point line? If so, is it fair to say any college player, regardless of his age, must adjust to the new distance when he joins the NBA?

I think the key element is Carter made significant improvment between year 1 and year 2 while DeRozan did not, quite the contrary. Whether he will eventually increase his effective range beyond the 3-point line is far from a given at this point.

Don't forget Apollo's point that DD's year 1 he was 20and year 2 he was 21.

VC's year 1 he was 22 and year 3 he was 23.

Those two years offer a lot of basketball for coaching and practice.

[mcHAPPY]

Me too. My hope is that he can get to the line six to eight times a game while showing more consistency and range on his jump shot. I also want to see him become a leader on defense and show hustle and toughness on that end that we've yet to see. I think Casey will help with that, although we might have to wait a year to truly see it play out.

If I could choose only offense or defense, I would take your defensive comments ANY DAY over the offensive for this upcoming season. In a perfect world we have the cake and eat it too, of course.

[Tim W.]

The Paul to Clippers trade scenario seems like its almost done:

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...geles-clippers


This got me thinking about the Raptors. The Clippers have a horrible owner, and have never been able to attract top free agents or big names. They also have to share the stage with their gifted and far more talented older brother. Once they got Griffin things changed. They have a young and exciting team and with Minnesota's #1 pick, have a lot of chips to lure in someone like Paul who would be willing to sign an extension to play there.

In the summer of 2013, the Raptors could look like the Clippers in 2011. They will have a potential stud that they draft in 2012 (aka our Griffin), a very good center (Val as compared to Jordan), a very good SG (Demar as compared to Gordon), a veteran player who can be seen as above average (Bargnani as compared to Kaman), and possibly still a high pick in the 2013 draft (our pick compared to the Minny pick).

You could even argue that the Raptors squad in 2013 could look better on paper than the Clippers squad this year.

We could have a very nice summer in 2013, and move into the contender territory with just a handful of moves.

While it is true that top tier talent attracts talent, it's also true that the Clippers wouldn't be on either Paul or Howard's list if they still played in Buffalo.

I don't disagree with the fact that the Raptors look to be in very good shape, though.