Game #40: Toronto Raptors 95 - Charlotte Bobcats 100

[rocwell]

No matter what strategy you choose....We need to get better players in here! Wait....did you mean better in 3-4 years?

I was actually talking about the here and now. See what a guy like Al Jefferson can do inside?? We don't have a post player on this team (unless you want to call JV or even DD one).....maybe we can "re-tool" and get a post player.

Why you even mention DD when the talk is about post players?

[wallz]

Wait, there is still half a season to go? oh..............

Alot of people literally forgot about this. All the playoff talk was WAY premature. I wasn't predicting the Raps to start blowing games like these, but there is still so much season to be played. This team could still finish 5 games over .500, or 10 games under .500

[JimiCliff]

Lost in all the excitement was Greivis' heat-checking at the end of the game. Comedy gold!

[slaw]

The Nets are on a roll now. And remember that they're doing this without Deron. When he comes back, watch out.

The Raps right now w/ the team that they have is destined to be in no man's land comes season's end. You just can't lose to teams like the Celtics, LAL and Bobcats.

Deron is back.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

No matter what strategy you choose....We need to get better players in here! Wait....did you mean better in 3-4 years?

I was actually talking about the here and now. See what a guy like Al Jefferson can do inside?? We don't have a post player on this team (unless you want to call JV or even DD one).....maybe we can "re-tool" and get a post player.

Of course. A traditional post-up PF was my choice for 1st position to be upgraded, in the thread having that very discussion. That's also why in the offseason (before Gay become a complete and utter black-hole) I was pushing for re-tooling, calling for DeRozan to be traded for Millsap (via S&T).

The problem with in-season trades is that they are very rarely a win-win, in terms of the same time-frame. In-season trades typically favor one team in the present, and the other team in the future. Retooling would have made more sense in the offseason, but now you're likely going to create a new hole when you fill an existing hole.

I would absolutely still be in favor of a trade that is forward looking, since I really don't think this team is all that great this season, with likely little chance of even making it past the first round. Of course, the alternate approach would be to look for trades where Toronto is the team mortgaging the future to win this season, but I personally don't see the appeal. I think the team would be much better off thinking ahead, to be more competitive as early as next season (at least in a more sustainable way), but certainly in the 2-3 year time horizon.

And yes, any middle-of-the-pack team that pursues trades that slant towards the 'better in the future' side would also theoretically improve their positioning ahead of the draft. However, let me be absolutely clear, that draft positioning is not the motivation for pursuing such trades, it would merely be a potential residual benefit.



I should say that if MU is able to find a re-tooling type trade that improves the team this season in a manner that is sustainable as well, I would be all for it. Based on league history of deadline deals, it just seems incredibly rare for that sort of opportunity to present itself.

[iblastoff]

GT: Toronto Raptors @ Charlotte Bobcats

All in all, we're still at a 'respectable' .500 despite having one of the tougher schedules in the league thus far. So it's not allllll bad?


Fuck it, this is shit.

[mike, prague]

I missed most of the game but caught the end. Once again, Toronto shot 29 threes, but only made 10. I wonder how many layups or post shots they attempted? On the plus side, they did out-rebound the Bobcats by a significant margin.

Be glad you missed most the game. It was bitt-ugly

[The Great One]

I'll say this for the first time this season. I'm completely aboard "tank nation" they need to blow this thing up and land a top 5 pick.

You just can't lose to teams like the Celtics, Lakers and Charlotte. They've lost to Charlotte 3x already this year. And Charlotte's best player didn't even play today.

If they keep this team together. They'll be in no man's land. I think the Nets will win the Atlantic.

[Fully]

I'll say this for the first time this season. I'm completely aboard "tank nation" they need to blow this thing up and land a top 5 pick.

You just can't lose to teams like the Celtics, Lakers and Charlotte. They've lost to Charlotte 3x already this year. And Charlotte's best player didn't even play today.

If they keep this team together. They'll be in no man's land. I think the Nets will win the Atlantic.

We're currently in no man's land right now!

Half way through the season and we're 20-20. That's practically the definition of mediocrity. The post Gay trade honeymoon has all but eliminated any chance of getting into the top 4 or 5 picks, but now we're only 2 wins ahead of the ninth place team in the dreadful Eastern Conference after losing 3 of 4 to non-playoff teams.

I hope people realize that we're another bad week or two away from seeing the absolute worst case scenario come true... out of the playoffs, out of the top ten in the lottery and with an unsigned Lowry that will be a huge question mark. Right smack dab in the middle of no man's land - - and this is after Leiweke and Ujiri spent the entire summer puffing up their chests and claiming that those days were over for this franchise.

This is why I spent the entire offseason saying that the wait and see approach was a bad idea... this exact scenario.

[Balls of Steel]

I'll say this for the first time this season. I'm completely aboard "tank nation" they need to blow this thing up and land a top 5 pick.

You just can't lose to teams like the Celtics, Lakers and Charlotte. They've lost to Charlotte 3x already this year. And Charlotte's best player didn't even play today.

If they keep this team together. They'll be in no man's land. I think the Nets will win the Atlantic.

Got off the wagon so soon? You may want to get back on as Embiid hinted at returning to school next year while Parker has made it clear he's going back to Duke.

http://beta.thescore.com/ncaab/news/412716

[JimiCliff]

Got off the wagon so soon? You may want to get back on as Embiid hinted at returning to school next year while Parker has made it clear he's going back to Duke.

http://beta.thescore.com/ncaab/news/412716

Wow it just gets worse and worse

[The Great One]

Got off the wagon so soon? You may want to get back on as Embiid hinted at returning to school next year while Parker has made it clear he's going back to Duke.

http://beta.thescore.com/ncaab/news/412716

Wow. If that's the case then the Raps need to start winning games.

[ibreak4coffee]

Pure speculation. If the Lakers land in the top 3 these guys will jump at the chance to play with Kobe. Even not, too much money on the table

[Balls of Steel]

Wow. If that's the case then the Raps need to start winning games.

Wiggins stock is plummeting too. He may consider going back as well. These losses are tough but the team needs adversity. Casey's right. This will motivate them to tighten things up. Tanking is risky as seen from college players deciding to return to school. Heck, Wiggins could already have indicated that (and AW enters the 2015 draft instead) and the real tank happens in the off season when MU decides to break things up after the playoffs.

[lilmamba_]

Just a slump all, good teams go through it

bring on the tank avatars

blow it up blow it up watch it all fall down watch it all fall down
we got the first place in our conference
but that still can't satisfy us republicans
ohhh oh oohhh oh oh oh oh
they think we need a wiggin
but i'm tellin you we dont need him

EDIT: #RihannaReference