Can Ross and Derozan co-exist? Can Ross be our primary SF?

[ReubenJRD]

I think people are weighing too much into position in the NBA; in basketball, they're just seen as wing players. I understand the size, length, and weight that is against the "Ross-is-our-3" argument, but he definitely has shown the ability - and I think proving - he can be the guy at the spot for awhile.

[GLF]

Terrence Ross in my humble opinion, has been the best fit alongside DeMar since DeMar joined this team. Terrence's defense, thee-point shooting, and ability to attack the glass has been the parts DeMar has never consistently had. Turkoglu was a close fit, cause he was a terrific play-maker, but didn't do anything else above average. Sonny Weems was another athletic wing-player in a role above his skill sets; same could be said for James Johnson. Than the Landry Fields plan never came to fruition, forcing them to make a deal for a player who was basically another DeMar DeRozan; just without the work ethic, inconsistent effort, absolutely no play-making ability, and selfishness.

Like a poster up top mentioned, what Ross and DeRozan do are off-set by one another's skill set; they really do balance each other out.

I personally love seeing DeMar drive to the hoop and more often than not find a wide open Ross in the corner, for that has happened numerous times this season.

BUT, for Ross to continue to be the guy at the three spot, he MUST get stronger. Despite terrific explosiveness, and defence to make up for some of that, but he's eventually going to get worn out by bigger, stronger 3's in the league.

I absolutely think Ross CAN be the long term option at the small forward. I think the real question is the power forward spot and the uncertainty of this bench moving forward. We're seeing it, internal improvement is underrated, and it's something that has been a major reason for this team's success this season.

Couldn't agree more. But to me the absolute most Terrence Ross should gain is about 10 pounds. We saw how much gaining weight has messed up Jonas. I don't want Ross losing his athleticism/ speed and stamina like Jonas has. That would just completely ruin his game. Also it can affect his shooting like it did Rudy. He needs to focus more on gaining strength than girth. I'm not sure how you do that but the trainers must have an idea. Also Jonas' and Rudy's weight gain didn't even help them much. Jonas still gets pushed around like crazy on offense and defense and Rudy could barely finish in the paint or hit shots when he was here. He got used to it seems, so hopefully that happens for Jonas as well.

[ReubenJRD]

Everything on the site is opinion and point of view. It's kinda of pointless to write "I think", "IMO", "It appears that" for every single post. If that bothers you, I'm afraid you're just going to have to deal.

It does seem quite apparent though, Demar isn't Kevin Durant/LBJ/CP3 level of star, so we still need a superstar.

DeMar is an all-star, and quality starter player in this league, and that's the closest we may get; superstars like Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Chris Paul aren't handed out in the league. These guys are dime a dozen.

I understand every team needs a superstar, and I too find reasoning in that, but just because a team has a superstar, doesn't mean they are locked to be title contenders. For so damn long, LeBron just couldn't get over the hump in Cleveland. He's a fantastic player, but what did he lack? A good surrounding cast. Not a breaking down Shaq O'neal, not a Daniel Gibson, not a Mo Williams, not a Sasha Pavlovic, not a Wally Sczerbiak, not a Antawn Jamison, not an Anthony Parker (sorry, I still love you AP), not a breaking down Zydraunas Ilgauskas. Hell, I'm surprised he was so successful every regular season, and even went to the NBA Finals with Gibson, Gooden, Big Z, and that other dude (totally forgot his name...) What else did he or that team lack? A good system. Mike Brown is known for defence, but when LeBron James can control the game at both ends of the court the way he does, he was pretty much a player coach for that team. When things broke down, I remember the Cavs having to heavily rely on Lebron in isolation/pick-&-roll, and mind you, his outside/mid-ranged shooting was not at the level it is at now, where it is currently respectable. It was such a bad team when the game started to slow down, and sit in the half-court. There was no other player that could demand any respect/pressure away from LBJ.

But, you put LeBron around a fantastic cast of players - shooters, defenders, rebounders, etc. - and put him in a consistent system with Coach Spo - defense, drive-&-kick, outside shooting, ball movement - and we've seen a team win 2 NBA championship, 3 trips to the Finals, looking for the three-peat.

Every team that has ever won, won with a great superstar, course, but it could not be done without a fantastic coach - Popovich, Jackson, Carlisle, Rivers - and a great roster of all-around role players.

I think the Raptors already have something in place; a core of good all-around players, and it's arguable whether DeMar is that guy, whether Ross or JV may develop to be the big guns, if MU finds a gem in the draft, a trade becomes feasible, or free agency finally opens up to this roster, they have some of those pieces needed to be a contender. (Wow, Raptors and contender in the same sentence? Geez. Optimistic much?)

Dwane Casey's defensive system has been - as much as some of you may hate him and the mistakes he made in the past - solid. The Raptors are one of the best defensive teams in the league, and have improved significantly since trading away Rudy Gay.

I've said it in the past, and I'll say it again. For the Raptors to be a title contender, they just need to continue to stockpile assets (picks/prospects), add in the right mix of veterans, and continue to build on internal growth (Ross, JV, DeRozan, and maybe to an extent; Patterson), and they'll be taking the right steps in building to be a top team in the association

[ReubenJRD]

Couldn't agree more. But to me the absolute most Terrence Ross should gain is about 10 pounds. We saw how much gaining weight has messed up Jonas. I don't want Ross losing his athleticism/ speed and stamina like Jonas has. That would just completely ruin his game. Also it can affect his shooting like it did Rudy. He needs to focus more on gaining strength than girth. I'm not sure how you do that but the trainers must have an idea. Also Jonas' and Rudy's weight gain didn't even help them much. Jonas still gets pushed around like crazy on offense and defense and Rudy could barely finish in the paint or hit shots when he was here. He got used to it seems, so hopefully that happens for Jonas as well.

I think when talking about weight, it's good weight. Rudy got fat, and Jonas got some belly on him. What JV and Ross need to do, is spend their entire summer in the gym, not eating McDonalds for the sake of gaining weight (not saying he did that, lol). There's obviously a difference between gaining weight, and muscle mass.

Ross needs to get stronger, not bulk. Same with Jonas. I'm almost certain there are a ton of meat-heads (I can I say I've been one) that bring the shaker bottle in and around town even if they're not going to the gyms, to know what I'm talking about.

Ross, JV! Eat healthy, work on building your maximum lifts! LOL.

[GLF]

I think when talking about weight, it's good weight. Rudy got fat, and Jonas got some belly on him. What JV and Ross need to do, is spend their entire summer in the gym, not eating McDonalds for the sake of gaining weight (not saying he did that, lol). There's obviously a difference between gaining weight, and muscle mass.

Ross needs to get stronger, not bulk. Same with Jonas. I'm almost certain there are a ton of meat-heads (I can I say I've been one) that bring the shaker bottle in and around town even if they're not going to the gyms, to know what I'm talking about.

Ross, JV! Eat healthy, work on building your maximum lifts! LOL.

LOL true

[TheMarfin]

We already know that DeMar isn't a number one option, so who is the better complimentary player to a number one option if we were to draft, trade or bring one in through free agency?

How is DeMar not a number one scorer? He is 11th in the league in scoring. We can build around him. Ross stretches the floor for DeMar, takes the tougher cover on D to keep DeMar fresh and gets to the rim on cuts when DeMar gets doubled. Plus he is in his second season and makes next to no money right now. If we improve at the 4 Ross is a 4th/5th scoring option if we keep Lowry. What are people complaining about? Ross is the perfect player to have right now.