Game 68 of 82: Toronto Raptors @ Cleveland Cavaliers,

[Scraptor]

Yeah looks like they have different strokes for different folks? My take is with FVV out, Kyle is our only true PG with the others more combo type guards. Also JLin has very limited knowledge of playbook. Kyle will rest when FVV's back.

Resting when Fred is back won't do us any good if Kyle gets hurt.

Games like this one, vs a crap team on the second night of a B2B, are ones where we should be resting guys in advance of the playoffs.

[Scraptor]

Kyle is averaging under 35mpg this year. It feels like he's always out there, but he's only played in 6 games above 40 minutes. The longest was close to 50 but that was a 2OT win against Washington.

Even in this stretch without Fred, he's averaged only 36.8 mpg. And that will go down once Fred's back.

36.8 is a lot. That would rank third in the NBA on the season.

The rest strategy or lack thereof is really puzzling given Kyle really struggled with those back problems earlier this season.

[planetmars]

I could flip it the other way and say hes had one game all year under 29 minutes played. Hes ranked 14th in the league and 4th among players over 30.

I do agree it's a tough spot with fred out but a night like tonight for example, you could keep Kyle close to 30. No reason to have play Kyle and lin together a ton against the Cavs

I don't really know what the optimal strategy for load balancing for someone like Lowry. It seems that the more days he takes off his game suffers. He's a rhythm guy so I'd like to see him play than sit. As for the amount he's playing... to me 35 is not that much but I grew up watching ball in the late 80's and 90's. 14th highest in the league seems high. But even Kawhi averages 34.4. GSW is stacked and don't need to prove anything in the regular season, yet KD is averaging 35.4. Steph's at 34.4.

We don't have as many blow out wins as last year so that obviously doesn't help.

Personally I'm fine with how we're playing Kyle. But yeah with Fred coming back soon and the soft schedule we have coming up.. I could see Kyle's minutes just dropping naturally.

[KeonClark]

Kyle is averaging under 35mpg this year. It feels like he's always out there, but he's only played in 6 games above 40 minutes. The longest was close to 50 but that was a 2OT win against Washington.

Even in this stretch without Fred, he's averaged only 36.8 mpg. And that will go down once Fred's back.

I could flip it the other way and say hes had one game all year under 29 minutes played. Hes ranked 14th in the league and 4th among players over 30.

I do agree it's a tough spot with fred out but a night like tonight for example, you could keep Kyle close to 30. No reason to have play Kyle and lin together a ton against the Cavs

[Zak24gege]

We have 2 strategies at once. We're ultra preserving Kawhi cause regular season doesn't matter. And we're running Kyle into the ground cause regular season is everything.

Yeah looks like they have different strokes for different folks? My take is with FVV out, Kyle is our only true PG with the others more combo type guards. Also JLin has very limited knowledge of playbook. Kyle will rest when FVV's back.

[planetmars]

We have 2 strategies at once. We're ultra preserving Kawhi cause regular season doesn't matter. And we're running Kyle into the ground cause regular season is everything.

Kyle is averaging under 35mpg this year. It feels like he's always out there, but he's only played in 6 games above 40 minutes. The longest was close to 50 but that was a 2OT win against Washington.

Even in this stretch without Fred, he's averaged only 36.8 mpg. And that will go down once Fred's back.

[Zak24gege]

Might be nice to give Lowry the night off but I guess we don't play again til thursday and it would be tough without FVV. Should be a good one but they should keep the result of last night's Warriors-Suns game in the back of their minds

I would think with a healthy FVV, Kyle would be sitting for games like this. When Fred returns Kyle will get plenty of opportunities to rest if he so chooses.

[KeonClark]

I agree.. we shouldn't kill ourselves to get 60 wins.. That shouldn't be the team's goal. And it isn't especially since we're giving Kawhi so many games off. But even if we rest guys we may still get 12 wins. We play a lot of crappy teams down the stretch.

We have 2 strategies at once. We're ultra preserving Kawhi cause regular season doesn't matter. And we're running Kyle into the ground cause regular season is everything.

[Zak24gege]

Moses Cleaveland is buried in Canterbury, Connecticut.

Even the founder of Cleveland left Cleveland.

Having seen downtown Detroit in the late 80's while attending a Frozen Four Championship at Joe Louis Arena, I can picture what Cleveland must be like. The economic trends around domestic auto assembly has had devastating effects on these so-called rust belt cities.

[planetmars]

Would be a nice achievement and going 12 - 3 is a realistic scenario, however would certainly not make line-up decisions or playing time with this goal in mind.

I agree.. we shouldn't kill ourselves to get 60 wins.. That shouldn't be the team's goal. And it isn't especially since we're giving Kawhi so many games off. But even if we rest guys we may still get 12 wins. We play a lot of crappy teams down the stretch.

[Jclaw]

Might be nice to give Lowry the night off but I guess we don't play again til thursday and it would be tough without FVV. Should be a good one but they should keep the result of last night's Warriors-Suns game in the back of their minds

[Zak24gege]

Road to 60 wins continues. Need to go 12-3 the rest of the way. Let's go!

Would be a nice achievement and going 12 - 3 is a realistic scenario, however would certainly not make line-up decisions or playing time with this goal in mind.

[KeonClark]

Given that only 4 of our last 15 games are against teams above .500 (Detroit, OKC, OKC, Brooklyn), it's definitely doable.

And we're gonna wanna smack Detroit after Casey getting the upper hand in the first 2. And get up for those Westbrook/George games. Not a trap game in sight in those ones...Brooklyn a likely first round opponent

[007]

Road to 60 wins continues. Need to go 12-3 the rest of the way. Let's go!

Given that only 4 of our last 15 games are against teams above .500 (Detroit, OKC, OKC, Brooklyn), it's definitely doable.

[Zak24gege]

Hopefully we saved a few 3-balls for tonights game...An irritating trend - listening to other play-by-play guys around the NBA, when their team hits on a three, I'm hearing them loudly say BANG!