GAME #41 Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers

[golden]

I don't know, this theory has popped up a couple times but remember NN has had success at all levels, including multiple sub-NBA levels. His system worked in a context with super high roster turnover and instability in the G-League, it worked with guys who are not anywhere near Kawhi or Gasol on the basketball court in overseas pro leagues, it's worked with a lot of teams other than the Raptors championship team. It's how he got the job in the first place.

I think this has been a shit season and there's several valid reasons why the team has been so discombobulated, I don't think coaching is one of those reasons.

[golden]

Yeah Nurse isn't a great developer.. and if that's the direction we're going (FadeForCade or whatever the popular hash tag is these days) we need a new coach. Steve Kerr has shown to be a bad developer of talent too. But he's elite when he has great talent on his roster.

But the big difference between this year and last year is we have no centers. Last year we had a lot of missing pieces in our roster, but we always had one of Serge or Marc out there. That luxury disappeared when Masai went hard after Giannis and failed.

We shoot so many 3's because we don't have a big man that can get easy buckets down low or be a bail out option when the clock is ticking down and we need a shot attempt. We also suck at getting to the line.. for all the same reasons. You need a big guy to help screen our penetrators. Baynes is so slow at setting screens that you can see them a mile out. And if he has to get in there quick he's getting a foul/turnover.

Add rebounding to your laundry list. Sounds like a advertisement for trading for JV.

[planetmars]

Add rebounding to your laundry list. Sounds like a advertisement for trading for JV.

Yeah would love him back.. but Memphis isn't giving him up. But if we get a center now, we won't be getting a top 5 pick. So it's really one or the other.. I'm okay not getting a center now.. why bandaid this shitty situation further? Might as well go for the top 5 pick instead. We're so close and there are only 30 games left with a lot of tough ass teams remaining on the schedule.

[KeonClark]

Yeah wheres this coming from nick can only coach superstars? Didnt he spend like 10 years in great britain coaching semi pro lifers? Pretty sure he can handle matt thomas.

[slaw]

Yeah wheres this coming from nick can only coach superstars? Didnt he spend like 10 years in great britain coaching semi pro lifers? Pretty sure he can handle matt thomas.

One guy on this board....

[slaw]

The sad thing is we are still probably getting into that play-in.. now that Ball is out for the year. Can anyone really trust the Bulls? I kind of expect this team to end up in 9th or 10th with a chance to get into the playoffs. Even without Norm and/or Kyle. And that means the tankathon will have to rest for another year. If we don't get a center we are getting smoked out of the building against a team like the 76ers or Bucks.. Anyone see that two handed Blake Griffin dunk? Lol.. that's a middle finger to Detroit fans right there. What an asshole.

Oh by the way Alex Len, the guy we just gave up on pretty quickly, scored 20 with 9 boards and 2 blocks. Maybe we could have used him?

I don't know about the play-in. The team is in freefall right now and, though I don't want to play amateur psychologist, it feels like some of the guys are going through the motions. You can't get killed on the glass and at the free throw line pretty much every game. There's a cumulative effect to bad rebounding, in particular, that is like bad goaltending in hockey: you play great defense and give up an easy goal/offensive rebound and it has an impact.

As for Len, I gotta think something happened there. He's out for two games on the COVID protocol, then he's immediately cut and ends up in WSH with his old Maryland connections? And we basically heard nothing about it from anyone on the team or the player himself. My guess is that he just didn't want to be with the team and they gave him his wish.

[planetmars]

I don't know about the play-in. The team is in freefall right now and, though I don't want to play amateur psychologist, it feels like some of the guys are going through the motions. You can't get killed on the glass and at the free throw line pretty much every game. There's a cumulative effect to bad rebounding, in particular, that is like bad goaltending in hockey: you play great defense and give up an easy goal/offensive rebound and it has an impact.

It has to be deflating.. but if we get a center, a lot of those problems go away.. and if we start winning again that will create momentum.

I might be simplifying it too much.. but if we get a center at the deadline we make the playoffs. If we don't we're in the lottery and probably picking pretty high in the draft.

Decision is really up to Masai/Bobby. At this point I'm leaning towards no-center and a tank to the bottom.

[G__Deane]

#FadeForCade
#FailinForJalen

#KeepAnEyeOnMasai

[golden]

It has to be deflating.. but if we get a center, a lot of those problems go away.. and if we start winning again that will create momentum.

I might be simplifying it too much.. but if we get a center at the deadline we make the playoffs. If we don't we're in the lottery and probably picking pretty high in the draft.

Decision is really up to Masai/Bobby. At this point I'm leaning towards no-center and a tank to the bottom.

Sure, a center might allow us to sneak into the playoffs as the 7-8th seed. And when we get to the playoffs, it's been pointed out that our championship centers (Ibaka and Gasol) eventually got played off the court. So we could end up with a terrible draft pick and lock-in a 1st round exit roster. That would be a fitting result of this cluster of a season.

[planetmars]

Sure, a center might allow us to sneak into the playoffs as the 7-8th seed. And when we get to the playoffs, it's been pointed out that our championship centers (Ibaka and Gasol) eventually got played off the court. So we could end up with a terrible draft pick and lock-in a 1st round exit roster. That would be a fitting result of this cluster of a season.

Yeah it makes sense to fall back since we're already so far back.. but I'm worried about what will happen next season.

Who's the answer at C next season? If we have to use free agency I'm worried because our front office bungles up free agent acquisitions all the time. And if we move Kyle and Norm for a non-center package we have no more trade assets to use next year.

So in one hand if we can trade for a center (like a Turner/Vucevic, or even Zubac) we can make the play-in and maybe the playoffs. But we'll also have a C next season and can use the off season to shore up our depth and scoring instead.

Drafting a C is not something I want to do because they take forever to contribute.

[Dvdvideo]

I think we need to trade Kyle for the hero Miami package, and Norm for a center....

[golden]

Yeah it makes sense to fall back since we're already so far back.. but I'm worried about what will happen next season.

Who's the answer at C next season? If we have to use free agency I'm worried because our front office bungles up free agent acquisitions all the time. And if we move Kyle and Norm for a non-center package we have no more trade assets to use next year.

So in one hand if we can trade for a center (like a Turner/Vucevic, or even Zubac) we can make the play-in and maybe the playoffs. But we'll also have a C next season and can use the off season to shore up our depth and scoring instead.

Drafting a C is not something I want to do because they take forever to contribute.

Honestly, next season doesn't matter either. The franchise has built up so much goodwill that I don't mind us roaming in the wilderness for a bunch of years, even if that means blowing up the current roster and starting over, completely. There is nothing really exciting about the FVV/Siakam/OG core that screams.... we gotta keep these guys together. Other teams are on the rise and FVV/Siakam are already entering their peak years.

[planetmars]

Honestly, next season doesn't matter either. The franchise has built up so much goodwill that I don't mind us roaming in the wilderness for a bunch of years, even if that means blowing up the current roster and starting over, completely. There is nothing really exciting about the FVV/Siakam/OG core that screams.... we gotta keep these guys together. Other teams are on the rise and FVV/Siakam are already entering their peak years.

It's more about my sanity levels lol. I hate watching bad basketball.. but if it happens, it happens.

[KeonClark]

I think we need to trade Kyle for the hero Miami package, and Norm for a center....

I dont think there is a herro miami package lol, that's just something we decided around here. Unless I missed something

[golden]

I dont think there is a herro miami package lol, that's just something we decided around here. Unless I missed something

lol. Yeah, I put that out there last week and everybody jumped on it. And I'm not even sold on Herro.

That said, apparently Herro or Robinson is the Raptors minimum ask. Also not sold on Robinson.... he seems to have fallen back to earth this year.