The 2021 Season from Hell - Do The Raps Embrace the One Year Tank or is there a Lazurus Like Change and They Make the Playoffs - Vote Now !!

[chris]

It's kind of hard to tell whether that sort of lineup is Nurse being in on the heist or Nurse just being Nurse.

think that's just nurse seeking five player lineups that play defense

[chris]

Nurse is all smiles underneath, he's got a Championship, a COY and a new contract....imagine this was his contract year, he'd be pizzed

maybe all smiles after the GS win but he's looked pretty pizzed to me much of this season, with some pretty bad body language. i noticed he walked straight off the floor against portland while every other member of the organization sought norm out for offer well wishes, while portland did the same with trent.

[TheWaterboy]

Says the guy who plays Stanley Johnson, Baynes and Bembry together, with a dash of Yuta & McCaw. Nurse could be in on the heist.

It's kind of hard to tell whether that sort of lineup is Nurse being in on the heist or Nurse just being Nurse.

The biggest threat to the soft tank which the front office is leaning into isn't Nurse, by the way. It's that two hour talk about basketball on the plane between OG and GT Jr that was reported shortly after the trade. Having those two players on the same page, especially defensively, is going to raise the performance level of the rest of the team enough that having any one of our bigger names out (Kyle, Pascal, Fred) isn't going to be enough tank effectively against all but the league's heavy hitters, and even having two of them out is probably not going to consistently be enough against tank brigade teams or borderline playoff teams with injuries.

[G__Deane]

Says the guy who plays Stanley Johnson, Baynes and Bembry together, with a dash of Yuta & McCaw. Nurse could be in on the heist.

Nurse is all smiles underneath, he's got a Championship, a COY and a new contract....imagine this was his contract year, he'd be pizzed

[golden]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article...ptors-tanking/

TORONTO – Nick Nurse doesn’t want to hear anything to do with the “T” word.

Despite the fact his team sports just a 19-30 record with the seventh-best shot at the No. 1 overall pick in what looks like a loaded draft near the top this year, the Toronto Raptors head coach isn’t a great fan of the concept of tanking.

“Yeah, I don't like it,” Nurse said after his team practiced late Sunday afternoon. “I don't like talking about it, I don't like thinking about it and I don't like that it goes on.”

Says the guy who plays Stanley Johnson, Baynes and Bembry together, with a dash of Yuta & McCaw. Nurse could be in on the heist.

[MixxAOR]

Players and coaches say that shit but then they all smiling when they are on lottery

[A.I]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article...ptors-tanking/

TORONTO – Nick Nurse doesn’t want to hear anything to do with the “T” word.

Despite the fact his team sports just a 19-30 record with the seventh-best shot at the No. 1 overall pick in what looks like a loaded draft near the top this year, the Toronto Raptors head coach isn’t a great fan of the concept of tanking.

“Yeah, I don't like it,” Nurse said after his team practiced late Sunday afternoon. “I don't like talking about it, I don't like thinking about it and I don't like that it goes on.”

In general, front offices are the ones tanking, not coaches or the players, but either way no one is going to admit to tanking or like tanking. The Raptors situation is different than just tanking, a lot of factors go into why its been a shit season.

[G__Deane]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article...ptors-tanking/

TORONTO – Nick Nurse doesn’t want to hear anything to do with the “T” word.

Despite the fact his team sports just a 19-30 record with the seventh-best shot at the No. 1 overall pick in what looks like a loaded draft near the top this year, the Toronto Raptors head coach isn’t a great fan of the concept of tanking.

“Yeah, I don't like it,” Nurse said after his team practiced late Sunday afternoon. “I don't like talking about it, I don't like thinking about it and I don't like that it goes on.”

[Yuri Gagarin]

A little disappointed we didnt get a C after losing norm, td and thomas. We were beating good teams without one a couple months ago. The sky would have been the limit with a good C

so ya go for the tank now. Fred/Trent/OG/Siakam and a new C will be good back home. Just not sure how good with the depleted bench. We have utility guys 6-10 ie stanley, bembry, watson, watanabe that wont cut it. Need a cpl bench guys that can score a dozen along with Bouch. Hood looks good hopefully he can help

[Mitchell Duong]

Team had issues (no good centers) but was playing well and had beat Milwaukee back to back, Philly and then covid hit. Covid and playing in Florida is best reason to wrap this season up. Rotate resting guys and keep giving reps to OG as he assumes a bigger load, Flynn etc.

[inthepaint]

It's probably a bit of a placebo at this point as well. They're in their heads right now. Hopefully, they can get to the end of this season without any significant damage to their confidence. These guys are tough though, and they'll want to prove this year was just a blip for them, so I'm fairly confident next year they'll be really good if they're back in Toronto.

Agreed. All that OG/Fred/Siakam need are 3 things:

1. Play back home in front of fans again

2. A young, all-star level player to play with them and Trent (which we'll hopefully get on this draft). They're not stars and won't take a crap roster to the playoffs/contention (not even Lebron could), but they're all above average 2-way nba starters under 30, with tons of playoff experience and a championship together 2 years ago. That's not gonna just vanish.

3. The understanding (even if implicit) that this season is done for, due to a multitude of reasons that go way beyond their individual play, and therefore the focus should be honing their individual/collective skills rather than winning games. Hard for a pro athlete to accept this, but if they have this understanding, their head will be in peace and hungry for next season.

[Maury]

It's probably a bit of a placebo at this point as well. They're in their heads right now. Hopefully, they can get to the end of this season without any significant damage to their confidence. These guys are tough though, and they'll want to prove this year was just a blip for them, so I'm fairly confident next year they'll be really good if they're back in Toronto.

[S.R.]

[G__Deane]

Yep. They are a really good team that currently has no ability to overcome the obstacles that have been placed in front of them. FVV and Pascal and OG operating at less than 100% capacity just scuttles the team given how top heavy the construction is. Throw in Lowry missing time and they are running out of time to push for a good playoff berth in a way they weren't a week or two ago.

By the time they are clicking again (assuming the core guys can even get there in a week or two), the best they'll be able to do is sneak into the play in and who knows how much it takes out of them to get there. With no help at the C spot it's likely just a rough first round unless everyone is fully healthy at that point (not likely).

Honestly they've had such a rough month that they are better off just capitalizing on that. Rest Lowry, give each of the core guys rotating games off to reduce the physical (and mental) load of the rest of the season. Just grab the pick and come back pissed next year.

LOL you are nothing if not the consummate company man

[JawsGT]

One year tank for sure. But adding a guy like drummond and a bench piece or two isnt gonna elevate the team enough. Pascal has to absolutely be better. And I'm not so sure its possible anymore. Plan A has to be Beal and hopefully, a center like Turner. A siakam package for beal to start and see if a SnT for lowry can get Turner somehow (3 team perhaps, Indy might like some of phillys youngsters if they decide to rebuild). And if not lowry, then FVV and retain Lowry. If none of that is possible, then a multi year tank is a real possibility unless pascal, og or GTjr can tear it up.

But lowry, beal, GTjr, OG and Turner is my dream right now. A lot hinges on pascal, and although I'd love to see him play if things get back to normal soon (they arent), I'd move him promptly if the wiz were interested. Not sure if we have the assets to make both moves but I'd like to try.