Did we invest too much in Chemistry and Growth.

[Bendit]

Yes. We DO know for surety that Casey advocates ISO-balling. In the words of the man himself, last week....



Full article here. And nothing taken out of context, either. It ain't no myth.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/01...s-curse-words/

Thanks. I hadn't seen that piece. In fairness though there seemed to be at least one caveat there just above your first bold where he may have been referencing one-on-one/iso play on the part of the 3 players because of defences restricting the ball to one side of the court. What is more telling in my view however is his opinion of the team's skillset in general... here (same article):

Did you ever think that: a) your offence could be so good; and b) it could be so good despite the lowest assist rate in the league?

DC: I think it’s personnel driven. Our guys are not great passers. We’re more one-on-one scorers and … more catch, dribble and shoot than catch and shoot, which doesn’t lend itself to a lot of assists. Everybody is taking a dribble, which takes away the assists. But guys are making shots, which means they’re taking advantage of situations a lot in transition to make plays [from mismatches]. I do know our assist rate is down, but our turnover rate is also down, also. [Note: the Raptors have the second-lowest turnover ratio in the league.]

I am surprised about that. I have seen some pretty good games & plays where the ball moved great and the assist rate in the 20 range +. Other than JV & Ross that statement I cannot go alongwith and is disappointing really if that is what the head coach thinks. Someone should ask Masai that question.

[white men can't jump]

The scary thing is when the reporter asks Casey if he is happy with the way the ball is moving and DC says: "Yeah. It's moving." Casey is happy with that? WTF is he watching? What are Bayno, Nurse and Sterner doing?

I'm pretty sure Casey spends as little time possible working on and worrying about offence.

I remember a press conference really early in the season...A reporter asked him a question about Jonas getting touches. Casey (paraphrasing) answered along the lines of "I'm not worried about touches. He's gotta take care of the defensive end. If he does what he's supposed to do there, the basketball gods...the offence will take care of itself"...Now, I'm clearly paraphrasing (except he did actually break out the "basketball gods" line in reference to offence), but doesn't that sound completely fucking stupid? Ignoring that it's about Jonas, doesn't that just make you have no confidence in his ability to build an offence? He's the fucking coach. He's supposed to figure out how to utilize his players to maximize their talents. Not leave shit up to the "basketball gods".

**Don't think I can really blame the assistants for anything. Not sure any input they give about the O is taken seriously by Casey.

[Reboc]

Is it too late to tank for Wiggins?

[Jangles]

The record has nothing to do with quality of play.

You can win playing bad basketball - see the Raptors. It is just The loses just look even worse.

I wonder if casey adapts? If history is any indication I say no

Bad joke on my part. I agree with you.

[golden]

It is bad basketball.

I'm a huge raptors fan but I find it tough to follow something that frustrates so much.

I might not be an NBA coach but I have been around enough and played enough to know good basketball when I see it. For the majority of this year I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

The scary thing is when the reporter asks Casey if he is happy with the way the ball is moving and DC says: "Yeah. It's moving." Casey is happy with that? WTF is he watching? What are Bayno, Nurse and Sterner doing?

[mcHAPPY]

But, we are 24-11

The record has nothing to do with quality of play.

You can win playing bad basketball - see the Raptors. It is just The loses just look even worse.

I wonder if casey adapts? If history is any indication I say no

[Jangles]

It is bad basketball.

I'm a huge raptors fan but I find it tough to follow something that frustrates so much.

I might not be an NBA coach but I have been around enough and played enough to know good basketball when I see it. For the majority of this year I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

But, we are 24-11

[mcHAPPY]

Yes. We DO know for surety that Casey advocates ISO-balling. In the words of the man himself, last week....



Full article here. And nothing taken out of context, either. It ain't no myth.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/01...s-curse-words/

It is bad basketball.

I'm a huge raptors fan but I find it tough to follow something that frustrates so much.

I might not be an NBA coach but I have been around enough and played enough to know good basketball when I see it. For the majority of this year I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

[golden]

Do we really know that Casey really advocates iso-balling? I am not a Casey fan but this narrative has taken on mythical surety without any substance other than certain players are going off the reservation regarding sharing/passing the ball. James J. hinted this in a tweet last week. What Casey can be found guilty of ...is not reining in the type of play.

Yes. We DO know for surety that Casey advocates ISO-balling. In the words of the man himself, last week....

Despite the low assist rate, are you happy with the way the ball is moving?
DC: Yeah. It’s moving. Every once in a while we’ll get stuck. In situations where defences keep us on one side of the floor, we’ve got to move it to other side. When we first started, you would say, ‘OK, there’s too much one-on-one.’ But it’s what they do. That’s what Lou Williams does. That’s what Kyle [Lowry] does. That’s what DeMar [DeRozan’s] going to do when he comes back. The only guy that’s really a catch and shooter is Terrence [Ross]. James Johnson is a back down, back down scorer. [Jonas Valanciunas is the same way] in the post. Pat [Patterson] can catch and shoot, but now teams are running him off the three-point line, and he has to take a dribble or two. As long as our turnover rate stays down, we can live with fewer assists.

Full article here. And nothing taken out of context, either. It ain't no myth.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/01...s-curse-words/

[raptors999]

Also, Ujiri showed in Denver that he's fully capable of pulling the trigger and shipping out his own big signings (Nene). I'm not worried about any Colangelo/Bargnani dynamic. Masai will trade anybody if it will improve the team.

Nene was a bust signing that they traded because of buyers remorse. He was fat and injured. MU trading isn't the issue but his asset accumulation. He is the opposite of Morey who is a guy that will trade anybody. I like MU but he is a bit of a pack rat GM.

[S.R.]

Also, Ujiri showed in Denver that he's fully capable of pulling the trigger and shipping out his own big signings (Nene). I'm not worried about any Colangelo/Bargnani dynamic. Masai will trade anybody if it will improve the team.

[Bendit]

Do we really know that Casey really advocates iso-balling? I am not a Casey fan but this narrative has taken on mythical surety without any substance other than certain players are going off the reservation regarding sharing/passing the ball. James J. hinted this in a tweet last week. What Casey can be found guilty of ...is not reining in the type of play.

I would raise another (very uncomfortable) reality...Lowry has lost balance in his responsibilities as the point guard of the team. Too much shot taking and not enough facilitating. Apart from losing his shot this then propagates the iso nature in other players who tend to be prone in that direction (Lou and possibly GV who is competing with him for mins.). We miss DD's Fts/fouls drawn.

On the positive (hah)...what we are witnessing is what happens when just 1 good player is lost to the starting rotation for a period of time and the cascading effects of replacement (from the backup unit). No doubt KL seems to feel a need to makeup but needs to dial back. Good thing DD is due back soon ...will test this theory soon enough. I will just say that Ross hasnt grabbed the opportunity and JV has well just been static at best.

[raptors999]

Lots of things to discuss, but overall this team is right about where it should be this season. Most non-Raptors fans had TO pegged as the 4th best team in the East before the season started. They may end up there yet.

A nice hot start is not that unusual. DeMar is still out. Casey has to adjust both for opp. gameplan and for defensive shortcomings. 82 games is a long season, this team is young, the roster still has good flexibility, and Ujiri is still a god among men. I'm not worried big-picture at all.

Shite defense and bad losses sure piss me off, though.

They'll win at least fourth by default because of the Atlantic. New player come in and play smart basketball Casey then converts therm to dumb ones. Happened to Gay is happening to the Kings players.

[S.R.]

Lots of things to discuss, but overall this team is right about where it should be this season. Most non-Raptors fans had TO pegged as the 4th best team in the East before the season started. They may end up there yet.

A nice hot start is not that unusual. DeMar is still out. Casey has to adjust both for opp. gameplan and for defensive shortcomings. 82 games is a long season, this team is young, the roster still has good flexibility, and Ujiri is still a god among men. I'm not worried big-picture at all.

Shite defense and bad losses sure piss me off, though.

[mcHAPPY]

I think ISO ball is slowly killing the team chemistry and de-motivating some guys. Especially when it's the coach advocating this kind of selfish play that makes some players look like all-stars and turns the other guys into role players who just do the dirty work.

All well and good when you're winning, but it makes it real easy to point fingers and have resentment when you're losing. Yes, these guys are supposed to be professionals, but they are people too. With egos and families to take care of. Think about Jonas, for example, playing towards his next contract, watching Lou jack up brick after brick in a contract year.

Many said the style of play wasn't sustainable and easy to counter and that's what we're seeing. Teams have adjusted to what the Raps are doing, now it's Casey's turn to "adapt or perish".

Whoot - there it is