Raptors Collapse Continues....

[psrs1]

Agreed. Listening to him and Frank Isola on siriusxm is painful. I can't stand the guy

Really. Frank Isola is very knowledgeable. He actually knows a lot about Toronto and is generally positive. Stacy King and Malik Rose are homers for Chicago and Philadelphia respectively.

[psrs1]

2015 was suppose to be progression.

That is no longer happening.

Serious regression has been the story of more than the last 2 months.

The regression part is what worries me. I expected about .500 basketball second half. They are playing like in years past when we would go on extended losing streak unable to steal a game here and there to stop the bleeding. Their body language tells me they have lost all confidence and are just going through the motions.

[JimiCliff]

Well, you know I'm supportive of Casey as far as what I feel he is here to do with this current team, but I'm not going to debate that point in this thread (will try not to any ways LOL), but is firing Casey all that you want to see MU, do or feel that he needs to do to improve this team? Do you feel that strongly that the talent is here and only a coaching change is needed to get us to that next level?

I for one think a little pressure needs to be placed on MU, for not making any moves to address the roster issues we have. Also, he doesn't have a track record of bringing in the "big fish". It's great that we have the flexibility and cap space, but we've had that before. Can MU convert that into a star player? That's what I want to see this summer.

No, it's obviously not the only move he needs to make. There are serious limitations to this roster, but I'm of the mind that you should take as much time as you need to address these, so that you get the maximum value for any assets you might move around.

But to me, replacing Casey is such an obvious, necessary move that if it doesn't happen, it shows that Masai may not have a handle on what he's doing.

[Mediumcore]

We've seen what this team is capable of when they play the 'right' way, with consistent effort on both ends. As hard as I've been in the past on guys like DeRozan, and as much as I despise the hero-ball often utilized this season by DeRozan/Lowry/Lou/Vasquez, I think this team is capable of being much better than they've been playing and/or is reflected in their record. To me, that speaks volumes to the inability of the coach to effectively utilize the talent he has (and develop the young talent), rather than the failure of the GM to assemble a talented/competitive roster.

So you do see enough talent on this team to warrant a better record than what they are showing? Or do you mean you feel like they can play even better than they do when they've played their best ball of the season? The reason I ask is because I feel like the talent isn't there, and that the roster has some major holes in it.

[Mediumcore]

If Casey is still the coach when training camp starts next year, I'll be starting the #FireMasai thread.

And I agree: in spite of the putrid ball we've seen lately, I think they're going to play well in the playoffs. I could see losing a hard fought second round series.

Well, you know I'm supportive of Casey as far as what I feel he is here to do with this current team, but I'm not going to debate that point in this thread (will try not to any ways LOL), but is firing Casey all that you want to see MU, do or feel that he needs to do to improve this team? Do you feel that strongly that the talent is here and only a coaching change is needed to get us to that next level?

I for one think a little pressure needs to be placed on MU, for not making any moves to address the roster issues we have. Also, he doesn't have a track record of bringing in the "big fish". It's great that we have the flexibility and cap space, but we've had that before. Can MU convert that into a star player? That's what I want to see this summer.

[Axel]

SI.com did a piece on teams surging and swooning heading towards the playoffs. Of course the Raps are in it.

http://www.si.com/nba/2015/03/10/cav...rockets-trends

If the post-Jan. 1 performance continued through the balance of the season, Atlanta and Cleveland would be expected to enter the playoffs as the clear-cut top two teams in the East. The gains made by those two teams since Jan. 1 have coincided with the rest of the East’s second-tier teams taking major steps back from a net rating standpoint.

Although this regression isn’t particularly shocking given that Washington, Chicago and Toronto all started strong, injury factors deepen the concern. The Wizards’ offense has cooled due in part to Bradley Beal’s absence, while the Bulls have taken a step backwards on both sides of the ball as injuries to Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and others have mounted, placing greater strain on the other members of the rotation.

The NBA's biggest "fall off a cliff" team is the Raptors, though, and it’s not close. Toronto’s -9 net rating change since Jan. 1 is the worst in the league by a wide margin.

Biggest Net Rating Declines: Pre-Jan. 1 to Post-Jan. 1

Raptors: -9
Mavericks: -6.1
Blazers: -5.3
Kings: -4.8
Wizards: -4
Bulls: -4
Nets: -4

Toronto suddenly has problems everywhere it looks. Propped up by an exceptional offense earlier in the season, the Raptors have fallen on harder times since their attack has come back to Earth. Toronto’s offensive rating has crashed from 111.7 before Jan. 1 to 103.7 after Jan. 1, and that -8 point dip is the second-greatest fall in the NBA.

As it turns out, Kyle “Hashtag NBA Ballot” Lowry wasn’t quite equipped to single-handedly drive the NBA’s top attack. Even though he’s had a rough go since the All-Star break, requiring some rest time, Lowry is hardly to blame. DeMar DeRozan has been consistently dreadful (40 percent shooting, 22 percent three-point shooting) since returning from a groin injury, coach Dwane Casey has juggled his lineups in search of consistency on the wings and Toronto’s lack of top-shelf talent has finally come back to bite it.

Sustaining its franchise-record pace from early on was clearly asking too much, but Toronto fans that started penciling in a deep playoff run during those boom times would do well to cool their jets. As it stands, “above-average offense plus below-average defense” looks like a losing formula against both Atlanta and Cleveland, making it difficult to envision Toronto making it further than the second round. Perhaps a division title and a first-round win is enough for a franchise that’s advanced just once in its history, but so much more seemed possible in December. And, unless Lowry gets fully back on track, the Raptors could easily find themselves going one-and-done like last year.

[Uncle_Si]

Hopefully TRoss has a decent play off showing this year. It'll up his value so we can trade his ass.

[Uncle_Si]

I don't like his style at all. He's not creative and his voice is annoying as hell, call me a hater if you want but he sucks lol

Agreed. Listening to him and Frank Isola on siriusxm is painful. I can't stand the guy

[mcHAPPY]

We've seen what this team is capable of when they play the 'right' way, with consistent effort on both ends. As hard as I've been in the past on guys like DeRozan, and as much as I despise the hero-ball often utilized this season by DeRozan/Lowry/Lou/Vasquez, I think this team is capable of being much better than they've been playing and/or is reflected in their record. To me, that speaks volumes to the inability of the coach to effectively utilize the talent he has (and develop the young talent), rather than the failure of the GM to assemble a talented/competitive roster.

I can't stand Jason Kidd. However there is no denying his abilities as a coach.

Look at what he has done with Milwaukee in one season after taking over essentially the same roster as last season and losing the #2 pick to season ending injury early.

Talent is so important but utilizing that talent effectively is just as important. Many say Casey is just working with what he has - which isn't much. I don't buy that. There is talent on the roster their damn role cards are just getting in the way of letting it play out to its full potential.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

We've seen what this team is capable of when they play the 'right' way, with consistent effort on both ends. As hard as I've been in the past on guys like DeRozan, and as much as I despise the hero-ball often utilized this season by DeRozan/Lowry/Lou/Vasquez, I think this team is capable of being much better than they've been playing and/or is reflected in their record. To me, that speaks volumes to the inability of the coach to effectively utilize the talent he has (and develop the young talent), rather than the failure of the GM to assemble a talented/competitive roster.

Having said that, I still hope for and expect big changes to be made to the roster this offseason, increasing the overall talent level of the team and potentially moving into the next tier of contending. Of course, I also think a new coach is essential to seeing the realization of the team taking that next step.

[mcHAPPY]

Don't those 2 sentences contradict each other? Fuck what people think, if Masai thinks Casey is not his guy, he should can him, regardless of the public outrage because of "our best season ever".

The original post I replied to asked why hasn't the blame shifted on to Masai.

My reply is from the perspective of last summer and at this year's trade deadline.

You don't think people would have been outraged if he dismantled the team last summer or if he traded away core pieces now after the best start to a season ever? (remember the 2-10 stretch had not happened yet)

He had no choice but to see this through.

If Casey is here after this season, I'll be seriously questioning Ujiri.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

Haven't gone through this thread, but curious if the spotlight has turned on to Masaii, as yet? I think we've blamed the players, the coach, but haven't heard anything about the GM. I think he will have to make some big changes this summer, and in retrospect, was not making any moves before the trade deadline what has seemingly sealed our season to a likely first round exit?

By the way I still think we can get to the second round, if we don't face Clevland or Chicago, but the consensus on the site is that we will be one and done.

We've seen what this team is capable of when they play the 'right' way, with consistent effort on both ends. As hard as I've been in the past on guys like DeRozan, and as much as I despise the hero-ball often utilized this season by DeRozan/Lowry/Lou/Vasquez, I think this team is capable of being much better than they've been playing and/or is reflected in their record. To me, that speaks volumes to the inability of the coach to effectively utilize the talent he has (and develop the young talent), rather than the failure of the GM to assemble a talented/competitive roster.

[JimiCliff]

Haven't gone through this thread, but curious if the spotlight has turned on to Masaii, as yet? I think we've blamed the players, the coach, but haven't heard anything about the GM. I think he will have to make some big changes this summer, and in retrospect, was not making any moves before the trade deadline what has seemingly sealed our season to a likely first round exit?

By the way I still think we can get to the second round, if we don't face Clevland or Chicago, but the consensus on the site is that we will be one and done.

If Casey is still the coach when training camp starts next year, I'll be starting the #FireMasai thread.

And I agree: in spite of the putrid ball we've seen lately, I think they're going to play well in the playoffs. I could see losing a hard fought second round series.

[Jangles]

But as of right now and through the playoffs, he had to see what this team would do to be able to have the political capital to make dramatic changes if necessary. It is painfully obvious to just about all - after only being obvious to a few random posters and bloggers initially - that changes are needed with this team.

Don't those 2 sentences contradict each other? Fuck what people think, if Masai thinks Casey is not his guy, he should can him, regardless of the public outrage because of "our best season ever".

[guyroch]

At this point last year the Raptors were beating teams like Warriors and Grizzlies and presently losing to Knicks ... It seems Cassey's defense shows up every second year ... The sad / crazy thing is they are healthy ...