Was last season a disaster?

[distorsun]

It's always preferable to be stupid quietly.

I didnt read that big long post, but I am certain that it was a rehash of excuses for last seasons performance that has been stated many time by fans who are fans of the players as opposed to the team.

Blame Ross, Poor Defense, blah bblah.

Last season was exactly as it was predicted.

A team that may find a little regular season success only to be pounded in the playoffs.

[stretch]

Lou was great offensively. With Lou, DD, and Lowry the roster had too many iso guys and not enough defense. I can't speak for Casey, but I think the roster, as it stands now, is more to his liking.

[psrs1]

I would have been okay with Lou returning if we fired Casey but since he's still around.....

I'm okay with letting Lou walk.

Yeah Lou was too predictable at times. He was really good at drawing fouls though and could hit most of his FTs.

[Just Is]

I would have been okay with Lou returning if we fired Casey but since he's still around.....

I'm okay with letting Lou walk.

This was my position as well.

[MACK11]

True but time will tell with lakers. I kinda wish we re-signed him though I understand the rationale not giving a guy who doesn't play defence 7M.

I would have been okay with Lou returning if we fired Casey but since he's still around.....

I'm okay with letting Lou walk.

[psrs1]

Lou had his best season because he was given the greenest of green lights I've ever seen in my life.

True but time will tell with lakers. I kinda wish we re-signed him though I understand the rationale not giving a guy who doesn't play defence 7M.

[2KJ]

Yes it was. Yes, Raptors started out very strong hence, the record 49 wins. But you can't deny that it was the benefit of having Cleveland struggle early and iso-ball/caseyball being successful since no one expected this from the Raps (no one expected Lou to be a super sub). Demar got injured so Kyle had to carry most of the load, leading to his #NBABallot numbers and voted in as a starter. But come midseason and his numbers dipped, the rest of the league figured us out and it went downhill from there

Not to mention how the team regressed a lot in rebounding and defense. Of the 82 games, how many were winnable but the team ended up losing due to last second defensive lapses, someone failing to box out, or taking a 3 pointer from halfcourt with at least 10 seconds on the game clock for the last play? The team also lost the ball movement that they had last season.

Yes, the team won a franchise record 49 wins (just 1 win more than last season, considering we were a sub 500 team before the Gay trade). Yes they won the division. But I wouldn't say that this season's team was better than last season's. On paper or 2K, talentwise perhaps. So yes, it was a disaster, considering how weak the East actually is.

[MACK11]

The bench has been strong, but you could make a case that those same bench players weren't producing at the same levels they were when in previous destinations. You have some players like Lowry and Lou that have been around the league for a while, but are just now enjoying their best seasons under Casey. Patterson too I think, but not sure abou Vasquez.

Lou had his best season because he was given the greenest of green lights I've ever seen in my life.

[MACK11]

I think this gets overlooked quite a bit. For a fan base that has basically been putting up with complete garbage the last 10 years, we sure are quick to insult a coach who was a part of two of the best seasons in franchise history. Again, while I don't think Casey is perfect, the guys in the locker room seem to like him. I would much rather have Dwayne + team chemistry = 50 win seasons, than George Karl + whatever the hell is happening in Sac town.

Teams like Boston who weren't even trying to win made the playoffs. Winning 49 and 48 games means jack shit when you get stomped in the playoffs

[MACK11]

He's also got a good reputation for being a players coach and at the end of the day I think you look at his record and say this guy coached back to back near 50 win seasons and someone will give him another shot I think (if he gets fired).

Agree he's not a great x's and o's coach, but I'm looking forward to seeing how he coaches this years roster since we seemingly have gotten better on the defensive end of the floor. I say seemingly because losing Amir in free agency puts a lot of pressure on Jonas to anchor the defense. I'm not sure he's ready to shoulder that responsibility yet.

Jonas will anchor the bench quite well

[draps]

Moving forward, I like the way the Raptors drafted in June, and the personnel moves towards a more defensive minded roster which is what Casey has wanted all along (the Scola signing is a bit of a head scratcher to me). I'm optimistic going into camp.

Scola can provide scoring off the bench/ post presence to offset some of what Lou did, while not being a cancer to the team. I think he will really help slow the game down for some of the young guys

[stretch]

Moving forward, I like the way the Raptors drafted in June, and the personnel moves towards a more defensive minded roster which is what Casey has wanted all along (the Scola signing is a bit of a head scratcher to me). I'm optimistic going into camp.

[LJ2]

What also gets overlooked in the W-L record is the depth of talent that Masai assembles. We may not have the so-called elite franchise superstar, but our bench was simply destroying other benches at times last season.

And let's not forget playing in the Eastern conference and especially Atlantic division at a historically low point. Not taking away from the winning seasons, but Casey's led a pretty charmed life under Masai.

The bench has been strong, but you could make a case that those same bench players weren't producing at the same levels they were when in previous destinations. You have some players like Lowry and Lou that have been around the league for a while, but are just now enjoying their best seasons under Casey. Patterson too I think, but not sure abou Vasquez.

[octothorp]

To the extent that it was a distaster (and I wouldn't use that strong a word), it was because it was a largely wasted season at a time when we can't really afford it. Our young players failed to develop significantly. We failed to implement any offensive or defensive system that coaches could then expand and improve upon in coming seasons. We failed to increase the value and take advantage of our trade assets. We failed to improve our standing as a free agent destination in terms of potential contender. A team can recover from that sort of season. But string two or three seasons like that in a row, and any potential championship window is locked shut and boarded up before it's even opened. Another season like last season, and yeah, you could labelled them as a collective unmitigated disaster. I like the offseason moves, other than retaining Casey (#Obradovictory!) and I wouldn't predict another wasted season, but then I'm an optimist.

[raptors999]

Fans should just accept crap.