Is Jonas now ready for "Prime-time"?

[Wild-ling#1]

So - assuming he's not asked to help with perimeter defense - you're not worried he'll be exposed by other teams' systems and 4's, 5's? (I'm just looking for insights here ... can't wait for the game).

[S.R.]

I like the phrasing in your poll and I picked "Sink or Swim." He still has a lot to learn and will make mistakes, but at this point it makes the most sense to give him the experience and develop him by giving him key minutes and more responsibility. If he progresses and steps up to the plate, then great - you have a core piece moving forward. If he hits a ceiling you scale your expectations back a bit and you still have a guy who can contribute on a Gortat or even Asik level, at the very least.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

There are some who think that JV has been protected by the Raps - a young player who could be exposed/embarrassed in crunch time. Coach Jack Anderson insists that if JV felt he was being held-back (rather than protected) he'd let us know (and not by signing a team-friendly 4-year contract, obviously).

And it seems, too, that there is significant doubt, having watched him in pre-season, that this is his year to become an all-star (which many/most expect ... just a matter of time, for some).

So I could see Biz being a bridge to that much anticipated time, is all. But I'm not insisting ... and I'm curious what others think will/should happen.

It was a waste to play JV in crunch-time last year, but mostly because of the systems.

The guard-centric ISO offense turned him into a garbage-man used to clean-up the boards and set picks.

The scramble style defense turned an old-school rim protector into a cement-footed help defender (remember, Casey even said that all-world defender Chandler would struggle in their defensive system), who would all too often be hung out to dry on rotations (defending 2-on-1 from the foul line in) and out of position for defensive rebounding.

It made more sense that more mobile bigs (ie: Amir, PP, or even JJ) should play. When it comes to a 'systems VS player' discussion, I see JV's lack of impact last season as being a correlation rather than a causation; not everyone agrees.

[Wild-ling#1]

There are some who think that JV has been protected by the Raps - a young player who could be exposed/embarrassed in crunch time. Coach Jack Anderson insists that if JV felt he was being held-back (rather than protected) he'd let us know (and not by signing a team-friendly 4-year contract, obviously).

And it seems, too, that there is significant doubt, having watched him in pre-season, that this is his year to become an all-star (which many/most expect ... just a matter of time, for some).

So I could see Biz being a bridge to that much anticipated time, is all. But I'm not insisting ... and I'm curious what others think will/should happen.

[raptors999]

There are definite differences in accountability on the team with some guys who can do no wrong and others getting yanked ASAP or DNP-CD

[CalgaryRapsFan]

It has as much to do with how he's used as when he's used. You can't expect a player to develop without giving him an opportunity to put the practice to use in live game action (ie: low-post offense, foul-line/baseline jumper, passing out of the post, defending the basket, etc...). It also helps when the systems allow a player to play to his strengths, rather than magnify his weaknesses (ie: asking any rim-protecting big to regularly defend the perimeter).

[Wild-ling#1]

We all know that Dwane Casey was much criticized, last season, for "slowing Jonas' development" by not playing him much during "crunch time" . And yet I sense that quite a few wonder if we should fully expect he'll "hit his stride", and so be ready to take those minutes, regularly, this season.

My view would be that his 4-year contract, and the numbers agreed upon, might suggest that the organization has real confidence in Jonas ... but that the team - and quite possibly Jonas himself - feel he may need another year (even two?) of learning and growth.

So before we blame Casey for ... whatever happens, and as the season begins ... what do you think/expect?