Everything 2017/18 Pre-Season

[consmap]

Scared me there, thought the game would be in the morning

I'm so ready for basketball!

[SkywalkerAC]

Starting to get overly pumped at the prospect of being able to watch this team again even in preseason, can't stop checking on here for updates on training camp. I have a problem.

[Chr1s1anL]

I want to see Bruno get rotation minutes out of the gate. Would be a good sign that Casey sees him as our 10th-man with the shooting and versatility he can provide.

As the games go on, the other guys (KJ et al.) can get their shot to impress.

Casey calls Bruno a knock shooter in this clip. Really sounds like he will get his chance at that 10th man role.

[Hotshot]

Casey calls Bruno a knock shooter in this clip. Really sounds like he will get his chance at that 10th man role.

I consider this year to be Bruno's unofficial rookie year as if he just finished 4 years of college and was picked in the 2nd round behind Bolden.

[Mess]

Do you think Leo paid Michael Grange to ask about his son?

[S.R.]

I want to see a lot of FVV. Apparently the coaches and players were impressed. Lowry claims Fred is ahead of where Lowry was at the same age. I think Fred might have a cooler head on his shoulders than Lowry did at that point in his career. With Lowry to mentor him, Fred could be the surprise of the season.

What's FVV's realistic ceiling? Patty Mills? He's so small.

[KeonClark]

Do you think Leo paid Michael Grange to ask about his son?

No.

Is Leo's son here because he's Leo's son?

Yes

[Mack North]

Even your boy Zach Lowe is losing confidence in the Raps. Here are his "teams to watch" for 2017-2018:

19. TORONTO RAPTORS (27.5)

The Raptors are officially boring. They're good, but they're boring. You can close your eyes and envision every sequence: DeMar DeRozan accelerating into a handoff at the elbow, and kicking the ball up top to Kyle Lowry; the token Jonas Valanciunas post-up, complete with comically overwrought pump-fake; Serge Ibaka slipping to the wing, catching the ball, and settling for a 20-footer; the offense crapping the bed in the playoffs. DeRozan and Lowry have grooved tracks into the Scotiabank Arena (barf) floor. Even Dwane Casey's patented clap-and-scream into the ear of opposing shooters has lost its charm.

Toronto is talking big about reinventing the offense. We'll see.

There is some fresh blood. Norman Powell knows only one speed, and one direction -- to the rim. C.J. Miles is not shy. He'll fly off a screen, catch the ball facing the opposite shot clock, and whirl into a leg-kicky 3. Both will sop up some of the tweener forward minutes left behind by PJ Tucker, Plus-Minus God Patrick Patterson, and Carrolledit: WHO??. Ditto for Pascal Siakam, a beam of kinetic energy who can hang with wing players on defense.

Casey is fitting a tricky frontcourt puzzle, with three true centers and a fourth guy -- Ibaka -- who will close a lot of games there. If one of the baby bigs emerges -- Jakob Poeltl would be the pick here -- Valanciunas may become someone to watch on the trade market.

All the accoutrements are solid.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...ankings-part-1
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...ankings-part-2

[Mess]

Meh that's his League Pass rankings. Nothing about how many games they'll win, just which teams he'd rather watch.

And I'm confident he'll be forced to eat his words at some point by the end of the season.

[KeonClark]

Even your boy Zach Lowe is losing confidence in the Raps. Here are his "teams to watch" for 2017-2018:



http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...ankings-part-1
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...ankings-part-2

He's not wrong. We're basically hoping for a big leap by powell, Anunoby or maybe jv/yak...or else it's "meet the new raps....same as the old raps"

[Rudy Bargnani]

Even your boy Zach Lowe is losing confidence in the Raps. Here are his "teams to watch" for 2017-2018:



http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...ankings-part-1
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...ankings-part-2

Dude...these are his league pass rankings. Not a prediction or forecast of success. His criteria is in like the first paragraph but includes metrics like unintentional comedy, style, and highlight production.

[thead]

We are so clearly going to struggle this year. Our bench, which was our strongest asset, is now a liability

[DanH]

We are so clearly going to struggle this year. Our bench, which was our strongest asset, is now a liability

If we set up the rotation properly, I fully expect our bench to be an area of strength.

[thead]

If we set up the rotation properly, I fully expect our bench to be an area of strength.

What does that look like to you?

I'd like to see what a Lowry, DeRozan, Powell, Kilometers, Ibaka lineup can do

[MixxAOR]

The more line up combinations they try out the better Raptors will be prepared.