Magic @ Raps 2/24

[slaw]

Coach has to stop the experimenting and make some decisions. Norm has to sit and line-up needs to be set.

The organization has not taken the regular season seriously all year. They won’t start now. We will see how it all works out. It might be ingenious. My skepticism has already been noted so I won’t beat a dead horse.

[inthepaint]

The organization has not taken the regular season seriously all year. They won’t start now. We will see how it all works out. It might be ingenious. My skepticism has already been noted so I won’t beat a dead horse.

100%. It's after the all star break now. You can't think that within a couple of weeks you're gonna put all the ingredients together to make something happen. I don't mind the loss per se, but the team needs some consistency of roles and rotations now, stop trying new things all the time, guys are craving rhythm, chemistry and familiarity now. As odd as it sounds The vibe I'm getting from Nurse as a rookie NBA head coach is that he probably would be more at ease if he had some scarcity of talent at his disposal, to make his decisions easier.

He's got lots of good pieces now but it feels like he doesn't know what to do with them. Like a kid in a candy store trying everything out and running out time/money to actually buy something.

[Zak24gege]

100%. It's after the all star break now. You can't think that within a couple of weeks you're gonna put all the ingredients together to make something happen. I don't mind the loss per se, but the team needs some consistency of roles and rotations now, stop trying new things all the time, guys are craving rhythm, chemistry and familiarity now. As odd as it sounds The vibe I'm getting from Nurse as a rookie NBA head coach is that he probably would be more at ease if he had some scarcity of talent at his disposal, to make his decisions easier.

He's got lots of good pieces now but it feels like he doesn't know what to do with them. Like a kid in a candy store trying everything out and running out time/money to actually buy something.

Powell just saw his spot go to Meeks. Too many wide open 3's given up to Magic.

[spicy_d]

T-Rex's load management cost us that game. Wasn't even a b2b, was no reason for him or Kawhi to sit this one out.

ya precisely....plus it aint early in the season

[spicy_d]

I'm with you on that. I'm about as optimistic a sports fan as there is, generally, but I've got a bad feeling about how this all goes down. I kept telling myself throughout the season that - okay, post all-star break they'll get everyone healthy, no more resting Kawhi, they'll have lots of time to practice, get in film sessions, and they'll iron out the kinks before the postseason. Now, between still resting Kawhi, the FVV injury, and needing to integrate new players who don't fit seamlessly with our existing guys, getting this group playing consistently like an elite rotation seems like a seriously uphill battle. I'm also a big fan of Nurse; it's just an incredible task for a first year coach.

same ..not a fan of gasol trade....looks like he's washed up....we'll see, though

[Zak24gege]

The organization has not taken the regular season seriously all year. They won’t start now. We will see how it all works out. It might be ingenious. My skepticism has already been noted so I won’t beat a dead horse.

It goes against winning basketball in the NBA...I am a skeptic too. It isn't going to work in the playoffs. See too many lazy vets only putting effort after the half.

[Bendit]

This Kawhi sit down is getting a bitridiculous ... in the absence of no mention of injury or some other malady. He is the best player on the team and when the best is missing there are issues ... like the lineups keep changing ...and obviously consistency. I have yet to hear anything definitive about this "load management" theory is all about specifically about KL. Is this going to continue right thru the season ... what?

[MixxAOR]

The initial plan was to sit him on back to backs now it's like every couple of games.

[007]

Fun fact courtesy of Reddit: over their last 10 games, the Raptors, Bucks and Pacers are 0-3 against the Magic, and 25-2 against everyone else

[Yuri Gagarin]

Its great that Gasol can pass but the team hasnt been able to hit open shots so now we have a C who can pass more often to guys who will miss instead of a C who can put the ball in the basket. For a team with shooting woes why did we trade for a C that shot 13% less than JV this year?

Also defensive rebounding was an issue when JV wasnt on the floor now it seems like itll be worse. I believe magic had 12 second chance points that led to 18 points thats the game right there.

Lin and Wright are comparable on offense but Wright is better defensively

It feels like this teams depth has gone out the window. The starting rotation is clunky and the bench feels like G league.

Re the Kawhi thing. It feels like its gone from load management to primadona management

[rocwell]

Fun fact courtesy of Reddit: over their last 10 games, the Raptors, Bucks and Pacers are 0-3 against the Magic, and 25-2 against everyone else

[Shaolin Fantastic]

I'm getting a bit concerned that Kawhi is just taking advantage of the Raptors FO and training staff. Maybe he sees us as a way to put up big numbers on a contending team to make sure he still is viewed as a top 5 player, while also resting whenever the fuck he wants to minimize injury risk.

I almost feel like we're the nice guy who buys the pretty girl chocolate and flowers and takes her to expensive dinners, then after a while she just goes and fucks some muscular better looking dude.

[Puffer]

Fun fact courtesy of Reddit: over their last 10 games, the Raptors, Bucks and Pacers are 0-3 against the Magic, and 25-2 against everyone else

Ha ha ha. Great find.

Celtics have lost to the Bulls and the Lakers in the last couple of weeks, so good teams lose to bad teams. I am not sure what Nurse is doing and don't understand Kawhi sitting whole games as opposed to minute restrictions that allow him to still get time with the most likely lineups he will be playing with. Having said that, Nurse has been coaching for what, 30 years, and winning championships. He is surrounded by a crew of acknowledged basketball brainiacs. He has access to advanced stats that make any of our efforts look like a bunch of kids playing with etch-a-sketches. On top of that he's got Lowry, Green, Gasol, Lin, and Kawhi. Five smart, veteran, heads up players who are likely to speak their mind and can be expected to apply basketball intelligence to their situation.

Not to say everything is fine in Raptorland, cause I don't know what the state of the team is. But the players seem upbeat, they all seem to get along at least, if not outright enjoy playing on the team and with each other.

I'm not going to lose my shit unless they blow the game against the Celtics.

[A.I]

Magic @ Raps 2/24

I'm getting a bit concerned that Kawhi is just taking advantage of the Raptors FO and training staff. Maybe he sees us as a way to put up big numbers on a contending team to make sure he still is viewed as a top 5 player, while also resting whenever the fuck he wants to minimize injury risk.

I almost feel like we're the nice guy who buys the pretty girl chocolate and flowers and takes her to expensive dinners, then after a while she just goes and fucks some muscular better looking dude.

When people still think Kawhi makes the decision of when he sits lol.

[A.I]

Magic @ Raps 2/24

As long as he doesn’t sit in the Playoffs, there really is no reason to be concerned.