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  • golden wrote: View Post
    Raps have had one of the deepest rosters in the NBA for years. The fact that our depth can carry us in the playoffs when DD and Lowry flounder is a credit to Masai.
    Ok, I don't see your point here. As long as they win I don't care who carries who. Just win baby! Which is what exactly this core (Casey/Lowry/DD/Masai) has done over thsse 4 years.

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    @Chr1st1anL

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    • Chr1s1anL wrote: View Post
      Ok, I don't see your point here. As long as they win I don't care who carries who. Just win baby! Which is what exactly this core (Casey/Lowry/DD/Masai) has done over thsse 4 years.

      Sent from my LG-H831 using Tapatalk
      The point is, like LJ2 said, is that the Raps might actually have another playoff gear if Lowry and DD can at least maintain their regular season performance into the playoffs, while optimizing the supporting cast.

      This is also what Masai and Casey are now saying publicly and finally admitting that the style of play might not be preparing them for the playoffs (i.e. lack of passing/trust and better utilization of the entire roster). Basically what posters on RR have been saying for the last 3-4 years, but kudos to Masai and Casey for owning it. Raps still might not beat LBJ, but at least you can go down feeling you've done your best. I'm sure Lowry and DD don't feel great about their playoff performances.

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      • golden wrote: View Post
        The point is, like LJ2 said, is that the Raps might actually have another playoff gear if Lowry and DD can at least maintain their regular season performance into the playoffs, while optimizing the supporting cast.

        This is also what Masai and Casey are now saying publicly and finally admitting that the style of play might not be preparing them for the playoffs (i.e. lack of passing/trust and better utilization of the entire roster). Basically what posters on RR have been saying for the last 3-4 years, but kudos to Masai and Casey for owning it. Raps still might not beat LBJ, but at least you can go down feeling you've done your best. I'm sure Lowry and DD don't feel great about their playoff performances.
        Ofcourse they dont feel great about it they didn't win the championship. A change of style isn't going to change much at all against Cleveland. Everybody loves Brad Stevens and his style of play but, they still got embarrassed by Cavs. In historic fashion by the way. The best Raptors can wish for with this group is 6 games against the cavs even with the change if style. Which they havr already done with thier current style of play.

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        @Chr1st1anL

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        • Raps won't be beating the Cavs without adding another player that's as good as/better than DeMar/Kyle and becoming a top 5 defense.

          I think if we got like Marc Gasol and everything broke right we'd have a slight chance.

          We'd have to go the Orlando 2009 route. Let LeBron kill you for 40-10-10 a night but win every other matchup on the floor.
          Last edited by Shaolin Fantastic; Wed Sep 20, 2017, 09:32 AM.

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          • Shaolin Fantastic wrote: View Post
            Raps won't be beating the Cavs without adding another player that's as good as/better than DeMar/Kyle and becoming a top 5 defense.

            I think if we got like Marc Gasol and everything broke right we'd have a slight chance.

            We'd have to go the Orlando 2009 route. Let LeBron kill you for 40-10-10 a night but win every other matchup on the floor.
            I agree the only thing that will give us a chance against Cleveland is more talent. Style of play change wont make that much of a difference if any.

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            Last edited by Chr1s1anL; Wed Sep 20, 2017, 10:12 AM.
            @Chr1st1anL

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            • Masai and Casey aren't built that way. Those guys are all about winning. If they feel that Powell gives them the better chance of winning by starting,. They will start him. They won't sacrifice wins just to get Norman on a cheap deal. If Norm breakout I don't see Masai having any issue with coming up with that cash.

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              @Chr1st1anL

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              • With all this focus on the Cavs, remember: this team almost yakked up playoff series the last three times they've played lower seeds. None of those series should have been nearly as close as they were. This is where style of play could have made a difference.
                "Stop eating your sushi."
                "I do actually have a pair of Uggs."
                "I've had three cups of green tea tonight. I'm wired. I'm absolutely wired."
                - Jack Armstrong

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                • Chr1s1anL wrote: View Post
                  It's not true. As long as the team wins I'm happy. Do you see me complaining?Raptors have the 3rd most playoffs wins after G-State/CAVS. That's pretty good accomplishment when you compare all three rosters.

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                  Chr1s1anL wrote: View Post
                  Ok, I don't see your point here. As long as they win I don't care who carries who. Just win baby! Which is what exactly this core (Casey/Lowry/DD/Masai) has done over thsse 4 years.

                  Sent from my LG-H831 using Tapatalk
                  Over the past four years we are tied for 9th/10th in playoff wins. You can skew it to 3rd/4th by using the last two years, but then you ignore the underlying problems with the core that have emerged over four years.

                  It's funny, you only see good things and GLF only sees bad things. The truth is probably somewhere in between.

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                  • Back to JV, I thought he looked pretty darn good for Lithuania from what I saw.

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                    • SkywalkerAC wrote: View Post
                      Back to JV, I thought he looked pretty darn good for Lithuania from what I saw.
                      Agreed
                      I relish negativity and disappointment. It is not healthy. Somebody buy me a pony.

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                      • Chr1s1anL wrote: View Post
                        Illusion? He has proven that when given the right player he can produce an elite D like we saw to close out the season. It's not easy to build good defense when you subpar perimeter defender(deebo) and big(JV). Deebo/JV are defensive coach worse nightmare. The fact that they both start adds to the issue. Personnel has a lot to do with it. Look at Thibs in Minesota. They still couldn't stop anyone this year. Now look how much better they are with Butler/Gibson in the lockeroom this upcoming year.

                        Inregards to JV, the players just don't think he is that good. If JV was this offensive juggernaut that you guys believe than they would feed him. Do you think any of our players would look off DMC? Not, a chance. They believe in his talent. They don't think JV sucks. Just don't think he is this special offensive player that needs to be unleashed.

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                        WHOA! What is this? Christian criticizing demar and that too unsolicited?!!!! Well, I'll be damned. This is bizzaro world. Maybe Kyrie was right after all and the earth is flat.
                        "Stay steamy"

                        - Kobe

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                        • JimiCliff wrote: View Post
                          With all this focus on the Cavs, remember: this team almost yakked up playoff series the last three times they've played lower seeds. None of those series should have been nearly as close as they were. This is where style of play could have made a difference.
                          Yeah, those teams were also top 5 in defense. They had been known to make offences struggle. If you think we wouldn't of struggle to score just by changing the system than you obviously are not giving those teams enough credit. How did Steven's offence system do this post season?
                          @Chr1st1anL

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                          • Chr1s1anL wrote: View Post
                            Yeah, those teams were also top 5 in defense. They had been known to make offences struggle. If you think we wouldn't of struggle to score just by changing the system than you obviously are not giving those teams enough credit. How did Steven's offence system do this post season?
                            No they weren't man. Only the Pacers were an elite defensive team of those 3 lower seeds we've played the last 2 years.

                            2015-16 Indiana: 3rd
                            2015-16 Miami: 9th
                            2016-17 Milwaukee: 19th

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                            • Nice write up on how JV fits on the team. Took some parts that were interesting to me. I do think JV should start to get his value back up. Hopefully he start the year like last year. Glad to hear that front office is high on Siakam like I am. I Siakam will be one of the forwards in the closing lineups.

                              http://www.tsn.ca/raptors-camp-quest...s-fit-1.861612

                              There’s a legitimate argument to be made for bringing JV off the bench. It helped revive the once floundering career of Greg Monroe in Milwaukee and it’s also something that has worked well for Oklahoma City’s Enes Kanter – a couple of comparable, offensive-minded bigs. The idea is, those guys can – and usually do – feast on second-unit players and, in Toronto’s case, JV would almost certainly be more of a focal point in the offence without DeMar DeRozan on the floor.

                              That it would allow Serge Ibaka to shift over to centre – his preferred position – full-time is an added benefit. Even though he doesn’t block as many shots as he did when he was a defensive player of the year candidate with the Thunder, Ibaka’s strength is still protecting the rim. Playing alongside Valanciunas often forces him out to the perimeter to guard stretch fours, essentially negating that strength.

                              The problem, and it’s a big one, is that Toronto’s current roster simply doesn’t allow for this lineup change. Outside of Ibaka, the Raptors don’t have anyone that is able or ready to start at power forward. With bigger wings DeMarre Carroll and P.J. Tucker gone, Norman Powell and C.J. Miles don’t have the size or strength to shift over to the four. OG Anunoby is a rookie and won’t even be ready to start the season as he recovers from January knee surgery. Bruno Caboclo hasn’t played a meaningful NBA minute in three seasons. Jakob Poeltl is more of a centre and doesn’t shoot the ball well enough yet. While Lucas Nogueira is interesting and was used at power forward a bit last year, he has to earn Dwane Casey’s trust back and stay healthy to even crack the rotation out of camp, let alone fight his way into the starting line-up. That leaves sophomore Pascal Siakam as the only viable candidate.
                              Siakam started 38 games as a rookie and impressed early on, particularly with his speed and motor. However, the league caught onto him pretty quickly. As a result of his limited range, opposing defences would often play off him, throwing another man at DeRozan or Kyle Lowry.

                              By all accounts, Siakam has had an excellent summer. The Raptors have been talking him up as a defender, calling him one of the team’s best and they believe he will be a full-time starter one day. Although he’s committed to improving his three-point shot – he hit four of 11 attempts in Summer League – it’s still a work in progress. That will be something to keep an eye on in camp and throughout the preseason. Until he turns himself into a passable shooter – and the team is confident it’s a matter of when, not if – starting him is probably off the table, though he and Poeltl are expected to be rotation players this year.
                              Although starting Valanciunas and Ibaka is not ideal – the pair was outscored by 1.8 points per 100 possessions in 440 minutes together last season – it’s not a death sentence either, especially if Casey gets creative with JV’s usage. Pulling him earlier in the first quarter and having him open the second with Lowry and the reserves would accomplish a lot of the things that make bringing him off the bench advantageous.
                              @Chr1st1anL

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                              • Shaolin Fantastic wrote: View Post
                                No they weren't man. Only the Pacers were an elite defensive team of those 3 lower seeds we've played the last 2 years.

                                2015-16 Indiana: 3rd
                                2015-16 Miami: 9th
                                2016-17 Milwaukee: 19th
                                That's not fair to Milwauke they were one of the best defenses to close out the season just like the raptors. Also didn't Miami team just finish beating higher seed in Charlotte or was Miami the higher seed between the two? Anyway, I don't get it are we suppose to beat every team 4-0 but, Cleveland? It's the Eastern conference semis it's not suppose to be easy.
                                Last edited by Chr1s1anL; Thu Sep 21, 2017, 01:39 AM.
                                @Chr1st1anL

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