Toronto Raptors surprised many with some news on Tuesday. The Raptors went out and signed Austin Daye who was a part of the trade that landed Rudy Gay to the Raptors. Daye was selected 15th overall by the Pistons and never really developed into what they had hoped in Detroit.
He listed as a forward, but primarily has played as an oversized and skinny 6 foot 11, 200 lbs soaking wet. In the Garfield cartoon the orange cat said that he was not fat he was just "under tall". Daye is the exact opposite he is not skinny he is just "over tall" I guess.
His stats, which you can check for yourself will not wow you in the slightest. What might stick out is his wildly inconsistent three point shooting. He is coming off his best season shooting it from long range (41.8%) split between Detroit and Memphis. He really struggled though with the Grizzlies shooting just (34.5%) after averaging a scorching hot (52.5%) with the Pistons. Adding to the puzzle the year prior he was a career worst (21%)
What is the appeal of Daye likely his size and length and the hope he can apply that on the defensive end of the floor. It is a theory anyway considering the Raptors are thinking about D first and offense second. Daye also could be a body that would allow the Raptors to consider playing some small ball with Gay playing at the four and Daye at the three.
What might be the bigger message in this signing is the lack of faith in Terrence Ross to play at the three. Ross very likely could start the season on the outside of the rotation looking in. This should be taken as a serious message to the Raptors second year player who's season and career highlight to this point is winning a slam dunk contest. He is rapidly heading towards having a career path like a former Raptor Fred Jones. I have heard the name Gerald Green kicked around too.
In any case this is a very cheap and reasonable deal at just 2 million dollars for 2 seasons. Josh Lewenberg of TSN 1050, and use to be on podcasts on this very website is reporting he has learned the 2nd year of this deal is not guaranteed. Which is almost like the one year deal the D.J Augustin is on which provides a lot of motivation to produce. That was something that was questioned about Daye in Detroit as well.
In the end it is a lot of talk about a move that is pretty minor in nature. If Daye continues to be an under achiever with just a body type that excites people the Raptors are not really any worse for it. Another low drama and low risk move for Masai Ujiri.
About the only drama this creates is the fact that this news broke around the time we eat around my household. This has happened far to often and I am reminded of that often.
7/30/13
Dwane Casey's Plan For Jonas: FEED HIM MORE
The Raptors have taken notice of what Jonas Valanciunas has been doing so far this off-season. In fact Dwane Casey sees Jonas having a bigger piece of the pie on offensive end of the floor this upcoming season.
“He has developed into the type of player that we can go to on a consistent basis far more than we did last year” Casey stated. This for anyone that paid attention his MVP performance in Las Vegas would likely agree with. More to the point Casey sees some development in the basketball IQ of his big center.
“He has done a good job not only scoring out of the low post, but did a good job of reading defences, understanding when to pass, when to score and when to attack.” Casey continued by saying, “ So, I would say he is going to get a big portion of his offense run through him, around him and not only out of the low post but to quarterback.”
Big plans it would seem for sure but one thing that should be stated is there were quite a few turnovers as part of that development in Las Vegas. Still it became fairly obvious who the best player on the floor was for the Summer League version of the Raptors. Double teams may still come but this will be at the risk of leaving other talented players open like Lowry, Gay and DeRozan.
Jonas’ summer is far from finished as well with an expected participation for his homeland of Lithuania in the upcoming European Championships that will serve as the qualifier for the FIBA World Cup that has been renamed that instead of plan old World Championships. Canada is also getting ready for its own qualifying efforts in Toronto this week for that same tournament. In any case the chances we see Jonas play a big role for his nation likely would seem high coming off his performance this season and in Las Vegas.
He competed for his nation in London at the 2012 Olympics and to say the least was both under utilized and under performed at that event. The plan with his NBA team is the complete 180 degrees from that. The Raptors will be counting on Jonas to log some pretty serious minutes you would have to figure with the current roster in place. His health and development will be critical to any type of success the Raptors hope to enjoy.
He may look nothing like Ryback in the WWE, but it seems very clear the Raptors plan to FEED HIM MORE. Jonas is looking great and clearly is not missing many meals over the off-season and using that fuel to make himself bigger and hopefully better.
“He has developed into the type of player that we can go to on a consistent basis far more than we did last year” Casey stated. This for anyone that paid attention his MVP performance in Las Vegas would likely agree with. More to the point Casey sees some development in the basketball IQ of his big center.
“He has done a good job not only scoring out of the low post, but did a good job of reading defences, understanding when to pass, when to score and when to attack.” Casey continued by saying, “ So, I would say he is going to get a big portion of his offense run through him, around him and not only out of the low post but to quarterback.”
Big plans it would seem for sure but one thing that should be stated is there were quite a few turnovers as part of that development in Las Vegas. Still it became fairly obvious who the best player on the floor was for the Summer League version of the Raptors. Double teams may still come but this will be at the risk of leaving other talented players open like Lowry, Gay and DeRozan.
Jonas’ summer is far from finished as well with an expected participation for his homeland of Lithuania in the upcoming European Championships that will serve as the qualifier for the FIBA World Cup that has been renamed that instead of plan old World Championships. Canada is also getting ready for its own qualifying efforts in Toronto this week for that same tournament. In any case the chances we see Jonas play a big role for his nation likely would seem high coming off his performance this season and in Las Vegas.
He competed for his nation in London at the 2012 Olympics and to say the least was both under utilized and under performed at that event. The plan with his NBA team is the complete 180 degrees from that. The Raptors will be counting on Jonas to log some pretty serious minutes you would have to figure with the current roster in place. His health and development will be critical to any type of success the Raptors hope to enjoy.
He may look nothing like Ryback in the WWE, but it seems very clear the Raptors plan to FEED HIM MORE. Jonas is looking great and clearly is not missing many meals over the off-season and using that fuel to make himself bigger and hopefully better.
7/29/13
Raptors' Roster Will Define The Direction This Season
The Raptors off-season for the most part is done in terms of the major pieces to the puzzle. The biggest thing that happened was the Raptors addressed their Andrea Bargnani problem and actually were able to get some assets for him. It cost them having to take on a couple players that will never suit up as Raptors in Camby and Richardson. They did get Novak and some draft picks. When you compare it to taking on a bad contract it makes much more sense.
The Raptors really have not defined what they will be to any extent, other than they will at least start the season looking to compete. The way I look at things is the Raptors have given the current roster a chance to come out and show they have the talent to build on as a group. If they do not succeed in showing that there is an escape route for Masai Ujiri.
Perhaps the most movable part to the Raptors puzzle could be Kyle Lowry. The Raptors do not seem like they have any interest in looking to commit long term to Lowry at this point. The same might be true as far as Lowry in his interest in sticking with the Raptors long term. Lowry came in with a lot of expectations from some as the alternate plan of Bryan Colangelo after failing to land Steve Nash.
Some going as far as saying the Raptors were actually better off with Lowry. It was not a good season for Nash or for Kyle Lowry. In the end Lowry had injuries and fell into a battle for the starting position with Jose Calderon. They would eventually move Calderon and Lowry was by default the man. He never really developed into the potential all-star talent that people who were high on him coming had suggested. Even the addition of Rudy Gay who is close friends with Lowry did not really take his game up to the next level.
Lowry is in the last year of his deal and Gay technically could be as well. Gay has a player option for another season after this one. While some have suggested he could opt out and walk on the Raptors that seems to lack logic. He is due a big payday with that option and would need to have a tremendous season to even consider such a move. It seems unlikely Gay could make the same money he is getting from the max deal he originally signed with the Grizzlies.
In addition Gay has had the issues with his back and over the off-season had eye surgery to fix a vision problem. The word is that Gay has been working hard in the off-season and looking to improve his three-point shooting. That has been a big issue with a lot of folks that both he and DeRozan lack of ability to make the three and have similar games.
While many have looked at DeRozan has the odd man out it might not make as much sense. Colangelo gave DeMar DeRozan an extension on his contract at roughly 9 million as season. While no one is going to question at this point Gay is the more talented of the two players. He is also making significantly more and is not as durable. Whatever you may critique DeRozan about no one can question his durability.
DeRozan is also getting another summer to work in the USA Basketball system with the training camp going on in Las Vegas. Last season DeRozan took some big strides with have a summer working within that program. Too often it seems Raptor fans are focused on DeRozan’s faults as opposed to his strengths. What has to improve beyond the obvious with his three-point shooting is the defensive play of DeRozan.
What might be true is that Jonas could be growing into the main piece for this team’s future going forward. He was clearly the big story coming out of Las Vegas Summer League. This is league wide not just with the Raptors. He was the MVP of Summer League which is voted on by the media from around the league covering Summer League.
In the end the Raptors roster will determine the direction this team heads by their performance. If the Raptors land the traditional schedule they have been saddled with in the past that will not be easy. The Raptors often end up with a much tougher schedule in the first few months of the season.
Why this is important is in reality the Raptors need to have a clear direction by the end of the calendar year in my view. If the Raptors are not a playoff team or a fringe playoff team (seventh or eighth seed) they need to cut bait and start dismantling this roster. It is far to tempting to get in the hunt for Andrew Wiggins in next season’s draft.
Wiggins can be a game changer for this franchise. A trip back to playoffs for a guaranteed sweep is not worth missing an opportunity at getting Andrew Wiggins. You don’t have to be the worst team to get in that hunt for him. The fact Wiggins has made it known that he would like be a Raptor if it were up to him. That statement was a huge one and will be one that is going to be the elephant in the room if the Raptors struggle this season.
In the end the future is still pretty cloudy but the fact the Raptors have options is a good thing. You get the feeling that the new people running the Raptors have a much more realistic outlook on what it will take to fix this team for the long term.
The Raptors really have not defined what they will be to any extent, other than they will at least start the season looking to compete. The way I look at things is the Raptors have given the current roster a chance to come out and show they have the talent to build on as a group. If they do not succeed in showing that there is an escape route for Masai Ujiri.
Perhaps the most movable part to the Raptors puzzle could be Kyle Lowry. The Raptors do not seem like they have any interest in looking to commit long term to Lowry at this point. The same might be true as far as Lowry in his interest in sticking with the Raptors long term. Lowry came in with a lot of expectations from some as the alternate plan of Bryan Colangelo after failing to land Steve Nash.
Some going as far as saying the Raptors were actually better off with Lowry. It was not a good season for Nash or for Kyle Lowry. In the end Lowry had injuries and fell into a battle for the starting position with Jose Calderon. They would eventually move Calderon and Lowry was by default the man. He never really developed into the potential all-star talent that people who were high on him coming had suggested. Even the addition of Rudy Gay who is close friends with Lowry did not really take his game up to the next level.
Lowry is in the last year of his deal and Gay technically could be as well. Gay has a player option for another season after this one. While some have suggested he could opt out and walk on the Raptors that seems to lack logic. He is due a big payday with that option and would need to have a tremendous season to even consider such a move. It seems unlikely Gay could make the same money he is getting from the max deal he originally signed with the Grizzlies.
In addition Gay has had the issues with his back and over the off-season had eye surgery to fix a vision problem. The word is that Gay has been working hard in the off-season and looking to improve his three-point shooting. That has been a big issue with a lot of folks that both he and DeRozan lack of ability to make the three and have similar games.
While many have looked at DeRozan has the odd man out it might not make as much sense. Colangelo gave DeMar DeRozan an extension on his contract at roughly 9 million as season. While no one is going to question at this point Gay is the more talented of the two players. He is also making significantly more and is not as durable. Whatever you may critique DeRozan about no one can question his durability.
DeRozan is also getting another summer to work in the USA Basketball system with the training camp going on in Las Vegas. Last season DeRozan took some big strides with have a summer working within that program. Too often it seems Raptor fans are focused on DeRozan’s faults as opposed to his strengths. What has to improve beyond the obvious with his three-point shooting is the defensive play of DeRozan.
What might be true is that Jonas could be growing into the main piece for this team’s future going forward. He was clearly the big story coming out of Las Vegas Summer League. This is league wide not just with the Raptors. He was the MVP of Summer League which is voted on by the media from around the league covering Summer League.
In the end the Raptors roster will determine the direction this team heads by their performance. If the Raptors land the traditional schedule they have been saddled with in the past that will not be easy. The Raptors often end up with a much tougher schedule in the first few months of the season.
Why this is important is in reality the Raptors need to have a clear direction by the end of the calendar year in my view. If the Raptors are not a playoff team or a fringe playoff team (seventh or eighth seed) they need to cut bait and start dismantling this roster. It is far to tempting to get in the hunt for Andrew Wiggins in next season’s draft.
Wiggins can be a game changer for this franchise. A trip back to playoffs for a guaranteed sweep is not worth missing an opportunity at getting Andrew Wiggins. You don’t have to be the worst team to get in that hunt for him. The fact Wiggins has made it known that he would like be a Raptor if it were up to him. That statement was a huge one and will be one that is going to be the elephant in the room if the Raptors struggle this season.
In the end the future is still pretty cloudy but the fact the Raptors have options is a good thing. You get the feeling that the new people running the Raptors have a much more realistic outlook on what it will take to fix this team for the long term.
7/27/13
Dwight Buycks: Filler or Future?
With the exception of Jose Calderon the Raptors haven't had much success in culling back up guards from ambiguity. Will Solomon, Quincy Douby, Bobby Brown, Ben Uzoh - just to name a few of the bench fodder floor generals of recent memory (none of which are still in the league). When the Raptors plucked Dwight Buycks from BCM Gravelines of France, it felt like more of the same as many a fan asked themselves 'who?' And 'how the hell do you pronounce that?' It's pronounced 'Bikes', by the way. But following an impressive showing at both Orlando (Thunder) and Vegas (Raptors) NBA Summer Leagues, fans are now asking themselves 'how good can this guy be?'
Personally, I didn't watch Buycks suit up for the Thunder during the Orlando Summer League. Masai Ujiri, however, must have liked what he saw from the undrafted product out of Marquette, inking Buycks to guaranteed one-year deal. "Dwight will pick up full court. He's aggressive", Ujiri speaking in particular about Buycks' ability on the defensive end. On the other side of the ball, Buycks showcased a number of skills in Vegas that could very well bode favorably for a smooth transition at the next level. He routinely found his way into the lane, either beating his man in transition, straight up in the half court, or patiently brushing him off a screen. Not only does he possess quickness, he knows how to harness it, freezing defenders with a hesitation dribble only to explode by them moments later. In other words, he shifts gears - like a 10 speed Buyck. Against Phoenix, Buycks got to the rim at will, totaling 28 points, mostly on lay ups:
He was so good off the dribble he didn't have to rely on his jumper much. That will certainly change once he faces NBA competition. But judging by his numbers with Gravelines last year he appears to be a capable outside shooter at 39.7% on 46-116 from distance. Buycks advertised extensive vision as well, dishing no-look helpers on the break and finding shooters on the button with cross-court one-handed bullet assists. Listed at 6'3", he also possesses solid size at the point.
After going undrafted in 2011, Buycks spent time in the NBA Developmental League, and last year in France. Now, he looks poised to prove he belongs in the NBA. On the other hand, it's just summer league, which can be downright illusory. So, how good can Dwight Buycks be? If given a fair shake in Toronto, good enough to earn an extended residence in the league, and possibly prove an integral spoke in the Raptor's wheel of success moving forward.
Personally, I didn't watch Buycks suit up for the Thunder during the Orlando Summer League. Masai Ujiri, however, must have liked what he saw from the undrafted product out of Marquette, inking Buycks to guaranteed one-year deal. "Dwight will pick up full court. He's aggressive", Ujiri speaking in particular about Buycks' ability on the defensive end. On the other side of the ball, Buycks showcased a number of skills in Vegas that could very well bode favorably for a smooth transition at the next level. He routinely found his way into the lane, either beating his man in transition, straight up in the half court, or patiently brushing him off a screen. Not only does he possess quickness, he knows how to harness it, freezing defenders with a hesitation dribble only to explode by them moments later. In other words, he shifts gears - like a 10 speed Buyck. Against Phoenix, Buycks got to the rim at will, totaling 28 points, mostly on lay ups:
He was so good off the dribble he didn't have to rely on his jumper much. That will certainly change once he faces NBA competition. But judging by his numbers with Gravelines last year he appears to be a capable outside shooter at 39.7% on 46-116 from distance. Buycks advertised extensive vision as well, dishing no-look helpers on the break and finding shooters on the button with cross-court one-handed bullet assists. Listed at 6'3", he also possesses solid size at the point.
After going undrafted in 2011, Buycks spent time in the NBA Developmental League, and last year in France. Now, he looks poised to prove he belongs in the NBA. On the other hand, it's just summer league, which can be downright illusory. So, how good can Dwight Buycks be? If given a fair shake in Toronto, good enough to earn an extended residence in the league, and possibly prove an integral spoke in the Raptor's wheel of success moving forward.
7/26/13
NBA Off-Season Chat
As promised we are back to talk NBA Off-Season with our NBA Columnist Stephen Brotherston:
7/25/13
Raptors Roundtable: Vegas Wrap Up Edition
We chat about the Raptors Summer League Performance and the announcement that Raptors are heading to Halifax for training camp for a second season. Myself and Stephen Brotherston:
7/23/13
Masai Speaks, D.J Arrives and Jonas Is MVP of something.
The Raptors are basically ready to roll for next season according to Masai Ujiri who addressed the media yesterday and I made the trip down to Toronto. There should be some final announcements about the staff and Ujiri suggests he might look to invite a few young players to camp at the wing position. This seems a little odd given if you asked most people the Raptors would like to see the fans and media would likely say another big and preferably a center. Here is the full scrum from what he had to say from Raptors.com
The reason for Masai’s chat with media was official announcement of the signing of D.J Augustin. As you heard if you listen to Masai above one of the advantages to Augustin is his experience as a starter. It makes more sense than the combo of Stone and Buycks that was originally the plan. The key reason why is the worry you would have about Kyle Lowry’s health which was an issue last season. It would have been a little scary to say the least with two unproven point guards behind Lowry.
As for Augustin here is his first encounter with Toronto media:
I have always liked D.J Augustin who like T.J Ford came out of Texas. He had the unfortunate luck of being drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats. Who, by the way, are going back to being the Hornets once again. This is great news. D.J above talked about the struggles of being a part of that organization. He moved on from there to the Pacers which have been pretty successful the last few seasons. Augustin himself struggled last year and in the end came to the Raptors on reportedly cheap and one year deal.
This will likely be the biggest market and crowds for Augustin to deal with. While the Pacers have been successful the market in Indiana is far smaller and the fans have not exactly comeback to levels like the days of Reggie Miller in the 90’s. It will be interesting to see how he handles it all. Also the fact the Dwight Buycks had an impressive Summer League and could as some point grow into a contender to be the primary back-up sooner of later.
No one had a better Summer League than Jonas. He had a video that went viral with being interviewed by DeMar DeRozan. He showed of his larger frame and played consistently well over the 4 games he took part in at Vegas Summer League. It was all topped off Yesterday with being voted on by the media as the MVP of Summer League.
As the Raptors and their fans tend to do this has been met with tremendous hoopla. Keep in mind a past winner of the Summer League MVP is Nate Robinson and you are keeping this accomplishment in its proper prospective. It is extremely positive how Jonas performed and he will be playing for his country later in Summer which should draw even more attention based on his performance in Las Vegas. At the end of the day what will matter is how he plays in that Raptors jersey at the end of October or start of November that ultimately matters.
So now we settle in and likely make Terrence Ross the worst Raptors since Chris Jeffries as one person tweeted to me. What I mean is that the over analysis of this team will kick into high gear. Keep in mind that this is in place of nothing else for people to write about at the end of the day. Jonas is not going be an All-Star next year and Terrence Ross is likely not getting cut or traded. But it might seem that way by the time October rolls around.
Summer League taken for what it is can be a useful tool. But it is just photograph of a moment in time in the longer off-season development of young players. It should never be taken to mean too much at the end of the day. This applies in both directions in terms of a player’s improvement or lack of improvement.
Chill it is a long summer still ahead of us.
The reason for Masai’s chat with media was official announcement of the signing of D.J Augustin. As you heard if you listen to Masai above one of the advantages to Augustin is his experience as a starter. It makes more sense than the combo of Stone and Buycks that was originally the plan. The key reason why is the worry you would have about Kyle Lowry’s health which was an issue last season. It would have been a little scary to say the least with two unproven point guards behind Lowry.
As for Augustin here is his first encounter with Toronto media:
I have always liked D.J Augustin who like T.J Ford came out of Texas. He had the unfortunate luck of being drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats. Who, by the way, are going back to being the Hornets once again. This is great news. D.J above talked about the struggles of being a part of that organization. He moved on from there to the Pacers which have been pretty successful the last few seasons. Augustin himself struggled last year and in the end came to the Raptors on reportedly cheap and one year deal.
This will likely be the biggest market and crowds for Augustin to deal with. While the Pacers have been successful the market in Indiana is far smaller and the fans have not exactly comeback to levels like the days of Reggie Miller in the 90’s. It will be interesting to see how he handles it all. Also the fact the Dwight Buycks had an impressive Summer League and could as some point grow into a contender to be the primary back-up sooner of later.
No one had a better Summer League than Jonas. He had a video that went viral with being interviewed by DeMar DeRozan. He showed of his larger frame and played consistently well over the 4 games he took part in at Vegas Summer League. It was all topped off Yesterday with being voted on by the media as the MVP of Summer League.
As the Raptors and their fans tend to do this has been met with tremendous hoopla. Keep in mind a past winner of the Summer League MVP is Nate Robinson and you are keeping this accomplishment in its proper prospective. It is extremely positive how Jonas performed and he will be playing for his country later in Summer which should draw even more attention based on his performance in Las Vegas. At the end of the day what will matter is how he plays in that Raptors jersey at the end of October or start of November that ultimately matters.
So now we settle in and likely make Terrence Ross the worst Raptors since Chris Jeffries as one person tweeted to me. What I mean is that the over analysis of this team will kick into high gear. Keep in mind that this is in place of nothing else for people to write about at the end of the day. Jonas is not going be an All-Star next year and Terrence Ross is likely not getting cut or traded. But it might seem that way by the time October rolls around.
Summer League taken for what it is can be a useful tool. But it is just photograph of a moment in time in the longer off-season development of young players. It should never be taken to mean too much at the end of the day. This applies in both directions in terms of a player’s improvement or lack of improvement.
Chill it is a long summer still ahead of us.
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