2010/2011 Toronto Raptors thread

[The Big Chill]

I really hope we can get our hands on either Irving or Williams. We really need an upgrade at both of these positions, and these 2 players look like they will have great NBA careers.

[bluejays]

Any idea when the NBA draft lottary is?

[secol]

rumor that rubio is close to getting something done with the wolves which would make flynn available......from the sounds of it he could be had for pretty cheap too, hopefully the raptors take a look. i'd prefer flynn over calderon or bayless in our system

[Diet Water]

Originally Posted by fleury

Any idea when the NBA draft lottary is?

It will be on TSN2 tomorrow at 6:30.

[secol]

so raps end up with #5.....cleveland will likely take irving #1, minnesota would have to take williams but their 3/4 are pretty clogged (beasley, love, randolph/milicic/tolliver). would be great to send some feelers of moving calderon in a package down there for the #2 pick and maybe flynn even if we lose our #5. this way we can try to resurrect flynn's career and also get a good player from the draft while also dumping calderon's contract

[killer_carlson]

Bustyawni with some questionable comments about his committment to Toronto in an Italian interview. Possibly lost in translation, possibly not.

tsn.ca

[secol]

i wonder what he sees his role on an NBA team is, because for me he is a scoring big off the bench or he has to be paired with a defensively dominant big like dwight howard in order to justify a starting spot

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by secol

i wonder what he sees his role on an NBA team is, because for me he is a scoring big off the bench or he has to be paired with a defensively dominant big like dwight howard in order to justify a starting spot

Personally I bet that he feels he would be used best in a Dirk Nowitzki type role. He probably feels he is used at his best more when he plays at the foul line and on the perimeter, and doesn't want to be expected to bang on the inside with the other bigs in the league.

The one thing he has to learn though is that Dirk bangs on the inside and will actually attempt to grab some rebounds.

Basically he has a Small Forward mentality but plays in a Centers body.

[secol]

the problem is bargnani doesn't have a difficult shot to contest. dirk actually gets off the ground when he shoots and the way he holds the ball makes it extremely difficult to contest without fouling. i'd say he's a SG in a center body lol, at least dirk like you said is willing and able to bang

[secol]

the guy beside bargnani looks more in shape than bargnani

[Cheese]

Triano out as HC of the Raps.

[secol]

will be interesting to see who they go with

[octothorp]

Please be Rick Adelman...

edit: actually, here's my full list of candidates:

Currently out of work coaches:
Phil Jackson - no hope in hell
Jerry Sloan - might coach again, but unlikely to do so on rebuilding team
Rick Adelman - the most high-profile guy the Raps could realistically get, but rumoured to be in the running for Portland GM, which would probably be his dream job
Jeff Van Gundy - smart guy, has said he wants to return to coaching. To me, he's a bit too much like Triano, personality wise. Still, if I was Colangelo I'd at least call him up for a chat.
Mike Woodson - I think he's likely to end up in Detroit. He had a bit of a reputation of mistreating his young players in Atlanta, so I can't see him being a great fit for the Raptors
Larry Brown - Really not sure how I feel about him: lots of experience, but like Woodson, not a great relationship with young players. In a lot of ways, the anti-Triano. Not the stability that the Raps need.

Current assistant coaches:
Lawrence Frank - supposedly a great defensive mind, although typically his teams have typically lacked the personnel to fulfill that reputation. Wouldn't mind him though. I think he could be pried away from Boston, and he probably wouldn't mind going to another NE team.
Bob McAdoo - Always been a solid big-man coach, and the Raps bigs could use a mentor. But wouldn't be one of my top choices.
Dwane Casey - Probably my favorite of this category. He's got a lot of euro-experience as well as NCAA and NBA experience, which makes him a good fit. I think he's a better coach than his one HC stint with Minnesota shows, and he's definitely going to be back to a head-coach position soon.
Brian Shaw - might want to stay with the Lakers because of his ties to the organization, but might feel spurned that he wasn't selected for head coach. Wouldn't be one of my top choices.

Other:
BC has already said that Carlisimo will not be considered.
Messina - I just don't think it's likely. Colangelo is going to be very cautious this time around, and I can't see him taking a guy with no NBA experience.
Bill Laimbeer - has said he wants to be a head coach in the NBA, but with little more than WNBA coaching experience, he's less likely (far less likely) than Messina.
D'Antoni - rumoured to be on the outs in NY. Obviously he has connections with BC, but it would go back on everything Colangelo has said recently about the importance of defense.

[browna]

Yeah I can see the Raps going with a "name" coach to help with the UFA perception. Colangeo re-signed, no? So he's there, and may have to start thinking the "Euro West" game plan he seemed to be leaning toward anyways.

That bum Phil Jackson is available now, isn't he?

[Gozer]

How does Coangelo still have a bleeding job?

How long can reputation carry a guy who has done such a consistently terrible job?

[bluejays]

I'm somewhat in the minority who thinks that Triano shouldn't have been let go this early. There were many times when last season I just wanted him gone on the spot, but when you take a step back and see how the players developed under him, he did an above average job given his roster. Given how he did, I thought he'd spend this upcoming season as his last on a rebuilding roster as the guy to develop the young players.

Now I believe Colangelo's firing says a ton about his off-season plans.

Are you going to get a coach to develop young players better than Triano? Perhaps not. My guess, is Colangelo is going to make a hard push at moving up into one of the two higher spots in the draft, and along with that probably flip Bargnani and likely Calderon to get a quick, but defensive minded team. There's really no reason that Triano should have been let go unless they were going to become more of a contender.

The only coach I want to see here, and it's been getting a bit of play, is Lawrence Frank. I hated seeing the midget on the sidelines, but his enthusiasm is much like Mitchell's and he's apparently a really good strategist and coach. Even Jeff VG would be a good choice to me. But now they have to have someone who's going to put immense pressure on the players to perform. Anyway, that's my theory...discuss.

[OzSome]

Hate to say it but I was hoping for Jay Triano replace as a head coach early this season. He's got a lot of questionable calls this season. Sometimes all I can do is scratch my head. I remembered one game when Bragnani were playing well going inside and using his body. Raptors went ahead then Triano changed it and let the Raptors shoot from the outside a lot. I think PJ Carlesimo should replace him.

[secol]

looks like wolves have signed rubio so flynn is on the block.....sounds like he could be had fairly cheap too mainly because of his contract. he looks pretty explosive and quick, good personality and can make good passes. can sink the three, looks like he isolates too much though

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54tzdRU1OEc

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by OzSome

Raptors went ahead then Triano changed it and let the Raptors shoot from the outside a lot. I think PJ Carlesimo should replace him.

Don't agree with this - Gen Ys need a very specific style of coaching in order to grow and develop - I don't think PJ would be a good choice in this respect.

[PeteLFan]

The raptors will not attract a ver good coach. It's Toronto first of all, and the team is poorly built. First step should have been firing colangelo, not extending him.