2015-16 Raptors and General NBA Thread

[The Big Chill]

DeRozan has been terrible again. Just poor decision making.

[Machiavelli]

Not good enough

[Hockey_Ninja]

DeMar. You aren't MJ or Kobe. Take smarter shots ffs.

[The Big Chill]

A disastrous start to the 4th. Going to need a miracle comeback again.

[Machiavelli]

Holy frustrating team

[jayswin]

Get on a ****ing plane Raptors, try and remind yourself these are playoff games and that your next one is an elimination game. Jesus.

[The Big Chill]

Well, that'll do it. Bring on game 7.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Where would the Raps be without Frank Vogel? Out in 5 most likely. Just sad to watch really, I can forgive losing with a good effort, but to put in such a poor effort again for the third straight game...weak.

[V]

Haha, just checked the score. What the heck happened here?

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Where would the Raps be without Frank Vogel? Out in 5 most likely. Just sad to watch really, I can forgive losing with a good effort, but to put in such a poor effort again for the third straight game...weak.

I can handle it better when an opposing team comes in and just beats you because they came to play and beat you. What just kills me about the Raptors is their ability to come out, find a groove and take it to a team showing what they can be when their heads are in it, and then they immediately get lazier, sloppier and let the other team back in.

And they'll do it multiple times in the same damn game. It's like watching goldfish. They know what it takes to win in the playoffs and they have the horses to do it, and yet they continually fail to play their hearts out and leave it all on the court.

I know basketball is a game of runs, but there's a difference between the ebs and flows of runs and taking it to another team for a 12 point lead and just falling apart due to letting up. It's ridiculous to watch.

[The Big Chill]

Our 4 starters not named Lowry combined for 1 assist and 8 turnovers. That is not how games are won.

[Johnny199r]

If Vogel left Paul George in last game, this serious would be over.

DeMar DeRozan is a horrible playoff basketball player. It's sad that he will get a max contract somewhere.

[OzSome]

I think the Raptors lost focus in the 2nd half. JV was more focused on trying to get a call rather than go for a rebound. Yes I understand his frustration because there was a few non-calls during the game. Casey was outcoached tonight especially in the 2nd half. I don't understand why he kept the struggling Derozan and Patterson during the 3rd quarter when the game was still close. Then he switched to a small team with Ross. Raps were doing well with small team of Carroll, Powell, Biyombo, Lowry and Joseph so why not use those same guys. Aside from Joseph, Biyombo and maybe Carroll, I thought the whole team struggles. Lowry probably struggled during the game but at least he started using the other player.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I hope the leash is short on DeRozan on Sunday. Powell has proven himself reliable, and Joseph is doing better playing beside Lowry in this series. DeRozan isn't a good enough defender to keep him on the floor if he isn't scoring.

[jayswin]

So what's everyone's comfort level in moving on from Derozan this summer? If we want to eventually be a strong playoff team it seems to be pretty clear it won't be with him.

The unfortunate downside from moving on from an All Star is that Toronto obviously isn't a free agent destination so there's no guarantee we could replace him.

[octothorp]

Pretty comfortable with it. I'd rank the options from best to worst as:

• sign and trade for a useful piece and a trade exception from another team
• resigning him with the intent to trade him once under contract next year
• letting him go for nothing
• resigning him with the intent of keeping him long term

Honestly the game tonight from him was one of the least clutch efforts I've ever seen. He just had no interest in getting to the rim, and seemed a bit intimidated by Myles Turner. And then the needless frustration fouls he took that got Indiana into the bonus quickly were idiotic. Plus the turnovers, the lack of assists...

I wonder more about Casey... his contract is up this year, and other than that lineup in the fourth quarter of game 5 (which, honestly, looks a little fluky now), he has very little to show for three playoff appearances. At the same time, he vastly overachieved most expectations for the Raptors' regular season. I obviously would like to see him gone, but I've got no idea how Ujiri evaluates him.

[Da_Chief]

DeMar has to go. Showing for 1 of first 6 games will not get it done.

These are simple plays he kept messing up:
Missed wide-open Joseph.
On a break instead of taking the ball straight to the rim and maybe getting a call he fades away and tries a close shot from a nasty angle.
Bismack sets up a nice screen and takes 2 defenders with him and Demar settles for a long range 2 which he misses.

Agree with Ozsome, Casey for out-coached. No adjustments, could not draw up any offensive plays, bad rotations, not getting Jonas the ball.

The "we're sticking with our stars in Lowry and DeRozen" mantra is going to take this team down in game 7.

[killer_carlson]

Casey's mantra is:

we're sticking with guard isolation because I don't know how to coach the 3, 4 or 5 position.

I am 100% comfortable moving on from DD this offseason. I am also 100% comfortable moving on from Casey.

In fact I would move on from Casey before Game 7 if it was possible.

[Da_Chief]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

Casey's mantra is:

we're sticking with guard isolation because I don't know how to coach the 3, 4 or 5 position.

I am 100% comfortable moving on from DD this offseason. I am also 100% comfortable moving on from Casey.

In fact I would move on from Casey before Game 7 if it was possible.

George Karl is available. I'd love the Raps to fly him in for game 7

They should definitely consider him this off-season.

Here's a list of some up and comer. I would ok if the Raps hired the first female head coach.
http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articl...13132_20258302

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

George Karl is available. I'd love the Raps to fly him in for game 7

They should definitely consider him this off-season.

Here's a list of some up and comer. I would ok if the Raps hired the first female head coach.
http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articl...13132_20258302

My first choice isn't on that list: Euroleague mastermind Zeljko Obradovic.