DeMar DeRozan
DeMar showed that he has another level. We have seen DeMar go through these big jumps in his career. From his rookie season to his sophomore year, he went from being a really raw player to a productive athletic scorer. From his second season to his fourth year he gradually got better but there was no dramatic improvement like there was this year. He showed this season that he isn't just a good supporting scorer on this team. This season he showed that he can be the number one scoring option and become an all star.
The playoff experience was valuable to this team because this is a young and inexperience team that was in need for a successful season. I think the playoff experience was most valuable to DeMar. He played 4 unsuccessful seasons as an important building block for the franchise. I think if this season didn't turn into a success, DeMar would be the same supporting scorer. He seems like a strong individual mentally, which makes me feel like now that he has experience winning, he's going to bring his game to another level. If this team continues to develop and win, DeMar is going to become a consistent all star.
I don't think that it is out of the question to think that DeMar can become the best shooting guard in the NBA in a few years. I know that may sound crazy but I have crazy ideas. There is no question that he will be the best shooting guard in the east in two years maybe even next year. Dwayne Wade is getting older and only plays half a season at a time now, Kobe isn't going to be "Kobe" regardless of how much his contract is, and James Harden is the best right now but doesn't play defence. The only guy that could compete with DeMar right now for the top spot that is currently in the league is Bradley Beal and James Harden (If defence will ever matter to him). DeMar has a lot things he needs to work on to become the best. He needs to be a 35% three point shooter, improve his overall shooting efficiency, rebounding, passing, and of course defence. It's a lot of things but he just needs to get a little bit better in every category to become the best. DeMar is a stud, and he will continue to get better.
Normally when DeMar comes into a new season, there is a specific skill that he has developed or improved. Every season it seems to be three point shooting, this season he came in with the mind set to drive to the basket. What is interesting is that DeMar showed significant improvement as the season went on. He became a force drawing fouls on the offensive side, then as the season continued he would have better shot selection. During the season his passing was noticeably better as well as play recognition on the offensive side.
It's funny to think that Masai was rumored to be trading DeMar to the Clippers for Eric Bledsoe during the free agency period last year.
Kyle Lowry
Kyle has transformed from being a pain in the locker room to becoming a leader and the star of a team. Once Rudy Gay was traded, I thought it was just a matter of time before Kyle would be traded. It looked like he was going to be traded. With the potential trade to the Knick which would have included Lowry to the Knicks, and the Raptors would acquire a first round pick, Raymond Felton, and Iman Shumpert or Tim Hardaway. I'll admit, I wanted that trade to happen. I thought that getting a top 5 pick would have put us back on the right road. Well thank god Jim Dolan is the worst owner (next to Donald Sterling) and the biggest meddler. I think Kyle wanted to be traded because his best friend was traded and he didn't want to lose. Reports said that Lowry asked for a trade and Masai basically said go play well and I will. Well Kyle played great and Masai didn't trade him.
Kyle really performed well and even though no one wanted the Raptors to have two all stars, we should have. Kyle was unquestionably the best point guard in the east. You can argue John Wall was but I wouldn't agree with that.
I think the better we did, the more Kyle started to love this group. It seems like DeMar and Kyle have become really close friends as well. Kyle has become the team captain which is a total transformation from the pain in the locker room.
Even though he missed the game winning shot to send us into the second round, he has to come back. I thought that the reason he was playing so well was because it was a contract year and he wanted to make his money. I think he performed so well because he was the unquestionable starting point guard and averaged over 30 minutes a game.
He is going to become one of the top players on the free agent market and the best top guard next to Eric Bledsoe. This isn't a good market for Kyle though. He wants to go to a place where he's the start, a place where he can win, and of course whoever is the highest bidder. He can go to a team like the Orlando Magic where he'd be the starter but don't count on the playoffs. Toronto is the best place for him though. He is the guy here, he is the starting point guard, and it's a playoff team. I don't expect him to leave. I think the organization will do anything to keep him. I expect him to be looking for a 4 year 40 million dollar contract at least. Anything less would be a steal.
Jonas Valanciunas
This season was suppose to basically determine what the potential would be for JV. Is he going to become a top 3 centre? Is he going to be a consistent all star? Is he just a really good starting centre? When JV won the summer league MVP, that basically made him a breakout star candidate this season. I don't feel like he became a breakout star but I feel like he is on his way to become one of the best centres in the league. I am really excited to see what his progression is next year.
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He need to work on basically everything but more specifically I'm interested in what Hakeem Olajuwon will teach him especially in the post. I really think he needs to improve his conditioning. Throughout the season and in the playoffs he was really good in the first half scoring the ball, rebounding, and he was a solid defender. When the second half would arise, he wouldn't score well, he'd would foul a lot more, and his defence was poor. I think he is just getting tired as the game goes. It's understandable considering he's 7 feet and over 230 pounds, I'd be tired too. If he wants to be a consistent player though he needs to be dominate in the post throughout the game, and not just at the start.
Next season I expect him to be the third option behind DeMar and Kyle. I'm expecting nothing less then 14 points and 8 rebounds per game. I feel like he is going to breakout next year. Maybe not an all star but a prospect on the road there. I think in this prime he can be a top 3 centre and in two years he will be the best centre in the east.
Amir Johnson
I'm not sure there is a more beloved player then Amir Johnson. Even though he wasn't drafted by us, it feels like he's been with us his entire career. He was a bench warmer in Detroit before being acquired by Toronto which saw him emerge as a great asset. He is the best defensive player in the paint on this team and overall is a very versatile defender. He has the ability to be a decent perimeter defender, as we saw him guard Kevin Durant. He is good in the paint with his back to the basket and does nothing but hustle.
I'm concerned with his health though. This was a season where Amir had to power through some injuries but he showed a lot of heart. I hope he doesn't have paper ankles. It feels like he hurt his ankles four times this season. I think what Amir needs is a cut down on playing time so he can stay healthy throughout the season.
I think we can be a great team if Amir comes off the bench. Now this is unlikely but if we sign a guy like Greg Monroe this off season and had Amir come off the bench playing 25 mins a game rather then 30, I think we would be a 50 win team easily. I love Amir but I think we would be awesome coming off of the bench.
I don't see Amir going away anywhere for a long time.
Terrence Ross
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Terrence was a really interesting case. At the end of his rookie season, I didn't think very highly of Terrence. I thought he was a spectacular athlete but a poor defender and a deer in the head lights on offence. He was looking like a first round bust. Coming off of the bench, he didn't look much better. He didn't shoot efficiently and he scored less then 8 points a game. Terrence Ross got the biggest reward from the Rudy Gay trade. He was promoted to the starting five and he came out with a purpose. He seemed more passionate. He would score in double figures for the first time and he became arguably the best perimeter defender.
Terrence would become a great shooter from three and a dependable scorer. When Terrence had his 51 point game, I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought that he could become the supporting scorer next to DeMar, but he isn't going to be that player.
I always go up a down on my feelings towards him. I love his presence from his three point shooting, his game changing dunks, and his solid defence. I hate how inconsistent he can be. When he isn't shooting well he seems to go into a shell. When he isn't doing well offensively, it seems to affect him defensively. At the trade deadline, I thought that Ross for Arron Afflalo would be a good option. Manly because I wasn't sure about Ross and Arron is a great scorer.
After the really poor performance in the playoffs, I'm not sure what to think of him. I feel that his entire game is based on confidence. When his confidence is high, he scores well and plays lock down defence. When it's down, it's just the opposite. If you look at the roster, the small forward spot needs an upgrade. Terrence Ross may not be the size but he plays the position. What if the Raptors sign a guy like Luol Deng or they draft a rookie that comes out of nowhere and impresses. This would likely send Terrence to the bench. Does that mean we see the rookie Terrence Ross? This is where the Raptors need to decide on whether Ross is a building piece for the their future. I think if Terrence lives up to his potential he could be a guy that gets 13-16 points a games and is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. But is that overvaluing his potential? He is the most interesting case on this team. I think it would be smart to explore what his value is on the market. If we can get a first rounder or a great piece, then I wouldn't be opposed to trading him.
I still don't know what to think of Terrence though. I have strong feelings and options on all the other players, but because I'm puzzled by Terrence's potential and his mentality, it makes me feel like he is a short term asset.
There are two risks with Ross.
Risk 1:
We keep Terrence because we feel like he has the potential to become something, but he doesn't match our expectations and ultimately is the same. An athletic three point shooter with great perimeter defence.
Risk 2:
We trade him away based on his potential and receive good pieces but Terrence does well there and we lose the trade.
Another option would be that we keep him and he becomes a good scorer and a star defender.I'm not sure that is a reasonable option though.
Patrick Patterson
I really like 2pat. Ranking to four players from the Kings I'd rank it:
1. Patterson
2. Vasquez
3. Hayes
4. Salmons
Patterson was the most underrated player on the Raptors. He shot the ball very efficiently for a stretch power forward at 48% shooting and 41% three point shooting. He was a great boots coming off the bench by adding scoring, rebounding, and being a great voice on the floor. When he was on the floor he would space the floor which opens up driving lanes for our top penetrators like DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.
During the playoffs, I think Pat raised his value. He shot over 50% from the field and helped bring the Raptors back in game 7 to give us a chance to win. He did miss those important free throws in a playoff game in Brooklyn which ultimately lost our chance to win the game but that isn't what I'll remember from Pat. I'll remember Pat making big threes through the season. I'll remember the steal on a inbound play from Brooklyn which would lead to him making a game winning shot during the season.
Pat is a restricted free agent like Greivis Vasquez, but I'll be expecting him to get a big pay day. I would expect the Raptors to sign him at 6 million per year to keep him. I hope we can bring him back because he was a key asset for this team.
Greivis Vasquez
I love Greivis Vasquez! When the trade happened, I was really interested in seeing how well he'd fit. I thought that the pick n roll combo of Vasquez and Amir Johnson would bring back the Amir, Jose Calderon combo. It wasn't the same as Jose to Amir but he did a lot of things I liked. I thought that he would be one of the best back up point guards in the NBA. I think he is a top 5 back up point guard.
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The first few weeks that he came to Toronto, I was disappointed. He didn't shoot the ball well and he didn't play good defence. When he started to get more comfortable we played really well. I like how he pushes the ball quickly and has great awareness offensively. He's great in the locker room. He seems to be a great team mate. He has great ball control and always has his eyes on his team mates. He had so many moments when he would have to create momentum by making a pull up three or shooting his classic floater.
The reason that I am such a big fan of Greivis is because of his post season press conference. He talked about how much he loves Toronto and how he wants to come back. That's really refreshing considering this hasn't be considered a free agent destination.
Greivis is currently a restricted free agent. That means when Greivis hits the market and a team offers him a contract, the Raptors have the opportunity to match that offer which would bring Greivis back to Toronto. If Greivis doesn't receive an offer from another team, he will accept a qualifying offer which would be a one year deal that brings him back to Toronto. It's safe to say that Greivis will likely be back in Toronto unless a team overpays him and Toronto isn't willing to match it. Considering Greivis said he really wants to come back and he loves Toronto and the team, that really hurts his leverage in negotiations. I'd really hate Greivis if I was an agent.
Tyler Hansbrough
Tyler is fun to watch but can be really frustrating. I get really annoyed watching players missing free throws. There's a reason why they are called FREE throws. Tyler probably expected coming here and being a consistent rotation player and potentially a starter. Well, he won the starting job for a brief period of time before Amir Johnson snapped out of his drought, but he would fall to the bottom of the rotation. The consistent 9 man rotation was the starting five with Patrick Patterson, Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, and Tyler Hansbrough/Chuck Hayes off the bench. Once the trade happened, Patterson took most of his playing time and there were quit a few moments when Chuck Hayes would be picked have Tyler for a game.
I like his toughness and his aggressiveness. His shot bothers me in the post because it's so unorthodox but his ability to get offensive rebounds is impressive. That's why I'm content with him. I think he could be a good trading piece this off season. He's a guy that I'd would be okay with if he came back, but if we traded him for someone productive I'd be happy.
John Salmons
When John first came to Toronto I actually liked him. By January I ranked him as the second best player that came over from Sacramento. He was shooting over 40% and he was playing solid defence and that's the reason that I had him over Vasquez in January. Now.....things have changed. There is no one on the Raptors that I dislike more than John Salmons! I think I speak for everyone when I say this; as the season went on, his defence was okay but he was shooting under 30% for about a ten game stretch of the season. He was incredibly frustrating with his shot selection and his defence was worse as the season went on. This isn't really fair but as a passionate Raptors fan I really, really disliked him when he missed those free throws against Oklahoma City. Unfortunately that is the only thing that sticks out in my mind. Nothing but negative thoughts about John Salmons.
I was hoping that he would be a veteran leader, but I don't think that he has an outgoing or expressive personality from what I hear.
What I really don't understand is why Dwane Casey would continue to play John over Landry Fields during the season and during the playoffs. Landry did a great job on defence against Joe Johnson while John had good moments but mostly bad. I understand that Landry has little to no offence game, but I'd rather have a guy that won't shoot the ball then a guy who continues to take low percentage shots. Does Dwane have some deal with John Salmons?
John has another year on his contract but it's a team option. That means that the Raptors can decide whether they want to bring back John for another year at 7 million or they can let him go to free agency. LET HIM GO TO FREE AGENCY!!! I don't think John is an NBA calibre player any more, so I don't expect him to be signed by anyone. I think he finished his long career in Toronto.
Chuck Hayes
I actually like Chuck. I don't like him at about 12 million for the next two years. I think Chuck was important to the team for his veteran presence. I think he was important to have for the young players like DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, and Jonas. What I thought was really interesting was how his post defence rubbed off on the young players. Considering Chuck is small at the position and can't jump, whenever someone turns to take a post fade away, Chuck puts his hand in front of the face of the shooter to block their visibility. I've seen DeMar and Terrence both do this and they only started doing that after the trade.
When Chuck is on the floor I like his defensive presence in the post which is surprisingly good. He puts himself in a good position for rebounds because he does't have the length. He has this ridiculous jump hook that doesn't go in often, but he at least doesn't shoot it unless he is open. He understands his role which means his not going to look for his opportunity to shot the ball.
I like Chuck in the locker room because that is something that is missing in such a young team. I wish he was cheaper. I think we need to let him go because of his contract. It looks like it is unlikely but if they are able to that is great.
Nando de Colo
When Nando was acquired from San Antonio I was happy. I was happy because we got something for a terrible Austin Daye and Nando had an expiring contract. He didn't shoot that ball well as a Raptor but he was tough and was a player that put effort into every minute he played. I like watching him play because all he does is move. When he doesn't have to ball he has great movement. He frustrates other players because all they do is chase him. Any time we bring someone that played for Gregg Popovich I am going to be interested. Now considering he is a free agent, I don't know if he is worth re-signing. Depending on how much he costs, I wouldn't mind seeing him back as the third point guard. If he leaves I'll forget about him quickly.
Landry Fields
I really wish that Landry would have been as productive as he was in New York. But ever since he injured his elbow he's been a mess. In New York he was known as an efficient scorer that can shoot the three and was a really good defender. Now he is just a good defender. He can't shoot to save his life. Now he is a guy that doesn't play but gets more then 6 million dollars a year. Now I'd much rather have Fields play before John Salmons because Landry is a consistent defender and John is horrible. When Landry shut down Joe Johnson in the playoffs, I was excited because no one could stop Joe. I understand that he didn't play one game because of his back but why did John Salmons play more then Landry in the playoffs and through the whole year? Even though Landry is a ghost on offence he can pass the ball well but he is good on defence. Now he has one more year one his contract with over 6 million on that year. I'm afraid that he is stuck with us but I can deal with it if he plays that kind of defence.
Steve Novak
Steve is a guy that is important to have on the team because of shooting. He has two more years on his contract with just over 7 million left. Now he is over paid but he has a speciality that everyone looks for and that's three point shooting. I think he would be a good piece in a trade because of his contract but he didn't really impress me at all this season. He shot over 40% from three which is good but he didn't make the most important ones. In the playoffs we had an opportunity to create momentum and Novak making a wide open three in the corner would have done that. But he missed. I think he is important to have on the team because spaces the floor and has that treat. Besides that he didn't have a good season for his standards. He didn't play much and he shot a low percentage considering he shot 122 threes and that's what he is known for. Even though 42% from three is good, he shot the same percentage a year ago with the Knicks and shot 351. I expect him to be back but I think he will be a good piece in a trade.
Julyan Stone
Julyan was a very intriguing player once he was signed. Obviously Masai must have liked him because he was acquired by Masai in Denver. Once he became a free agent he was signed to a one year deal this past off season. He is a 6'6 point guard which is good for defensive leverage over opponents. I only remember watching him play his best game against the Lakers after the Rudy Gay trade. Besides that I'm not going to miss him if he is gone, but I don't really care if he comes back. Interesting player for his length at the position but nothing special.
Dwight Buycks
Dwight was a guy that I was really hoping would do well because of his history playing across the world and never getting the chance to play in the NBA. After impressive performances at the NBA's summer league, he was signed by the Raptors and was expected to be the third point guard which a chance to be the second point guard coming off the bench. After playing better then DJ Augustin, he would have to opportunity to be the second point guard coming off of the bench at the start of the season. Once the trade happened, he didn't get any playing time. He went from earning the second point guard spot, to the third after the Rudy Gay trade, then the fourth once Nando De Colo was acquired. He would only end up playing 14 games during the regular season averaging 3.1 points a game on 31% shooting. That's very poor. Dwight is known as a guy who can score the ball but 31% is John Salmons territory. After his poor shooting night against the Knicks in the season's final game, that really left a bad taste in my mouth. He would just shoot the ball in bad spots on the floor, and would shoot the ball whenever it was in his hand.
Now he has one more year on his deal so I'd like to see how well he plays in his second year because he is talented. If his second season isn't better then this years, then I would let him go. I still think he can be a solid player so I hope we see a better Dwight Buycks next year.
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