Speaking of blowing it up, I'm personally not aboard the #RigginForWiggins movement, and disagree with the idea that the Rudy Gay trade represented Ujiri beginning the tank. We're all aware of Rudy's monstrous contract and player option for $19 million next season, so regardless of tanking, why would Ujiri not be looking to clear the contract for cap space? It's pretty clear, also, to essentially all Raptor fans, that the team is much more capable without Rudy. In the four games since the trade (3-1 record), the ball movement on offense has been sensational, and most unlike what Raptor fans have become used to.
Tanking seems a silly option for the Raptors, as they need to make big changes to be even nearly bad enough to compete for the worst record. With so many teams getting in the hunt for Wiggins, Parker, Randle and co, I can't see how we will lose enough games, especially with the competetive nature of a number of our players (shout out to @therealphdsteve who suggested on the latest Rapcast that Tyler Hansbrough would "punch his Grandmother in the mouth in order to get a rebound"...)
While winning the Atlantic Division and playing playoff ball might result in a crushing series defeat, another season of losing consistently just doesn't appeal to me. Have we already lost faith in building the franchise around Jonas Valanciunas? How has that decision been reached when the ball has only been passed to him a couple of times in the first quarter each game...?
The direction of the team will become more clear in the coming weeks, as Ujiri potentially explores further trades. I am a big Kyle Lowry fan and hope he remains a Raptor, but a potential trade must be explored at this point due to his expiring contract and clear value. Again, this trade does not convince me that the team is tanking (trade Amir and then I might believe it..). The New York offer which seems to revolve around Felton, World Peace, Shumpert and Hardaway Jr. seems decent, as long as we can secure one of the two key prospects (Shump and Hardaway) and a draft pick.
Reviewing the Rudy Gay portion of the season (6-12) seems pointless at this stage, as the contrast between the two styles of team play is enormous. Let's not forget, however, that a number of the losses were more than winnable and completely down to Raptor stupidity, particularly the Charlotte, Brooklyn, Miami and Golden State losses. As with most Raptor seasons, we always seem to have games stolen from us, yet never steal games from our opposition. Hopefully this is a trait that the team will develop with increasing maturity.
The trade was extremely necessary for the development of DeRozan, Valanciunas and Ross, and we picked up quite a nice prospect in Grievis Vasquez. Valanciunas, in particular, was not getting the opportunities to show his offensive capability; forget about developing for the future, Jonas is currently one of the two most talented offensive players for the Raptors, and if we're looking to win games giving him the ball is crucial. Vasquez's vision and tendency to play the pick and roll game will benefit Jonas.
Assuming we continue to chase wins, what this team needs to develop is extremely clear; a defensive identity, and an offense where the ball is shared around. Both these features have been much more apparent after the trade, especially in the most recent victory against Chicago, and with more time to develop on both ends post-Rudy, I can only see improvement for the Raptors.
PLAYER VOTES RECAP
So I've been giving the three best Raptors each game 3-2-1 votes to find my inaugural Raptor of the Year (extremely prestigious title, I know). After 22 games, the leaderboard is essentially what you would expect it to be.
33 votes- Demar DeRozan. I've loved Demar's development this season. I feel like he was on track to become the new Rudy Gay, but he's tightened up his shot selection and become an efficient scorer. Averaging 21.4 points on 44% shooting, Demar has become a true leader for the Raptors, taking (and making) big shots- not necessarily game-winning shots, but rather in situations where the team needs to stop the opposing teams momentum. Demar has stopped forcing on offense, and it's important without Rudy that this continues.
Tanking seems a silly option for the Raptors, as they need to make big changes to be even nearly bad enough to compete for the worst record. With so many teams getting in the hunt for Wiggins, Parker, Randle and co, I can't see how we will lose enough games, especially with the competetive nature of a number of our players (shout out to @therealphdsteve who suggested on the latest Rapcast that Tyler Hansbrough would "punch his Grandmother in the mouth in order to get a rebound"...)
While winning the Atlantic Division and playing playoff ball might result in a crushing series defeat, another season of losing consistently just doesn't appeal to me. Have we already lost faith in building the franchise around Jonas Valanciunas? How has that decision been reached when the ball has only been passed to him a couple of times in the first quarter each game...?
The direction of the team will become more clear in the coming weeks, as Ujiri potentially explores further trades. I am a big Kyle Lowry fan and hope he remains a Raptor, but a potential trade must be explored at this point due to his expiring contract and clear value. Again, this trade does not convince me that the team is tanking (trade Amir and then I might believe it..). The New York offer which seems to revolve around Felton, World Peace, Shumpert and Hardaway Jr. seems decent, as long as we can secure one of the two key prospects (Shump and Hardaway) and a draft pick.
Reviewing the Rudy Gay portion of the season (6-12) seems pointless at this stage, as the contrast between the two styles of team play is enormous. Let's not forget, however, that a number of the losses were more than winnable and completely down to Raptor stupidity, particularly the Charlotte, Brooklyn, Miami and Golden State losses. As with most Raptor seasons, we always seem to have games stolen from us, yet never steal games from our opposition. Hopefully this is a trait that the team will develop with increasing maturity.
The trade was extremely necessary for the development of DeRozan, Valanciunas and Ross, and we picked up quite a nice prospect in Grievis Vasquez. Valanciunas, in particular, was not getting the opportunities to show his offensive capability; forget about developing for the future, Jonas is currently one of the two most talented offensive players for the Raptors, and if we're looking to win games giving him the ball is crucial. Vasquez's vision and tendency to play the pick and roll game will benefit Jonas.
Assuming we continue to chase wins, what this team needs to develop is extremely clear; a defensive identity, and an offense where the ball is shared around. Both these features have been much more apparent after the trade, especially in the most recent victory against Chicago, and with more time to develop on both ends post-Rudy, I can only see improvement for the Raptors.
PLAYER VOTES RECAP
So I've been giving the three best Raptors each game 3-2-1 votes to find my inaugural Raptor of the Year (extremely prestigious title, I know). After 22 games, the leaderboard is essentially what you would expect it to be.
33 votes- Demar DeRozan. I've loved Demar's development this season. I feel like he was on track to become the new Rudy Gay, but he's tightened up his shot selection and become an efficient scorer. Averaging 21.4 points on 44% shooting, Demar has become a true leader for the Raptors, taking (and making) big shots- not necessarily game-winning shots, but rather in situations where the team needs to stop the opposing teams momentum. Demar has stopped forcing on offense, and it's important without Rudy that this continues.
24 votes- Kyle Lowry. Kyle is such a fun player and when he is on his game he has the ability to play a huge role for the team. Due to his expiring contract, I get the need to trade Lowry, but I think his influence on the team will be very much missed. 14.3 points, 6.9 assists at a 3 to 1 assist to turnover ratio, Lowry can be an important player on a contender team and I doubt a Ujiri-style salary dump trade for scraps would go down well with Raptor fans.
21 votes- Amir Johnson. Amir actually started the season quite slowly, but you always know what to expect from him; complete commitment and heart. The three-ball needs to go; yes, it's fun when the shot drops, but surely our offense can come up with better looks. The career night against the Lakers (32 points, 10 rebounds) was such a beautiful performance, and his ability to finish when he gets the ball in the paint is amazing. He will love playing the pick and roll with Grievis Vasquez.
17 votes- Jonas Valanciunas. Jonas can have invisible games and struggle on defense, but always shows flashes to remind us why he was a high draft pick, and why the franchise is seemingly being built around him. A lot more touches of the ball are available now Rudy has gone, and these need to involve Jonas. He's extremely talented offensively, but I do hope he diversifies a little; his post-up move does become a touch repetitive.
16 votes- Rudy Gay (traded)
11 votes- Tyler Hansbrough
6 votes- Terrence Ross
3 votes- Landry Fields
1 vote- Steve Novak
The Raptors host Charlotte next game before heading on a tricky Western Conference road trip before Christmas (Dallas, Oklahoma City and San Antonio). I hope the team continues to compete for the Atlantic Division and makes a playoff push; seriously fellow Raptor fans, do you honestly want to watch another season of losing? I watch basketball to see my team play hard and chase victories, and this Raptor roster has the ability to do just that.
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