Raptors Week Recap- Vets or Youth?

We've raced passed the halfway mark of the Toronto Raptors 2013-14 NBA campaign, and after a 2-2 week, the Raptors sit just two games in front of the resurgent Brooklyn Nets. This week saw a number of truly special individual performances from certain Raptors, yet left Raptors fans wanting more. It was another fun week of Raptors Ball, but a couple of things troubled me. Which leads me to a mini-rant...

VETERANS OVER PROSPECTS

If you've ever read any of my blogs before, then you'll likely know I'm a huge believer in Jonas Valanciunas as a key building block for this team's upcoming title run. He's a raw talent with all the potential in the world; offensively gifted, a solid defender (who is getting better with each game, despite clear flaws at times) and an active rebounder.  Dwane Casey's tendency to bench Jonas in favour of veteran big Chuck Hayes really worries me, especially when Hayes is given the responsibility of closing out games; maybe Chuck will play slightly better defense, but I'd like to see Jonas given the opportunity to learn and develop. 

To me, it seems like if Jonas' opponent scores a couple of early buckets, Casey gets it in his mind that Jonas is outmatched and refuses to trust him for the rest of the night. Jonas only playing 18 and 19 minutes, like he did against Charlotte and Philadelphia respectively, is, for me, not enough.

The same situation applies with Terrence Ross, who aside from his ridiculous outing against the Clippers, had a pretty quiet week. Terrence, who brings terrific energy on D, is being left out of late game situations in favour of veteran John Salmons, and backup guard Grievis Vasquez. Again, get him in there, Coach. You know what you're going to get from Salmons, sure; fundamentally sound play on both ends of the floor, but Terrence is more than capable of delivering what Salmons can, especially when given the experience the opportunity will bring.

The theory I'm throwing out there is this; Casey is, at least partly, ignoring what must surely be his goal moving forwards, to make stars out of Valanciunas and Ross, and instead chasing wins, in the hope that a 45 win season would bring him a new contract. Casey is much more content to put his faith in the hands of seasoned veterans like Hayes and Salmons over Valanciunas and Ross. Which I do understand completely, as winning is obviously just as important, but I just wish some sort of balance could be found between the two co-occurring goals. And just by the way, Coach Casey, look at the Dallas win; you threw Jonas in the game and said "bring it home for me, big fella", and look what he did- 5 points and 5 key rebounds down the stretch.



BOBCATS 100, RAPTORS 95

Not pretty. Not pretty at all. The Raps continued what is becoming a really worrying trend, dropping behind by a huge margin and relying on fourth quarter heroics to try and steal a victory, and in this game, it failed. Down 30 at one stage, Kyle Lowry missed a high-pressure free throw late in the fourth that would have tied the game, and the Raptors bid to set a new franchise-high comeback would fall just short.

The slow start? The Raptors' pick and roll defense was simply non-existent in the first quarter, with Charlotte able to establish their lead off of 8/12 shooting in the paint. While the defensive energy clearly lifted throughout the game, for which credit should go the bench unit of Patterson-Salmons-Hayes, I'm a bit sick of getting stuck in these 30-point holes. I love that we fight, and there is just no quit in this Raptor lineup right now, but let's work on our starts so as not to rely on unlikely comebacks.

3 votes- GRIEVIS VASQUEZ (15pts, 6/13FGs, 9asts, 7rebs, +23)
2 votes- CHUCK HAYES (12pts, 5/9FGs, 13rebs)
1 vote- KYLE LOWRY (21pts, 9/22FGs, 4asts, 4rebs)



RAPTORS 93, MAVERICKS 85

Demar's career night

This was a pretty impressive bounce-back game after the Charlotte loss, although, again, the Raps trailed big (21 points) early. This was Demar DeRozan's night, though, as he carried the Raptors back from the early hole, going 15/22 from the field for a career-high 40 points. Demar, who I've criticized recently for an over-reliance on the mid-range game, did still settle for a lot of those types of shots, but he was feeling it on this night. He also took the ball to the rim a heap (6/9 from the paint), and shot a stack of free throws. Kyle Lowry had a poor, yet forgivable night; 0/10 shooting, but let's not forget that he's been the catalyst behind this team's success. 

3 votes- DEMAR DEROZAN (40pts, 15/22FGs, 3rebs, 3asts)
2 votes- GRIEVIS VASQUEZ (17pts, 5/13FGs, 7asts)
1 vote- JONAS VALANCIUNAS (12pts, 3/6FGS, 10rebs) 



RAPTORS 104, SIXERS 95

Let's keep this brief. The Raptors won a game of basketball, that was mildly entertaining. Kyle Lowry took his one bad game so far this season pretty badly, clearly, and responded with a triple double. Demar dropped a less-efficient 34, but was influential nonetheless.

3 votes- KYLE LOWRY (18pts, 7/11FGs, 13asts, 10rebs)
2 votes- DEMAR DEROZAN (34pts, 10/22FGs, 9rebs)
1 vote- JOHN SALMONS (12pts, 5/7FGs)


CLIPPERS 126, RAPTORS 118

Terrence dropping 51

In a game where defense was totally inapparent, the Clippers and Raptors traded blow after blow, in a high-paced, entertaining thriller at the ACC. Terrence Ross was burning hot, and took over the Raptor offense, in a performance that closely resembled Carmelo Anthony's 62 point game the previous night. Ross ended up tying the Raptors' franchise record with 51 points. While this was one of the most special individual performances I've ever seen, I left this game with a real sense of disappointment; the Raptors had a chance to mark a young player's best game ever with a special win, but missed the opportunity off the back of a lack of defense. 

Was this Ross' coming of age? I hope so. I'm not getting carried away, but consider this; Terrence's career night showcased every skill he has to offer as an NBA pro. Elite long-range shooting, mad handles and pure athleticism. This 51 point night was everything clicking and going right; Terrence has a bag full of tricks which will be fine-tuned with time, and lead to him being a more-than-capable Pro for seasons to come.

3 votes- TERRENCE ROSS (51pts, 16/29FGs, 9rebs)
2 votes- JONAS VALANCIUNAS (17pts, 5/9FGs, 12rebs)
1 vote- KYLE LOWRY (11pts, 2/10FGs, 12asts, 4rebs)


NEXT WEEK- @BROOKLYN, ORLANDO, @DENVER, @PORTLAND. Hmmmm. 2-2? 3-1? 1-3? Brooklyn is a big, tough game but I think we can maybe pinch it. Orlando is an easy win. The next two are both very tough but we've made a habit of competing/beating good teams on the road. For the record, I'll predict 2-2.

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