Its_asdf's Raptors - Week 12 Recap + Gay Injury Update

[Vespasian92]

Ugh, Ross' FT% isn't pretty, and he doesn't seem to be giving much besides points. I might expect a little more from JV, but I guess he can't be force-fed with Gay, Derozan, and Lowry around.

[Its_asdf]

NBA.com December Stats

Standings - East


Standings - West


League Leaders

Points Per Game

1. L. James, Mia - 27.8
2. R. Westbrook, OKC - 25.3
3. J. Harden, Hou - 23.6
4. C. Anthony, NYK - 23.3
5. K. Durant, OKC - 23.2
6. B. Griffin, LAC - 22.8
7. K. Irving, Cle - 22.7
8. K. Love, Min - 22.5
9. S. Curry, SAS - 22.5
10. D. Nowitzki, Dal -22

Rebounds Per Game

1. B. Griffin, LAC - 12.4
2. K Love, Min - 11.6
3. M. Gortat, Pho - 11
4. A. Bynum, Cle - 10.5
5. P. Gasol, LAL - 10.2
6. D. Cousins, Sac - 10
7. D. Howard, Hou - 10
8. E. Okafor, Was - 9.8
9. D. Jordan, LAL - 9.8
10. C. Kaman, LAL - 9.7

Assists Per Game

1. R. Rubio, Min - 8.3
2. R. Rondo, Bos - 8.1
3. J. Nelson, Orl - 7.9
4. G. Vasquez, Sac - 7.4
5. D. Williams, Bkn - 7.4
6. T. Burke, Uta - 6.9
7. M. Conley, Mem - 6.9
8. S. Curry, GS - 6.9
9. R. Westbrook, OKC - 6.9
10. D. Rose, Chi - 6.8


Steals Per Game

1. E. Bledsoe, Pho - 2.5
2. C. Delfino, Mil - 2.3
3. R. Westbrook, OKC - 2.2
4. T. Lawson, Den - 2.2
5. C. Paul, LAC - 2.1
6. R. Rondo, Bos - 2
7. K. Walker, Cha - 2
8. M. Conley, Mem - 2
9. K. Leonard, SAS - 1.9
10. L. James, Mia - 1.9


Blocks Per Game

1. R. Hibbert, Ind - 2
2. S. Ibaka, OKC - 2
3. B. Lopez, BKN - 2
4. A. Bogut, GSW - 2
5. S. Dalembert, Dal - 1.8
6. D. jordan, LAC - 1.8
7. M. Gortat, Pho - 1.8
8. D. Howard, Hou - 1.7
9. A. Davis, NOP - 1.7
10. N. Noel, Phi - 1.6

Eastern Conference Player of the Month - Derrick Rose

MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3PT%	FT%
34.7	21.6	4.5	6.8	1.5	0.5	44%	26.5%	83.1%

Western Conference Player of the Month - Kevin Love

MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3PT%	FT%
37.1	22.5	11.6	3.5	0.9	1.3	46.5%	35.8%	86.6%

The Top 5


1. Trey Burke, Uta: 20.4 ppg, 3 rpg, 6.9 apg, 1.8 spg, 43.1% FG, 41.9% 3PT

2. C. Zeller, Cha: 12.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.9 bpg, 48.1% FG, 34.6% 3PT

3. B. McLemore, Sac: 12.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.8 spg, 45.1% FG, 36.9% 3PT (***ROOKIE OF THE MONTH***)

4. N. Noel, Phi: 12.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.6 bpg, 57.6% FG

5. V. Oladipo, Orl: 10.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.6 spg, 44.4% FG, 34.7% 3PT (***ROOKIE OF THE MONTH***)

Outside looking in: Otto Porter (Was), CJ McCollum (Por), Michael Carter-Williams (Tor)



Featured Rookie - Trey Burke



As the NBA becomes more and more of a point guard-centric league, it's no surprise that another point guard has been head and shoulders above the rest of the 2013 rookie draft class. Names like Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard and Derrick Rose are some of the more recent guards to come out and make an immediate impact on the league by winning Rookie of the Year. It might be time to add November's Rookie of the Month Trey Burke to that list.

Already two months into his NBA career, Trey Burke has been making 8 other General Managers look foolish for passing on him. Burke leads all first year players in points and assists by a landslide; no one really comes close to his incredible 20.4 points and 6.9 assists per game averages. The sophomore out of Michigan was touted as a fantastic floor general and a leader of his team, qualities that are rarely associated with 20 year old players who are just getting their feet wet in the NBA. It's these same leadership qualities in combination with Burke's veteran-like offensive arsenal which have given the Utah Jazz a potential cornerstone piece for their rebuilding franchise.

Not just a one dimensional player, Burke has been a surprisingly effective defender in his first two months of the NBA. Averaging 1.8 steals a night is a surprising number for Burke since many people believed that he would struggle in that area. This is simply another testament to his strong character and work ethic considering many NBA scouts were worried that he would struggle defensively at his size (6'1) in the NBA.

1. LeBron James, Mia: 27.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 5.6 apg, 1.9 spg, 1.2 bpg, 53.4% FG, 39.4% 3PT, 78.8% FT
Is this really a surprise to anyone anymore? LeBron continues to assert his dominance on the league and in these two months so far it looks like it's going to be his MVP to lose. The Heat currently hold the best record in the league and LeBron James is putting up his usual ridiculous stat-lines. There's not much to write about when it comes to LeBron; you expect great and you get great and this season is no different.


2. Blake Griffin, LAC: 23 ppg, 12.2 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.3 bpg, 53.7% FG, 67% FT
A new entry into the MVP talks is Blake Griffin. The Clippers are currently the team to beat out in the West and they had a lot of hype to live up to after all of the shuffling of players and coaches that they've made over the off-season. Griffin's numbers over these two months look like the numbers that he posted during his rookie year, except this time around he actually has a competent team around him and he's winning games. Griffin has vaulted himself into an MVP caliber player thus far and he has Doc Rivers to thank for that. Griffin's defensive numbers have been stellar through the month of November and December, and you can tell that a combination of Rivers' defensive philosophies and his re-dedication to that end of the floor have turned him into a really solid post defender.


3. S. Curry, GSW: 22.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 6.8 apg, 1.6 spg, 43.4% FG, 40.2% 3PT, 85.4% FT
If you look up his stats,Stephen Curry's numbers are identical if not a bit lower than his previous season. So why has made the jump into being one of the best players in the league? Well with the additions of a healthy Bogut, Andre Iguodala in combination with the internal growth of wing players Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes, there are a lot less opportunities for Curry to get hot and simply get buckets. What's been so amazing is that he is able to build off of what he did last season and essentially maintain his high level of play despite having all of these new options on the floor to share the basketball with. Their record isn't exactly the greatest in the West, but with how close the playoff races are every season in the Western conference you can always count on a few teams to make dramatic shifts in the standings by winning/losing a few games.


4. T. Duncan, SAS: 20.1 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.8 bpg, 47.3% FG, 79.4% FT
The Spurs are once again a top 3 team in the West currently. The Spurs are doing what they typically do by monitoring their aging players minutes, but Duncan doesn't seem to have let that limit his productivity on the floor. Had he not been forced to sit out a few games this season with dubious last minute "injuries" before games, we could very well see Duncan be in the top 10 in rebounding and blocked shots. Too bad he doesn't have enough games under his belt to qualify.


5. R. Westbrook, OKC: 25.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 6.9 apg, 2.2 spg, 48.6% FG, 32.5% 3PT, 77.4% FT
This will definitely be a point of contention between basketball fans everywhere. Westbrook is ahead of Durant in the MVP rankings? While it can probably swing either way between the two, Westbrook does seem to have the bigger impact on both ends of the floor so far this season. Westbrook also has a higher points per game average than Durant by a whopping 2 points (which is also second in the league behind James.) This hasn't been a surprise so far this season if you've watched the Thunder play; Durant has been deferring a lot more to Westbrook this year. Westbrook has finally cracked the 2 steals a game barrier as well and has shown a remarkable level of defensive intensity for a player who is relied so heavily to score for his team.

*DISCLAIMER: These are not my personal rankings, but rather the ones that were listed on 2k. I'm considering just scrapping these and making my own for the next MVP write-up.

[Its_asdf]

Just got a chance to check this out, solid stuff you got here man, love the report cards! Raptors are an intriguing team for sure, interested to see where you go with this roster. Keep it up!

Thanks man, I appreciate it. At this point in the season, things are pretty much in an awkward situation now where I'm sort of good enough to make the playoffs but at the same time I can easily just blow it all up and become a lottery team. There is also something interesting coming up soon that could throw a wrench in my plans as well.

Great read so far, you have a really awesome Dynasty going on. Lets see how the acquisition of Michael Carter-Williams turns out.

Thank you, Carter-Williams is a player that I liked in this year's draft, but at the same time I felt went a bit too high in the draft simply because he was one of the better point guards in the draft. I've always been a fan of big point guards though and he just needs a season or two to fine tune his jumper in order to become a productive NBA player. Funny story about actually trading for him though.... I was actually just fiddling around with different trade scenarios for my team and the Carter-Williams trade went through and I accidentally saved over my game file. So yeah, while I didn't exactly plan on getting him I'm not too unhappy about what happened.

Ugh, Ross' FT% isn't pretty, and he doesn't seem to be giving much besides points. I might expect a little more from JV, but I guess he can't be force-fed with Gay, Derozan, and Lowry around.

Yeah my timing with Ross' FTs are just terrible (you have to wait an extra second as he keeps the ball above his head for this weird pause before his follow through). It doesn't help that his free throw rating is also abysmal as well.

As for Val, yeah I too am a bit disappointed. I wanted him to average around 15-10 this season and hype him up like every other Raptor fan seems to be doing these days, but he's just not that good in the game ratings wise for me to consistently put up big numbers with. Then again, I'm not that surprised considering they're notorious for shafting the Raptors when it comes ratings.

[kibaxx7]

Looking strong. And DeMar is a big force while Lowry needs to be consistent. Will check more often!

[Its_asdf]

News Around the NBA


Lakers Re-Sign Kobe and Gasol to 1 Year Deals


To all those who were wondering what the Lakers were planning to do with Kobe Bryant's expiring deal next season, they've finally gotten their answer. Both Bryant and Pau Gasol have elected to re-sign with the Lakers for one more year to get one more shot at competing for an NBA title. Sources indicate that Bryant has signed for $15.43 million and Gasol for $8.27 million. Bryant, who was initially reported to be hesitant to take a pay cut to stay with the Lakers, has signed for almost half of the $30 million that he will make this season. Gasol is also in a similar situation as he took an $11 million dollar pay cut to stay with Los Angeles. This would also signify that after this season that the Lakers are still committed to keeping the core duo that helped them win back to back titles back in 2009 and 2010.

After recovering from an achilles injury, Bryant continues to not have age slow down his production as he is currently putting up 21.4 points per game, 5.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game as the Lakers' leading scorer. Gasol's numbers on the other hand have fallen off significantly, averaging only 10.2 points per game but has maintained a 10.2 rebound and 1.4 block average. This is most likely a result of Mike D'Antoni's offensive system favouring Chris Kaman over Gasol, as Kaman has taken over as the Lakers' second leading scorer and rebounder with 16.1 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game.

Nuggets and Pelicans Swap Bigs - Randolph and 2nd Rounder for Smith


The Nuggets continue have shown that they are not done re-tooling their roster after previously dealing away Andre Miller and Timofey Mozgov. This time it's Anthony Randolph and a second round pick that's leaving Denver in return for New Orleans Pelicans bench player Jason Smith. Randolph has been averaging 4.1 points per game and 3.9 rebounds off the bench for Denver this year while Smith averages 7.5 points and 4.7 rebounds backing up Anthony Davis.

The Pelicans are currently dead-last in the league and looked to shake up their roster in what looks like another lottery bound season. Smith, while currently more productive than Randolph, is two years older and does not show as much promise as the former Nuggets forward. The jury is still out as to whether or not Randolph can live up to his once tantalizing potential though, where as Smith is exactly what the Nuggets needed - A 7 footer who can give some relief to their small starting front court of Kenneth Faried and JJ Hickson. This move seems to have signified that the Pelicans have given up on the season and simply wish to stockpile picks and young talent and hope for another shot at a high lottery pick again this year.

Nuggets Grade: A-
Pelicans Grade: C


Mike Malone Fired as Kings Head Coach, Replaced by Monty Sandford


Mike Malone is officially the first NBA coach to pack his bags this season as the Sacramento Kings have announced today that they have parted ways with Kings coach Mike Malone. Malone was only in his first season with the organization. He will be replaced by interim coach and former assistant Monty Sandford for the time being.

The Kings actually started off the season with a lot of promise, going 9-6 for the month of November before going 4-13 during December. Rumours have spread that Malone, who was brought in as a defense-first coach, was already having his players tune him out during practices after suffering multiple lengthy losing streaks. Veterans Isiah Thomas, Jason Thompson and John Salmons also voiced their displeasure with Malone's rotations and were not pleased with the current amount of playing time they were receiving.

[Its_asdf]

Looking strong. And DeMar is a big force while Lowry needs to be consistent. Will check more often!

Yeah DeMar has been pretty good for me so far. He's really solid from mid range, gets to the line a ton, and can hit the occasional three pointer to keep driving lanes open. I'm hoping that he can replicate that success with the Raptors in real life as well. He looks a lot more confident using post moves and using the dribble to weave through traffic from what I saw in the pre-season.

[Radioman]

D. Rose and the Bulls are back in shape. I am surprised by the76ers which is supposed to be a 70 loss team.

I hope you can sneak into the playoffs, but either the 8th or 7th seed will be a very tough first round for you.

[Valor]

Absolute steal by Denver, and great seeing my Bulls do well

[Its_asdf]

Denver Shopping Mcgee and Chandler
Nuggets Might Pursue Another Trade Before Deadline


Javale McGee and Wilson Chandler are making a combined $17 million this season but only play an aggregate of 31.8 minutes a night.

Jan 12, 2014

Despite their fantastic 21-12 record, there is apparently some dissent brewing in the Mile-High City. Rumours indicate that Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee and forward Wilson Chandler are names that are being made available to the highest bidder. The Nuggets have already earned the title of the most trigger-happy team to trade with this season, acquiring Jason Terry, Matt Bonner and Jason Smith all through seperate deals with different teams.

This comes as no surprise to anyone considering the fact that McGee and Chandler are reportedly unhappy with their current roles. McGee, and Chandler both signed big deals with Denver during 2012 but have been buried in the Nuggets' depth chart this season. McGee only averages 17.6 minutes per game and Chandler 13.2 minutes per game, both career lows since their rookie seasons. McGee currently averages 8.1 points and 4.1 rebounds off the bench and Chandler averages 5.7 points and 2.1 rebounds.

Denver has enjoyed success this year by playing an up-tempo style with their small frontcourt lineup of JJ Hickson, Kenneth Faried and Danilo Gallinari. Nuggets coach Brian Shaw has favoured using Hickson, Faried and Jason Smith for the majority of the minutes in the front court. Many believe that McGee has fallen out of Shaw's rotation because he lacks the basketball IQ necessary to play in Shaw's system. Shaw runs an offensive system that requires his big men to read and adapt to opposing defenses and McGee has had trouble being a consistent option for Shaw.

Chandler on the the other hand has fallen out of favour with the Nuggets mainly due to the ascension of Gallinari. Gallinari has established himself as the Nuggets leading scorer and all-around playmaker this season, averaging a team-high 19.4 points to go along with 6.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Intitially planned to play some 2 guard as well, Chandler lost the majority of his minutes to quicker and more agile guards like Randy Foye, Jason Terry and Evan Fournier. Simply put, the Nuggets' depth at the forward position has left Chandler as the odd man out.

"It's pretty ridiculous to say the least," said Chris Lucey, Wilson Chandler's agent. Lucey has admitted that Chandler had initially chosen to sign with Denver because he was told that he would be given more of an opportunity to prove himself. "After management (Masai Ujiri) and coaching (George Karl) had jumped ship no one seems to care about him here anymore. He can play just as well as any of the other guys who get more playing time than he does."

When asked about his reduced role on the team and his agent's recent outburst, Chandler would not outright confirm that he had asked for a trade. "Look, my agent is just trying to look out for me," he said to the media after practice. "As a competitor who is still pretty young, I don't think that I am being put in a position to showcase what I can do, which is tough on me mentally." McGee, on the other hand, was a bit less poltiical when answering questions regarding his current situation. "It's pretty obvious they don't want me here, otherwise they wouldn't have brought in all of these damn big men and play them in front of me," seethed McGee.

There have been whispers around the league that the Nuggets' front office has had extended conversations with a few teams with regards to these two players. Boston has been rumoured to be highly interested in obtaining McGee as they want more length and athleticism next to Jared Sullinger in the front court. Sources also say that Toronto has been inquiring on dealing for Chandler, which comes as no surprise since Masai Ujiri is now the Raptors General Manager. Ujiri was the one who traded Chandler to Denver from New York in the first place when he was still the General Manager for the Nuggets.

Headlines Around the NBA:
-Wizards have "given up" on developing Jan Vesely; Willing to part ways with him
-Blazers GM Olshey says Aldridge off-limits in trade talks; wants to salvage season to keep Aldridge happy
-Pelicans coach Monty Williams in the hot seat, might be next coach to get fired
-Brandan Wright on re-signing with Dallas: "I didn't expect to lose this many games when I chose to come here."

[Its_asdf]

D. Rose and the Bulls are back in shape. I am surprised by the76ers which is supposed to be a 70 loss team.

I hope you can sneak into the playoffs, but either the 8th or 7th seed will be a very tough first round for you.

The Sixers are insanely good in this game for some reason. Evan Turner and Delonte West (they picked him up at the start of the season) compliment each other really well and Noel has been really good defensively in this Association.

Yeah there are a lot of teams clawing for playoff positioning at around the 6-8th spot. I was really surprised to see Brooklyn among those teams scrapping it out though.

Absolute steal by Denver, and great seeing my Bulls do well

Yeah the Bulls are looking really good. They have so much length defensively they are the only team I've played against where I struggle to get buckets with. Even tried cheesing Rudy Gay a little and I barely won (Rose dropped 40 that game).

[Its_asdf]

Toronto Make it Three Straight Against Indiana
115 (17-16) vs 105 (17-17)

Tor: 28|29|22|36
Ind: 28|19|26|32



2014/01/07

Last week the Pacers were embarassed by the Raptors 113-86 on New Years Day. The Raptors continued the trend by remaining undefeated against Indiana this season. The Pacers did manage to make the game slightly more competitive this time around, but poor defense during the second and fourth quarters managed to let the Raptors once again run away with a victory.

The usual suspects were in play for the Raptors, as the trio of Gay, DeRozan and Lowry led the Raptors in scoring. Indiana's own trio of George Hill, David West and Danny Granger served as Indiana's answer, but it was the Pacer's bench that could not match up with Toronto's. Roy Hibbert was a no-show yet again this game with another quiet 10 point 6 rebound performance. The Raptors outscored the Indiana bench 26-15 with Spencer Hawes leading all bench scorers with 12 points.

KEY PERFORMERS:

Raptors:
R. Gay: 27 pts, 8 rebs, 1 ast, 11/19 FG
D. DeRozan: 21 pts, 5 rebs, 4 asts, 7/11 FG 7/8 FT
K. Lowry: 17 pts, 4 rebs, 13 asts, 2 stls, 5/12 FG ***(PLAYER OF THE GAME)***
S. Hawes: 12 pts, 7 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl, 6/10 FG

Pacers
G. Hill: 25 pts, 2 rebs, 11 asts, 10/21 FG, 4/5 3PT
D. Granger: 21 pts, 6 rebs, 5 asts, 3 stls, 9/18 FG
D. West: 18 pts, 9 rebs, 6 asts, 5/12 FG, 8/9 FT
P. George: 16 pts, 7 rebs, 4 asts, 5 stls, 8/17 FG

Week 11 Featured Game: Raptors Lose DeRozan in Second Consecutive Double-Digit Victory

78 (19-17) vs 102 (18-16)

Det: 24|19|18|17
Tor: 31|24|25|22



DeMar DeRozan was throwing down some impressive dunks before he landed awkwardly on his back.

2014/01/08

This was an important game for both teams as both the Detroit Pistons and the Toronto Raptors are currently jostling for playoff positioning. However, it appears that only the Raptors were the ones who showed up to play. After tonight's game, the Raptors and the Pistons are both two games above .500 in a very tight playoff race in the East. "It was a huge win for us mentally," said Rudy Gay. "We've shown that we can beat playoff teams and this game was big not only for the standings, but to show that we can still fill it up after a back-to-back."

Toronto did not look like they were coming off a back-to-back as their quick strike offense was once again in full effect. "This was a pathetic showing on our part," lamented Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks. "They were coming off of a back-to-back and they beat us in almost every facet of the game. You can't let a tired team just run over you like that for every quarter. We kept expecting them to miss jumpers because they were tired but that's just a bad mindset to have going into a game."

It's no secret that the Pistons are incredibly limited from the perimeter. The Raptors managed to play a tight zone defence all game long, forcing the Pistons to take contested long jumpers. The end result was a dismal 39% shooting night for Detroit. "I think they got away with a lot of stuff that the refs didn't see out there," said Josh Smith. Smith, who was the Pistons' big free agent acquisition, finished with 5 turnovers, 6 fouls and made only 5 of his 18 shot attempts. "Anytime I tried to go inside they just swarmed me and I got hacked more times than I can count."

Smith's frustration managed to boil over in the 11:28 mark of the fourth quarter when he elbowed Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan in the lower back. DeRozan, who was going up for a dunk in transition, landed awkwardly on his backside after completing the dunk and had to be helped up by his teammates to the bench. Smith received a his sixth foul which was a flagrant 2 and was promptly ejected from the game. "It wasn't on purpose, I was trying to go for the ball but I jumped a little too late," Smith explained.

KEY PERFORMERS:

Pistons
B. Jennings: 24 pts, 2 rebs, 2 asts, 9/21 FG
J. Smith: 12 pts, 8 rebs, 5 TOs, 5/18 FG
K. Singler: 12 pts, 3 rebs, 2 asts, 4/6 FG
G. Monroe: 7 pts, 14 rebs, 2/6 FG

Raptors:
R. Gay: 27 pts, 4 rebs, 3 asts, 2 stls, 1 blk, 9/18 FG, 8/8 FT ***(PLAYER OF THE GAME)***
K. Lowry: 20 pts, 6 rebs, 7 asts, 8/14 FG, 3/7 3 PT
D. DeRozan: 18 pts, 7 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls, 6/16 FG
J. Valanciunas: 16 pts, 6 rebs, 2 blks, 7/9 FG

Brooklyn Wins Scrappy Affair Against DeRozan-less Raptors

89 (19-18) vs 79 (18-17)

Bkn: 23|21|26|19
Tor: 18|15|19|27


2014/01/11

The Toronto Raptors looked completely out of sync in their first game without their starting shooting guard. The Raptors average about 100 points per game offensively and their 79 point outing showed that they were missing DeRozan's usual 19 points per game. The struggling Brooklyn Nets did not have a fantastic offensive outing either. The Nets scored just 89 points but managed to get well balanced offence from their starters as all of them contributed points in the double-digits.

Without a secondary offensive option on the court, the Raptors managed to get sophomore centre Jonas Valanciunas to fill in for DeRozan's absence. The center finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds and looked dominant against Brooklyn's All-Star centre Brook Lopez. Unfortunately, no one else was able to step up on the Raptors. Leading scorer Rudy Gay looked like he missed DeRozan the most as he scored 24 points but only made 9 of 22 shots and finished with 5 turnovers as the Nets double teamed him on almost every possession.

KEY PERFORMERS:

Nets
J. Johnson: 17 pts, 5 rebs, 6 asts, 5/12 FG, 3/6 3PT ***(PLAYER OF THE GAME)***
P. Pierce: 15 pts, 4 rebs, 4 stls, 5/10 FG
K. Garnett: 14 pts, 8 rebs, 4/7 FG
D. Williams: 12 pts, 6 rebs, 7 asts, 3 stls, 3/8 FG

Raptors:
R. Gay: 24 pts, 5 rebs, 2 asts, 5 TOs, 9/22 FG, 2/7 3PT
J. Valanciunas: 16 pts, 11 rebs, 3 asts, 8/13 FG
K. Lowry: 10 pts, 4 rebs, 7 asts, 3/10 FG
S. Hawes: 8 pts, 8 rebs, 2 asts, 4/9 FG

RAPTOR OF THE WEEK:


Rudy Gay
26 ppg
5.6 rpg
2 apg
1.3 spg
1 bpg
59% FG
28% 3PT
94% FT
*note: averages are for the week, not over the entire season.

Rudy continues to light it up for Toronto and has led the Raptors in scoring for two weeks in a row. Gay struggled from three this week but was razor sharp from the free throw line and even had 17 trips to the charity stripe, so you know that he is fine tuning is offensive aggressiveness to play closer to the basket. However, Gay's scoring prowess will be put to the test next week as it is looking more and more unlikely that his wing partner DeMar DeRozan will be coming back to the lineup any time soon.

Next Week's Games

[Wyze]

Tough loss to the Nets, although the margin isn't all that bad, all things considered. Nice to see how efficicent Gay is playing - completely oposite of his real life counterpart.

[Martti.]

Maintain this level of play and the Playoffs are a reality. Gay had a very strong week. He reminds of the Simmons-Rose NBA previews, where they shopped him to every team almost. I feel that's not on your radar?

[Its_asdf]

News Around the NBA


Celtics Land Ilyasova for Bass and 2nd Rounder


What can only be described a a temporary bout of insanity by Milwaukee Bucks General Manager John Hammond resulted in the Bucks shipping away their second leading scorer, Ersan Ilyasova. The forward from Turkey was shipped away to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Brandon Bass and a second round pick in the 2014 draft.

From a basketball standpoint, this trade makes absolutely no sense for the Bucks. Ilyasova is currently garnering all-star considerations with averaging 17.5 points a night along with 8.9 rebounds and shoots a league leading 48.8% from the three. On the other hand, Bass this season has looked and produced like a role player this season, averaging 6 points, 4.3 rebounds in just 17 minutes a night for Boston. With that being said, there is almost no benefit for the Bucks in doing this trade. Danny Ainge absolutely fleeced Milwaukee of one of its promising players.

Celtics Grade: A
Bucks Grade: F

Nets Send Blatch to Portland for Terrel Harris and a 2nd Rounder


The underacheiving Brooklyn Nets have decided to ship away disgruntled back-up forward/centre Andray Blatche to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Terrel Harris and a 2014 Second Rounder. Blatche, who averages only 15.4 minutes per game off the bench, averaged 8.1 points per game and 4 rebounds per game while shooting 50% from the field. The Nets felt that while Blatche was an effective role player, he was not a good "organizational fit". Rumours indicate that he wanted a bigger role on the team and was "not having a positive influence on the Nets locker room," according to Nets coach Jason Kidd.

The Blazers on the other hand add another big man on to their roster that already comprises of a big man rotation of LaMarcus Aldridge, Robin Lopez and Thomas Robinson. It is difficult to foresee how Blatche will receive a bigger role in Portland unless he outplays Lopez or Robinson. Blatche however does possess superior offensive skills in comparison to the aforementioned competition and would be a very strong complimentary player to Aldridge as both players can play on the inside and the outside.

Portland currently sits at 17-20 and just outside the playoff picture in the West. Blazers GM Nick Olshey has also recently come out to quell any LaMarcus Aldridge trade rumours and stated that he wishes to continue to try to keep Aldridge in Portland by making a strong push for the playoffs. This could be considered a high risk, high reward move by the Blazers if Blatche is able to finally harness his talent and keep his troubled attitude in check.

Nets Grade: C
Blazers Grade: C+


Suns Send Beasley and Oriakhi to the Pelicans in Exchange for Aminu and Rivers


With nothing else to lose, the struggling New Orleans Pelicans continue to roll the dice on talent with big question marks. Currently sitting at a 10-27 record and the second worst record in the league, the Pelicans have traded away Austin Rivers and Al-Farouq Aminu to the Phoenix Suns for Michael Beasley and Alex Oriakhi. Beasley, who has been marred by off-court problems during his tenure with the Suns, is averaging 9.3 points per game off the bench after going second overall in the 2008 NBA draft. Oriakhi has yet to play a game for the Suns.

The Suns, on the other hand, are three games away from .500 basketball (17-20). By acquiring Aminu and Rivers, they hope to make a playoff push while acquiring former lottery picks with only a combined four seasons of NBA experience. In Aminu, they acquire a strong defensive and rebounding presence at the forward position as he averaged 7.2 points per game and 4.2 rebounds off the bench for New Orleans. The sophomore Austin Rivers averages 2.5 points per game and has struggled to find playing time behind the Pelican's trio of Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon and Jrue Holiday.

Suns Grade: B+
Pelicans Grade: C-

DeRozan Expected to Miss 1 and a Half Weeks with Lower Back Sprain


After hurting his back in a blow-out victory against the Detroit Pistons, the Raptors medical staff have reported that DeMar DeRozan will miss approximately one and a half weeks with an injured back. "This will be huge," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. "DeMar means a lot to our offense and he's been a very consistent player for us this year. I think this injury will really test our depth."

DeRozan has been incredibly durable ever since he was drafted ninth overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. The 6'7 swingman has only missed a total of 8 games during his 5 seasons in the league. "I've never had to deal with something like this before to be honest," said DeRozan over the phone. "You don't realize how almost all of your movements are related to your back. It's driving me crazy that all I can really do right now is lie on my bed and rest."

It is expected that Dwane Casey will start sophomore guard Terrence Ross in place of DeRozan until he recovers.

[Its_asdf]

Tough loss to the Nets, although the margin isn't all that bad, all things considered. Nice to see how efficicent Gay is playing - completely oposite of his real life counterpart.

Yeah, he absolutely does not miss lay-ups (which makes me laugh as that's the complete opposite of how he is) and he's a really effective post up player when he gets smaller forwards in the paint. His three was super easy as well, but I've forgotten his release point which has led to his recent shooting slump from downtown.

Maintain this level of play and the Playoffs are a reality. Gay had a very strong week. He reminds of the Simmons-Rose NBA previews, where they shopped him to every team almost. I feel that's not on your radar?

Ah, yes. Clairvoyant Its_asdf however feels that something is brewing in Raptorland.... It may shake up the Raptors roster for the rest of the season.

[Radioman]

What a bad decision by the Bucks.

[Valor]

Tough loss but at least you're above .500, like Martti said, Playoffs are not a stretch

[Its_asdf]

Pitching in for DeMar
Raptors Hoping Back-Ups Can Compensate for Injured DeRozan



Don't expect Michael Carter-Williams and Terrence Ross to be playing together all that much since they will both spend time manning the two guard position.


Published on Jan 12, 2014

DeMar DeRozan has been an integral piece for the Toronto Raptors this year, making the leap into being a deadly all-around secondary wing scorer alongside Rudy Gay. Now that he's out of the lineup with a back injury for at least one or two weeks, it's up to Raptor guards Terrence Ross and Michael Carter-Williams to step up in his absence. Let's not kid ourselves though, these will be big shoes to fill for guards that are only in their second and first years in the league.

DeRozan's impact this year has been somewhat surprising. The 24 year old guard has averaged career highs in points (19.1), rebounds (4.4) and assists (3.8) this season. It's not the scoring that Raptors coach Dwane Casey is worried about, but it's DeRozan's newly improved three point shooting and passing that will be sorely missed. "He helps space the floor pretty well for our other players because he can hit the shot, take it to the basket or he can keep the ball moving with his passing," Casey said. "The type of role that DeMar plays in the offense is huge and I don't expect our young guys to replicate his role perfectly."

The young guys that Casey in particular has in mind are Ross and Carter-Williams. Both Ross and Carter-Williams are seemingly polar opposites in terms of playstyle. Coincidentally, if you combine the skill-set of these two players you can get something that is similar to DeRozan. Ross is an athletic gunner who has one goal when he enters the game - Shooting the basketball. Carter-Williams on the other hand is a lanky playmaker who tries to get others involved and is not really considered a threat to take the offence into his own hands. The one thing they both have in common is that they can both fade in and out of games, which isn't that rare for young players still adjusting to the rigors of the NBA.

It will be highly likely that Ross will get the go-ahead to start in the absence of DeRozan and that Carter-Williams will be the first guard off the bench. While Carter-Williams is considered more of a big point guard than an actual shooting guard, the rookie out of Syracuse does have a bit of experience as a 2 guard as he has been sporadically played minutes alongside Kyle Lowry. "It's a bit of an adjustment for me because I'm so used to having the ball in my hands and setting up plays for others," admits Carter-Williams after the Raptors first practice without DeRozan. "Coach (Casey) has been trying to get me to look for my shot more now that I'll be playing the two more off the bench."

These two young guards will have to get adjusted to their bigger roles quickly though. The Raptors' upcoming schedule for the next few weeks includes opponents such as Milwaukee, Boston Minnesota and the Lakers. While not exactly top tier teams in the West and the East, all four of those teams are in a similar situation to the Raptors in the sense that they're all fighting for spots in the playoffs. "Winning or losing these games can be huge," said Casey. "These are the guys that are under the pressure to make the playoffs just like us, so they'll be extra motivated to knock us down a peg in the standings."

[Its_asdf]

What a bad decision by the Bucks.

Yep, it was just one of those trades where I desperately tried to find a silver lining for.... Couldn't think of anything at all. Just an absolutely classic CPU trade that makes zero sense.

Tough loss but at least you're above .500, like Martti said, Playoffs are not a stretch

Yeah, the playoff race is starting to get really tight, not just for the East, but the West as well. The Suns, Blazers and Lakers are all jockeying for playoff positions at this point. Maybe closer to the all-star weekend I will give a cumulative NBA power ranking that kind of paints a better picture of what's been happening to the 29 teams in the league.

[Valor]

Good little article, but you're only losing him for a week or so anyways so shouldn't have that much of an effect on you record wise

[Martti.]

Ross can fill in for DeRozan just fine, in 2K I find them very similar, in reality DeRozan is much better of course. MCW probably won't enjoy the success he's having IRL, but a boost in minutes is nice for him.

[Its_asdf]

Mayo's Season High 36 Carries Bucks
107 (18-19) vs 91 (18-18)

Mil: 31|26|32|18
Tor: 28|29|17|17



2014/01/14

It was the O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay show at the Air Canada Centre. Gay and Mayo, who scored 29 and 36 points, were former teammates in Memphis and they are now currently the leading scorers on their respective teams.The only difference is, Mayo was the one who got more help from his teammates. The Bucks bench outproduced the Raptors' 28-16, with back-up point guard Luke Ridnour dishing out 10 assists off the bench.

The Bucks managed to beat the Raptors at their own up tempo style of play. Gay, who played 22 out of 24 minutes by halftime, took a prolonged break in the third quarter and the Raptors offense stagnanted. A 11-2 run sparked by 3 consecutive John Henson baskets let Milwaukee run away with the game shortly afterwards. Henson started in place of the injured Larry Sanders, who broke his finger a week ago. Henson delivered some much needed offensive punch to the Bucks lineup, scoring 20 points to go along with 9 rebounds.

KEY PERFORMERS:

Bucks:
O.J. Mayo: 36 pts, 6 rebs, 4 asts, 15/22 FG, 4/7 3PT ***(PLAYER OF THE GAME)***
J. Henson: 20 pts, 9 rebs, 3 asts, 8/14 FG
G. Neal: 9 pts, 5 rebs, 4/11 FG
B. Bass: 8 pts, 11 rebs, 4 asts, 4/7 FG

Raptors:
R. Gay: 29 pts, 5 rebs, 1 ast, 12/22 FG
J. Valanciunas: 14 pts, 9 rebs, 3 asts, 4 blks, 6/14 FG
A.Johnson: 13 pts, 11 rebs, 2 blks, 6/9 FG
K. Lowry: 9 pts, 8 rebs, 9 asts, 6 stls

Raptors Drop Third Straight After Jeff Green Game Winner

83 (18-19) vs 84 (18-22)

Tor: 22|14|21|26
Bos: 19|22|15|28



2014/01/15

The Raptors continue to be winless with their starting two guard DeMar DeRozan still sidelined with a back injury. However, unike the past two games, the Raptors managed to make it a competitive game until a last minute slip up in the fourth quarter.

The Raptors were forced to play into the Boston Celtics' slow, grind-it-out pace. Boston managed to establish their tempo by attacking the paint all game long and getting to the foul line 33 times. The Raptors answered with inside scoring of their own, relying on post ups from Jonas Valanciunas and Rudy Gay for the bulk of their offence. The game was neck-in-neck and the Raptors were up 83-82 with 17.8 seconds on the clock, but Kyle Lowry had a pass picked off Jeff Green by the three point line. Green went coast to coast for a swooping finger roll in transition to put the Celtics up by 1. Valanciunas, who finished with a game high 20 points, missed a sweeping hook in the lane to reclaim the lead as the buzzer sounded.

Lowry clearly looks like he misses DeRozan's secondary ball handling and playmaking ability as he was hounded by Boston's defensive backcourt of Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo all night. Lowry finished the game with only 1 assist and 2 turnovers. He wasn't the only one who was having troubles though. the Raptors as a team finished with 20 turnovers; 12 of which came from Valanciunas and Rudy Gay alone.

KEY PERFORMERS:

Raptors:
J. Valanciunas: 20 pts, 7 rebs, 5 TOs, 10/20 FG
R. Gay: 19 pts, 6 rebs, 2 asts, 6 stls, 7 TOs, 7/14 FG
T. Hansbrough: 10 pts, 3 rebs, 4/4 FG
K. Lowry: 10 pts, 8 rebs, 1 ast, 3/9 FG

Celtics:
R. Rondo: 18 pts, 4 rebs, 5 asts, 2 stls, 7/11 FG ***(PLAYER OF THE GAME)***
K. Humphries: 15 pts, 9 rebs, 4/7 FG, 7/10 FT
J. Green: 13 pts, 5 rebs, 4/14 FG
J. Sullinger: 7 pts, 9 rebs, 1 ast, 3/5 FG

Week 12 Featured Game: Love 3 Pointer and Gay Injury Leave Raptors Losers of 4 Straight

104 (23-17) vs 101 (18-20)

Min: 23|21|26|19
Tor: 18|15|19|27



Kevin Love proved why he was the Western Conference Player of the Month back in December with this buzzer beater.

2014/01/17

Kevin Love shot only 1/7 from beyond the arc this game, but he made his only three pointer when it mattered most. With the game tied at 101 in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, Love buried a three pointer at the left of the arc to hand the Raptors their fourth consecutive loss. This also marks the second consecutive game in a row where the Raptors were on the receiving end of a buzzer beater.

Love, who only shot 6 of 17 from the field for the game, set a screen for Ricky Rubio at the top of the key and backpedalled towards the three point line with 2.2 seconds remaining. A slow rotation to the perimeter resulted in a clear shot for Love who buried the game winner. "I wasn't worried about shooting the last shot because I felt like I was doing all of the little things right throughout the game," said Love. the Western Conference December Player of the Month struggled from the field, but Love's versatility was put on full display tonight. Love managed to fill the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals. "I was having a good game but my offense wasn't there. All I had to do was keep shooting and I knew I would eventually start making them when they mattered most."

"That was a terrible lapse to have defensively on the court," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. "Love was having a bad shooting night but that's no excuse to just leave him wide open like that."

Toronto, who already is dealing with an injured DeMar DeRozan, also received troubling news when their leading scorer Rudy Gay collided with Wolves forward Chase Budinger on a drive to the rim and appeared to injure his knee. Gay had to be lifted off the court by his teammates during the fourth quarter as the Raptors were mounting a comeback from an 18 point deficit.

"Having Rudy hurt is probably the last thing that we need right now," said Kyle Lowry after the game. "I've never seen him in that much pain and unable to pick himself up before."

Toronto managed to dig themselves into a 15 point hole after the second quarter, mainly due to the inside-outside tandem of Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Martin. It took until the fourth quarter for the Raptors to wake up. Thanks to pesky perimeter defense from Michael Carter-Wiilliams, the Raptors were able to slow Martin down significantly. This would propel the Raptors to a 19-4 run in the final stretch of the fourth quarter before Love sank his game-winning three pointer.

Carter-Williams had his best offensive outing for the Raptors with 15 points and 6 assists. Carter-Williams, who got extra playing time due to DeRozan's injury, received even more minutes due to Gay's injury. "Their young guys look good out there," praised Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman. "He (Carter-Williams) and Valanciunas really carried them tonight in the fourth. In a few years those two will be very good NBA players."

KEY PERFORMERS:

Timberwolves:
K. Martin: 20 pts, 2 rebs, 7/16 FG, 5/10 3PT
N. Pekovic: 18 pts, 11 rebs, 7/10 FG ***(PLAYER OF THE GAME)***
K. Love: 13 pts, 10 pts, 8 asts, 2 stls, 6/17 FG, 1/7 3PT
C. Budinger: 10 pts, 3 rebs, 1 ast, 3/3 FG

Raptors:
J. Valanciunas: 23 pts, 7 rebs, 2 asts, 2 blks, 9/13 FG
R. Gay: 17 pts, 4 rebs, 2 blks, 5 TOs, 6/15 FG
M. Carter-Williams: 15 pts, 1 rebs, 6 asts, 7/10 FG
K. Lowry: 13 pts, 9 rebs, 5 asts, 6/13 FG

Raptors Survive 33 Point Bryant Barrage to Snap Losing Skid
89 (19-22) vs 93 (19-20)

LAL: 25|20|29|15
Tor: 27|23|23|20



2014/01/19

A pair of monstrous 20 and 10 double-doubles from Jonas Valanciunas and Kyle Lowry managed to stop the bleeding of the Toronto Raptors - For now. Toronto managed to take a small lead from the opening tip and never relinquished it over the Los Angeles Lakers. Even with Kobe Bryant entering "Black Mamba mode" in the fourth quarter, the Raptors played just enough defense to squeak out a 4 point victory. The Raptors managed to snap their 4 game losing streak and managed to do so without their top 2 leading scorers, DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay.

Bryant led all scorers with 33 points and scored 10 of the 15 Laker points in the final 12 minutes of the game. Valanciunas and Lowry managed to score 28 and 20 points to serve as the leading scorers for the Raptors. A steady dose of Lowry-Valanciunas pick and rolls throughout the game was the main component as to why the Raptors carved up the Lakers for 52 points in the paint.

While the Raptors were efficient on offense and took care of business on defence (limiting the Lakers to only 37% from the field), the inability to take care of the basketball once again helped keep their opponent in the game. The Raptors had 24 turnovers, 13 of which came from their top three leading scorers for the game (Valanciunas, Lowry and Ross).

KEY PERFORMERS:

Lakers:
K. Bryant: 33 pts, 5 rebs, 2 asts, 6 stls, 11/20 FG, 9/10 FT
P. Gasol: 16 pts, 4 rebs, 3 asts, 5/14 FG
N. Young: 15 pts, 2 rebs, 2 asts, 5/13 FG
J. Meeks: 8 pts, 2 rebs, 3/7 FG

Raptors:
J. Valanciunas: 28 pts, 13 rebs, 11/28 FG, 4 TOs
K. Lowry: 20 pts, 10 rebs, 4 asts, 3 stls, 9/17 FG, 5 TOs
T. Ross: 14 pts, 3 rebs, 5 asts, 5/7 FG, 3/4 3PT, 4 TOs
M. Carter-Williams: 11 pts, 3 rebs, 2 asts, 3/5 FG

RAPTOR OF THE WEEK:


Jonas Valanciunas
21.3 ppg
9 rpg
1.5 apg
1.8 bpg
50% FG
81% FT
*note: averages are for the week, not over the entire season.

The beast has finally been unleashed! While many people expected Terrence Ross to step it up in the absence of DeMar DeRozan, it's been the second year Lithuanian that has been a pleasant surprise for Toronto. Valanciunas has been scoring 20 points or more the past 3 games and it looks like he will finally have a taste of being the first option on offense with Gay and DeRozan sidelined with injuries. This includes a career high 28 point, 13 rebound effort against the Lakers, although he did need to take 28 shots to obtain it. The only problem is that wins have been hard to come by when Valanciunas receives the majority of the touches on offence. Hopefully this will not be a re-occurring trend in the future.

Next Week's Games

[Its_asdf]

Good little article, but you're only losing him for a week or so anyways so shouldn't have that much of an effect on you record wise

Yeah you'd think that losing him for a good 1-2 weeks won't do much but my team kind of shot itself in the foot this week. The Eastern Conference standings are pretty tight at the moment, and I went from about 5th in the East to 9th just off of this four game losing streak.

Ross can fill in for DeRozan just fine, in 2K I find them very similar, in reality DeRozan is much better of course. MCW probably won't enjoy the success he's having IRL, but a boost in minutes is nice for him.

Ross has been weird for me. He's one of those guys that on some nights hit pull-up threes and throw down windmill slams, then on others he'll brick layups. He's a pretty frustrating player to use for me. Carter-Williams is slotted at the 2 just out of necessity, but I agree that I would like to see him get more minutes. The performance he's had so far early in the season has changed my intitial perceptions of him and thus makes Lowry a bit more expendable in my eyes.

At least with DeRozan, he's so big at the 2 (6'7) that he'll always create a mismatch on the floor. His mid range game is absolutely beast in this game as well, something that Ross doesn't really have.

[Martti.]

Impressive win over the Lakers without Gay and DeRozan, though with them out I don't see a lot of wins heading your way.

[Vespasian92]

Well, it seems Ross is going to have to start getting it together with Derozan or Gay around. You seem a little shorthanded on the wing in general, with Ross being the only other player with his natural positions there.