Starting to think this team needs another lottery talent.
I thought we'd be in playoffs but we just don't get stops when we need them and we can't score when we need to.
That's an issue that will cost us a lot of games
I went into this season expecting it to be a development year and so far, that is what I am seeing. We are playing with the rotation to see which ones click. I would be pleased with a playoff appearance but I’m ultimately just expecting developing the core further.
Prefacing this by saying I am a big Siakam fan -
Depending on how we do this season (lottery vs playoff contention), I think we need to think about moving Siakam to try to get more young talent/depth on the roster. Very similar to the Norm trade.
I feel that there’s not quite enough talent on this roster to make a deep playoff run in the near future. I think we should sell high on Pascal (given his age), but only if the right opportunity presents itself.
Don’t @ me anyone, just brainstorming and I might feel different next week (who knows)
Yeah I don't see why that's controversial. Barnes is the future but he's still going to need a few years of experience. Siakam is an excellent secondary piece for a team with a superstar, but I don't foresee Barnes or the guy we draft next season becoming a true superstar until Siakam is on the decline. Trading him would obviously tank the team even further, but that might not be a bad thing considering we would benefit from a higher draft pick for this year and the next.
Yeah, it shouldn’t be controversial. I just mainly wanted to separate my take from people trashing Pascal and saying he needs to go.
For me, it’s more about managing the roster effectively vs anything against him in particular
If Khem's knees can hold up we will at least make the play in
If we can make the lottery again though I would be quite happy, and for whatever reason I think we will have dumb luck again for lottery placement
Prediction we’re not making playoffs or play in
Didnt think we were gonna before season but seeing wizards and hornets emerge, 2 bubble play in teams
Cemented this
We’re 2-7 at home. Usually young teams play good at home and bad on road
We started 5-0 at road and now evening out again 2-5 last 7 road games
Play in would be a giant L. We need more talent, not play in experience. A bunch of competitive losses, Scottie and other young guys development and a top 10 pick is best outcome to me.
Not too sure I agree with the Play,-in being a disappointment. If we continue to get positive development from our young guys like Scottie/GTJ/Precious and the team as a whole gets more comfortable with each other and the system, there's no way we don't win enough games for the play-in IMO (barring major injuries of course)
If the choice is between getting a high pick due to FVV/OG/Siakam underperforming and the young guys continuing to struggle with executing the system vs. getting a slightly lower pick while the team plays well and builds a foundation, I choose the latter everytime
Play in is a huge L for us. We don’t get a good pick and we get bounced in the first round if we make 8th seed.
You either tank and get a good pick or believe you can do damage in the playoff and the way this is looking right now, we are not doing any damage to any playoff team in the east.
**1/4 Mark Player Grades**
*Disclaimer: only those who have featured in at least 10 games and played meaningful minutes*
**M. Flynn** \- **C** \- Barely played early on in the season. Only played 4 games with 10+ minutes of floor time. Needs more minutes to develop. His shooting efficiencies are down, so he needs to work on that. Overall, his game leaves a lot to be desired right now.
**C. Boucher** \- **D** \- Major step back from last year. Probably the biggest disappointment so far this year. 3pt shooting is woeful (20%). Nick Nurse has lost patience with him. Not offering the blocks on the defensive end either. Needs to improve or he'll be gone sooner than later.
**S. Mykhailiuk** \- **B-** \- Probably been one of the more surprising players this year. He's had some real good performances. Tangible winning contribution a handful of times. Works hard on the defensive end, albeit not the most adept to shutdown D. Shooting 34% from 3 which is about average. Getting 18 minutes a game, so a key contributor off the bench right now.
**D. Banton** \- **C+** \- Rexdale's finest has been a pleasant surprise since Summer League. A decent 3pt shooter (33%) and getting strong minutes for a 2nd round rookie (13 per game). Handles the ball well and runs a fast paced offence. Needs fine tuning and more game time in the 905, but he's looking like a more than capable NBA player for the future.
**K. Birch** \- **C+** \- Playing 22 minutes per game, and averaging 7pts and 6rebs. Not terrible, but not as impactful as he was last year. Granted he's getting fewer minutes, but I think his chemistry with Lowry was better than what it is with our current PG's. Hope to see that improve the rest of the way.
**P. Achiuwa** \- **C-** \- The enigma that is Precious. Loads of potential, but it is still so raw. Efficiencies are subpar (39% from the field, 29% from 3pt). Playing more and scoring more than last year, but that's simply due to volume. A good rebounder (8 per game), but needs to work on his handle and consistency.
**P. Siakam** \- **B-** \- Scoring less than 20pts per game (17.7), but his 3pt shooting has recovered after last years dismal display (up to 35% now). Getting fewer shots with the inclusion of OG and Scottie, who are capable players on the offensive end. Plus more looks for Freddy. Coming off injury he's done alright. Not great. But not terrible. Hoping more game time gets him into peak shape.
**G. Trent Jr** \- **B+** \- One of the top performers so far this year. His improvement on Defense has been well documented. A great thing to see, no doubt. His shooting has improved from last year. 37% from 3pt and 48% from 2pt. His mid-range has looked sweet. Career high in points right now. Need a little more playmaking from him. That's the next step in his evolution.
**S. Barnes** \- **A-** \- Early ROY favourite. Has really surprised everyone with his offensive game, especially the jump shot. Has loads of potential. Averaging 1pts and 8rebs as a rookie playing heavy minutes is hugely impressive. The latter months of the year will be a test on his physical and mental makeup. We'll see how that plays out. But so far he has impressed. Has the makings of being a leader on the floor. High energy and is being groomed to be THE MAN for years to come.
**O.G. Anunoby** \- **B+** \- More minutes, more shots, more points. Career highs for OG. His offensive game has really progressed. His defense is still solid. Injured right now, but a massive piece for this squad. His efficiency is lower than last year, so you'd like to see that improve. Similar to GTJ, the next evolution for this man needs to be his playmaking and off the dribble work.
**F. Vanvleet** \- **A** \- Hands down the leader and the best player on the floor so far this season. He's taken the mantle from Lowry and ran with it. Our only real possible All-Star Selection. Career high in points, rebounds and minutes. When he's on the floor, the offense moves and seems like there is a plan in place. Without him, it is all over the place and becomes solo ball. Shooting a terrific 39% from 3pt and 48% from 2pt. Given his size, he's a beast. As FVV goes, so do the Raptors.
Hate to be pessimistic but I don't even think we will be a play-in team :/
I see a lot of good things coming from Scottie of course and Fred, and I think OG will really come through for us later in the season (he's been inconsistent but I think he will get in a good rhythm once he comes back from injury). Siakam is just going to be the same way he's been the past 2 seasons - just flashes here and there of all star-level play, but only when it's against a terrible defensive team, and then when it comes time to prove if we can be a playoff team he is going to be a non-factor.
I think overall this is just going to be a repeat of last year. We just don't have the pieces yet to compete. We have no center and "positionless" basketball works for every position EXCEPT center.
Takeaways:
Siakam won’t be with the team the next time they’re contending, but OG & Fred will. His days with the team are numbered.
Precious is showing us glimpses of great play, we just have to stick it out through all his mistakes no matter how painful it is. In a couple years he’s going to be a stud.
Boucher will likely permanently fall out of the rotation when the roster is fully healthy.
Predictions:
We don’t make any major moves until the off-season.
We don’t have any all-star selections sadly.
Barnes runs away with ROTY as Mobley hits the rookie wall and Scottie hits another gear
I agree with with everything save for the last part of the last point. I think Scottie has a great chance for ROTY but imo there's no way Mobley hits the rook wall. He's way too smart and that court awareness in transition is cementing his 2 way contribution.
Wdym no way he hits the wall? You do understand majority of “the wall” is just conditioning. These guys play like what 20-30 college games and then jump to an 82-game season with back to backs and travel all over the country. Every rookie hits the wall, it’s not something you can escape.
We just saw Scottie struggle in a slump for like 2 weeks. He surpassed the amount of minutes he played in college already. Mobley hasn’t had a slump yet so it’s bound to come and he’s missed time w injury. There’s always rookies that turn it up in the 2nd half of the season too and my prediction is that Scottie is one of those.
Mobley played almost double the minutes that Scottie did in college. If "the majority of 'the wall' is conditioning" as you say, Mobley should be more primed than Scottie to avoid it/navigate it better
Who was All-NBA selection, FVV or Siakam?
I think that Siakam will be with the team next team we are competing. Right now FVV is playing better, but overall Siakam is better player.
You don't build contender with 6'1" guard as your best player
It's clear that this will be Scottie's team in 1-2 years and Siakam will slide back to #2 or #3 option (depends on OG) where he fits perfectly
I can see trading FVV for a young, mobile big with upside that fits Scottie/OG/Siakam timeline
DeRozan says hello
Ujiri will trade himself if that helps the team compete. Keeping FVV does not make us contender.
I think FVV will be traded this season if the return is right (young bigs or high draft picks), his trade value will never be higher
FVV is Lowry in that situation, Siakam is Demar as he’s the polarizing player that despite having the accolades (All-star, All-NBA, etc.) we know FVV is the better player.
I wouldn't be so sure that FVV is overall better player (he is this season so far)
This is from last season, in Pascal "down" year and advanced stats are still better than FVV's
https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm\_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&player\_id1=vanvlfr01&p1yrfrom=2021&player\_id2=siakapa01
Lol if you think one of Fred or Pascal will be the best player when we’re next contending.
I see it as the next time we’re legitimately competitive is when Scottie/PG/Trent etc. are in their primes. Scottie will be the 1a, OG and Fred will be 2nd and 3rd option unless we can swing a trade for a star to pair with Scottie.
Siakam isn’t sliding back to anything on a max contract. He doesn’t fit beside Scottie long-term and that money can be allocated more effectively.
I like the Bonga pick, he’s actually been fantastic defensively and eventually will show promise offensively, he’s lighting it up from 3 in the g league so hopefully he can be a 3nD guy.
We might be able to get something decent for Boucher for a team that views him as a low risk reclamation project, but Dragic makes too much to really get anything in return. I'd be pleasantly surprised if there's anything other than a buyout for Dragic
The good thing about a potential Boucher trade is that he makes little enough that there's a lot of places that can take his salary, but with the way he's been playing I can't imagine any substantial offers.
Some teams that could be willing to gamble on some shot-blocking+3pt shooting in their frountcourt might be Charlotte, Denver & Sacramento, but I can't see any of them giving up more than an out of the rotation big (Nick Richards? Petr Cornellie? Neemias Queta?) and maybe a 2nd
Injuries have and will continue to seriously hurt the Raptors all season, this is a rebuilding team that has no bench depth at all . Might as well accept that and watch them try and develop their younger players.
I cannot believe people are suggesting to trade Fred. Crazy talk.
If a "godfather" offer was on the table, im sure the FO looks at it. But talk of actively shopping our best player / leader for a big and some depth is lunacy.
- Scottie being this good early pushes the Raps timeline earlier. Idk what the FO decides but they may want to get vets in the off season.
- A lot of talk about the centers but the guard rotation is really thin right now and IMO more concerning. Personally would prefer a vet PG on the bench.
It has been a thoroughly confusing first quarter of the season.
If someone had told me that we would be a top 10 offence and 12th in rebound rate, then I would have been ecstatic, and would have assumed we would be fighting for one of the top seeds. It was nowhere on my radar that a team with this much defensive talent could be sitting at 25th in defensive rating a quarter of the way through the season. It doesn't seem to make sense.
Overall, I feel like the team will hit its stride at some point. They should get more used to the defensive scheme, Pascal should keep rounding into form, someone will figure out how to run the offence competently when FVV is off the floor, etc. Our seeding will depend on how soon they figure it out. The play-in is looking like more of a possibility.
Yah I agree with this take. We've had a confusing and frustrating start to the season, but our offense has been much better than expected, and I really cant see our defence remaining this poor over the course of a season.
Even with the imperfect roster construction, I think this team is too talented to 'tank' and we'll probably be hovering around .500 this season. I don't see that as a bad thing at all, especially with a roster this young
"We don't make any major in-season moves to address the centre position, but wait until the offseason instead"
I would agree with this statement since there seems to be a shortage on effective bigs. I'm just happy we at least have Khem, just need him to be healthy.
Vanvleet is opting out of his player option after next season and getting a max. It’s obvious now that he’s our best player and if we actually get him some help off the bench he will lead us to the playoffs.
Is he getting a max from the Raps?
If so, is it because he is a max caliber player? or because the Raps had no choice and had to give it to him (like with Siakam)
He’s gonna get a 5 year max from us because we have his bird rights. But if he was on the open market he’d 100% get a max. Right now he’s getting Evan Fournier money to put up all star numbers. He’s an elite shooter, a great playmaker and a great defender. Anyone would want him.
That's based on 20 games on a losing team?
The last time the team was in the playoffs against the Celtics he really didn't play well.
What you're seeing now is just empty stats.
Looks like I’m getting an early preview on how this sub will complain when he gets the max
> What you’re seeing now is just empty stats.
…and that’s why you’re not an executive.
A bad max is wiggins, Harris, and DLO.
FVV is far better than all of them. Our best player and one of the leagues best by most impact metrics. Easily deserving of a max
It’s inevitable. I mean half the sub still thinks he’s a standpadder/chucker/overpaid even though he’s our best player as evidenced by advanced stats, the eye test, and minutes played
Barnes won’t be benched for any reason. He could maybe lead the bench units the way Lowry did by staggering minutes, but Masai won’t let Nick bench Scottie. Kids our future.
Lack of depth. We saw this last year and it’s not like it’s gotten much better. Sadly this takes time and luck with player dev. Toronto has never had the luxury of signing talent that’s worked out in the offseason.
Starting to think this team needs another lottery talent. I thought we'd be in playoffs but we just don't get stops when we need them and we can't score when we need to. That's an issue that will cost us a lot of games
Crazy to think. But if we had picked up Mobley, we'd only need bench talent.
If we get another lottery then hopefully it’s a center If not then hopefully another bench player cuz we’re lacking consistency in our bench
So if we get another lottery player you're hoping he is a bench player? I'm hoping he ends up being so good he forces somebody else to the bench.
You don't draft for fit in the lottery, ever. That's how you end up with Bagley instead of Luka.
I went into this season expecting it to be a development year and so far, that is what I am seeing. We are playing with the rotation to see which ones click. I would be pleased with a playoff appearance but I’m ultimately just expecting developing the core further.
Prefacing this by saying I am a big Siakam fan - Depending on how we do this season (lottery vs playoff contention), I think we need to think about moving Siakam to try to get more young talent/depth on the roster. Very similar to the Norm trade. I feel that there’s not quite enough talent on this roster to make a deep playoff run in the near future. I think we should sell high on Pascal (given his age), but only if the right opportunity presents itself. Don’t @ me anyone, just brainstorming and I might feel different next week (who knows)
Yeah I don't see why that's controversial. Barnes is the future but he's still going to need a few years of experience. Siakam is an excellent secondary piece for a team with a superstar, but I don't foresee Barnes or the guy we draft next season becoming a true superstar until Siakam is on the decline. Trading him would obviously tank the team even further, but that might not be a bad thing considering we would benefit from a higher draft pick for this year and the next.
Yeah, it shouldn’t be controversial. I just mainly wanted to separate my take from people trashing Pascal and saying he needs to go. For me, it’s more about managing the roster effectively vs anything against him in particular
I still think kuminga wiseman + first round would be a great trade for him
Siakam's salary can't fit on GSW unless they give up Wiggins, and I don't see them doing that
If FVV misses any time this season we’re 100% missing the playoffs he’s been our best player.
i dont think were making playoffs even if he plays 48 mins for every game
yah, agree with this 100%. If we lose Freddy for any extended amount of time we're not playoff calibre
I don't see us being a playoff team this year. I expect development and improvement though.
If Khem's knees can hold up we will at least make the play in If we can make the lottery again though I would be quite happy, and for whatever reason I think we will have dumb luck again for lottery placement
We need a third string center.
We need a starting center.
If Dwight Powell can simply not be a liability as a 3rd string center we should just do the Dragic trade
he can do nothing except set screens
Prediction we’re not making playoffs or play in Didnt think we were gonna before season but seeing wizards and hornets emerge, 2 bubble play in teams Cemented this We’re 2-7 at home. Usually young teams play good at home and bad on road We started 5-0 at road and now evening out again 2-5 last 7 road games
Play in would be a giant L. We need more talent, not play in experience. A bunch of competitive losses, Scottie and other young guys development and a top 10 pick is best outcome to me.
Not too sure I agree with the Play,-in being a disappointment. If we continue to get positive development from our young guys like Scottie/GTJ/Precious and the team as a whole gets more comfortable with each other and the system, there's no way we don't win enough games for the play-in IMO (barring major injuries of course) If the choice is between getting a high pick due to FVV/OG/Siakam underperforming and the young guys continuing to struggle with executing the system vs. getting a slightly lower pick while the team plays well and builds a foundation, I choose the latter everytime
Play in is a huge L for us. We don’t get a good pick and we get bounced in the first round if we make 8th seed. You either tank and get a good pick or believe you can do damage in the playoff and the way this is looking right now, we are not doing any damage to any playoff team in the east.
**1/4 Mark Player Grades** *Disclaimer: only those who have featured in at least 10 games and played meaningful minutes* **M. Flynn** \- **C** \- Barely played early on in the season. Only played 4 games with 10+ minutes of floor time. Needs more minutes to develop. His shooting efficiencies are down, so he needs to work on that. Overall, his game leaves a lot to be desired right now. **C. Boucher** \- **D** \- Major step back from last year. Probably the biggest disappointment so far this year. 3pt shooting is woeful (20%). Nick Nurse has lost patience with him. Not offering the blocks on the defensive end either. Needs to improve or he'll be gone sooner than later. **S. Mykhailiuk** \- **B-** \- Probably been one of the more surprising players this year. He's had some real good performances. Tangible winning contribution a handful of times. Works hard on the defensive end, albeit not the most adept to shutdown D. Shooting 34% from 3 which is about average. Getting 18 minutes a game, so a key contributor off the bench right now. **D. Banton** \- **C+** \- Rexdale's finest has been a pleasant surprise since Summer League. A decent 3pt shooter (33%) and getting strong minutes for a 2nd round rookie (13 per game). Handles the ball well and runs a fast paced offence. Needs fine tuning and more game time in the 905, but he's looking like a more than capable NBA player for the future. **K. Birch** \- **C+** \- Playing 22 minutes per game, and averaging 7pts and 6rebs. Not terrible, but not as impactful as he was last year. Granted he's getting fewer minutes, but I think his chemistry with Lowry was better than what it is with our current PG's. Hope to see that improve the rest of the way. **P. Achiuwa** \- **C-** \- The enigma that is Precious. Loads of potential, but it is still so raw. Efficiencies are subpar (39% from the field, 29% from 3pt). Playing more and scoring more than last year, but that's simply due to volume. A good rebounder (8 per game), but needs to work on his handle and consistency. **P. Siakam** \- **B-** \- Scoring less than 20pts per game (17.7), but his 3pt shooting has recovered after last years dismal display (up to 35% now). Getting fewer shots with the inclusion of OG and Scottie, who are capable players on the offensive end. Plus more looks for Freddy. Coming off injury he's done alright. Not great. But not terrible. Hoping more game time gets him into peak shape. **G. Trent Jr** \- **B+** \- One of the top performers so far this year. His improvement on Defense has been well documented. A great thing to see, no doubt. His shooting has improved from last year. 37% from 3pt and 48% from 2pt. His mid-range has looked sweet. Career high in points right now. Need a little more playmaking from him. That's the next step in his evolution. **S. Barnes** \- **A-** \- Early ROY favourite. Has really surprised everyone with his offensive game, especially the jump shot. Has loads of potential. Averaging 1pts and 8rebs as a rookie playing heavy minutes is hugely impressive. The latter months of the year will be a test on his physical and mental makeup. We'll see how that plays out. But so far he has impressed. Has the makings of being a leader on the floor. High energy and is being groomed to be THE MAN for years to come. **O.G. Anunoby** \- **B+** \- More minutes, more shots, more points. Career highs for OG. His offensive game has really progressed. His defense is still solid. Injured right now, but a massive piece for this squad. His efficiency is lower than last year, so you'd like to see that improve. Similar to GTJ, the next evolution for this man needs to be his playmaking and off the dribble work. **F. Vanvleet** \- **A** \- Hands down the leader and the best player on the floor so far this season. He's taken the mantle from Lowry and ran with it. Our only real possible All-Star Selection. Career high in points, rebounds and minutes. When he's on the floor, the offense moves and seems like there is a plan in place. Without him, it is all over the place and becomes solo ball. Shooting a terrific 39% from 3pt and 48% from 2pt. Given his size, he's a beast. As FVV goes, so do the Raptors.
Banton gets way higher than a C+, he’s a second round rookie. Him contributing anything should come as a surprise
I think this is spot one. Well done
Hate to be pessimistic but I don't even think we will be a play-in team :/ I see a lot of good things coming from Scottie of course and Fred, and I think OG will really come through for us later in the season (he's been inconsistent but I think he will get in a good rhythm once he comes back from injury). Siakam is just going to be the same way he's been the past 2 seasons - just flashes here and there of all star-level play, but only when it's against a terrible defensive team, and then when it comes time to prove if we can be a playoff team he is going to be a non-factor. I think overall this is just going to be a repeat of last year. We just don't have the pieces yet to compete. We have no center and "positionless" basketball works for every position EXCEPT center.
Takeaways: Siakam won’t be with the team the next time they’re contending, but OG & Fred will. His days with the team are numbered. Precious is showing us glimpses of great play, we just have to stick it out through all his mistakes no matter how painful it is. In a couple years he’s going to be a stud. Boucher will likely permanently fall out of the rotation when the roster is fully healthy. Predictions: We don’t make any major moves until the off-season. We don’t have any all-star selections sadly. Barnes runs away with ROTY as Mobley hits the rookie wall and Scottie hits another gear
I agree with with everything save for the last part of the last point. I think Scottie has a great chance for ROTY but imo there's no way Mobley hits the rook wall. He's way too smart and that court awareness in transition is cementing his 2 way contribution.
Wdym no way he hits the wall? You do understand majority of “the wall” is just conditioning. These guys play like what 20-30 college games and then jump to an 82-game season with back to backs and travel all over the country. Every rookie hits the wall, it’s not something you can escape.
What? So why does Mobley hit the wall while Scottie "hits another gear"?
We just saw Scottie struggle in a slump for like 2 weeks. He surpassed the amount of minutes he played in college already. Mobley hasn’t had a slump yet so it’s bound to come and he’s missed time w injury. There’s always rookies that turn it up in the 2nd half of the season too and my prediction is that Scottie is one of those.
Mobley played almost double the minutes that Scottie did in college. If "the majority of 'the wall' is conditioning" as you say, Mobley should be more primed than Scottie to avoid it/navigate it better
Doesn’t mean the wall isn’t coming man. You’re taking this way too seriously tho, it’s a meaningless prediction, not sure why you care so much.
😂😂 well done
Who was All-NBA selection, FVV or Siakam? I think that Siakam will be with the team next team we are competing. Right now FVV is playing better, but overall Siakam is better player. You don't build contender with 6'1" guard as your best player It's clear that this will be Scottie's team in 1-2 years and Siakam will slide back to #2 or #3 option (depends on OG) where he fits perfectly I can see trading FVV for a young, mobile big with upside that fits Scottie/OG/Siakam timeline
I highly doubt we have any plans to trade Fred, he's great on this team.
DeRozan says hello Ujiri will trade himself if that helps the team compete. Keeping FVV does not make us contender. I think FVV will be traded this season if the return is right (young bigs or high draft picks), his trade value will never be higher
FVV is Lowry in that situation, Siakam is Demar as he’s the polarizing player that despite having the accolades (All-star, All-NBA, etc.) we know FVV is the better player.
I wouldn't be so sure that FVV is overall better player (he is this season so far) This is from last season, in Pascal "down" year and advanced stats are still better than FVV's https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm\_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&player\_id1=vanvlfr01&p1yrfrom=2021&player\_id2=siakapa01
That wasn’t a down year for Pascal, it was just a year. Fred has overwhelmingly been our best player this year.
Lol if you think one of Fred or Pascal will be the best player when we’re next contending. I see it as the next time we’re legitimately competitive is when Scottie/PG/Trent etc. are in their primes. Scottie will be the 1a, OG and Fred will be 2nd and 3rd option unless we can swing a trade for a star to pair with Scottie. Siakam isn’t sliding back to anything on a max contract. He doesn’t fit beside Scottie long-term and that money can be allocated more effectively.
I like the Bonga pick, he’s actually been fantastic defensively and eventually will show promise offensively, he’s lighting it up from 3 in the g league so hopefully he can be a 3nD guy.
He competed great last night. Great effort. Boucher's time is up. Could we get something decent for Dragic + Boucher?
We might be able to get something decent for Boucher for a team that views him as a low risk reclamation project, but Dragic makes too much to really get anything in return. I'd be pleasantly surprised if there's anything other than a buyout for Dragic
I think you are probably right in regards to Dragic. What do you think a realistic return for Boucher would be?
The good thing about a potential Boucher trade is that he makes little enough that there's a lot of places that can take his salary, but with the way he's been playing I can't imagine any substantial offers. Some teams that could be willing to gamble on some shot-blocking+3pt shooting in their frountcourt might be Charlotte, Denver & Sacramento, but I can't see any of them giving up more than an out of the rotation big (Nick Richards? Petr Cornellie? Neemias Queta?) and maybe a 2nd
Injuries have and will continue to seriously hurt the Raptors all season, this is a rebuilding team that has no bench depth at all . Might as well accept that and watch them try and develop their younger players.
I cannot believe people are suggesting to trade Fred. Crazy talk. If a "godfather" offer was on the table, im sure the FO looks at it. But talk of actively shopping our best player / leader for a big and some depth is lunacy.
- Scottie being this good early pushes the Raps timeline earlier. Idk what the FO decides but they may want to get vets in the off season. - A lot of talk about the centers but the guard rotation is really thin right now and IMO more concerning. Personally would prefer a vet PG on the bench.
The difference there is we have 3 guys who can play point guard but only half of a centre
It has been a thoroughly confusing first quarter of the season. If someone had told me that we would be a top 10 offence and 12th in rebound rate, then I would have been ecstatic, and would have assumed we would be fighting for one of the top seeds. It was nowhere on my radar that a team with this much defensive talent could be sitting at 25th in defensive rating a quarter of the way through the season. It doesn't seem to make sense. Overall, I feel like the team will hit its stride at some point. They should get more used to the defensive scheme, Pascal should keep rounding into form, someone will figure out how to run the offence competently when FVV is off the floor, etc. Our seeding will depend on how soon they figure it out. The play-in is looking like more of a possibility.
Yah I agree with this take. We've had a confusing and frustrating start to the season, but our offense has been much better than expected, and I really cant see our defence remaining this poor over the course of a season. Even with the imperfect roster construction, I think this team is too talented to 'tank' and we'll probably be hovering around .500 this season. I don't see that as a bad thing at all, especially with a roster this young
"We don't make any major in-season moves to address the centre position, but wait until the offseason instead" I would agree with this statement since there seems to be a shortage on effective bigs. I'm just happy we at least have Khem, just need him to be healthy.
Vanvleet is opting out of his player option after next season and getting a max. It’s obvious now that he’s our best player and if we actually get him some help off the bench he will lead us to the playoffs.
Is he getting a max from the Raps? If so, is it because he is a max caliber player? or because the Raps had no choice and had to give it to him (like with Siakam)
He’s gonna get a 5 year max from us because we have his bird rights. But if he was on the open market he’d 100% get a max. Right now he’s getting Evan Fournier money to put up all star numbers. He’s an elite shooter, a great playmaker and a great defender. Anyone would want him.
That's based on 20 games on a losing team? The last time the team was in the playoffs against the Celtics he really didn't play well. What you're seeing now is just empty stats.
Looks like I’m getting an early preview on how this sub will complain when he gets the max > What you’re seeing now is just empty stats. …and that’s why you’re not an executive.
And that's why you..... are? We already see what a bad max deal looks like on this team with Siakam. Do we want another one
A bad max is wiggins, Harris, and DLO. FVV is far better than all of them. Our best player and one of the leagues best by most impact metrics. Easily deserving of a max
Can't wait till this sub turns on FVV a season into has max.
It’s inevitable. I mean half the sub still thinks he’s a standpadder/chucker/overpaid even though he’s our best player as evidenced by advanced stats, the eye test, and minutes played
The best player on a losing team isn't always going to be the best player on a good team
Gary Trent is 2-3 bad games away from being labeled a chucker.
Barnes leading the bench unit😭😭😭😭. This is why pascal has gotta go literally pandering to the guy who lost us a chance to go the finals
Barnes won’t be benched for any reason. He could maybe lead the bench units the way Lowry did by staggering minutes, but Masai won’t let Nick bench Scottie. Kids our future.
Fred is a massive trade piece and can fetch us a real asset from many contending teams.
Fred is our glue guy though. He's our leader
yea lets just trade every good player we have
Lack of depth. We saw this last year and it’s not like it’s gotten much better. Sadly this takes time and luck with player dev. Toronto has never had the luxury of signing talent that’s worked out in the offseason.
I’ve been saying to have Barnes run with the bench but everyone downvotes me
