The Toronto Raptors official season thread 2011-2012 - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

mavs777 · 12-24-2011, 09:36 PM

Yes I am doing this for Dwanye Casey have been a big fan of his and will definitely follow the raptors as my second team and watch them when mavs aren't playing. jonas valanciunas will not be able to play this year which will really hurt their defense, I really think Valanciunas will be a more consistently healthy Tyson Chandler. Derozan made some real improvements last year in mid range but when he is your best player you aren't going to be very good.

It looks like they will start Bargnani at the 4 which I like cause he is actually a pretty decent 1 on 1 defender (especially good in the post) but is a terrible non existant help defender. Gray will probably start at the 5 (or maybe Amir?) this is really a chance for James Johnson to take advantage of his potential or talent as he should get 25+ MPG.

mac222b · 12-24-2011, 11:20 PM

Nice. Thread seemed to be pretty random at first but is a good idea.

Raptors have what's potentially shaping up to be a really nice frontline. Loved the Valanciunas pick. James Johnson has loads of potential. Ed Davis should be a really solid 4 for years to come. And of course Bargnani. And Amir Johnson is a really solid contributor too.

They need DeRozan to continue to develop all facets of his game. The defense should be much improved under Casey. Raptors may actually surprise some people if they can get steady guard play and if their young guys can continue to grow.

mavs777 · 12-26-2011, 06:46 PM

UGH wish Bayless and James Johnson was starting.

Starting 5:
PG: Calderon
SG: Derozan
SF: Butler (Rasual)
PF: Barngani
C: Johnson

mavs777 · 12-26-2011, 07:37 PM

Couple of observations from first quarter: First of all the cavs announcers are terrible, and James Johnson needs to get that hair corrected. Raptors have rebounded pretty well but need to stop shooting so many jumpers, defense has been ok though they need to do a better job on the perimeter.

mavs777 · 12-26-2011, 07:56 PM

Davis and Barbosa playing well off the bench.

clutch#41 · 01-02-2012, 11:15 PM

beat knicks without amare. Still a solid win for Raptors. TC with 43 mins....

mavs777 · 01-02-2012, 11:17 PM

great win Derozan continues to look good.

mavs777 · 01-05-2012, 01:02 AM

Bargnani and Derozan have been great, Derozan has added so much range since coming into the league now is comfortable at three point line, the defense playing very well too.

mavs777 · 01-22-2012, 05:43 PM

Some thoughts on the non surprising bad start.

Bargnani: He has been great when healthy, he is playing very good man defense and shooting smart shots, he still is a bad help defender but has played very well.

Calderon: He is who we know he is: simply a good PG but is a stop gap
Rasual Butler: Playing good defense but can't hit a shot to save his life also a stop gap more than anything

James Johnson: Has looked like a great defender but isn't more than a 10-15 MPG rotational player next year hopefully, his offense hasn't devoloped like i hoped.

DeMar DeRozan: He seems to be asked too do too much I like him but he doesn't seem to be a viable primary scoring guy, ideally he is taking 8-10 shots, they run a lot of sets for him and for obvious reasons they have limited offensive threats. He was playing a lot better before the Bargnani injury. All that being said I am still sold on him as a legitimate starter and I have confidence he gets out of his slump soon.

Ed Davis: There has been no player that has underachieved on the team more than Davis, he often looks overmatched on both ends, and looks too have no confidence now, he can't really create his own shot and been exposed. I still think he can be a good role bench player down the line but I have lost almost all hope that he can be a viable starter in the NBA.