More downs than ups for Jerryd Bayless

This was supposed to be his season. The lockout presented a perfect opportunity for the unproven players to show they are worthy. Jerryd Bayless averaged 18ppg and 7apg when he started in 14 games in 2010-11, and it was assumed he would get a chance the following year. That didn’t happen as he only started 5 games at his rightful place at point guard–he started 11 games, but 6 came at shooting guard.

Bryan Colangelo and Dwane Casey blew a chance favoring Jose Calderon, who may not even be on the roster with interest being shown to Steve Nash and Jeremy Lin, and have wasted valuable evaluation of Bayless in a season that was by all means thrown away for player evaluation. Bayless has shown better capabilities of manning the point guard position than the consensus would believe, and it may be this belief that could have the Raptors missing out on a promising player. His future still has hope, though Colangelo and Casey seems intent on selling him short by making him nothing more than a sixth man, even if he’s earned his right as a starter.

For his entire tenure at Phoenix Bryan Colangelo has been associated with two of the flagship point guards of this generation, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash. One of his first priorities with his new job in Toronto was getting a capable point guard. He brought T.J. Ford to the Raptors who had a reputation of excellent playmaking and passing skills. He’s also been graced with Jose Calderon, a player signed to the team from the previous general manager Rob Babcock, who with his ability to set up the offense is reminiscent of Nash and Kidd. Having a rich history with pass first point guards, it is safe to say that he’ll always feel more comfortable with one running his team.

Jerryd Bayless right when he came over was pegged as a combo guard that needed to come off the bench. One of Dwane Casey’s first statements of the team was comparing him to Jason Terry. The question is why? The aesthetics of his game certainly suggest one more akin to Leandro Barbosa than Steve Nash, but it does not mean he brings no value as a point guard. League sensation Derrick Rose has integrated both scoring and playmaking into his game that it earned him the Most Valuable Player award in 2011. In place of Calderon Bayless averaged 21.8ppg, 7.6apg, 2.6to on .540% shooting. Though the raw stats don’t do him justice.

Looking at basketball-reference’s comprehensive game to game advanced stats break down, here are Bayless’ 5 game stretch as a starting point guard:

.666 TS%
37.18 AST%
13.5 TOV%
21.6 USG%
129 ORtg
111 DRtg

Derrick Rose in his MVP year:

.532 TS%
38.7 AST%
13.1 TOV%
32.2 USG%
113 ORtg
103 DRtg

Russell Westbrook:

.538 TS%
29.8 AST%
14.2 TOV%
32.7 USG%
108 ORtg
105 DRtg

Bayless’ TS% and ORtg are far too high to maintain through an entire season (those are absolutely ridiculous numbers by the way), but it shows that Bayless perfectly fits in the new era for point guards and is very much capable of starting. While 5 games is such a minuscule sample size to derive any concrete evidence from, consider that success has always followed him whenever he started at point guard. Here are his advance stats from last year in 14 games:

.556 TS%
31.55 AST%
15.1 TOV%
23.7 USG%
115 ORtg
117 DRtg

It doesn’t raise the issue of his ability to be a playmaker, in spite of his high AST% and low TOV%, but the Raptors offensively have excelled with Bayless. In 5 games the Raptors posted an ORtg of 107 which would have put them 6th in the league, ahead of Miami and Indiana. For the season they finished 28th in the league in ORtg with 100.

While the sample size is too small, and there are so many variables that goes into the game of basketball that 5 games does not compare nor hold any weight, what it does prove is that any lacking of his ability as a playmaker is baseless. He does a fine job of generating assists, limiting his turnovers, and the team has enjoyed great success with their offense with him starting as a point guard.

Bayless has more than earned his right to prove himself as a starter, and yet Dwane Casey persisted in starting Jose Calderon even after Bayless’ great string of games. In a season where Bryan Colangelo himself has said he held the coaching staff back because they “wanted to win too much”, there was no better season to fully assess Bayless without any pressure of needing to win. And yet it all went to waste.

The misconception with Bayless is that because he is not pass first, it is assumed that his abilities as a playmaker are lacking. Point guard is a complex position because those playing the point are responsible for dictating the team; however on virtue of being on the court, they are still subject to scoring the ball. The labeling of pass first/shoot first is so arbitrary that allows fans to generalize players without feeling the need to look deeper into their games. It is possible for a point guard to be a scorer while having the ability to set up the offense. And more than anything that is a point guard’s most important role. Bayless as a point guard is good at the most important part of his job description, which explains the fantastic offensive ratings the Raptors see with his starting at point guard.

If I do have one criticism of him however, it is that he has a tendency to take over games and play more like a shooting guard during pressure situations. Against Memphis and Charlotte, even though he had magnificent scoring numbers for those games, he ignored teammates and scored the ball himself. In those moments the team was not playing good basketball and Bayless was, but it is a point guard’s job to wrinkle out the offense under duress. Though it needs no mention that this is a type of veteran poise that is developed through time and experience, and Bayless is only 23. Wanting to take over a game when your team is down is normal for young guards.

What exactly are Bryan Colangelo and Dwane Casey exactly pulling here? In his season ending press conference, Colangelo talked about a “plan”. He is intent on following through with this plan and in it does not seem to include Bayless in any way as a future starting point guard, though he does hint at wanting to retain him, presumably as a sixth man off the bench.

However as we all know, Bayless does not enjoy the same success off the bench. His reserve numbers are 7.9ppg and 3apg on below .400% shooting. Many have concluded that Bayless is simply incapable of coming off the bench for whatever reason and that if he’s not going to be starting, then he should be traded.

Though looking at it closer, determining the source of the problem may be different than what everyone has always suspected. Bayless has expressed how more comfortable he feels handling the ball than without; he has never asserted any dissatisfaction towards coming off the bench.

In Portland they drafted him solely for the intent of making him a combo guard. In Toronto he’s primarily played with Leandro Barbosa, a guy who handles the ball a lot. Even though he played as a point guard, Bayless played more off the ball than is normally allotted for the position. Colangelo may have saw this and felt comfortable with Bayless being the main ball handler in the second unit, thus trading Barbosa and using the rest of the season to evaluate him under this role.

Unfortunately Bayless got injured in his first real chance to see if he’s capable of playing off the bench while being the main ball handler, but he did put up 7 points and 4 assists in just 13 minutes of play against the New York Knicks.

The Raptors brass have failed miserably at the handling of Jerryd Bayless, not even giving him a chance to prove himself as a starter despite the overwhelming success he’s had at the few opportunities he started. However his future with the Raptors is not over if Colangelo sees the potential of him being a sixth man. If that is not an option and he foregoes moving forward with Bayless, there may be other teams that could use Bayless’ services, such as Phoenix who may lose Steve Nash to free agency. Though it would be best for the Raptors to keep Bayless; he’s been nothing short of phenomenal when given a fair shake and it would be a shame to miss out on what could become a fantastic player.

After being in unison with The Score’s Ultimate Raptor Ranking for two consecutive choices – we’ve finally agreed to disagree.

#4 on The Score’s list was Antonio Davis – who hasn’t appeared on our list yet; so, you do the math.

You can view our entire selection thus far here.

Last week we had a look at Alvin Williams – who was our choice at #5. Alvin Williams was unquestionably one of the best Raptor point guards of all-time – and definitely gave more to the Raptors over the course of his career than Damon did. However, ‘Mighty Mouse’ was a better basketball player despite being here for less than three seasons.

Still, both Williams and Stoudamire can be interchangeable in these standings. Damon for his rookie of the year performance and raw talent; and Williams for his longevity and basketball IQ.

Stoudamire enjoyed a good stint with the Raptors – most notably in his first and second year with the team.

However, just as he left the Raptors, he started his career with the team on a similarly bitter note.

Stoudamire was the Raptors’ first ever draft pick during the expansion season. With celebrious players like Kevin Garnett, Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse, and Rasheed Wallace all being drafted already; the Raptors were on the clock with the 7th pick in front of their home town crowd.

As David Stern announced who Isiah Thomas had drafted, the Toronto fans started to boo mercilessly.

As they gave this relatively unknown kid a chance, they started to realize that Stoudamire was the real deal – and Mighty Mouse grew on them quicker than everyone had expected.

Everyone except for Isiah Thomas that is. If he ever made a right decision, it was to draft Damon Stoudamire.

Incredibly, Stoudamire went on and had a stellar rookie year – racking up 37 double-doubles. One of those double-doubles, came against the best NBA team of all-time – the Bulls of 95-96.

He also set a record at the time for most three-pointers for a rookie in NBA history. That year, he went on to outplay the stars of his draft class – KG, McDyess, Stack, ‘Sheed – and won the Rookie of the Year award.

He was the first, and one of only two Raptors to ever win the award.

16 years later, he’s still first in franchise history with 8.8 assists per game.

Remarkably, his best years in the NBA came while he was in Toronto – statistically speaking that is. Although he did achieve better things as a team in Portland (such as making the playoffs, of course), his numbers offensively took a huge dip after his departure from the Raptors.

From Wikipedia:

Season Splits

Like all Raptor stars that have emerged since the inception of our franchise, Stoudamire left on a bitter note – forcing a trade.

The trade ended up working well for the Raptors, who sent Stoudamire, Walt Williams, and Carlos Rogers to the Portland Trailblazers in exchange for Alvin Williams, Kenny Anderson, Gary Trent, three draft picks, and cash considerations.

Thanks for putting us on the map Mighty Mouse.

Ten months ago, The Score’s Raptor Blog started releasing a list of the top 30 Raptors of All Time in their Ultimate Raptor Rankings.

Upon seeing this list, the Raptors Watch Crew mediated to release a list of their own – comparing each selection with The Score’s list as it progresses.

And for the second consecutive time, we’ve agreed with the Score’s selection. Alvin Williams rolls in at #5 on our list.

‘Boogie’ was always one of those low-key players. He was never one to attract glamour and media the way Vince Cater and JYD did; he was humble, and widely loved by all Raptor fans.

And yet, despite being a fan favorite, I feel like his place in Raptor history is underrated – especially considering he was at worst the second best point guard this franchise has ever had.

* The #1 point guard was not Jose by the way, who’s already appeared on our list at #10.

To put things in perspective. Damon Stoudamire was drafted seventh overall by the Raptors in 1995 – winning the ROY in his first season.

Two years later, Alvin Williams was drafted 48th overall by the Portland Trailblazers. Then, in 1998 – Williams became Damon’s successor. For obvious reasons, no one thought that Boogie could fill in Mighty Mouse’s shoes; so expectations were low.

But boy did he raise the bar in his time in Toronto.

Williams is second in Raptor history when it comes to assists with 1791. Even though he was a good playmaker though; the great thing about Alvin Williams was that he was so good at other facets in the game like scoring and stealing.

Unlike so many other players in this countdown who only had but a brief stint with the Raps; Williams’ tenure in Toronto lasted 10 years – and now he’s back as the team’s director of player development.

An immortal Raptor.

His best season – statistically that is – was in 2002-2003 when he averaged 13.2 points, 5.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.

Not colossal numbers; But Williams was the type of point guard who kept things simple, and made everyone around him better.

Rewind another a year to the 2001-2002 season, and you’ll find  that Williams was one of the instigators of that unforgettable Raptors’ run – the one that saw the Raps win 12 of their last 14 games of the season without Vince Carter to make the playoffs.

The year before that, Williams ran the point as the Raptors had their best season in franchise history – beating the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs and coming short one point of moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Williams averaged 17 points in that series against New York – and hit a couple of clutch shots along the way.

From 2000-2002; Alvin Williams played all 164 games that were on the schedule.

Thanks for everything Boogie.

DeMar will be practicing against Wade - definitely a positive

Earlier last night it was reported that DeMar DeRozan had been invited to tryout for the USA Olympic team; but that was cleared up by Jerry Colangelo on the FAN590 within the hour.

Colangelo told Bob McCown on the show that DeMar had been added to the USA select team that will practice against the Olympic team prior to the Olympics.

DeRozan will be training alongside players like Kyrie Irving, DeMarcus Cousins, and John Wall. More importantly though, he will be playing against players such as Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Dywane Wade, Eric Gordon, and James Harden – which can only be a good thing.

We know that DeMar has consistently been our most active player during the off-season – playing pick-up games, drew league games, and charity games while diligently working on his jump-shot; but that won’t be nearly as productive as playing organized scrimmages against the NBA’s elite.

Raptor fans, there is not one negative thing that can come out of this. Just remember that in 2008, the US Olympic team played against an NBA select team that consisted of Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, Andre Iguoidala, and Russell Westbrook before winning the gold medal. Those five select players, went on to lead the Americans to a World Championship title two years later.

Let’s hope DeMar can come back as a much more improved player by the time next season rolls around. With a shortage of World-class shooting guards out there; we really need DeMar to pan out.

Upon seeing this list, the Raptors Watch Crew mediated to release a list of their own – comparing each selection with The Score’s list as it progresses. Our last entry was in February; and now that the season is over, we have the time to finish the list.

Some of our choices were the same as The Score’s, and some were way off – no, we would never include Joey Graham in a top 30 Raptor list in the manner The Score did; but to each his own.

This time we agree. #6 on our list is the timeless Morris Peterson – just as it is on the Raptor Blog’s list.

Morris Peterson will be remembered for four things.

1) Circus shots

2) A ridiculous buzzer-beater

3) Getting ejected for ‘slapping’ Vince Carter

The fourth thing he’s known for, is probably the most important.

Mo’ Pete was an Iron Man.

At 542 games played, no player has played more games in a Raptor uniform, ever.

At 371 games played in a row, no player has ever played more consecutive games in a Raptor uniform, ever.

At 801 three-pointers made, no player has ever scored more three-pointers in a Raptor uniform, ever.

He’s second all-time in steals, and third all-time in scoring behind the obvious ‘big two’.

Morris Peterson was never a ’10′ in anything; but some would say he was a ’9′ in everything. He was one of the better Raptor perimeter defenders; and in his prime (early millennium), Mo’ Pete could score in buckets. He could finish in traffic, and was deadly from behind the arc.

After Tracy McGrady left the Raptors for Orlando and became a perennial all-star and scoring champion; the Raptors were left with a void to fill. Mo’ Pete was one player – for me anyway – who helped ease the pain of T-Mac’s departure. He averaged 14 points in the 2001-2002 season, and was a nice compliment to Vince Carter as a secondary scoring option.

In 2005-2006, he had his best year scoring wise – averaging 16.8 ppg. At that stage, he was Chris Bosh’s robin, although the Raptors were still in their dark years then. It wasn’t until the following season where the Raptors won the Atlantic Division, where Mo’ Pete averaged 8.9 ppg in 21 mpg.

All numbers aside, Morris Peterson was widely known as a class act both on and off the court.

Next week, we’ll break into the top five of our countdown.

Jose and DeMar sharing the love

Every single “Raptor of the Week” has been leading up to this. The most prestigious award never given or heard of. The “Raptor of the Year”. This award is given to the Raptor who played consistently, played in at least half of the games and who stepped it up another level over the course of the season. It is sort of like an MVP but only Raptors are eligible.

This year, it is hard to pick just one or anyone, really. The Raps have had a season full of injuries, ups and downs and roster changing moves. But this award is not for sharing and thus we will have to break it down.

Here are the candidates:

Jose Calderon:

Jose has a lot going for him to win this honor. He has been injured, but not for as long as Bargnani or Bayless were (Thus Bayless is not a candidate). Despite missing the last half of April and a few games in March, Calderon has done another great job with a young Raptors team this year. He’s continued to add to his lead as the all time assist leader for the Raps and averaged 8.8apg this season. As we all know, Jose is a pass first point guard and that means he usually does not go out and try to score for himself, so the fact that he
averaged 10.5ppg is no surprise. However, he did manage to score a career high 30 points this season against the Los Angeles Lakers back on February 12^th, while nailing 4-4 from downtown.

Ben Uzoh:

Uzoh was brought in from the D-League and played the majority of his games in the NBA this season with the Raptors. Uzoh was really brought in to fill a roster spot and to try and give Calderon a breather since Toronto released Anthony Carter and lost Jerryd Bayless to injury. But Uzoh did exceeded expectations and revealed that he could be a solid role player in the NBA. Of course, the real reason he’s on this list is because he locked up a triple-double in the last game of the regular season against the Nets. This was the first time in 11 years a Raptor has accomplished such a feat; the last man to do it was Alvin Williams in 2001.

Andrea Bargnani:

You’d think that Andrea would be the obvious favourite here to win this award. The Raptors all seem to realize that he’s the man to go to on the team and that he needs touches. And before Bargs got hurt, it was all working out quite well. Way back at the start of the season and into January, Il Mago was showing that he was an All-Star caliber player and yes, able to play some solid defense. Andrea and Dwane Casey took to each other right away and that almost immediately seemed to improve Bargs’ effort and defense on the court. But just as things were looking up, Bargnani injured his left calf muscle and had to sit out all of February. When he came back in March, he just wasn’t the same. He was rusty and out of rhythm and never quite got back to being himself before he re-injured his calf and sat out almost all of April. He averaged 22.8ppg and 6.4rpg before his injury and ended up averaging 19.5ppg and 5.5rpg for the season.

Alan Anderson:

Much like his D-League friend Uzoh, Anderson was originally brought in to fill roster space and hopefully give the injury-riddled Raps a boost to end the season. And that he did. Before long, fans started to appreciate what Anderson brought to the game. That being three-point sniping and efficiency in the same place where the Raps got absolutely nothing from Rasual Butler previously. Brought in near the end of March, Anderson averaged 9.6ppg and shot 39.3% from deep. It doesn’t hurt Anderson’s case to mention that he also had more than one 4-point play this season.

DeMar DeRozan:

In his third NBA season, DeRozan has had major ups and downs. He would be in a scoring funk and then suddenly jump out of it for a while before falling right back in. However, DeMar has managed to stay relatively healthy this season, going down just before beating the franchise record for continuous starts. He was been more aggressive this season as well, driving to the rim more and more while still developing his mid-range and 3-point shot. Getting to the free throw line was the best place for DeMar; he scored a much higher percentage there than from deep of course. DeRozan has come up big in some important games this season for the Raps while Bargnani was either out or in his funk. Most notable was his 30 point game against New York in a big Raptors win on March 23^rd. He shot 11-17 from the field that game and fought his way to the free throw line 9 times. DD averaged 16.7ppg this season.

Amir Johnson:

Amir is really on this list merely based on reputation. Fans know exactly what to expect from him by now and his numbers are very much the same as they were last season. He averaged 7.1ppg, 6.4rpg and shot a great 57.6% from the field. Johnson managed to avoid being burdened with injuries this season and played through almost the entire condensed schedule. There were no drastic changes from his game last year, and as usual he had one or two big games that really revealed what he can do. Amir scored 19 points and grabbed 11 boards in a win over Minnesota back on January 9^th and recorded 18 points and 13 rebounds in another win against Washington on February 3^rd.

James Johnson:

James has really improved everywhere this year. From knocking down mid-range jumpers to swatting away opponent’s shots, JJ has made a great case for why he should stick around next season. James has missed a few games here and there but nothing to seriously worry about. This season, Johnson averaged 9.1ppg and 4.7rpg which don’t really scream, “big time player”. However, he has recorded a total of 11 games in which he blocked 3 or more shots, including a game against the Utah Jazz on January 25^th, where he sent back 6 shots coming his way. Although inconsistent, JJ has also managed to step up and show off some impressive numbers this season. He had 23 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks and 2 steals
in a game against Portland and a 22 point, 13 rebound, 4 assist and 2 block performance against Milwaukee. JJ is exactly the kind of player Dwane Casey loves to have on his team and Raptor Nation may very well be seeing him in the future.

And the winner is…

After a long, hard while of pondering and analyzing, your “Raptor of the Year” has been decided. It was really quite obvious that the top 3 anyone had to be thinking of were Andrea Bargnani, DeMar DeRozan and Jose Calderon but only one of them is the winner.

Unfortunately for Bargnani, he simply missed far too many games this season to pick up this award and when he did return, he looked flat. DeMar had a great year considering he had to pick up the pace when Andrea went out but his scoring was very inconsistent and he seemed to have trouble figuring out where exactly he fits in Casey’s system. Hopefully by next year he’ll have that figured out.

Which leaves us with the final player, who by far had the most consistent and productive year under harsh circumstances. Jose Calderon managed to withstand the majority of the condensed season, all the while dealing with Anthony Carter, who was supposed to back him up, and the injuries of Jerryd Bayless. Calderon logged major minutes and handled it beautifully, once again proving that he is an elite passer and ball handler in this league. He endured his own injuries and even played with an extremely puffy eye for the last while. He averaged 33.9mpg this season, which is almost 6 minutes more than his career average. Yet, his numbers did not slip in any category and he still shot an efficient 45.7% from the floor.

So for proving he is an elite floor general and able to keep his team running and his numbers up over the entire shortened season, Jose Calderon is your “Raptor of the Year”.

The 2011 – 2012 Regular season came to a close last Thursday night and Raptor fans were treated to a summer league game held early and in Toronto on the same night. The Raptors took the floor with key injuries to Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani, Jarryd Bayless, Demar Derozen and Aaron Gray, and Linas Kleiza with a DNP meant we saw a very different looking Raptor team than the one which began the season. We had some highs, mediums and lows this season which I’ll get to down below, but for now let’s see how the players who finished this season in a Raptor uniform fared this year. After the individual player assessments, a team assessment follows. Enjoy!
Guards:

Ben Uzoh

Highs:

• Triple – Double in final game of season(first Raptor in 11 years).
• 8 asts, 10 rebs, 2 tos, 4 pts vs ATL, April 16.

Season Averages:

• 4.5ppg. 3.4apg, 3.7rpg = PER 10.92

Notes*

Ben has come along at a time where we needed someone to come in and provide support to our ailing backcourt. He’s filled this support role very well. He took a few games in a Raptor uniform to get comfortable on our hardwood but since then he’s played solid defense, and has shown he has a quick learning curve for things thrown at him. His triple double in the final game should be taken with a grain of salt as NJ was without D will, Kris Humphries and Jordan Farmar, but he has definitely shown he can hold his own in the NBA as a role player. Beyond that I don’t see his role growing in Toronto. We’ve got Jose and Jarryd when both are healthy and the minutes he’s been getting will fall down to his normal level once they return. Is he good enough to use as a full time replacement and cut one of the other two – No, he hasn’t shown enough yet to be a valid candidate to replace either Jose or Jarryd. The final ruling is that I’d love to see Ben in a Raps Jersey next season, but given his play of late, it might be a right time to try and land a role playing position with someone else at the back up PG spot.

Final Grade : B-

What to work on this summer:

Better decision making. Get the ball in your hands a lot this summer in game situations and practice running the offense at a high tempo. Develop your court vision and a better jump shot. Shows excellent rebounding ability as a guard.

Jarryd Bayless

Highs:

• 30 pts, 3 asts, 3 rebs, 2 tos vs Washington, Feb 6.
• 28 pts, 9 asts, 6 rebs, 3 tos vs Memphis, March 16.
• 16 pts, 10 asts, 4 rebs, 2 tos vs New Jersey, March 14.

Season Averages:

• 11.4ppg, 3.8apg, 2.1rpg = PER 17.80

Notes*

Jarryd has been injured far too often this season for us to give him honest consideration as a valid back up PG. His play when he was on the court has been stellar, he’s a scorer, a passer and he can play D. He had good lateral movement all season even with all that tape on his ankles, but with the injuries and considering he’s a restricted free agent this summer, and will be owed a minimum qualifying offer of about 4 million dollars for next season (and potentially much more if someone else thinks he’s worth taking a chance on and offers him more which the Raps would have to match to keep him), one has to wonder if you’re going to see more of the same next season. It comes down to a gamble, do you think Jarryd will be healthy and good next season, or injured again? I’m one to always gamble on the player and give him one more chance so I say we keep him – when healthy he can be one of the top backups in the league and maybe one day can take over the starting job himself, but it wouldn’t hurt to keep another combo guard on the roster just in case.

Final Grade : C+

What to work on this summer:

Staying healthy! Injuries robbed Jarryd of the chance to show us what he had. In the few games he was showcased when Jose was out he was brilliant, but then just kept getting hurt. Get your body healthy, work on plyometrics and developing strength to cope with the stress of the season. Skills as a PG are up to snuff, just health issues. Developing a better sense of Jarryd’s teamates tendencies and when to give them the ball vs take it to the hole could help his assist totals. Scoring is excellent already.

Jose Calderon

Highs:

• 30 pts, 6 asts, 2 rebs, 2 tos vs LAL, Feb 12.
• 8 pts, 17 asts, 8 rebs, 3 tos vs Washington, Feb 2.
• 25 pts, 9 asts, 7 rebs, 4 tos vs NYK Feb 14.
• 17 pts, 14 asts, 4 rebs, 0 tos vs BOS, Feb 10.

Season Averages:

• 10ppg, 8.8apg, 3.0rpg = PER 16.73

Notes*

Dwane Casey said Jose was like an “Old Shoe” – you forget he’s there but he’s always working hard and he’s a constant professional. Jose has been the one Raptor to stay positive through this entire season and he’s proven he’s a leader on this team. Jose has been near the top of the NBA assist ladder all season and he’s done this without many offensive weapons on his team this year. Next season Dwane Casey will be focusing on the offensive sets and producing more points which will only help Jose’s assist totals. There’s a couple of knocks against Jose though. He needs to shoot more and look to be a little more selfish on the offensive end. He proved this season that he can be a weapon if we utilize him as such and if TO is going to continue improve Jose’s shooting is a gun you already had but didn’t know what to do with. The other main knock is his contract. Jose will make about 10 mil. next year and on a budget of 55 mil. that’s a huge chunk of your reserve you’ve locked up in a 31 year old pass first point guard on a team that just finished with 23 wins. Jose should be shopped around a bit, but if no suitable pieces are out there we should retain his services one more year. After next year his contract is up and we can decide to resign him at a different dollar amount then.

Final Grade : B+

What to work on this summer:

Price considerations. Jose is an excellent PG but he’s overpaid for what he’s doing in Toronto. Toronto either needs to bring Jose’s contract back to reasonable status, or give him to a team which can pay him for the services he’s dishing out in assist totals every night. Other than his price being his failing, he could develop more of a hunger to shoot. He’s an excellent shooter coming off screens and pulling up for the 3, he needs to want to do this more next year for TO to use him adequately. Look for Jose to push his scoring averages up to 15-17 points next year. He’s capable, but he’s a little too unselfish for his skill set at times.

Demar Derozen

Highs:

• 27 pts, 2 asts, 3 rebs, 0 tos vs NJ, January 29.
• 28 pts, 2 asts, 1 rebs, 2 tos vs MIA, March 30.
• 22 pts, 2 asts, 2 rebs, 2 tos, vs BOS, April 13.
• 30 pts, 1 asts, 3 rebs, 2 tos vs NYK, March 23.

Season Averages:

• 16.7ppg, 2.0apg, 3.3rpg = PER 12.87

Notes*

Demar has shown through the second half of the season this year that he can be a consistant 20 point scorer in this league. He’s also shown a toughness we all were waiting to see. The early knocks on DeRozan this year were that he didn’t look for contact at the rim and head to the line. I selected those season highs for him because in the games listed he went 11-16, 10-10, 13-13 and 8-9 from the free throw line. This is what Demar has to do to be that key piece in our organization. The guy who explodes to the hoop and looks for contact. We can find shooters and big men are coming, but we need Demar to be Demar and he’s stepped up in the latter half of the season. He still needs to develop his handle and get a few dribble moves to go along with an improved shot, but over all he seems to be developing nicely. Over the next couple of seasons look for him to really break out and approach all-star status if he stays the course. He’s of course earned a spot on next years roster, but don’t be afraid to entertain talks for anything that could improve our organization this summer. As Bryan Colangelo has said, we’re not good enough yet to keep anyone off the market.

Final Grade : C+

What to work on this summer:

Keep developing your shot. You took strides in this regard this year, continue it next year. Keep finishing through contact and become an excellent free throw shooter for late game situations. Practice posting up more and get stronger this summer. Look to spend spot time at the 3 next year, or possible move there full time depending on who the Raptors draft. Get stronger and be a better shooter. Demar, you are now excused for the summer.

Forwards:

Gary Forbes

Highs:

• 20 pts, 2 asts, 4 rebs, 1 tos vs Memphis, March 16.
• 12 pts, 2 asts, 13 rebs, 1 tos vs Chicago, March 24.
• 11 pts, 2 asts, 10 rebs, 1 tos vs Denver, March 28.

Season Averages:

• 6.6ppg, 1.1apg, 2.1rpg = PER 13.33

Notes*

Forbes has been a major disappointment to me this season. He was coming over from Denver, which was a team known for its valuable depth and bench players which Forbes was a part of. Now I can’t be too hard on him, because he’s been asked to play the point spot, which isn’t his natural position, for much of the year, but still I find myself feeling that’s not enough to excuse his play this season. As the back up point he turned the ball over at times with bad passes and poor decision making, and when inserted into games when he wasn’t seeing a lot of minutes he seemed to rush a lot and play faster than he should at times. I think he has a lot of valuable skills. He’s a streaky shooter who can get hot and go for 10-12 points in order, and he showed improved play when moved primarily to the two spot after the Barbosa trade, but he still seemed to play too fast and make poor decisions at times. In the closing seconds of the final game with Toronto leading by over 30, he hoisted a 3 pointer at the buzzer which Sundiata Gainses snatched out of the air for a clear goal-tending call. For anyone who doesn’t know there’s an unwritten rule that you don’t punish an opponent you’ve already beaten when there’s no point – this was Forbes mistake and it just showed a lack of professionalism on his part. Gary I have no doubt will turn into a solid contributor on someone’s roster if he continues to improve, but I haven’t seen enough to keep his 1.5 million dollar contract next year, I say cut him or trade him.

Final Grade : D

What to work on this summer:

Slow down in game situations. Go over high tempo game situations this summer and get use to functioning faster but calmer. Focus more in late game situations. Skills are up to par for a 2-3 man, but if he’s running the point he needs to work on his passing, court vision and general decision making. Not ready to run an offense anywhere right now.

Alan Anderson

Highs:

• 17 pts 0 asts, 1 rebs, 3 tos vs IND, April 9.
• 16 pts, 2 asts, 2 rebs, 2 tos vs ATL, April 15.
• 13 pts, 0 asts, 4 rebs, 1 tos vs Philly, April 4.

Season Averages:

• 9.6ppg, 1.5apg, 2.0rpg = PER 8.75

Notes*

Alan Anderson is a perfect fit for the Toronto Raptors and what Dwane Casey is trying to build in TO. He’s a character guy who brings a humbleness and experience to the locker room akin to that which Jamaal Maglore brings; and on top of that the guy can shoot. In the games listed as highs Anderson went 4-4, 3-4 and 3-4 from three point land, and he also had two games with 4 point plays in them. We traded away Lenadro Barbosa and Anderson wont replace his speed, but his shooting seems to be right on par with Barbosa’s. Dwane Casey says he needs shooters next season, so let’s get this man paid.

Final Grade : B

What to work on this summer:

Functioning in line with teammates. Be a locker room guy. Shooting touch in nice and welcomed, but real value for Anderson is his experience. Need him to be a go to guy in late game situations. Give him a contract early so he knows this organization wants him and wants to use him in this way, he’ll be calmer during his summer workouts and able to function better and clearer in the locker room early on next year and help develop the young talent.

Linas Kleiza

Highs:

• 30 pts, 1 asts, 5 rebs, 3 tos vs Washington, Feb 6.
• 25 pts, 0 asts, 5 rebs, 1 tos vs Utah, January 25.
• 15 pts, 3 asts, 11 rebs, 2 tos vs NYK, Feb 14.

Season Averages:

• 9.7ppg, 0.9apg, 4.1rpg = PER 12.45

Notes*

Linas has been clutch at times and at other times he’s faltered. Some of this can be attributed to his ailing micro-fracture surgery recovery, while some can be attributed to poor decision making and just bad shooting. His shot has shown signs of improvement and if healthy he may well be a dead eye from beyond the arc, but this season did little to prove that. Over the last month of the season his 3 point shooting percentages dropped and his best game was a 4-8 shooting night against the Bobcats on April 2. Kleiza may bounce back next season but with a bit of a clog-up at the 3 position with Forbes, DeRozan, James Johnson, Alan Anderson and himself, someone in that mix has to leave to make way for an improved roster next season. Kleiza can shoot and I like him, but Anderson has the buzz right now. This is a tough call for the front office staff and I don’t envy them this decision in the off-season.

Final Grade : C-

What to work on this summer:

Need more rebounding and assists from Kleiza as well as more consistency. Shooting is there, needs to be healthy to do it. Look at rebounding and getting stronger this summer and posting up more next fall in case 3 ball isn’t falling. Stay healthy.

Andrea Bargnani

Highs:

• 36 pts, 2 asts, 6 rebs, 2 tos vs Phoenix, January 22.
• 31 pts, 0 asts, 9 rebs, 2 tos vs MIN, January 9.
• 21 pts, 1 asts, 11 rebs, 1 tos vs Philly, January 7.
• 30 pts, 1 asts, 7 rebs, 3 tos vs Dallas, December 30.

Season Averages:

• 19.5ppg, 5.5rpg, 1.8apg = PER 18.00

Notes*

Barg’s has been injured so much this season it hurts to think about. The highs listed above are all from early in the season before the injury. When Bargnani returned he wasn’t the same. Some can be blamed on conditioning and rhythm, and the rest on the schedule, but when he was re-injured you just were left with a bad taste in your mouth with this season. He showed he can play like an all star, playing solid defense for the first time in his career and anchoring the Raptors in scoring and effort. We need him back to this form next season, pre-injury. Combine that with Valanciunas and whomever we add in the draft and I like the feeling I get in my gut. Keep him and nurse him back to health. He’s almost arrived where we wanted him to be when we took him number one over all.

Final Grade : B+

What to work on this summer:

Make sure you’re healthy before you do anything. We can’t have our star player missing half the season next year when we’re bringing in more young talent and asking him, and now one of our veteran players, to take a leading role. Keep working on D, was nice to see the change this year. Get stronger to post up more. Develop the ability to take a couple of dribbles. Probably will never have a handle as such, but ability to change the defense with a couple of dribbles would be nice.

Ed Davis

Highs:

• 24 pts, 1 blks, 12 rebs, 3 tos vs NJ, April 26.
• 13 pts, 0 blks, 13 rebs, 1 tos vs Philly, April 4.
• 7 pts, 4 blks, 11 rebs, 2 tos vs ATL, Jan 16.

Season Averages:

• 6.6ppg, 6.6rpg, 1.0bpg = PER 14.22

Notes*

Ed Davis was a let down this season as far as taking steps forward is concerned, but I believe the reason this is the case can be explained with the lockout last season and his lack of training with coaches and staff over the summer. This summer Ed will see time in the Vegas summer league and be working with coaches all summer long. This should speed his grown from this season and next year his goal should be one of a role player coming off the bench, or possibly sixth man position. His focuses should be rebounding and put backs on the offensive end and solid effort on improving his blocked shots on the defensive end. Ed’s said he’s going to be working on his jump shot this summer, which might be nice to see, but shouldn’t be his primary focus. If he could give you 10 and 15 every night next year you’d love to have that production coming off the bench.

Final Grade : C

What to work on this summer:

Develop better defense and shot blocking ability/anticipation. Rebounding drills galore and practice your shot. You have a full complement of coaches available to you this year, it’s time to go to summer school Eddie, we’re counting on you next year.

Amir Johnson

Highs:

• 19 pts, 1 blks, 11 rebs, 1 tos vs MIN, January 9.
• 18 pts, 3 blks, 13 rebs, 0 tos vs Washington, Feb 3.
• 12 pts, 0 blks, 14 rebs, 3 tos vs Philly, January 7.
• 12 pts, 3 blks, 12 rebs, 2 tos vs MIA, March 30.

Season Averages:

• 7.1ppg, 6.4rpg, 1.1bpg = PER 14.40.

Notes*

Amir disappeared early on in the season, but continued to contribute in most ways once he returned. Amir is a solid rebounder and athletic big man that’s high energy off the bench. He has shown enough inconsistency that you can’t trust him with a starting job yet, and his 6 million dollar contract for next season is a hefty price tag for a role player. This summer we should entertain offers for Amir otherwise you’ll need to divide the minutes between him and Ed Davis next year for a back up 4 spot.

Final Grade : C-

What to work on this summer:

Get that 15 foot jump shot down and work on shot blocking anticipation more. High motor would be nice to have coming off the bench next season, price tag is a bit steep though.

James Johnson

Highs:

• 22 pts, 2 blks, 13 rebs, 3 tos vs Milwaukee, April 23.
• 23 pts, 4 blks, 6 rebs, 0 tos vs Portland, January 20.
• 20 pts, 4 blks, 8 rebs, 6 tos vs Chicago, March 24.

Season Averages:

• 9.1ppg, 2.0apg, 4.7rpg, 1.4bpg = PER 14.54.

Notes*

James Johnson has been a favorite Raptor of mine all season. He reminds me of Jerome Williams and his constant work ethic and positivity. He’s shown strides in almost every area and would be welcomed by many benches around the league. I’m not sure how he figures into Toronto’s plans though. With James being a 3-4 rotational player, he can shoot as he showed this year, rebound and play very tough gritty D. With that being said he’s competing for minutes with DeRozan, Kleiza, Anderson, Amir Johnson, Ed Davis, and Bargnani,so I’m just not sure there’s enough minutes to go around. If you keep DeRozan, Barg’s and Davis you’ve got Kleiza, James Johnson, Amir Johnson and Alan Anderson – these are the main players the Raptors need to do something with this summer. There’s not enough minutes and these guys have to be sorted out. You could keep James as a role player rotating between the 3 and 4 spot, but he may have higher trade value now given the season he’s coming off of and what he’s shown he can do.

Final Grade : B

What to work on this summer:

Jump shot got better this year, keep developing it next year. Real strength is as a defender. Work on better stealing anticipation and taking the charge. Has grittiness that any team wants.

Centres:

Aaron Gray

Highs:

• 12 pts, 2 blks, 12 rebs, 1 tos vs Detroit, Feb 22.
• 11 pts, 0 blks, 11 rebs, 2 tos vs Orlando, March 5.
• 10 pts, 0 blks, 4 rebs, 1 tos vs Detroit, March 10.

Season Averages:

• 3.9ppg, 5.7rpg, 0.3bpg = PER 11.09.

Notes*

Gray missed the first chunk of the season with heart issues, but since returning he’s been solid for the Raps. He’s not going to put up big numbers, you knew that with him coming in, but he’s been consistent and added solid effort all year at times when many would have folded. He’s also come up with a timely put back at times and has shown he’s a character guy. I think he’s a good 2-3 string back up centre. If it’s possible to keep Gray with Jonas coming in I say do it, he may prove a valuable role player.

Final Grade : B-

What to work on this summer:

Jump shot. Getting a 12-15 foot consistent jump shot would be nice, but strength will never be as a scorer. Work on conditioning and rebounding, this is where value is.

Solomon Alabi

Highs:

• 11 pts, 3blks, 19 rebs, 0 tos vs NJ, April 26.
• 6 pts, 1 blks, 10 rebs, 0 tos vs Detroit, April 22.
• 8pts, 1 blks, 9rebs, 2 tos vs ATL, April 16.

Season Averages:

• 2.4ppg, 3.4rpg, 0.6bpg = PER 14.27

Notes*

Solo showed signs he’s developing nicely. He only played in a handful of games and against teams with weak and depleted rosters, but he played with energy and grabbed a lot of loose balls. He still needs time in the D League and needs to develop his size and body, but in a year or two he could come in and get you 6-8 rebounds and game and block a couple shots while doing it.

Final Grade : C-

What to work on this summer:

Body and strength. Keep developing and we’ll see what next season has in store. Could be a nice 3^rd string centre if injuries occur and development proceeds ahead of schedule.

Jonas Valanciunas

Highs (international competition statistics):

• 25 pts, 6blks, 12 rebs vs Pieno Zvaigzdes, November 12.
• 22 pts, 2blks, 11 rebs vs Naglis, December 28.
• 21 pts, 2 blks, 9 rebs vs Enisey Krasnoyarsk, Feb 4.

Season Averages

• 12.2ppg, 1.7bpg, 7.7rpg, 4.5 ftpg, 6.6fgpg.

Notes*

Jonas Valanciunas has been winning awards left, right and centre in Europe. Winning the Lithuanian Basketball player of the year award and being named MVP of the VTB United League the same month, Valancuinas was selected to participate in the LKL All-star game where he was named MVP of the game, tallying 25 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists. Jonas will likely participate in the summer Olympics if the Lithuanian team qualifies for the summer games; Otherwise we may see Jonas in the Vegas summer league alongside Ed Davis. Jonas will arrive in Toronto at age 20 and he brings size, athleticism, scoring and rebounding help for Andrea and the rest of the front court. Jonas has been projected as high as 2^nd in this years draft if he was eligible, and that’s saying something. I’m excited for his arrival in Toronto and I think any Raptor fan should be. Now we just need who to pair with him at the 3 spot up front. Hmmm, NBA Draft anyone…..

Final Grade : A+

What to work on this summer:

Nothin’ he aint already working on. Keep training, keep progressing big fella, and hopefully we’ll see you showcased in the London games before you come over to Toronto this fall.

Toronto Raptors Team Assessment:

Back court

The back court of the Raptors Consisted mostly of Jose Calderon and Demar DeRozan and that combo is a formidable 1-2 combo for any team. Strengths this season included Demar’s emergence as a slasher who can find contact and get to the line, and Jose can run the offense as efficiently as anyone in the league and can a few threes to boot. Jose is lacking athleticism though and Jarryd Bayless could have been the answer to this. Unfortunately he was injured so much, you never saw the possible strength of their rotation at full capacity all season. With Barbosa being traded away you have slim pickin’s after your top two guys and Demar’s inconsistent shooting has to be cured if he’s to be the primary scoring option after Andrea on the Raps team. Overall this back court is an above average team, but they lack consistency and have health issues. This season was a disappointment for Toronto’s backcourt.

Final Grade : C-

Front Court

With Bargnani’s injury the front court lost it’s biggest asset. If healthy he would have given you 20 points and 8 rebounds and taken a charge a game. Without him you had Amir Johnson, James Johnson, Ed Davis and Aaron Gray picking up the slack but it just wasn’t enough. The Raps rebounded well most of the year but ultimately need to add a post man (whom they have coming in Valanciunas) and someone at the three spot. This summer’s draft should see Toronto add some scoring and size somewhere, either at the 2 or 3 spot, or get creative with some trades because the front court this year wasn’t a mater for many.

Final Grade: D+

Coaching

Dwane Casey had to put up with a lot this year. He came in knowing it was going to be a loosing year and he came from a team that had just won a championship. What he didn’t know was he was going to loose his star player for most of the season, as well as key backups. He’s done an excellent job, besting our win total from a season ago with 16 less games in this years calendar. The team has picked up Dwane’s option for next year and they know they have the man for the job. Dwane turned Toronto into a defensive unit and laid the foundation for future success. Next season Casey will focus on offense and he needs scorers. Lets go get this man some shooters raptornation.

Final Grade : A-

Front Office:

Bryan Colangelo has made good strides this year. We’re all disappointed Colangelo took Jonas instead of someone we could use this year, but look at what Jonas has done over in Europe and he’s another year developed when we’re getting him. We need to see him in person but I think Bryan made the right call. He also hired Casey who’s done a terrific job and Ed Stefanski as the VP of basketball operations and he’s been on a scouting mission all year to see everyone he could to prepare for this mega draft. We need to see what happens in terms of trades this off season but getting a second round pick for Barbosa was a nice balancing act with the budget vs the talent in this draft. If they can somehow move their 2 second round picks into a pick say 20-25 of the first round it would be the best possible position I see them trading up to. We’ll see what happens in the next couple of months but for now the front office is making good moves. Lets go draft day!

Final Grade : C+

Overall Final Organization Grade : C+

2010-2011 Key Team Stats:

• 99.1ppg, 40.3rpg, 21.3apg, 4.3bpg, 6.9spg

2010-2011 Key Opponent Stats:

• 105.4ppg, 41.1rpg, 22.9apg, 5.6bpg, 7.5spg

2011 – 2012 Key Team Stats:

• 90.7ppg, 42.0rpg, 20.9, 4.8bpg, 6.5spg

2011 – 2012 Opponent Stats:

• 94.0ppg, 40.5rpg, 20.1apg, 4.9bpg, 7.2spg

The Raptors have put themselves in a good position to improve next year through key additions this off-season and through the draft. The Expendable players are as follows.

Linas Kleiza – owed next season – 4.6 Million

James Johnson – owed next season – 2.8 million

Amir Johnson – owed next season – 6 million

Alan Anderson – owed next season – 0

Gary Forbes – owed next season – 1.5 million

Solomon Alabi – owed next season – .89 million

Ben Uzoh – owed next season – 0

Aaron Gray – owed next season – 0

The Core non-expendable players are as follows:

Demar DeRozan – owed next season – 3.3 million

Jose Calderon – owed next season – 10.5 million

Andrea Bargnani – owed next season- 10 million

Ed Davis – owed next season – 2.2 million

Jonas Valanciunas – unknown

Jarryd Bayless – owed next season – 4.1 million

Total salaries for 2011 – 2012 season: 47.679 million

Total projected salaries for 2012 – 2013: 41.025 million

2012 NBA Salary Cap: 58 million

And that’s the ball game folks.

Uzoh's triple-double was the first since 2001

This hectic season is now complete and it was full of injuries, painful losses, surprising wins and renewed hope from a defensive-minded coach. The Raps have made their way through the condensed season and are now finally able to look forward to the draft and likely, a complete roster change as well as the arrival of Jonas V.

The Raps played a total of three games in their final week. Two of them were losses to Detroit and Milwaukee. Both of them were rather close as they lost to the Pistons 76-73 and 92-86 to the Bucks. But amazingly, they managed to pull out a big win over the Nets in their final game of the season; defeating them 98-67.

That game was played without Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon, Aaron Grey and DeMar DeRozan.

The Raps came out with heart that game and none more so than Ben Uzoh.

It seems to have been the time of the D-Leaguers ever since Uzoh and Anderson were brought in to fill space and both have done an excellent job. Uzoh was the star against the Nets though, as he managed to pull off a triple-double. He scored 12 points, dished out 12 dimes and grabbed 11 boards. Not to mention he also had 4 steals and 1 block.

This was the first time in 11 years a Raptor has recorded a triple-double. The last to do it was Alvin Williams back in 2001.

Is this a sign that Uzoh should stick around? Well, that’s for Casey and management to decide. But it’s a safe bet that people are far more interested in what Uzoh can do now.

This week Uzoh averaged 8.3ppg, 6apg, 6.3rpg and 2.3spg.

Not looking specifically at the points, Uzoh’s stats were extremely impressive. Especially the rebounds. It’s always helpful to get around 5 boards from any point guard, let alone one who is 6’3”. He played a lot of minutes too, taking on an average of 38.6 over the stretch. He also played 46 minutes in the game against the Nets.

Uzoh’s season stats are 4.5ppg, 3.7rpg and 3.4apg.

So for coming up big in the final game of the season and notching the first triple-double the Raptors have seen in over a decade, Ben Uzoh is your “Raptor of the Week”.

Two players with big nights.

“We were kind of looking at two scoreboards tonight, ours and the Philadelphia and New Jersey game,” Bucks center Drew Gooden said. ”We were rooting for Jersey, but it didn’t work out in our favor.”

What started off as a must-win game for Milwaukee, ended up in complete failure.

To keep their very slim playoff hopes alive, the Bucks needed to beat the Raptors; and hope that the lowly Nets could take down the 76ers.

Clearly, Milwaukee did their job.

However, Philadelphia disposed of New Jersey with ease: 105-87; and with the win over the Raptors, the Bucks put a huge incision in their draft hopes.

Now the Bucks will finish ninth in the East for the second year running; and that’s probably the worst case scenario at this point.

Neither here nor there. Milwaukee is all but a treadmill these days.

“I’m disappointed — very disappointed,” Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. ”We didn’t get done what we were expected to get done, so if everybody in there is not very, very disappointed, then we’ve got big problems.”

“We were rooting for New Jersey, but it didn’t work out in our favour,” Drew Gooden said. “We handled our business tonight, but it is what it is.”

The Raptors led the Bucks for the first three quarters – only to be overrun in the fourth. Toronto was out-scored 30-19 in that final frame.

Ersan Ilyasova had a huge fourth quarter, scoring the Bucks’ nine final points. He ended with 19 points and 15 rebounds.

Brandon Jennings scored a game-high 25 points. Although, he was just 9-of-23 from the floor, and just 2-of-8 in the fourth.

The Raptors turned the ball over 22 times, which led to 24 points for the Bucks.

Perhaps when you realize your two points guards consist of a D-leaguer and bench shooting guard; you can excuse this stat.

The biggest bright spot for the Raptors was James Johnson, who scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Meanwhile, Gary Forbes and Linas Keliza each added 15 points off the bench.

In the second quarter, DeMar DeRozan was ejected from the game after chucking the ball in frustration following a travelling call.

“No matter how tough it gets or how much frustration sets in, fatigue, whatever it is, you’ve got to buckle up and roll with it,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “We talked about it after the game and it’s a teaching moment for him. It’s part of his maturity process. When you’re the man on the team, you’ve got to be responsible for that.”

From then on, the Raptors were officially without three of their best players (Amir Johnson is arguably in that list in my opinion) – Jose, Bargnani, and DeMar.

And still, they put up a fight despite the loss.

It’s the sign of a Dwane Casey team, and it’s these signs that have Raptor fans titillated about what Casey can do with an enhanced team next season.

Bucks coach Scott Skiles had some praise for Casey and the Raps.

“They would be having a totally different season had (Andrea) Bargnani been healthy the whole time,”

Next up: Nets @ Raptors on Thursday in the season finale.