Toronto's having a preseason to remember

Discussion in 'Toronto Raptors' started by BrewCityBuck, Oct 19, 2006.

  1. BrewCityBuck

    BrewCityBuck The guy with 17,000 Posts.

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2006
    Messages:
    17,503
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Re: Toronto's having a preseason to remember

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Toronto's having a preseason to rememberOctober 19, 2006Happened to be chatting with Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo the other day, and it seemed his tone was familiar. Two years ago, when Colangelo (then with the Suns) had shuffled Stephon Marbury away and brought in Steve Nash as a free agent, I sat with him at the United Center in early November. Phoenix was 3-0 at the time, having scored 110 points per game in those wins. It was pretty clear that those Suns were something much different than most of us expected. Colangelo asked at the time, with a faux innocence, "Where did The Sporting News pick us?" Uh, 10th in the West, I believe. Colangelo just smiled. The Suns would go on to win 62 games, and I think he really enjoyed proving boobs like me wrong. There was a twinge of deja vu, then, when Colangelo wondered much the same thing about where Sporting News was picking his Raptors. Um, not in the playoffs, I believe. I'm already wondering if I should go scrambling back to the SN rankings, to put the Raptors in the Top five with 62 wins. OK, not quite. But, in watching this team in the preseason, you really have to start writing in (put it in pencil, at least) the Raptors as a playoff-caliber group in the Eastern Conference. I'm thinking 45 wins. They are committed to five-man, up-tempo offense and, though they don't have the talent the Suns had, they have smart, tough and dedicated team players. Sure, every franchise is at least paying lip service to the up-tempo thing, with even watching-paint-dry coaches like Rick Carlisle and Jeff Van Gundy pledging to get out and run, but when you see a team that is truly committed to blowing past opponents and finding security in speedy shooting, you know it. And this team is doing it. The Raptors are 4-0 in the preseason thus far. The preseason, of course, does not count. If you're a fan of the Heat (which started 1-2) or the Mavericks (0-4), there's no sense in getting worked up about the team's October record. But when you're coming off a lousy year (the Raptors were 27-55) and you're trying to change the atmosphere around the franchise in general, a 4-0 preseason start is cause for some satisfaction. Especially when you're doing it the way the Raptors have. Their defense has been awful and they're getting killed in rebounding. Their shooting hasn't been very good, either (.432). But they're firing up 23 3-pointers per game, forcing turnovers at an alarming rate (25.8) and scoring 108.3 points per game. Sound like any Western Conference team we might have seen blossom over the last two years? Remember, those of us who doubted the 2004-05 Suns did so even after they had a remarkable 7-1 preseason in which they averaged 106.9 points per game. The Raptors are averaging even more points. Toronto is starting Rasho Nesterovic at center, but it looks like Spaniard Jorge Garbajosa (13.3 points, 48 percent 3-point shooting) will get a big chunk of minutes next to star forward Chris Bosh. Bosh's backup, Kris Humphries, has been a pleasant surprise, averaging 6.0 rebounds in just 13.5 minutes. And the frontcourt player who was not supposed to play much this year, No. 1 pick Andrea Bargnani, sure looks NBA-ready (offensively, at least). Point guards T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon have combined for 11.8 assists per game in split minutes. The question mark is the Raptors' wings, all of whom are struggling with their shots early. Fred Jones is averaging 14.5 points and is a decent career 3-point shooter (.350), but most of his scoring has been at the free-throw line. He's 2-for-17 on 3s. Anthony Parker, the former Bradley star who hit it big in Europe, is shooting 24 percent and is probably not a 3-point threat. Morris Peterson could potentially be an excellent 3-point shooter (.373 in his career), but he has not yet found his stroke. Joey Graham still does not look comfortable from long distance. One of the great things about the Suns in their breakout season was that they could score in enormous bunches because everyone on the floor could shoot. It's unlikely that this group of Raptors can make shots the way the Suns did (and do). But, so far, they're buying into the fast-paced approach and, even with some cold shooting, they're outrunning opponents to wins. It's only the preseason, but it is worth noticing.</div>http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=139892 I'm not really sure I can put them in the playoffs, but the east is going to be tight. I think they are a year away.
     
  2. Supreme BALLA

    Supreme BALLA BBW Member

    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2006
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    6
    Re: Toronto's having a preseason to remember

    I do think they're going to make it to the playoffs this season with the help of all of the team members contributing. We CAN'T be jacking up 3pt shots like that.. we have to drive it inside more often, force more turnovers and yes, run the fast break on and on. We also need defense and more touches for certain members on the team. Other than that, we've been doing fine. Not a bad article, but it doesn't seem very proffesional.
     
  3. Roaming

    Roaming Back In Black! erm...in Colour!

    Joined:
    Aug 2, 2006
    Messages:
    3,396
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Re: Toronto's having a preseason to remember

    I still will continue to say its preason, we dont know if our new players are really efficient yet. Im excited to see, things are looking good for the raps.
     
  4. 7Goat

    7Goat BBW Hip-Hop Head

    Joined:
    Feb 22, 2006
    Messages:
    6,924
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Re: Toronto's having a preseason to remember

    They are really getting there... I can actually say with confidence that they may become a threat in a few years if all goes right
     

Share This Page