Why The Toronto Raptors Keep On Losing: BRUTAL TRUTH.

This is the reason why I haven’t been posting frequently.. Toronto loses. I know, I know, “if I’m supposed to be a true friend, why don’t I post win or loss“. Well, it’s plain and simple, Toronto doesn’t deserve to be told off that they lost their game to the other team because they already are getting enough BS that they have on their plate. I don’t wanna add on to their disappointment and losing.

However, it is EXTREMELY important for me to tell you guys why they lose. Here are the main reasons.

The first reason is consistency. Throughout forty eight minutes there are about 95-99% that we complete each game. Winners have to get 100% to reach their goal of a championship. Toronto is obviously not playing all 48 and it has showed. They play well in the first three quarters, then they start to lose momentum and focus on the last quarters.

Defense is the second issue, and it ties perfectly with their consistency problem. At times they are average, sometimes they’re poor and sometimes they’re highly intense and friggen awesome! This is why San Antonio or the upcoming teams like the Thunder are getting these quality wins against other teams. They know how to play intense defense for 48 minutes straight and to never quit.

Another issue is the maturity. I know this team is young, but that doesn’t have an excuse for making stupid mistakes. This is a grown man’s game and if you don’t play it with your smarts, you will always fight a losing battle. This is what Toronto has to learn, they know they won’t have as much talent as the team, but with the right mindset, focus and smarts, they can outplay another better team and can get quality wins!

I can see Toronto is getting frustrated and it kind of shows after games. They have excuses to their losses, but there is absolutely no excuse. They just have to play each game one at a time, with the right consistency and intensity every single minute.

As a fan, I know it’s difficult to see our national team play like this, even without Chris. We have no excuses to play hard every single minute of each game, and if we do that. We’ll have a fighting chance.

I still believe in you Toronto, you will pull through.

Reggie Evans – A Better Rebounder than Superman?

Reggie Evans is a BEAST when it comes to grabbing rebounds. Is he better than Dwight Howard?

Fact: Reggie Evans has 30 rebounds in two games this regular season already.

Fact: Dwight Howard has 17 rebounds in two games this regular season.

Fact: Reggie Evans is only 6″8.

Fact: Dwight Howard 6″11 or 7 feet.

Fact: Reggie Evans is 3rd in the league in rebounding. (1st is Joakim Noah with 19 and Luis in 2nd with 16)

Fact: Dwight Howard.. is 26th in the league in rebounding.

Yeah, I know.  Dwight Howard isn’t doing as well in rebounding than he did in the previous years. Not to worry though, because he’s currently outside of the box out area trying to get his perimeter game going on. He’ll have to get used to running to the basket to follow up his own “shots” now and stay hungry for them.

As for Reggie, he’s always a scrambler. Despite his size, he uses his mentality and grittiness to get on the boards and grab them down like a hawk grabbing a falling worm (cartoons, man!). Fifteen rebounds per is insane, having the fact that he’s the same size as LeBron but only bigger and more tougher.

Without Reggie, we’d have less possessions, less passion for the game, the fans won’t be as excited and interactive and it just won’t be the same without him.

He’s not an offensive liability though which actually a good thing because it leads others to do more and create more plays for themselves/prove something to the world.

Dwight is a presence on both ends, and without him there is a BIG hole in the middle for Orlando. Less rebounds means a loss for them against Miami and more shooting around the perimeter means more running opportunities for Miami. This is why they lost by twenty six to them.

So for reality to speak, I just believe Reggie is a perfect piece for Toronto. Everybody goes after the boards anyways. It’s just that passionate rebounder in Reggie that makes him different.

Isn’t Toronto all about being different?

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors – Post-Game Assessment

A 20 point blow out by the Raptors against the Cavs. What better way to celebrate your 27th birthday, huh Jarrett?

After a close, down-to-the-last-shot game with New York, the Raps looked to climb back with a win against the Cavs.

The outcome? Blowout. (No pun intended or anything sexual in that regard haha!)

The Toronto Raptors finally showed their youth, athleticism and raw talent they have on this team. Rebounding, scoring and defense were all positives in this regard.

From the get go, the Raps were out fast leading 16-8 until the Cavs made a little mini run of their own. This was the type of games where you really don’t know the outcome!

The Raptors had a great second quarter, quiet but not as good as the Cavs who made it a close game at halftime. However, after the half, it was all Raptors. Deflections, steals, blocks, key rebounds and shots, movement, defense, you name it! The Raptors showed that hard work truly pays off in the long run.

The game ended off pretty well, easy buckets and good chemistry from the team. I liked the vibe and way to go Dinos for giving the fans their free pizza! It was actually fun basketball I saw and I’m really looking forward to the game against the Kings. Great game there, cool action and fast paced scoring on both sides.

Andrea Bargnani and Linas Kleiza showed their offensive game, while the whole team showed their willingness to help and rotate on defense! I liked the HUSTLE there as well! Great passion. Oh and for the Young Gunz.. great :p

This was a great way to celebrate Jarrett Jack’s 27th birthday. Happy Birthday, Jarrett, Happy Birthday. (well not today)

 

Andrea Bargnani: An Early Bust?

Andrea blows by Dwight cause of his speed. He did that with Chris? Can he be successful without him?

I know, I know.. it’s too early to assess player’s talent levels.

I have to add though that Andrea isn’t really playing well. This could play off of different reasons. It’s understandable, but Raptor fans like you should be in the know on why this is.

First of all, he has been the biggest threat other than Linas and Leandro as scoring options. He basically replaced Chris from the past years as the main scoring threat. Therefore, more double teams will be appearing in his way.  He still needs to improve his awareness of them and how to react.

Another problem could be that he doesn’t really play well in designated “plays”. It shows as well. Even last year, he could break down his man in isolation’s and playing off of  mismatches or assists from players. I haven’t watched that much ball footage of him this year, so I could be wrong because he could’ve improved them over the past years.

To be honest, Andrea is a better secondary option than being a focal point of a team. He doesn’t seem to like being pressured to do big things and I hope this team can turn around as soon as possible cause by the looks of the pre-season, we’re toast.

Assessment: Toronto Raptors vs. Phoenix Suns (Pre-Season)

Phoenix sucked. Period.

Why?

Well, this was their second game on a back-to-back. So obviously they’re tired.

Basically this game was a kick ass game for Toronto.. and Vancouver. I felt happy for Vancouver because it brought back memories for both Steve Nash and Jay Triano. I still believe Vancouver should get the Grizzlies back and Seattle should bring back the Supersonics.

Anyways, this game was a dunking, shooting and easy game for Toronto. Highlight plays for many players like Sonny Weems, Demar DeRozan, Jarrett Jack, Amir Johnson, etc! It was pretty much not a contest. The Raptors took over from the get go.

Toronto showcased their young legs and it’s a great scenery. It’ll take more development, but I liked the potential!

Raptors won by 51. End of story.

 

Who Should Start: Linas Kleiza Or Sonny Weems?

Linas Kleiza is a great player and wants to prove something; so does Sonny. Who takes the starting job?

Welcome to the new segment of Toronto Raptor’s Daily! This is where we find out who can potentially start or not start. The first post is whether or not Sonny Weems or Linas Kleiza should start this year.

We all know both players can play the game of basketball. The Raptors should have good discussion on who to choose, but I think some factors will play in.

First of all, Linas Kleiza is a BEAST. Just take in what he did for his team, Lithuania! He scores very well, plays aggressively, is above average on defense and he’s a good player. I believe Linas does want something to prove, and he is already showing it.

As for Sonny Weems, he’s an ATHLETIC FREAK. He can run and jump out of the gym on any given time! He also has a very consistent mid range jumper, which showed in the Summer League. His three point presence has also improved and that’s a bad thing for opposing defenders. He’s also quite aggressive and able to create his own shot. Plus, he has good chemistry with Demar DeRozan so that is a good duo to have. I’m pretty sure both players will play at the same time.

So who should start? Linas Kleiza should. No offense to Sonny Weems, but I think Linas – and the WHOLE Toronto team – wants to prove something to the NBA that they can compete and play ball with the best. Sonny Weems has a drive himself to prove he belongs in this league, but with Linas’ great talent, there’s no reason for him to be on the bench.

That’s all folks! Catch our next segment – Leandro Barbosa Or Demar DeRozan!

Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Who Wins?

LeBron left Cleveland. Chris left Toronto. Who is left with the biggest loss?

Chris Bosh and LeBron James left these two teams respectively this year to go to South Beach. These two teams are the Toronto Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Obviously the team’s have declined in talent, but I dared to ask which is the better team. My answer? The Toronto Raptors. For a number of reasons of course.

First of all, Toronto has better talent. No, I am not judging the Cav’s talent, but it’s true. Without LeBron, their engine doesn’t run properly. Now that Mo Williams has to run the show, it’s clear that the Cavs are in desperate need of help.  With key pieces of Delonte and Shaq both going to the Celtics, they are in quite in a dispute. They lost their superstar, their engine, their best player, their coach, their GM.. what else could go wrong?

Meanwhile, Toronto still had it’s core pieces. Sonny Weems, DeMar DeRozan, Amir Johnson,  Jarrett Jack and Andrea Bargnani. There were other good pieces as well including Leandro Barbosa, Linas Kleiza, Jose Calderon, Joey Dorsey, Reggie Evans, David Andersen, Julian Wright, Ed Davis and Solomon Alabi. This team is still is very close knit and has quite a good chemistry forming and growing. Jarrett Jack seems to be the vocal leader, Sonny & DeMar seem to want to carry this team together and Andrea could emerge to be an all-star. Losing Chris Bosh was and is still a significant loss, but Bryan Colangelo did a very good job picking good pieces up. This team could surprise people this year.

As for the matchup, I still believe Toronto would win. Toronto has better talent, better chemistry and didn’t lose as much as Cleveland did. The matchups seem kind of unfair as well. Usually Cleveland would bully away Toronto with their size and toughness. They lost both of that, and now it could be a problem for Cleveland to keep up with Toronto.

In my opinion, NO team should focus their team on one superstar. Last year, Miami tried it with just D. Wade and Cleveland tried it with just LeBron James, and Toronto tried it with just Chris Bosh. All three teams did not win the championship.

So what is the conclusion? Toronto Raptors over Cleveland.

Demar DeRozan and Sonny Weems versus Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady

Vince (left), and Tracy talk strategy in the purple Toronto uniforms.

Hey. Thanks for visiting Toronto Raptor’s Daily. This is going to be everything Toronto Raptors, so if you’re expecting something else.. get out.

Haha, anyways I want to be talking about the modern vs. present. (Hint: Buy NBA 2k11). Sonny Weems could be T-Mac and VC and DD are gonna be paired up for this.

So first of all, who is better in a 2-on-2. It’s tough to say, because all four were on the Raps when they were young. VC is still a pretty good player and T-Mac wants to go back to that status. Demar impressed everyone in the summer league and Sonny has shown he can play in this league as well.

Let’s go first up with the paired up people. First of all, Demar vs. VC. I can only judge DD upon his summer league and rookie season, so it’s fair to talk about VC in that same category as well. Vince was a great player. High leaper, good scorer and passer and a rising star to say the least. Nowadays, we know him as the guy to die in Toronto. Demar DeRozan had limited playing time in his rookie season, with the likes of Marco Bellinelli, Antoine Wright and Sonny Weems in the rotation for the whole of the season. When he played, he was very good. Both were pretty consistent, but they are pretty equal. If you gave VC limited minutes, he would probably produce the same minutes as Demar did.

Now on to Sonny and T-Mac. Sonny showed his game late in the season and seemed well polished up (with flaws of course). T-Mac on the other hand was very immature because of his age and seemed to be inconsistent. Now T-Mac wasn’t known as star status but with his athleticism he was good at the time. Sonny had a good jumpshot, lacked threes and wasn’t really aggressive at times. Both seem pretty equal, but the edge is for Sonny.

Now paired up together, I think both of these pairs had great chemistry. Demar DeRozan and Sonny Weems are still growing, while Vince Carter and T-Mac had a pretty good relationship themselves when they had their moments here in Toronto. Of course, the fact that they were cousins helped them grow as well.

Let’s just hope Demar & DeRozan and Sonny Weems will have a brighter future here in Toronto.