[dmo21Participant]

okay, thought i should start up some raptor talk.

What do you all think of their post season play so far?
-Sonny Weems looks like a pretty good player, good shot, good athleticism, and looks smart
-Demar looks raw and will be a work in progress
-Bellinelli is quite horrible on defense and only looks for himself on offense, doesnt pass to Bosh/Bargnani when they have deep post position
-Jack looks great out there defending great and usually leading the fast break.

Whats Toronto’s depth chart look like?
they have many guys who play multiple positions so its very difficult to figure out…
PG’s: Calderon, Jack, Banks
SG’s: Bellinelli, Jack, Douby, Derozan, Weems, Wright
SF’s: Turkoglu, Derozan, Wright
PF’s: Bosh, Johnson, Evans, Bargnani
C’s: Bargnani, Bosh, Nesterovic, O’Bryant

this is not the depth chart, just who can play what positions in no order.

[torontoraptors10Participant]

I think you mean “What do you think of their PRE season play so far?”

But I watched the Sixers and Wizards game and honestly, they look really great. Even when we were playing without Bosh and Turkoglu against the Sixers they looked alright, sometimes a bit lost but it is the pre season so I wouldn’t worry about it too much.

Sonny Weems looks pretty decent and athletic, even though he gets less playing time he makes the most of it and thats what I like about him. Definite energy guy, better than Joey Graham and better shot than him also.

DeMar DeRozan is playing pretty well for only his few games into the season. His put back slam yesterday against the Wizards was nice. But it is too early to say whats in the future for him.

Jack looks fantastic for a 6th man. Hard-nosed, runs the fast break well and plays much better D than Calderon. Belinelli, we know the offense is there but we need more D out of him also.

Your depth chart looks about right too. Can’t wait for the season to start. I can’t wait to watch Turkoglu on the court too. He is playing next week I believe.

[dmo21Participant]

thanks for seeing my mistake there haha, i did mean preseason not post season lol.

who do you think will get more pt, amir johnson or reggie evans as the back up power forward?

[JoeWolf1]

Amir Johnson still has quite a bit of potential, and I think he could be a pretty good forward in a few years, but Reggie Evans is a hard nosed rebounder that this team really needs. Bargnani is a sub par rebounding big man, Bosh is okay, but a good portion of his come away from the low block. Turk is just a moderate rebounder, and I think Evan’s rebounding specialist attitude will earn him more minutes early on. Amir Johnson could steal some later in the season, if he can show improvement. He looked pretty decent in the preseason (for what it’s worth), but Evans I think will get about 20 mpg in relief.

[europebasketball]

They have a good depth chart but they could use a better back-up center than Rasho nesterovic plus with hedo, jack, and belinelli they could go far for sure if healthy

[quincey hodges]

ok how much longer will we be saying amir has potenial?..hes played in the nba for 4 years and his stats get worst every year

[dmo21Participant]

i also think that evans will get most of the playing time due to his toughness and rebounding, because both low post starters are kinda soft… both reggie and nesterovic will come in to help with the rebounding and defense.. I just noticed the depth chart for both the pf and c position have the same type of players:
-they both have their undisputed starters(Bosh and Bargnani)
-veteran defensive stoppers and rebounders(Evans and Nesterovic)
-young players who have potential to be very good players(Johnson and O’Bryant)

do you think Toronto lets bosh leave after the season with this team?

[tli232]

Honestly, I don’t see why many people are so high on DeRozan. I caught a few of the Raptors preseason games, and I must say that if Weems were even 2 years younger (he’s 23 now), he’d definitely be a better prospect than Derozan. I mean, if you’re a Raptors’ fan, that’s a wonderful thing. Look at it:

Athleticism: about even
Defense: Weems (at this stage)
Mid Range shooting: about even
Driving to lane: About even
Long Range: Derozan
Handles: about Even
Rebounding instincts: Weems
Toughness: about even
Playmaking: Weems (many more assists)
cutting: About even

If you agree with the above analysis, then you’d have to admit that Weems, if the same age, would be just as good a prospect as DeRozan.

I actually think the Raptors should start Weems because he does pretty much everything DeRozan does on offence and plays better defense, and is a better defender. This way, DeRozan will know how every other rookie in the league feels and will more likely work hard to put himself above Weems on the depth chart.

What do you think?

[JoeWolf1]

Johnson, egh, I haven’t given up yet. He’s only like 22 and he has been sitting at the end of Detroit’s bench, they’ve been pretty set at powerforward since he started his career there, maybe a change of scenery and a little less PF depth will help him out. He’s played pretty well in the preseason, and although I don’t think he’s the next big thing. I think he could step up his game in Toronto.

[dmo21Participant]

i watched a couple preseason games already and i wanted to see this hyped up derozan, and for the first while i didnt really notice he was playing, but i think he is just getting used to the nba game. Sonny Weems tho, i noticed, he was flying around and making good plays. As of now i rate him better than Demar, but i think the problem is that Weems might be at the best he can be right now while Derozan can get a lot better..I like both of them.

[quincey hodges]

yeah but when he did play he didnt look that good..he didnt even look that good in summer leauge…havent watched him in preseason but im willing to bet he still looks like a project. some time we say a kid has so much potenial because of there size and athletic ability at a young age, but sometimes we are giving them too much credit and i think this is one of the times. at one point det was trying every one at pf,c when there bigs got hurt and only maxell did well. even kwame brown would play more then johnson..sorry i have zero faith in him any more..as far as sonny having more potenial if he was the same age that makes no sense. of course his mature game now would look better at derozens age. now lets see how good derozen will be when he turns 23. also rookies for the most part dont look great in the beginning of there careers. they show flashes here and there but not really consistant and some look below average. its a big step going from one year in college to rookie in the nba. and derozen is still learning. if ya’ll would have seen him as a jr in highschool then you would know the big improvements he has made. he was more of a pf then a sf and now hes a nba sg

[JoeWolf1]

Quincey, I hear what you are saying about potential and all that, we’ve all seen tons of guys with “potential” over the years bust and their athletic ability didn’t translate, but then there are guys like Jermaine O’Neal who just need a new team where they can get consistant minutes and a decent team role. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying Johnson is the next O’Neal, but I think he is going to surprise some people this year despite the fact he is still raw. Toronto needs rebounding and shot blocking and thats two things Johnson can do, so I think he is going to get some minutes and maybe a new start.

[torontoraptors10Participant]

hahaha no problem man for catching that mistake. I think Evans will have more time at the backup PF because just his experience and intensity. He is going to be like Charles Oakley that the Raptors had. He is going to push his teammates, especially Bargnani to rebound and play tough, something he has definitely lacked in the past years.

About Bosh leaving, its simple, if Raptors do well he is staying, if they miss the playoffs, he will leave the Raptors. Bosh adding 15-20 pounds of muscle is a good sign that he is determined, but it is also his contract year, he better show he is worth the max contract.

Tli232 – don’t you think its a bit early to compare those two? Well I mean, both play similarily according to your analysis, but Demar is only 19 and Weems is 23 and has been around the league much longer than DeRozan. All of the NBA work ethic has been influenced Weems for a few years now, while DeRozan has played what, 3 NBA games? You say that Weems would be a better prospect than DeRozan two years prior, but Weems was a 2nd round pick who wasn’t as polished as DeRozan and his potential isn’t as great as DeRozan’s.

What I’m trying to get here is that, Weems has been in the league longer than DeRozan and has just had more experiences with the teams he has been with, Chicago, Denver, Milwaukee ( I might be wrong ) and has more time to prepare that DeMar. If DeMar was 23 like Weems, I’m pretty sure he’d be a MUCH better player than Weems. DeRozan needs more time to have the NBA experience that Weems has.

[Toronto16Participant]

Much more exciting team this season. Once DeRozan gets used to the NBA game he and Weems will be a nice 1-2 combo. Like the depth this season, although Calderon and Bellinelli need to play better defence.

[quincey hodges]

how much longer will he be raw? and even when he was given time he looked lost..and when has he proven he can proved rebounding and shot blocking?..hes actually gonna be third on the depth chart at his position since eveans is a better offensive (thats saying alot) defensive and rebounder then johnson is

[tli232]

OK, what I meant by my comment is that if the Raptors want to play the best player on the court, they probably should give Weems close to the number of minutes DeRozan gets.

[JoeWolf1]

He hasn’t quite proven anything, but his pre-season averages of 8 ppg 7.3 rpg, and 1 bgp in 20 mpg aren’t bad and the pre-season is kind of an audition for the roster and a spot to start the season, I think he’ll be #3 behind Evans, but I think he’s gonna earn some minutes and step up his game this season.

[quincey hodges]

doesnt johnson usually look pretty good in preseasons?..he cant seem to translate in to the regular season when guys are going 100 percent though ( ok had to laugh after that since we know that some times the players arent going 100percent)

[torontoraptors10Participant]

True true, I get what you mean.

[dmo21Participant]

i dont think giving weems and derozan the same playing time will happen, or should happen. I would want DeRozan to get more playing time so he can improve and figure stuff out, while Weems can play some good hard minutes, he isnt going to get spectactularly better with more playing time, unlike Demar

[JoeWolf1]

Hey man, laugh all you want, nothing in any of my posts said that I think Amir Johnson is going to blow up and be the next big thing. I’m confident in my BOLD prediction that Amir Johnson will be the #3 power forward on Toronto’s depth chart and earn some minutes. Coaches use the pre season in part to determine what roles incoming players will play on a team. If a player does well in the preseason it helps his chances of playing. It doesn’t mean that he could put up those numbers in the regular season, but i guess we’ll have to wait til the season starts to find out anything more.

[quincey hodges]

laughing at the comment i made about players playing 100percent

[R-Dot-13Participant]

Im not high on Derozan, I’m much higher on Holiday TBH, i like Weems, tons of potential and great athlete.
Amir looks solid, team looks solid in general, i think they’ll be a 4-6 seed this year

[quincey hodges]

by jason flemming

DeRozan Fast Learner: Toronto Raptors head coach Jay Triano really likes what he’s seeing from rookie swingman DeMar DeRozan. He’s athletic, he hustles, he works on defense, and – perhaps most importantly – you only have to tell him something once. Triano discussed DeRozan’s play with Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, using a snapshot from a preseason game as an example.

“We told him (once), the previous possessions that he was stuck in the corner and he either has to get back or go to the glass, he can’t just stay there because we had a fast break on us going the other way,” said Triano.

“The next time he decides to go to the glass, which he has the option to do, and he gets a slam dunk.

“The kid listens to you and he’s a great learner and I think that’s what’s going to make him a great basketball player.”

Here are the key stats for DeRozan in each of the Raptors’ first four games:

Game 1: 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3-7 shooting
Game 2: 9 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assists, 2 steals, 4-10 shooting
Game 3: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3-8 shooting
Game 4: 19 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 5-12 shooting, 9-10 free throws

All four of those games have been starts for DeRozan – the first two losses and the second two wins. The Raptors would still like to see him concentrate more on the floor and work on getting on the glass, but so far it looks like the team is very pleased with their lottery pick.

[Author]

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