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Zeller was injured. Otherwise it would’ve been messy.Quote:
Originally Posted by pebloemer
Shame on Matty D for not being neutral last night either. Miles Bridges pretty much planted Boucher into the ground with a dunk while Matty D called it like he was watching chess.
For real though, watch Boucher on defence against larger front courts. He struggles with big bodies.
He’s been a revelation on offence though. That energy is on the glass is sorely needed. I also like how he and Lowry ran that play in the 4th for back to back buckets. PnR at the top with Boucher on the wing making a baseline cut. 2 easy 4th Q buckets on those possessions.
For me, Boucher was efficient but I still say he needs to put on like 20 to 30 pounds of pure muscle weight on. If he can do that, he would be even more of a beast on not just the offensive end but also on the defensive end of the basketball.
Boucher in fantasy leagues...he's a draw...I mean in my fantasy league he is a draw because most mans want him. How fortunate for me in my league, he's on my fantasy team.
I still say for y'all's team that you need to use Boucher more for alley-oops because he has that size to finish on alley oop dunks.
But with VanVleet he more or less was shooting the lights out. If anything, VanVleet is your number one scoring option, not Siakam.
Siakam should go back to being a #2 or a #3 option, that is what he's good for. Hell, even Lowry is more of a scoring threat than Siakam is.
But the thing is, the Raptors face this Hornets team again tomorrow. If they can beat them, then it doesn't get any easier.
They face the Mavericks on Monday and honestly y'all are gonna have a long night on defense especially with Doncic because who is going to defend/guard Doncic on your team? Unless you have Lowry or VanVleet on Doncic but then that wouldn't even work unless you decide to put Siakam on Doncic. If Porzingis is playing on Monday since he just came back...who is gonna guard Porzingis? Boucher most likely will if he starts and honestly that's a defensive matchup I wanna see.
But Boucher is developing...I'll give him that at least. But if Boucher were to put on like pure muscle weight and he were to develop more of a mid range game or even a long range game, he would be more of a scoring threat instantly.
Then after that the Raptors face the Heat twice on a back to back on Wednesday and Friday at home in Tampa at Amalie Arena.
I don’t think boucher can put on any more healthy weight. He’s been trying to do that exact thing since he joined the NBA. I think his frame has settled into its final form.
The raptors won that game because of their ball movement though. Also why boucher led the team in scoring - dude loves to shoot. Ibaka was the same way last season. Someone needs to finish.
im always surprised boucher makes those 3s. dudes a human trebuchet or rather tre-boucher :D
People get so caught up in line up changes and who starts and who doesnt but when you are turning the ball over for no reason and missing wide open looks, you can't do much.
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It is like we are watching college ball with this zone vs zone action. Three years ago we barely saw teams run zone defenses. Spo was probably the only one running it. Then Nurse started using different zones in his first year as a head coach and now every team is using it.
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Fred is such a good defender, I'm surprised he doesn't draw charges.
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I think the Nets are gonna be one of the few teams nobody is gonna run any zone against.Quote:
Originally Posted by aman_13
Missed the game. Will be interesting to see how they look with all three playing.Quote:
Originally Posted by ecart
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They going to lose this challenge. I wonder why it takes them so long to get the replay. Time had to be the only reason they challenged it because it was clearly a foul.
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Let's goo big win!
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Yeah y'all win again but can you really be proud of that win tho? I'm just sayin cuz that call on Rozier I'm just sayin it looked controversial enough. However, a win is a win all be it y'all won again barely by the skin of your teeth but on MLK Day on Monday against the Mavericks y'all are goin to have to come out strong out of the box.Quote:
Originally Posted by aman_13
Because winning by the skin of your teeth can only get you so far. I say that respectfully and giving honest, fair assessment not trolling at all. Bein brutally honest but also bein fair too by sayin that there is room for improvement because y'all still have that same problem of not being able to close out quarters on strong notes. Or the Raptors get sloppy on defense which allows other teams to get back into the game.
If they can fix that, then maybe just maybe y'all can become a fraction of what you once were.
But bright spot for me as far as your team goes, is Boucher. I mean Lowry we already know what he is and same goes for VanVleet but the picture perfect examples of inconsistency on y'alls team is Siakam and OG.
I mean if they were more consistent on offense then your team can truly become better than what it is but the rest of your guys at least are finding a rhythm.
I think we should let Powell start and make Fred our version of Ginobli.(an all star level 6th man). The starting lineup needs Boucher, it just does. So the bench unit is going to lose its most consistent scorer. Wouldn't everyone br a lot more comfortable simply putting the ball in Fred's hands and letting him come in and make some plays when Kyle and/or Siakam has to sit?
100%. This should have happened a while ago imo. I don’t think Fred would really be butt hurt about coming off the bench, and he would be in the running for 6th man of the year.Quote:
Originally Posted by bartron_44
I don’t think I have seen a single minute of action where one of Lowry or FVV aren’t on the floor. When Kyle is sitting, Fred is the lead guard. They are both averaging lots of minutes per game. There will be plenty of overlap minutes where they are both on the court at the same time.Quote:
Originally Posted by bartron_44
Nurse does the same with Siakam and Anunoby. They both start, but one of them is always still out there. Their rest is staggered throughout the game.
And I don’t think that should stop. (I assume Barton agrees, we’ve been on the same page this season).Quote:
Originally Posted by pebloemer
However - ideally Powell can contribute similarly to FVV to start the game, boucher should help get the ball rolling on both ends, and FVV becomes one of the most reliable bench pieces in the league.
Does it make a big difference if the overlap is first 6 minutes of the game, first 6 minutes at the start of the 3rd and last 6 minutes of the game, instead of other times during the game? I guess I don’t understand the concern.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChongInc.
Is the concern poor starts? How would FVV off the bench change that?
Is the concern bench production? He or Kyle or on the court with bench players at all time anyways. Not sure how FVV not starting would change that.
Is the concern the C position and getting Boucher in? Not sure what that has to do with FVV’s role.
Can Powell contribute as a starter and replace FVV’s production? I would think that is unlikely. He is an inferior shot maker, creator and defender IMO.
It's a shooters league where the average size of players is only getting smaller. In other words, get used to seeing zone defence being played more and more.Quote:
Originally Posted by aman_13
It's like what Terry Stotts does in Portland with Dame & CJ. They're on the floor together to start each half and then to close out the game.Quote:
Originally Posted by pebloemer
I definitely understand where you’re coming from.Quote:
Originally Posted by pebloemer
The goal is to get boucher in the starting lineup, without removing all of the scoring punch/defensive reliability from the bench.
Imo:
Powell looks different when he starts. I think it would be good for the team if he gets warm early. Boucher adds finishing to the starting unit + energy and mobility on both sides of the ball. The addition of boucher compensates for the loss of FVV on defence to start the game.
FVV spells Lowry, and gets the ball in his hands right off the bat.
re: Boucher. Absolutely on all counts. Get him in there. I don't want to watch Baynes chase around Porzingis for 4 minutes tonight before Nurse realizes he needs to sit.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChongInc.
I don't know what to make with Powell. He was solid and consistent last year in bench or starting roles. That being said, he had a slow start last year as well. Will he just settle in with time?
This is my conceptualization:
Starters:
Lowry
FVV
Anunoby
Siakam
Boucher
Bench:
FVV
Powell
Johnson
Watanabe
Siakam
Bench unit 2:
Lowry
Powell
Johnson/Watanabe
Anunoby
Boucher
Oh we'll see plenty of zone for sure. I enjoy it, just seeing an extended stretch of zone vs zone in an NBA game is so different.Quote:
Originally Posted by R. Johnson#3
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That basically works and if the Raptors had any brains they would incorporate thisQuote:
Originally Posted by pebloemer
The non-stop 3’s have been starting to drive me crazy. At first it was interesting, but now it’s just getting silly and kind of boring.Quote:
Originally Posted by aman_13
It won’t be in 2 or 3 more years with the amount of 3pt shots being taken. Raps see lots of zones because of the amount of 3’s they jack up. The last couple games have been interesting though. It’s almost as if the Raps do nothing but shoot 3’s for 3 quarters then when the 4th comes around they start attacking.Quote:
Originally Posted by aman_13
Yeah the zone kind of forced the Raptors to shoot a lot of threes.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChongInc.
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The Raptors are 4-8 and are only a game back from the 8th spot.
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The zone can actually open up more three point shooting opportunities like we saw these last two games. The Raptors for a good stretch kept getting wide open looks.Quote:
Originally Posted by R. Johnson#3
The Hornets actually went into the zone and then switched back to man as soon as the Raptors attacked. The switching to man-to-man within the same possession actually is something Nurse runs a lot too. The Raptors did a much better job attacking it the second game.
It is a new trend that I think will stick around to throw teams off. It is getting harder and harder to play defense with touch fouls and offenses getting better at attacking switches. Throwing a zone to get teams thinking for a little bit can be the difference in a game.
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They do appear to be playing better. But the record is still 4th worst in the league and the schedule hasn’t exactly been difficult. They have played 3 teams that made the playoffs last year through 12 games.Quote:
Originally Posted by aman_13
The East isn’t great though. I doubt Knicks/Cavs will be in playoff picture by year end. The 6-8 seeds are in reach for anyone. I just think it makes more long term sense to be sellers in the trade market and get some higher ceiling young talent to add to our core group.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChongInc.
yessir
All we need the first few minutes of each half from either Fred or Powell is to spread the floor for Kyle and Siakam. However, I think the probem is FVV is just so much better defensively than Norm that Nurse needs to go with him against the opposing teams best back court players, and then worry about how to score afterwards. Both FVV and Kyle can both guard just about anyone, my only concern with having both Fred and Kyle is if they aren't the on ball defender, other players don't have to worry about them. They don't have the length to recover and still challenge the shot.
I think they will give the Raptors every opportunity to turn this around. Selling didnt appear part of the plan when they started this season. They sounded like a team that expected to be one of the better teams in the East.Quote:
Originally Posted by pebloemer
Time will tell of course but I think it's too early to be thinking about selling. It won't surprise me if they look to add after Len and Baynes become eligible to be traded in a few weeks.
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Lately the raps have been beating the zone with ball movement. The ball is zinging around and it’s beautiful to watch. I believe the raps had like 26 assists on 28 made baskets in the first half against the hornets.Quote:
Originally Posted by aman_13
Totally agree with this, and a quick look at the teams we have beaten this season should be all the proof anyone needs.Quote:
Originally Posted by pebloemer
It’s actually amazing how good of a defender FVV has developed into. I don’t think anyone would have predicted that when he was entering the league. Miraculous really.Quote:
Originally Posted by bartron_44
Tbh he’s a few inches from being a premier SG in this league. He’s been creating good shots for himself and finishing from everywhere, finding his shot in the flow of the offence. + the defence....
I’d just like to see him create a few more shots for his teammates assuming he is our PG of the future. Cant complain though. If he added a couple apg then he would be considered one of the top 5 Pg in the league imo.
And sure hasnt been an easy task beating those teams either. Heck watching boucher play the way he is is good enough for me this season even if they lose the rest of the way. Of flynn can get some solid development time as well it will bode well going into a quick reset into next season
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChongInc.
He also has some of the best hands in the league. OG gets his steals from really anticipating the pass and jumping into lanes which is also high risk/high reward. Freds just always got his hands in the right places without sacrificing his position.
They lost 2 winnable back to backs in the last second against the Blazers and Warriors. Also lost a couple nail biters against the Spurs and Pelicans.
Their record could easily be .500 right now. They haven't played well but they have also had their share of bad luck. I think tanking is very premature right now but again time will tell.
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They had one of the best records in the league in those types of games last season (without a "closer"). I think the luck is just returning to the mean.Quote:
Originally Posted by aman_13
Yeah but they also had the 5th best point differential in the league last season. If the defense doesnt return to where it was last year or at least close to it, then I'll be worried. They are ranked 20th defensively right now.Quote:
Originally Posted by pebloemer
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