Raptors 2015 Offseason Thread

[kmart]

I knew he would be there just off the footage I've seen from him. He's god with and without the ball, just needs to improve his shot more. It also sucks that DeAndre Daniels ended up suffering a Jones fracture. That pretty much all but guarantees Powell's spot, unconventionally.

Also, liked what I saw from Bruno, Delon, Bebe, and Roberts (maybe he'll be the Hassan Whiteside gem Masai doesn't let go off ??).

Powell needs to work on his shot which is an obvious, but also his court vision as well. He always drives in a straight line and is unable to find wide open teamates on the court. I love the athlethism ,aggressiveness and passion he plays with, but offensively he can be much better.

Delon Wright had an excellent game has well, he is probably the opposite of Powell in terms of court awareness. Delon was picking apart the Kings D, managing to get 9 assists and no turnovers. Similar to Powell though, he still needs shot improvement.

I thought Bruno has made excellent strides since his tough summer league last year. He's still raw, but the improvement is a good thing. He'll need to improve on strength and ball handling, as well as being more consistent on the defensive end.

[kmart]

David Pick ‏@IAmDPick 35m35 minutes ago
Toronto Raptors finalizing a partial-guaranteed deal with forward Ronald Roberts, a source said.

Summer league player who put up big numbers, especially in the rebounding department.

[Legends66NBA7]

David Pick ‏@IAmDPick 35m35 minutes ago
Toronto Raptors finalizing a partial-guaranteed deal with forward Ronald Roberts, a source said.

Summer league player who put up big numbers, especially in the rebounding department.

They need a 3rd PF as well. Masai probably also doesn't want another potential Hassan Whiteside to slip under him.

Along with Powell and Wright, they should round up the final 15 man roster.

[kmart]

They need a 3rd PF as well. Masai probably also doesn't want another potential Hassan Whiteside to slip under him.

Along with Powell and Wright, they should round up the final 15 man roster.

I think it's a partial guaranteed contract, so look for him to compete with 2-3 other players for his spot.

[Legends66NBA7]

In other news, the Raptors coaching staff is now complete.

http://www.raptorshq.com/2015/7/12/8...hiring-of-andy

Toronto has hired Andy Greer as assistant coach, league source tells Yahoo. He'll run Raptors defense, a Thibodeau/Van Gundy disciple.

Remodel of Casey's staff appears complete. In: Greer/Kalamian/Stackhouse. Holdovers: Nurse/Mahlalela. Mermuys to DLeague. Out: Bayno/Sterner

Defense was the entire theme this off season. Top 10 defense next year at the very least.

[kmart]

Marc Stein on TSN today

- He thinks Scola is a steal at 3 million a year.
- Eyebrows raised on Cory Joseph signing. Will have to wait and see with more playing time.
- He thinks the East is pretty much over with Cleveland. He's intrigued by the Bucks this upcoming season.
- He thinks Valancuinas will get a contract close to what Kanter will get. Someone will pay Valancuinas next summer.
- T Ross is tradable, if they want to move him. They won't get a good return for him though.

EDIT link:
http://www.tsn.ca/radio/toronto-1050...ssets-1.330771

[Legends66NBA7]

Marc Stein on TSN today

- He thinks Scola is a steal at 3 million a year.

He was pretty much all they had left in the FA market, but I like the Scola signing anyways.

- Eyebrows raised on Cory Joseph signing. Will have to wait and see with more playing time.

It will be interesting to see how he and Delon will play into the rotation, seemed like a move to just get a Canadian. Hope he improves his range.

- He thinks the East is pretty much over with Cleveland. He's intrigued by the Bucks this upcoming season.

He's right. The East is horseshit outside of Cleveland; legit nobody is a serious threat outside of Cleveland. We don't even know how well Cleveland would hold up if they were in the West. Not buying Milwaukee's hype just yet.

- He thinks Valancuinas will get a contract close to what Kanter will get. Someone will pay Valancuinas next summer.

Valanciunas is a RFA. Raptors will match every offer and they will.

- T Ross is tradable, if they want to move him. They won't get a good return for him though.

Ross isn't going anywhere, Masai even said so in another interview. Ross will try to replace Lou Williams as the main scorer off the bench.

EDIT link:
http://www.tsn.ca/radio/toronto-1050...ssets-1.330771

My thoughts in the bold.

[Legends66NBA7]

Raptors sign Norman Powell

http://www.nba.com/raptors/press-releases/powell-071515

[QUOTE]The Toronto Raptors announced Wednesday they have signed guard Norman Powell. Per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Powell, 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, was selected 46th overall by Toronto in the 2015 NBA Draft. Through three Summer League games in Las Vegas he leads the Raptors averaging 19.3 points and is shooting 22-for-37 (.595) from the field. Powell has led the team in scoring in all three Summer League games, including a team-high 20 points during his professional debut
July 10 vs. Sacramento.

Powell appeared in 141 games over four seasons at UCLA and averaged a career-high 16.4 points during the 2014-15 campaign. He ranks 28th on the Bruins

[Jballer]

I guess Powell > Alan Andersen.

Good enough... kid deserves a chance.

[Legends66NBA7]

http://www.nba.com/2015/news/powerra...=iref:nbahpt3c

Raptors ranked 12th.

Toronto*(49-33)*

Pace:*95.4 (20)*OffRtg:*108.1 (3)*DefRtg:*104.8 (23)*NetRtg:*+3.2 (10)

Key addition(s):*DeMarre Carroll, Cory Joseph, Luis Scola*

Key question:*Does Jonas Valanciunas fit on this team, in this league?*
Getting swept in the playoffs overshadowed that this was a strong team last season, but Dwane Casey wants to get back to playing top-10 defense. The addition of Carroll will obviously help in that regard, but if Valanciunas and his slow feet continue to be a liability on that end of the floor, he won't be seeing much fourth-quarter playing time.

[Kungfro]

Recent picture with Lowry, really slimmed down.

[kmart]

Raptors sign Shannon Scott from OSU on a partially guaranteed deal. My guess is that he'll be cut and sent to Raptors' 905.

[kmart]

According to Lithuania reports, Valancuinas is flying to Toronto to sign a long term deal. He recently tweaked his groin in international play.

[Legends66NBA7]

According to Lithuania reports, Valancuinas is flying to Toronto to sign a long term deal. He recently tweaked his groin in international play.

Played it safe, good on him.

Could have commanded a max contract if he significantly improved.

[kmart]

He would've gained a max contract on the open market, only thing stopping the max contract would be injuries. Kanter got the max and I'd say Val is better than Kanter.