Uninteresting isn't the right word IMO, strange is more apt. I love basketball but the way things work in the NBA is definitely less than ideal.An uninteresting one? Don't get me wrong I enjoy the Raps and catching a game but the way it works is a bit strange.
Watching their offense is painful. DHOs, fastbreaks, 3 pt chucking. That is most of it. NCAA teams have way more structured offensive strategies. Nurse is somewhat limited given the talent on the roster but still there are options. I don't care for the roster makeup. Ujiri needs to make some moves to prioritize Scottie. If he could trade Trent/Boucher/Fred, I would do it.
Im all for the team making Barnes the focal point but its a little premature at this point. Take away Fred and Trent and that back court could be the worst in Raptors history.. not to completely crap on the bench but there is a reason those guys played massive minutes last year and likely will this year. I think this year you continue to see more of a hybrid system with Pascal and Barnes playing point forward , which may be the way of the future but I dont think they let either take over that role yet. They lost a bunch of time having the full roster together last year, think you see that chemistry continue to build and see where you end up around the deadline.. I think its more likely players like Fred, OG, Trent and Pascal extended and moved later in a big trade.. IF...IF.. they dont find playoff success this year. Management does not make rush decisions, something that should be appreciated coming off a pretty good year all around. The Raps have a home grown, hard nosed culture which is seldom seen around the NBA these days, I really enjoy the way the franchise has developed into their own version of San Antonio North.
The starting 5 looks too much like 5 guys trying to get their stats. Need at least one low usage guy out there. Fred is not going to fall into an off ball shooter, his chucking ways are too ingrained. Management can't extend both him and Trent so one of these similar offensive players has to go. At a minimum. I yearn for the day we get a guard that create his own shot. Ideally this lineup has Scottie as PG on offense and a SG that can run around on defense (to cover the opponent's PG). But it has to have Scottie with complete control and no looking over his shoulder. He is the best passer on this team, by far.
This is the exact argument for why one of these guys needs to be with the 2nd unit.This is a great post. I don't think Scottie will reach his potential playing with this starting five for the reasons you mention. I think Scottie has immense potential and the organization needs to put him in place to realize it. If you need to "clear space" on the roster for Scottie to grow, then you do so. It has to happen anyway since there is no way the Raptors are re-signing all of these guys long term.
Scottie's growth should not be stunted because guys like Fred, Trent or OG need to get their shots. Scottie is more important to the Raptors than any of them. Fred has said some good things about letting Scottie handle more of the offence and I think he can ultimately make that adjustment; I'm not as sure about the other guys.
You probably don’t want this version of Kemba. He’s not what he once was.love kemba! is there anyway we can get him up here?