DeRozan has something to say to Hollinger

[Real Deal]

@DeMar_DeRozan

Who the hell is John Hollinger!? #Clown

Toronto Sun writer Ryan Wolstat said Raptors head coach Dwane Casey was insulted by ESPN’s prediction of his team going 33-49 for the upcoming season.

http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2012/10/25/tweet-of-the-night-demar-derozan

 

Do you think he should be mad at the 33-49 prediction?

[raptorgaetano]

http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2012/10/25/tweet-of-the-night-demar-derozan

 

Do you think he should be mad at the 33-49 prediction?

 

The B.S Report with Bill Simmons has got the Raps winning more then the 33 wins which is the Vagas line on the Raps ... Every year before the season starts Bill has a podcast and uses the Vagas lines to have a podcast and he gives his opinion on if the team will win more then the line or less . Often he is negative toward the Raps ie he goes with the fact they will lose more then what Vagas is saying but this year he is positive and he pics the Raps as one of the locks that they will go over .

 

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/archive?id=2864045

[Check my Stats]

I have the Raptors pegged from anywhere between 33 and 42 wins (somewhere in the middle being most likely, 37 has been my guess all summer and pre-season). I think it depends on a lot of things:

 

-Can Demar give us 16-18 a night on close to 50% with commitment defensively?

-Is Bargs going to be able to give us 20+ a night on good percentages and commit defensively?

-Can Jonas stay on the floor close to 30 minutes a night (arguably the biggest key, as well s the biggest if)

-Is Kyle Lowry going to be a borderline all-star (probably the biggest key)?

 

If all 4 of those things happen, I think everyone would (or should) be pretty surprised if we missed the playoffs.

 

I don't think 33 wins is an outrageous prediction, I do think its a bit on the low end though. I think Lowry, a hopefully healthy Bargs, added shooters, a full training camp, an attacking Derozan (still very flawed admittedly, but we need the offense), the best backup point in the league, and a gigantic upgrade at center (I can't stress this enough), is worth more than 4 extra wins. I think a lot of people don't realize how decent we were last year when healthy. Could we have sustained that all season? Most likely not, but I think we are a definite threat for the playoffs this year. I think we could just as easily win 40 as we could 33. Lowry and JV are bigger upgrades than I think a lot of people think, and not only that, Amir goes from being a subpar starter, to a very good bench big, which is huge for us. Same with Jose.

 

I think our depth is going to be a big asset too. Sure we don't have the sexy names like other teams, but Jose and Amir have tremendous chemistry, Davis has been rock solid (this Amir-Davis dynamic is very exciting to me off the bench), and hopefully we can get contributions here and there from Ross, Kleiza, Fields. I think without a doubt our biggest weakness is our wing rotation, and if anything is going to put us back a step, it is that.

Edited October 25, 2012 by Check my Stats

[DunkinDerozan]

I think he should be mad. Like Casey said, its kind of an insult. Hopefully they take it as motivation to prove him wrong. I think a realistic mark for how many wins we will get this year is 37, like what CMS said. I'm personally expecting more. I'm expecting 41 or more (.500). That might seem a little bit high, but I honestly feel that its reasonable considering how we were able to play last season when we were healthy, and plus adding two very big upgrades in the starting rotation, which in turn makes our bench much better as well.As long s we don't suffer any major injuries, I'm expecting big things.

[The Lone Granger]

I've actually got the Raptors as the #8 seed in the East in my predictions. They've built a very solid all-around team, and the additions of Landry Fields and Kyle Lowry will make them an extremely dangerous team. The Eastern Conference as a whole isn't the strongest, especially from seeds 6-8. With the potential starting lineup of;

 

C: Jonas Valanciunas

PF: Andrea Bragnani

SF: Landry Fields

SG: Demar DeRozan

PG: Kyle Lowry

 

And don't forget about the talented players they're going to have off their bench in Jose Calderon, Terrence Ross, Ed Davis, Amir Johnson, and more, they're going to be a tough team to beat. Not saying that they'll be contenders to do much once they get in the Playoffs, but I think a lot of people are looking past them because they don't have any "big name" players or scorers. If DeRozan steps up like he's capable of doing this season, they're going to be able to lock up that #8 seed in the East.

[Real Deal]

Miami

Indiana

New York
Brooklyn

Boston

Chicago

Atlanta

 

Milwaukee

Toronto
Philadelphia

I guess it's not a stretch, but for me, it kind of depends on how well Jonas plays + how well Lowry and the team can mesh together (which means Lowry will have to enter the season like he did last year, and not slide off the map and start playing like a backup again). I know what to expect from Bargs and DeRozan, and Fields is going to be irrelevant if his play is carried over from New York (he can be a decent defender, but back on the other side of the ball, he won't matter much)...so there's a gray area to consider.

I've only seen the Raptors play one game so far, and it's hard to wrap a prediction around one preseason game, so the way they execute their offense remains to be seen, at least from my perspective. I'm sure you Raptors fans have a better idea of how things will go, as long as Lowry fits the mold.

 

Probably a battle between Philly and Toronto to be that bubble team, but that's assuming Bynum comes back after the All-Star Weekend, which I won't bet on because he's the scum of the Earth and will sit out as long as he can (sorry Philly fans).

[AboveLegit]

Miami

Indiana

New York

Brooklyn

Boston

Chicago

Atlanta

 

Milwaukee

Toronto

Philadelphia

I guess it's not a stretch, but for me, it kind of depends on how well Jonas plays + how well Lowry and the team can mesh together (which means Lowry will have to enter the season like he did last year, and not slide off the map and start playing like a backup again). I know what to expect from Bargs and DeRozan, and Fields is going to be irrelevant if his play is carried over from New York (he can be a decent defender, but back on the other side of the ball, he won't matter much)...so there's a gray area to consider.

 

I've only seen the Raptors play one game so far, and it's hard to wrap a prediction around one preseason game, so the way they execute their offense remains to be seen, at least from my perspective. I'm sure you Raptors fans have a better idea of how things will go, as long as Lowry fits the mold.

 

Probably a battle between Philly and Toronto to be that bubble team, but that's assuming Bynum comes back after the All-Star Weekend, which I won't bet on because he's the scum of the Earth and will sit out as long as he can (sorry Philly fans).

You're selling Atlanta short there. I think they have the potential to be a top 4 team in the East this year. Healthy Horford (who is an all star center), contract year for Josh Smith, an array of sharp shooters, and two good PG's (one that is a breakout candidate in Teague), I think this team is better than what they were last year. Ferry has done a tremendous job in such a brief time as GM.

[Real Deal]

 

You're selling Atlanta short there. I think they have the potential to be a top 4 team in the East this year. Healthy Horford (who is an all star center), contract year for Josh Smith, an array of sharp shooters, and two good PG's (one that is a breakout candidate in Teague), I think this team is better than what they were last year. Ferry has done a tremendous job in such a brief time as GM.

Maybe, but I don't think Josh Smith will play the way everyone expects him to. It would be a bit different if he thinks he's going to stay until the summer, but I believe that, in the back of his mind, he knows Atlanta would like to trade him by February. Players with that mindset don't really give a damn until the trade goes down, and then, they play out of their minds.

But, really, that's what I'm banking on. Otherwise, yes...the Hawks are easily a playoff team. I can't say top four, though...not over Miami, Indiana, New York and Brooklyn.

[AboveLegit]

I don't think Brooklyn is a lock for a top 4 team in the conference, not with their prospects at the defensive side of the floor.

 

I do think there's a chance that your Josh Smith scenario becomes true.

[Real Deal]

 

I don't think Brooklyn is a lock for a top 4 team in the conference, not with their prospects at the defensive side of the floor.

Defensively, especially up front, they are going to be pretty bad...but I believe a team with D-Will, Johnson, Wallace, Lopez and Brook can be a solid offensive team, good enough to snag a 4th seed in a weak conference. I can't stick them above the top two defensive teams in that conference (which should be Miami and Indiana) or a team that will launch threes like the Knicks, but we've seen teams run through the regular season with pretty decent records based on their offense. Phoenix used to do it quite a bit, and granted they had Nash and a perfect system for him (one of the better offenses we've seen in a decade), they were able to win 60's without having a defense ranked in the top half of the league.

I won't put money on a 60-win season for the Nets, but 48-49 wins could get them there (Boston's 4th seed and .591 record, from last season, was basically a 49-win season). I wouldn't be shocked if they reached it.

[raptorgaetano]

 

Defensively, especially up front, they are going to be pretty bad...but I believe a team with D-Will, Johnson, Wallace, Lopez and Brook can be a solid offensive team, good enough to snag a 4th seed in a weak conference. I can't stick them above the top two defensive teams in that conference (which should be Miami and Indiana) or a team that will launch threes like the Knicks, but we've seen teams run through the regular season with pretty decent records based on their offense. Phoenix used to do it quite a bit, and granted they had Nash and a perfect system for him (one of the better offenses we've seen in a decade), they were able to win 60's without having a defense ranked in the top half of the league.

I won't put money on a 60-win season for the Nets, but 48-49 wins could get them there (Boston's 4th seed and .591 record, from last season, was basically a 49-win season). I wouldn't be shocked if they reached it.

Nets are one injury away from becoming a lottery team again .

[N.1.A.K.]

I think Philly with a healthy Bynum is better than Brooklyn and Indiana... a healthy Bynum is anything but a sure thing though. I do think that Bynum will miss significant time and Brooklyn gets a top 4 seed because of it. As someone else said, Atlanta has top 4 potential as well, but I think they get the 5 while Philly gets the 6.

[Real Deal]

Bump!

 

Royce Webb, ESPN NBA ‏@RoyceWebb

Raptors predicted by @johnhollinger to win 33 gms. Raptors unhappy about prediction. Raptors now projected to win 33. http://es.pn/4Ybh84

Some taunting going on here.

[DunkinDerozan]

:'( ... theres always next year...