[OhCanada-Participant]

This should be interesting. I heard from in the Raptors pregame he will be starting, yet that could be a mistake. Jayy Triano said he will definitely play, sinc ehe knows Chicago’s team so well. He went on to say Toronto was very close to drafting JJ the year they selected Derozan. Jay stated the team has been following him since he came out of Wake Forest and even watched his D-League games. Its not a debut of the same level as Anthony’s but its still something.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Loved James Johnson starting. Finished with 9 and 5, but he played great defense and he is an actual SF and he is tough. Really like that trade, honestly, for the 28-30th pick in the draft, we get a guy who was 16th pick a couple years ago. He was a little out of synch with the offense, but it was his first game. My thoughts are he is a big time upgrade at starter, he gives us some size and strength we were lacking at the SF position. He is a slight tweener, but man, he did not give Korver a single good look, and Deng definitely did a lot better when James was on the bench. Great debut for James Johnson last night man, you should be happy. 

Some other things:

-Derrick Rose was unbelievable and incredibly clutch. Still lost, but the kid is a beast driving to the basket, got to the line a lot. 

-Calderon is not getting us a lot of offense through his shot, but he did a great job finding people. No way he was guarding Rose of course.

-Carlos Boozer could not be guarded by anyone on our team. By the way, some players sign huge deals and kind of slack, but Boozer looks and is playing fantastic. Honestly, the fact he was held to 24 was a miracle.

-Amir Johnson played hard and he did a very good job. Still, Ed Davis is the future at the PF position. The kid rebounds with reckless abandon and if he is not already a better player, he is damn close. Amir might be a bit stronger defensively, but Ed has much better instincts. 

-Bargnani! The guy drives me crazy! CRAZY! He is so damn talented, he is incredibly difficult to guard, took Noah to the hole a few times. But, his decision making ability is seriously questionable. He is lost on defense, often and his court vision, it is like he is a horse with blinders. He is our best player, but that is a serious problem. Still, he was our leading scorer and actually grabbed 8 boards, which for Andrea is like grabbing 18.

-Noah of course was rusty, but he had 10 boards in the first quarter. No one boxed him out and such, but the guy is a serious hustler. He is still not much of an offensive option, but he plays good defense and I am sure this team will some together with he, Boozer and Rose to be really tough. Not to mention Deng is still a good starter at SF, he does nothing amazing, but he is long and can score in a number of ways.

-Really like what I saw from DeMar. He is becoming much more consistent and has really stepped it up this year. I think he will eventually be a consistent 20 ppg scorer at this rate, has really improved his jumper and he is a fantastic athlete.

 

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Loved James Johnson starting. Finished with 9 and 5, but he played great defense and he is an actual SF and he is tough. Really like that trade, honestly, for the 28-30th pick in the draft, we get a guy who was 16th pick a couple years ago. He was a little out of synch with the offense, but it was his first game. My thoughts are he is a big time upgrade at starter, he gives us some size and strength we were lacking at the SF position. He is a slight tweener, but man, he did not give Korver a single good look, and Deng definitely did a lot better when James was on the bench. Great debut for James Johnson last night man, you should be happy. 

Some other things:

-Derrick Rose was unbelievable and incredibly clutch. Still lost, but the kid is a beast driving to the basket, got to the line a lot. 

-Calderon is not getting us a lot of offense through his shot, but he did a great job finding people. No way he was guarding Rose of course.

-Carlos Boozer could not be guarded by anyone on our team. By the way, some players sign huge deals and kind of slack, but Boozer looks and is playing fantastic. Honestly, the fact he was held to 24 was a miracle.

-Amir Johnson played hard and he did a very good job. Still, Ed Davis is the future at the PF position. The kid rebounds with reckless abandon and if he is not already a better player, he is damn close. Amir might be a bit stronger defensively, but Ed has much better instincts. 

-Bargnani! The guy drives me crazy! CRAZY! He is so damn talented, he is incredibly difficult to guard, took Noah to the hole a few times. But, his decision making ability is seriously questionable. He is lost on defense, often and his court vision, it is like he is a horse with blinders. He is our best player, but that is a serious problem. Still, he was our leading scorer and actually grabbed 8 boards, which for Andrea is like grabbing 18.

-Noah of course was rusty, but he had 10 boards in the first quarter. No one boxed him out and such, but the guy is a serious hustler. He is still not much of an offensive option, but he plays good defense and I am sure this team will some together with he, Boozer and Rose to be really tough. Not to mention Deng is still a good starter at SF, he does nothing amazing, but he is long and can score in a number of ways.

-Really like what I saw from DeMar. He is becoming much more consistent and has really stepped it up this year. I think he will eventually be a consistent 20 ppg scorer at this rate, has really improved his jumper and he is a fantastic athlete.

 

[OhCanada-Participant]

 He contests eerything, I expect him to constantly get into foul trouble and getdunked on. No offensive polish, BUT he seems aware of that and doesnt seem to force his offense. Extremely athletic and deceptively fast yet not quick (doesnt accelerate to fast speeds quickly). Big body and very strong guy who NBA players dont act tough too, talks alot, lets his physical presence be known.

Think of how useless Ron Artest is on the offensive end but how usefull he is o defense, tht is what Toronto is trying to mimi here with JJ. I see him as a poor mans Artest/Josh Smith but I just think it is nice to finally see someone play D in Toronto. His presence as a tough, vocal, energitic, shot blocking SF shows what kind of an impact a guylike Perry Jones could have on this ball team. A little defense goes a long way.

 

Mike…DeMar Derozan has been aveaging about 20-ppg the last 2 months, I thin thats a given. He looks so comfortable down the stretch making clutch plays and hitting free throws like we saw him today as he win the game for the Raptors. I know it wont happen but Bargnani needs to be moved, not only because of the rebounding issues, blocking issues, post play issues, defensive issues, but also if we want Derozan to take that next step as a player Bargnani has to go and the offense has to run through Demar. The sky is the limit if they actaully make the right decision and its on the fans to start demanding it.

[OhCanada-Participant]

 He contests eerything, I expect him to constantly get into foul trouble and getdunked on. No offensive polish, BUT he seems aware of that and doesnt seem to force his offense. Extremely athletic and deceptively fast yet not quick (doesnt accelerate to fast speeds quickly). Big body and very strong guy who NBA players dont act tough too, talks alot, lets his physical presence be known.

Think of how useless Ron Artest is on the offensive end but how usefull he is o defense, tht is what Toronto is trying to mimi here with JJ. I see him as a poor mans Artest/Josh Smith but I just think it is nice to finally see someone play D in Toronto. His presence as a tough, vocal, energitic, shot blocking SF shows what kind of an impact a guylike Perry Jones could have on this ball team. A little defense goes a long way.

 

Mike…DeMar Derozan has been aveaging about 20-ppg the last 2 months, I thin thats a given. He looks so comfortable down the stretch making clutch plays and hitting free throws like we saw him today as he win the game for the Raptors. I know it wont happen but Bargnani needs to be moved, not only because of the rebounding issues, blocking issues, post play issues, defensive issues, but also if we want Derozan to take that next step as a player Bargnani has to go and the offense has to run through Demar. The sky is the limit if they actaully make the right decision and its on the fans to start demanding it.

[Moon RiverParticipant]

I guess Johnson wore a head band to thumb his nose at the Bulls, which team policy does not allow head bands (Ben Wallace is still pissed about that).  Also, did you notice what Toronto did at the end when they needed a bucket?  They went to Amir in the post against…….Boozer.  As a Bulls fan, this is an achilles heal for them.  Teams will continue to attack Boozer on the defensive end.  This does not bode well for the Bulls versus Celts.  Any team with two decent post players, will go away from whomever Noah is defending and go after Boozer.  Ungood.

[Moon RiverParticipant]

I guess Johnson wore a head band to thumb his nose at the Bulls, which team policy does not allow head bands (Ben Wallace is still pissed about that).  Also, did you notice what Toronto did at the end when they needed a bucket?  They went to Amir in the post against…….Boozer.  As a Bulls fan, this is an achilles heal for them.  Teams will continue to attack Boozer on the defensive end.  This does not bode well for the Bulls versus Celts.  Any team with two decent post players, will go away from whomever Noah is defending and go after Boozer.  Ungood.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

As fans, but I think Johnson is at least a step in the right direction. I think part of the reason he was talking and maybe even did so well was due to the fact that we played his old team in his first game with the Raps, but it gives us hope. The poor mans Artest thing was kind of right on with his play last night, tough physical defense and standing in the corner with no idea what to do on offense. Sounds just like Ron Artest with the Lakers, lol. His first basket with us was an alley-oop. DeRozan has been averaging near 20, but consistency has still ben an issue. This month he is at 19 and shooting 53% from the field though, and I expect him to make strides. At the very least, he is turning into the second option you and I probably thought he would, which is a great sign. By next year, Davis should be logging near 30 minutes per game.

What are you thinking for the draft Bonner? I of course would love if they picked up Kyrie Irving, but I think we could go in a number of different directions. Irving would be a great face of the franchise though, and he would at least give us someone who can run the team besides Calderon. I have always liked Leandro and Bayless, they both can put it in the bucket, but they have major problems running a team. Bayless was so lost yesterday, I felt bad for him. If he is not attacking the basket, he is lost. Plus, he had about 4 turnovers as soon as he was on the court and lost all confidence. Bulls fans, Ronnie Brewer is a terror on defense, for real.

Bargnani is the biggest conundrum as far as the Raptors future. When he was younger, and started off his rookie season even more quickly than Dirk Nowitzki (Dirk seriously said Bargnani was further along than he was at that age), he looked like a serious keeper. He had a sophomore slump, a third year he turned around at the end, and last year played decent second option basketball. He is by far our best offensive option, DeRozan has not consistently carried us there yet, but he makes some incredibly poor choices. He needs to get to the line far more often, at least 2-3 more times per game. For everyone who broadcasts or works for the Raptors who use the phrase "Chris Bosh was not a franchise player", he is certainly a hell of a lot more of one than Andrea. My feeling is that, their is no way we are moving him. You can dream, but he is staying, and that could be a huge issue to contending. If we can finally get that running, athletic team Colangelo so dreams of with a scorer on the wing and with Davis grabbing some offensive rebounds, than maybe Bargnani will work out somewhat. Right now though, it is hard to see any team with Bargnani as its starting Center being anything more than average. Keep dreaming OhCanada, but we are stuck with Bargnani, even if DeRozan starts to be more of the focus on offense.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

As fans, but I think Johnson is at least a step in the right direction. I think part of the reason he was talking and maybe even did so well was due to the fact that we played his old team in his first game with the Raps, but it gives us hope. The poor mans Artest thing was kind of right on with his play last night, tough physical defense and standing in the corner with no idea what to do on offense. Sounds just like Ron Artest with the Lakers, lol. His first basket with us was an alley-oop. DeRozan has been averaging near 20, but consistency has still ben an issue. This month he is at 19 and shooting 53% from the field though, and I expect him to make strides. At the very least, he is turning into the second option you and I probably thought he would, which is a great sign. By next year, Davis should be logging near 30 minutes per game.

What are you thinking for the draft Bonner? I of course would love if they picked up Kyrie Irving, but I think we could go in a number of different directions. Irving would be a great face of the franchise though, and he would at least give us someone who can run the team besides Calderon. I have always liked Leandro and Bayless, they both can put it in the bucket, but they have major problems running a team. Bayless was so lost yesterday, I felt bad for him. If he is not attacking the basket, he is lost. Plus, he had about 4 turnovers as soon as he was on the court and lost all confidence. Bulls fans, Ronnie Brewer is a terror on defense, for real.

Bargnani is the biggest conundrum as far as the Raptors future. When he was younger, and started off his rookie season even more quickly than Dirk Nowitzki (Dirk seriously said Bargnani was further along than he was at that age), he looked like a serious keeper. He had a sophomore slump, a third year he turned around at the end, and last year played decent second option basketball. He is by far our best offensive option, DeRozan has not consistently carried us there yet, but he makes some incredibly poor choices. He needs to get to the line far more often, at least 2-3 more times per game. For everyone who broadcasts or works for the Raptors who use the phrase "Chris Bosh was not a franchise player", he is certainly a hell of a lot more of one than Andrea. My feeling is that, their is no way we are moving him. You can dream, but he is staying, and that could be a huge issue to contending. If we can finally get that running, athletic team Colangelo so dreams of with a scorer on the wing and with Davis grabbing some offensive rebounds, than maybe Bargnani will work out somewhat. Right now though, it is hard to see any team with Bargnani as its starting Center being anything more than average. Keep dreaming OhCanada, but we are stuck with Bargnani, even if DeRozan starts to be more of the focus on offense.

[OhCanada-Participant]

Check out this poll. People that use real gm are usually wiser then the average fan. When asked if the Lakers should pursue Anthony the percentage was 57 to 43 for yes. That was consdered a large victory for yes.

When asked if bargnani should be traded…crazyness. 76% yes, 24% no!

Ill make a if I ran Toronto post.

[OhCanada-Participant]

Check out this poll. People that use real gm are usually wiser then the average fan. When asked if the Lakers should pursue Anthony the percentage was 57 to 43 for yes. That was consdered a large victory for yes.

When asked if bargnani should be traded…crazyness. 76% yes, 24% no!

Ill make a if I ran Toronto post.

[OhCanada-Participant]

wont let me post the link but just look in real gm, poll archives.

[OhCanada-Participant]

wont let me post the link but just look in real gm, poll archives.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Man, I would trade Bargnani too. Your if I ran it posts are just not realistic though OhCanada. You have to think, what are you going to get for Bargnani? Who is going to take him right now? Is their a lot of interest? Not to mention, we still have not really seen what he can do if we get a real team leader. I go on realgm all of the time, and some of their polls are crazy sauce in their lack of realism. I believe you that 76% of people probably said they should trade Bargnani, I more than likely said yes as well. I just have not heard of a lot of interest in him, and at this current point in Toronto’s rebuilding process, he is honestly not the biggest issue. We are a team with considerably little depth at big. We have tooth pick project big men (Ajinca, Alabi) and two raw PF’s (Davis, who has a nice upside and Amir). Reggie Evans is being shopped and does not appear to be in our long term future, plus has been hurt far more than he has played. Even so, he provides nothing on offense, even if he is a fantastic rebounder. If he were healthy, he might have been the guy to push Bargnani, but he has not been. Canada, I urge you man, you can hate on Bargnani, you can come up with your own plans for the Raptors, but you should get used to him, because I think he stays for at least a couple more years.

This is a team that is going to in the same line as the Phoenix Suns, which means shooting and running will be at a premium. The one thing the Suns had that we do not are rebounders (Amare was not amazing, but not bad. But, when the Suns were winning, Marion was a beast on the boards) and shooting. We have so little ability to spread the court right now, and that has limited Bargnani’s effectiveness. Nonetheless, our team is at its best when Bargnani is our main source of offense, and this even comes from the Raptors players. Reggie Evans even said "You can hate on Andrea or complain about his rebounding, but he is our best player" (Indirect quote, but that was the gist of it, and I remember DeMar agreeing). Calderon very much should go to give us a different look at PG, but we need a replacement. Also, any wing player we have right now would be best playing about 20-25 mpg at the most. Sonny Weems is great, a fan favorite and a great athlete, but he is not a starting SF, and honestly, James Johnson is just an alternative until we find a better SF. Those are the two positions we should focus on in the draft, and if by some miracle they trade Bargnani, I really hope it is because the Raps drafted Enes Kanter or some beast to play Center. Bargnani is pretty much a clone of Rashard Lewis, he is very talented, long and a match-up problem, but you more than likely want him being your third best player if you have a team that is any good.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Man, I would trade Bargnani too. Your if I ran it posts are just not realistic though OhCanada. You have to think, what are you going to get for Bargnani? Who is going to take him right now? Is their a lot of interest? Not to mention, we still have not really seen what he can do if we get a real team leader. I go on realgm all of the time, and some of their polls are crazy sauce in their lack of realism. I believe you that 76% of people probably said they should trade Bargnani, I more than likely said yes as well. I just have not heard of a lot of interest in him, and at this current point in Toronto’s rebuilding process, he is honestly not the biggest issue. We are a team with considerably little depth at big. We have tooth pick project big men (Ajinca, Alabi) and two raw PF’s (Davis, who has a nice upside and Amir). Reggie Evans is being shopped and does not appear to be in our long term future, plus has been hurt far more than he has played. Even so, he provides nothing on offense, even if he is a fantastic rebounder. If he were healthy, he might have been the guy to push Bargnani, but he has not been. Canada, I urge you man, you can hate on Bargnani, you can come up with your own plans for the Raptors, but you should get used to him, because I think he stays for at least a couple more years.

This is a team that is going to in the same line as the Phoenix Suns, which means shooting and running will be at a premium. The one thing the Suns had that we do not are rebounders (Amare was not amazing, but not bad. But, when the Suns were winning, Marion was a beast on the boards) and shooting. We have so little ability to spread the court right now, and that has limited Bargnani’s effectiveness. Nonetheless, our team is at its best when Bargnani is our main source of offense, and this even comes from the Raptors players. Reggie Evans even said "You can hate on Andrea or complain about his rebounding, but he is our best player" (Indirect quote, but that was the gist of it, and I remember DeMar agreeing). Calderon very much should go to give us a different look at PG, but we need a replacement. Also, any wing player we have right now would be best playing about 20-25 mpg at the most. Sonny Weems is great, a fan favorite and a great athlete, but he is not a starting SF, and honestly, James Johnson is just an alternative until we find a better SF. Those are the two positions we should focus on in the draft, and if by some miracle they trade Bargnani, I really hope it is because the Raps drafted Enes Kanter or some beast to play Center. Bargnani is pretty much a clone of Rashard Lewis, he is very talented, long and a match-up problem, but you more than likely want him being your third best player if you have a team that is any good.

[flyboyParticipant]

Better get equal value in return, which I don’t think they would get. The Raptors aren’t really in the position to be trading guys like Bargnani anyway.

Johnson hustled and although he was a little off at times offensively, he tried hard defensively, got some rebounds, and I loved the way he smiled at the Chicago bench at the end of the game when he got a loose ball rebound and made 2 free throws. He played with a good intensity which he didn’t always do with Chicago. The question now is, can he play like this consistently, can he be a factor offensively, and what will he do defensively against the elite SFs.

[flyboyParticipant]

Better get equal value in return, which I don’t think they would get. The Raptors aren’t really in the position to be trading guys like Bargnani anyway.

Johnson hustled and although he was a little off at times offensively, he tried hard defensively, got some rebounds, and I loved the way he smiled at the Chicago bench at the end of the game when he got a loose ball rebound and made 2 free throws. He played with a good intensity which he didn’t always do with Chicago. The question now is, can he play like this consistently, can he be a factor offensively, and what will he do defensively against the elite SFs.

[Author]

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