Toronto Raptors Blog – Page 33 – NBA Blog

Raptors could be team in transition

Toronto Raptors could be team in transition

The Toronto Raptors finished the regular season with an impressive 49-33 record, only to be swept in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Washington Wizards. Here’s the National Post with more:

One of the most frustrating aspects of last year’s Raptors season, other than the post-February collapse, was sending Caboclo down to Fort Wayne, a team shared with 12 other teams, only to watch him languish on the bench.

It is clear that the Raptors’ current position might change by opening night in October — or even by July. Amir Johnson and Lou Williams are free agents, while the team’s core was wholly disappointing in the post-season, with no exceptions. The composition of the Raptors’ roster today is guaranteed a makeover. The only question is how extreme it will be.

Arizona swingman Rondae Hollis Jefferson, a defensive terror without a jumper, and Notre Dame point guard Jerian Grant, a true point guard who struggles to finish around the rim, headlined the Raptors’ first workout on Wednesday. Both are projected to be selected around where the Raptors will pick, and it is hard to say one is a much superior fit for Toronto. The Raptors do not have one specific obvious need, because a single move could address something while opening up another hole. And if you are looking for immediate answers with the 20th pick, you will probably still be looking when training camp opens.

Terrence Ross undergoes ankle surgery

The Toronto Raptors announced Saturday forward-guard Terrence Ross underwent surgery yesterday in Van Nuys, California to remove bone spurs and loose bodies from his left ankle. The procedure was performed by Dr. Richard Ferkel at the Southern California Orthopaedic Institute.

Ross will conduct his rehabilitation in Toronto. No timetable has been set for a return to basketball activities.

Ross averaged 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 25.3 minutes in a career-best 82 games this past season. He owns career averages of 9.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 23.3 minutes in 236 games. He has shot .373 (371-994) from three-point range.

Paul Pierce making life difficult for Raptors

Paul Pierce making life difficult for Raptors

Here’s the Boston.com blog reporting on Washington Wizards small forward Paul Pierce, who is doing mean things to the Toronto Raptors in their first-round playoff series:

Paul Pierce continues to make life miserable for the Toronto Raptors.

The former Celtics star scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, including a pair of three-pointers in crunch time to help clinch a 106-99 win for his Washington Wizards over the Raptors on Friday night. The win gives Washington a commanding 3-0 series lead in the best-of-seven series.

The Truth finished the night shooting 5 of 9 from the field, including 4 of 7 from beyond the arc in just 27 minutes of action. Wizards’ coach Randy Wittman limited Pierce’s minutes so the veteran could be fresh in the fourth quarter and the move paid major dividends.

Lou Williams wins 2014-2015 NBA Sixth Man of Year award

Lou Williams wins 2014-2015 NBA Sixth Man of Year award

Toronto Raptors guard Lou Williams, who averaged a career-high 15.5 points this season and helped Toronto win a franchise-record 49 games, is the winner of the 2014-15 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award as the league’s best player in a reserve role, the NBA announced today. The 6-1 guard becomes the first Raptors player to earn the honor.

Williams, in his 10th NBA season and first with the Raptors, amassed 78 first-place votes and 502 total points from a panel of 130 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Isaiah Thomas of the Boston Celtics finished second with 324 points (33 first-place votes), and two-time winner Jamal Crawford of the Los Angeles Clippers was third with 131 points (eight first-place votes).

Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote. To be eligible for the award, players had to have come off the bench in more games than they started.

Williams came off the bench in all 80 of his appearances and averaged 25.2 minutes. He led or tied for the team lead in scoring 18 times, second most in the league for a reserve, and the Raptors went 14-4 in those games. The 28-year-old also led the Raptors in free throw percentage (86.1) and made a career-high 152 three-pointers, nearly double his previous high of 88 set with the 76ers in 2010-11. On March 4, Williams set a Toronto record for points in a quarter with 21 in the fourth period against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Fan reaction/discussion: Lou Williams wins 6th man of the year

Raptors assign Lucas Nogueira to D-League

Raptors assign Lucas Nogueira to D-League

The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday they have assigned center Lucas Nogueira (No-GARE-uh) to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League. Nogueira will continue to be included on the Raptors’ roster and will remain on the team’s inactive list. He is expected to be in uniform for the Mad Ants on Saturday when they play host to the Delaware 87ers at 7:30 p.m.

Nogueira made his NBA debut November 21 versus Milwaukee and grabbed a season-high five rebounds in nine minutes of action. He has played a total of 23 minutes in six games with Toronto this season, recording six points and 11 rebounds.

A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Nogueira was selected 16th overall by Boston in the 2013 NBA Draft. The Raptors acquired his rights June 30, 2014 from Atlanta. He spent the 2013-14 season with Estudiantes Madrid in the Spanish Liga Endesa and averaged 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 16.0 minutes in 18 games.

Raptors racking up nice wins lately

The Toronto Raptors are doing big things lately. And making regular appearances in the win column. Here’s the Canadian Press reporting:

James Johnson poured in a season-high 20 points to lift the Raptors to an 87-82 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, Toronto’s eighth victory in 10 outings.

DeMar DeRozan added 18 points, while Amir Johnson had 15 and Kyle Lowry had 12. Jonas Valanciunas grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds in one of Toronto’s best defensive efforts of the season.

The Atlantic Division-leading Raptors (35-17) were coming off a huge 123-107 win over the Clippers on Friday that saw them claw their way back from an early 20-point deficit.

They never led by more than 10 in Sunday’s dogfight, and went into the fourth quarter up 64-58 in front of an Air Canada Centre capacity crowd of 19,800 that included Toronto FC’s newest acquisition Sebastian Giovinco.

Raptors assign Bruno Caboclo to D-League

The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday they have assigned forward Bruno Caboclo (cuh-BO-clo) to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League. Caboclo will continue to be included on the Raptors’ roster and will remain on the team’s inactive list. He is expected to be in uniform for the Mad Ants on Saturday when they face the Iowa Energy in Des Moines, Iowa (8 p.m. ET).

Caboclo made his NBA debut November 21 versus Milwaukee and scored a season-high eight points in 12 minutes of action. He shot two-for-three from beyond the arc with a rebound and a block against the Bucks. He has played a total of 15 minutes in three games with Toronto this season, recording eight points and two rebounds.

A native of Osasco, Brazil, Caboclo was selected 20th overall by Toronto in the 2014 NBA Draft. He appeared in 16 Brazil League games for Pinheiros/Sky last season, averaging 4.9 points and 3.1 rebounds. Caboclo was the MVP of the 2013 Basketball Without Borders South America camp in Buenos Aires.

Samuel Dalembert fined by NBA for elbowing Jonas Valanciunas

New York Knicks center Samuel Dalembert has been fined $15,000 for elbowing Jonas Valanciunas of the Toronto Raptors in the face during the Raptors’ 118-108 victory over the Knicks on Sunday, Dec. 21, at Air Canada Centre, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.

Dalembert’s actions, which resulted in a Flagrant Foul 2 and his subsequent ejection, occurred with 10:59 remaining in the third quarter of the game.

Dalembert this season is averaging just 3.8 points and 5.3 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per game for New York, who have the second worst winning percentage in the NBA through Sunday’s games.

New Toronto Raptors logo

New Toronto Raptors logo revealed

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Well, the Toronto Raptors already had an accepted, cool logo, but they decided on an update, which was revealed today.

Last April, the Raptors launched a “We The North” campaign. Today the team took the next step in redefining the Raptors’ identity with the launch of its new primary logo, a circular shield with a ball torn by the unmistakable attack of a Raptor.

The new logo will be introduced in time for the 2015-16 NBA season. New uniforms haven’t been revealed yet.

“Last year during the playoffs, ‘We The North’ became a rallying cry for this team, and all of our fans,” said Raptors President and General Manager Masai Ujiri. “Our new logo represents that attitude and will be an important part of our identity starting next season.”

The new Raptors logo features the team’s primary colours of red, black, white and silver with an alternate version in black and gold.

Team merchandise featuring the new Raptors logo will be in stores next Fall prior to the start of the NBA season.

The logo was designed by Sid Lee, the same creative services agency that developed the “We The North” campaign.

Super-quick InsideHoops.com reaction: It’s a very cool logo. It looks a lot like the Brooklyn Nets logo, though.

DeMar DeRozan injured with torn left adductor longus tendon

DeMar DeRozan injured with torn left adductor longus tendon (groin)

Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan left Friday’s game versus Dallas at the 8:23 mark of the third quarter and did not return. Test results revealed a torn left adductor longus tendon (the Raptors tell InsideHoops.com it’s a groin injury). There is no timetable for his return to basketball activity. His status will be updated as appropriate.

DeRozan has averaged a team-high 19.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and a team-best 33.6 minutes in 16 contests this season. He has paced the club in scoring on eight occasions.
The Raptors return to action Sunday at the Los Angeles Lakers (9:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet/Sportsnet 590 The FAN).