Luis Scola twitter: "We the north... Here I come : )"

[url]https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/luis-scola-announces-twitter-hes-joining-toronto-raptors-044539392--nba.html[/url]

[QUOTE]TORONTO - Luis Scola has announced that he is joining the Toronto Raptors.

The six-foot-nine forward

[url]https://mobile.twitter.com/WojYahooNBA[/url]

[QUOTE]Free agent Luis Scola is finalizing a one-year, nearly $3M deal with the Toronto Raptors, league source tells Yahoo Sports.[/QUOTE]

Patrick Patterson, welcome to the starting lineup and your big chance.

(the interior D is going to be brutal)

Assuming Hayes comes back, that will be 4 ex-Houston Rockets the Raptors have on the team. Lowry, Patterson, Hayes and Scola. All of them played with each other in Houston too.

I think this was a move in which the Raptors didn't have many options but Scola can be the veteran leader that will also give them decent minutes, whether he starts or not. I think this might be it for FA's but they can still make some trades and get other players if they wish. Ive heard that Terrence Jones, Taj Gibson, and Kenneth Faried in trade rumors. Jones seems the most likely in terms of salary.

ah I was we could get Jordan Hill or Ed Davis. Maybe instead of FAs, Masai could trade TRoss to beef up our frontline.

Ironically, one team that now has a glut at the 4/5 is Celtics. Olynyk, Sullinger, Lee, Amir, Tyler Zeller and Jorebko. Pretty certain someone has to go.

good sign.



[QUOTE=Qwyjibo]Patrick Patterson, welcome to the starting lineup and your big chance.

([B][I]the interior D is going to be brutal[/I][/B])[/QUOTE]



+1

[QUOTE=Qwyjibo]Patrick Patterson, welcome to the starting lineup and your big chance.

(the interior D is going to be brutal)[/QUOTE]


Not sure I see eye to eye with ya. :cheers:

Not strongly disagree or anything. I dont "love the signing" but I far from hate it.

The whole point of "all the other signings" is D if you would. I know Scola / Val don't seem to represent a strong interior D - but that should be compensated for by the other guys on the floor... especially as they sub in.

I mentioned Scola in my "off season post".

Scola can score. He shows creativity with the ball and should be a great outlet option for Derozan / Lowry. We lost a lot of off ball / outlet creativity with Lou and Vasquez gone.

Given the $10M or so available and the need to sign 3-4 guys ~ I like Scola a lot better than Boozer and other options out there.

[COLOR="Red"](Note I did love the idea of Ed Davis but Portland locked him up early so that is no chance).[/COLOR]

Trade with the Celtics is an interesting idea... never considered it cause its in division ... and i doubt we would give back anything they want..

The cream pick in the Celtics roster is Lee. I assume he is the competent cornerstone they are looking to use and 'entice' their next big 3 to Boston. I would project them as making 'the push for Durant' and actually i think it is likely he would go to the Celtics.

If there was a year for JV to live up to his pre-draft expectations offensively and defensively, there couldn't be a better year than this upcoming year.

[QUOTE]Not sure I see eye to eye with ya.

Not strongly disagree or anything. I dont "love the signing" but I far from hate it. etc.
[/QUOTE]
Oh I don't hate the Scola signing either. He should be better overall than Hansbrough was last year and Scola will probably have similar playing time. I'm just underwhelmed by the overall end result unless JV makes some major progression in his all-around game.

It looks like a decent team but like I've said many times before, I don't care about seeing another merely decent team.

[QUOTE=Qwyjibo]Oh I don't hate the Scola signing either. He should be better overall than Hansbrough was last year and Scola will probably have similar playing time. I'm just underwhelmed by the overall end result unless JV makes some major progression in his all-around game.

It looks like a decent team but like I've said many times before, I don't care about seeing another merely decent team.[/QUOTE]

Obviously, it's either tank or be a decent team, but the team is in a great position in comparison to the years of Colangelo.

I like that they have 4 first round draft picks in the next 2 years (one of them look to be top 10 as well). Those are assets that Masai can work with and he's still putting together a decent team. He also has assets that are young and developing. This team is on the upswing.

[QUOTE=kmart]If there was a year for JV to live up to his pre-draft expectations offensively and defensively, there couldn't be a better year than this upcoming year.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Qwyjibo]I'm just underwhelmed by the overall end result unless JV makes some major progression in his all-around game.[/QUOTE]

Yep +1 +1 ~ +5 etc :cheers:

This looks to be "the real margin of error" for 2015/16 season.

I think you both hit the nail on the head ; I don't think most Raptor fans / media have picked up this thought.

How Val progresses will actually determine quite a bit because cagy old veteran's Amir / Chuck Hayes are not there to bail you out of : (1) foul troubles (2) slow games (3) funks.

I think given the changes Val has to step up D and O and consistency for this team to win 44 +. Further Casey needs him in there 35 m/p/g

He doesn't need to do 20/15/5 every night (p/rb/a) but he does need to contribute 12/10/3 consistently over 35 minutes (maybe 10/8/2 would be enough too if 2nd unit scoring is available).

BB is a nice enough D - mostly - back up - but I am not sure he has the motor / vet pressence like Amir / Hayes to come in and play up against the other line up shifting momentum in the game.

Ya cant play small ball for 49 minutes every night.