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Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo says this season is about winning

http://www.globalnews.ca/entertainme...778/story.html

Quote:

TORONTO - If last season was about developing, Bryan Colangelo says this season is about winning.

The Toronto Raptors held its annual media day Monday to kick off training camp in what the team's general manager called a "completely different atmosphere" from last season.

"You go into a season excited about what the prospects are," Colangelo said. "I cannot say that I went into last season excited about what the prospects were."

A young Raptors squad finished 23-43 in the lockout-shortened last season, but expectations weren't nearly as high as they are this time around.

Jonas Valanciunas may be the biggest reason for the optimism. The 20-year-old from Lithuania was Toronto's fifth pick in the 2011 draft, but the Raptors left him in Europe for another season to continue to develop.

"(Last season) knowing that Jonas wasn't coming over, knowing that it was going to be a struggle to win games, knowing it was part of the long grind of letting the young players play and learn and develop. . .," Colangelo said.

The GM said this year's new-look roster reminds him of the team he assembled in his first full season in Toronto in 2006-07. Andrea Bargnani was a rookie on that squad that went on to win the Atlantic Division and play New Jersey in the first round of the playoffs.

"This team seems to have a lot of those same characteristics," Colangelo said. "It just seems to me, with the newness of the group and the chemistry we've seen, the commitment of the players all coming together, spending a lot of time in Toronto. . . there's that feeling there could be something special abut this group but time will tell."

Most of the players have been in Toronto working out for a couple of weeks, but media day — where every player poses for pictures and conducts interviews in what's always an atmosphere of unbridled optimism — was their first official job of the season. They then boarded a flight to Halifax for camp, which culminates Saturday with an open scrimmage.

Other key new faces at the Air Canada Centre included Kyle Lowry, Terrence Ross — the team's No. 8 pick in the NBA draft — and Landry Fields.

Valanciunas, who's coming off an appearance with Lithuania at the London Olympics, has been set back by a strained left calf muscle he suffered just over a week ago, but that has barely dampered his excitement about getting his NBA career under way.

"Since I was a kid I liked to play hard," Valanciunas said. "I like to compete, I like to win. I think that's helping me.

"I like the taste of victory."

The Raptors are gunning for their first post-season appearance since 2008, when they lost in the first round to the Orlando Magic.

Last season's campaign unravelled after Bargnani suffered a calf injury in January. The big Italian was sidelined for 35 games, and the Raptors managed just 10 wins without him.

The team's leading scorer is back healthy this season, and his performance on a squad suddenly loaded with big men promises to be a major storyline.

There's also once again intrigue at the point guard position. The Raptors acquired Lowry in the off-season as the team's point guard of the future, while Jose Calderon — who's coming an off-season that included a silver-medal performance at the London Olympics and the birth of his second child — is the incumbent.

He's also been in this spot before, having to share the job with T.J. Ford, Jarrett Jack and Jerryd Bayless in past seasons.

It's the Raptors second campaign under head coach Dwane Casey, and while last season he preached defence, there will be more focus on the offensive end of the floor this year.

Under Casey, the Raptors worked their way up from among the worst defences in the league to finishing among the top half of teams last season. But they remained in the bottom third of the league in offensive stats.

"The numbers are staggering what happened last year, but with respect to the pace, the offence, offensive efficiency, offensive production, we talked a lot this off-season about how we're going to improve that," Colangelo said. "We've become a group that can shoot the ball much better from the three-point arc, we've gotten now a couple of guys that understand the importance of attacking the rim, getting to the free throw line."

The Raptors play seven pre-season games, five more than they did last in the shortened camp. They'll open against visiting Real Madrid on Oct. 8.

Toronto tips off the regular season on Oct. 31 versus the visiting Indiana Pacers.

Here we go again....

Re: Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo says this season is about winning

Squeak into the playoffs and get swept in 4. Success!

Re: Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo says this season is about winning

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zan Tabak

Squeak into the playoffs and get swept in 4. Success!

Well, it's better than what we've done the last 4 years.

Besides, Raptors have never missed the playoffs 5 years in a row.

Re: Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo says this season is about winning

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zan Tabak

Squeak into the playoffs and get swept in 4. Success!

I love the rebuilding and all but I think we need to at least try now...Squeaking into the playoffs will show we have some life...So I might be the only one but I wanted to see some get up and go with this team...

Re: Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo says this season is about winning

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Originally Posted by Legends66NBA7

Well, it's better than what we've done the last 4 years..

Quote:

Originally Posted by T-Low

I agree. It would be fun to see the Raps in some sort of race (to make the playoffs) this year.

Re: Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo says this season is about winning

Like I said, last year was the last chance this Raptors team would have to grab a star player. They blew it. Didn't tank hard enough. Gave playing time to veterans in a lost season.

Bryan Colangelo is the primary problem with this franchise.

Re: Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo says this season is about winning

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qwyjibo

Bryan Colangelo is the primary problem with this franchise.

1) Frankly squeeking into the palyoffs and getting eliminated MAY BE preferable because at least we keep our draft pick (to Houston protected) this season in what is "generally said" to be decent crop of youngsters. With Derozan coming due - Ross an uncertainty - so many questions - even a 12th round pick for depth at the wing may be a desparate need.

2) This above by Qwyjibo....

Two years ago I was a huge supporter of BC for stability sake. Franchise stability and frankly a second chance cause he put a good team on the floor vis a vis Calderon/ Garbahosa / et al circa 2006

Since then he has:

- drafted Val....Ed Davis... Derozan...(unproven today)

against:

- dumped Joe Johnson a late 1st round with hustle for a 2nd rounder
- let Weems go for nothing - Weems being derozans buddy i guess and seemingly important in the culture of the NBA
- let Bayliss go for nothing
- drafted Ross when he was available much further down the draft. He could have even fliped picks and cash for the difference.
- didnt draft Drummond. Drummond and Calderon would have been a package multiple teams would have made a deal on
- traded a 1st round pick (Lottery projected 6th) for Lowry when he could have made some sort of deal with Houston on draft day involving swapping picks with Lowry and other parts.

Frankly his performance since 1st two seasons is dreadful.

His final moment of truth is Calderon.

The deal he makes on aquiring talent and or picks for Calderon is the pinacle of being recorded as a good GM or worst in franchise history.

Re: Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo says this season is about winning

BC will say whatever to sell more tickets. Reality is this team doesn't have enough talent to make the playoffs.

Re: Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo says this season is about winning

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jballer

The deal he makes on aquiring talent and or picks for Calderon is the pinacle of being recorded as a good GM or worst in franchise history.

Quote:

Rob Babcock - Toronto Raptors (2003-2006)

Record: 93-152 (.378)

Playoff Appearances: 0

Notable Draft Picks:

- Rafael Araujo, 2004, 8th (Andre Iguodala, 9th; Al Jefferson, 15th)

- Charlie Villanueva, 2005, 7th; Joey Graham, 16th (Andrew Bynum, 10th; Danny Granger, 17th)

Notable Transactions:

- Vince Carter to New Jersey for Alonzo Mourning, Eric Williams, Aaron Williams and 2 1st round picks (Joey Graham and Renaldo Balkman)

- Signed Morris Peterson to 3-year, $15 million contract

- Signed Rafer Alston to a 6-year, $29 million contract and traded a year later to Houston for Mike James

Re: Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo says this season is about winning

this piece of shit has been saying this every year he has been here. Why is this thread worthy now? only a retarded amnesiac would believe him now.

Re: Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo says this season is about winning

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Originally Posted by bada bing

this piece of shit has been saying this every year he has been here. Why is this thread worthy now? only a retarded amnesiac would believe him now.

Relax.

Just looking for off season news. I don’t believe him either.