Defensively it made a LOT more sense having Pietrus in there. I'm not gonna give them such a great amount of credit because it shouldn't take that long to figure out you shouldn't be closing with 2 pg's on the floor at the same time.
At least its a step in the right direction, hopefully Casey is done with the 2 PG lineup for good.
Can we just start Davis already? Bargs with 2pts 1 board in 21 minutes at this point...
Exactly. And one other thing I noticed, when Jack was raving about Bargnani's defense... I'm not gonna call Val a tremendous defender either but he gets the quick whistle that Bargs used to get. One of those "great" defensive plays was when Bargs got matched up on Dragic I think it was. First he reached and swiped at a steal. Then there was contact on the drive as well. Instant whistle for Val if he had done the same.
Exactly. And one other thing I noticed, when Jack was raving about Bargnani's defense... I'm not gonna call Val a tremendous defender either but he gets the quick whistle that Bargs used to get. One of those "great" defensive plays was when Bargs got matched up on Dragic I think it was. First he reached and swiped at a steal. Then there was contact on the drive as well. Instant whistle for Val if he had done the same.
The refs have to respect a great defensive player like Bargs.
Exactly. And one other thing I noticed, when Jack was raving about Bargnani's defense... I'm not gonna call Val a tremendous defender either but he gets the quick whistle that Bargs used to get. One of those "great" defensive plays was when Bargs got matched up on Dragic I think it was. First he reached and swiped at a steal. Then there was contact on the drive as well. Instant whistle for Val if he had done the same.
Oh without a doubt he would have been called for it. While I was impressed by Bargnani's defence, he was still fouling and we're fortunate (if you want the team to win) that they let the play continue.
I've only caught the 2nd half, but from what i've seen. First and foremost a MANS game from Ed Davis. Clearly has been outplaying Bargnani once again. 13/11 in 22 mins. I guess I should be happy that he's at least being given half of the 4th quarter to play now since he'll never be played down the stretch under Casey's watch.
Solid game by Pietrus. Long term I still don't necessarily understand the pickup. But BC doesn't make long term moves so I assume this was a "save my ass" move. Great performance by Lowry, looks like it'll be another close finish. Let's see if we finally take one of these. *doesn't hold breath*
edit: Bargs comes in for Davis and missed 2 open 3's.... At what point do you come to the realization that 3 point ability shouldn't be a reason to put the guy in over a guy who's making an impact on the inside. Rebounds, post play, put backs, all more valuable than streaky 3's in a tight game.
I turned the game off out of disgust after Bargs missed his 3rd 3 pointer down the stretch. You yank Ed Davis who is having a monster game and you throw Bargnani in there down the stretch and what happens. You lose that hustle, that tough D and rebounding, that energy, and you gain a guy who is only gonna add anything to the game if he makes 3 pointers. Did someone hold a gun to Casey's head before the season started and say "Bargnani plays down the stretch OR ELSE" because that's the only way it makes any sense. In my mind the rotation has been a HUGE part of our lack of success this year. And IMHO, after BC, Casey has got to go.
Just let Bargs come off as the sixth man already. Ed Davis is having monster games these days yet he is only playing a whoping 15 minutes a game. Hopefully more losses will mean changes to the starting line up, because Ed Davis is tearing it up with his rebounding and hustle. When Bargs isn't shooting well he is not doing anything well.
Just let Bargs come off as the sixth man already. Ed Davis is having monster games these days yet he is only playing a whoping 15 minutes a game. Hopefully more losses will mean changes to the starting line up, because Ed Davis is tearing it up with his rebounding and hustle. When Bargs isn't shooting well he is not doing anything well.
I used to think it was just what Casey thought was a winning formula to have a "closing lineup" out there that plays no matter what. But now it's like either he's a complete moron or he's being threatened (or feels threatened) by management. Those are the only 2 possibilities I can see it being.
Davis currently sits fourth in the NBA in rebound rate and ninth in the Association in offensive rebound rate. In fact, through nearly a month of the season, the only three players rebounding at a better clip than Ed are Reggie Evans, Anderson Varejao and Kevin Love. In addition, Davis’ Player Efficiency Rating of 20.5 currently ranks 35th in the league, and he’s one of only 42 players in total with a PER of 20 or higher.
The catch, though, is that of those 42 players, Davis is 38th in minutes played per game, something that should caution us as to the small sample size of his impressive statistics but something that also begs the question, what will it take for Davis to earn more floor time?
The numbers suggest he’s on the verge of a career year. The rebounding numbers are up, his block numbers remain consistent at 3.3% (block percentage) and 1.5 blocks per 36 minutes, his overall rim protection and defence are still strengths, he’s shown us glimpses of a much improved offensive game that includes a more fundamental jumper while also turning the ball over much less despite a higher usage rate. It’s safe to say that Ed Davis has improved across the board, and yet in a frontcourt that includes Valanciunas, Bargnani and Amir Johnson (not to mention Aaron Gray as a situational centre), he’s averaging a career-low 13.7 minutes per game.
F*ck you Dwayne Casey and Brian Colangelo. Let Ed Davis play already. He comes to every game ready to give it his all. He could be potentially having a career year if it wasn't for Casey and BC
Guys, guys, guys. You all are missing the clear solution to our problems per Doug Smith: start Amir in Val's place.
It's a good thing Doug Smith isn't a radio personality because then he'd have to take BC's ******* out of his mouth to do his job.
Do you have a link to where he said that? I'm not accusing you of making it up, I'm just genuinely interested in reading his rationale for such a pathetic argument.
^^^ I got that tidbit of nonsense from his blog (thestar.blogs.com/raptors) a couple days back. Could not believe it. He also supports the Bargs should start due to "spacing" argument hook, line and sinker.
I read his blog after every new franchise low and it never ceases to amaze me how much of a company guy he is, and he doesn't even work for the team! Baffling.
Re: The official Raptors basketball game thread
