Ed Davis Gives Weary Raptors Fans Something to Be Positive About

 Toronto  No Responses »
Dec 082012
 

There has been little to be positive about in terms of the Toronto Raptors, but Ed Davis might be the rare exception.

While Toronto has struggled its way through this NBA season, Davis’ play has been one of few bright spots after a season in which he, along DeMar DeRozan, both seemed to take major steps in the wrong direction in their development. Davis has started to show signs of maturity on and off the floor.

Hard to focus on anything positive after a pathetic effort from the Raptors in Utah that has fans demanding answers. Davis was not much of a factor in this one, as he struggled then left the game after bending his left ring finger while diving for a ball.

It was said via Twitter from several Raptors’ media in attendance that he had X-rays that came back negative. He was in theory able to return, but given the state of the game, Toronto decided not to risk it.

Davis had a bad night before the injury with no points, a rebound and a couple of fouls. Prior to tonight Davis had been fairly consistent. Things had been going well for Davis, since a game that sparked controversy from his good play and the poor play of Andrea Bargnani. The game was against San Antonio and ended in a double-overtime loss.

Davis had a double-double in that game of 15 points and 14 rebounds with a career-high eight offensive boards. I said at the time it was the best game of his career for the Raptors, having seen them all. Yet Ed and I—who was in attendance covering the game—were both spectators for the overtime. Raptors coach Dwane Casey would on that night pledge his allegiance to Andrea Bargnani, and things have been terrible for Toronto since.

Ed Davis however, has thrived since that time. Excluding tonight in Utah he has scored in double figures four of the last six games, including the performance against the Spurs. He had another double-double in a tough loss to the Kings in which he again would only be watching at the end of the night thanks to Casey’s decision. 

In this six-game window Davis has averaged 10 points and 8.6 rebounds a game as well. He’s also had five blocks and three steals, never shooting below 50 percent in any of the six games.

Ed Davis has had a bumpy start to his NBA career, not many would deny that. He missed training camp in his rookie season and than had a rushed camp thanks to the NBA lockout in year two. This season he was able to experience his first full training camp and preseason, after an experience at Las Vegas Summer League in which he was a major focus.

There was a change in Davis, and it was something I noticed right away covering the team’s media day. Davis had always been a fairly quiet guy, not mean at all, but not engaging. I was taken aback when Ed approached me and said hello, and we exchanged pleasantries.

This came after a surprise Twitter exchange we had in the spring not long after the draft. He told me through my Twitter handle (@DinoNationBlog) to keep sleeping on him. I have never asked him what caused him to tweet this my way. I think it was based on some tweets I had made about the possibility of him being traded, as part of a deal for the Raptors eight pick in last year’s draft.

That was a possibility, but it was not meant as me reporting, or speculating, but more as a joke to someone I know that is a huge Ed Davis fan. A lesson learned in social media for me for sure. This thought came to me after as to why Ed might have tweeted that. Instead, I just responded with that, I was rooting for him to prove his doubters wrong in Las Vegas.

Won’t break out the Vegas stats for you, but he did lead the Raptors in scoring, and over the summer he reconstructed his jump shot with the help of Raptors’ coaching staff. He is pretty proud of the work he put into it. I had an interview with him about it and you could see the pride beaming from his face.

While DeMar DeRozan’s improved play was noted earlier in the season, Ed’s play deserves mention too. He faces a great, yet tough situation, in being the backup to public enemy No. 1 these days in Andrea Bargnani.

Can Ed remain motivated and keep playing at this high level, despite averaging a career low in minutes this season under Dwane Casey?

Time will tell and as Ed Davis told me, sleeping on him might not be a good idea. Many were heading into this season after he struggled in 2011-12. In a crowded Raptors’ frontcourt he is starting to make himself noticed. He is also getting a lot of fans jumping off Bargnani’s bandwagon and aboard his.

I’m not ready to declare him the most popular backup next to Tim Tebow or anything. Still, the number of Ed Davis’ supporters is trending up. Impressive in a situation when almost everything connected to the Raptors is trending in the opposite direction.

Read more Toronto Raptors news on BleacherReport.com

Go to Source

NBA Schedule for December 6 Through December 10 (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

 Toronto  No Responses »
Dec 062012
 

The NBA schedule for Dec. 6 through Dec. 10 features the New York Knicks, ranked first in the Atlantic division, facing the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets. The Miami Heat, ranked first in the Southeast division, will also face the New Orleans Hornets and the Atlanta Hawks. The following schedule has a complete list of the games.

Go to Source

Pau Gasol Not Adjusting to D’Antoni’s System, Should the Raptors Swoop In?

 Toronto  No Responses »
Dec 052012
 

To say Pau Gasol looks like a lost puppy in the Lakers new offensive system is an understatement.

Plagued by tendinitis in both knees and by the overall aging process, Gasol has looked a step slow this season with the Lakers, and many experts think he cannot adjust to new head coach Mike D’Antoni’s offensive system.

With Dwight Howard now in town, Gasol’s role with the Lakers has definitely changed, and his numbers have supported that claim.

Having a career-low year in both points-per-game (12.6) and field-goal percentage (42 percent), Gasol’s start to this season hasn’t been pretty.

Gasol is currently out of the lineup with his knee tendinitis, and legendary shooting guard Kobe Bryant is getting on him about his struggles.

Some quotes directly from Bryant in the source below:

“I want him to dig in and be determined, not discouraged,” Bryant continued. “We should go to him more on the post because he can dominate from there as he has to the tune of two rings. I’m sure we will adjust and figure out a balance when he comes back healthy.”

“I know his knees have been hurting and that can be frustrating because you can’t do physically what you are used to,” Bryant said Tuesday. “I just don’t want him to sulk about the change of things.”

“Put your big-boy pants on,” Bryant said after the loss that dropped the team’s record to 8-9. “Just adjust. Just adjust. You can’t whine about it. You can’t complain about it. You have to master what it is that we’re trying to do here and Pau is talented enough and he’s good enough to be able to do that.”

Bryant is not worried about losing Gasol to a trade however:

“We’re not going to lose him,” Bryant said. “That’s just not going to happen. I’ve been around him long enough. I know how to deal with him.”

That’s where the Raptors rumor mill begins to churn.

According to a report by ESPNLosAngeles.com, Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak has supposedly contacted Gasol’s representatives and told them the team would have to explore trade possibilities if Gasol cannot adjust to the new coach’s system.

Will Kupchak be calling Toronto about the availability of two players?

Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani are also stars with the Raptors who are not really fitting into the new coach’s system, which focuses more on defense rather than offense.

When the Raptors were contemplating amnestying Calderon, the Lakers were likely ready to pounce on him.

Bargnani, on the other hand, has struggled at both ends of the floor this season.

Inconsistency, and just an overall lack of emotional engagement, have led to him being in the center of trade talk, as well as trash talk from Raptors fans.

Both of their defensive deficiencies can be made up by the defense provided by Bryant, Metta World Peace and Dwight Howard. Plus, they have solid veteran leadership from Bryant, Steve Nash (when he returns) and sixth man Antawn Jamison, so the responsibility of leading the team will not be on the two European players.

As for Gasol, a change in scenery may be a great option for him. Playing in a more defensive system with players who will look to him to lead from the frontcourt could see Gasol return to form.

His veteran presence could be used to help mentor both Jonas Valanciunas and Ed Davis in their ascent up the NBA frontcourt ranks.

A trade that involves Gasol and, say, Steve Blake for Calderon, Bargnani and Alan Anderson is a trade that makes sense for both sides and works under the CBA.

 

Potential Raptors Lineup:

Kyle Lowry/Steve Blake/John Lucas

DeMar DeRozan/Terrence Ross

Mickael Pietrus/Linas Kleiza/Landry Fields

Pau Gasol/Ed Davis

Jonas Valanciunas/Amir Johnson/Aaron Gray

 

The question is: Do the Raptors take the risk and pull the trigger?

Read more Toronto Raptors news on BleacherReport.com

Go to Source

Who Is Most to Blame for Toronto Raptors’ Slow Start?

 Toronto  No Responses »
Dec 052012
 

The Toronto Raptors have begun the NBA season with a very familiar 4-14 start, and it is time to start the blame game. The Raptors at the start of this season were talking about contending for a playoff spot. They look more like a contender to win the NBA lottery at this point.

In order to have a draft pick at all, that is what they will have to do because if they do not land in the top three, their pick now belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is a result of the Kyle Lowry trade and Houston using that pick as part of the package to acquire James Harden.

The Raptors could also make the playoffs and retain their first-round pick, but that is rapidly looking like an unrealistic goal.

Fans face another season where while not mathematically eliminated, Toronto seems destined to be virtually eliminated by the end of the calendar year. This is when the idea of who to blame becomes the focus. So why wait? Let’s get a jump on things and break down who is most to blame for the Raptors’ woes.

Some obvious candidates are Bryan Colangelo, Andrea Bargnani and maybe even Dwane Casey. We will try to make the case for reasons to blame them and maybe a few others along the way. 

Who we won’t blame is the Raptors fans that once again have been promised more than they are getting from their basketball team. On some level, long-time fans of this franchise have become far too accustomed to these broken promises over the years.

Begin Slideshow

Go to Source

 Older Entries