Toronto Raptors: Are They Serious NBA Playoff Contenders?

 Toronto  No Responses »
Oct 312012
 

Each October, fans of the Toronto Raptors are led to believe their team has the potential to seriously contend. And after a couple months, those same fans are watching the Raptors crumble before their eyes.

Coming into the 2012-2013 season, the Raptors are once again being hyped as a team with playoff potential. Some have even gone as far as suggesting they have a legitimate chance at taking home the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy.

This year, the hype is all about Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas. Both were offseason additions brought in by general manager Bryan Colangelo.

Lowry comes over from the Houston Rockets and is expected to add some flare to Toronto’s lineup. Valanciunas was the Raptors’ first-round selection in the 2011 NBA Draft and played last season in his native country of Lithuania.

While both players will be a tremendous inspiration to a regularly-disappointed Raptors fanbase, the expectation that they’ll immediately start winning crucial games is unfair.

By simply examining the roster, it’s easy to see that they’ve made some very nice moves over the summer. Bringing in Landry Fields will add some spark, and at the moment, drafting Terrence Ross appears to have been a well-thought-out choice.

 

Fields is a player who contributes to the game without scoring. He can rebound effectively and has an ability to distribute the ball across the floor. After an outstanding rookie season with the New York Knicks, Fields was expected to be even better last season. Though injuries created limitations, Colangelo saw enough of Fields to know he wanted to make him a Raptor.

Andrea Bargnani will be looking to prove himself once again this season. It seems that no matter how he performs, the expectations are never met. Then again, it comes with the territory when you’re a past No. 1 pick.

It may initially be a challenge for Raptors point guard Jose Calderon. With Lowry coming in and essentially being the No. 1 guy, Calderon will be seen by many as the No. 2. Calderon has the skill to be the starting point guard, but he’ll need to step up and show he deserves to be that player.

As always, DeMar DeRozan should produce offensively. And of course, Ed Davis and Amir Johnson are two solid forwards up front.

This season will be filled with highs and lows for Raptors fans. There’s potential for a playoff run if Bargnani, Lowry and Valanciunas can show they have the ability to lead the way.

For now, Toronto fans will have to keep their expectations realistic. It’s a long season, but with fresh faces and a new look, the Raptors could end up being the league’s most surprising team.

 

Follow @DavidOConnor95

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Late Friday Mini-Bullets

 Rumors  No Responses »
Oct 192012
 


“The Other Dream Team,” that marvelous documentary about the tough-as-nails and inspiring-as-hell 1992 Lithuanian national team includes a bit of back story, establishing that Lithuania has loved hoops for most of a century. As soon as I heard they loved hoops in the 1930s … doesn’t it go without saying it’s still hugely popular now? Honest question: Has any country ever fallen out of love with basketball?
Chris Douglas-Roberts, once a malcontent on the Nets’ bench, who spent time playing in Italy, tells the Lakers’ Mike Trudell about lessons learned: “The best way in this league is to keep your mouth shut at times.

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BDL Review: ‘The Other Dream Team’ (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Portland  No Responses »
Sep 282012
 

I often feel like I have to apologize or make excuses for the degree to which I care about sports, even — or maybe especially — now that caring about sports is kind of my job. The Cosell caveat (“Sports is the toy department of human life”) hangs over everything, eternally reminding us all — those who play, those who cover, those who enjoy as diversion — that when we’re doing whatever it is we do, we’re not laying brick or digging ditches. And that’s true; more than that, it’s fair. But every once in a while, between the contract disputes and sound bites and endless jokes, you hear people like Juozas Butrimas speak and, hopefully, you listen.
Butrimas played basketball as part of a club team in the town of Panevezys, Lithuania, in the 1940s. In 1940, Soviet soldiers came to tiny, basketball-mad, independent Lithuania as an invading and occupying force; in June 1941, the deportations of “dissidents” to Soviet prison camps began. Butrimas’ club was accused (falsely, he notes) of participating in rebellious, anti-Soviet activities. Multiple members were sent to Siberia, where they were forced to work in coalmines. Stripped of freedom, agency, opportunity and home, how did they keep going?
“In Siberia, we built a regulation basketball court. Basketball allowed us to have dignity, to retain our sense of humanity. … How did I survive? Basketball. It gave me a lot … They didn’t bury me there.”
Butrimas, now in his 80s, tells us this in an interview included in “The Other Dream Team,” a documentary directed and co-written by Marius A. Markevicius — a California-born filmmaker of Lithuanian descent — that details the journey of the Lithuanian men’s national basketball team that won bronze at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. (That’s not a spoiler, per se; for one thing, it is historical fact, and for another, we showed you a clip of the Lithuanian team on the medal stand on Tuesday.)
He tells us this because it is most certainly part of that team’s journey, despite taking place more than half a century before the Barcelona Games, and he tells us this because it is true, and more than that, because it is fair. It is OK to think that these games, in their way, can and do matter — full stop — because they can and do.
They can and do provide something to cling to, the kind of ecstatic bursts of unbridled joy that help sustain life in the midst of unbearable hardship. That joy — that brilliant, beautiful beacon of hope — is at the heart of Markevicius’ film, which opens in New York and Los Angeles on Friday before spreading wider in the weeks ahead. (To find out if/when it’s coming to a city and theater near you, check out the film’s site .)

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Why Jonas Valanciunas Has Toronto Raptors Fans Pumped for 2012-13 Season

 Toronto  No Responses »
Sep 272012
 

The Raptor fan base has done a complete 180 degree turn on Jonas Valanciunas from draft night in 2011.

The booing has turned to cheers of anticipation for the big Lithuanian’s debut in the NBA. What are they excited about, and how did this change of opinion happen? 

Bryan Colangelo took a big gamble with his own future when he selected Jonas with the No. 5 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He was left with this choice based on Jonas’ contract situation in Europe.

The fact that he was not going to be available last year and maybe even beyond that was enough to scare off the Cleveland Cavaliers who selected Tristan Thompson with the No.4 pick in that draft.

Thompson would have been a pick for the Raptors that would have brought loud cheers, considering he’s a Toronto native. The Raptors never had to decide on that, just on the fact that Valancuinas was still on the board. The fan base was talking more about something else. 

The Raptors could have drafted Kemba Walker or Brandon Knight as the future point guard for the franchise since both slipped in the draft until well after the Raptors’ pick.

The Raptors went on the offensive, promoting the pick of Valanciunas as a potential future star that the franchise could not pass up on. They had all kinds of reminders of the coming of Jonas throughout the season.

It was a great sales pitch, and it worked for the most part. Perhaps, it even worked too well. Now people expect a lot and have some lofty expectations.

Even here in the Bleacher Report community there has been “Jonas Fever” this week. You might have caught this piece on not having concern over Jonas’ calf injury suffered in player workouts prior to training camp. It must have concerned a lot of people though, as the Raptors released a statement about the injury this past Tuesday.

 

Also, there was a piece on how Jonas will impact the Raptors. This has been a theme not just here, but everywhere throughout the summer and even dating back to last season.

The Olympics was likely the first chance for a lot of people to see Jonas Valanciunas play in full games and not just videos from YouTube and elsewhere. He, in the end, had a bit of a disappointing time at the Olympics. The other Raptor that hails from Lithuania, Linas Kleiza, stole the spotlight for Jonas’ coming out party.

In an interview with Raptors Broadcaster Jack Armstrong I conducted he offers a more realistic outlook for Jonas Valanciunas. “Short term, right now, I am concerned how many minutes he can play in his rookie year,” Armstrong said. “Can he figure out how to play with that enthusiasm, grit and toughness without getting into foul trouble early in games.”

It will be a big question to be answered. Jonas while playing in the Olympics had to forego playing in the Las Vegas Summer League. That would have given him a head start in learning those rules and adapting. The Olympics—while a higher level of competition—are contested under international rules. 

Looking at the bigger picture Armstrong is optimistic. “Long term, I think he could end up being a very good player in the NBA.”  It is not a case of people questioning his ability, for those that are not part of the Jonas parade just yet. It is a case of seeing this as a rather slow development process.

 

 

You only need to look at Andrea Bargnani as evidence of that fact. Bargnani is set to enter year seven of his NBA career. Even now, you have an element of fans that question if his noted improved play prior to injury last season was real or not. It might have just been a mirage of greatness.

So, to expect Jonas Valanciunas to have an instant impact for the Raptors may just be asking too much too soon. I have read and talked to enough people that I personally believe in this young man and his ability and potential. We just need to have some patience and see what he is capable of doing.

Why are fans excited about him? Well, part of that is the hype that surrounds his arrival. There is a buzz in the air about him. Not to the same level, but like when Ricky Rubio finally arrived in Minnesota.

A rookie that is a pick in the lottery is a sign of hope and a means to change.

In terms of a basketball talent, Jonas is all the things that Raptors fans thought Andrea Bargnani would be and isn’t. He is a tough and aggressive player that will play in post and rebound and scrap. At least this is what the Raptors hope and expect him to be.

This calf injury and a less-than-impressive outing at the Olympics might just be a message for all of us to temper our expectations. That is not to say that he will be a bust or anything like that. It is saying that he is a player that will take time to grow and develop.

The fan base in Toronto will need to show patience and hope it will be rewarded. Jonas is in a much different position from the Raptors’ draft choice this season, Terrence Ross. No one expects Ross to walk in and start for the Raptors this season.

In terms of Jonas, many do expect that and much more.

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U18 European Championships Recap

 Around the NBA, NBA Draft  No Responses »
Aug 252012
 
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U18 European Championships Recap

Davide Bortoluzzi recaps the Under 18 European Chapionships from Lithuania and Latvia.

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By Davide Bortoluzzi

Croatia has won 2012 u18 European championship, following the success of 2010 u16 championship for their ’94 generation. The final game involved the same two teams of the 2010 u16 final, with Lithuania unable to stop Dario Saric, who reminded people of Toni Kukoc: 39 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assist, and an incredible 52 efficiency figure. The bronze medal game was a match up between Serbia and Russia, with the Serbian guys clinching onto the third spot on the podium after a close game.

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Basketball: Russia beat Lithuania to reach semi-finals (Reuters)

 Utah  No Responses »
Aug 082012
 

LONDON (Reuters) – Russia made the most out of their strength under the basket to beat Lithuania 83-74 and advance to the semi-finals of the Olympic men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday. Andrei Kirilenko played his usual brilliant all-round game for Russia, while burly centre Timofey Mozgov operated down low with great effect to carry the Russians to the medals round in a grueling battle marked by determined defense. Kirilenko led Russia with 19 points and had a game-high 13 rebounds, while Mozgov added 17 points. Russia will play either France or Spain in the semi-finals. …

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UPDATE 1-Olympics-Basketball-Russia beat Lithuania to reach semi-finals (Reuters)

 Utah  No Responses »
Aug 082012
 

* Kirilenko, Mozgov spell difference for Russia * To meet winner of France-Spain in semi-finals (Adds quotes, details) LONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters) – Russia made the most out of theirstrength under the basket to beat Lithuania 83-74 and advance tothe semi-finals of the Olympic men’s basketball tournament onWednesday. Andrei Kirilenko played his usual brilliant all-round gamefor Russia, while burly centre Timofey Mozgov operated down lowwith great effect to carry the Russians to the medals round in agruelling battle marked by determined defence. …

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