Another great week folks, and we even cut things off early to help with my travel.
Remember, if you want in on the fun, all it takes is an email to askdoug@thestar.ca.
Hey Doug,
As the NBA world dissects the OG Anunoby trade ad nauseam, there are three undeniable facts:
1. The current mix of players was not working;
2. Losing OG for nothing at season's end was a real reality;
3. If the Raptors did sign OG, it would be an overpay.
OG had to be traded and I love the return of RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. Between their skill level and age, it works well with Scottie Barnes on paper.
You might be interested in
My initial thought was the Raptors will have to say goodbye to Pascal Siakam as well to really maximize the full potential of this team. But he sure has looked good since the trade. I also feel he doesn’t want to go anywhere. Big contract, though.
I guess there’s a five-week window to find out. Wonder what the market would pay him as a free agent.
Do you know why the introductory news conference for RJ and IQ was not televised, considering the Raptors own their own TV station? I find this head scratching.
-Enio P.
I don’t think the trade necessarily assures a Siakam departure and I can make a case that he and Barnes are thriving together. But who knows, right? What will he get on the market? I think a two-time all-NBA selection, a two-time all-star and a guy who puts up numbers that equal MVP-calibre players is a max player.
And you can’t say that, if the Raptors re-signed Anunoby, it would be an overpay because we have no idea what the numbers would be.
The Barrett-Quickley availability was on New Year’s Day at a time that couldn’t be predicted because it was post-shootaround and those things always vary in length.
Hi Doug — (Maybe More Than) A coincidence that the Raptors wear the clown crown as the first team to lose to the Pistons in 29 games and at the same time pull off a trade for two strong new players. We are left with some shame and hope — and maybe with good results we can leave the shame behind.
Hope is a funny thing. Losing teams must market hope if they wish to sell tickets and advertising. Fans without hope take their attention and affection elsewhere. Sports gambling replaces team allegiance with the hope of bets won.
But, deep down, surely players and coaches must find other means to maintain hope in losing circumstances. How do they do that?
-Charles N.
It’s all about a hypercompetitive drive and a stunning level of self-confidence. They — the good ones, at least — fully believe they can and will win every game they play, even if that is an impossibility.
It’s what I’ve come to understand separates them from most of us mere mortals.
What’s happened to the promising centre the Raptors had last year?
They seem to have solved their weakness at guard, but still are thin at centre.
-Ed C.
Not sure who you’re referring to but Precious Achiuwa, I think, is more a four or a wing than a centre and since he was miscast, it wasn’t hard to put him in the trade.
If you’re referring to Jakob Poeltl, who leads the entire NBA in field-goal percentage, is top 25 in rebounds and top 20 in blocked shots, he’s still here.
There might not be a ton of depth but I think Chris Boucher can give them enough off the bench.
Is the order of the second round of the NBA draft determined by the lottery results, too? Or do they revert to going strictly by the each team’s record?
-Paul M.
Strictly by record, which is why it’s widely expected the Raptors will have the 31st pick in 2024, first in the second round, courtesy of Detroit through New York.
Hi Doug,
So far, so good as far as the trade is concerned. (Assuming of course, no other trades have happened since writing this!)
A few questions for you …
1) Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Raptors haven't had the standard "players-only closed-door meeting" this season despite all their problems. Aren't they kind of overdue, or will the road trip hopefully create the type of bonding Schröder thinks is lacking?
2) We have a roster spot open and we haven't signed anyone yet … Doesn't that scream upcoming trade? (With an extra player headed here)
3) Is it safe to assume that the "leaked" (unsuccessful) trades are just a way of telling other teams what they should expect to give up in any future negotiations?
Thanks for some background on what goes on in the head of team management when negotiating trades. Time will tell if we'll all need programs to keep track of all the guys on our team?
-Bernie M.
No, no “team meetings” yet, thank whichever deity you worship because I can’t handle the fake fallout from them.
There is a roster spot and I imagine they’ll wait until after the deadline to even contemplate filling it, although they can now sign guys to 10-day deals.
There’s a little bit of floating trade stuff to gauge reaction but not from teams as much as from agents.
Question for you, Doug.
Should the Raptors use their newly-acquired second round pick to draft Zach Edey? I realize he does not fit the current model of an NBA player. He is not quick, can’t defend multiple positions and falls more on the Boban Marjanovic end of the spectrum than the Victor Wembanyama end. But he has the ultimate intangible, size, along with decent hands, rebounding and rim-protecting skills and scoring touch close to the basket. Plus he has worked hard to improve his skills every year. He might not be a starter but he should be able to help coming off the bench to clog up the paint, protect the rim and score from close in. And of course best of all he is Canadian.
This year’s draft does not seem to be filled with great prospects and the second round historically mainly has been populated by picks that don’t last in the NBA, let alone star. If Masai could roll the dice on Bruno Caboclo with a 20th overall pick, why not take a chance on Zach?
Best of the New Year to you.
-Jack in Mississauga
There are some in the organization who today doubt that Edey will ever be an NBA rotation regular anywhere. And as a guy outside the organization joked this week, “he looks good dunking on six-foot-six kids.”
That said, circumstance and opinions can change in six or seven months and Edey certainly has worked hard on his game.
Today, I would say no. The Raptors already have a seven-foot centre whose shooting range extends to the restricted zone semicircle and he’s got three years and $60 million (U.S.) left on his deal. Can’t see any way they add another.
But we’ll talk again in late June when we have a clearer picture of the draft and Toronto’s needs.
Otto Porter Jr. was signed to be a proven rotation piece. He isn’t old. Are the Raptors giving up on him? And if so, why? Is he still “coming back” from injury? Why isn’t he a solid part of our second unit? There is a story there. I’m assuming he wants to play! Even if you just wanted to trade him, keeping him on the bench so much only serves to devalue him as an asset. We’ve eliminated two projects in Malachi Flynn and Achiuwa. As you pointed out, Gradey Dick will be spending more time in development. Hoping you can clarify what’s going on with him. How is he feeling? What’s his state of mind? Is he happy?
Much was made — after the trade — about what a good potential match it is between Quickley and Barnes. I don’t recall this talk when we signed Schröder. Schröder signed with us to be our starting point guard. He was moved to an important part of the second team prior to the trade. What are his thoughts on this? Is he on board? Without a doubt, he’s part of the reason our assists are up. He certainly plays the game with passion that I like to see. It strikes me that he should match very well with Trent Jr., especially if they are playing with others who can create some room for them. Just a hunch.
Last question: The defence. Just my guess is that we will do better against the bottom 60 per cent teams than we were, and perhaps a bit worse against the very best. Shutting down an Antetokounmpo or an Embiid was an Anunoby specialty. How are we going to handle these kind of players now? I’m assuming we need a different approach.
Thanks as always,
-Jeff V.
There is no “story there” with Porter. The Raptors knew they were taking a risk when they signed him because he’d been hurt off and on for about three years and, lo and behold, he’s hurt again. This sounds harsh but it’s true: He is not part of the long-term future and his value is his contract if it can be aggregated in a bigger deal. And he knows it as well as we do.
Dennis was, as I mentioned Thursday, a bit put out at losing his starting job originally but now that Quickley’s here, he’s fine with his backup role, one he’s played a lot in his career. The story and the followup I did on Schröder last week kind of laid that out.
Who handles Embiid and Antetokounmpo well? It’s nice to think OG did — and he did it better than most — but it’s not like the Raptors wiped them out.
What they need to do now is double-team some, throw different looks and players at them and hope they have bad nights. As about 28 other teams do.
Hi Doug:
I hope you and your family are doing well.
That was a big trade for the Raptors and Knicks. I feel a bit more comfortable with how the Raptors are playing now. Their shooting percentages have already improved and they seem to be playing with more joy. Quickley is an infusion of fresh air.
I know it is early but two wins in a row and they are back in the talk for the play-in. How do think they match up with the teams currently in fifth to eighth place? They beat Cleveland … There are a lot of games to play but I feel much better about the team now than I did a week ago. How do you feel about the Raptors now?
Thanks,
-Jim
A: As I type this, it’s been two games and while they looked good in large portions of each, it is just two games.
That said, the muddle in the middle of the East is not going to be resolved and, regardless, I think the Raptors were always going to stick around and be in the fray.
That opinion hasn’t changed but there are moves that could be made in Toronto and a handful of other cities that will have an impact on how things end up.
Hi Doug. Love your column and the mailbag.
Small suggestion, could you add your mailbag email link somewhere on the mailbag post page? I don’t submit questions often but when I do I need to search (everywhere it seems) to find it. Thanks.
My question. The Raptors entered last season thinking that having a team of six-foot-nine athletic types with big wingspans who could play any position was the way of the future. It obviously did not work out as they expected, hence the Poeltl acquisition. Masai and Nick need to be held responsible. I’m not criticizing, I like that they took a chance at revolutionizing the game by doing something different and, at least in theory, it could have worked out spectacularly. Downside is that it probably cost them two-plus years of growth. And here we are 14-20.
My question is, do you think they truly thought they had discovered something unique that perhaps many teams would copy if they were successful? Or, was it a case of looking at their roster and determining that this is their best, maybe only, chance at success.
Thanks,
-Gerry Bleau
There sure was a bit of spin — “This is the roster we’ve got, how do we make it look better than it actually is” — there was a belief that the game was headed in that direction and maybe they could get ahead of the curve.
As it turned out, they never got the right mix of personnel to make it work.
Hey Doug,
How come The Star doesn’t offer the NBA standings in the online sports section? I enjoy reading your Raptors coverage but I am constantly switching to The Athletic and other sites to get the standings?
Thanks,
-Sid Tabak
I’ll check but I can bet that it’s that we can't be everything to everybody even though we'd like to be, and manpower, technological, time and cost issues always arise.
Hi Doug,
I just read your article about the Raptors-Knicks trade. I have two questions.
My first question: Does this mean the lawsuit is over and done with? I can’t imagine two teams doing a big trade with each while a lawsuit is pending.
My second question: Did the Raptors just fleece the Knicks again with this trade? If Anunoby doesn’t sign with the Knicks in the off-season (why would he?) then the Knicks will have nothing to show for it and the Raptors will have Barrett for another three years.
What are your thoughts?
-Richard F.
The lawsuit is, and always has been, a nuisance suit spurred on by James Dolan and it’s still wending its way through the slow court process, as I type this.
I kind of spoke to the Anunoby future in this week’s Insider, I’d be absolutely stunned if there hasn’t been a-wink-and-a-nod deal set through back channels that gives everyone in New York plausible deniability when he eventually re-signs.
Doug, Happy 2024.
Something that struck me about the trade is that the Raptors get cost certainty out of it, although RJ better play really well for what he is getting. The Knicks on the other are getting uncertainty (ignoring the two minor pieces they get, who may or may not make their rotation). Not that I am accusing the Knicks of anything untoward, what are chances that some wink-wink, nudge-nudge chats occurred with OJ's people before the trade was consummated?
-Bruce from Oshawa
1,000 per cent.
Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free).
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation