NBA All Star Weekend: DeMar DeRozan Robbed Once Again of Dunk Contest Title

DeMar DeRozan tweeted "No more dunk contests for me unless it's in Toronto!" after last nights affairs and rightfully so. If I were DeMar and they asked me to dunk next year, I would hastily tell them off.

The dunk contest has become a popularity contest, and it served no justice for the raw talent of dunks that DeRozan performed at the Staples Center.

Blake Griffin and Javale McGee edged Serge Ibaka and DeMar DeRozan in the first round, and Griffin ended up beating McGee in the finals as you could have guessed.

Now, there are a few things I would like to address. For starters, there was no way Griffin deserved to be in that final. Now hey, I'm not jumping to any conclusions that the judges were bias or anything, but the fact that Griffin edged DeRozan by a mere one point puzzles me.

Now I won't lie, Griffin's first dunk was impressive and got the score that it deserved.

Raptors Report Week 12: Lack of Talent, Injuries, Biased Refs Catching Up To Raptors

The Raptors had another brutal week, losing all four of their games this past road trip. 

Well, there was one positive from the past week:
DeMar DeRozan will replace Brandon Jennings
in the All-Star Weekend Dunk Contest

While the Raps faced some tough teams, they were able to hang in there most games, but the lack of talent and inexperience on the roster led to them blowing their chances and failing to close out games.

In their defense, they faced four playoff teams on the road. Also, the refs have been extremely tough on the inexperienced team and have been giving the benefit of the doubt to the better teams.

It's been a tough year for Raptors fans, but there have been positive signs shown by DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis, and Andrea Bargnani.

Record: 0-4

Performance on a scale of 1-10: Five

Here is a recap of the four games:

Raptors @ Hornets, L 81-85

Positives

The Raptors really did play well enough to win. The refs didn't seem to think so. I know you should never make excuses, but down the stretch the officiating was just pathetic. DeRozan continued his tear, scoring 23, and the Raptors played very solid defense.

Negatives

Offensively, this team was awful. Andrea Bargnani was just bad, and the whole team seemed out of sync. Also, the Raptors only really have five healthy players, and many players were playing hurt.

Raptors @ Spurs, L 95-104

Positives

The Raps led most of this game and played pretty well overall. It just wasn't good enough to beat the best team in the West on the road. Once again, DeRozan was amazing with 28, and offensively, the team was much better.

Negatives

Defensively the team wasn't too good; on the boards they weren't great either, and Bargnani was bad once again.

Raptors @ Magic, L 72-112

Positives

Y'know, I tried to find a positive from this game, but I really couldn't. When you lose by 40 points, there's  just not much to say. Everyone on the team was awful. Julian Wright led the Raps with 10 rebounds, there.

Negatives

Hoo boy. Where do I start? Dwight Howard out-rebounded the whole Raps starting lineup, and offensively, the team was just terrible. Nobody shot the ball well, nobody moved it around, and after the first half, Dwight Howard just took over.

Defensively, the team was also awful. I could go on, but it hurts.

Raptors @ Heat, L 103-120

Positives

Once again the team was down by nearly 30 points, but the Raps fought back and cut it to seven late in the game. DeRozan was great and Bargnani finally regained his scoring touch. The Raps had a good overall effort; they just couldn't contain LeBron.

Negatives

The Heat didn't have Bosh or Wade, but they still killed the Raps. The Raps weren't healthy and also were very tired, but this was a winnable game.When you give up 32 points to the struggling Mike Miller, something is wrong on defense.

Overall, this was another tough week. The Raps play seven teams below .500 in their next eight games so these games should be more competitive.

Ask Sachin

"Why did the Raptors release Peja Stojakovic?" - George Stone

Peja was clearly not a part of the future plans, and the Raps just acquired him for cap relief this offseason. By buying him out, the Raps save some luxury tax money, and have to pay less of his contract (however much the Mavs pay him) but still get his full expiring contract. To read more about the deal, click here.

If you want to have your question answered in the next Raptors Report, leave a comment below. Thanks.

Raptors Lose Again, Has DeMar DeRozan Become A 'Star' Player?

This morning I was reading the Globe and Mail sports section as I often do, when I came across this line "Sophomore shooting guard DeMar DeRozan struggled, finishing with just 15 points on 6 for 11 shooting."

DeMar DeRozan could very well be a
great player in the future, just be patient

Has it really come to this? Is it really a disappointment when DeMar DeRozan fails to top 20 points? DDR's FG% of 55 last night ecliped his season mark by a rather wide margin, he only made 2 turnovers, and contributed 5 rebounds. Sure, he's been red-hot this month, but I remember a time not too long ago when games like these were considering encouraging. 

DeRozan is certainly a polarizing case in Toronto Raptors basketball right now; most fans consider him to be the face of the franchise. But is this heavy distinction only a product of the laughable state of the Raptors? The best of the worst, if you will? Dedicated readers of BTTN would know that I recently wrote an article about why the Toronto Raptors should tank and finally put to bed the sentiment that the current team has a chance at the playoffs and beyond.

When considering PER (Player Efficiency Rating, all stats by ESPN), DeRozan is the 189th best player in the league and according to EWA (Estimated Wins Added), is 1.6 wins better than replacement level. While these stats don't put more emphasis on DeRozan's recent successes, it's hard to believe that he'd fair much better as DeMar is far from a complete player. He's an explosive driver, that's it.

Comparisons to Vince Carter are largely unfounded, Carter is a career .375 player from downtown and is a solid passer. DeMar DeRozan is 2-22 from three in 2010-11 and only contributes 1.7 APG. Granted, assists are a very flawed qualitative statistic, but it's hard to make an argument promoting DeRozan as a competent distributer. He's not.

The bottom line is, DeMar DeRozan has tons of work to do before you should consider him a 'star' (or even 'good' for that matter) player. He needs to vastly improve his shot, and create opportunities for his teammates much more often. 

Meanwhile, us media personnel need to calm down and let this take its course. The Toronto Raptors acknowledged when they drafted DeMar DeRozan that he would be a long-term project similar to Andrea Bargnani. It's not all about the garbage-time points he provides now, it's about him becoming a complete player in the future, which will take time.

Raptors Report Week 10: Raps Linked To Many Trade Rumours

This article is by BTTN basketball correspondent Sachin Arora. It is also available at Sportshaze.com, where Sachin is on staff as a journalist.

Would Carmelo Antony re-sign with
Toronto if traded their?

The Toronto Raptors have finally recorded a week where they have won more than a game.

The inconsistent play is still the main problem with the team, but there has been many positive signs. This team is still somehow in the playoff race, despite having a 13-24 record. Sitting two games back of Philadelphia 76ers, look for the Raptors to improve as the season goes on and challenge Philly for that final playoff spot.

On another note, Bryan Colangelo has been active in many trades, and Colangelo has seemed to poke his head into every trade rumor. There have been reports that the Toronto Raptors are trying to acquire Johny Flynn, Omri Cassapi, and have even made an offer for Carmelo Anthony.

How truthful this information is, that's beyond me, but you can bet that Colangelo is working to swing a deal and use that acquired TPE before it expires at the trade deadline. Peja Stojakovic and Reggie Evans are expiring contracts, and could be valuable trading pieces to teams looking to sign major free agents.

Back to this week though, Toronto had mixed results, which is no surprise.

It seems like it is an infinite loop that I'm writing every week, that the team has shown its potential, but only in short bursts, and can never play well throughout the whole game.

Record: 2-2

Performance on a scale of 1-10: 6.5

Here is a recap of the four games:

Raptors @ Bulls, L 91-111

Positives

Andrea Bargnani showed the difference he can make in the offense, pacing the Raptors with 23 points. DeMarDeRozan continued his solid play and chipped in with 18. The Raptors offense didn't look bad as a whole without their catalyst Jose Calderon, so that wasn't the problem.

Negatives

For starters, the defense was atrocious, and the offense wasn't good enough to make up for it. The Raps were eaten alive on the boards, as was the case in the first matchup against the Bulls as well. The game was never really close, and the Raptors were simply outmatched by an elite team.

Raptors @ Cleveland, W 120-105

Positives

This was a really gritty win by the team, playing on a back to back while shorthanded, the team overcame an early deficit to blow out the Cavs. Andrea Bargnani was great once again and Julian Wright showed the energy he can bring to the team when given a chance. Jose Calderon had his best game of the season finishing with 20 points and 17 assists.

Negatives

The Cavs are the worst team in the league for a reason, and the Raptors shouldn't have been down in the first place.

Raptors @ Celtics, L 102-122

Positives

DeMar DeRozan continued his strong play, and the Raptors were pretty good offensively, putting up 102 points versus one of the NBA's best defenses.

Negatives

This was another learning game for the young Raptors squad, and they learned what happens if you fall behind early against one of the NBA's elite teams. Boston really killed the Raptors offensively as Toronto couldn't seem to make a stop. The Raps also got killed on the rebounds, and this was another result of just being outmatched by the defending Eastern Conference champs.

Raptors vs Kings, W 118-112

Positives

DeMar DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani both exploded for 28 and 30 points respectively. The Raptors shot the ball very well and played a well-rounded offensive game.

Negatives

The fact that this Kings team gave the Raptors a run for their money without their best player Tyreke Evans is a bit discouraging. The Raps defense was once again very mediocre, and this kind of play isn't going to get it done against teams other than the league's worst.

Overall, this was a week where the Raptors won the games they were supposed to, and lost the games they were supposed to.

Ask Sachin

"The trade deadline is approaching quickly. Toronto has many expiring contracts. Reggie Evans, Calderon, Stojakovic etc. and a lot of good young talent. Are we going to trade any of our players (in your opinion) to try to get a hold of some higher caliber talent? If so, who are you eyeing? Who should we be eyeing? Should we even be trading anyone? And most importantly, should we or should we not trade Jose Calderon?" - Kevin (Toronto, ON)

I've mentioned above that the Raptors are active in many trade rumors, and I do believe that a move will be made. A consistent swingman is something that the Raptors could use to play alongside DeRozan. In regards to trading Calderon, I think it's best we keep him. The Raptors aren't exactly short of cap space, especially with all the expiring contracts, and Jose is a great mentor for maturing point guard Jerryd Bayless.

If you want to have your question answered in the next Raptors Report, please leave a comment below. Thanks.

Toronto Raptors Lose To Boston... Should The Raptors Tank?

The Cleveland Cavaliers tanked in 2002-03
for the rights to to draft LeBron James.

What is to make of the Raptors 2010-11 season? Despite a horrendous 12-24 record, the team sits just three games out of a playoff spot, yet only four games ahead of NBA-worst Cleveland. Last night, they lost by 20 points to a Celtics team without Kevin Garnett.

There were positives - DeMar DeRozan put up 20, Jose Calderon was efficient, Kleiza and Barbosa had good games.

But in my opinion, nothing on the current roster is worth getting excited over. Much to the disagreement of some local fans, the Raptors have perhaps the worst future outlook of any NBA team, being devoid of anyone harbouring potential to be a 'franchise player' that championships teams are built around.

Sure, you can argue your case about DeMar DeRozan and his explosiveness, but he's far from the full package, with a 2-22 campaign from three-point land this season. Or Andrei Bargnani, who can neither defend nor rebound adequately as a center. Or Amir Johnson, whose new contract was heavily questioned this offseason and despite casual fans believing he has taken the PF job with a stranglehold, is only averaging 9/6.

Ed Davis may have eventual 20-10 potential, but his future is too cloudy to properly dissect at the moment.

Just look at all the teams behind Toronto in the NBA Standings and you'll see what I mean: young superstars in the making all-around. Washington has John Wall, JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche. New Jersey has Brook Lopez and Devin Harris. Sacramento has DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans. Minnesota has Kevin Love, Michael Beasley and Ricky Rubio (although overseas). The Los Angeles Clipper have Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon.

Cleveland is probably the closest to Toronto talent-wise but they're setting up nicely to nab a Top 2 or 3 overall pick in the draft.

So... should the Raptors try to tank and try to get the number one pick, improving their future significantly while throwing out this lost season for good?

Let's face it, even if the Raptors do make a turnaround and get the eighth-seed, they're not making it out of the first round of the playoffs.

And tanking does happen, it's not just some cheap scheme devised by fans that never happens in the real world. The 2002-2003 Cleveland Cavaliers tanked for the rights to select LeBron James and turn their franchise around.

In basketball, championship teams aren't built around full teams of players sharing the basketball around, without consensus go-to players. They're built around superduperstars putting up 35 nightly in the Finals.

Sure, the 2006-07 Golden State Warriors can dispatch the #1-seed Mavericks in the first round and the 2009-10 Milwaukee Bucks can, without Michael Redd, defy the odds by grabbing the sixth seed in the playoffs, but while these teams make noise, they aren't winning championships or even making the Conference Finals.

There's nothing to lose. The Toronto Raptors aren't going to be able to sign Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard or any other franchise players entering free agency soon.

They'll have to build through the draft.