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OT: The Official Toronto Raptors Thread

Yeah, this is why you put up with the chucking the rest of the time. He turns around and does this shit in the biggest game of the year when you least expect it.
 
Lol Milwaukee blows a 7 point lead in like 30 seconds in OT.

TO by Trent to give them the ball back for the winner
 
You know, watching this Lakers-Wolves series, you can kinda see the concepts of a plan in Nico Harrison thinking.

Good teams hunt Luka on the defensive end, and Luka needs the ball in his hands to get the best out of him.

You need to build your team around Luka's pros (basketball iq, and scoring... so shooting) and cons (plus defenders and rim protection). That is a multi-year project for new ownership, and I guess their team is in their window and they wanted to hand the keys offensively to Irving.

He just Babcock'd it.
 
Pwner said:
You know, watching this Lakers-Wolves series, you can kinda see the concepts of a plan in Nico Harrison thinking.

Good teams hunt Luka on the defensive end, and Luka needs the ball in his hands to get the best out of him.

You need to build your team around Luka's pros (basketball iq, and scoring... so shooting) and cons (plus defenders and rim protection). That is a multi-year project for new ownership, and I guess their team is in their window and they wanted to hand the keys offensively to Irving.

He just Babcock'd it.
Click to expand...
Other than Mavs fans (understandably), I don't think anyone is appalled by the fact that they wanted Luka traded. The issue is that he did it with one team in a secret meeting at a coffee shop as opposed to shouting it through the rooftop and getting an all time best package.
 
I theoretically understand why you would theoretically trade theoretical Luka. But fuck me if that's not telling on yourself as a basketball executive. Luka isn't a bad defender, he's averagish on the ball and an above average team defender because mediocre or worse athlete but elite IQ. Same problem Jokic has.

But if you can't build a 5 man unit around a top 5 offensive player in basketball, resign. Nico had like 3.5 years to put some 3&D wings around Luka to cover up his only weakness and just didn't bother to try. His big move was to bring in a guy who is basically Luka, but shorter, not as good and worse defensively?

This is what Nico did to the rotation from when he took the job until now
20-21 --------------> 21-22 -> 22-23 -----> 23-24 --------> 24-25
C - Kristaps ------>Powell -> Powell------>Lively--------->Lively
PF - Finney Smith -> DFS ---> Bullock----->Washington-->Davis
SF - Richardson -> Hardaway->Hardaway->Jones Jr------>Klay
SG - Hardaway -> Brunson -> Kyrie------->Kyrie---------->Kyrie
PG - Luka -------> Luka -----> Luka------->Luka---------->Dinwiddie
6 - Brunson -----> Dinwiddie->Green---->Gafford------->Christie
7 - Powell -------> Bullock --->Wood----->Green-------->Marshall
8 - Kleber -------> Kleber ---->Kleber----->Kleber-------->Gafford


Even ignoring things like the Kristaps for almost nothing trade, and letting Brunson walk in free agency over one of the biggest discount deals in modern NBA history, if we just look at what he very clearly valued when it came time to acquire players, it was all size. He inherited a good wing defender in DFS and traded him away, and then the next time they brought in anyone who could defend the wing well, they kept him for a year and then let him walk over a deal for part of the MLE (Clippers signed DJJ for 3 yrs/30). The entire time Luka was there, didn't bother with a point of attack defender, didn't bother with a real wing defender, nada. Minimal shooting to space for Luka. Just a garbage job of building around a near generational level talent.
 
The way the Lakers finished the season, I didn't expect them to be an easy out in the 1st round. Gobert going for 27 and 24 underlined one of the major roster problems after the Luka trade. The Lakers badly need a centre. They also need to find a way to turn some of their misfit rotation toys into better players. Hachimura, Vanderbilt, & Vincent specifically. That's 41 million next year on 3 guys who don't move the needle. Hachimura can shoot but can't defend. Vanderbilt can defend but can't shoot. Vincent is a small PG on a team with Luka and Lebron, while not being a POA defender. DFS is the only role player who actually fills an entire role, so keep him. Knecht should probably get a good look next year to see if the D has improved enough to be a floor spacer for this group, he has most of the tools. But if someone wants to give up something good for him you need now, peace out.

If I'm Pelinka, I look at Lopez in free agency and circle around to my boy Nico to see what he wants for Gafford. Would happily do a Gafford for Hachimura flip if he was down. Consider GTJ off of the UFA scrap heap as an upside play (he at least works on the defensive end, can shoot and will be cheap) if I can get rid of Vincent and look at a POA defender either by trade for Vanderbilt, or even Knecht....or in free agency, with NAW or Melton.

They might be really good next year.
 
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