Last Call: 2018 Toronto Raptors
Yet another disappointing season concluded in Toronto. For the third year in a row, Lebron James ended the Raptors’ season in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Yes I said Lebron James, not the Cavaliers - because let’s face it: he is the Cavs, especially this season with no Kyrie Irving.
But I digress, because this column isn’t about Lebron. It’s about the Raptors and their consistent failure to beat Lebron year after year. Even after having two very promising seasons where it looked like maybe this could be the year...but no. Just more disappointment. So let’s break down the Raptors’ roster first to see why they fooled so many of us into thinking they could dethrone the King.
The Team As Is
Everyone knows the 2 stars they have in the back court, Kyle Lowry and Demar DeRozen. Arguably the best back court in the league (GS Steph and Klay, WAS Wall and Beal, ext.) have developed in the past four years into almost complete players. Then of course there are the two big men, Jonas Valanciunas and Serge Ibaka.
It all started with Lowry four years ago. The point guard from Villanova came over in a trade from Houston after an injury-ridden season led to the emergence of Goran Dragic to be the real deal for the Rockets. The first two years he single handedly led the Raptors to two playoff appearances and made two All Star teams. The leader of the team continued to get better and better each year, with his supporting cast continuing to improve as well. One thing all great Point Guards need is scorers for him to pass to.
This brings us to Demar DeRozen. The do-it-all Shooting Guard from USC has emerged these past few seasons as a super star in the East. What used to be a one-dimensional offensive game of driving to the rim changed two seasons ago when he improved his jump shot.. This made him more of a threat around the 3-point line and spreading the floor for the offense. His 3-point Field Goal percentage went from a .284 to a .338 from the 2015 season to the 2016 season - making him a well-rounded offensive shooting guard to compliment Lowry.
Then of course there are the big men Valanciunas and Ibaka. Valenciunas, a 7 ft. tall Lithuanian Center, came to the Raptors in 2012 via draft. He has constantly improved every year since becoming a top rim protector in the East who can score when need be. Ibaka, on the other hand, is a household name from the OKC title-contending teams in the early decade. Though older now, he is still big, mean, and strong as ever - making it tough for any offensive player to get to the rim. Though not what it used to be, the guy still gets blocks. And trust me - he makes sure you remember that the next time you drive to the rim.
Where To Go From Here
I think it’s no secret now that this isn’t working. There are many issues with this team that makes it hard to see them ever winning a title. They always seem to look so good in the regular season, but maybe that’s a mirage because they play in the extremely less competitive Eastern Conference. Every year they’re one of the better teams in the East, but yet every year Lebron rolls over them almost effortlessly.
One issue that I’ve seen over the past two seasons is that they’re too easy to defend. 90% of their offense comes from Lowry and DeRozen. So if you can shut at least one of them down, where does the rest of your offense come from? Ibaka and Valanciunas just aren’t offensive players, and they never will be. After that, there isn’t much scoring on the bench. Fred Van Veet is decent, Jakob Poeltl is soft, and C.J. Miles is either on or off. Lowry and DeRozen have to get their 50-60 points in order for the Raptors to have a fighting chance - and that is too much weight on their shoulders.
Basically what I’m getting at is they need to add one more offensive guy, or blow it all up. It won’t be easy though. Lowry and DeRozen both have big contracts (rightfully so) - Ibaka has a HUGE contract that, to be honest, probably isn’t worth what they’re getting out of him - and Valanciunas has a decent one.
Crazy, Probably-Not-Gonna- Happen Trades
The Raptors need to dump some salary to add a big player, so here are some scenarios I’ve come up with via trade. Now these aren’t perfect, but there’s some potential here.
Toronto trades: Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka
Charlotte trades: Kemba Walker
Try to sign: Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Boogie Cousins or Deandre Jordan
This trade dumps a lot of salary for the Raptors. Yes, they lose the centerpiece to their team in Lowry - but their gain is a PG who’s just a tier or two lower than Lowry, who is younger and MUCH cheaper. Also, this is assuming that they can sign one of the four big free agents - which realistically, they can’t. For Charlotte, it’s hard to tell if this is a good or bad trade for them. With Lowry and Ibaka, this could make them a playoff team in the very week Eastern Conference and they still have their 1st round pick for this year’s draft to add a guy. I would say advantage to the Raptors though.
Toronto trades: Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka
San Antonio trades: Kawhi Leonard, Dejounte Murray, and Patty Mills
Honestly, I think this is more realistic. San Antonio has cap space to spend. Yes, they want to keep that open for some big free agents like Paul George potentially, BUT if Kawhi really does leave, that opens up even more space. Also - dumping the Patty Mills contract helps a lot. Toronto for sure would be glad to pick up the Mills contract of about $10 million to dump the Ibaka contract.
I know what you are thinking, “Kawhi alone should be enough!” Personally I don’t think so because Lowry is locked up long term and that gives SA a star for a few years to run their team. Kawhi only has one year left and can leave so that puts the Raptors in a tough situation. This stabilizes it for both teams.
Moving on, this adds defensive help in the back court that Toronto definitely needs. They have issues guarding the perimeter. Lowry and DeRozen, though great offense players, are just a notch below average on defense. This was shown in this past series with the Cavs. Kyle Korver, J.R. Smith, and Jeff Green shot all over them from the 3-point line in that series - making some games impossible for the Raptors’ offense to make any sort of comeback. Plus, Gay and Mills add much-needed depth to this roster. And Murray - a solid-starting PG to replace Kyle Lowry.
For San Antonio, it adds a top PG they’ve been missing the past few years with the physical breakdown of future Hall-of-Famer Tony Parker. Ibaka really doesn’t add much to their already-pretty-good defensive front court - but if you want an elite PG, you gotta take some salary with it.
Toronto trades: Demar DeRozen and Jonas Valanciunas
Los Angeles trades: Brandon Ingram and Luol Deng
Try to Sign: Demarcus Cousins
This I think is the most even trade I’ve suggested. Lakers get a star Guard to go with whatever star players they sign in the off season (likely Paul George). Also they dump a big contract to make cap space for those signings by losing Deng and land a solid Center in Valanciunas.
For the Raptors you dump some salary, land a very good young Forward to compliment Lowry, and then you throw all the money you have at your disposal to Boogie Cousins. This gives you three stars at three different positions (Lowry PG, Ingram SF, Cousins C) with three very different style games.
I think the Lakers would go for this because they have been very open that they want star power and they want it now. Magic Johnson doesn’t want to wait three to four years to win he wants to win now. Hit him while he is desperate!
Other then that, I think Toronto has to just stick with what they have. Blowing it up won’t solve anything. Not sure what the other markets would be for some of the players they have. If they don’t trade, all they can do is keep playing and hope the next Head Coach can put together a great scheme and build some very-much-needed depth to that bench. And not having a Head Coach right now I think is a positive because they can hire one who can build a scheme around what they have.
I still have faith that the Raptors can make something happen. Yes, they’ve had some disappointing seasons - but they have a lot of talent on that team. My friend Tyler has thought that I’ve been nuts for thinking they have a shot, but guess what Tyler - I’M NOT GIVING UP YET!
The fact of the matter is this: they still play in the East, so really there is always a shot. Who knows where Lebron will be next year - Philly is still VERY young, and we don’t know what a fully healthy Celtics team can do (which is honestly very scary). And hey, if it doesn’t work out Toronto - at least you guys still have Drake!