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Raptors talk division title, continuity, and offseason acquisitions at annual media day
The Toronto Raptors opened training camp Monday and coming off a franchise-best 48 win season and an Atlantic division title, talk from the players, head coach Dwane Casey, and GM Masai Ujiri was understandbly positive at the annual media day gathering. Here are some of the highlights.
Masai Ujiri: "We feel continuity is big for us. Consistency is really big for winning teams. That formula has proven to work. We hope that it works for us. These guys, they like each other. We have a chemistry."
Toronto had nine players play over 900 minutes last season, of those guys only John Salmons is not back with the team. The team re-signed Kyle Lowry, Grevis Vasquez, and Patrick Patterson to multi-year deals and picked up Tyler Hansbrough's one-year option. The Raptors hope that continuity will help them get off to a fast start and force their Eastern Conference rivals to play catch up.
Kyle Lowry: "The worst thing is getting yourself out of shape and trying to get back in shape. Me, I like to work, I like to actually put work in, it's fun. I mean, this is my job. I like to get in the gym, I like to lift weights, I like to play basketball, I like to do everything, I like to just get better. Those people who thought I would [return out of shape], they're idiots. People that expected me to come back in shape, they're smart."
Lowry signed a 4-year/$48M contract to stay in Toronto and has arrived to camp in "unbelievable shape" according to Ujiri. There have been instances in the NBA where players get paid and their production suddenly dips. Lowry doesn't appear to be headed down that road.
DeMar DeRozan: "Last year we struggled a lot with bench scoring. A guy like Lou [Williams] definitely helps that. And James [Johnson], the versatility that he has, being able to [guard] the LeBrons, the Joe Johnsons, the Paul Pierces, even some 4's. That’s going to help us a lot and change the dynamic of the game to where we kind of struggled."
Last year, Williams was limited to 38 games as he recovered from ACL surgery and only averaged 9.4 PPG but between 2009-10 and 2012-13, he averaged 14.2 PPG primarily coming off the bench for Philadelphia and Atlanta.
Johnson comes in as a replacement for Salmons. The 27-year-old forward is younger and a more dynamic defender than Salmons, which will help the Raptors in matchups against tough swingmen.
By keeping their core intact and adding Williams and Johnson, it's safe to say the team's depth is improved from last season.
Dwane Casey: "Our goal is to win the division, whatever that takes. I don't know if we're in the conversation where we can say, 'Hey, we're a 50-win team or a 55-win team," to be able to come out and say that. My job is to make sure we get back and get up running again and get that chip back on our shoulder from last year."
With the Sixers and Celtics in no position to contend for the Atlantic division title, Toronto's biggest challengers for the crown both come from the New York area. Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks should be slightly better than last year, whatever that's worth. The Nets bring back much of their roster from last season with the exception of Paul Pierce, who left for Washington.
With Lowry and DeRozan hitting their prime, another year of experience for their young players like Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas, and the addition of depth players in the offseason, Toronto has to be the clear favourite to win the division.
The Raptors will have their first practice Tuesday before flying to Vancouver where they will continue training camp and open preseason play against Sacramento on Sunday. Their first regular season game is October 29 at home against Atlanta.
