The case of the Raptors has to be the most unfortunate turn of events this season. From a team that held the best record in its conference, and arguably had the best roster in its history, Toronto sank to the absolute bottom in a span of just four postseason games.
After being swept by LeBron James and crew, an already bad playoff history received yet another awful stain. To many, this colossal failure seemed like the ultimate dead-end for the Raptors.
But, in the NBA, there can be no standstills. Decisions had to be made for the sake of the entire organization. General manager Masai Ujiri had three options – one which was rather easy and two very tough ones. The easiest thing he could have done was to say, “OK, we messed up. Now back to the drawing board for a rerun next season!”
However, Ujiri knew there was more than bad luck involved in Toronto’s miserable end. So instead of laying low, the GM went for a tough move. He was left with two options – either break up the team and initiate a ‘rebuild’ or sack the coach in hopes of finding the man with the winning formula.
Understandably, Ujiri fired coach Dwane Casey even though the latter had his best season of his career and a potential Coach of the Year award coming his way. The firing took the NBA community by surprise, as fans thought it was undeserved. Some even suggested that it was a ‘bailout’ for the underperforming trio of DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka.
Then again, a rebuild could have cost the Raptors way too much. Remember, it took the organization more than 15 years to get to that competitive level. The last time Toronto had a decent postseason presence was back when Vince Carter was on the team and that lasted for just two years.
If Ujiri had pulled the trigger on a Summer Sale, and somehow someway traded away the team’s best players, what do you have left?
A severely weakened roster. Amessed up chemistry. A handful of new players from all the trades whose future on the team is uncertain. A potential Coach of the Year in Dwane Casey who has to work on team development rather than actual competition. And, last but not least, one of the less desirable cities in NBA free agency as home of a ‘tanking’ organization.
Considering this potential turn of events, Masai Ujiri’s decision appears to be a less radical and less expensive move for the near future. However, the Raptors case is far from being closed. When the smoke settles, Toronto will pretty much have its roster intact, as most players will remain under contract. But the situation has it’s bad side – the Raptors are pretty much stuck with what they have.
For the next season, it’s estimated that if no trades, dumps or swaps occur, the team will be 4.7 million dollars into the luxury tax. On top of that, there are no draft picks for this year. Al of which can lead us to the conclusion that Ujiri is setting up the team for a rerun in hopes that the new coach will be the X-factor come postseason.
Reports are indicating that it could be Jerry Stackhouse or someone else from within the organization. Regardless, upon his hiring, the new head coach will have two tasks at hand — reach the postseason and once there make sure the Raptors continue to win.
The first objective would be rather easy. All things aside, Toronto has just finished its best regular season in franchise history with 59 wins. Provided Ujiri stays out of unexpected changes the team can easily qualify in the East's top-eight.
Looking back at Toronto’s last postseason games, several glaring problems need addressing by the new coach. Essentially, the way they are handled will serve as proof whether Ujiri’s decision to not blow up the team was right or wrong.
One thing that cost Toronto the series versus Cleveland was the way the players reacted to LeBron James’ monster performance on the offensive end. No one is blaming the Raptors from not being able to shut down the King completely. However, Game 2 was a prime example of no communication and hero ball on behalf of the Raptors guards.
As a response to the Cavs outstanding assisting and shooting, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Fred VanVleet kept pounding the ball instead of finding the open man. They tried to carry the offense on their own, which led to bad contested shots that buried the game.
While many blamed them for not showing up, Dwane Casey was treated as if he had no part in what happened. Sure thing, he can't have full control over the players, but he should be the man with the master plan. Unfortunately, it appeared that either he didn’t have a good strategy or he couldn’t implement it. Either way, the closest he got to preventing hero ball plays was benching DeMar DeRozan in Game 3.
Jonas Valanciunas’ involvement
Previously mentioned in an article on ClutchPoints, the fact that Dwane Casey gives Valanciunas less minutes in favor of bench players was viewed as a potential problem in the playoffs. And guess what – it was a problem indeed!
Knowing perfectly well that Cleveland doesn’t have the best blockers or post players (LeBron excluded), Valanciunas played for an average of 24 minutes with just 16 in the blowout game four. Throughout the series Casey was constantly subbing Jonas to the point he couldn’t ‘gain traction’ on the court, which led to him being very mediocre on offense. His rebounding and post skills were easily neutralized, as Kevin Love was used as a decoy near the three-point line so that JV can leave his zone and create space for rim attacks.
When the new coach takes over in Toronto, one thing that would need immediate change is Valanciunas’ role on the team. At this point giving the big man more minutes will only show if he is capable of compensating any poor plays by the guards.
Dealing with underperforming players
Dwane Casey is not without fault, but at the end of the day it’s the players who cost Toronto a miserable quarterfinals sweep. DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka had awful games, with the latter having his worst playoff numbers ever. You can’t beat the King’s consistent greatness with sporadic hero ball offense.
It will be a massive challenge for Toronto’s new coach to somehow align the team’s best players so that they can compensate each other’s flaws instead of dragging each other down. For example, in Game 3 versus Cleveland, Kyle Lowry shot for 60% from the field, 50% from three and 83% from the line. Meanwhile DeRozan was stone cold, making just three out of 12 from the field which was why he got benched.
It was clear from the get-go he had an off night, but subbing the only All-Star on the team did not work out. Instead of sitting on the bench, DeRozan could have contributed in other ways – one of which could have been his exceptional ability to draw fouls.
This past season, he was sixth in the NBA with 559 attempted free throws and with his 82.5% from the line could have created more problems for Cleveland if he attacked the rim. Either that, or he could have at least spaced the floor for Lowry and Anunoby by taking a defender off them.
With all that in mind, the general issue in Toronto is still the mentality. The sweep by Cleveland served as proof something was wrong in the players’ heads.
All the stars were aligned for Toronto. The Raptors had the best record in the East; a coach who was in talks of winning COTY; and the best bench production out there. Moreover, in the second round of the playoffs, they faced a team lead by LeBron James with no evident second star.
They had their best shot to get past the King and they blew it.
For the new coach, the main focus should be on restoring the team’s overall confidence. This could happen if the aforementioned issues are finally addressed come playoff time. While Masai Ujiri is facing a nearly impossible task of upgrading the roster with no draft assets to move, the 2018-2019 season will virtually be the make it or break it for the signed players.
Unless they get over the hump of LeBron James — or at least reach Conference Finals — the roster will be for sure be broken up. It’s early to lay claims, but the real Judgement day for the Raptors is just a season away.
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