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OT: The Official Toronto Raptors Thread

Claude agrees with Mindz...not sure that's good or bad for Dero

Yeah, pretty easy yes on this one.

DeRozan is arguably the most important Raptor ever, depending on how you weigh things against Vince Carter. Here's why it's a no-brainer:

The case is strong:
  • Spent 9 years in Toronto, the longest tenure of any Raptor star
  • Drafted by the team, developed into a superstar there — that origin story matters
  • Carried a franchise that was largely irrelevant before his arrival and helped build the culture that eventually won a championship
  • Still the franchise's all-time leading scorer at the time he was traded
  • Deeply connected to the city and the fanbase in a genuine way — not just a mercenary stint

The complicated part:The Raptors have an interesting dilemma because they already retired Vince Carter's #15, and the two players invite comparison. But the retirements don't have to be competitive — both shaped the franchise in different eras.


The counterargument some make is that he didn't win anything there and was traded before the championship. But that feels unfair — the team was built on his back, and the trade itself is what helped bring Kawhi. His years of loyalty arguably enabled the title.
 
MindzEye said:
Fwiw...current short list that I'll expand on later:

Guys I like but don't expect to be there but hope they drop.

Cameron Carr
Chris Cenac
Hans Steinbach

Guys who should be there, in the current order I like them at the 19

Ebuka Okorie
Christian Anderson
Isiaiah Evans
Amari Allen

and an hon mention that I have no idea how to rank yet, but is the analytics gangster of the bunch

Allen Graves
Click to expand...
I liked what I read on Anderson
 
MindzEye said:
Fwiw...current short list that I'll expand on later:

Guys I like but don't expect to be there but hope they drop.

Cameron Carr
Chris Cenac
Hans Steinbach

Guys who should be there, in the current order I like them at the 19

Ebuka Okorie
Christian Anderson
Isiaiah Evans
Amari Allen

and an hon mention that I have no idea how to rank yet, but is the analytics gangster of the bunch

Allen Graves
Click to expand...
Do you like Swain?
 
Absolute batshit crazy take on DD by Zeke. Just using basketball ref winshares. Quite a few HOFers in there below DD. He'll get in and will have his jersey rightfully retired here.

1779475100709.png
 
CH1 said:
You think he's a first ballot HOF?
Click to expand...

Probably. That's not as big of a deal for the Naismith than it is for Cooperstown.

It's going to be really difficult for a guy likely to finish ~13th in NBA career points to not make the hall within his first vote or two. Demar likely slots in at 14th by the end of next season and if he can/is willing to transition onto the bench for few seasons after as a bench scoring weapon he might crack top 10.

To give an idea of how rock solid his case is, if Demar was passed over for whatever reason, the next highest ranked player on the points list who is eligible for the Naismith but wouldn't be in it is Tom Chambers at 55th.

Honestly, y'all have lost the plot on him.
 
Demar prime years only (playoffs years for raps)

Season: 54.2ts%, 1.9bpm
Playoffs: 49.7ts%, -0.4bpm

that's just his 5yr prime peak as a rap.

absolute fraud.
 
MyNameIsJonas said:
I liked what I read on Anderson
Click to expand...

He and Okorie are two variations on the same thing. I'm not convinced which I like more right now. My concern is that neither feel like the type of player we take traditionally so I'm worried we pass on both to take Quaintance or some shit. Who is the zero offensive talent long bois we seem enamoured with organizationally.
 
MindzEye said:
He and Okorie are two variations on the same thing. I'm not convinced which I like more right now. My concern is that neither feel like the type of player we take traditionally so I'm worried we pass on both to take Quaintance or some shit. Who is the zero offensive talent long bois we seem enamoured with organizationally.
Click to expand...
Need moar spacing. A guy like Scottie operating in the middle of the floor with legit shooting options would be even more scary than he already is
 
MindzEye said:
He and Okorie are two variations on the same thing. I'm not convinced which I like more right now. My concern is that neither feel like the type of player we take traditionally so I'm worried we pass on both to take Quaintance or some shit. Who is the zero offensive talent long bois we seem enamoured with organizationally.
Click to expand...
I think we take Hannes or Cena if the fall
 
MyNameIsJonas said:
I think we take Hannes or Cena if the fall
Click to expand...

Yeah, agreed. I think "stretch 5" to go with Scottie, or anyone who looks like they can reasonably become one is a priority if we're in a place where there isn't a clear BPA.

I wish we valued guard skills more though. I like Quickley, but I'd like to see if we can develop a better version of him but even just a bench version of him for a few years would be fine. Every top team is pretty saturated with traditional guard skills these days even when their best player isn't one of them. We're going to have a legit hard cap on how good we can be until our offence is way more guard heavy.
 
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