Quote:
Originally Posted by rousseau
First impressions after a disappointing opening night:
1. Kyle Lowry is still the heart and soul of this team. Shame it's probably inevitable that he'll get traded during the season in order to get something of value instead of letting him walk for nothing this summer.
2. I don't think Pascal Siakam has reached his ceiling yet. The prospect of him turning into a top ten player in the league this year is tantalizing.
3. Love the progress of Chris Boucher. The man has always had confidence, and now he's bringin' the goods on the offensive side as a backup.
4. Fred VanVleet is good, but he's no Kyle Lowry.
5. Aaron Baynes is no Ibaka or Gasol. The downgrade at the centre position is gonna hurt the Raps this year.
6. We're all waiting for Anunoby's offensive game to show up. Will it ever? I personally don't understand why everyone is so high on him.
7. I'd like to see more of Terence Davis.
8. There was a distinct lack of gumption on the team. We're used to seeing them bend but not break when the other team makes a run, but tonight was the first time in years that they went down with a whimper in the second half. I guess we'll have to get used to that this year.
9. It's an odd feeling being on the other side of the championship mountain. It's not as exciting, but you still look for small mercies in the form of player improvements and breakthroughs.
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Yeah, they suck now. Whether they can get out of this early season slump and salvage the season remains to be seen.
I was too hard on Fred, I think. He's playing well. I really don't like Aron Baynes, though. He's useless. Alex Len has been their best big so far, and I don't know why Coach Nurse doesn't start him instead.
I've given up on OG Anunoby. I don't see any sign that he's going to get better. Wouldn't mind seeing him as part of a trade.
Seems what I said back in December about the centre position was spot on. The loss of Gasol and Ibaka has left a cavernous hole in the roster. I wouldn't be surprised if Normal Powell and OG Anunoby get traded for a big that can rebound and be a presence on defense.