Desperation Time!
So the beat goes on and the continue to struggle winning only two of their last ten games. Excuses can be aplenty with Derozan being out for four of those games and not at 100% for a couple more, but Powell has stepped up his game increasing all of his numbers across the board and providing his typical all out hustle play on the court. The biggest problem with the Raptors this year continues to be their inability to defend the rim at all and their need for any kind of rebounding and defensive presence grows game by game.
The basis of defending your end of the court is rebounding the basketball and the Raptors are 27th in that category and game by game they get out rebounded by teams lower than them in the standings. Rebounding is an effort thing and the Raptors frequently do not put enough effort on that side of the court. A clear example of this was against the Suns on January 22nd when they were out rebounded by ten, all those on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive rebounding is a fundamental skill and not being able to do it, tells me a couple of things. First off, there is a major lack of effort in the mindset of the Raptors players and secondly, the mental make up of the players has something wrong with it.
Another example of this mental issue was the game against the Celtics a couple of days ago when the Raptors missed 11 free throws. That is the ball game right there and if everyone just shot their averages from the line, the Raptors would have won the game and the situation would not be so doom and gloom. Another issue here is that I do not believe that is the fault of the officials that the Raptors are struggling as they are. The only call that truly had me irked was the game against the Kings on November, 20th. To refresh everyone's memory that was the game in which T Ross hit a game trying three pointed but the shot was over ruled because of some ridiculous call that stated that the ball was tipped by Cousins and thus, extra time should have been taken off from the clock and the shot did not count. I might not be right on with my explanation, but it was something to that effect.
The NBA officials, like officials for any sport have an extremely tough job, but their job is a little different than that of the other major sports. The NBA is loaded with superstars that know how to work the officials and literally every play can be a foul and if the refs were to call every play a foul, the games would be extremely slow and no fun to watch at all. I respect the job that they do and every fan of every NBA team has the same issues with them. So to say that they are bias against the Raptors simply is not true.
The reasons why the Raptors are struggling is 100% their own doing. The ship is sinking and something must be done to rectify it, but what? Names are floating around in the trade market and with the trade deadline coming on February 23rd, the Raptors are bound to do something. Their needs are obvious but what exactly they can get and what they are willing to give up is the question here. T Ross has had a good season and has the potential to be a starter, but as a Raptor he has been inconsistent and unable to crack the starting lineup. He showed flashes of brilliance in the past including a 51 point performance during the 2014 season, but I believe those outbursts are long in the past. A team might still give him a chance and give up a couple of pieces the Raptors need. I think he is the main trading chip the Raptors have and if they can parlay him into a Serge Ibaka that would be swell. The one thing going for the Raptors is that Ibaka is on the last year of his contract and Ross has two more years left on his and the difference between the two is $2.5 million, so the salaries match. The fit seems right, so only time will tell if it will happen.
Powell's name might also pop up in trade talks, but I want to keep him around to see what he is before shipping him out. He has the same type of talent as T Ross, perhaps with more defensive acumen and more willing to go to the hoop, with a worse three point shot. I also like his all round game and ability to do multiple things on the court whereas T Ross's skill set is not as advanced. J.V is another guy who is extremely frustrating to watch because he lacks the fitness and speed to contribute for an entire game. When he is on the court he is consistent and plays well, but for whatever reason, he can not stay on the court. Bad fouls are also another big problem of his and he needs to fix this if he wants to take the next step in his career.
The bottom line with the Raptors is that they need to something to get out of this rut. It will not fix itself. If that means making a big trade, changing the starting line up, then that is what has to be done. The city of Toronto has undergone a renaissance sports wise over the past couple of years with the success of the Raptors and the Blue Jays and it would be sad to see that take a step back wards. Even the Leafs are starting to be relevant in the sports world again!