fk24

This team has never played any semblance of good defense. Over the past 2 years, we have plummeted to worst in all time league history. I've given up. there's no enjoyment in watching a game if you can't manage to get some stops. Many of us fans have been loyal through many, many seasons and management rewards us with this kind of garbage. Shame on the Raptors. You're giving Toronto a bad name.

m5racer

That statement is a joke, you need to get off of the panic button now before your mind explodes

LightsOut

no they have been one of the leagues worst, but last season they were I think 10th worst of all time and they still won 40 games which means they would've benn one of the greatest teams ever if they played some d lol

btw denver averaged 110.2 ppg but allowed 130.8 for the record

komot

if this doesn't signal we need a new coach then BC is just lost

DonMughal

I actually think we were 2nd or 3rd last in points per game allowed last season.

Ammo

We're not the worst franchise in the league and this is the only one outside of the U.S.A.

Said it once and will say it again, there are fans that would give their left arm to have a franchise, so while losing sucks and not having the horses out there sucks, it is not as long a road to respectability in the NBA as it is in some other sports. Been there a couple of times and didn't learn from it.

And it's gotta really sting if for some reason anyone thought this team was gonna win more than 20-something games. Weren't some people saying even 40-something wins?

Barracuda

It's just basketball.

Sorry, but... you can't take it personally.

jrob23

our d was historically bad last year.. cant remember specifically but even NBA2K11 has a comment about our historically bad d lol. funny enough it also mentions how Jack and Antoine Wright said the coach needs to make players accountable for playing d.. and both are gone..


not quite as bad this year i dont think, however.

Don Vito

The problem is Bargnani. How do you expect other players to get into playing defense if he doesn't block or rebound once the entire game? Fuck Bargnani.

Snooch

can't blame the lack of defense on this team on one player.

Demar allowed Ellis to go by him at will, Jose allowed Curry to abuse him. Davis looked lost, Johnson didnt do so hot.

Defense is just as mch abot a team doing a job and buying into specific roles on that end as mch as it is abot a player taking it upon himself.

carp

You didn't even watch the game!!!!!! Typical RF response to just look at boxscore. By your logic, Reggie should average 50 Rebounds a game cause he goes after every ball.

Secondly, AB draws all the criticism which is directed in the form of hate. This team got lit up inside and out on the perimeter. All these love threads for players are ridiculous cause this team is full of soft players. Some of you complain about Colangelo and his euro/offensive bias but then herald players like DD, Weems and Bayless for their scoring potential. Very few times do I ever see guys getting physical on defence on this team. DD goes through many games looking to avoid picking up fouls and ending up with 1 or 2 while his man is just going off. Sure he gets his buckets, but he's just as turrible on D. He's only one of the terrible defenders of course. AB is one too, but so are about 10 of 12 guys getting run. It's disgusting. Yet everyone bitches about AB. Watch the game, and take a look at what those other guys aren't doing!

carp

Did we just become best friends? YUP!!!

Great points. Too often people harp on AB, and yes he is a poor defender, but he's not alone. Curry and Ellis had 39 points in the first half!!!

This team plays hands up and hands off defence. They have even when Mitchell was here and Kobe was dropping 81 on us. We need to play like Boston... change our image, dirty up the games (LX I know you agree)... it may take time to get the refs to adjust, but we have time. At this point, we'll continue to flounder as a soft team with a reputation for being soft.

Naj_Irban

Colangelo came from a soft, offense-focused team and made another soft team.

Triano has mainly soft players to work with. Triano from my perspective is soft on his players.

Soft players are never good defenders. Good defense IMO is a combination of aggression, technique and scouting.

Soft = bad. Raptors = soft. Bad = Raptors.

Shadowfax

^well that seals it for me then

fire JT, BC, Embry, Gherardini, Kelly, Fruitman, Eversley, Williams, English, Carlesimo, Nori, Roth and Hughes

hell, why we're at it let's fire the Athletic Trainer, Assistant Trainer/Athletic Therapist, Assistant Trainer/ Massage Therapist, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, Team Medical Director/ Orthopaedic Surgeon, Assistant Team Medical Director, Equipment Manager & Travel Coordinator, Assistant Equipment Manager, Team Services Coordinator, Team Security Consultant, Video Coordinator and the Assistant Video Coordinator

why ????....because someone at 2K Sports said that we have a terrible D...they are obviously the experts and all the people above are fucking idiots

right ??

LightsOut

well johnson was the only guy that was playing d or atleast trying and he got a few stops by himself off of blocks and a steal but you're right everyone was horrible yesterday.It was nice to see Bayless get the group on the floor in a huddle although it didn't really help.

Dark Knight

It's a rebuilding year, what did you guys expect?

carp

The Colangelo Suns were anything but soft.... those guys were blowing teams out in the second quarter most nights, only to coast to top playoff seeds year in and year out. You're mistaken if you think they were soft.

I do agree we are way too soft... and it's every one of our players that is. Even Reggie needs a bit more of an asshole edge to him. Too much buddy buddy is not helping.... somebody has to put these fuckers in line. Oakley was available too... would have been ideal as an assistant.

Ammo

I have the explanation for that performance.

The were indulgining ill all that Latina Vegas has to offer in Oakland.

And I'm sorry that Bargnani gets most of the blame for poor defence, but that comes with supposedly being the man on this team....and being here for this long. For as long as he has that tag, and I hope it won't be long, he's going to have to lead the team in making sacrifices if they are to be any good.

I could easily pick any guy and say, "James Johnson has got to step up his defense and rebounding". You'd be wondering why I would say something like that because he is not the one being clowned and mocked on TV, print, forums and on opposing benches and he is not the one with ridiculously low totals in certain stats.

Not that this is a championship team, ut how many have a supposed "guy" who does not defend and wins anything? People were clamouring for Bargnani to be the man, well, some things have got to come with that. sorry, but I'm unimpressed.

Bottom line.....whose team is this?

carp

My point is that you shouldn't be saying Bargnani is the man on this team..... it's a team. We're rebuilding around many pieces, none obviously a 'franchise piece'. People rave about Reggie leading us, but then we should be bitching that he is not a good leader cause guys should be following his lead. The answer is to stop blaming AB as a franchise player. They are all bad defenders at this point. Don't pick one guy. Yeah, AB misses alot of assignments, but if you watch others, they do too. It wasn't easy watching Ellis and Curry do whatever they wanted out on the perimeter.... but I won't blame only Bargnani for that. AB has warts... but they all do. He's just a piece, not the piece. In time I think more will see that, but right now they are blinded by the perception that every team has a 'go-to' franchise player.

Ammo

I'm thinking most good teams have a guy who holds guys accountable. And I think someone "has" the room. Jose's a leader but not that guy, Demar's not rah-rah, Bayless shows some of that but he's a back-up, Bargnani has barely left whatever island he was on. If Reggie's gone, it's going to have to come from somewhere.

Everyone points to the great Detroit teams as a real team. I'm willing to bet that someone "had" that room. Billups? Rasheed?