When Will the Raptors Win Again? | Raptors Show Full Episode

When Will the Raptors Win Again? | Raptors Show Full Episode

Hello and welcome to the Raptor show on the sports radio network brought to you by Campbell’s new chunky spicy soup it’s time to get fired up make sure you find the Raptor show where we listen to podcast please rate and viiew the program of your host Lou big thanks to

Co-host Blake Murphy for holding it down last week while I was away uh nice little 4day weekend you know just enjoying celebrating Easter yeah the Blue Jays did you a favor a little bit by Thursday we had a j show and place of the Raptor show so why why stick around

For one extra show you could get a little 4 Day weekend you get some good timing I did get some good timing yeah thank you I was able to uh get up to a cottage for three days and just Moss Out like literally not do anything I mean

It’s like too cold to like really do Cottage activities so you say Moss Out yeah mossen is that a verb now Moss yeah yeah okay I like it yeah I like it you just just laying on a rock yeah uh it was good it was a it was an incredibly

Sports heavy weekend with it being MLB opening weekend Jay’s opening weekend um sweet 16 and Elite 8 on both the men’s and women’s side uh good NBA slates although a lot of the like Marquee games didn’t really end up all that interesting Friday and Sunday but yeah

Heavy heavy on the sports how I like it yeah awesome Matthew scored his 60th in there as well which uh sure just just make sure I I check all the boxes of what was going on this weekend no we’re gonna I was going to try to do this bit

Where we’re going to try to talk about anything other than the Raptors who have lost their 13th straight but i’ I’ve changed my mind let’s just get this out of the way then I’ll ask you about the Blue Jays how they’re doing um and other topics we’re going to talk

About NCAA tournament as well in segment two around the NBA as well in segment two but Raptors lose 135 to 12 to the Sixers um Raptors losing streak now hits 13 got a little trivia I guess uh in regards to longest losing streaks in franchise history and the context around

Them um but we got to start with the game itself obviously kyar coming back to Toronto as a member of the Sixers how did it feel to to be on the receiving end of Kyle’s uh tricker last night yeah it was fun um you know Grady

Dick getting the education in uh Kyle ly charge and like early on it was just like like Kyle was ready to go like he hits a pullup three in transition Fair Lally draws that charge he closes the game out with kind of the he he does the

G Temple the like unexpected helps side block uh late in the which is now the G Temple because he did it once and we got to do there’s look there’s no room for propaganda left on the show cuz no one’s playing well um so we got to do uh we

Got to do that instead um no it was fun man and like you see you see the degree to which in a game like that like obviously Kyle didn’t go crazy right he had 11 points 10 assists in 38 minutes was a plus seven in a 15-point game that

Wasn’t the best example of Kyle just kind of bringing a team along like further competitive like the 76ers were going to win that game anyway but what you’ve seen and why Kyle has so much value for these little things like drawing charges and understanding time and score situations and making

Unexpected plays is this is a Sixers team that has had to stay flat without Joel embiid who might be back tomorrow by the way um without Joel embiid without Tyrese Maxi for a lot of this while embiid’s been out and you see the value of and look you need NBA caliber

Like you need NBA rotation caliber guys for this to make a difference you drop Kyle Lowry on the Raptors they’re not winning that many more games but it’s like a magnified version of the gett temple effect where the Raptors have looked way more settled and competent when Garrett Temple’s on the floor or

They looked a little more stabilized when auto porter was on the Flor early in the season Kyle is doing that for the 76ers but in a much more like intense competitive environment but like Tobias Harris while a good player is not going to get you organized offensively is not

Going to change the game with little plays defensively Kelly UB is going to bang a lot of Threes but that stretch of games where Tobias Harrison Kelly UB led the 76ers in scoring for like seven straight games because Maxi and embb was out like that only works for you winning

Wise if someone is making sure that that comes within the flow of the offense and is helping raise the the floor of the defense without your best defender so um you got like a little micro look at that at the start of the game um and then he

Just kind of settled in you didn’t really notice him all that much in like the second and third quarter it’s like it’s okay make a statement early and then it’s it’s this game’s gone on long enough let’s put this out of let’s put this away yeah I mean I think that was

The smart thing with Kyle is just like got a whole bunch of deflections you know as you would expect um I thought the Sixers overall were really disruptive the thing is it just didn’t had no like rotations behind them so so if the Raptors did make a move and get

To the cup they were usually scoring and the Raptors did shoot a good percentage I sign 52% from the field um rough Mo Boma game defensively and then Paul Reed as the backup center is like obviously they’re more for the offense than the defense um like they were playing I

Guess Tobias Harris would have been their like deao Center for for some parts of that game some niik Batum as well I felt like Batum whichever one of those guys is the five it’s a neither is a g Temple when it comes to rim protecting backup five this is now the

Garrett Temple propaganda podcast this is what’s become um yeah on the Raptor side uh I thought it was again just another chance to see maybe some of the young guys sort of like show you something um Grady had a pretty quiet game overall I know you guys spent a lot

Of time on Friday discussing Grady’s game it felt like to me Grady just didn’t get involved that much um in the first half and then you saw him really heavily involved at the start of the third quarter that’s when he got his seven free throws which was great you

Always want to see a guy be able to get to the foul line um but overall just a kind of a quiet knife at Grady um what did you think of grd’s game yeah I I’m I’m with you he didn’t seem to get into it that much you wonder a little bit

Does you know you’re trying to be aggressive early on and you pick up that charge does that get in your head a little bit um look look lots of players have picked up charges before um but you never know how that that kind of sets the tone I also just didn’t think um

Offensively like Bruce Brown had a a better game than we’ve seen from him lately and Kelly Ock had 11 assists which was almost a career high but there were big chunks of that game where like the ball just really wasn’t moving very much and I don’t think like at this

Point even though Grady’s improved those are not the type of game Flow situations where he’s going to really Thrive right like he’s not going to create for himself yet he kind of needs the ball to be moving around for him to find his spots and things like that so um yeah I

Didn’t think it was his uh his best game um certainly and some of that is like some of that’s maybe the trigger he has but also like if you’re only getting three three-point attempts for your three-point specialist in 31 minutes right that’s uh you know that’s that’s

He could probably stand to be more aggressive but that’s probably also a failure of your offensive movement and and things like that for sure I mean he only got what three attempts up made one last night for Grady that was the big difference in the game the Sixers made

24 threes the Raptors only made uh 11 I mean a lot of it did feel like it was a red hot shooting night for the Sixers but in any case like I think just overall defensively you know you continue to see just a total difference or maybe even IND from the Raptors in

Terms of trying to guard and I know that’s a really difficult ask but I did think that okay you played Wednesday then you’re playing Sunday you got time in to get couple practices in at least hopefully you can see some sort of semblance but I don’t know I mean I

Think that for me what started the game off Pol defensively was I just thought Kelly wasn’t really showing you much there and and I know he’s limited of course like he’s playing out of position he’s older he shouldn’t be starting at Center and there’s no help around him

But I thought it was from the like the the veteran guys down to the younger guys just nobody could really execute that well defensively and that’s sort of been a pattern I’ve seen all season but again they’re losing regardless you know what I mean like they could play some

Good defense they’re probably losing the game anyway just based on the talent disparity but I don’t know what are you seeing out of this defense like is there any hope for you no and I’m not seeing enough and like there was the I I poked

Fun of it on Twitter a little bit but like late in the game Philly Philly red hot and they they go to Zone and so Synergy only classified one of those possession a Zone I counted three but the two the second and third possession were just like they I don’t I guess they

Weren’t executing the Zone well enough for Synergy to decide it was a Zone but Philly scored on three straight possessions after the Raptors came out in zone I think they scored eight points on three possessions and like here’s the key stat to me and I know the way NBA

Judges contested shots is sometimes a little flimsy but the Raptors only were only graded as contesting 17 of the 43 76 or three-point attempts so that’s like when they say contest they mean like like there’s a hand in your face you’re well up in it I could be contesting you technically from here

Right so there are probably some like lightly contested shots that aren’t being captured in that but you were only like up on a guy SE on 17 of those 43 three-point attempts that’s that’s a little low like like The League average rate is up around 50% of three-point

Attempts get classified as contested so 17 to 43 is not really close to that and especially when a team’s that hot and doesn’t have their like either of their interior scorers right like if if that was a stat in a game Joel embiid played and you were like yeah we can’t contest

The three that well because we’re sending help at Joel embiid or or we don’t want to contest the three that well because Tyrese Maxi keeps carving up without help defense and is living in the paint it it wasn’t that kind of game no those Sixers weren’t there so to me

That’s that’s pretty disappointing and you mentioned how Philly was like very active in terms of like loose balls and physicality and stuff like that and this continues to be and this is mostly on the defensive end but you notice it when it comes to like setting screens and

Running your actions and things like that too many of these Raptors have too much on the line in their careers to seem like they’re going through the motions at this point to the degree that the Raptors often look on defense and it’s it’s pretty disappointing and I get that like teaching season developmental

Etc but some of these guys have been in the league for four or five years and have their next contracts on the line here and the Raptors just I don’t know they should at least be in my mind a team that is annoying to play against

And they’re not that like Philly was way more annoying yesterday and that is uh that’s a part of their DNA because of certain um but yeah that shouldn’t be the case like I don’t know you’ve lost 12 in a row you’re playing against a team that doesn’t have the two best guys you

Should be out there and like that should have been a difficult win for the 76ers not uh the Raptors hung around until we decided to put it away kind of game right and I I know there’s a certain response that’s like well they’re losing anywhere they’re tanking like what’s

Their what’s the point of getting worked up with any of these things but it’s like number one you’re still watching the product right um and especially for the people there I feel like it’s like way different when you’re in the building watching sort of the indifference on defense it it’s just it

Gets to you because you know that it’s just bad basketball um I think some of the guys that I’m guessing you’re talking about Jordan wara who Darko has already sort of explicitly come out and said that you know we know he could score but we really want to make sure we

We teach him defense essentially um he did say postgame that uh Jordan’s one-on-one defense is getting better but they’re going to work to teach him team Concepts which it’s it’s kind of funny cuz you wouldn’t you might you might say this for but again he’s been in multiple

Teams now um and then also Jaylen McDaniels who is does have a contract guarantee for next year but especially with how limited he is offensively you got to be really good defensively to stick and I know he’s got a contract next to year regardless but

Like I just would not play him in any circumstances even in these circumstances I I just genuinely wouldn’t yeah and you only have 10 guys available to you last night so one of the biggest coaching tools you have even in a developmental with right is playing time right like that’s the that’s the

Carrot and that’s the stick in a situation like this but you don’t have anyone else you can play and maybe this changes when RJ and quickly Are Back In the Mix because you’ve got extra bodies and you think hey we’ll just go a little smaller or whatever um theoretically you

Could have turned down the bench to moay a little earlier than they did I he came out and he hustled he immediately got an offensive rebound got fouled yeah had a block blocked shot yeah exactly um so like even that it’s like moay is not as good as Jaylen McDaniels at this stage

But he’s the only option dark has to like take away playing time so I I’m with you man like like Jordan Mo again we know he can score when he came here and had a couple good games early I kind of p i I felt a little negative um

Having to be that person but like we have four years of information on good teams like Jordan war was on Milwaukee good Milwaukee teams he has a ring not that he didn’t play but like he is experienced this stuff he has been around good systems and good defensive

Coaches um and has played in an NBA ation for three full seasons now on top of that that rookie season where where he didn’t play a ton um we have a good idea who he is and yeah the defensive stuff hasn’t really come along he can

Get a bucket but like and you think on paper like 68 Nick Young is a is a valuable thing but like if this team was remotely healthy he’d be back to being in that 10th 11th man role where he’s only getting run if Darko expands the rotation and that’s what he was before

This opportunity I guess the takeaway there for me is um he had a window here where he could have shown you know he could have made a case where when guys come back he’s like the six seventh man like he is right now but instead I don’t

Think he’s upped his you know spot on the pecking order if this team were healthy um he can absolutely get a bucket and he’ll probably have another chance in the league somewhere because he can get a bucket and has some size um but yeah are you repeating the the $5

Million or $4 million you’re making right now probably not you’re probably playing on a minimum next year and sorry $3 million this year uh you’re probably playing on a minimum and sticking in the league that way because yeah the def the defense hasn’t come along and it’s been

Four years now um I think it’s it’s a bit of a shame because um sometimes you see him use as athleticism and he’s bouncy man he’s bouncy he had that great dunk um there was a big offensive rebound that he grabbed over two guys at

One point he’s he’s had a couple of nice uh blocks as well um not that that’s that’s necessarily change too much for him defensively but there are these moments you’re like oh yeah this is a 68 guy who is quite athletic like that’s actually for the Raptors um you do have

That sort of weakness in the rotation like that ironically the Raptors formerly known as The Vision 69ine team is very much looking for a 69ine player who can do a little bit on offense and actually guard and that’s where McDaniels has that chance to you know

All season to to really take it and he hasn’t done anything with it and then War since joining the team mid-season has that chance now to sort of run with it but I mean yeah I guess unless you see a little bit more defensively or even something more consistent

Defensively like it is difficult to sort of justify sort of keeping him around like would would you keep Jordan for next year I mean probably not like I thought he was part of that trade to make the salaries work I didn’t think that he was a long-term part of the

Future when they got him um if you want him back on a minimum whatever but he’s also like again he’s 25 and has like four years in the NBA three of them as a full-time rotation player um like you have a good idea of who Jordan war is in

The same way you have a good idea of who Gary Trent is and I’m not saying he can’t improve in things like that but like when you’re when you’re laying out what the offseason looks like like maybe he’s in there in pencil as an option for a depth piece but you’re not you’re

Absolutely looking to upgrade the 6869 bench forward positions even with war potentially there and Jaylen McDaniel’s guaranteed for next year right yeah um like you you need to upgrade those spots even if you want those guy I mean jayen mcdel you’re not going to have a choice

He has guaranteed money but even if you like Jordan war and want him around you’re still trying to upgrade that spot and push him back to a situation where he’s fighting for minutes instead of you know playing 30 yeah I mean yeah realistically hopefully we’re not getting a repeat of

This situation um we did see Bruce Brown finally play like what we expect Bruce Brown to do which is like to come in make the right plays knock down the right shots you know do a little bit of playmaking find the right moments be aggressive um be disruptive defensively

Like canone ever say that he was like a shutdown guy like nobody can score on him but he can be disruptive clearly a smart player a heady player run a couple fast breaks I thought he did everything really well last night um I guess my question is just like why hasn’t he been

Playing this well since joining the Raptors and also like you know is it too late to sort of I I don’t know do you think his performance with the Raptors has like changed his uh market value because obviously we’re still going to be looking to shop him again the next

Available opportunity yeah so I mean yeah it’s probably his best game as a raptor since that Bulls game early after he came over when the Raptors beat the Bulls his first game no no no his oh sorry the other Bulls game his first game was a Bulls game where he looked

Really good but they played the Bulls again a couple weeks ago or a couple weeks after that and he was really good in the game they beat the Bulls okay right right um so yeah his debut was against the Bulls um and he was really and this is a funny thing where like

Yeah he came in on no sleep and just arrived and hadn’t practice with the team and it was almost the best he’ looked um so I think part of this is I mean look there’s there has to be a psychological element of you thought you were probably only going to be here for

A short time you didn’t get traded you thought you’d be playing playoff meaningful basketball right now there’s probably a component of that um there is absolutely a component of Bruce Brown is a guy who is going to look better around better players he was on that Denver

Team on those Brooklyn teams um yeah has some stuff on his own individually when he played on on that like the Detroit team or whatever but he looks better around better players because he exists as a like cutter and connector like make the make the someone creat something for

You and you make the right read off of that you’re not the guy Crea that read initially even when he was like kind of a pseudo point guard it was bring the ball up got to put in the post and then cut exactly yeah um which is ideally

What I thought he could do here yeah play him and Kelly could have some Synergy with that um but I think so so I think that’s a part of it as well is like he’s going to look better with better players and then yeah there’s probably an element of you know what am

I doing here I’m playing out the string and I haven’t talked to Bruce Brown about that I’m not suggesting he’s like mailing it or anything like that but there’s absolutely a psychological compos to you won a championship last year you got traded here and you thought

It was going to be a Way Station trade and you’d be here for a handful of weeks and now you’re kind of you know waiting to play meaningful basketball again in terms of his value I think that this just kind of reaffirms that he’s only

Going to have like he he’s going to make $23 million next year if the Raptors pick up his option or they pick it up with the intent to trade him that’s only going to be useful to a team that is competitive um he’s not going to bring I

Mean who knows maybe because he’s a smart player some you know some situations like like next year’s version of this year’s magic team they’re like hey if we get another vet around another smart guy or what the Rockets did last year that’s what he got signed to

Indiana to do in the first place yeah yeah and like part of why they signed him was this creative contract where we’re going to pay you way more than the mid-level optionality there’s the optionality of this deal um in a lot of different ways but in terms of his value

No I think like only good teams should have been interested in what Bruce Brown brings in the first place sure yeah um and like 23 million was going to be much for Bruce Brown regardless but it’s like a 23 million expiring um so yeah again flexibility component I feel like

Honestly like I know the Sixers will not have Bruce bound like first on the priority list but he would actually look pretty good on a team like the Sixers for example you’d like him to have a little bit more shooting in that spot but let’s say you know let’s say they

Walk away from Tobias Harris um who’s a free agent after the year and they strike out on Paul George did they try to approximate what Tobias Harris brought in like with with a different type of player and you split that money into two guys is Bruce brown one of

Those guys I could absolutely see a a scenario like that he’d look very good in Denver still yeah sure and then yeah lots of teams could use kind of versatile bench pieces sure I mean there was definitely like a market for him at the mid- level last year when he hit

Free agency it was just like you know Indiana came in with this gigantic offer and it created them that uh that optionality to be able to acquire someone like Pascal seak without realistically touching too much of the rotation at all right so I mean I mean I

Guess the hope is that like you just don’t let it expire like I don’t want it to be another G joger situation where it’s like all right you have him on the contract or become sad young sure yeah well honestly wow damn you GNA attach a first

To Bruce Brown for first center in the off season all the talk was he was going to get you a first in return yeah look in terms of his Market I I don’t know like what are what are the options for the Raptors this summer yeah so they

Have a lot of options so you can pick up the player the team option and keep him as one of your players you have him hey the free agent Market is in that spicy like we talked about last week we’re going to keep BR brand at 23 million you

Can do that but with the idea that like he’ll have a market at the deadline so we’re going to play him but we there’s not a deal we like right now you could pick up the option and immediately trade him like you could trade him as early as

Draft night you just have to pick up the option first so you can’t do the tricky like hey send him out his 22 million expiring and bring bring salary back you’d have to pick up the option first so those are the options you could also then decline his option use the cap

Space like we talked about last week get up to 50 million in cap space whatever you could decline the option and then negotiate a new deal with him where it’s you know hey more optionality yeah and it’s a it’s a longer term deal maybe at a lesser annual value um you could also

Decline the option and find a sign and trade for him that’s like then you’re getting into like if you do that there’s almost definitely tampering because you had to decline the option in June and then assign trade can’t happen until July like there’s definitely but it’s by

Letter of the law you could work something like that so you’ve got a few paths here but yeah if you if you couldn’t get a first for him at the trade deadline I don’t know that you’re getting a first for him now but like could you get could you take back a

Little bit of money on a younger interesting player pick up a future second or or a pair of seconds or something like that I think that’ll probably be there for you still and if it’s not then you just like like you have to explore that stuff by draft

Night because you got to make that team option decision on June 29th right um and then you know if you decline the option you still have the ability to to double back and resign him right um but yeah you you kind of have to know by

Draft night if those deals even if even if the picks you’re acquiring aren’t in this draft you probably got to know by draft night it does looking at all the options and obviously we don’t know what’s out there just yet but I wouldn’t say it’s like like How likely do you

Think he comes back to Toronto because I don’t think it’s like a guarantee that he’s gone I don’t think it’s a guarantee that he’s gone either because it shouldn’t be a guarantee that he’s gone either no and like I would just love for him to like buy into the role better

Yeah yeah um and who knows maybe he does when better pieces are back right like he didn’t he didn’t look that great with like IQ and RJ and Ne no and like you give him some time in that and you know that’s the one thing the Raptors have been doing an

Okay job of through all this is like continuing to run the offense the way that they Envision even when guys are back um you know maybe Kelly’s not a 10 assist per game guy when when guys are back but that part of it’s been good um

So yeah I don’t think the chances are zero because I think if you know if there wasn’t a deal that they liked there on draft night and the free agent landscape is what it is this is the type of front office that I could absolutely see being like well we’ll keep him and

Then we’ve got the option to flip him at the deadline and still pick something up um they are very much like if we have the player and an option like not necessarily a player option or a team option just some options with what to do with the player that’s better than

Nothing and I do agree with that but it does kind of like Lead You In these moments where it’s like they’re kind of standing around doing nothing and if you haven’t done something then you technically have the option to do something but yeah in any case well

We’ll see what’s out there in the summer time uh real quickly um Kobe Simmons Javon Freeman Liberty the Battle of third string point guard you know either guy slly ahead for you right now I thought Kobe had a good game yesterday nice little offensive SP solid for me um

And Javon is probably the one guy who’s free from that criticism I said about like guys not like hustling for loose balls and stuff like like he’s always like trying to at least like if they get beat for an offensive rebound or whatever trying to do the like poke free

From behind kind of thing hasn’t been all that effective and obviously the Raptors are just not playing well generally but um you know there’s at least an activity level there Kobe just looks solid like Kobe honestly he looks like a guy who spent six years in the g-

League and has been in the NBA before and like the lights aren’t that bright like like it’s normal it’s chill for him to play is he good enough to be like a third string point guard in the NBA like probably but team you know the reason

He’s not uh the reason he hasn’t been is because teams will go a little younger a little less experienced in that role or whatever um and he’s not too eligible anymore so um you know for for a guy like that I think yeah the the drop off from like third string caliber point

Guards to what’s out there like top point guards in the G league isn’t that extreme and he looks hey looks like a guy who’s been there before which is all you can really ask in in those 10day spots he also got a a signed jersey from Kyle lry after the game Kobe Simmons

That’s really cool Co kyar signed it keep pushing never stop the work be great and uh that’s just a really nice gesture from kyar I don’t even know what the specific connection is there between the two of them I mean maybe he’s a Kyle Lowry fan maybe honestly that would that

Would that would lead you nicely to another contract um and then yeah we have been seeing more of RJ uh who has been taking part in practices and also quickly who I don’t know if he’s taking part in practices but I’ve at least seen him in the gym getting some shots up and

Stuff like that um they’re currently on a reconditioning stint um because they had obviously Miss some time we will see if they do eventually return to the lineup of course this is all against the backdrop of both of them losing people in their families so you know again it’s

Just whenever they’re ready when they do come back do you think it does change their Fortunes in a a substantial way because the the Raptors have eight games left in in the schedule and the eight games are they play the Lakers tomorrow at scos bank then they go to Minnesota

Uh on a back toback to play at 8:00 pm which is going to be difficult regardless then they play in Milwaukee against the bucks on Friday which is always difficult um they return home to play the Wizards on Sunday at 6 p.m. that’s the one that’s that’s probably

One cu the Pacers come into town on Tuesday after that pascot Sak returns for the second time but the Pacers are playing better I just again like I don’t expect the Raptors to win that one the Nets that do go to Brooklyn which um I’ll be very curious to see what team

The Brooklyn crowd cheers for because I’ve seen Brooklyn now give standing ovations to Steph Curry and LeBron which have took place last night I mean look last night they were down 17 nothing s minutes into that game uh I would uh yeah I don’t know who I’d be cheering

For either the Nets actually almost fought back in that game but they were down 17 nothing until like I think there was 526 left in the quarter when they got on the board yeah that they I mean the Raptors are pretty miserable but I I actually do think the Nets are actually

Somehow more miserable than they are uh and then the Raptors play two games to finish the year in Miami against the Miami Heat team that realistically um will still be playing for something they need those two wins uh so they’ll probably be quite competitive so yeah

We’ll see if RJ and IQ return but do you see another win for the rapers this season yeah I think it’s got to happen Sunday at home against the Wizards that one would also if they lose that one they tie the frch record for losing streak um so there’s the this is like

Our version of the Pistons beating the Raptors is You Don’t Want To Make History uh and it you see the Wizards on the schedule like it’s got to be that one um because the Wizards remain very very bad obviously they’re they’re only half game from Detroit for for the worst

Record in the East there um they’ve not been playing good back they they snuck a couple wi like they beat the Raptors and they beat they upset someone else they beat Sacramento uh shortly after that and like kings fans were rolling their eyes of like of course you know during

This good stretch they lose although they’re a bit of a mess they lost Malik monk now too in addition to Kevin herder and they’re down out of a play they’re back into the play in now so they’re in trouble anyway in terms of who the Raptors are playing these games matter

To all those teams except for the Wizards and the Nets um the heat right now are half a game back of the Pacers to avoid the play in so that is you know that’s going to be a tough race even if Miami isn’t in a play playoff spot at

That point they’re going to be looking to secure you know home court and the double chance uh in the in the play in and things like that so these games will matter uh to those teams and certainly anytime you play a western coms team those those games will matter I guess

The Bucks are the one team maybe they’ll be in who cares mode but even that’s I don’t even know man and it’s also it’s only a couple days away so like it’s not it’s not like it’s that far out so I don’t know I think it’s got to be Sunday

Against the Wizards you could probably beat the Nets um in in Brooklyn well the last two teams of the Raptors have been competitive against have been Washington and Brooklyn we’ve seen them recently and Charlotte’s the last team they beat so they’re they’re competitive in this bottom Division I would hope so I mean

Damn no but yeah I mean it’s got to be Sunday against the Wizards like that is you you want to avoid the alltime longest losing streak in franchise history and that’s like well I was going to ask be a pride element too is is that important is

There a pride element for for the org is there that for you you know is it as as K kusman once said at this point it’s like just don’t be that team yeah I think absolutely you in a franchise that has had as many bad years as this you

Don’t want to be the team that had the longest losing streak you’re already threatening one of the worst records they’ve ever had like non-expansion time it’s the worst season they’ve had in over a decade like this season is arguably worse than the Tampa season and they spent that year outside of the city

Holed up in a hotel practicing in a conference room the whole year and this season is arguably worse on top of all that like you still only have a 45% chance of keeping your pick so even like right at least in Tampa we came out of

Withs Scotty which is like F I know that this doesn’t really matter the players like how much do you care a guy who might come in and take your job um but like for the franchise there’s no like L little sugar coating on on this losing streak you’ve slid one spot in the

Standings and you’re still only half the game clear of Memphis and you only have a 45% chance of keeping your pick so I think yes you should Absolut like I get it the Grizzlies are on your tail and the percentage could go down even less

You can win one game the rest of the season and it should be like you shouldn’t lose to the second worst team in the league on home court if a couple of your guys back in a fr franchise record tying situation um I get it I get

The ping pong ball element but like you want to end the season on a 21 game losing streak the longest in franchise history when this team has like been an expansion team and lost 17 in a row and I don’t know what was it 2002 was when

They lost 13 in a row last time um 13 in a row in 2011 13 in a row in 2002 which by the way that year they still made the playoffs yeah um but like like RJ grew up a fan of this team you think he wants

And I know RJ is dealing with much much bigger stuff but once he you know once he’s back in the game I assume the competitive element will come back you don’t want to be that yeah right I mean it is a difficult situation I think the reason I asked this is because like

I don’t know when you spend time around the team like it doesn’t necessarily feel like they’re on a 13 game losing streak in the same way like I mean the effort level at certain times is certainly not as if they’re on a 13 game losing streak that’s what I mean like

It’s like the chillest 13 game losing streak ever like it’s almost like it’s nothing that loses and I get it like of course there’s the rational side which is you lose these games to increase your lottery odds um which by the way you did surrender control of that but let’s just

Put that aside for a second like it is the rational thing to do I think for the long term to to continue to sort of maximize whatever odds you have but at the same time it’s like it really does feel like it’s just nothing for them the lose like there’s not even like

Difficult questions around you know what I mean like the players are still like kind of like jovial you know the vibe is still the same and it’s just like I guess to compared to Tampa like when they were losing like that in Tampa and of first like the Tempa situation they

Also had a lot of things going on and including the fact that they were entirely displaced to a different country um but it’s still felt like gut-wrenching to lose all those games and I think the longest it got to was like nine in Tampa so we’re already long

Past that point but this is just in difference this is almost worse than like being sad that they lost it’s just like we don’t actually care if they win or lose anymore and in the Tampa season it at least felt like guys were like to a stronger degree taking advantage of

The opportunity it didn’t really turn into a ton but like Stanley Johnson had some really good games Paul Watson’s knees betrayed him after that but like Paul Watson used that time to like make a case that he belonged in the NBA um again your your knees disintegrate or whatever

Happened yeah but like guys at least it seemed took advantage of that and then yeah it was the the Tampa situation sucked but yeah you had you had uh what was what everyone anticipated being a very very strong draft um uhhuh although yeah even that one like I I forget

Sometimes they got some Lottery luck to land number four like they finished with the seventh worst record that year that was that was Fred sitting at the the podium like him I think like Ben Wallace was there you think they send Darko this year oh that’s a good that’s a good

Question as to who they send yeah yeah I think I think it’s probably got to be Darko 30th season you said Vince should it be Darko it should be the general manager who who made the trades in the first place like I would love to see Bobby’s reaction if they do don’t keep

The P there’s like a funny so when we worked at the score you don’t have right a l ofos and any time we needed a Ms photo like one of the only on was him really like really sad at the draft lottery one year I think I remember that

That was probably because the Raptors again they weren’t in the lottery because you know they were winning franchise uh that was the year that they had the Knicks pick and I think that’s why msai had to go for the lottery yeah because otherwise we were not in the

Lottery back in the day but um maybe that’s a conversation for that final those final couple shows is who’s gonna yeah honestly you know we w of that conversation um yeah so as you mentioned there have been other two 13 game losing streaks that they’ve now tied back in

2011 back in 2002 the 2002 one was real interesting just just going through some of the games the the 13th game that they had lost they had lost to the Dallas Mavericks uh 122 to 103 the Raptors lost that dropped them to 29 and 34 on the

Season this is coming off a year worth by the way they had like their best year franchise history to that point the star5 was actually pretty good like I actually can’t believe that this team was on a 13 losing streak Keon Clark Vince Carter antoniio Davis Alvin Williams Jerome Williams was a starting

Five then Del Curry mop Pete Chris Childs Hakeem Elijah one coming off the bench like that’s I mean it’s not 13 game losing streak level bad and they did ultimately turn it around and make the play yes so they not only did they lose 13 in a row they

Lost 17 of 18 CU right after they broke the streak they lost four in a row more but then they won nine in a row after that so they lost 17 of 18 and then w nine in a row um I believe that was the year Vince was hurt down the stretch and

They made the big push back to get in the playoffs and then had like a good series against the Pistons yeah um I I just to me it just again I wasn’t around for that team but it just felt like that team wasn’t so

Bad uh the team that lost 17 games in a row that was that year they finished 16 and 66 goodness um that that team definitely had like the the the players on paper so they started the season one and three right they lost to Miami lost to Atlanta

Lost or one against Golden State then they lost 17 straight so they were what one and 19 and the final loss in that third uh 17 game losing streak they played the Charlotte Hornets and the Raptors lost 95 to 82 the team on paper then was like okay yeah I could totally

See why this team was losing Damon stmy Walt Williams John Wallace Oliver Miller Marcus cambi Reggie Slater Zant toach Sean Wert tmac as a rookie coming off the bench as an 18-year-old like yeah that’s tough uh the other 13-game losing streak they had in 2010 2011 was like a

Pretty solid team just wasn’t there yet Amir Jose Calderon Sunny Williams demaro Rosen Andrea barani Ed Davis so they had all all the Young Guns yeah uh they had Calderon they had barani uh Jared bis and Julian Wright as the seventh and eighth man and then they were playing

Tre Johnson and Alexis ainsa uh Trey Johnson who is Trey Johnson how do I forget this man yeah he played seven games uh for them that season Trey Johnson man that’s that’s when 2K generates the players to to like you know Phil up rosters that they generate

Tre Johnson um real name Clinton Johnson okay but went by Trey yeah that’s the only thing I remember about him is that his name was Clinton but because he was the third his name he went by Trey gotta oh was that lint Linton Johnson the third oh I know yeah okay I remember

Lint Johns the third Clinton Clinton yes with a SE that’s not that’s wow okay all right my my last question is do you think this Raptor team beats either those two other teams or three other teams that have lost 13 or more in franchise history I don’t think they

Beat Vince team let’s be honest don’t beat the V team I don’t think they beat the the Young Guns team like that teamable young gun te was that team only won 22 games that year um and they were the worst defense in the league wow but

J TR Vibes yeah um yeah I guess I think I’m just giving like well Jose Val Jose was a steady vet at that point and I mean if it’s Jose versus Javon or Kobe Simmons like let’s be honest you know Jose is going to win that matchup yeah

Um just a little bit more offensive punch on on that Raptor team right um and then I don’t know probably beat this 17 game losing streak team man I don’t know probably I guess it comes down to like Damon’s the best player in the game and how much is that matter yeah I

Mean well these Give me Teenage tmac on these Raptors so there’s something dude if we honestly at that point that would have been what I was watching for cuz if I start the season one and 19 yeah I mean you would have been saying like

Start 30 games or 30 minutes a game yeah fair enough okay uh we’re long overdue for a break we’re going to take that break been your host will you’ve been listening to the Raptor show on the sports radio network brought to you by Campbell’s new chunky spice suit when we

Come back let’s talk about the Canadian who’s putting up 40 and 16 in the NCAA tournament welcome back to the Raptor show on the sports C radio network I’m your host luk Contin me joined by co-host Blake Murphy uh going to ask you one more NBA question before we get to the inate

Tournament which has been awesome both on the men’s and the women’s side um the Mavs last night they snapped the Rockets win streak at 11 staks by the way shout out to the rockets for turning their season around like they lose shenon um they’re already sliding in the sings it

Looked like all the momentum they made this season was all for not and then all of a sudden they turn it around Jaylen green goes like just incredible right to the point where people are drawing like young Kobe comparisons I think that’s probably g a little too far but you know

Still they’re playing at a great level they win 11 straight except for the fact that they run into the Mavs and the Mavs just crush them Mavs have now won seven straight and that’s the longest win streak now in the NBA right now Luca every time every time the maps do well

Of course you kind of have to have the Luca MVP conversation and um you know we’ve we’ve had that on the show a couple of times even just taking aside from the MVP though the two shots that he the one that he made pregame and the

One he made during the game as well uh walk us through those Blake as somebody who has no chance to ever make those type of shots ridiculous uh stuff the one pregame where he throws it he shoots it behind him behind his head or like in front of him but like directionally

Behind him off the Jumbotron and back into the basket first off how high up is the Jumbotron in the first place like that that takes a lot of effort just to even throw it onto the jumble drop yeah like I don’t think you could do it at

Scotia bank once it’s all the way up exactly yeah yeah right so either it’s a lower one or was still in the process of of going up game or something like that and then the one in game he bounced by the way he bounced that off the jumbl

Tron uh like 40t up in the air and then it like banked in yeah crazy unbelievable and the one in the game is like he’s he gets the ball above the break and like you know at first cuz I I wasn’t watching the game so I only saw

The clip and at first I’m like okay is he going to like he catches it like out near the logo and then he’s like almost pinned in at half court at one point like above the hash mark and I’m like oh is he going to just like hit a crazy

Three and no it was even crazier he’s dead he’s picked up his dribble and he does like a post move up and under like you do to try to lose a post Defender and finger rolls from like three4 of a step inside the three-point line and it

Goes in it’s ridiculous yeah yeah he’s the guy that you’re playing in poker like he only has like one out but he somehow always draws to that one out like you can’t pit him down if if you’re the defender and it’s that late in the shot clock and you’ve done that good a

Job you think there’s like a 99.9% chance you have either forced a brick a turnover or shot clock violation and then he finger rolls from just inside the three-point line right and that’s not even the best shot the maps have hit in the month of March like the Kyrie winner was still

Better than that uh but in any case yeah I mean you know we’ll see where Luca ultimately ends up um he’s more importantly played 65 games already now so he’s qualified he’s eligible to make all NBA he’s going to make all NBA yeah there there’s no question about it he

Should be first team too as well um and having made all NBA he’s now eligible to sign an extension in 2025 so this is like two years in the future now but um worth $346 million on his next extension which obviously he will receive every

Team in the NBA would line up to pay Luca donic that amount of money but to put $346 million into perspective um kg the big ticket right known for a long time for having a massive contract that’s way that’s already more than his total career earnings um LeBron in his total

Career today and LeBron obviously you know is LeBron $435 million at least made just straight off of playing the salary that he receives from playing in the M of course he’s made all sorts of endorsements and all that kind of stuff but like yeah 346 would be already two-thirds of what

LeBron has made or three quarters of what LeBron has made in his entire career and yeah I mean I don’t know I mean I don’t think it’ll happen with Luca but I do think that we will reach a point where an NBA player is going to make a billion dollars just straight up

On their career earnings and to put a billion dollars in perspective so Luca’s deal is going to be about 70 million per year once he signs it on the supermax you would need to be playing 14 years at the supermax at 70 million per year to get to a billion dollars in earnings

Which like you can’t do because the rookie scale contract and stuff so the only the person who’s going to have a chance to get their next is wemi because he was the number one pick so his rookie scale is already higher than we’ve anticipated or than we’ve ever seen um

And if the cap goes up significantly by the time his rookie scale extension comes around and he’s hit all NBA so he gets the 30% rookie scale Max instead of the 25% and then continues on from there but there’s so many ifs yeah yeah right

But yeah W’s got a nice head start cuz Luca I mean Luca came into the league at a time when the um the salary cap was a little lower so it wasn’t and he wasn’t a number one pick right right that’s true and Luka’s like young Luca’s only

25 like he just turned 25 so in terms of like potential career earnings there’s a huge path there but like wem’s got the the window here to to set some records yeah that will be I mean w Wy honestly might walk out of him playing the NBA all things go well for

The next 20 years you might walk out of this whole thing with between earnings from his team and earnings from endorsements like probably like two billion just off of playing in 20 years which would be uh but but could he could he guard Zack Ed and DJ Burns that’s a

Great question because you know at this time of year in basketball obviously you do turn your attention towards a Collegiate level um Zack EDI and Purdue won last night it’s it’s been really fun watching for me watching the Zack Ed experience because it’s not quite like

When you watch Shaq back in the day um because he doesn’t have that level athleticism not even close but it is still where it’s like he’s so dominant and he’s just going to park himself around the elbows he’s going to flip he’s going to turn but he’s going to

Just post up the whole time and the whole objective of the entire offense is to get him the ball and then he just crushes whoever is guarding him he’s drawing like 10 fouls a game it’s like it’s like a like an older version of

Shaq in a way but in any case what are what are your takeaways from watching Zack e dropped 40 last yesterday’s game was so fun like him and like dton NE on the other side also dropped 37 so like they were going back and forth and then

Ed hits this stretch uh Midway through the second half where like I think he scored 12 or 14 straight points for Purdue and it’s just like this is it it’s time where the offense is just Zach and like he got 22 free throw attempts and I know some people don’t love that

Like it slows the game down or whatever the refs are not like like Tennessee was one you supposed to do like you’re they’re they’re clearly hacking also Tennessee was like one of the highest fouling teams in all of college basketball this year like they’re a physical that’s their identity they’re

Going to play really really physical um so I thought it was great like the fact that you know the deeper we get in the tournament the better the teams are the more teams have worked on their game plan and known Zach Eed was a possibility and like everyone knows Zack

Eed he’s maybe going to win two-time national Player of the Year and things like that but in these environments where like yeah in a regular season conference game or or a pre certainly a preseason like pre-conference Tournament game um maybe you’re not worrying about changing your defense all that much cuz

Five games in the season whatever um and Zach is not playing 39 minutes and things like that but in these environments where every coach and every team has game plan to try to limit Zack Ed to be able to drop 40 and 16 in this environment um is really really cool and

I think you’ve gotten to see you know how how why he has a reputation as unlike some of the criticism that gets levied at like the high free throw a they’re just bigger than everyone big man like he’s tough he’s physical he wants to be in there and stuff um you

Also see like how the touch has improved around the rim and things like that the free free throw shooting wasn’t the best yesterday but generally that’s area he’s gotten a little better as well he’s like above 70% that’s pretty good for a guy going to the free throw line 20 times

Yeah and like loved the quote yesterday about like they don’t know what’s inside us or or we can’t play the whole quote cuz there’s some swear words in it honestly that took him by surprise too cuz I felt like Zach was like a again he’s like a he went to leide he’s you

Know half Chinese guy too and like I’m you know I’m I’m certainly invested in rooting for Zack Ed for sure but like you know he just always seemed to come across as really some almost softspoken in a way and yeah I guess I wasn’t familiar with either I I I I do always

See a lot of skepticism online and in the reaction why would we appreciate what he’s doing when we can instead yeah everyone’s like well you know you can ride a pick and Rod him he’s not going to to move his feet that’s fair like I actually do think that that’s totally

Fair but like we’re also ignoring the gigantic like offensive production that a guy who is again gigantic 7 foot4 can really produce so I’m curious to see where he goes on the draft I mean I I I know there’s obviously a raptor connection who knows maybe the Raptor’s

Ultimate going that direction but like yeah what do you what do you make of Zach as a as a prospect yeah the questions are going to be on the defensive end offensively like yeah okay it’s not you know he hasn’t really shot the three cuz Purdue never wants him

Outside of the paint we don’t shoot a three man we don’t really know what his passing looks like outside of post passing at a post doubles and things like that the degree to which he’s improved quickly offensively improved his touch improved his footwork things like that I think that gives you some

Encouragement with his player type I don’t think you ever really worry that much about the range other than like maybe that trailer three the like hey you you’re the you’re the last man back on offense can you just knock down that no one’s at the top exactly knock down

That top of the top of the key uh no one’s picked you up yet three defensively is where the questions are and he’s improved in that regard but there’s still a question of lateral quickness hip moob you know you’re able to your ability to turn your hip and you

Know some of this is also the way Purdue uses him which is obviously really really valuable defensively but he’s so so important to that team that my read on it and I’ve never I have never asked the coach this but like I think sometimes he doesn’t contest as many

Shots as you’d think for a 7 fo4 guy because they absolutely under no circumstances can survive him being in foul trouble so it’s more of like use your body to take the pain away and if a guy can get a shot off like be very very

Careful with what you can test he had the big block late last night that was his only block of the game and and really he didn’t contest a ton of shots in the paint um with length and physicality and stuff like that I think

Some of that is Purdue wants him to be a little more conservative to make sure he stays on the floor but these are going to be the questions that NBA team is going to draft him you know pre Tournament San Vini pegged his range starting in like around 18 and into the

Early part of the second round um some team is going to draft him for sure the strength and conditioning program this offseason the hey can we work on the The Hip fluidity andity aspect um but like the path to him being a valuable offense first bench Center is like like how do

You not kick the tires and see what you can get out of that in like a like I don’t know what the what the comp is cuz no one else is 7 fo4 300 lb other than like ban who’s had like a nice career off of off of being a cool guy that

Everyone likes having around but like the path to him being a useful offense first bench big it’s like pretty straightforward you just got to get the defense to a level where you don’t give all those points back and I think the Improvement he showed and the toughness

He has there I’d bet on it in the late first early second for sure yeah for sure well I mean look the Raptors do have picks in that range so we’ll see the ultimate go in that direction or maybe Jen Zebo TJ Burns is really a what

A great nickname it is an amazing nickname and he has a great game uh you know you’re doing well when yic compliments your game but anyway that does it for us today I’ve been your host Willow you’ve been listening to the Raptor show on the sports and radio

Network brought to you by Campbell new chunky SP soups time to get fired up big thanks to our producers amm board producer Lance Kennedy Jennifer o David says J Mana helping behind the scenes we’ll be back to talk tomorrow

William Lou and Blake Murphy begin this week recapping Sunday’s loss to the 76ers and look at the remaining schedule to project when the Raptors will get back into the win column. Afterwards, they take a closer look at Toronto’s own Zach Edey who’s helped get Purdue into the Final Four of the Men’s NCAA Tournament.

———————————————-
0:00 – Intro
1:51 – Raps/Philly recap
10:36 – Jordan Nwora
16:50 – Bruce Brown FA chat
37:56 – Mavs/Rockets recap
43:16 – Zach Edey

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