Quote Originally Posted by |AFO| View Post
@Spence: Derozen made a huge leap in his game this year, didn't he? If he could get a consistent 3, he'd be a dominant 2 guard. If he works on that in the off season I could see him in the top 20. Lowry doesn't have as much potential IMO. He's good at everything, but I don't think he has the athleticism to take it to the next level. No one seems to agree with me on that. Watching Derozen destroy people though... He's got a great first step, speed, quickness, power. Just have to get that 3 down and defenses are going to be on their heels the whole game.
From what I can tell, Derozan can't handle the playoffs. He's upped his game every single year he's been a raptor (regular season) and is an amazing person/hard worker, but I think his skill is pretty capped and predictable. He gets shut down in the playoffs due to the refs swallowing the wistle and defensive intensity goes up. Even if the 3 point jumper comes, his basketball IQ is extremely questionable (probably the most iso heavy player in the league and definitely isn't kobe), and his defense is worse then James Harden. As for Lowry, u kinda hit the nail on the head, he's the perfect complementary player at PG. He can score, he can dish, he plays elite defense for his position, he has an extremely high basketball IQ, he makes so many hustle plays, he's big in the clutch and I can't tell u how many times he's killed other teams runs by putting the team on his back and making a big play on either end of the court. I'd rather have lowry as a second option scorer then almost anyone in the league honestly. I have to agree with u Lowry lacks the athleticism and shooting to be a superstar/#1 option, but in terms of everything he brings as a 2nd option.. let's just say if I were Durant, I'd rather play on the raptors then OKC. Westbrook is basically the kobe to durant's jordan and it's an imperfect match. Lowry + CO would be better suited to get durant a ring imo.

That being said, if I were Durant, I'd probably look at the Celtics over any team. They have everything ready for a superstar like Durant to come in and push them over top. On top of that, they have a ton of trade chips in hand to add even more then just durant.

Could u imagine a team like this?

PG: Smart, IsiahThomas (still the 6th man)
SG: Avery Bradley, SG/SF Draft pick
SF: Durant, Crowder
PF: Amir Johnson, Kelly Olynyk
C: Boogie Cousins, Jared Sullinger

PF is a bit of a weakness, but Amir Johnson and Olynyk are both big enough to play center/switch with boogie anytime and both crowder and durant are big enough to play PF and switch with eachother if the team wants to play small. Bradley and smart are elite defenders at PG or SG and Isiah Thomas comin in to bail out smart or avery when they struggle offensively is crucial. It's pretty cool that this is even possible, certainly still wouldn't compete with the cavs offensively (I think the cavs are showing in the playoffs the potential of that lineup) but defensively it would rival the spurs. Brad Stevens would be in heaven with all the potential lineups and matchups and I'm a big Brad Stevens supporter.

Im not as die hard a raptors fan as I am a basketball fan so I'd be pretty stoked if the celts pull something like that off. It's gonna be a HUGE offseason for the celts or Raps or both.

Unfortunately, I think the raps won't mess with the status quo and will keep Derozan around. Nothin wrong with that, I just think the raps need more then Derozan to compete with the cavs next year and I definitely don't see Durant coming. If the raps manage to take down the heat this year, I also don't think they stand much of a chance against the cavs. Batum+ a solid PF, IMO would make this team (Ranked 11th in defensive efficiency with Scola at PF and Derozan at SG) would be a powerhouse defensively and probably would still be at least a top 10 offense with some potential to be better then that pending some ball movement improvements.