Raptors & end of season positioning
By Brian Boake
How much rest, if any, should the Raptors proffer their starters as the season winds down?
The Toronto Raptors have been comfortably ensconced in second place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference for what seems like forever. Barring their complete collapse, or a monumental winning streak from one of the teams bunched behind, that’s likely where the Raptors will end the season. What impact should that have on their roster decisions between now and Game 82?
Let’s consider the matter from an optimistic perspective. The Cleveland Cavaliers keep winning and don’t seem likely to tumble out of the top spot. Yet there are persistent rumblings of disenchantment with the situation inside the locker room. In particular, the Cavs seem unhappy with point guard Kyrie Irving. There are whispers about LeBron James being displeased with the play of Kevin Love. Cleveland players are still coming to terms with their new coach, Tyronn Lue, who got the gig when David Blatt was fired after a 30-11 start.
Whether the Raptors can, or should, make an all-out effort to claim the top seed in the East (thereby securing home court until the Finals) is a compelling question. On balance, I’d say No, largely because the cost in terms of player burnout would be too high.
A glance at the Raptors schedule over the final 14 games doesn’t cause alarm bells to ring between my ears. Yes, they visit San Antonio and host OKC, but they have beaten both those powerhouses. The season ends with games against the Knicks, 76ers, and Nets. That woeful trio should provide coach Dwane Casey a lot of flexibility to juggle his lineups.
The biggest tasks for the Raptors are ensuring their optimal starting five are at full health, and providing them sufficient floor time to play as a unit. Jonas Valanciunas has sat the last three games as his troublesome left hand heals from its second injury this season. Bismack Biyombo has been superb, Jason Thompson hasn’t hurt, and the Raptors keep winning. I hope JV sits against Orlando on Sunday, as the Raptors don’t play again until Wednesday.
Meanwhile, DeMarre Carroll’s seemingly endless recovery from knee surgery continues, with a “best guess” return date of early April. If true, Carroll will have two weeks to reacquaint himself with his team and its plays.
Meantime, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan need to be handled with kid gloves. For me, a sure sign of Lowry’s fatigue is his recent difficulty at the free-throw line. His turnovers are also becoming alarming; the man needs some rest. DD sat down against Milwaukee this week. Perhaps Kyle should rest against the Magic.
San Antonio coach Greg Popovich has become famous (or infamous, if you ask the NBA head office) for sitting out his star players, sometimes en masse. He’ll take the hits; his Spurs are fresh and ferocious come playoff time.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery; our coach shouldn’t hesitate to rest some or all of our starters. The Raptors’ visit to San Antonio might be a perfect opportunity to do so. The Spurs are literally unbeatable at home (34-0), so a starting five of healthy rotation players would be perfectly understandable. Mail it in, coach, we’ve got a cushion. Let’s give Norman, Bruno, Bebe and Delon some face time against the best.
This topic isn’t close to exhaustion. We’ll return to it in a few weeks, as the playoff situation becomes clearer.