Here we go again. - BlindSideNZ's Dynasty

BlindSideNZ's Dynasty Blog

Here we go again.

Posted on February 7, 2014 at 09:40 PM.

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October 30th 2016.

Air Canada Center, Toronto

The ring ceremony. Oh it feels good. The first NBA Championship in Raptors history.

Question now is can we do it again. Don't expect too many changes this year. We feel way to confident with this roster, especially with the arrival of rookie star Dion Tinsley.

And DeMar DeRozan what can i say, throughout the preseason he continued to show the dominance he displayed the entire playoff run.

Just look at these pre season stats

Pre Season Stats Stats - 16-17
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FPG
Ashley Walker	7	35.8	9.7	3.4	6.7	2.8	0.5	2.7
DeMar DeRozan	7	38.2	22.7	8.2	4.7	1.7	3	1.8
Terrence Ross	7	30.8	14.7	3.4	0.8	0.7	0.1	1.4
Kurtis Holden	7	29.2	7.7	7.1	3.2	0.0	1.0	1.57
Jonas Valanciunas	7	31.8	15.2	8.1	0.1	0.5	2.5	1.2
Amir Johnson	7	12.5	6.0	2.8	0.0	0.2	0.5	0.5
Dion Tinsley	7	14.1	9.1	2.5	1.4	0.2	0.4	1.1
Pierre Jackson	7	12.2	5.5	0.4	0.4	0.2	0.0	0.0
Tremaine Alexander	7	10.2	4.7	2.5	0.4	0.0	0.2	0.8
James Ennis	7	8.0	2.0	2.1	0.2	0.1	0.0	0.1
Ilkan Karaman	7	6.0	1.0	0.7	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.1

Now we all know DeMar isn't what the NBA would classify a "Star" but i have loved his attitude and heart even before I took over this organization. I know the sample size here is small but when your 2-guard averages more rebounds and blocks the your frontcourt while still posting 20+ppg you know there is something special going on.

DeMar tell us, "Man, after that series with the Thunder last year i just knew there was more i could still bring to this team. Anybody can score points, but it takes more than that to secure an NBA Championship. I'm just sorry we couldn't have done it with Vince (Carter) he put this organization on the basketball map. I'm just going to ensure it stays that way."

We vowed to our guys over the summer that things would stay the way they are for the forseeable future provided the guys keep bringing it the way they did last year. To prove this point contracts were offered right after opening day.

DeMar DeRozan 5yrs/60.04mil (5th yr Team Option)
Kurtis Holden 5yr/46.05mil
Ashley Walker 5yr/40.22mil

And that is exactly why we had that cap set aside. With two 1st round picks coming in the 2017 draft. Its about time we set our scouts on their way.

Comments

# 1 darkwolf80 @ Feb 8

You are definitely loaded to make a long run at repeated championships.

# 2 BlindSideNZ @ Feb 8

Man that pre season had me absolutely stunned. Locking down those 3 was key. DeRozan is absolutely everywhere all the time! And i can see Holden turning into a 10 & 10 guy. Maybe 3 - 5 assists per game. He's not a scoring threat for this squad but he is a guy that can't be forgotten about. He's scored 30 points a couple times since the season began.