Two players promoted from 905
The Toronto Raptors were blown out at home by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The score of 119-95 actually flatters our guys, as this game was essentially over by halftime, with the visitors holding a 20-point lead. Cleveland, which boasts a second unit capable of defeating many teams’ first, looks like a serious contender to the Boston Celtics as the Eastern Conference’s representative in the NBA Finals.
Meanwhile, the Raptors are playing out the string. Expect to hear lots of brave talk about making a push for the play-in tournament, but that’s a fantasy. Instead, what we’re likely to see is a steady stream of new faces auditioning for next year’s roster. (My opinion is bolstered by the fact the Raptors didn’t make a move to sign Bismack Biyombo, who could have provided short-term help in the front court. Biz has joined the OKC Thunder, which is great for him. We wish him success.)
In the professional theatre, a cattle call means an open audition. Lots of applicants for a few open spots. Will an unknown surprise the judges?
Toronto inked two players, Mouhamadou Gueye and Justise Winslow, to 10-day contracts. Gueye, undrafted out of Pittsburgh, has never played a regular-season NBA game. He’s a late bloomer, with the dimensions and skillset of a younger Chris Boucher. [Amusing sidenote: I asked my AI assistant for more background on Mouhamadou Gueye; it returned with lots of data about Mouhamed Gueye, who’s a rookie with the Atlanta Hawks. Be careful about your sources.]
Winslow comes from the other side of the basketball world. A lottery pick of the Miami Heat in 2015, he finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting, but his career since then has been plateau, then fall. He will be 28 years old before this season ends, so there’s no chance of him ever becoming a star. A swingman with a career shooting percentage of 31.5 can’t survive in today’s game, unless he can defend.
Winslow is a beefy, tough-minded competitor – think Dillon Brooks. There’s a place in our rotation for a nasty boy. Justise is capable of the intangibles, but I’m not so sure about the tangibles. Can he get some put-backs, make a few steals, block some shots…? And will he get a chance to prove himself? One assumes the front office made these deals with the agreement of Coach Darko Rajakovic, otherwise why bother? If both he and Gueye remain glued to the bench, we’ll know there’s tension between the team’s executives and its coaches.
Finally, we had our first look at two (more) new faces, Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji. KO was excellent, while Agbaji missed all five 3-balls he tried. If Ochai can’t make the grade in Toronto (he has an inside track, as his father and Masai Ujiri have been friends since youth in Nigeria), his NBA future is dark.
Draft picks coming in June, Gradey Dick looking more and more like a player, 10-day contracts, the banishment of Chris Boucher – the Raptors’ roster is turning over at a high rate of speed.
- Tags: Masai Ujiri, Toronto Raptors
