Throughout the 2016-17 NBA season we’ll take a look back at the week that was and set up the week to come in Raptorland.
While 2016 hasn’t been kind to all – celebrities in particular – it’s done its best to treat the Toronto Raptors kindly: The all-star game at Air Canada Centre, a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, re-signing DeMar DeRozan and a 21-8 start to the 2016-17 campaign.
Not too shabby.
But with unquestionably the greatest calendar year in Raptors history coming to a close it’s important to savour what was and then look ahead and understand some of the hard decisions that the team will be facing both immediately and a little further down the road in 2017.
First off, with news that Jared Sullinger is out of the walking boot and getting some shots up at practice, that’s a sign that coach Dwane Casey and his staff will need to determine whether to stick with Pascal Siakam as a starter or not. There’s still no specific timetable for Sullinger, but it’s still something that needs to be laid out and prepared for when Sullinger does return and it isn’t exactly a brain-dead choice.
Siakam has impressed as a rookie doing the things that don’t show up on the box score but will endear you to coaches and teammates very well, such as setting hard screens, running the floor, boxing out and crashing the glass with no abandon. More importantly, the experiment of making him a starter right out of the gate has worked out well because it has allowed Casey to stick with his rotation and have Patrick Patterson come off the bench.
It’s because of how well Siakam has fit that makes trying to work Sullinger in so difficult. Logic dictates that Sullinger should probably jump right in as the starting power forward as he was always pegged to be and relegate Siakam to the bench so as not to impede on Patterson’s minutes, but, seeing as the Raptors are rolling, is it wise to shake up the starting lineup and potentially mess with a good thing?
There’s isn’t an obvious answer to the question, but the healthier Sullinger gets the more it’ll be asked so it’s probably in the team’s best interest to figure out its plan of action soon.
Another hard call the Raptors need to make is on Norman Powell’s minutes. If all goes according to plan, DeMarre Carroll will be featured in back-to-backs in the New Year, cutting into what was a big portion of Powell’s playing time as he was often called upon to start for Carroll during the back-to-back game the team didn’t want the Raptors veteran swingman to play in.
DeMarre Carroll’s presumed increased workload in 2017 raises a couple tough decisions. (Jon Blacker/CP)
With Carroll playing regularly, minutes for Powell will be tougher to come by as it’s been proven that Casey would rather roll with more floor time for Terrence Ross than the second-year guard out of UCLA. This is understandable considering how good Ross has been this season – the month of December, especially – but the Raptors still need to find a way to get him regular playing time, nonetheless. His tenacious defence and knock-down three-point shooting is a big part of Toronto’s success and it would be foolhardy to reduce his time on the floor.
Lastly, looking long-term this time, team president Masai Ujiri and general manager Jeff Weltman have a hell of a decision to make on Kyle Lowry this off-season.
Lowry can opt out of his current deal at the end of this season and seeing as he’s far outperformed his current contract it’s pretty much a guarantee that he tests the open market where a juicy max contract – or really close to one – will be waiting for him.
With the trade deadline on the horizon, Lowry’s impending free agency has to be a topic that weighs large on the Raptors’ front office. This is a management group in charge of a second-place team that could have a shot at making a run to the NBA Finals, but also is in danger of losing its best player and getting nothing in return.
If Ujiri and Co. are really so scared they won’t be able to lock up Lowry like they did DeRozan or they’re afraid they simply aren’t good enough even with a trade that would add to the Lowry-DeRozan core at the deadline then they probably have to look at dealing him.
With that said, it would take something really out of left field for the Raptors to want to break this band up so soon. What’s more likely is the Raptors keep everyone together through the trade deadline and into the playoffs (Why wouldn’t they? The Raptors are second in the East) and then go through the process of Lowry’s contract in the off-season.
Similarly to what happened with Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista and the Toronto Blue Jays, there could be some heartache and a little ugliness when it comes to the negotiations, but that’s the nature of professional sports.
Much of 2016 felt like a dream for the Raptors and 2017 could offer more of the same should the Raptors push the right buttons. The choices they’ll need make won’t be easy and that’s what makes them that much more important.
All-star voting open
For those unaware, NBA all-star voting is now open. Expect to see a lot of tweets like this in your timeline until the voting closes on Jan. 16 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
So go out and vote for whoever you think should be an all-star starter, or don’t. It’s up to you, really.
NBA All-Star Weekend is taking place from Feb. 17-19 from New Orleans this year.
