When this week’s over, the Raptors will be almost a quarter of the way through the schedule without once … Log In Sign Up. 7. He is recognized throughout the NBA as the expert on all things Raptors, and spent five years serving as the first and only non-American president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association, a group of more than 200 men and women who regularly cover the league and its … Republication or distribution of this content is Toronto Star. Republication or distribution of this content is But the second half is no picnic. That was my aim. DOUG SMITH is a sports reporter for the Toronto Star and has covered the Raptors since their inception in 1995. Doug Smith gives a quick preview on the Raptors and their attitude leading up to the 2014/2015 season. read It is smart business practice to take what you’ve experienced and apply it to future endeavours and it goes for the Raptors … By Doug Smith. Doug Smith: Raptors have sent Jalen Harris back to the 905s and he’ll be ready to go for the March To The Gubble Title starting Sunday G League , Uncategorized G League , Jalen Harris , … Press J to jump to the feed. They have resisted the urge so far to seriously consider roster moves but they do have a variety of cards they might play. It’s there for people to learn about themselves and whatever craft they are pursuing because the parent NBA team believes not only in organizational consistency but also in letting people learn and grow. We the North is a collection of short essays, covering various aspects of the team and its history. Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6. to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about 7. Posted by. permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com. The Raptors will have to play 36 games in just over two months and how they handle that load will go a long way to determining where they finish. NATIONAL BESTSELLER Doug Smith always gets the first question in any Raptors press conference--as the dean of our press corps, he's been in the front row for every development over the past 25 years. By Doug Smith. That, of course, won’t translate into NBA jobs for all of them but that’s almost not the point. “Doug Smith always gets the first question in any Raptors press conference—as the dean of our press corps, he’s been in the front row for every development over the past 25 years. Jan 25 Newspapers. My motivation. I’m dubious and being 62, having had three major heart surgeries and eating meds like Smarties for a variety of things we need to stay on top of, you can be sure I’m watching these people closely. Now he has to come back after having missed almost two weeks, at least, because of the NBA’s health and safety COVID-19 protocols. By Doug Smith Sports Reporter Mon., March 8, 2021 timer 4 min. Some of it goes to the backup situation: If they can deal for one proven veteran wing to come off the bench and be consistent, it would be a huge boost. DOUG SMITH is a sports reporter for the Toronto Star and has covered the Raptors since their inception in 1995. Toronto Star. But my big takeaway – and I wasn’t around every day but I have a pretty good sense of these things – is that they will remember this year with fondness because they were fortunate enough to have been coached by Patrick Mutombo. On October 4 of 1995, signed with the Boston Celtics. presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution And given that we’re a year less a day from when it all went kablooey, it’ll be fun to hear what they say. Sure, there’s NBA talent on the roster – I think Alize Johnson’s an NBA player, Nik Stauskas has been, as has Henry Ellenson and Gary Payton II should likely get another look – but it’s more than that. He is recognized throughout the NBA as the expert on all things Raptors, and spent five years serving as the first and only non-American president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association, a group of more than 200 men and women who regularly cover the league and its teams. Jan 25 Newspapers. You can debate his X and O acumen until you’re blue in the face – 13 wins in 17 games and the best offence in the league would lead me to believe he and his staff are darn good strategists – but his leadership skills seem off the charts. He raised his hand when the Toronto Star was looking for someone to take on the role of a beat reporter when Toronto landed it’s NBA expansion franchise. — Doug Smith: Raptors (@SmithRaps) January 25, 2021. It’s for grooming back of house support staff, for grooming training staff, front office staff, medical staff and, yes, coaching staff. He lasted the entire season in Boston, appearing in just 17 games while averaging a new career low in points per game with 1.9. Beyond that, the numbers are similar. He was selected by the Toronto Raptors in the 1995 expansion draft, but was released before playing any games . Kyle Lowry leads off the court during the Raptors’ COVID-19 outbreak. They went from expansion to champion in 25 years and what a run it’s been for Toronto Raptors Basketball. I don’t know what will be next for Mutombo but I do know that his year in charge has shown he’s got all the tools to be in charge of bigger things if he wants to be. It’s not easy because there are so many teams still in contention and finding a willing trade partner with something you want and something they need from you is a lot easier said that done. Lots of other stuff was going on and the season was short and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com, The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto 2. Hit send, I’ll get it, the answers will magically appear here on Sunday morning. When this week’s over, the Raptors will be almost a quarter of the way through the schedule without once … — Doug Smith: Raptors (@SmithRaps) January 25, 2021. Credit to OG Raptors beat reporter Doug Smith with the well-sourced news drop! 2 weeks ago – via Twitter SmithRaps Doug Smith: Raptors make official the signing of 6-10 forward Donta Hall to a 10-day deal. I got a bit late to the 905s this year. And he some difficult stretches in the first half, like a six-game stretch in late January when he had 15 points or fewer four times. Anunoby, still plagued by injuries that kept him out of 10 games and caught up in the COVID-19 web that forced him out of at least two more, has been the versatile defensive presence the Raptors need but his improvement as a scorer (13.8 points per game), especially near the basket, has been a pleasant surprise. And if I read one story ever about vaccinations in this province going to waste because they expire or for whatever reason, we’re going to have to adjust the blood pressure medicine dosage. 1 day ago. All He struck the right chords in every conversation I sat in on: Winning was vital because winners attract attention and offers and people want to be associated with them; development was huge because no one should ever be satisfied; you need to be driven to be your best. To order copies of The Raptors need a strong return from Pascal Siakam to be contenders in the second half, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. They got 17 games in about a month, a handful of practices and a couple of dozen intense film sessions and I am dead sure every player on that team came away better. The team has come through an up-and-down first half of the NBA season — 17-19 as it prepares to start the second half Thursday against Atlanta in Tampa, Fla. — and it has shown flashes of being able to vault to the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference. Read this, save it, look at it every now and then and tell me if you have any confidence whatsoever that our provincial government will meet its vaccination goals. None of the possibilities — Terence Davis, Stanley Johnson, DeAndre’ Bembry, Aron Baynes, Yuta Watanabe, Matt Thomas, Patrick McCaw — have really stood out. Whether he was infected by the coronavirus or not, that’s a long time away from the game for someone who thrives on constant work. It’s an engaging read. rights reserved. The Raptors need him to be more the all-star Siakam than the run-of-the-mill Siakam to have a successful second half. There’s no one better placed to write a history of our team’s first quarter century.” —Nick Nurse, head coach, Toronto Raptors DOUG SMITH is a sports reporter for the Toronto Star and has covered the Raptors since their inception in 1995. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. Evening out that process, getting one of them or two of them to seize the opportunity and take the job full time is a must in the second half. Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. 2 days ago Newspapers. 26. Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. But it’s going to be something to watch between now and March 25. e’re a year less a day from when it all went kablooey. How marathon chalk talks in Nick Nurse’s basement spawned two NBA coaching careers. A subreddit for fans of the 2018-19 NBA Champion Toronto Raptors. Veteran NBA reporter Doug Smith is writing a book about the history of the Toronto Raptors as the franchise turns 25 years old. We the North is packed with details — big and small — that explain the history of the Raptors. Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. None of them. As we’ve said since the franchise was founded, the Raptors use it for more than just player development. The two have tended in the past to be a bit up and down, but the Raptors can’t afford that this season. He’ll head to the Gubble to join the 905s Donta Hall, Toronto … The Raptors early season failings are a collective problem by: Doug Smith - Sports Reporter — Toronto Star: Doug Smiths Sports Blog 30 Dec 20 No one's blameless in 0-3 start plus some thoughts on a variety of other issues of the day If the others go on to make more money, play for more years, enjoy pushing themselves to their limits, that’s what matters. ... As we’ve said since the franchise was founded, the Raptors use it for more than just player development. Doug Smith previews the coming week in Toronto Raptors-land. Doug Smith issues apology for Dwight Howard tweet. Unfortunately for both the Mavs and Doug, things didn't go the way they expected. I hope they all play for as long as they want,  enjoy the fun of success, make comfortable livings for themselves and their families. Doug Smith has been there from the start: the first reporter on the Raptors beat. As a side note, it’s unfathomable to me that it’s been a calendar year – well, a calendar year tomorrow – since I last saw in person anyone connected with the Raptors. We came up short, but man we tried like crazy.”. I’m pretty sure you’ve got stuff on your minds and all you’ve got to do to let loose is click on askdoug@thestar.ca and type out a question. Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. By Doug Smith. He is recognized throughout the NBA as the expert on all things Raptors, and spent five years serving as the first and only non-American president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association, a group of more than 200 men and women who regularly cover the league and its … Now, some 25 years later, Smith is the only print reporter still covering the team. It's got to turn into an obsession to get better, an obsession to reach a goal, an obsession about your craft. And that’s a big ask. Fred VanVleet’s rise with Raptors puts him in the mix for U.S. Olympic team. After 4 seasons of around 20 minutes played per night, the Mavs decided not to protect Doug in the expansion draft, and he was picked by the Raptors in the expansion draft of 1995. Toronto Raptors All-Star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan recently opened up about his battle with depression and anxiety in an interview with Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. To order copies of And very few people are willing to be pushed to that extent. By Doug Smith. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 3 days ago Newspapers. Toronto Star. Close. That’s on me because watching them very closely for a week or so, after catching the odd few minutes during the course of the season, reaffirmed a couple of things and it would have been nice to see it more closely from Gubble Day 1. They need the same type of production in the remaining 36 games. Among them: dealing expiring contracts for ones that run out past this season. The short-handed Raptors needed a boost — and didn’t get it in blowout loss to Pistons. Doug was waived in July 1996 by the Celtics, ending his NBA career. Masai Ujiri . 26. Doug Smith's Blog. No coaches, no players, no staffers, no colleagues, no friends. First, it’s so important to have that team for player development it’s not even funny. They’ll need some breaks, like no long-term injury issues and no further rash of coronavirus absences, and they’ll need the same good fortune in the second half that they had in the first. Kyle Lowry returns, but exits early in Raptors’ loss to Pacers. permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com. And in that respect, the 905s this year did precisely want they were meant to: Give people a chance to be their best selves. rights reserved. But that’s only if some things they saw in the first half are fixed or maintained in the second half. Smith played in five NBA seasons, for the Mavericks (1991–95) and the Boston Celtics (1995–96) and averaged 8.0 ppg in his NBA career. DOUG SMITH is a sports reporter for the Toronto Star and has covered the Raptors since their inception in 1995. It is smart business practice to take what you’ve experienced and apply it to future endeavours and it goes for the Raptors as it does for any corporation in the world. Davis leads the group in points (7.1) per game; Baynes leads them in minutes (19.7), largely because he has started 26 games before giving way most nights to Chris Boucher. To order There's no one better placed to write a history of our team's first quarter century. Totally impressive. The move, which has broken the hearts of some Toronto fans is also one that the team and many say will bring the Raptors a … — Doug Smith: Raptors (@SmithRaps) February 24, 2021 … but by QTing Kendra, he literally bullied her by opening up her timeline to attacks from his … To read more of Doug Smith's hot takes, sign up for his newsletters here.-----The Raptors start a new era — without DeMar DeRozan, and with a new superstar, Kawhi Leonard. Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6. Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com, The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star In their heart of hearts, no one cares about your bracket. Doug Smith has covered the Toronto Raptors from day one. Doug Smith previews the coming week in Toronto Raptors-land. Some nights, some have been good; some nights the search for contributions has been futile. Firm but fair, intense but a bit self-effacing, demanding but understanding; the guy was impressive. to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about We’ll get to chat with a few of them – and I have no clue at the moment who that will be – later this evening and I expect it to be a very interesting conversation about what life’s been like the last 10 days or so and what lessons might have been learned. presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution All Fred VanVleet has been a reliable perimeter scorer in what has been a chaotic Toronto Raptors season. “Anybody that has ever done anything of significance has that mentality, and very few players understand that. He was too spotty in the first 36 games. Opinion. Siakam, by his own admission, did not handle the playoff bubble life well last season. Toronto Star. He said he lost his joy for the game, part of his spirit, some of his energy. Nurse has already started talking about finding games in which to rest his heavily used players (Kyle Lowry turns 35 this month, Fred VanVleet is among the leaders in minutes played). To order Siakam will have missed almost two full weeks due to health and safety protocols when Toronto resumes play Thursday night. although they would cut into cap space they might be saving for this summer; and dealing some of the draft picks they have in the next five seasons to sweeten any deal. We’re way low on stuff for Ye Olde Mailbag this week. expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto We’re almost at that point where you need the annual reminder: I don’t care about your bracket. 17. User account menu. This from post-game last night, when the Gubble season ended with a semifinal loss to the Delaware Blue Coats: “Getting a group of young people to understand that if you want to achieve anything of significance, you’ve got to go beyond mere interest.