Wonder what the U.S. Media is saying about the Toronto Raptors? We’ve compiled some of the best stories from the past week to examine how the Raptors are being talked about.
Ever wonder what is being said about the Toronto Raptors outside of Canada? Situations in Philadelphia and Washington have Raptor fans intrigued. Might a move in either place affect the Raps chances longterm? We look at a couple of local perspectives from Philly and Washington.
We also look at how some of the best national sites break down the Raptors chances of taking the next step in an improving East and if they have what it takes to contend for a championship.
Local
In what could have significant implications to the Toronto Raptors, the Philadelphia 76’ers are considering dealing Markelle Fultz. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines the reports that Fultz’s camp wants a fresh start elsewhere. In a second piece, Pompey outlines the history of the Fultz saga including a breakdown of the injury and his poor on-court performance.
The situation in Washington is certainly more dire. It really doesn’t look tenable at this point. But Candace Buckner and Gene Wang from the Washington Post wonder if the recent blowup might, in fact, lead to a Washington rebound as they consider the next steps for the Wizards. Will Beal be dealt to an Eastern Conference rival? Or, can Washington figure it out?
National
SB Nation looks at the new and improved East in an article entitled “The NBA’s Eastern Conference is officially back“.
Now that LeBron is gone, does the Eastern Conference really have a chance to dethrone a team from the West or even the Golden State Warriors? SB Nation separates the contenders (the Bucks, the Raptors, the Celtics, 76’ers and the Pacers) from the rest. The piece dives into the Raptors chances, conceding there’s a difference between this year’s Raptors and previous squads:
“The Raptors have their own tortured postseason history to contend with, but there’s a whole new energy around this team.”
Paul Flannery breaks down the new-look Raptors including the influence of new Raps (Leonard and Green) as well as some of the moves Nick Nurse has made.
The Bleacher Report uses the win over Orlando this week as evidence to support the idea that the Toronto Raptors may be able to go deep in this year’s playoffs, not because of the arsenal of offensive weapons, but because of their defence in an article “Elite Defence Can Propel Raptors To Championship Run“.
ESPN’s Michael C. Wright wonders if Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich might still not be over the Kawhi Leonard drama of last year. In a recent scrum, ‘Pops’ discussed leadership and who he sees as his team leaders, both past and present, admitting Leonard was not a leader when with the Spurs. When asked about who he considers strong leaders, he said, “
Kawhi was a great player, but he wasn’t a leader or anything.”
Recently, Leonard has responded.
“It’s just funny to me. I don’t know if he’s talking about last year or not. I guess when you stop playing they forget how you lead. … It doesn’t matter. I’m here with the Raptors and I’m focused on the season and not what’s going on on the other side.”
Power Rankings
ESPN – The times they are a changing. Just look at the top five of this week’s ESPN Power Rankings and you’ll see a very different landscape than last year. Few would have predicted the Clippers being so high and the defence oriented Memphis Grizzlies climbing the charts. The Raptors had an easy schedule this past week and their top ranking reflects their 4-0 record.
Sports Illustrated – The top three teams are from the Eastern Conference yet not one of them is the Boston Celtics who didn’t even crack the top 10. SI’s Power Rankings give credit where credit is due saying the “…Raptors’ five-game winning streak has come against lesser competition, but it was still necessary after a three-game slump.”
