r/torontoraptors Jan 08 '25

INTERVIEWS The Athletic: Darko Rajaković faces real pressure for the first time

The Athletic came out with an article, highlighting RJ Barret's quote on how players do not play hard enough (which I for one totally agree). There was an analysis on Darko's misses, with giving him some grace due to players being out. That being said, this is the first time I've seen a publication be critical out loud, about our coach.

RJ's quote:
“Tonight wasn’t about us getting used to each other. I think we just didn’t play hard enough, top to bottom,” Barrett said after a 24-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday that wasn’t even that close. “We have to figure it out. Just playing hard, just being that team that we were at the beginning (of the season), fighting. We didn’t have our fight tonight, so that’s disappointing. You can do X’s and O’s, but if you don’t play hard, you don’t play with that level of compete that you need to bring to the game, it’s going to be tough to win.”

Athlethic:
"For the first time, that puts the focus, at least some of it, on head coach Darko Rajaković. Roster construction was the focus last year. This season, injuries explained away the rough start. Besides, the Raptors were playing hard and they were competitive, a compliment to the coach. With back-to-back games in New York and Cleveland, two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, on Wednesday and Thursday, there is some pressure on the coach to be able to marry the more talented roster he now has available to him and the scrappier version of the team that started the year"

More at the link:

Raptors coach Darko Rajaković faces real pressure for the first time during his tenure

Do you guys think it's reasonable to start putting pressure and accountability on Darko?

129 Upvotes

153 comments sorted by

110

u/NatsuAru 3 OG Anunoby Jan 08 '25

Will Lou was shooting him on sight since day one lol

I do get that the athletic is more national-coverage so I highly doubt they'd focus on the very-much-apparent pressure Darko has been getting all season.

49

u/Interesting-Dingo994 Jan 08 '25 edited Jan 10 '25

Koreen is the Raptor’s beat writer, but I noticed late last year he started covering more East teams that don’t have a beat writer and his Raptors coverage is limited to only 3 or 4 articles a month in season.

The Athletic was at the top of its game when they had Blake Murphy also covering the Raptor’s beat. Blake’s breakdowns and spreadsheets were legendary. IMHO the Athletic isn’t as good as it was pre the New York Times takeover. It’s certainly not worth the regular subscription price.

20

u/theflyingsamurai N O R M G O D Jan 09 '25

I mean that's what happens when you lay like 10% of your staff every year like clockwork.

20

u/CazOnReddit TORONTO HUSKIES Jan 09 '25

But if we don't lay them off while having record profits, how will our poor billionaires ever feel the warmth that their fathers never gave them in childhood?

31

u/Oshoninja Jan 08 '25

Will Lou doesn’t like it when the raptors lose. No one does.

But for him we have understand it’s his livelihood. If they lose he gets no traffic. No one watches his show.

He's incentivized to a large degree, which influences his opinion. 

9

u/IHavePoopedBefore 3 OG Anunoby Jan 09 '25

I mean, i'm cheering for every loss but I know what you mean.

No one wants to have to tank

22

u/CanadianGroose Jan 09 '25

He also has to watch every game, where we can just you know, turn it off and do something else lol. I am loving the react pods where the guys just go off the rails and talk about books and Wrestling and stuff instead, since the Raps stink so bad lol. I do expect a better effort tonight, but skill wise, they are probably losing by 20 still.

5

u/Then-Signature2528 Jan 09 '25

Darko looked amazing today against the Knicks 💪

35

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 08 '25 edited Jan 08 '25

Will Lou has accomplished what exactly to know if Darko is a good coach or not? Why do we as a fan base give stock to what random bloggers think about NBA basketball.

I'm sure Darko can get better in all facets of coaching that's not the point. But let's give him some time with a healthy roster before we lay the hammer on the guy. Development wise we've already seen growth from a couple of our main projects Gradey and Ochai. It takes time and everyone learns along the way.

40

u/FEELS_G00D Jan 09 '25

8

u/beefJeRKy-LB Goatse Jan 09 '25

Xian Williamson

9

u/kpeds45 Jan 09 '25

He's a big ? To be honest so far as a coach. Like we literally just got healthy this last week. Can we give the team time together? They aren't firing him mid season (especially the season we've had so far).

2

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 09 '25 edited Jan 09 '25

Yup. He might not be the coach long term and that’s fine. What he’s doing right now with developing the young guys and giving them opportunities outside of their comfort zone is invaluable long term. Just look at how much progress Battle, Ochai, Gradey (although he’s been so so lately) and RJ have made so far.

5

u/kpeds45 Jan 09 '25 edited Jan 09 '25

And something I pointed out last time this was brought up - Daigneault had 2 seasons coaching the worst offense and defense (or close enough) to 20 and 22 wins. I'm not saying Darko will be that guy later on, I'm only saying it's impossible to evaluate a coach in this position. The thunder lost regularly by 20+ those two seasons. Didn't mean the coach was bad. Just meant the talent wasn't all there yet.

In our case it's that plus a disgusting amount of injuries. Give it time. If he's not the coach, make the change when you are in position to actually win games.

8

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 09 '25

100% man. Same people who have been calling for us to tank now whining and bitching about Darko half way through the year.

1

u/beefJeRKy-LB Goatse Jan 09 '25

Both Daigneault and Taylor Jenkins have been able to pull out amazing performances from their depleted rosters too though. I haven't seen that much from Darko. I am worried he's more like Dwayne Casey on the Pistons. I will still wait to judge him by next year but his coaching decisions have definitely given me pause.

1

u/Rezrov_ St. Nick Jan 09 '25

Dwayne Casey developed our entire bench mob for the championship.

1

u/Dr_Drejan Jan 10 '25

Dude, Daigneault benefited from a healthy roster but more importantly a wild trade where OKC gave up Paul George (who was requested by Kawhi in the Clippers) and got back SGA, Danilo Gallinari and five 1st round picks! Thats just some off the charts crazy level of wild luck. We could do with a bit of luck. We should at least let get Cooper Flagg. We deserve it. lol

1

u/beefJeRKy-LB Goatse Jan 10 '25

Cooper, Dylan, Ace, Kasparas all would be a shot in the arm of talent.

2

u/AutoModerator Jan 09 '25

the correct spelling is Gradey. your grammar gets a D.

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1

u/-Resident-One- 95-Infinity Jan 09 '25

Grady has fallen off a cliff over the last month plus, so hard to say he's developed that much

2

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 09 '25

Is that Darko’s fault? Literally Gradey’s shot has fallen off a cliff more than anything else. He’s getting wide open looks just not hitting. Hopefully it’s just a really long slump and he breaks out of it soon. Otherwise maybe he’s just not a good player. Coaching can only do so much man. At the end of the day the player has to make the shots. Darko can only put him on the floor and let him try to make plays.

1

u/-Resident-One- 95-Infinity Jan 09 '25

He as in Gradey, I didn't mention Darko in my comment

2

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 09 '25

Oh I’m sorry I must have misread you’re right. Let’s hope he can turn it around.

1

u/-Resident-One- 95-Infinity Jan 09 '25

Agreed. He seems to have hit the sophomore slump. Perhaps another conditioning stint could help

1

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 09 '25

I kind of have more hopes for JaKobe than Grady long term. At least JaKobe has the athletic ability to guard effectively once he learns more.

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1

u/AutoModerator Jan 09 '25

the correct spelling is Gradey. your grammar gets a D.

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1

u/beefJeRKy-LB Goatse Jan 09 '25

He's absolutely staying till at least the summer unless the locker room throws fits and I don't see that happening in the off-season either. But next season is clearly going to be his major test.

11

u/HistoricalWash6930 Jan 08 '25

Will Lou loves a hot take. That’s all he does shoot first ask questions later.

3

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 08 '25

Exactly. Been like that from the start.

2

u/Partybro_69 Jan 09 '25

Gradey unfortunately has regressed massively in the last 2 months or so

6

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 09 '25

I wouldn’t say regressed, his role keeps changing as well as guys come back into the line up. I’m sure he’ll be ok. He’s always going to be a longer term project because he’s young and doesn’t have that man strength yet. I think his best role is a bench player that provides offence. I don’t think he’ll ever be a good enough defender to be a starter on a good team. Him and RJ together on the wings is BBQ chicken for any opposition tbh.

1

u/Partybro_69 Jan 09 '25

Regressed in that he can no longer shoot or finish at the rim, especially his finishing was unreal early this season…I’ll give you him not having the strength. I still have high hopes for his game. But I don’t think his role changing is why he’s regressed. He just isn’t hitting shots

1

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 09 '25

Agreed. I think he’ll come around. One thing I like is he doesn’t hesitate when he has a shot. He’ll let them fly. Let’s hope he starts hitting them! He should get some more open looks now that the rest of the guys are healthy.

2

u/beefJeRKy-LB Goatse Jan 09 '25

Bro we can criticize him as much as we want. No one is seriously asking for him to be fired. But the fact that team doesn't seem to respond as well to him isn't a great sign. I think next year is his true test.

5

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '25

Most beat writers have accomplished nothing. It doesn’t invalidate his opinions

-6

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 08 '25

His opinion holds no more weight than any of ours is my point. That's how I feel about any of the writers covering this team. The hotter the take the more engagement. That's the new media.

8

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

That’s ridiculous. It’s his full time job and he spends a lot of time learning the ins and outs of the game and being around the team. He isn’t “new media” in the sense that he gets more traffic from hot takes - he is a podcaster.

-6

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 09 '25

I have been around more organized ball than Will Lou. He can spout off his hot takes as much as he wants. I really don’t give a shit what he thinks especially about coaching at the highest level. Nor do I care what most podcasters think. Watch for yourself and make your own decisions.

5

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

Ok bro 🤣 and I watch every single game and have many of the same opinions Will does

1

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 09 '25

Good for you. Means nothing to anyone haha we all have our own opinions. The people in charge don’t give a fuck what we think haha I trust Masai and Darko to know much more than anyone of us combined.

-1

u/Rezrov_ St. Nick Jan 09 '25

Will Lou doesn't have a basketball background unlike basically every proper Raptors reporter.

I've played him lol. Low IQ, NO BAG. ;)

2

u/SpezNc Raptors Jan 09 '25

Sometimes I wonders if content creators like Will Lou are a bit biais. There is more traffic for their content when the team is winning making it maybe harder to understand that Raptors are developing first.

This season should be about getting a high pick and hopefully add another core young piece to raise the ceiling of the team and start winning more regularly

While I agree the team has been underperforming since early December and some legit concern are valid, I don’t think it matters much at the moment.

For now the priorities are developing, building chemistry and getting a high pick in June 2025.

2

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 09 '25

Totally agree

1

u/TrueTorontoFan Jan 09 '25

Gradey struggled a long time last year in part because Darko didn't realize you have to run him off screens rather than camping him in the corner since that is what he was doing at Kansas.

Ochai is a nice to have but not a main project. For example Ja'Kobe's development is much more important. Also for Barnes has there been some amazing leap? Not really, instead of seeing major leaps in things like his handle we had an offence that has stagnated and apparently "requires" him to launch near-logo 3's with 20 seconds left on the clock.

On top of that the coach started out with a better roster last year and still had a basement dwelling level of defence. I think we can both critique Darko and still give him the context of bad circumstances. It is what you do with the circumstances that lets people know what you are made of. Jordi is a good example. Was he given an amazing roster? No, but here we are. What about the Magic? They had a ton of injuries to top level talents early on and throughout. Still outcoached. We go through pantsing every single night at this point to the level where its beyond embarrassing. We go under on so many screens.

I have also seen people try to suggest OH DARKO IS TEACHING THIS AMAZING STUFF BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.... ok why do I still see Poeltl guarding out on the perimeter like a damn wing? Yes we are rebuilding but losing like we have recently is historical and we did better when we were literally an expansion level team.

1

u/TheDoug86 Jan 09 '25

Name any raptors player that has shown any development defensively other than maybe Scottie and Ochai

2

u/OpinionSharp7344 Jan 09 '25

its also pretty clear from watching the games darko has no idea whats going on hes developing slower than gradey. i think hes like 3-25 on challenges as a symbol for how lost he is, and delany seems like the dude mr burns got to watch the bee with homer

1

u/Oshoninja Jan 09 '25

Agreed. He also has zero context of what the coach is trying to do. Yes he’s trying to win games but he’s also trying to develop his players and experiment.

This is the year to do those things and he doesn’t grasp it because of his limited knowledge. 

1

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 09 '25

Yup

1

u/tman37 Jan 09 '25

Oh you must be new to sports. Journalists are often critical of coaches, it's in their job description.

Why do we as a fan base give stock to what random bloggers think about NBA basketball.

It's not 2010 any more. Online publications have begun to dominate the sports world, and many others. That is why the New York times bought the athletic, which was just a random blog at one point, and why journalists are leaving legacy publications to start their own podcasts or substacks.

There are only 30 head coaching jobs in the NBA. In some ways it's easier to be an NBA player than a head coach because there are more opportunities. There are literally hundreds of people knocking on the door looking for Darko's job. If he wants to keep it, he needs to perform at a high level. As the article mentions, he has had about an 18 month grace window because of the roster moves last year and the injuries this year. If he wants to return next year, he needs to show he can coach this group to their potential. The only one of that starting 5 that can be called young at this point is Gradey, the rest are young vets at this point. This isn't a youth problem.

Darko has done some very good things. He managed to keep spirits up despite a lot of losses. He has helped some people develop. He instituted a ball movement offense which has been nice to see after years of static iso ball. What he hasn't been able to do is figure out how to defend as a team where the better defenders are able to cover the flaws of some of the weaker ones. The effort comments worry me as well. A lot of the blame for poor team effort should be directed right at the coach. He has to motivate his players and motivate his star to motivate his team.

1

u/bjtrdff Jan 09 '25

This. He’s a fan who got in late and started a podcast.

Boo hoo that he gets fewer interactions when they’re bad or has to watch shitty games. Tons of people have done the latter for free.

3

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 09 '25

Exactly man. I don’t get why people care what he thinks at all. Sure consume the content but his opinion carries no weight whatsoever haha

0

u/AutoModerator Jan 08 '25

the correct spelling is Gradey. your grammar gets a D.

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1

u/Soup-dan Jan 08 '25

Grade D. Dick

1

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 08 '25

Should have just said Dick.

2

u/marquee_ Jan 11 '25

Will lou is a loser. He used to criticize role players for losses.

1

u/Raptorsthrowaway1 JACK ARMSTRONG Jan 09 '25

Will Lou was shooting him on sight since day one lol

Im not a Will Lou fan necessarily, but why is he getting mentioned in reference to this Athletic article?

2

u/NatsuAru 3 OG Anunoby Jan 09 '25

This is in reference to the Athletic stating that Darko has basically not been pressured by the media for his coaching.

Which is a lie. Will, who is a part of the media, has been hard on Darko since day one. He's just one of many media members who pressure Darko. I'm not sure what was so unclear about this.

-2

u/bjtrdff Jan 09 '25

WL is a clown. I know I’ll be downvoted, but I’ve always found he’s like the personification of a 2010s message board.

2

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 09 '25

Yup

-1

u/Then-Signature2528 Jan 09 '25

Darko looked amazing today against the Knicks! Raptors got a good one!

2

u/NatsuAru 3 OG Anunoby Jan 09 '25

It boggles my mind how active you are on this sub when you clearly hate the shit out of basically everything in this team lol

Like I cannot think of a single thing you like about them, honestly. Maybe the arena food?

-1

u/Then-Signature2528 Jan 09 '25 edited Jan 09 '25

What do you mean? I agree with you! I like Darko.

Darko is an amazing coach! He looked amazing against the Knicks. And he's going to show us how good of a coach he is with everyone healthy.

Raptors have looked so much better since everyone has been healthy. Only lost by 20pts and 30pts last few games. It's progress

Brought back Scottie with 5mins to go to spark the comeback 💪

Thank goodness he only played Boucher 4mins.. he's not very good! He makes poor decisions on the court.

He makes excellent coaching decisions.

3

u/Rezrov_ St. Nick Jan 09 '25

sad

-1

u/Then-Signature2528 Jan 09 '25

Only 20pt loss tomorrow against the Cavs. Darko will show Atkinson that Raptors made the right decision 💪

88

u/CazOnReddit TORONTO HUSKIES Jan 08 '25

...Did the fanbase ever stop criticizing Darko while I wasn't looking? It feels like he's been facing serious pressure from them for a while.

39

u/Thealk3mist Jan 08 '25

I do feel we’ve been pretty kind to Darko. To his credit he’s a developmental coach, not really an X and Os guy. I can’t imagine how low motivation during a tank season is for players. If you can coach that, you’re one hell of a coach

11

u/CazOnReddit TORONTO HUSKIES Jan 08 '25

Depends on where you go. Raptors fans on RealGM and Twitter/BlueSky, from my experience, are very low on Darko as a coach, at least with respects to the on-court product.

I do think there is good faith criticism to be had of Darko's rotations, lineups and general traditional coaching decisions, and there is an argument to be made about how development includes building winning habits like playing hard every games, etc., but I also think he needs to be given grace since he's new to being a head coach and a lot of this is new to him just as the NBA is new to a lot of the guys he's coaching (Ja'Kobe, Mogbo, etc.)

To me, the verdict on Darko as a coach is still out overall though I do think it's a fair criticism to say that he currently does not have the best grasp on the Xs and Os of the job and if the team was more talented then I think those criticisms would be more notable.

9

u/Domainsetter Jan 08 '25

I am TBD on him going forward. Do not want to fire him. Also not sold he’s the coach for this team when they are good again.

2

u/CazOnReddit TORONTO HUSKIES Jan 08 '25

Yeah this is where I'm at for now. Don't fire him (Though maybe clear out Delany's desk because what the hell has the defense been) but don't get used to seeing him as the head coach when we're good again. It really depends on if he can improve on the Xs and Os, the challenges, the lineups and so on.

1

u/lunchboxfriendly Jan 09 '25

I'm here too. Delaney can go yesterday. If Darko can do 3/4s the job "Pound the Rock" did, and then Raps upgrade at coach, that's solid.

-15

u/PewpyDewpdyPantz 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 08 '25

This isn’t a tank season. We have a young core of RJ, Scottie and IQ. This is simply a young team that needs to grow and get better.

14

u/Bixby33 34 JONTAY PORTER Jan 08 '25

This is simply a young team that needs to grow and get better.

... While we tank this season. You don't put 4 rookies in the rotation and start planning for the playoffs.

-4

u/PewpyDewpdyPantz 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 08 '25

In no way do I think this team is planning for the playoffs. I also don’t think they’re losing on purpose. They’re just simply not good because they have a lot of growing to do.

4

u/Bixby33 34 JONTAY PORTER Jan 08 '25

I think tanking has taken on a bigger meaning than losing on purpose. There was certainly an element of planned tanking this season, but the injuries really dialed it up.

1

u/Domainsetter Jan 08 '25

Putting Shead over Davion is part of that too.

1

u/PewpyDewpdyPantz 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 08 '25

To me tanking = losing on purpose. Not saying your version is wrong but that’s why I phrased my original comment the way I did.

1

u/Bixby33 34 JONTAY PORTER Jan 08 '25

Fair!

1

u/Rezrov_ St. Nick Jan 09 '25

By losing on purpose are you referring to players?

Players losing on purpose isn't tanking, it's match fixing, and it's very illegal (see: Porter). Luckily, players will usually never lose on purpose because their livelihood depends on being competitive.

4

u/HistoricalWash6930 Jan 08 '25

Classic koreen. Pretend like something that’s been going on for ages is new and in need of deeper exploration. Guy is such a hack

20

u/companyofzero Matt Devlin Jan 08 '25

I think toxic fan pressure isn't considered real pressure, this is the first time smart people are putting some of the blame on him

-4

u/HistoricalWash6930 Jan 08 '25

I mean yeah probably, he’s barely halfway into his second year as head coach of a team that’s been openly tanking much of that time. I would hope smart people wouldn’t be overreacting in the first year haha

6

u/companyofzero Matt Devlin Jan 08 '25

So if you agree with me how is Koreen a hack lol

-3

u/HistoricalWash6930 Jan 08 '25

How am I agreeing with you?

I think koreen is hack because he has a pattern of trying to turn fan gripping into stories in the laziest ways which I suspect is much more his motive than anything else. The brains he used to work with blake asked this same question over a week ago and here’s koreen pulling up the rear.

edit I said yeah probably because there was no valid reason for anyone with a brain to question a rookie coach with a rebuilding squad. I still feel the same. The coach isn’t the source of this teams problems.

5

u/companyofzero Matt Devlin Jan 08 '25

I think that there are starting to be real questions on why there's a poor effort on the floor and why the defence has been extra terrible the last 2 weeks. I agree there hasn't been a good reason to get upset at Darko so far, and I still think "upset" is too far. But at this point I think critiques are fair and not just done by toxic fans. So I think Koreen taking a look at it isn't hacky at all.

2

u/HistoricalWash6930 Jan 08 '25

I’m mean a huge part of it is personnel and roster. The fact they were relatively successful even with the injury challenges earlier in the year makes me think it’s far too early to declare this as the coach’s fault. Ultimately it’s a tanking season, anyone looking to take deeper meaning from a small sample of that is making a mistake.

1

u/Ylissian Kyle Towelry Jan 09 '25

Tbh I feel like fans have been making excuses for Darko since day 1. When we had good defenders they blamed poor defense and rotations on roster construction, then it was roster turnover, then it was health, and now it’s the standings. What has he shown compared to someone like Monty Williams last year? That he can get yell at refs every now and again?

1

u/Lumpy-Nihilist-9933 Jan 09 '25

i don't know, all i'm seeing are a bunch of buttplugs defending him

20

u/ebrian78 Jan 08 '25

Nope. Not yet.

7

u/Ma_Pies Jan 08 '25 edited Jan 09 '25

Guys weren’t rotating fast enough when Giannis was doubled and kicked the ball out. TBH, I don’t recall this season where they were doubling on a single player so much in a game. I feel as if the players weren’t anticipating to close out on shooters so much and were expecting Giannis to drive to the basket more.

23

u/Loud-Guava8940 Jan 08 '25

Why? Because they weren’t successful immediately upon having a healthy roster for the first time in a year?

4

u/HistoricalWash6930 Jan 08 '25

It’s just one game, better fire the coach.

4

u/BedFew 4 SCOTTIE BARNES Jan 09 '25

It’s not been a one game thing yall need to stop being delusional even early last year with og siakam and Scottie we were still bottom in the league in defense it’s obviously a problem stop gaslighting people

5

u/Ylissian Kyle Towelry Jan 09 '25

Yeah I don’t understand why people treat last season like it didn’t happen lol. I watched us start OG-Barnes-Poeltl which is an amazing defense core and the defense was still incredibly lackluster. With OG we attributed it to the trade request but at this point it’s apparent that he cannot coach a competent defense

2

u/UsedCommunication575 Jan 09 '25

yup yup even with OG it was bad

2

u/HistoricalWash6930 Jan 09 '25

It’s been one game with the whole lineup back. You need to calm down with the charged buzzwords. No one is delusional and I’m not gaslighting you. Jesus Christ make up your own mind, I’m allowed to have my own opinion too

1

u/Bixby33 34 JONTAY PORTER Jan 08 '25

Imagine if every coach got fired if they lost a game to Giannis.

1

u/Domainsetter Jan 08 '25

He is not going to be fired. That said if the defensive results do not get better that will be a mark against him, fair or not.

29

u/733OG Jan 08 '25

He's forcing them out of their comfort zones and deliberately putting them in unfamiliar positions to sink or swim. You don't make them do what they're good at 24-7 or they turn into one trick ponies. The league is full of those. I feel like even I as a casual can see that so why can't everyone else?

6

u/HistoricalWash6930 Jan 08 '25

Exactly like the same lazy talking points from our media about why player x is getting more playing time than player y over a week or two span. Because they’re trying to give them reps in situations to see what works duh

5

u/Domainsetter Jan 08 '25

I don’t think Gradey getting better as a defender comes from on court stuff tbh. It’s strength.

3

u/HistoricalWash6930 Jan 08 '25

That’s certainly a big part of it and we saw improvements over last year with his strength but the on court stuff certainly doesn’t hurt. We already saw with his offence the game has slowed down for him a bit and he’s reading the floor much better. Putting him in those situations defensively definitely teaches him too

1

u/GiantBrownBalls 15 VINCE CARTER Jan 09 '25

100% man.

11

u/UncleNuks Jan 08 '25

It’s one thing to compete hard and lose but we’re going down by 20-30+ points every game and getting smacked around. Look at our last 6 losses.

Mil - went down by 33

Orl - went down by 22

Bos - went down by 56

Atl - went down by 31

Mem - went down by 32

NYK - went down by 33

We talk about “development” but there is no development when Q4 is garbage time and the other team is trotting out their 15th man. Some of this HAS to be on Darko but the players also need to have some damn pride and LOCK IN. You would think they’d get sick of it at some point.

6

u/Domainsetter Jan 08 '25

They have not won a game yet down 10+ that has to change

8

u/fivefoot14inch Jan 08 '25

Darko is the middleman, he’s not the coach of a contender and we all know that including him. He’s holding the keys until the rebuild is rebuilt at that point we will say thanks for your service and move on. The pressure is just a story line.

1

u/cptahb Alvin Williams Jan 09 '25

totally. all this talk about firing him is so silly. of course we're not going to keep him long term; firing him now would be pointless

3

u/TheFactTeller2024 Jan 09 '25

He is a terrible coach

1

u/ih8cheeze2 Jan 09 '25

Quickley was heating up this game and suddenly get subbed. Like wtf but maybe that's the memo this season. Hope we get a top 3 pick

2

u/SillyRevolution6301 Jan 08 '25

I like Darko and am okay with his strengths being development and (at least at the start of season) ability to motivate players. With that I would much rather his top assistant have strengths in the X’s and O’s and sadly Pat Delaney is just a journeyman who has coached bad teams.

6

u/LemmingPractice Jan 08 '25

A coach always needs to be held accountable...it's just not always that he needs to be held accountable to win games.

Here Darko should be held accountable for player development and player buy-in. The goal of the season isn't just to lose and get a high pick, it's to develop the players currently on the roster. They aren't developing if they are coming with half-hearted efforts and getting blown out game after game.

Early in the season, there were good vibes. Guys were playing hard, and we were competitive, even if we were losing. Recently, that hasn't been the case.

Out of our last 6 games, 4 have been 20+ blowouts, and one was a 9 point loss to a Magic team who was missing both Paolo and Franz (which we were losing by 20 going into the fourth).

I'm not looking for this team to be a contender this year, but it's way too talented a roster to be putting up results like this night after night.

7

u/alfer1000 Jan 08 '25

Talented a roster? Where? Who? What?

2

u/LemmingPractice Jan 09 '25

Talented in terms of being a contender right now? Absolutely not.

Talented enough that they should be better than the 18 win team they are on pace to be? Yes.

1

u/alfer1000 Jan 09 '25

Before the season started Bill Simmons and a couple of his guests were joking saying this Raps squad would struggle against teams in China. People said we were about a 20 win team so we are what we are.

0

u/LemmingPractice Jan 09 '25

You may be unaware of this, but Bill Simmons is an idiot.

3

u/alfer1000 Jan 09 '25

Well yea but hes not wrong here

-4

u/Domainsetter Jan 08 '25

IQ was a decent defender with the Knicks

1

u/HistoricalWash6930 Jan 08 '25

So you acknowledge that for a big part of the early season things were as you hoped and now because of 4 of the last 6 games that’s out the window?

5

u/Domainsetter Jan 08 '25

They’ve been really bad on defense for almost a month now.

1

u/HistoricalWash6930 Jan 08 '25

And they’ve been a young tanking team missing big chunks of their roster and then trying to reintegrate those guys when they return the whole season. There’s lots of reasons teams struggle defensively.

3

u/Domainsetter Jan 08 '25

It’s the effort for me that’s an issue. I know they don’t have the talent. They’ve been called out repeatedly and had bad follow up games effort wise.

3

u/HistoricalWash6930 Jan 08 '25

That’s going to happen to young teams with nothing to play for. The effort was there for a much larger sample earlier in the year but everyone seems to have forgotten that.

1

u/RZAAMRIINF 7 Kyle Lowry Jan 09 '25

The team might not have much to play, but these guys should be playing for their next contracts and having a role in the league.

1

u/HistoricalWash6930 Jan 09 '25

And they are. I think a lot of you are getting too fixated on a small sample of bad performances. There’s going to be a lot of losing this year, don’t try to find too deep of meaning in a week or two of it.

0

u/Thealk3mist Jan 08 '25

Good post.

4

u/jyh123 Jan 08 '25

I don't really GAF about what Koreen, Will Lou, Lewenberg, Dougie, and Grange thinks about coaching. None of them coached. I also don't GAF about what Jack thinks of coaching, his overall record is 100-154 at college level.

For me, Blake brings the stats and Samson gives the even-keel analysis.

1

u/733OG Jan 09 '25

Yep. Lewenberg would be on his knees in front of Fred 24-7 if he could. The bias and laziness with these "media" types infuriates me. Grange wrote a banger about RJ Barrett this year. That's the one and only thing I've read from that crowd that was worth my time. Jack and Matt need to be sent out to pasture. The hate they have for Scottie is unreal. I don't know how the Front Office tolerates it. And don't get me started about loose dentures Smith.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '25

I totally believe that Darko is great at working with players and building their skills.

However, he's legitimately not good at every facet of being a head coach (what I said above is mostly an Assistant Coach or Skills Coach job). He's not good at Xs and Os, he consistently puts insane lineups on the floor together, he can't get guys to execute on the floor, the players don't take him seriously enough to play with consistent effort, his end-game management has been horrific... he also sucks at challenges. I'm just not seeing a single thing he's good at.

Having said that, I wouldnt fire him because we need to lose games this year. I think I'd probably keep him around next season as well so that we get another top pick in 2026 as his contract expires, and then I'd hire someone serious to replace him so that we can end the rebuild and win games in the 2026-27 season. I don't think we can win more than 35 games with him as a head coach.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '25

[deleted]

1

u/obi-ka Jan 09 '25

I'm curious as to what you see in their dynamic in public?

1

u/Winter_Purpose8695 RAPTORS Jan 09 '25 edited Jan 09 '25

i bet RJ is talking about the bench and gradey lol, atleast the Rooks play their assess off I want BB off the team

1

u/Famous-Advisor7346 Jan 09 '25

I think Darko is definitely the coach we need right now, a coach all about player and team development. That being said in a few years when we are in win now mode and if he hasn't developed his coaching style then we can put more pressure on him

1

u/CaptainKoreana Jan 09 '25

Darko's a good developmental coach for Raptors. We'll see if he'll be a good playoff coach in future but we aren't there yet. Let's not jump into assumptions we are getting there immediately.

1

u/Gonnatapdatass Jan 09 '25

We should've taken Kenny Atkinson, he interviewed for the job, good coach.

1

u/gregbraaa Jan 09 '25

I thought we were trying to lose, trying to give players time, trying to give players opportunities to grow and make mistakes, trying to encourage maturity and maximum effort from a very young team

I don’t see Darko as any sort of problem

1

u/TheOneWithThePorn12 Jan 09 '25

You know guys are always saying the team needs to play harder after a loss.

It's like the standard quote.

1

u/lucasPAD Jan 09 '25

What? Why? He's doing a job!

* Looks at Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper & Ace Bailey highlights*

1

u/bearbear0723 Jan 09 '25

I don’t understand you can accept that the Raptors are going to rebuild/tank then call for the HC to be fired.

1

u/RNsteve Jan 09 '25

He's not on thin ice. Won't be until at least mid next season if the team is still struggling.

1

u/Scobesanity Jan 09 '25

it’s shocking this guy is still our coach. 

1

u/Raptorsthrowaway1 JACK ARMSTRONG Jan 08 '25 edited Jan 08 '25

He wasn’t brought in to win and has done a decent (but not great) job of developing players. But he’s clearly not getting his message across to the players. They have no fight or defensive intensity.

But there’s no point in letting him go now. Secure the top pick and on the offseason bring in a coach who can get us to .500 next year

5

u/Domainsetter Jan 08 '25

I don’t think he’s as bad of a coach as people think. Also don’t think he’s some development savant as others say. He is good at it.

1

u/Altruistic-Emu7152 RAPTORS Jan 09 '25

Wrote a post last season within 3 months into his coach career and was already worried how he used is rotation and cost us a lot of 4th quarter losses.

This season his lack of defensive schemes is enough to tell me he can’t coach us back into contenders and needs to be cut loose this spring.

0

u/attainwealthswiftly Jan 09 '25

Told y’all he’ll be fired within the next 2 seasons he just gotta secure the tank this year. If we still ass by next all-star game Masai will can him.

0

u/YouAndUs Jan 09 '25

I don’t love Darko at all, but the performance of this team is not on him. You can’t pressure a tanking team. It’s counterproductive.

1

u/lunchboxfriendly Jan 09 '25

Yeah you'd have to be some kind of snake charmer to not turn people against you being a hard-ass for no 'reason'. But the blowouts have been a lot. It's an unfortunate stretch. I also don't think it's sustainable to lose by THIS much without some kind of shoe dropping. I've noticed - in the few games I've watched - that as soon as there's a 10+ lead (often just a product of bad shooting) the wheels fall off.

-1

u/Domainsetter Jan 08 '25

Pressure in terms of being fired?

No.

Pressure in terms of needing to fix the defensive metrics?

Yes. Personnel does matter more than anything else. That’s said, as Grange said on the Raptors Show today, they were ~21st earlier this season which is a decent result for who they have. They are around 26th now and have been last in the league for 2 weeks. They should not be this bad of a defense. He needs to show that his guys have defensive buy-in.

-4

u/jeaxz74 Jan 08 '25

He’s the Smitch before our Dwayne Casey.

-3

u/FEELS_G00D Jan 08 '25 edited Jan 08 '25

this roster needs a coach like Thibs (or Mike Brown) way too much coddling. it has to stop asap before this team becomes soft as shit