Before the start of the 2012-2013 season, Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan called a certain ESPN analyst turned Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Memphis Grizzlies a clown for predicting a record of 33-49 for the Raptors. When the season had concluded, Toronto had a record of 34-48. Turns out, John Hollinger knew what he was talking about after all, and perhaps DeRozan owes the man an apology for the completely unnecessary name-calling.
That’s not going to happen, though, and despite his overreaction and oversight from last season, he didn’t hesitate to do so again on Monday, presumably after reading something about his team or himself:
Critics, laughing stock, no respect, doubters, haters. A underdog! A new beginning. Just fuel to the fire! #ProveEm
— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) October 1, 2013
It’s unclear what he’s referring to this time (perhaps he saw where the Raptors were ranked on Chris Sheridan’s latest Power Rankings) but it’s pretty apparent that DeRozan remains unkind to realistic evaluation or criticism. Although his team had some unlucky circumstances with a number of injuries last season, they proved to be an inconsistent bunch either way. Things may be looking up, however, as they finally look to move on from the Andrea Bargnani era.
With the former No. 1 overall pick and Jose Calderon out of town and a full season of Rudy Gay (who is an intriguing subject of his own) at the helm, the Raptors now have a chance to build a new identity. Kyle Lowry will no longer have to fight for minutes at his position – and he’s a better performer without having to look over his shoulder for playing time. Jonas Valanciunas appears to have a bright future in the league. They have added some interesting pieces in Steve Novak, Tyler Hansbrough, Austin Daye and D.J. Augustin.
With all that said, the Raptors, at best, are an interesting bunch at this point. I’m not sure what DeRozan is looking forward to proving, but it would be surprising if the current roster makes it beyond the regular season, even in the weak bottom half of the Eastern Conference.
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James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find and follow him on twitter @SheridanBlog.