Are the 2019 Raptors the Real Deal?

By: Adamo Marinelli

November 23rd, 2019

     After shocking the world and bringing joy to millions of fans in Canada and all over the globe by winning their first-ever NBA championship on June 13th, 2019, the Toronto Raptors had some important issues to take care of with free agency around the corner. 

     Their main goal of the offseason was to try and resign superstar small-forward, Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors and the city of Toronto offered him many amenities such as free dining in all Toronto restaurants and a luxurious penthouse worth over $1 million among many others in an attempt to persuade him to stay, but in the end, he simply wanted to go home to Los Angeles, which is where he grew up and where his family is. 

     In his first press conference with the Los Angeles Clippers in late July, he said: 

“Just before I get started on the Clippers, I want to thank the Toronto

 Raptor fans. I don’t have social media so I’m not able to put out a

 paragraph or whatever, … I just want to thank all of Toronto, 

the city, the country. It was a great, amazing season. 

Best parade ever! … I also want to thank the city as far

 as the restaurants, you know, giving up that ‘Ka’wine-and-Dine’

 throughout the playoffs. I took advantage of that,” he said

laughing. The players, they already know what’s up. Text, 

FaceTime me, we’ll talk. The coaching staff as well and the whole

organization really, I just thank the whole city. Thank you.”

     You could tell that even though he only spent one season in Toronto, it meant a lot to him. And it should considering he helped lead the Raptors to their first-ever NBA Championship. With Kawhi gone, that meant Danny Green would leave, and he left to join Lebron’s Lakers.  

     With Kawhi and Green gone, despite all the sadness it caused to Raptors fans, the Raptors were easily able to get out of the luxury tax they were in last season and were also able to dig themselves out of the huge luxury tax hole that they would have found themselves in if they would have succeeded in re-signing both superstars. Before the start of the 2018-19 season, the league-wide salary cap was approximately $101,869 million and there was a tax level of $123.733 million, meaning teams can go up to that amount without paying a luxury tax. The Raptors had an active roster cap-hit sitting around $139.3 million. That is about $15.6 million over the absolute max salary cap which falls into the 4th sector of the NBA luxury tax chart. The Raptors, despite going over the salary cap for many consecutive seasons - having the sixth-highest payroll in the NBA in the 2016-17 season and the fourth-highest in the 2014-15 season - have done a great job avoiding the luxury tax by staying under the tax level amount. Last season, by adding Kawhi and Green, they entered into the luxury tax domain where they paid almost $31 million in luxury tax. 

     However, ahead of the 2019-20 season with Kawhi and Green gone and with players like Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Fred Van Vleet, Pascal Siakam, Normal Powell, O.G Anunoby, Stanley Johnson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Chris Boucher among others under contract for the Raptors, they are spending about $121 million in committed salaries. That is $12 million over the salary cap of $109 million but is less than the luxury tax threshold of approximately $132.5 million dollars. Raptors fans were sad to see Kawhi and Green go, but it worked out financially. 

     With the salary cap under control, the Raptors needed to focus on talent. They did not need to completely rebuild but may have to in 5-7 years with Lowry and Gasol and Ibaka potentially gone and with many key players like Siakam, Powell, Anunoby all becoming free agents in the next few years. 

     Regarding this season, however, many experts did not consider the Raptors to repeat as NBA champions and I agree with this statement just like many other Raptors fans. But, only very few people slept on them. After all, they had a record of 17-5 without Kawhi and were able to maintain the same core of guys that played around him last offseason. They are almost the same team.

     So far this season, the Raptors are fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 10-4 record, only 1.5 games back of the Milwaukee Bucks, who have possession of first place in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors have played well all season long, even without Ibaka and Lowry, who has been out with injuries since November 8th. Ibaka is ahead of schedule and could be returning tonight against the Atlanta Hawks; Lowry is eyeing a return on December 1st. They have even gotten huge wins over some really talented teams like the Lakers, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, and Magic among others.

     The skill of their bench, a key factor in their championship run last season, has deteriorated a little bit this season; only because players like Norman Powell, Fred Van Vleet and O.G Anunoby got upgraded to starters once Leonard and Green left and players like Stanley Johnson, Matt Thomas, Patrick McCaw, and Chris Boucher became players coming in off the bench. The play they get from everyone, especially their starters, has been amazing. In particular, both Fred Van Vleet and Pascal Siakam have been dominating the court and Siakam is showing why he was chosen as Most Improved Player last season.

     Another extremely important piece in their championship run, their immaculate defense, also remained completely intact. Kawhi was able to help the Raptors have the best defense in the league; without him, the Raptors still have one of the best defenses in the league. Head coach Nick Nurse stressed the importance of their stellar defense in the preseason and in training camp and he even called out all the players who he thought were not playing hard enough, including Johnson and Hollis-Jefferson. Nurse said in a press conference: 

“Nope, nope, nope, [t]hose guys have not understood A) how hard

we play [and], B) our schemes [and] that defence is a priority for them. 

... I keep telling [them] show me you’re going to play defence, show me

you’re going to play hard, show me you understand our coverages. Then

whatever you do on the other end you’re going to get opportunities.”

     By continuing to use this defensive-minded play, for the most part, they have been able to shut down high scoring superstars like Lebron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard just like they did all of last season, including during the playoffs. Their strong, physical defence also allows the Raptors to get plenty of takeaways and score points in transition, another one of their many skills on offence. 

     In conclusion, the Raptors are not as good as when they had Kawhi and Green last season. However, they are still a relatively young team, they are very talented and are well-coached. They don’t have a lot of cap space left, they still have some, however. They also have a strong pool of previous draft picks on the team and developing in the G-league, including Dewan Hernandez, their sole pick of the 2019 draft. I do not see them repeating as NBA champs, but I do see a team that will make the playoffs and that will compete for top spot in their division and the Eastern Conference.

The 107th Grey Cup

By: Adamo Marinelli

November 20th, 2019

     On Sunday, November 24th, 2019, the Eastern Division champion Hamilton Tiger-Cats will meet the Western Division champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers for a chance to be CFL champions.

     The Tiger-Cats boasted a league-best 15-3 record, finishing undefeated, 9-0, at home, easily clinching first place in the East division, 5 games ahead of Montreal. The Blue Bombers finished with an 11-7 record, good enough for third place in the West division. 

     In the East final, the Tiger-Cats dominated the Eskimos who snuck by the Alouettes in the East semifinal on a crossover. The Blue Bombers dominated the Stampeders in the West semifinal before edging the West division champion Saskatchewan Roughriders on a huge defensive stop as time expired.

     This matchup will end the longest Grey Cup drought for both teams in the CFL. The last time the Bombers won the Grey Cup was in 1990. The last time the Tiger-Cats won it was in 1999.

     Hamilton comes into this game with the best offense in the CFL, averaging just over 26 points a game and finishing with nearly 394 yards of offense per game and almost 7100 yards of total offense all season. Hamilton’s QB, Dane Evans, finished third in the CFL in passing TDs, with 21 despite only taking over for the injured Jeremiah Masoli on July 26th, in a 23-15 win against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Hamilton would end up sweeping the season series against the Blue Bombers in a blowout 33-13 win. For a little over a half of a season, those numbers are extremely impressive. 

     Their receiving core is scary and the dynamic duo consisting of Brandon Banks and Bralon Addison, who were both in the top 5 list of best receivers this season combining for 20 touchdowns through the air is a nightmare for secondaries. They will beat you with the deep-ball. The reason why their pass game was so good results partially because of the talent they have at running back. David Watford had only 16 carries for 40 yards but 6 TDs, and both Hamilton QBs would run the ball fearlessly. 

     Hamilton’s defense isn’t too was pretty amazing as well. They have the best pass defense in the CFL only giving up 102 points or 5.7 per game. They allowed the fewest passing touchdowns in the league with 17 and had 22 interceptions, 3rd most in the league. They also finished with 54 sacks, a league-best. Against the run, they are a little worse off. They are the fifth-best run defense in the league giving up 84 points or 4.7 points a game. They allowed 14 rush TDs, tied for 4th with Calgary and forced 12 fumbles. Overall, they have the best defense in the CFL. But their offense is what they are known for. 

     Winnipeg’s offense is also very good. They finished third in the CFL in total offense, averaging 24.2 points for game which is tied with Montreal for 2nd in the league. They averaged 356 yards a game and finished the season with over 6400 yards of total offense. Their passing attack is mediocre, about right in the middle of the league. Their QB, Matt Nichols had an average campaign with 1936 yards and 15 passing TDs, especially considering he suffered a season-ending injury halfway through the year on August 15th in a win against the BC Lions. Backup QB Chris Streveler finished off the year with 8 TDs and 1564 yards. Zach Collaros, who started the season as Saskatchewan’s QB and got injured early in the season as a result of a hit from Tiger-Cats’ linebacker Simoni Lawrence, will have a chance at revenge when he starts under center on Sunday.  Where the Blue Bombers really dominated on offense was their run game. They had a CFL best 2663 yards on the ground and tied with Hamilton for third-most rush TDs with 20. Their main man, Andrew Harris led the league in rush yards with 1380 yards and 8 TDs. Streveler, a very mobile QB added another 12 rush TDs with 726 yards. They really stuffed the ball down the defense’s throat and it paid off all season long. It also did wonders in opening up option plays and play action plays downfield. On a cold late November night in Calgary, teams will be running the ball a lot more than passing. The team that runs better will win. 

     Winnipeg’s defense also deserves a lot of credit, especially because they might not have had a chance to win the Grey Cup if it weren’t for a crucial 3rd down stop against the Roughriders in the West final. Against the run, they are in a three-way tie with Edmonton and Saskatchewan for the best defense in the CFL only giving up nine rush touchdowns and a mere 54 points on the ground on the season, which equates to 3 points a game. They gave up only 1156 rush yards, with an average of 4.5 yards per carry, the fewest allowed in the league and had a league-high 26 fumbles. Against the pass, they struggled a bit more, finishing 7th overall. They gave up 162 points through the air, equating to 9 points a game. They gave up the 6th most yards with 5690 and the 7th most TD passes with 27. They finished 2nd in interceptions with 24 and had 48 sacks. This defense knows how to cause turnovers and they caused more than the Tiger-Cats did. Overall, they are the 3rd best defense in the CFL. 

     Some significant injuries to note as of today. Hamilton’s best wide receiver, Brandon Banks is questionable for Sunday with a calf injury suffered in the East final win against Edmonton. Also, both defensive back Tevin Mitchell - an important piece in their secondary - and wide receiver David Ungerer is questionable with an undisclosed injury suffered in East Final. 

     For the Blue Bombers, defensive back Jeff Hecht - a talented outside cornerback, wide receiver Lucky Whitehead and linebacker Brandon Calver are all questionable for the Grey Cup with undisclosed injuries suffered in the West final. Overall, Hamilton will be more affected by injuries on Sunday, if the injury list stays the same.

     Both head coaches, Orlondo Steinauer for Hamilton and Mike O’Shea for Winnipeg will be in a Grey Cup game for the first time as head coaches. Both won several Grey Cups as players and were both on the Toronto Argonauts’ 2012 Grey Cup-winning team.  

     As I am writing this article, Hamilton is 4 point favorites to win with an over/under of 52 points scored. This marks the ninth time these two teams will meet in the Grey Cup, Winnipeg leads the series 5-3. In my mind, I believe Winnipeg will win a close game, by a score of 31-27, and that would cover the spread. The reason is, in the cold of winter, whoever runs the ball better will win the game. Winnipeg has a slight edge in the run game, but Hamilton in the pass game. Whatever the outcome is, this a game between the two best teams in the CFL on paper. It will be a good one. Catch it on TSN on November 24th at 6:00 pm EST. The pre-game show starts at 1:00 pm EST. Don’t miss it!

Euro Qualifiers - Perfection for Italy

     After falling 1-0 to Sweden in an aggregate playoff match on November 13th, 2017, Italy’s international squad failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 60 years. Immediately following Italy’s devastating loss, veterans Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli, Daniele De Rossi and captain Gianluigi Buffon announced their retirement. All of a sudden, the roster became a lot younger. 

     For manager Gian Piero Ventura, who took over for Antonio Conte after Euro 2016, and finished with a record of 7-3-1 in World Cup qualifiers, finishing five points behind Spain, the winner of Group G, leading to the aggregate loss against Sweden; not qualifying for the World Cup with an elite lineup did not meet Italy’s high standards. Two days after the loss, Ventura was let go of his responsibility as Italy’s manager. A week after the loss, Carlo Tavecchio stepped down as president of the Italian Football Federation. 

     Following continuing struggles and more losses in friendly matches, in April of 2018, Italy dropped to 20th place on the FIFA world ranking list, their lowest spot. On May 14th, 2018, Roberto Mancini took over as the new manager.  

     Mancini took advantage of the youth on the roster. With Italy’s iconic 4-3-3 formation, he focused on having a strong, physical defence that limits shots and forces turnovers. He also focused on building a balanced midfield that consistently runs at an accelerated pace, helps force turnovers on defence to send the ball up the field to generate a strong counter-attack, which Italy has always been known for. Using their defensive physicality in the backfield and midfield to generate odd-man rushes, mismatches and scoring chances in opposing territory.

     Under Mancini’s rule, before the 2020 Euro qualifiers, Italy won a friendly against Saudia Arabia by a score of 2-1 and then proceded to finish the UEFA nations league with a mere record of 1-2-1, finishing with 5 points. In this time, Mancini took time to develop chemistry with the players, build a reputation in the locker room. He developed a winning formula, the one above, and by the time the Euro qualifiers came around, he was ready to dominate. 

     And he did. Italy won all 10 games with Mancini as coach, scoring 37 goals, only surrendering 4. They finished first in Group J, 12 points ahead of Finland, the 2nd place team. They dominated possession time in every game, thanks to a strong defence, takeaways, excellent passing and ball control. Italy’s young defence and midfield played very well and controlled the game, helping dramatically improve goal production. Their young goalie, Gianluigi Donnarumma also had a stellar qualifiers. Italy qualified for the Euros after a 2-0 home win against Greece, with three matches left, but still played hard in the last 3 games, winning them all.

     Italy became only the 6th team to qualify for a major European Championship with a 100% record, and have done it for the first time in their history. 

     One might say that Italy had an easy group which helped them finish 10-0-0.  While Italy’s group had a few underwhelming teams like Lichenstein and Armenia, their group had a few strong teams like Finland, Greece and even Bosnia and Herzegovina, who exceeded their expectations. All groups were like that. Two or three powerhouses, one or two mediocre teams, and two or three inferior teams. Italy’s talent, youth and gameplans gave them their success. 

     Knowing this, they will be able to compete against any powerhouse in the upcoming tournament this coming summer, like France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Croatia or England. A few teams are still playing qualifiers, and the groups for the Euros are yet to be made, but I do believe with Italy’s management and talent, they have a chance of winning their group; regardless of who they are in a group with and will definitely make it to the elimination round.