Were my eyes deceiving me on Wednesday night against Philadelphia? or was that Ed Davis playing 33 minutes and adding yet another double-double to his resume? Was that Solomon Alabi actually getting some burn in the late stages of the game? Justin Dentmon even got some extended minutes backing up Jose, didn’t he?
This needs to be Dwane Casey’s plan for the rest of the season despite how much it drives him crazy.
The Raptors organization needs to use what limited amount of time we have left this season to assess the young assets that still remain on the team in order to form the framework for their offseason personnel decisions.
Casey needs to see what the Alabi’s, Davis’s and Forbes’s can do in extended minutes where they are given the ball to run with.
It's time Ed Davis was given more of a role on the current Raptors team. the year is almost over and there is still much to learn about him and a number of other younger players.
On Wednesday night, like he did on Monday, Davis had a strong showing. His game has shown significant improvement over the last few weeks and the Raptors may still consider keeping him around next season.
There were big hopes for Ed and his ability to rebound the ball and defend going into the year. This skill set is only now beginning to reveal itself in his extended time on the court. On Monday he played 17 minutes and had 11 points and 10 rebounds. On Wednesday he played 33 minutes and had 13 point and 13 rebounds.
If Double-Double’s and consistent effort on the defensive end are what the Raptors can expect from Ed then more minutes need to be given to see if he can improve on these numbers or at least keep them steady. A double-double off the bench is what any team needs, in the playoffs or out of them.
While we are at it let’s give all the young question marks on our team a little more time to show whether they belong.
Forbes has benefited from increased minutes this season and is beginning to show his worth. Newly acquired Alan Anderson and Justin Dentmon appear as though they may deserve a longer look. Why not throw Alabi some extra burn too and see what these kids can do.
The Raptors are getting closer and closer to a top five pick in the lottery and the worst thing that can happen by playing these younger players is that they fail and the Raptors lose more games, thus increasing their lottery odds. If not now then when?
While the extra losses may haunt the competative Dwane Casey in his dreams it may also pave the way for a stronger future and will ultimately give his team a lot more data to use in making decisions during the off-season.
So, shut down Bargnani (just make it official already), shut down Calderon, Kleiza even. Let Demar run the team with Alabi, Forbes, Davis and Anderson starting.
It’s time to see what these guys can do and it’s time to accept our fate.
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Kristoffer Pedlar
The Zan Tabak Herald
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