- HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors - http://www.hoopsworld.com -

Raptors limp into game against Nets

Posted By HOOPSWORLD On December 12, 2012 @ 5:01 pm In All,Wirenews | Comments Disabled

Five players injured and one suspended. A horrendous road trip with five straight losses. Fourteenth place in the Eastern Conference.

That describes the Toronto Raptors, who are 4-18 before facing the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.

“We’ve got bad luck everywhere,” leading scorer DeMar DeRozan said.

For Raptors coach Dwane Casey, the advice to his players is simple.

“This is when you have to pull your pants up — I think I heard the term ‘big boy pants’ — and be ready to play,” Casey said during the shootaround. “That’s where I am. I’m a fighter. I’m a scrapper. I’m still with this team. We’re working hard … I’m not shying away from this challenge and this opportunity.”

An injury-depleted roster hasn’t helped matters. Casey’s injured list includes Andrea Bargnani, Kyle Lowry, Linas Kleiza, Alan Anderson and Landry Fields. Amir Johnson was suspended for the Brooklyn game after throwing his mouthpiece at an official during Monday’s loss in Portland.

Bargnani and Lowry are second and third on the team in scoring, averaging a combined 31.8 points.

Casey, who believes his team is probably three to five wins better than the standings show, says coaches and players have to endure the attention and speculation that accompany such a slide.

“We live in a glass bowl. I live in a glass bowl. That’s part of the territory when we sign up,” he said. “So we’re all men.

“And I’ve explained that to players. You’ve got to perform — trade rumors, firing, whatever it is — we all have to perform. We have a job to do. And we can’t go in a shell and say ‘Please go away, please go away.’”

General manager Bryan Colangelo spoke out during the recent road trip, calling the team’s play unacceptable, disappointing and embarrassing. Rather than the talent level, he pointed to “lack of focus, attention to detail, consistency of competing.”

Players and coaches met after a loss in Utah for some soul-searching. The Raptors promptly lost games in Portland and Los Angeles, against the Clippers.

“I think Bryan was trying to light a fire under the players, saying there’s lack of focus, that we had talent,” Casey … [For more on Toronto Raptors limp into game against Brooklyn Nets, click here.]


Article printed from HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors: http://www.hoopsworld.com

URL to article: http://www.hoopsworld.com/toronto-raptors-limp-into-game-against-brooklyn-nets

Copyright © 2012 HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors
Part of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group.