Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “.
There are 11 games in the National Basketball Association tonight, one of which will have the attention of anxious Toronto Raptors fans as Toronto is in Phoenix to meet the Suns.
Phoenix is 5 & 2 early in the season trying to keep pace with the LA Lakers and Clippers atop the Western Conference.
The Raptors……? They’re 1 & 5, just barely percentage points in front of the Detroit Pistons at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
And make no mistake, Toronto fully deserves their futile record.
Remarkably, in almost every loss this season the Raptors have either had a double digit lead at some point or led at the half before caving in during the second half.
What’s the issue ?……They haven’t been very good as a whole.
Yes, Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry have turned in above average performances early in the season, almost trying as a tandem to force a positive outcome in games.
But after that,……..UGH.
Three point air balls……Outrebounded on a regular basis.
Plus, Pascal Siakim, the breakout star 12 months ago, has looked utterly lost at times and was benched at one point for breaching a code of conduct protocol.
Matt Thomas, Terrance Davis, Malachi Flynn, Aron Baynes, Alex Len….. Stanley Johnson, none of them have given the impression that the losing ledger is a fluke or might turn around in the short term.
The short term arrives tonight when the 1 & 5 Raptors are in Phoenix to meet the 5 & 2 Suns.
I’m Fred Wallace