NBA Toronto Raptors

Defense, Loss of DeMar DeRozan Not the Real Problems For Panic-Stricken Toronto Raptors

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Toronto Raptors forward James Johnson reacts in the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Raptors 125-109. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

J. Rebilas-USA Today Sports

Is it really their sickly defense and the loss of NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan that has contributed to the ongoing free fall of the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference? Nope, those are really just all too convenient excuses generated from the team’s front office.

The Raptors’ current malaise is really due to a state of panic and loss of momentum that has overtaken the team. Just like the current flu virus and cold weather snap that is sweeping through the streets of Toronto, the Raptors are frozen in their tracks.

Toronto dropped their fourth consecutive morale-busting game on Thursday with a 103-95 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. All coach Dwane Casey and the Toronto front office could say to explain their recent losing streak leading up to their latest setback was that their weak defense and the loss of DeRozan were the main culprits.

“We’ve lost an All-Star – but there are no excuses whatsoever,” Casey told The Raptors’ website. “So if you ask me the question [DeRozan's absence] has been part of our defensive woes, yes.”

Before heading on their five-game road trip out west, the Raptors led the Eastern Conference. But as they continue to hack and cough up the losses, they now find themselves in third place, three games behind the Atlanta Hawks, and plummeting fast.

DeRozan has been out since he suffered a groin injury against the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 28, and it’s no secret that his recovery has been slow and life has been difficult without him. DeRozan recently returned to full practice duties, but says he still needs more time to get back in the lineup. He is now projecting a possible return on Jan. 16 against Atlanta.

Unless something changes their current downward momentum soon, DeRozan and his teammates could soon find themselves fighting for a playoff spot instead of dreaming of a title. Indeed, Toronto’s defense performed much stronger in the opening weeks of the season with a healthy DeRozan in the lineup.

In the first 16 with a healthy DeRozan, the Raptors were ninth in the NBA with a defensive efficiency of 100.9, allowing 107.6 points per game. Without DeRozan, through 18 games, Toronto ranked 29th in the NBA with a rating of 108.6, allowing 108.4 per game.

Statistics are great to throw around when you are trying to create a smokescreen for the basketball-culture challenged, hockey-loving Toronto media. But the numbers wear thin and are mooted by the simple fact they were calculated in the first month of the regular season when most team’s offensive numbers were way down. Toronto did have a strong start and went 13-3 with DeRozan in the lineup, but really weren’t that horrible without him either, until eight days ago when they suffered a crushing overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Despite their recent self-induced funk, overall the Raptors have put up an impressive 11-7 record without DeRozan in the lineup; it should be noted that eight of those games were played against stronger Western Conference teams. Aside from momentum, the real reason they were able to win most of those games was due to the exploits of All-Star contender Kyle Lowry.

And it’s not just Lowry who has fizzled lately – the entire the team has been out of sorts since their loss emotionally-sapping loss in The Rose City. The players and coaching staff all know the painful truth, and you can see it etched on their faces.

Sounding the alarm and panicking isn’t going to help; it’s all too distracting, especially for a team that, until recently, was only taking baby steps back to respectability. Even if the Raptors split all of their remaining games this season, they still finish 13 games above .500 and will most likely be one of the top playoffs seeds in the Conference.

What Casey and the Raptors really need to do in order to restore their lost momentum is focus on the big picture, relax, enjoy the moment and just breath for a change — that’s the only way to regain their lost form. Panic is a momentum-buster in any sport, but in basketball, it’s much worse.

Peter Mallett is a blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RedCardTheRef1 like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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