Lohensports

 This post is peak offseason content, so buckle up! I wanted to take a second to shout out my favorite free sports related game, BasketBallGM . They have real NBA rosters that you can load and they're decently accurate in terms of player ratings. To do this experiment I loaded the Raptors in 2025/2026 50 times in a row and then simulated the entire season. There were different player progressions in each one and the AI made its own moves. For the Raptors, I left them untouched other than signing Sandro Mamukelashvili to start each season. I let the seasons play out how they played out and there were some interesting, maybe discouraging results. The important thing here is to remember that this doesn't really matter at all. It's a simulation based on what the game thinks players will be like next year, so it certainly isn't perfect. Lets dive into the results! The Overall Data Average W/L record: 39/43 Most Wins: 51 Least Wins: 28 Times made playoffs: 27 Times won a roun...

 Ah the all star break, I thought about taking one of those myself given there's nothing on in the world of sports right now other than summer league. The Raptors summer league team has kept me pretty entertained though, they have a ton of guards who try really hard on defense which is fun to watch against the lesser competition of summer league. I thought about recapping another summer league game, but there's guys who are better at that doing that right now. I suggest listening to the Hello and Welcome podcast they are my favorites. I thought it might be fun to go back to this article  from November 6. If you were an early reader of this blog, you know I was very excited about the stretch where Gradey Dick was essentially the Raptors number 1 option putting up huge numbers. I made 3 comparisons in that article that put Gradey's first 8 games up against 3 future hall of famer's entire second seasons, which is pretty hilarious looking back at it. Now that Gradey has a w...

 Ok, maybe I jynxed the Jays yesterday by talking too much about the win streak. I guess all good things come to an end! Lets pivot to summer league where the Raptors kick off in Vegas tomorrow night. The Raps team is actually pretty solid this year! Summer league doesn't really matter so I am not going to belabor this, I mostly wanted to go over some guys I'm excited to see on the court and some thoughts on what they can do.  Notable Raptors Summer League Players: Starting off lets just list the guys who have the best chance of being on the Raptors roster come October. Anything can happen, remember Jamison Battle was a random dude on the summer league team until he fought his way into a role on the team and now has a contract for this season. I am not going to be the guy who predicts the next Jamison Battle so lets list the obvious ones:  Guards: Jamal Shead Ja'Kobe Walter Alijah Martin Chucky Hepburn AJ Lawson Forwards:  Collin Murray-Boyles  Jamison Battle Jo...

 NBA draft night! It's always funny to see the reactions the fans have to the guy that their team picks. The Raptors fans in particular fall in love with certain guys, then the hive mind gets behind them and when the guy isn't picked, the fans riot. I remember when Scottie Barnes was picked the fanbase was clamoring for Jalen Suggs. Obviously the fans were wrong, maybe the front office knows what they're doing? The same thing happened last night when the fans were all geared up to take 7 footer Khaman Maluach who was still on the board at 9. Adam Silver went to the podium and announced the Raptors would be taking Collin Murray-Boyles, a 6'7 forward. The fan reaction was mixed to say the least, and that encourages me more than anything. I've got thoughts on some other draft picks as well that I can't wait to get into! Before I do though, let me just say that I am far from a draft expert. I have barely watched any of these guys and everything I "know" ab...

 Finals off day #1 and I am already going back to talking about trade rumors. Even though I am part of the problem, I do hate this with NBA coverage. I don't know another sport where in the middle of the finals a major trade can go down and the talking heads can talk about that. Then they can move on to speculating about more major trades. Then if there's enough time maybe they can break down the actual basketball that was played. I had a whole conversation today where someone tried to convince me that these finals haven't been fun, which is crazy to me. Anyway, even though I hate it I can't think of anything else for today so we're talking KD lol.  The Case Against Trading for KD The sports gods are already forcing me to watch a past his prime superstar who tore his Achilles in Aaron Rodgers with the Steelers, will they force me to watch another in KD with the Raptors? I guess I'd be a hypocrite to be happy about Rodgers but upset about KD but the difference is...

 I had fun writing this one yesterday and so I am coming back with some more today. Lets get a little more granular with what I'm looking for. To me the biggest needs the Raptors have are backup center, big wing/forward, 3rd string/backup PG. I said yesterday that if they don't fill the hole at backup center somehow I don't think they're going to accomplish what they want to. The forward needs are slightly less prominent but it would be nice to swap one of the shooting guards that all deserve minutes for someone with more size. At point guard I am really happy with running Jamal Shead out there as the backup all season, but I don't think he stops them from kicking the tires on someone more established, especially after the injury woes Quickley just went through. I need to take a step back sometimes because in every trade I suggested yesterday I found myself sad about losing the player they traded. I don't know how I became so attached to a 30 win team. Anyway, h...

 The 3 days off in between finals game is making me restless. I am getting a taste of what summer is going to look like where I won't have much to talk about I guess. Anyway, Giannis announced today that he's informed the Bucks he wants to stay in Milwaukee. If you read my Giannis post , you'll know I don't actually mind that. He was always going to cost too much and make the Raptors fringe contenders at best. They're probably 1-2 years away from swinging a consolidation trade for a superstar, why rush the process? With that in mind, who are some other targets the Raptors should have to add depth or smooth out their depth chart which currently is flooded with shooting guards? For the purposes of this post, I am leaving Kevin Durant out of the equation. If they aren't trading for Giannis, they certainly aren't trading for KD who will require likely 2 starters going out the other way just to match salary and is on an expiring contract at 36 years old. None of ...

 It's time for me to finally jump on the Giannis trade speculation bandwagon. I'm not sure how much we should read into reports about mutual interest between the Raptors and Giannis. I am certain the Raptors have interest, this is a guy Masai has been chasing for a decade now, but Giannis' interest is a different story. Are the Raptors really the best situation for him to go to if he's indeed planning on leaving the Bucks? Would the Raptors even be contenders if they gut their core for Giannis? Am I being too sentimental about a 30 win team? We will cover all the angles here today in the last day off of basketball before the finals start tomorrow.  The Dream Package Ok lets start out with the super unrealistic package the Raptors could send out for Giannis. This is a package the Bucks likely say no to right away. The only way something like this goes through is if Giannis demands a trade specifically to Toronto and sabotages any attempt at sending him elsewhere. The pac...

 Right in the middle of maybe the most action packed part of the sports calendar is the NBA draft lottery. All the teams who's seasons were long and pitiful got to come together and dream on landing a potential franchise changer in Cooper Flagg. By the end, the first overall pick was awarded to the Dallas Mavericks who had a <2% chance of moving into that position. Of course the general reaction was that it was rigged, I don't think it was but if I were to rig something I would send a young superstar to my biggest market in exchange for the first overall pick in the draft. Anyway, we're here to discuss none of that. For Raptors fans, we disappointingly moved down to 9. I personally believe 2 things: firstly we deserved this. The Raptors threw away games at the end of the year and not only did they throw away games, they threw away development opportunities when even their rookies were playing too well. They lost on purpose and I think that should be punished. Secondly, w...

 Today I am starting a new continuous series that I'll add to whenever I don't feel like talking about the million games that were on last night. I barely watched Warriors Rockets, after Jimmy went down it ended up a blow out. Heat vs Cavs and Magic vs Celtics just doesn't interest me at all, baring a miracle we all know who's winning each of those series. The Jays are particularly depressing to talk about right now and I don't feel like doing a big rant post today. I will say quickly though, the Astros had 13 hits last night, the Jays managed 9 hits the entire series. Really rough one, need the big bats to get going ASAP. Anyway, lets go over every Raptor that's likely to return next season and discuss 1 thing they can add to their bag to make the team better:  Scottie Barnes - 3 Point Shooting Starting with the most obvious returning player (unless of course the Raptors are in on a Jokic or Giannis trade, then anything goes). In 2023-2024 when Scottie made his...

 We back! Today is mercifully the final home game for the Raptors of the season. They announced most of their players won't be playing including second round rookie Jamal Shead who's out for "rest." Don't get me started, of course it's a good idea to rest a rookie! He needs his energy for Cancun! Anyway, ignoring all of that I thought I could look back on some of the memorable Raptors games this year as a time capsule. I am sure once the good times start rolling again this 30 win team will be long forgotten, so lets immortalize some of its better moments here today. I am going off memory for all of these cause why not, so if I am inaccurate with some stuff it's only because my brain remembered it that way, don't judge me.  Ja'Kobe Walter Wins it at the Buzzer Raptors Beat the Magic 114-113  The beginning of the embarrassing part of the tank! This game was really fun to watch and probably the game of the year for the 2024-2025 Raptors. The Raptors w...

No post yesterday, I'm sorry guys I was really busy at work. Today I considered doing my usual Friday thing where I don't post anything, but with the market taking a fat beating I could use a good distraction! Tough and weird season for the Raptors. After a brutal start against the toughest schedule in the league, the Raptors decided to tank the second half of the year against the easiest schedule. Because of that, the record may suggest that this team is a bottom feeder, but I am here to tell you now that next season will be taken seriously and next season will be a good and fun one for the Raptors.  Contributions from Young Players How can you not start with this! You can go back to my report cards post for a more in depth look at all of these guys, but there's a lot to be excited about next season when the Raptors unleash what looks like bench mob 2.0. Jamal Shead has been a joy to watch and he has a bit of a Kyle Lowry type of edge to his game, the perfect guy to be lea...

Not Mentioned: Garrett Temple: A (good vet, great interviews on the Raptors Show Podcast) Orlando Robinson: B+ (A reasonable 3rd string center)  AJ Lawson: A (Never misses a shot when RJ passes him the ball, from Brampton) Jarred Rhoden: B- (not memorable, can defend a little I guess) Ulrich Chomche: INC (barely played NBA minutes, youngest player in the league that's pretty cool) Jamison Battle: B+ 6.3/2.2/0.8 on 43/40/88 The Raptors are back to finding useful players as undrafted free agents with Jamison Battle. I've said multiple times this year that Battle is simply one of the best shooters in the league and I will say it again here. If Battle has a slightly open look, I am confident that he's going to knock that thing down, more so than anyone else on the team. While I wouldn't call it a strength, Battle has shown that he can do a little bit off the dribble when guys close out hard, typically driving at a slow deliberate pace to create space for a floater. He's...