Al Dannity says there’s no point risking Jonas Valanciunas or Terrence Ross tonight. The Toronto Raptors would be better served giving Quincy Acy a closer look instead.
Regulars on this site will know that I have a giant man-crush on Jonas Valanciunas. What’s not to like about a Lithuanian big-man who can bang hard and shoots well? That’s an asset which the Raptors must look after and not risk getting injured at the tail-end of a lost season. Let’s talk about priorities here for a minute. What will get more people inside the Air Canada Centre next season, getting the big rookie to dazzle while hurt down the stretch or have a shot at a serious camp with DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Valanciunas, and Terrence Ross all fight and working together? The latter turns Toronto in a potentially nasty outfit with legitimate playoff aspirations after a three-year post-Bosh slump.
Speaking of Ross, sit him. Seriously, the kid is hurt and isn’t going to do anything between now and the start of the playoffs to change opinions on him. Valanciunas has a sore neck, Ross is wearing an ice-bag on his ankle; do we really need these guys to take more licks before the off-season? Dwayne Casey says Valanciunas will be ready to go once the soreness goes away. How about we just count our blessings and not tempt fate by putting his body on the line until pre-season training, or at least until Valanciunas plays EuroBasket with Lithuania. Regarding Ross, Casey said he tweaked his ankle in practice. While nowhere near as consistent as Valanciunas this season, the last thing Toronto needs is to have him get injured by overcompensating.
These are guys who have made their impression. At this point in the season we need players who are still carving out their role to get a shot. Quincy Acy is the perfect example. Having seen two stints in the D-League during his rookie season, 22 year-old is finally seeing some court time. “I’m [going to] work all summer on footwork and lateral movement so that I can check the big guys,” Acy told TSN. “Physically, I feel like I can keep up with them but they have an edge against me right now as far as foot speed going laterally.”
Real court time against real NBA players will help Acy get a better idea of what he needs to do. That’s the type of player Casey needs to push hard to get something out of the closing games to the season.
