Raptors host troubled Bulls after ugly brawl at practice

TORONTO — Dwane Casey has seen his fair share of fights between teammates. DeMar DeRozan hinted that he might have been in one or two, back in high school.

But the Toronto Raptors have to beware of the visiting Chicago Bulls turning an ugly incident in their favour. The Raptors host a shorthanded Bulls team in their season opener today after a brawl at a Chicago practice left power forward Nikola Mirotic with a concussion and broken bones in his face. Bobby Portis was suspended for eight games by the team for his role in Tuesday’s incident.

“We had some doozies in Seattle. . . We had some fisticuffs,” said Casey, who was an assistant with the SuperSonics from 1994 to 2005. “One that started on the court and went in the weight room and went outside, come back in. It was a long one.

“Sometimes when you have that, as long as guys aren’t getting hurt, you can turn it around on the other team. That’s what we’ve got to be ready for with Chicago, thinking OK, they had a fisticuff, but still it could be a bonding experience for that team. So we’ve got to be ready for a feisty Chicago team.

“Something like this could be a galvanizing situation for them.”

The Bulls, who lost 125-104 to Toronto in their pre-season finale, said Mirotic might require surgery for his injuries.

Fighting between teammates was a major topic of conversation Wednesday after the Raptors held their final pre-season practice at Biosteel Centre. From a coach’s perspective, Casey said he doesn’t necessarily mind when practice gets heated and teammates play each other hard.

“You want guys to compete, to go at each other. But not to the point where you injure a teammate,” Casey said. “You always preach: have an edge. But when it becomes physical and there’s an opportunity to hurt a teammate, that’s where you draw the line.”

For a long time, the Bulls were one of the Raptors’ biggest rivals. Chicago had beaten them in 11 straight games before the Raptors finally ended the streak last March in overtime. But the Bulls have undergone a rebuild, and stars Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade are both gone.

The Raptors, meanwhile, will put their new offence to the test. Falling behind in a league that was trending toward free-flowing ball movement and long-range shooting, the Raptors turned their focus toward those two things in the preseason.