Raptors have chip on shoulder
DeRozan wants to talk about game, not salary
We are in a golden age of discussing professional athletes’ contracts, especially in the National Basketball Association. The league really has had the perfect confluence of events to drive the conversation: player salaries are public, contracts are shorter than they used to be, the salary cap is rising because of the new national television deal in the U.S., and the specifics of the collective bargaining agreement are there for any fan to find. It is very easy to play armchair general manager, which is a logical exercise for fans invested in their teams’ success.
Accordingly, DeMar DeRozan had to field a few questions about his status on Toronto Raptors media day on Monday. He can opt out of his deal, which pays him US$9.5-million annually, at the end of the season. He would be foolish not to; with the television money kicking in next year, free agents should do well. If DeRozan has an excellent year, he could be in line to double his salary.
Yet, DeRozan seemed taken aback by the line of questioning. He said he had not even thought about his likely free agency, which is hard to believe. Who could ignore the prospect of a giant raise? A few days removed, he got at the truth of the issue.
“I hate that, honestly,” DeRozan said in a one-onone interview. “I never speak about it. With me, I’ve always been that one player: I’ve been loyal. I’ve been every single thing you can think of here. I think people don’t understand how much pride I take in playing (in Toronto). A lot of times when I do get asked that, it kind of frustrates me.
“Everyday I wake up, I take pride in being the longest Raptor here. People bring up third or whatever in franchise scoring - there is so much stuff like that.”
He went on to say that he knows if he performs well, and the team performs well, the money will take care of itself, which is true. It is also where things get interesting. DeRozan remains as polarizing as any marquee player in the league.
DeRozan followed him his all-star season in 2013-14 with arguably his most dispiriting season. He missed 21 games early in the year with a groin injury, and had trouble finding his form when he returned. He shot 39 per cent on pull-up, catch-and-shoot two-pointers, and 36 per cent on pull-up two-pointers — down from 47 and 37 per cent, respectively, a year ago. DeRozan’s game, in the words of new assistant coach Jerry Stackhouse, is “an aberration” in today’s NBA because he focuses on his mid-range game. He still got to the free-throw line 7.4 times per 36 minutes, but it was not enough to prop up his falling percentages to match the efficiency of a year ago.
With that in mind, he put extra work into his threepoint shot this summer, and not for the first time. DeRozan has always insisted that he could shoot the three-pointer, but he has just chosen to focus on other parts of his offensive game. Whatever the reason, he has never shot better than 31 per cent from long distance.
Stackhouse empathizes. Like DeRozan, he was a shooting guard who thrived on getting to the freethrow line and did not focus on three-pointers, shooting only 31 per cent from beyond the arc for his career. Stackhouse knows there is more pressure on DeRozan to develop that shot than there ever was on him.
“The game has changed a little bit with the (perimeter-oriented power forward),” Stackhouse said. “You pretty much play four (shooters) around one (big man), so you want everybody around the perimeter to be a threat.”
“I know I can shoot it. It’s just me doing it every night,” DeRozan added. “If I go 0 for 5 one night, that don’t mean nothing. The next night I could go 3 for 5. I’m willing to shoot them. I was always so comfortable feeling like I can go to the basket, get fouled or create for everyone else. I need to make it easier on my teammates now, being able to catch and shoot.”
DeRozan has talked about that in the past, so we will have to wait to see whether or not he can adopt that mindset. The incentive is clearly there, and not only because of the payday that is waiting for him. The Raptors’ playoff exit against Washington last year was, plainly, embarrassing.
“After the Brooklyn series (two seasons ago), you kind of understood what you had to do,” DeRozan said. “The next year really humbled us and put us back in that place where we have to play with a chip on our shoulder, just as much as we did in the beginning of the season and going into the playoffs (in 2013-14). … This time around, I don’t care if I’ve got to get carried off of the court after each game. You know me: I’m willing to make sure we keep progressing.”
In order for the Raptors do to that, they are going to need DeRozan to keep progressing. If he can, he will not have to field questions about his value, because the answer will be obvious.