New power forward Serge Ibaka sounds up for the challenge with Raptors after the break,
Ex-Magic power forward talks pressure and passion while getting up to speed
Serge Ibaka joins a team that’s been struggling mightily, with loss after loss after loss piling up and the promise of a 22-8 start to the NBA season having given way to more than a month of disappointment.
He is a veteran and a proven winner, a player who fills a glaring need on the Toronto Raptors roster, and there are more than a few people who see the 27-year-old power forward as the antidote for all that ails the franchise.
It’s a lot to ask one player, and a completely unfair request, but the team’s newest player welcomes the responsibility. And the pressure.
“It’s always pressure in sport,” Ibaka said Wednesday, meeting the local media for the first time since he was acquired from the Orlando Magic for Terrence Ross and a draft pick on Tuesday.
“Even where I come from, Orlando, was pressure . . . it was a lot of pressure since day one in Orlando, and it’s going to be always pressure, but I think those pressures make us better.
“Without pressure, I’m not going to wake up every day to go work, or do extra shot(s), or lifting. I do those kinds of things because I know I have pressure on my back. So that’s going to make us better.”
Ibaka — who travelled most of Tuesday, met with Raptors officials and doctors late Wednesday and watched the pre-game walkthrough — will make his debut with Toronto a week from Friday, when the team comes off the NBA’s all-star break. There had been a hope that he would dress for Wednesday’s home game against the Charlotte Hornets, but a combination of unfamiliarity and fatigue kept him out of the lineup.
When he eventually gets into a game — the Raptors are off until they host Boston after the extended break — Ibaka is expected to bring a needed level of toughness and front-court experience to the team. The positions and the usage don’t really matter.
“Just play hard,” he said. “I have to learn the guys and the plays, but one thing you don’t have to learn is playing hard, so go play hard.”
Ibaka was traded from Oklahoma City to Orlando last June and was seen as a key part of a Magic resurgence.
It couldn’t have gone worse, as Orlando is close to dead last in the Eastern Conference. Ibaka did not stand out on a so-so roster and, afraid to lose him as an unrestricted free agent in July, the Magic dealt him a week ahead of the league’s trade deadline.
At six-foot-10 and 235 pounds, Ibaka should be able to provide a boost, adding size and physical presence to a team that needs it. But until he’s at least able to get on the court for a full practice with his new team, he’s unwilling to say how he’ll fit in.
“A team like this, I’m just going to try to bring my experience and my defensive game, my toughness, my energy,” he said.
“Because when you have guys like Kyle (Lowry) and DeMar (DeRozan) you don’t need an offensive, scoring guy really. You need a guy who can bring some physicality and defensive plays, energy, running up and down. Those are the things I’m really going to bring.” Outside of that, no promises. “I won’t lie to you, I haven’t had a chance to watch a lot of games,” he said.
“I just got here today. I will at least watch the tape to see how the team plays, so I can give my opinions. They played (Tuesday) night while I was travelling. I wish I could have caught (that) game.”