Notebook: Miles? Powell? Starting small forward job up for grabs
Dwane Casey is not ready to commit to a starting small forward for the Toronto Raptors this season. The head coach says it will be “fit” that determines whether C.J. Miles or Norm Powell joins Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas in the starting lineup — including who might fit best with a second unit that will be among the youngest in the league.
“I’ve talked to both C.J. and Norm. It could be either one,” Casey said. “Delon Wright may see some minutes at the three because he’s a versatile young man. Bruno (Caboclo) gives you a standstill shooter. So we’re going to look at a lot of different attributes for that position, and then who fits with the second unit.”
Neither Powell nor Miles has any issues with doing either role. They’re content to let training camp and exhibition games figure it out.
“I think we go through camp and we push each other and make each other better through competition, but I don’t get paid for that part,” Miles said. “I get paid to do what I’m told by the person that makes that decision.”
Powell, however, does have a semantics issue with the decision.
“I just want to say, I’m not a small forward,” he joked. “I’ve seen that, there was some stuff out there that said I’m not a small forward. I’m a combo guard.”
BRUNO AT FIVE: There is one new thing about just-turned-22 Bruno Caboclo: his number. After giving up No. 5 to the more senior DeMarre Carroll for two seasons while wearing No. 20, Caboclo switched back to No. 5 when Carroll was traded to the Nets in the summer.
MILES TO GO: Miles is going to use training camp not only absorbing the team’s defensive and offensive systems, but also the way to act. Part of the job of joining a new team is figuring out personalities and what it takes to interact with them. “You know in your mind how you do it and how you approach it, but you want to be on the same page and wavelength with everyone,” the summer acquisition said during a podium session at media day on Monday. “You learn demeanours from coaches to players and how to talk to certain people, how certain people talk to you, and not to take anything personally. I mean, you never do, but you still want to make sure no one throws any chairs at you or anything. You just want to figure out what is going on.”