Being a journeyman your whole career always makes a fan wonder why? Why do teams keep trading him? Why aren't we trying to get him? And the most common question is why did we end up with him? Well all in all this can be said about the Toronto Raptors and their acquisition of Antoine Wright from the Dallas Mavericks. He has been traded, but not the main part of the trades. He has been pushed to exceed limits and is always playing with something more than a chip on his shoulder. It should be to no avail that most Raptor fans should make the assumption he will not get valuable minutes, but being vulnerable is one thing and being oblivious is another.
Now we all know that Triano has stated that DeRozan will be our starting shooting guard, which I think everyone can consensually agree with. It gives DeRozan the morale and encouragement he needs to become prolific in the league. Did I mention he can jump really high? Oppose to that his defence isn't exactly all their, something that will be pressed hard on him in the offseason. This is where Wright becomes effective. Some people tend to get caught up in the rotation, and disregard that this is not like a hockey shift. Guaranteed 2-3 starters will be on the game at all times. Wright, will close out quarters, and be primarily used as a main defender.
Rick Carlisle has been stated saying that Wright was the best defender on the squad. Now what makes this more significant is he had to guard the top players in the association night in night out. Kobe, Lebron, Wade are players he guarded each game. It was an exhibition out there for him. The Mavericks team did have 50 wins and made it to the playoffs. Now to use Wright properly is where Triano may or may go wrong. If Triano puts him in the game as one of the top 2 or 3 options as a scorer he would be going wrong. He needs to use him sufficiently and make sure he is not depended to be a scorer on the floor at all times. Triano must also plays chimes in his ears all season long about defence. Keep him consistent and motivated to make the necessary stops. Unless of course, anyone wants to see Turk or DeRozan get lit up for 81 anytime soon. It will be Wrights job to finish the games out on defence, and Jack will presumably be in the game when we need to score. DeRozan may be able to jump, really high, but with all the transactions made after the draft it's hard to put DeRozan in positions like that with so many other options.
With enough emphasis, Wright is strong, rugged player. He has been known for saying that if he wasn't going to be a pro basketball player, he was bound to be a pro football player. That quote there talks a lot about his character and his drive. He may not be a Ben Wallace or Bruce Bowen type player, but for now he is our best option and if Triano utilizes him correctly, he may help make this teams defence a momentous factor that helps produce victories. Let's not take the wrong way, but go the Wright way.
Cheers,
Dustin
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