No Dwane Casey. No DeMar DeRozan. No Air Canada Centre. And no LeBron James in the Eastern Conference.
The 2018-2019 Toronto Raptors still have Kyle Lowry along with the new guy, Kawhi Leonard. As you may have heard all summer, Leonard is a free agent at the end of the season.
Last year's Raptors squad set team marks for best record in the regular season. Another 2nd round finish, especially with a sweep, was a sad sight. Changes were made.
The Raptors open the season at home tomorrow night. Toronto has opened at home in 9 of the last 10 seasons. Cleveland will be the opponent, a team still learning to play without the king.
DeMar DeRozan makes his return to Toronto on February 22 with the San Antonio Spurs in Canada. LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers are in Toronto on March 14. Casey moved onto Detroit and will return with the Pistons on November 14.
The Raptors have 27 U.S. TV games this season, more than twice as many from 12 last season. The breakdown is 12 on NBA TV, 8 on ESPN, and 7 on TNT.
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Nick Nurse had been a Dwane Casey assistant since 2013 and was in charge of the offence. Nurse's time with the Raptors is his only NBA exposure. Nurse was hired as the Raptors coach to replace Casey in the off-season.
Jeremy Castleberry is one of the new assistants under Nurse. Castleberry worked with Leonard while with the Spurs. They also played together in high school and at San Diego State. Leonard only played 9 games last season. The Raptors want to make things as smooth as can be in Toronto.
photo credit: Toronto Raptors/NBA
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