1. Coming off a finals appearance how do you feel!
I feel great but I also feel disappointed. I don't think many people expected us to make the finals this year, similar to a few years back. The disappointment mainly stems from knowing how hard it is to make the finals again, especially with some great teams in the West and in the Pacific division. After our last finals appearance we actually struggled the following season and ended up having to retool. We'll see what happens this time around!
2. Is Dozier a franchise piece you could see yourself building around or is this the offseason you let him go as he's due for a pay raise?
We think we can build around him and he's taken us to the finals twice already. He may not be a guy that goes out there and scores 30 every night, but he's shown he can be a suitable number 1 option on a well-rounded team. You can't forget about his versatility and defense as well, which often gets overlooked.
3. Tell us about your user name, are you a fellow raps fan? If so I'm so sorry, but it's nice to have a fellow dino fan and if not raptors, who do you follow?
Certainly a Raptors fan! I try to get to a couple games a year since I live about 30 mins to an hour away from Scotiabank Arena. I started using this username in the NLL back in 2004-2005 right when Chris Bosh was up and coming with the Raps, hence the CB4 portion.
4. Tell us about your approach to team building and implementing your system?
By no means do I think I'm a DDS guru or anything like that. There's definitely been some luck involved in us making the finals a couple of times. I like having a deep roster because I've seen how many one or two injuries can really derail a season. Structure wise, I like my players to be versatile and have size. You can see this with guys like Dozier, Levi and Looney. We have another guy coming in soon too who is a tall player that can play almost any position. Honestly it's a balance. We want to score, be able to shoot the 3, get blocks up front and steals with guards, and want to have respectable man-to-man defense. It sounds like a lot, but over time it's something you can build through small moves.
5. What's the goal for this upcoming season?
We have a lot of work to do this offseason due to some key free agents, but ideally we want to run it back and win a Championship.
6. Who is the most underrated player on your roster? I'd vote Owens but I'm curious as to your opinion.
I would almost say Dozier just because he isn't talked about as much. He doesn't get much love for All-Star or All-NBA teams, but I understand his scoring is down a bit because we have other good offensive players. I'm not sure Owens is necessarily underrated. Everyone knows he can score, but there's other weaknesses to his game. One guy that has been important for us this season that we've been grooming is Johnny Hamilton. He provided some key scoring off the bench and we've developed him to be a stretch big.
7. With more and more teams gearing towards a spacing system you have gone against the proverbial grain and concentrate on efficient post offense. Is that statement true and if so how did you find this approach
Yes and no. When your best player is Dozier, there's going to be some post-focus. However, if you look at some of our other top scorers, guys like Dunn, Graham, and Levi are players who can stretch the floor. Good shots for us are in the paint or take a 3 (if you're good at making them). We shot 39% from three this season on about 22 attempts or so. I would love for us to convert on more free throws, but sometimes that's a skill that is hard to find with certain players.
I hope you enjoyed this look into an integral player in this league, and if you are interested in being interviewed please express your interest here: https://www.championsimleague.com/viewt ... 65&t=15050
It'll be first come first serve, and I'll gauge interest and go from there.
