“The program is only as strong as its players will take it,” Mills says, before repeating himself. “I don’t say that necessarily as a good thing. We definitely have got some work to do in this area, I believe, but for now it’s full focus on Tokyo, and a gold medal would do wonders for our program, as at least a starting point. There’s a prestigious feeling within our program that needs to be a joint effort between the playing group and Basketball Australia to make sure when — we’ve lost ‘Bogues’ [Andrew Bogut], obviously — I step away, when Joe Ingles steps away, ‘Delly’ [Matthew Dellavedova], [Aron] Baynes — that that program is still elite, if not even more levels up, as it should be.”
Aron Baynes Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: C
Born: 12/09/86
Height: 6-10 / 2.08
Weight:260 lbs. / 117.9 kg.
Salary: $7,000,000
Born: 12/09/86
Height: 6-10 / 2.08
Weight:260 lbs. / 117.9 kg.
Salary: $7,000,000
Toronto is launching a league-leading 45.1 3-point attempts per 100 possessions — every other trip is bombs away, basically — but sport an offense that is tied for the league’s worst at a meager 101.5 points per 100 possessions. Toronto is last in the NBA in free-throw rate, partly as a consequence of all the 3s and partly because the Raptors’ two best rim attackers, Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell, apparently spent the last two months forgetting how to play basketball. The 3s haven’t scared anybody either, not at their current 33.2 percent conversion rate; opponents will gladly permit Siakam, OG Anunoby and especially Aron Baynes to fire away until a change in their percentages convinces them otherwise.
Rod Boone: Gordon Hayward said he thinks he his injured finger when he ran into Aron Baynes in the lane. Said he did some shooting and dribbling today in practice in Orlando. Finger is tender, he said, and it will depend on pain management.
Bobby Marks: I thought three years, $25 million for Mason Plumlee was a huge reach, especially considering where centers were on the market. You’ve got Hassan Whiteside basically going for the minimum, and Aron Baynes went for two years with a non-guarantee in year two.
