Grange: Fans need to enjoy the ride, winning titles isn't easy

[SHFT]

Who here is talking about a title? I just want out of the first round

[Patman]

why? for what purpose? explain to me how this will help improve the team…

Puts pressure on franchise to change.

Media plays a large role on how causal fans think - Just look at one of the recent Casey poles and the Vince Carter situation.

if a gm is so influenced by the media that he's gonna make a stupid irrational decision based on what fans and media think - most of which have no idea what they're talking about in the first place - then he doesn't deserve to be the gm of a professional nba franchise…

You're looking at this completely the wrong way.

We're not expecting the media to tell management what to do, and then for the management to do what the media says.

The media HEAVILY influences the casual audience. That's why it's a huge part of politics and business. What the media should be doing is empowering the fans to make a better decision. It's when the fans vote with their wallets that the management will be pressured to make changes.

I don't need writers to talk about specific basketball decisions (i.e. Which player/coach to get). They just need to lay out the facts, like how the Raps have won exactly 1 playoff series in our existence. The media needs to grow a pair, instead of essentially telling the fans "bend over".

[Truthrising]

Raptors fans are one the best supportive fans in the world. MLSE/Raptors media are one the worst organizations in the world.

[WeTheNorth77]

What would be worse:

Brian Colangelo & former basketball player (Grant Hill) buys the raptors
Rogers and Bell stays in control for the next decade

[Wizdome]

We've been "enjoying the ride" for 20 years.

[ThatClockWork]

Raptors are the new Hawks .. deal with it.

So in a few yrs were gonna make the 2nd round and potentially the ecf? I can live with that. Much better than making the playoffs 2 or 3 yrs and tanking for 5 or 6 yrs and than again making the playoffs only twice and than not making the playoffs in 5 or 6 yrs. Heck at least will win a playoff series if were the new hawks sooner or later. Its better than getting out of the 1st round 2 yrs and tanking for 5 years and keep repeating that cycle.

Um..Just because someone on the board called us the Hawks, it doesn't make us the Hawks, or does it mean that we will have the success the hawks have had this year.

So what is your position? Would you like to blow up the team and start over ?

Right now, like the Hawks of previous years, we are a first round exit in the playoffs and will be for the next little while unless we can acquire some talent to push us to the next level .. in order to do that though, we need a system that can maximize the strengths of our current group.

It is a fair comparison if you ask me - just because somebody on the internet claims that we won't have the same success that the Hawks have had in previous years does not make it true ...

[Inevitable]

Depressing.

[Volcano]

So in a few yrs were gonna make the 2nd round and potentially the ecf? I can live with that. Much better than making the playoffs 2 or 3 yrs and tanking for 5 or 6 yrs and than again making the playoffs only twice and than not making the playoffs in 5 or 6 yrs. Heck at least will win a playoff series if were the new hawks sooner or later. Its better than getting out of the 1st round 2 yrs and tanking for 5 years and keep repeating that cycle.

Um..Just because someone on the board called us the Hawks, it doesn't make us the Hawks, or does it mean that we will have the success the hawks have had this year.

So what is your position? Would you like to blow up the team and start over ?

Right now, like the Hawks of previous years, we are a first round exit in the playoffs and will be for the next little while unless we can acquire some talent to push us to the next level .. in order to do that though, we need a system that can maximize the strengths of our current group.

It is a fair comparison if you ask me - just because somebody on the internet claims that we won't have the same success that the Hawks have had in previous years does not make it true ...

Jokes on you, Hawks made it out of the first round 4 out of 6 times with Horford (not counting last year as he was injured). They only lost to clearly superior teams (Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, Indiana, Chicago) and won when they had homecourt advantage. We wish we were like the Hawks of previous years.

[theonlyeastcoastrapsfan]

Um..Just because someone on the board called us the Hawks, it doesn't make us the Hawks, or does it mean that we will have the success the hawks have had this year.

So what is your position? Would you like to blow up the team and start over ?

Right now, like the Hawks of previous years, we are a first round exit in the playoffs and will be for the next little while unless we can acquire some talent to push us to the next level .. in order to do that though, we need a system that can maximize the strengths of our current group.

It is a fair comparison if you ask me - just because somebody on the internet claims that we won't have the same success that the Hawks have had in previous years does not make it true ...

Jokes on you, Hawks made it out of the first round 4 out of 6 times with Horford (not counting last year as he was injured). They only lost to clearly superior teams (Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, Indiana, Chicago) and won when they had homecourt advantage. We wish we were like the Hawks of previous years.

We aren't even good enough right now to expect to be in the playoffs every year. If one team in our division can reach or pass us, then we're in trouble. I don't think we can expect that we will just get back to that team we were from the first of the year. If we could have, we would have. Now if we make any significant additions we then also lose Amir, Lou and Tyler. All played significant roles. Meanwhile Knicks have Melo and cap room and a high pick. Boston beat us twice to end the season and they've got the assets to improve, and Philly just keeps adding lottery talent that will at buipoint turn out for them.

I just fear they feel they need to wait until this thing is written off beyond all hope before doing anything about it. It's not that I think we should tank and tank like philly, or that i think theres anything wrong with forming a strong base and adding to it, I just doubt our base is all that strong when it relies on Long J's and Lowry's mood. We have a 20th pick who didn't play yet, we have a 16th pick from the year before who's essentially still a rookie, we have a 20th pick to come this year, and two first rounders the next. If both those next picks were high picks, we'd be well set up to begin a new era. If they are more late first picks, then we have essentially 5 late first rooks on the roster, and if Lowry exercises his opt out, we could be looking at a rebuild anyway.

[Trilogy]

Since the Raptors inception all but these teams have made a conference finals.

Hawks
Wizards
Hornets
Pelicans
Clippers
Warriors
Raptors

One of ATL/WAS will this year and LAC/GSW can do so if they win their series.

So at minimum 80% of teams will have achieved this after this year and possibly 86.6% at max. Hornets/Bobcats have only been in the league since 2004 too. A lot of those teams are having great current success too (or have Anthony Davis).

So let's stop acting like this some pie in the sky dream Grange. The fans should be expecting more.

[ThatClockWork]

Um..Just because someone on the board called us the Hawks, it doesn't make us the Hawks, or does it mean that we will have the success the hawks have had this year.

So what is your position? Would you like to blow up the team and start over ?

Right now, like the Hawks of previous years, we are a first round exit in the playoffs and will be for the next little while unless we can acquire some talent to push us to the next level .. in order to do that though, we need a system that can maximize the strengths of our current group.

It is a fair comparison if you ask me - just because somebody on the internet claims that we won't have the same success that the Hawks have had in previous years does not make it true ...

Jokes on you, Hawks made it out of the first round 4 out of 6 times with Horford (not counting last year as he was injured). They only lost to clearly superior teams (Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, Indiana, Chicago) and won when they had homecourt advantage. We wish we were like the Hawks of previous years.

By** my count, over this team's past two playoff appearances, we've been beaten by clearly superior teams and we've been without a legitimate threat at the 4 and 5. We've only had homecourt advantage because of the state of the Atlantic. It's not identical, but it is a similar trend.

[OakleyDokely]

[Dr Octagon]

Depressing.

Colangelo must be proud.

[OakleyDokely]

[uniballer]

This is the problem having the team the media and everything else under the Rogers/Bell umbrella. These guys are shills with no back bone and have to blow sunshine up everyone's ass. The truth is the second half of this season and playoffs were a disaster. The truth is this team has not done **** all in 20 years. The truth is this team had a prime Vince carter and McGrady and managed to **** it up. I love this team but I will not have some jackass telling me to enjoy the ride of 1 and done in the playoffs.

[Liberal]

This is the problem having the team the media and everything else under the Rogers/Bell umbrella. These guys are shills with no back bone and have to blow sunshine up everyone's ass. The truth is the second half of this season and playoffs were a disaster. The truth is this team has not done **** all in 20 years. The truth is this team had a prime Vince carter and McGrady and managed to **** it up. I love this team but I will not have some jackass telling me to enjoy the ride of 1 and done in the playoffs.

Church!

This article is a joke. What these playoffs proved is that this team isnt anywhere near as good as it could be (they arent who we thought they were) and there are quite a few things that are going to stop this team from evolving so to speak. To have a media member spew this crap is a red flag and should help some to see politics at hand. Seriously Michael Grange, **** off and why dont you come out from under the proverbial desk and grow a pair cause your castrated at this point.

[ash_k]

Depressing.

Actually it is not that Depressing!l! look at G-State and Clippers rankings! and look at the Clippers today!

[Ponchos]

Actually it is not that Depressing!l! look at G-State and Clippers rankings! and look at the Clippers today!

Yep! We all know the Clips turned around their team when they took Blake Griffin with the 20th overall pick in the 1st round, then traded non-lotto pick players Eric Gordon and Aminu for CP3. Totally shows how possible it is for the Raps to turn our fortunes around.

[Tortiglioni]

Enjoy the Ride!