Masai Ujiri: Raptors Need A Culture Reset

[RealGM Wiretap]

The Toronto Raptors will readdress the state of their team following their four-game sweep by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"After that performance [against the Cavaliers], we need a culture reset here," Masai Ujiri said at an end-of-season news conference Tuesday.

"We've tried what we've done so many times and it hasn't worked," he said. "We have to go a different direction, do something different. I don't know now what it is."

While Ujiri said changing all of the players isn't the answer, he feels they need to move the ball more on offense.

Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, PJ Tucker and Patrick Patterson will be free agents.

Ujiri said it's "not realistic" that the Raptors will be able to bring back all of their free agents.

Toronto does want to re-sign Lowry.

"We know what we have with him, with him at his best," Ujiri said. "The last couple months we saw without him, we didn't jell."

Ujiri said he's willing to do whatever it takes to improve the team.

"We're trying to be progressive thinkers here," he said. "This business is all about risk-taking, too. You have to put yourself on the line there. Honestly, I'm not afraid of that."

Via ESPN

[the_process]

Masai,

You need to find a desperate team to take DeRozan. Then re-sign Ibaka and let Lowry walk. Build around your big men.

[str8cash]

new coach coming.
don't sign Kyle Lowry
sign Serge Ibaka
sign PJ Tucker
please don't sign, I rather losing with bruno . Patrick Patterson

[Daddy 801]

Seems like code for a new coach.

[mawbsta]

interesting comments considering half of the important players are young (Siakam, Wright, Powell, Poeltl, Van Fleet, Nogueira, Coboclo) and the other half is expiring free agents... So assuming he's not secretly disgusted with all the young kids on the team that were the bright spot and one of the best benches in the NBA, and knowing Masai is clearly a fan of Lowry, and wants to keep him (if the price is right), "changing the culture" would therefore mean examining the relationship with the other three pieces to the main puzzle... Coach Casey, DeMar Derozan and a couple of overpaid slugs...

Coach Casey has three problems. 1. he doesn't know how to hold his highest paid players accountable, and 2. he has demonstrated poor judgement in terms of integrating the kids (powell and siakam grossly under-utilized, Carroll, Patterson and JV given far, far, far too much rope) and 3. is hamstrung by a team that simply cannot compete from behind the arc with 90% of the team in the NBA. The first two are the epitomy of "culture" and will most likely cost Casey his job this summer, but the third is on Masai as the Raps have been slow to transition to the "find the open 3pt shooter" because they simply don't have the personnel. Lowry is by and far the best 3pt shooter on the team, but he can't be a distributor and a 3pt specialist at the same time and the Raptors were the WORST passing team in the NBA, which brings us to Derozan...

Demar is a fantastic volume shooter. His mid-range game and ability to get to the line is the best in the league. Regrettably, he eats up way too much clock, and cannot shoot the 3 with any sort of necessary regularity, and is a below average defender. Regrettably, in today's NBA, that makes Demar as one-dimensional as they come, where someone like Norman Powell, he of the elite transition speed, capable outside shooting and positional versatility, would be an obvious, and capable replacement should another team wish to put some pieces together... Not my first choice, but when Ujuri refers to keeping Lowry, improving ball movement and taking risks--trading DeMar is unmistakably the message here because he's not throwing stones at...

Ibaka and Tucker, who distinguished themselves as "made men" immediately upon entering the fray. Surely Masai added both players with the hopes of retaining them. Surely a team with the defensive prowess and versatility of Serge and PJ is of paramount consideration moving forward and reinforcing the culture change as both men are consummate professionals who leave it all on the floor, which cannot be the same for

Valencunias and Carroll... The foul-prone Lithuania big man looked to be a major contributor this season, coming off a strong playoff performance, and an opening night 32pt 11reb and 12/14ft performance, JV was unremarkable the rest of the way, playing less than 30 minutes for more than half the games, and regularly being exposed on the perimeter and posterized under the basket (does the statue of liberty pose qualify as defense??) Carroll is flat out terrible on so many levels, it's a wonder he's even in the NBA at this stage of his career (still only 30) and there's a clear comprehension as to why it took 3 seasons and 4 teams for Carroll to finally get a starting gig. Masai vastly overpaid Carroll, understandably as landing free agents in Toronto is problematic at best, but Carroll has seen his production fall off a cliff since arriving in Toronto, to the point where Masai was twice forced to replace him (Jared Sullinger) and against with PJ Tucker at the deadline. Carroll was supposed to BE pj tucker!! Valencunias and Carroll earn close to 30mil next season. That's one max superstar, or the ability to keep Lowry, Ibaka and Tucker together. It's going to cost the Raptors the freedom build a true winner because of two players who have already lost their starting jobs on numerous occasions, and who are superfluous with a team that resigns Ibaka and Tucker...

2018 preferred starting lineup
Lowry
Powell
Tucker
Ibaka
Siakam.

Reserves
Joseph/Van Fleet
Wright
Poeltl
Cobocolo
Noguiera

Out
Derozan, Carroll, Valencunias, Patterson, Casey

[luss54321]

"We have to go a different direction, do something different. I don't know now what it is."

Not a very encouraging comment. In other words, we don't have a plan and we don't know what to do.

[mawbsta]

interesting comments considering half of the important players are young (Siakam, Wright, Powell, Poeltl, Van Fleet, Nogueira, Coboclo) and the other half is expiring free agents... So assuming he's not secretly disgusted with all the young kids on the team that were the bright spot and one of the best benches in the NBA, and knowing Masai is clearly a fan of Lowry, and wants to keep him (if the price is right), "changing the culture" would therefore mean examining the relationship with the other three pieces to the main puzzle... Coach Casey, DeMar Derozan and a couple of overpaid slugs...

Coach Casey has three problems. 1. he doesn't know how to hold his highest paid players accountable, and 2. he has demonstrated poor judgement in terms of integrating the kids (powell and siakam grossly under-utilized, Carroll, Patterson and JV given far, far, far too much rope) and 3. is hamstrung by a team that simply cannot compete from behind the arc with 90% of the team in the NBA. The first two are the epitomy of "culture" and will most likely cost Casey his job this summer, but the third is on Masai as the Raps have been slow to transition to the "find the open 3pt shooter" because they simply don't have the personnel. Lowry is by and far the best 3pt shooter on the team, but he can't be a distributor and a 3pt specialist at the same time and the Raptors were the WORST passing team in the NBA, which brings us to Derozan...

Demar is a fantastic volume shooter. His mid-range game and ability to get to the line is the best in the league. Regrettably, he eats up way too much clock, and cannot shoot the 3 with any sort of necessary regularity, and is a below average defender. In today's NBA, that makes Demar as one-dimensional as they come, where someone like Norman Powell, he of the elite transition speed, capable outside shooting and positional versatility, would be an obvious, and capable replacement should another team wish to put some pieces together... Not my first choice, but when Ujuri refers to keeping Lowry, improving ball movement and taking risks--trading DeMar is unmistakably the message here because he's not throwing stones at...

Ibaka and Tucker, who distinguished themselves as "made men" immediately upon entering the fray. Surely Masai added both players with the hopes of retaining them. Surely a team with the defensive prowess and versatility of Serge and PJ is of paramount consideration moving forward and reinforcing the culture change as both men are consummate professionals who leave it all on the floor, which cannot be the same for

Valencunias and Carroll... The foul-prone Lithuania big man looked to be a major contributor this season, coming off a strong playoff performance, and an opening night 32pt 11reb and 12/14ft performance, JV was unremarkable the rest of the way, playing less than 30 minutes for more than half the games, and regularly being exposed on the perimeter and posterized under the basket (does the statue of liberty pose qualify as defense??) Carroll is flat out terrible on so many levels, it's a wonder he's even in the NBA at this stage of his career (still only 30) and there's a clear comprehension as to why it took 3 seasons and 4 teams for Carroll to finally get a starting gig. Masai vastly overpaid Carroll, understandably as landing free agents in Toronto is problematic at best, but Carroll has seen his production fall off a cliff since arriving in Toronto, to the point where Masai was twice forced to replace him (Jared Sullinger) and against with PJ Tucker at the deadline. Carroll was supposed to BE pj tucker!! Valencunias and Carroll earn close to 30mil next season. That's one max superstar, or the ability to keep Lowry, Ibaka and Tucker together. It's going to cost the Raptors the freedom build a true winner because of two players who have already lost their starting jobs on numerous occasions, and who are superfluous with a team that resigns Ibaka and Tucker... Even still, it's impossible to just swap out the contracts of JV and Carroll and convert that money to resigning Kyle, Serge and PJ, as would be the wont of any true Raptors fan.

2018 preferred starting lineup
Lowry
Powell
Tucker
Ibaka
Siakam

[hyberx]

Culture change sounded like Casey will be gone for sure. Either Lowry or Derozan will also be gone.

[madmaxmedia]

What else are you going to do when you don't have 1 or 2 superstar players?

[ishoy123]

interesting comments considering half of the important players are young (Siakam, Wright, Powell, Poeltl, Van Fleet, Nogueira, Coboclo) and the other half is expiring free agents... So assuming he's not secretly disgusted with all the young kids on the team that were the bright spot and one of the best benches in the NBA, and knowing Masai is clearly a fan of Lowry, and wants to keep him (if the price is right), "changing the culture" would therefore mean examining the relationship with the other three pieces to the main puzzle... Coach Casey, DeMar Derozan and a couple of overpaid slugs...

Coach Casey has three problems. 1. he doesn't know how to hold his highest paid players accountable, and 2. he has demonstrated poor judgement in terms of integrating the kids (powell and siakam grossly under-utilized, Carroll, Patterson and JV given far, far, far too much rope) and 3. is hamstrung by a team that simply cannot compete from behind the arc with 90% of the team in the NBA. The first two are the epitomy of "culture" and will most likely cost Casey his job this summer, but the third is on Masai as the Raps have been slow to transition to the "find the open 3pt shooter" because they simply don't have the personnel. Lowry is by and far the best 3pt shooter on the team, but he can't be a distributor and a 3pt specialist at the same time and the Raptors were the WORST passing team in the NBA, which brings us to Derozan...

Demar is a fantastic volume shooter. His mid-range game and ability to get to the line is the best in the league. Regrettably, he eats up way too much clock, and cannot shoot the 3 with any sort of necessary regularity, and is a below average defender. Regrettably, in today's NBA, that makes Demar as one-dimensional as they come, where someone like Norman Powell, he of the elite transition speed, capable outside shooting and positional versatility, would be an obvious, and capable replacement should another team wish to put some pieces together... Not my first choice, but when Ujuri refers to keeping Lowry, improving ball movement and taking risks--trading DeMar is unmistakably the message here because he's not throwing stones at...

Ibaka and Tucker, who distinguished themselves as "made men" immediately upon entering the fray. Surely Masai added both players with the hopes of retaining them. Surely a team with the defensive prowess and versatility of Serge and PJ is of paramount consideration moving forward and reinforcing the culture change as both men are consummate professionals who leave it all on the floor, which cannot be the same for

Valencunias and Carroll... The foul-prone Lithuania big man looked to be a major contributor this season, coming off a strong playoff performance, and an opening night 32pt 11reb and 12/14ft performance, JV was unremarkable the rest of the way, playing less than 30 minutes for more than half the games, and regularly being exposed on the perimeter and posterized under the basket (does the statue of liberty pose qualify as defense??) Carroll is flat out terrible on so many levels, it's a wonder he's even in the NBA at this stage of his career (still only 30) and there's a clear comprehension as to why it took 3 seasons and 4 teams for Carroll to finally get a starting gig. Masai vastly overpaid Carroll, understandably as landing free agents in Toronto is problematic at best, but Carroll has seen his production fall off a cliff since arriving in Toronto, to the point where Masai was twice forced to replace him (Jared Sullinger) and against with PJ Tucker at the deadline. Carroll was supposed to BE pj tucker!! Valencunias and Carroll earn close to 30mil next season. That's one max superstar, or the ability to keep Lowry, Ibaka and Tucker together. It's going to cost the Raptors the freedom build a true winner because of two players who have already lost their starting jobs on numerous occasions, and who are superfluous with a team that resigns Ibaka and Tucker...

2018 preferred starting lineup
Lowry
Powell
Tucker
Ibaka
Siakam.

Reserves
Joseph/Van Fleet
Wright
Poeltl
Cobocolo
Noguiera

Out
Derozan, Carroll, Valencunias, Patterson, Casey

That team would be last in points per game

[t-rexCity]

I really thought this was the year Raps were gonna give the Cavs a run for their money. The Raps are definitely at crossroads. I think Casey should be kept. He's done a helluva a job. Lowry is the leader and a good fit in the city of Toronto but I have to say he needs to go. DeMar should be given the keys now and without Lowry he'll have the flexibility to become a leader without a shadow lurking over him. Get rid of JV and Lowry for an all star veteran. We need Ibaka Patterson and Tucker. Those guys are extremely reliable and good second options. Trade JV Lowry for a proven veteran big or swing for the fence and get Cousins. He may be available. Toronto should also keep an eye on the Paul George situation. That Myles Turner kid is a hidden gem and Pacers just hit the reset button so they might be open to all scenarios. Sometimes adding by subtraction can prove good results. Remember Nash and Dirk? As soon as they split, they both reached new heights. Lowry is a big personality and always played a big brother role to DeMar. Now the younger one is ready to step up without stepping over the older one !‎

[6_Rings]

bring Air Canada back.

VC in a Raptors jersey one last time = goosebumps.

[binjumper]

wow some of these realgm moves lol. You don't move Derozan one thing he has proven that he does get better every year. You can't teach his dedication. Dude is loyal af too. For a franchise with no real history it is an honour for a player like Demar wanting to spend his whole career with Toronto.

[luss54321]

I really thought this was the year Raps were gonna give the Cavs a run for their money. The Raps are definitely at crossroads. I think Casey should be kept. He's done a helluva a job. Lowry is the leader and a good fit in the city of Toronto but I have to say he needs to go. DeMar should be given the keys now and without Lowry he'll have the flexibility to become a leader without a shadow lurking over him. Get rid of JV and Lowry for an all star veteran. We need Ibaka Patterson and Tucker. Those guys are extremely reliable and good second options. Trade JV Lowry for a proven veteran big or swing for the fence and get Cousins. He may be available. Toronto should also keep an eye on the Paul George situation. That Myles Turner kid is a hidden gem and Pacers just hit the reset button so they might be open to all scenarios. Sometimes adding by subtraction can prove good results. Remember Nash and Dirk? As soon as they split, they both reached new heights. Lowry is a big personality and always played a big brother role to DeMar. Now the younger one is ready to step up without stepping over the older one !‎

Lowry is opting out of his contract, they can't trade him.

[the_process]

wow some of these realgm moves lol. You don't move Derozan one thing he has proven that he does get better every year. You can't teach his dedication. Dude is loyal af too. For a franchise with no real history it is an honour for a player like Demar wanting to spend his whole career with Toronto.

Loyalty is awesome. As long as you know that with DeRozan, you are never winning a title. If you're good with being a lower seed 1st/2nd round out team year after year, then you keep him.

If, however, you want the chance to win a ring; as Masai said bold moves are needed. DeRozan is exactly the kind of guy you can sell as a star for a package you can use to build a team that can win a ring.

[tappsdaws]

wow some of these realgm moves lol. You don't move Derozan one thing he has proven that he does get better every year. You can't teach his dedication. Dude is loyal af too. For a franchise with no real history it is an honour for a player like Demar wanting to spend his whole career with Toronto.

word!

[Sam195]

I really thought this was the year Raps were gonna give the Cavs a run for their money. The Raps are definitely at crossroads. I think Casey should be kept. He's done a helluva a job. Lowry is the leader and a good fit in the city of Toronto but I have to say he needs to go. DeMar should be given the keys now and without Lowry he'll have the flexibility to become a leader without a shadow lurking over him. Get rid of JV and Lowry for an all star veteran. We need Ibaka Patterson and Tucker. Those guys are extremely reliable and good second options. Trade JV Lowry for a proven veteran big or swing for the fence and get Cousins. He may be available. Toronto should also keep an eye on the Paul George situation. That Myles Turner kid is a hidden gem and Pacers just hit the reset button so they might be open to all scenarios. Sometimes adding by subtraction can prove good results. Remember Nash and Dirk? As soon as they split, they both reached new heights. Lowry is a big personality and always played a big brother role to DeMar. Now the younger one is ready to step up without stepping over the older one !‎

Lowry is opting out of his contract, they can't trade him.

Yeah i don't understand this nonsense that Canadian fans and the Canadian tv channels are spreading that raptors can sign and trade Lowry like it's a serious option. Maybe it is because the Miami heat did that with the raptors to get Chris Bosh 2 cbas ago. The last 2 cbas squashed the incentive players and their agents had to try and negotiate a sign and trade agreement by securing the extra contract year and higher raises on their new deal with a new team. Lowry can get the exact same money on the open market as a ufa that he could get in a sign and trade but his new team won't have to surrender assets to raptors if he just signs with them. The only scenario where a sign and trade is a viable option is if a capped out team is interested in Lowry and needs to unload salary along with some assets (incentivizing the raps) to the raptors. However only teams that are below the nba tax apron (a hard cap essentially after using their full mid-level exception) can acquire a player via sign and trade. That basically limits Lowry's options of joining another contender because most of those teams spend above said tax apron and settle using the mini mid level exception so they won't be hard capped especially at the trade deadline or in case of injury.

[SichtingLives]

Raps soon to be Knicks 2.0

[RedX]

wow some of these realgm moves lol. You don't move Derozan one thing he has proven that he does get better every year. You can't teach his dedication. Dude is loyal af too. For a franchise with no real history it is an honour for a player like Demar wanting to spend his whole career with Toronto.

Loyalty is awesome. As long as you know that with DeRozan, you are never winning a title. If you're good with being a lower seed 1st/2nd round out team year after year, then you keep him.

If, however, you want the chance to win a ring; as Masai said bold moves are needed. DeRozan is exactly the kind of guy you can sell as a star for a package you can use to build a team that can win a ring.

Only one team wins the championship. Just 1.

Unless you have Lebron, Harden, Durant, Curry on your team, you're not gonna win.

So, do you want to be a farming team for the NBA, or do you want to be a decent team that has a chance at something decent every year, with a miracle shot at winning the title.

[triple_threat]

interesting comments considering half of the important players are young (Siakam, Wright, Powell, Poeltl, Van Fleet, Nogueira, Coboclo) and the other half is expiring free agents... So assuming he's not secretly disgusted with all the young kids on the team that were the bright spot and one of the best benches in the NBA, and knowing Masai is clearly a fan of Lowry, and wants to keep him (if the price is right), "changing the culture" would therefore mean examining the relationship with the other three pieces to the main puzzle... Coach Casey, DeMar Derozan and a couple of overpaid slugs...

Coach Casey has three problems. 1. he doesn't know how to hold his highest paid players accountable, and 2. he has demonstrated poor judgement in terms of integrating the kids (powell and siakam grossly under-utilized, Carroll, Patterson and JV given far, far, far too much rope) and 3. is hamstrung by a team that simply cannot compete from behind the arc with 90% of the team in the NBA. The first two are the epitomy of "culture" and will most likely cost Casey his job this summer, but the third is on Masai as the Raps have been slow to transition to the "find the open 3pt shooter" because they simply don't have the personnel. Lowry is by and far the best 3pt shooter on the team, but he can't be a distributor and a 3pt specialist at the same time and the Raptors were the WORST passing team in the NBA, which brings us to Derozan...

Demar is a fantastic volume shooter. His mid-range game and ability to get to the line is the best in the league. Regrettably, he eats up way too much clock, and cannot shoot the 3 with any sort of necessary regularity, and is a below average defender. In today's NBA, that makes Demar as one-dimensional as they come, where someone like Norman Powell, he of the elite transition speed, capable outside shooting and positional versatility, would be an obvious, and capable replacement should another team wish to put some pieces together... Not my first choice, but when Ujuri refers to keeping Lowry, improving ball movement and taking risks--trading DeMar is unmistakably the message here because he's not throwing stones at...

Ibaka and Tucker, who distinguished themselves as "made men" immediately upon entering the fray. Surely Masai added both players with the hopes of retaining them. Surely a team with the defensive prowess and versatility of Serge and PJ is of paramount consideration moving forward and reinforcing the culture change as both men are consummate professionals who leave it all on the floor, which cannot be the same for

Valencunias and Carroll... The foul-prone Lithuania big man looked to be a major contributor this season, coming off a strong playoff performance, and an opening night 32pt 11reb and 12/14ft performance, JV was unremarkable the rest of the way, playing less than 30 minutes for more than half the games, and regularly being exposed on the perimeter and posterized under the basket (does the statue of liberty pose qualify as defense??) Carroll is flat out terrible on so many levels, it's a wonder he's even in the NBA at this stage of his career (still only 30) and there's a clear comprehension as to why it took 3 seasons and 4 teams for Carroll to finally get a starting gig. Masai vastly overpaid Carroll, understandably as landing free agents in Toronto is problematic at best, but Carroll has seen his production fall off a cliff since arriving in Toronto, to the point where Masai was twice forced to replace him (Jared Sullinger) and against with PJ Tucker at the deadline. Carroll was supposed to BE pj tucker!! Valencunias and Carroll earn close to 30mil next season. That's one max superstar, or the ability to keep Lowry, Ibaka and Tucker together. It's going to cost the Raptors the freedom build a true winner because of two players who have already lost their starting jobs on numerous occasions, and who are superfluous with a team that resigns Ibaka and Tucker... Even still, it's impossible to just swap out the contracts of JV and Carroll and convert that money to resigning Kyle, Serge and PJ, as would be the wont of any true Raptors fan.

2018 preferred starting lineup
Lowry
Powell
Tucker
Ibaka
Siakam

If those guys are important players and you're trying to win a championship you have a massive issue.