Kerrsed wrote:I think the league needs to push to ban 1 year contracts to players who have made the All-star list sometime over the past 2 seasons in the next CBA (Making it the past 2 seasons in case a player has a major injury and decided to sit for that year). Players that do that are pretty much holding the future of their current franchise hostage. Its bad because teams are afraid to make certain moves because they dont want to be stuck with guys if that star player leaves, and can help the GM plan what contracts to give to who for how long based upon how long that "Star" player is signed (Think of Lebron in Cleveland). It also jacks up the teams salary cap situation as the player is then able to keep getting a new max contract from his team after every season, which ends up costing the team more and more and more after every max contract as opposed to if he were to just sign a 2 or 3 year deal. Its bad for the teams and whats bad for the teams is bad for the league.
I think Kawhi stays in Toronto. He is the King of the North. I think its kinda rare (Outside of Lebron), where a team trades for a star and there is an immediate impact that lands them into the Finals. Usually there is a bit of growing pains, but the transition into Toronto has been seamless. Kawhi has no personality, but thats fine for Toronto, they love him just how he is and are ok with it, where if Kawhi were to go to say LA or NY, i dont think that would fly and he would be under more pressure. The Raptors are a great fit. I also dont think they let Lowery leave in FA. After all these years they final make it to the big dance, you dont break it up right away, just ask Dallas how that turns out. Lowery has been there through the thick and the thin, dont think they will do him dirty like that.
I think (and also hope) that he stays. Toronto isn't NY or LA but in terms of media market size and city population, Toronto is like #6 in among franchises in market size (behind NY/BKN, LA/LAC and CHI) and in terms of population size, it's the 3rd largest in NBA markets. I think Toronto has always gotten a bad rap among NBA players because it's not in America but if you want to be a star, there's few places better. Toronto has already full embraced Kawhi even though everyone knows he could walk, he's already the King in the North, he doesn't have to share the stardom with Lebron or KD or whoever else in LA. He's the lone star in a country of close to 40m people.
I think in terms of perception as well, Canadians and Torontonians would be far more grateful and would be significantly less critical for their superstar than if he was in LA, NY or one of those major markets which has a legacy and past superstar players to compare to. I think Kawhi just fits the personality of the people as well since he's more reserved.
I'm a bit biased because I love Toronto but if I was Kawhi, I really think there aren't many places better.