RoteSchroder wrote:ForeverTFC wrote:RoteSchroder wrote:
I’m not used to being a front runner, so I’m fine with no Flagg. My sights are set on Kasparas atm, but I’m not sure Masai has the balls to move on from the current core (IQ, RJ) if necessary.
Masai has never once included RJ when discussing our core. It's always been Scottie and IQ.
yeah, but all media members and staff talk and act like RJ is a part of the core and the Raptor's "big 3"
How do the rules work in terms of what Ujiri considers/doesn't consider as a core? does he need to explicitly say it or something?
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/rj-barrett-stats-canada-olympics-raptors/7b4ef7b0e3e292fd5cbc488fBarrett recently turned 24 and, as indicated numerous times by team president Masai Ujiri, is a key piece of the Raptors core for the future.
I haven't listened to every interview, so I'm not sure when he only emphasizes IQ/Scottie and leaves out Barrett (do u got a link?), but was it during when they were signing new contracts?
From what I've heard, I think he's only explicitly mentioned building around Scottie. Not sure if he's ever said anything like "IQ is our core"
Looked it up:
Go to 14 minutes in and he makes his first mention of RJ and Quickley. Says IQ has "incredible upside" and speed and quickness and then remembers to add RJ, saying "Or RJ Barrett, we're trying to teach him to play in a different way and we think he's going to get better at it."
I think the advanced stats and logic suggest strongly that Quickley was seen as a quality PG (we paid him well as a result) who could take a ton of 3s and so be a nice fit as part of a scoring trio who can all be over the league average in efficiency (at or above league true shooting + Barnes and Quickley can pass) with Barnes + whoever our best draftee the next couple of years is. At the time of the trade, that looked like a decent bet. It looks a bit shakier now because Quickley has been hurt and Barnes has regressed from 3. Hopefully those are both dips that help the tank but aren't long-term trends.
As Masai's comments indicate, Barrett was seen as a reclamation project who was still 23 at the time of the trade. My guess is that being Canadian didn't hurt, and neither did DeMar having some similarities and him improving in his mid 20s and ultimately proving a good player and the trade chip that won us the title. If Barrett really improves, we've got a tougher decision to make. If he's the same empty calories type of no-defence, not efficient offense guy, then he'll be an expiring after this year of tanking and next year's season which I won't predict anything for other than that we pick in the top 18, we could be a play-in team or the 2nd worst team in the league (Flagg changes Washington or Utah, the other still worse than us). His bad money doesn't hurt us that badly while we're tanking.
I wish we'd gotten a first and a different overpaid guy instead, but maybe that offer wasn't on the table, there's really not that many bad contracts floating around in the 20-30M range at all.
But yeah great finisher.