Masai: We have a Young Team and there will be Growing Pains

[anotherhomer]

It's a about flexibility but also managing expectations

[720]

That might fly pre Championship, post it's called an "inferior product". It's followed by a lot of canceled season tickets, a reduction in prices and subscription packages.

Team will be exciting to watch.. place will still sell out.

No chance ticket prices ever ever drop in this market with our oligopoly owners

Yeah it's sad. Back then anyone could go to a game. I have this vivid memory of being at a game vs the Jazz and seeing two homeless looking guys sitting next to two suits and all four guys talking about the team. The suits and the homeless guys came in separately but all four just started talking about the team and their encounters with players around the city. I was sitting behind them. I was maybe at row 13 I think around section 103/102. You won't see stuff like that anymore. I won't even bother looking up prices for those seats now. lol

[OakleyDokely]

My guess is the FO is creating a nucleus of young talent. Some of those guys will realize their talent and some won't. If a few of our top talents actually develop we can trade the rest and start searching for the vets to round out a roster. They likely don't think we're good enough to worry about vets right now.

I think it's much like Matt Thomas was an attempt to get a dead-eye shooter. I suspect they'll do this every year until one sticks.

Right now we have a hilarious amount of 6-9 ish guys with length. We'd never be so lucky as to have all of them develop but surely we'll try to build around the few who do.

I feel like they have these little experiments they run and they're not afraid to clean up when they make a mess. Matt Thomas got us a 2nd.

I'm not endorsing what we are doing but the vision is pretty clear. Our goals are to try to build a winning team with young players under contract control + taking gambles on low risk, medium reward free agents. Our front office values cap flexibility than most other teams in the NBA. We have been one of the few teams in the last few years that hasn't had a single bad contract.

Obviously with low risk comes lower rewards. You need to make gambles via trades and free agency to enjoy upside benefits. We gambled by trading DeRozan + 1st for Kawhi (it was a gamble due to his unknown injury status + mercurial temperament + belief he wanted to go to LA). Fortunately, the gamble paid off.

Since then however we have been one of the most risk averse teams in the NBA which has contributed to us falling down the league's pecking order. Anyways, its clear the vision is our best shot of competing is through this model. My bet is they begin to take risks when they feel we are a couple of pieces away from being a true contender in the East.

To be honest I do not think there is a need for us to be impatient. There is almost nothing we can do now to compete with the Nets. Then you have the Bucks, and a few others clearly better than us. I think we just need to embrace at least 2-3 more years of rebuilding before fortune hopefully begins to favour us.

To me building a winning team is a team that wins and makes the playoffs as a middle seed or contender. Whatever else is just treadmilling. Toronto literally won the title two years ago, so winning culture should be there.

Considering we have several big contracts and zero flexibility, I don't see the flexibility you do. I think the way we currently are constructed we don't even have a way to re-sign Boucher next year. Yet, we have Khem Birch signed for three seasons for some reason.

There is always the option to shed more of the salaries and fully commit to the youth. I hope Toronto just doesn't sit on its assets too long as has been the case the past few years.

What flexibility are you looking for though?

They could've created a max slot this year but once Giannis re-signed they took another path because the FA class was very weak.

The Raps have no bad contracts and could easily trade anyone on the roster for young assets, picks if they decided to go in that direction. But there's no reason to do that now prior to playing a game as we still don't know how good or how bad this team is.

[C_Money]

I personally think we’re a playoff team. Kinda wish Masai would keep his mouth shut. Slagging off our team before a ball is even bounced.

[Backcountry]

Who cares if there are "growing pains"? Bring it on! Can't wait to see them play, see the young guys become leaders in Lowry's absence. I fully expect more moves (think Dragic will be gone before Xmas). I also expect Nurse to outcoach a lot of these "better" teams. My only real prediction, though, is that I think Flynn eclipses FVV this year. He showed some great game IQ late last year and in Summer League, and I think he'll only get more confident.

October 20th, here we come!

[Zeno]

I don’t think the intention is to tank. It is to see what happens. If the Raptors are in the play in range, I d9n’t think they necessarily tank like last year since it could be viewed as useful experience for younger players. We aren’t keeping a guy like Dragic around for that but I think there is more of an answer to the ‘play in for what?’ question this year than last. It depends how things unfold during the season.

[OakleyDokely]

Honest question, if we're a lottery team again...like last year. What's the motivation for people to watch all year?

Do people think this fan base is going to actually stick around, like the Leaf's apathetic fan base?

I mean, you either like watching basketball or you don't right?

If you're only interested in watching a contending team, basketball really isn't for you because there's only a handful of real title contenders from year to year at most.

[Tor_Raps]

Aka Suggs will be better than Barnes in the short term but please don't judge them even though they're the same age practically.

Joking, kind of lol.

No, it's basically true. If we wanted to get back to the second round as quickly as possible, Suggs was the play.

I said the joking part because I didn't want to respond back to a bunch of Masai loyalists lol.

[Tor_Raps]

Honest question, if we're a lottery team again...like last year. What's the motivation for people to watch all year?

Do people think this fan base is going to actually stick around, like the Leaf's apathetic fan base?

I mean, you either like watching basketball or you don't right?

If you're only interested in watching a contending team, basketball really isn't for you because there's only a handful of real title contenders from year to year at most.

There's people out there who have only known the Raptors to be winners from 2013 to 2020. There was a dark history prior to that so it does suck to get back there.

Although i couldn't ask for anyone better to be in charge. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

[Harcore Fenton Mun]

I mean, you either like watching basketball or you don't right?

If you're only interested in watching a contending team, basketball really isn't for you because there's only a handful of real title contenders from year to year at most.

Yeah, but like all things in life there are levels to it. If we're in the 27 win zone this year, that's not forward looking. That's a much bigger problem. That's a team who can't get out of the muck.

Then you have to start asking, how far down this rabbit hole are we going. How much cap are they going to clear. Because, a pick's not going to solve that problem any time soon.

[canada_dry]

Team treadmill in shambles.

And team tank will be in the game threads crying after every win. Should be a fun season.

Masai basically said nothing we dont already know. The average age of the rotation players is something like 23-24. Obviously there will be growing pains. The offense is going to be butt ugly at times.

The team will come out and try to compete for the first half of the season and then make an assessment on tanking after the all-star break.

Damn remember the days when Treadmill nation said we would NEVER tank and that we had to preserve winning culture? Ah good times.

Let’s just hope if Masai does intend to tank he does a better job than last season (albeit we did okay by getting lucky and jumping 3 spots so no complaints here just saying let’s make that push for bottom 6).

Proceeds to miss the point the opposite side has about not trying to tank to START a season... tanking midway if its clear we have to , thats fine according to most

THEN has the nerve to say "i hope we tank better" i.e trying to be bad from game 1. Which is what is NOT going to happen. And is where the 2 sides differ. We're actually ok with a similar situation as last year. You're not.

So no, ur not in favor or pivoting to a tank midway through the year like the poster said is possible. Most would be fine with that. You're in favor of a game 1 tank job according to your comments. Which is bull and not something the team will do. Do u understand the difference now? Stop misquoting and misrepresenting.

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[raps14]

I personally think we’re a playoff team. Kinda wish Masai would keep his mouth shut. Slagging off our team before a ball is even bounced.

I think its a little tempering expectations on his part just in case the team doesn't start off well. For all of these guys its the first year without Lowry there so there will be some role adjustment. We also know how bi polar most of the bandwagon fans are so if the team doesn't start well, there's going to be some complaining

[canada_dry]

And team tank will be in the game threads crying after every win. Should be a fun season.

Masai basically said nothing we dont already know. The average age of the rotation players is something like 23-24. Obviously there will be growing pains. The offense is going to be butt ugly at times.

The team will come out and try to compete for the first half of the season and then make an assessment on tanking after the all-star break.

Damn remember the days when Treadmill nation said we would NEVER tank and that we had to preserve winning culture? Ah good times.

Let’s just hope if Masai does intend to tank he does a better job than last season (albeit we did okay by getting lucky and jumping 3 spots so no complaints here just saying let’s make that push for bottom 6).

If the pro tankers aren't happy with a top four pick...when does it end. It doesn't seem like they actually have a plan.

"pUsH fOr bOtToM 6!"

Something masai absolutely did NOT say.

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[canada_dry]

And team tank will be in the game threads crying after every win. Should be a fun season.

Masai basically said nothing we dont already know. The average age of the rotation players is something like 23-24. Obviously there will be growing pains. The offense is going to be butt ugly at times.

The team will come out and try to compete for the first half of the season and then make an assessment on tanking after the all-star break.

Damn remember the days when Treadmill nation said we would NEVER tank and that we had to preserve winning culture? Ah good times.

Let’s just hope if Masai does intend to tank he does a better job than last season (albeit we did okay by getting lucky and jumping 3 spots so no complaints here just saying let’s make that push for bottom 6).

Not what most of us said at all.

For the eight millionth time, many of us were saying that you don't openly enter a season with the goal of tanking, but if it's obvious after a large sample size of games that the team doesn't have it, it's fine to tank.

Many, including myself, have been consistent with that viewpoint.

It's you who constantly change the goal posts as you see fit.

Dont even bother lol. He clearly told on himself when he said he wanted us to "tank better" lmaooo

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[canada_dry]

Damn remember the days when Treadmill nation said we would NEVER tank and that we had to preserve winning culture? Ah good times.

Let’s just hope if Masai does intend to tank he does a better job than last season (albeit we did okay by getting lucky and jumping 3 spots so no complaints here just saying let’s make that push for bottom 6).

Not what most of us said at all.

For the eight millionth time, many of us were saying that you don't openly enter a season with the goal of tanking, but if it's obvious after a large sample size of games that the team doesn't have it, it's fine to tank.

Many, including myself, have been consistent with that viewpoint.

It's you who constantly change the goal posts as you see fit.

You don’t even post enough to represent treadmill nation I don’t even think of you when I mention them. But aren’t you the guy that said a top 5 pick has never won a championship for the team that they were drafted in? Just stop bro I’m ignoring you.

Well he illustrated it pretty damn well. So...


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[WaltFrazier]

Team treadmill in shambles.

And team tank will be in the game threads crying after every win. Should be a fun season.

I don't mind that, what I hate are when they are cheering and joking in game threads after losses.

[WaltFrazier]

I personally think we’re a playoff team. Kinda wish Masai would keep his mouth shut. Slagging off our team before a ball is even bounced.

I think its a little tempering expectations on his part just in case the team doesn't start off well. For all of these guys its the first year without Lowry there so there will be some role adjustment. We also know how bi polar most of the bandwagon fans are so if the team doesn't start well, there's going to be some complaining

The trouble with Masai's statement is it might put a subconscious excuse in the minds of players. Like, it's ok to lose or screw up, 'cause we aren't really trying to win this year.

[canada_dry]

Team treadmill in shambles.

And team tank will be in the game threads crying after every win. Should be a fun season.

I don't mind that, what I hate are when they are cheering and joking in game threads after losses.

Thats actually what had me dislike em too. Jokers.

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[Steelo Green]

Not what most of us said at all.

For the eight millionth time, many of us were saying that you don't openly enter a season with the goal of tanking, but if it's obvious after a large sample size of games that the team doesn't have it, it's fine to tank.

Many, including myself, have been consistent with that viewpoint.

It's you who constantly change the goal posts as you see fit.

You don’t even post enough to represent treadmill nation I don’t even think of you when I mention them. But aren’t you the guy that said a top 5 pick has never won a championship for the team that they were drafted in? Just stop bro I’m ignoring you.

Well he illustrated it pretty damn well. So...


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By ignoring Duncan, Wade, Lebron…

[bon]

Aka Suggs will be better than Barnes in the short term but please don't judge them even though they're the same age practically.

Joking, kind of lol.

No, it's basically true. If we wanted to get back to the second round as quickly as possible, Suggs was the play.

The team was much better last time we made the 2nd round though. You would have to expect a rookie to basically replace or surpass Lowry's value from that 2019-20 season in order to get to that level again, which isn't a realistic expectation. Rebuilds/retools take time, there's really no rush to be a 2nd round exit again.