The Ringer: Raptors should consider blowing it up

[agentzero2010]

I am not ready to support the idea of blowing up this team just yet. I need to see how they perform in games 3 and 4. If they continue to put up stinkers and our core guys continue to disappear or refuse to show up, then it might be time to start considering the idea of moving major pieces off of this team such as DeMar, Carroll, Jv, Joseph. However, after watching games 1 and 2, I would be very cautious and relectuant to hand out around 30 million and 25 million per year to Lowry and Ibaka. They are nice pieces but if the goal is to win a road game in Cleveland while LeBron is still in his prime, handing out that type of money to those guys will guarantee failure. Also, I would seriously consider replacing Casey at this point. We are 0-7 in Game 1s under Casey and the Cavs have averaged somewhere around +25 margins in their playoff wins against the Raptors. that's just awful.

[TANKNATION]

BRUNO IS THE FUTURE

[ash_k]

no worries, Kyle will not get the max.

This is what the max looks like these days.
Playoffs --24.7PPG 7.0APG .485FG% .447 3P%
Regular --20.5PPG 6.3APG .459FG% .407 3P%

The man in Memphis raised his game when he counted the most and against the Claw...

No, Kyle will not get the max!!

[omar36]

no worries, Kyle will not get the max.

This is what the max looks like these days.
Playoffs --24.7PPG 7.0APG .485FG% .447 3P%
Regular --20.5PPG 6.3APG .459FG% .407 3P%

The man in Memphis raised his game when he counted the most and against the Claw...

No, Kyle will not get the max!!

thats not how it works. lowry will get a max bc masai doesnt wanna lose him
unless lowry takes a discount or masai gambles and tells him to go look for it elsewhere, get ready for 2 maxed stars on this team for the next 4 years.

[bballsparkin]

Pretty much every team outside the Warriors and Spurs have a legitimate argument to blow it up.

Houston looks alright.

[ballislife]

I want to see how this team does with a new coach... someone who actually knows how to run an offence.

The other day Casey said "it's an offensive league now..." we need a coach that knows how to get the team together and play without isolating all the time. It's time for Masai to find his own coach, to find someone that can get the most out of this squad and add some offensive pieces.

We have defensive players now, and Casey's a defensive coach, but we're not doing anything to stop the Cavs O. There's no need for Casey anymore, we need a new voice and a new mindset.

I want to see Ibaka re-signed only as our starting C. He can space the floor (which is what we need for DD) and he can protect the rim. He's strong enough to man that spot. We need more shooters on this team. I'd love to go after Gallinari as well.. we need to get rid of JV and Carroll. Also, find another PF that can rebound and shoot.

With a new coach with those offensive options, we have potential to be much more consistent and hard to guard on O, and we can surround those starters with defenders off the bench.

Masai will have some work to do in the offseason.

[dkb33]

Blow it up!

PG - Joseph, Wright, Van Vleet

SG - DeRozan, Powell

SF - Cabloco, Carroll

PF - Siakam

C - Poeltl - JV - Bebe

.. yeah I am not interested in watching 50 loss team and getting the 6th pick. Keep your assets.

[Tanner]

Either keep everyone (meaning Lowry, Ibaka, and Tucker) and get a new coach, or blow it up. Status quo isn't going to accomplish anything.

[[SJJ]]

Masai may not have much of a choice.

If the Raps get their asses handed to them for the rest of the series I could see Ibaka and PJ have second thoughts about resigning. Ibaka would look godly on that Rocket's team and I can see the Cavs making a run at PJ Tucker.

What's the point if we lose both? We go right back to being a sub-50 win team who loses in the first round again.

[mrdressup]

We' re in a dangerous territory where we could lose a lot of assets and still remain a near playoff team for another 4-5 years. I don't see an obvious way to be much better, and I don't see us being able to be so bad that it will be drafting near the top.

[verysalt]

And then slowly rebuilding for another 15 years, Genius !

[RaptorsNorth]

0ne question. Who or what the f... Is the ringer ?

[sbsat]

the difference now vs the past is even if we don't retain core pieces, it isn't necessarily a blow up. We have young pieces that can expedite development if we go this route at the expensive of team performance. The problem is, "fans" want a competitive team or a tank job -- nothing in the middle.

[carlosey]

I wouldnt blow it up entirely. We do have a place in the NBA right now and well the cavs may well be the NBA champs again, but a trip to the finals for them is guaranteed (its getting old).

Make tough choices where they have to be made. If it means a coaching change and letting a player walk then so be it, but continue working with what you have to some degree instead of wipe clean and start hoping you get back to it. A lebron injury someday could change everything.

[CoachJReturns]

the difference now vs the past is even if we don't retain core pieces, it isn't necessarily a blow up. We have young pieces that can expedite development if we go this route at the expensive of team performance. The problem is, "fans" want a competitive team or a tank job -- nothing in the middle.

Our young pieces are Norm, Poeltl, Delon, Siakam, Bruno. That's a bottom 10 team. Even if we kept Jonas that's no better than the 9th or 10th worst team in the league. Norm is a good role player, but likely not a star. Poeltl is still very young and will need another year or two to really make a consistently positive impact. Siakam is another role player and Bruno....I'm just hoping he can become a bench player in the league.
That's not a middle of the pack team. That's a tank roster with the positive aspect of having some young guys in the rotation at least. Usually you don't have that in year 1 of a tank. Teams often start with nothing but league rejects and journeymen, but we would at least have guys who could stick around for the long haul, though not all in starting roles.

It's a tank roster. Just a more palatable one than some we've seen. Tanking isn't the painful part. Tanking with a roster full of old, boring players with no ceiling and no future with the team is the truly painful part. If we were in that situation I'd be more understanding of fans who are staunchly against tanking because you always want some reason to be entertained. The development of young guys gives fans something to pay attention to at least.

[artsncrafts]

I have said this for 2 years this team needs a full rebuild.
If possible sign and trade Lowry for the best deal you can get (probably not a lot) or just let him walk.
Let Ibaka walk (I knew this was a dumb pick up)
Trade DD if the price is right
Trade JV if the price is right
????
Championship

If it isnt obvious, Casey should be fired before step 1.

[CoachJReturns]

I have said this for 2 years this team needs a full rebuild.
If possible sign and trade Lowry for the best deal you can get (probably not a lot) or just let him walk.
Let Ibaka walk (I knew this was a dumb pick up)
Trade DD if the price is right
Trade JV if the price is right
????
Championship

Spurs are probably the best place for Lowry as most playoff teams don't really need a point guard upgrade.
Do the Rockets have cap space to sign Ibaka? If not, that's a good sign and trade destination.
And yes trade DeMar, JV and Cojo while you're at it. Start fresh with what young players we have and whatever picks/prospects we'd get in trades.

[RaptorsNorth]

Why would we blow it up ? Because we can't beat the cavs lol ok then I guess the whole league should blow it up because the last time I checked the cavs were the champions. If the cavs go on to win the title again you're gonna blow it up because your team lost to the champs in the 2nd round hahahaha ok there. Yes blow it up and watch free agents rush to canada to play for a losing team. Yes watch them rush to play with Bruno, Jakob, norm, delon and draft picks. Yay back to the good ole days when we had to overpay old guys on their last legs just to come here and play for the losing craptors, yay back to when guys like morning would punk us and say canada ? Canada ? Did I just get traded to canada ? And not show up at all because he didn't want to play with a bunch of nobodies in canada. Players don't mind getting traded because the the raptors are winning ! You go back to losing and think you can trade for players and think they'll be happy losing here then you got something else coming. They rather go lose in NY or Orlando.

[artsncrafts]

Why would we blow it up ? Because we can't beat the cavs lol ok then I guess the whole league should blow it up because the last time I checked the cavs were the champions. If the cavs go on the win the title again you're gonna blow it up because your team lost to the champs in the 2nd round hahahaha ok there. Yes blow it up and watch free agents rush to canada to play for a losing team. Yes watch them rush to play with Bruno, Jakob, norm, delon and draft picks. Yay back to the good ole days when we had to overpay old guys on their last legs, yay back when guy like morning would say canada ? Canada ? Did I just get traded to canada ? And not show up at all.

This has little to do with the Cavs. Raptors can hardly beat the Heat, Bucks, Wizards, Celtics, Brooklyn (2 years? ago), Pacers and so on. We have had the same core for 5 years and we are only going to get worse...

[Moose23]

I say move away from the "core"

Ibaka, Lowry, Demar all bye bye.

Try for a sign and trade if necessary with Lowry to someone like the Spurs.

Demar to wherever for either a top pick or a young stud SF/PF

Roll into next season using Joseph, Wright, JV, Peoltl, Powell and the stuff we gained from the trades and I bet we still maek playoffs.