BBS22 wrote:Along the lines of a lot of posters and just throw a lot of my thoughts on here. I've been a Raptors fan for a long time and this was one of the least watchable teams I've ever seen since the New Year. I've watched Jose/Bargs years with more interest than our franchise breaking season (still passively saw every game).
This defeat ranks high in Raptors lowlights. Possibly higher than Vince Carter's missed shot, the failed JO season, poor drafts, and general bad luck (missing Irving, coin toss Ross).
On a macro level if you follow NBA trends enough you know this is a superstar league. I've debated so many people on the forum who think we can be the Pistons and win a championship. In other words, an exception to the rule. Since Vince Carter was traded this franchise has tried being an exception to the rule. We ALWAYS do things the hard way. Instead of tanking for a superstar or drafting high talented players we went for "character players". This fanbase has adored scrub teams who can make it to the playoffs but make no noise. Then we go back to the drawing board, only to fall in love with players like Demar/Lowry/Jonas who have talent but aren't top 10-15 talent. Last year was the best chance to get talent with Wiggins/Embidd/Parker/Etc. Instead this franchise chose to gamble on Vasquez/Salmons/Patterson and etc winning games. A lot of this fanbase enjoyed their "moral wins" instead of thinking big pictur
I want to destroy the narrative of playoff experience. It means absolutely nothing. Raptors were a basket away last year from winning game 7 and they flatout quit in game 4, getting swept the next year. The franchise has wasted 2 years all for Atlantic Division banners (which shouldn't be hung in the rafters IMO). Playoff experience only matters when you have a core ready to go. Bargs did not improve in the regular season because of his "playoff experience". Nor did JV/Ross/Amir or many others on this roster, they are who they are.
Masai needs to stop being coddled by the fans/media. The GM of the year has done minimal moves and was given a 5 year deal. He wasted 2 of those years getting Atlantic banners using BC's core and coach. I've been the most critical of Masai on this board and this is almost the exact path followed by BC. Our team is a joke in the national media again, the rebranding was successful but the oncourt product has sucked. Masai's has failed 2 years now. How much more time does the GM of the year need to deliver signs of a building contender? A superstar? A legitimate coach? An identity that goes beyond Drake.
Random player/coach notes:
-Amir should be gone. There's no point in keeping him as his play is flukey. Great character type, might get a MoPete future in broadcasting.
-Lou Williams is a good player. I know he's very polarising right now but given an Nate Robinson type role (like he was given on the Celtics) he can be effective. He should absolutely be re-signed. But this requires a coach who can keep him within his role. ISO Lou given the green light has got to go. 7 million or 7.5 million sounds fair with the cap going up.
-Ross hasn't developed and regressed. Open to trading him.
-JV has been stagnant and in some aspects regressed. Why this franchise decided making him gain weight at the expense of his "bouncy speed" is beyond me.
-We need a legitimate defensive big man or back to the basket big man. Marc Gasol was an answer but it's obvious this team's problems are fundamental and can't be solved by a patch move gamble like JO.
-Demar/Lowry are not shooters. They never will be. There are ways to cover them and get them cuts to the basket, midrange shots for Demar. Demar has also greatly improved his passing as of late, his court vision is improving.
-JJ/Patterson/Vasquez are expendable. But JJ is versatile off the bench and is close to a two way player. Patterson is purely 1 way. Vasquez is an offensive liability, crafty but we don't need another liability.
-Make a run at a REAL coach. We're not a farming system for coaches, we don't need Smitch, Triano or Casey. Why would Thibs pick Orlando over the Raptors? Go to the college level if you must and bring a real coach in. Mike Malone is also an option as is Alvin Gentry off the top of my head.
At the end of the day we have 2 playoff first round losses. You cannot bring back this core with this fragile a mindset. You are what you do and the Raptors core are chokers. We tried this mindset of first round exits and Atlantic division banners, it's time to build a contender the traditional way. Centrepiece, supporting cast, coach that defines roles.
The only thing the Raptors have accomplished was our fanbase shocking the world. Jurassic Park shook the American media who thought we were all about hockey and the Canadian media who thought basketball was a fad. We The North has been successful in branding an identity across even the most casual fans. It created a community and a sense of belonging. Drake didn't legitimise this team to the mainstream, the fanbase did who cheers for this team and shows up at Jurassic Park down 3-0 in a series to cheer on the team playing in another country on a Sunday evening.
This fanbase is too good for a team and organization that cares so little about winning.
You nailed it!!!
Masai, let's see what you're made of!
