Summer League Thread

[mademan]

Tre Johnson reminds so much of Kris Middleton when i watch him. He's gonna be a good one for sure

[WuTang_CMB]

AS VEGAS—Run into executives around the courts at the NBA’s Summer League, bump into colleagues in the work room, have conversations with coaches and officials in random meetings around the Wynn resort, and there’s only one Toronto topic they want to talk about:

“What happened with Masai?”

For more than a decade, Masai Ujiri was the man most associated with the Raptors, more recognizable than any coach or player. But he is gone from the organization after what, for many, was a shocking and unexpected move they can’t figure out.

It takes only a few minutes to explain it — there was and had been long-simmering enmity between Ujiri and owner Edward Rogers that reached its apex. That seems to satisfy the curious masses and lead to the next topic:

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“What are they going to do?”

When they’re told that the MLSE caretakers seem intent to hire a new president, the reaction is mixed. And more questions:

Why? What can they get that they didn’t have? Is it an organization worth working for? Would you be able to do the job?

Rest assured, there is interest in the job and there is opinion of whether it’ll be a good one.

“Sounds like they’re going to go cheap,” one front office executive said.

“Why don’t they just give the job to (Raptors GM) Bobby Webster?,” more than a few people wondered.

The overriding feeling of NBA types is that the unknown is a huge factor. Ujiri’s departure caught the vast majority of the league unaware and, judging by what’s gone on here during the first few days of the Summer League, they are still processing the news.

Bosom buddies

The best little tidbit I got all week here came Saturday when I was leaving the arena work room and ran into pal Tom Orsborn from the San Antonio Express-News.

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He tells me what a great guy Sandro Mamukelaveshvili is and how the beat writers will love him — and how Mamu and rap icon Flavor Flav are best buddies.

Wait. Who? What?

Seems that Mamukelaveshvili and the Public Enemy co-founder have been pals for years. Flavor Flav was also in the arena the night Mamukelaveshvili went off for 34 points in about 19 minutes against the Knicks last season.

The ensuing post-game interview was a classic.


Giannis and the Masai fallout

It seems the commonly held thought is that Ujiri’s departure automatically takes Toronto out of any running for Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo because MLSE dismissed Antetokounmpo’s long-time friend.

Everyone I ran into here is adamant the Bucks are not going to entertain a thought of dealing Antetokounmpo right now. If anything, it won’t happen until next February’s trade deadline, if ever.

Things can change but there’s every reason to expect the Bucks to see how Antetokounmpo works with free-agent pickup Myles Turner before pulling the trigger on a massive deal.

And if it happens, you can bet the Raptors will still be interested, regardless of how the front office is constructed.

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Slam-dunk debut

When Raptors guard Alijah Martin threw down a vicious dunk in the team’s Friday opener and almost had another later in the game, eyes were widened. Yes, it was a Summer League game and Summer League competition. But someone suggested if Martin, the second-round pick signed to a two-way contract last week, keeps that up, he might find himself in the dunk contest at the all-star break in February in Los Angeles.


Costly Vegas trip

No one will say the total exactly but it costs a pretty penny for the Raptors to run their Summer League organization.

It’s a massive undertaking. A check with a couple of league and team officials who might know suggest renting the double-wide ballroom in the not-inexpensive Wynn for two courts and all the electronics and signing necessary might run anywhere from $35,000 to $50,000 a night for about three weeks from setup to teardown.

Toss in the 100 rooms — coaches, players, support staff — and, even at a volume cut rate, that’s pretty expensive.

When I ran it past officials with other teams and suggested the total cost would be right around $1 million, no one suggested I was out of my mind.

The benefits for the Raptors come from having their own facility. It’s open 24/7 and if someone wants to get up shots in the dead of the night, they can. They don’t have to rent a high school for a few hours a day and tote all their stuff back and forth every day. That saves wear and tear and time.

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And being the only team with its own facility at the Wynn gives them some cachet. The other 15 or so teams housed on the facilities have to travel to practice and shootarounds every day; the Raptors just walk down from their rooms.

It’ll be interesting to see whether this arrangement, now three years old, is permanent or if a new level of financial restraint might make the Raptors rethink the annual outlay.

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Some quick hits

You know what they don’t do before every Summer League game? Play any national anthem. You know what no one misses before every Summer League game? The playing of any national anthem …

An old friend stopped by Raptors practice Saturday. CJ Miles, part of the vaunted Bench Mob back in the mid-2000s, is now a budding professional photographer and was shooting some art during a team workout …

The NBA board of governors meets here Tuesday and there might be an empty seat at the table. Larry Tanenbaum will be in his usual spot as the chairman of the board and the Raptors governor but the alternate governor was Ujiri. He won’t be there, of course. Who replaces him as Toronto’s second representative isn’t a huge deal but a couple of league people I talked to here are wondering just who will assume the job …

The Raptors are on the road again later this summer, planning a team retreat to Spain, like they had last summer after the Paris Olympics. It was bonding, hangout, practice camp that seemed to foster all kinds of good chemistry last se

[bboyskinnylegs]

It would suck if they cheap out on the practice facility at the hotel in the future, it was something that helped our guys in Vegas. It looks like Brooklyn copied the idea this year. The perception of our front office being cheap by other front office executives, whether true or not, doesn't help while we search for a new president.

[DreamTeam09]

I've never heard a player make any remarks about the Raptors organization being cheap. Nonsense

[OakleyDokely]

I've never heard a player make any remarks about the Raptors organization being cheap. Nonsense

It's a different structure now though. Rogers didn't have full decision making power with Bell and Larry T involved, now they do. If Masai or Lieweke pushed for something, it usually happened. Maybe nothing changes, but I doubt it. From all reports, it was Bell/Larry T that pushed the basketball side hard, not Rogers.

[WuTang_CMB]

Read on Twitter

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[Tripod]

Wow...Bulls won a SL game

[TheDunc]

Man i always thought Dick would be a better player then Furphy now and the future but Furphy seems to have taken a step. I feel like this is a big year for Gradey to either take that next step or maybe open up a spot for someone else

[Syd-TK3]

Read on Twitter

[RoteSchroder]

Read on Twitter

4 year project imo..with how the Raps have developed Chomche, I would have liked to see them develop Essengue. He needs to make increments in every single area of his game.

[Yeezus_]

Man i always thought Dick would be a better player then Furphy now and the future but Furphy seems to have taken a step. I feel like this is a big year for Gradey to either take that next step or maybe open up a spot for someone else

What has Furphy done in his first two seasons for you to even think that? Or is this based on Summer League?

[Tripod]

Man i always thought Dick would be a better player then Furphy now and the future but Furphy seems to have taken a step. I feel like this is a big year for Gradey to either take that next step or maybe open up a spot for someone else

What has Furphy done in his first two seasons for you to even think that? Or is this based on Summer League?

Cuz he had a nice dunk

[Basketball_Jones]

Essengue just got destroyed by Furphy holy smokes lol. That kid looks good. Maybe the Pacers will be alright next season.

[HumbleRen]

Carter Bryant makes rookie OG look like a polished offensive player.

[Yallbecrazy]

Asa Newell looks pretty good so far. He has been 5-8 from three, and just had an 18 and 11 game. CMB looks like a good fit for the system, but Newell's shot looks effortless, and he is a pretty good defender himself.

Watch on YouTube

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Just because he's tall and athletic doesn't mean he's a good defender. I like him a little, but he doesn't project as a good nba defender.

[kwajo]

Carter Bryant makes rookie OG look like a polished offensive player.

Woah, that bad huh?

[Yallbecrazy]

Filipowski MVP of Summer League?

[RoteSchroder]

I feel like we should have bit the bullet and drafted Filipowski..like how Utah drafted Ace despite him not wanting to be there. I'm pretty sure we got a Mormon community in Toronto too.

According to Utah fans, his defense wasn't too bad last year either. A big outside shooter is just a much better fit for us than Ja'Kobe who has a lot of competition at SG.

Carter Bryant makes rookie OG look like a polished offensive player.

Woah, that bad huh?

I wonder how CB compares to Ryan Dunn. Haven't followed Dunn much after the draft..but he was supposedly a defensive demon with minimal offense and even worse 3 point shooting potential than CB.

[Clutch0z24]

What in the actual F are you talking about? Lmfao....I am just posting the highlights of the game for people that wanna see them again.....You are a joke kid....stop responding to my posts with nonsense....I like Both Jase and CMB.....I never hated CMB even during the draft process as a player just questioned the fit on the team....But i liked him as a player and said many times its very possible hes the pick due to our draft track record...

The fit is still questionable with our starters....But doesn't mean i don't like the pick....And Jase looks incredible as a 25th pick...Steal for the Magic...

Idk wtf you are on about...But im pretty sure you were a Carter Bryant/Noa Essengue/Kaman Maluach nut hugger...

Lmao get outta here kid, you're a joke.

You would think after you ragged on Scottie Barnee pre draft back in 2021, you'd learn to chill it with your outrageous takes.

viewtopic.php?t=2100608&start=1480#p92449331

Lol a Small Ball 5....When Most Legit 7 footers are on the Court playing C who can hit 3s better than Barnes....Barnes is not a great Rebounder as well only averaging only 4 rebounds a game....When your playing Small ball you get destroyed in the paint Just like we ended up getting this Last season...Scottie Barnes is 6 foot 8 and is a good defender but hes not a rim protector or a shot blocker by any means and if we run up on teams that have legit Size and bang with a lineup of FVV/GTJR/OG/Siakam/Barnes we would get out rebounded by 30, Attacked in the paint with ease with no rim protection, And we would get beat down inside...And on top of that we would have no 3 point shooting or offensive firepower to withstand that...

And BTW you must have no clue, I had Maluach on my DND list. Go to sleep kid.

I'm not surprised he would say that about Scottie. Whoever we draft, he won't like it and he will choose someone drafted after to hype up. Two years ago it was Whitmore and we've seen how that's turned out.

I like Jase, I think he does a lot of things well. I don't like the fact he's an undersized SG with below average playmaking. He's also got a really poor steal rate. You can't ignore that shooting percentage though. The guy is super efficient.

I always liked CMB during the draft threads....I didn't always love him due to fit on the team....Which i always said....A guy who can't shoot with Barnes/Yak/Barrett is still questionable.....But thats the only knock i had on him.....I liked him as a individual player....So idk why you are making up false narratives based on nothing...

As for Dick ....I also liked the Dick and JaKobe picks....Never hated them at all....Dick was clearly BPA....But him vs Cam ....They are in the exact same tier as players....Both have flaws and weaknesses....

Everyone has different opinions on players on this board idk why you would be so much up my ass about who i like....Im sure you also liked players in the past or hate players in the past that make you look foolish today...We all have....

Just because i like Jase and think he was a steal for the Magic at 25....Doesn't mean i hate CMB....Lmao you Raptors Homers are all just sensitive just like Any media member who says anything about the Raptors team....Sensitive people man...You are allowed to like other teams, Players outside of Raptors and still post here.

[Tor_Raps]

Filipowski MVP of Summer League?

They're 0-3 with no shot to play the extra games so seems doubtful, but damn would he look good as our backup C.