Masai/Leiweke Press Conference (Recap P31, Video P40)

[carlosey]

People need to let it go with the non stop BC angle. Theres so much more to speculate about moving fwd.

[polo007]

Josh Lewenberg ‏@JLew1050 2m
RT @TSN1050Radio Raptors new GM Masai Ujiri coming up at 5:32 on TSN Drive

Link Please?

TSN Radio : Listen Live

http://www.tsn.ca/radio/listen/

[no dice]

"Kobe Bryant says Toronto is his favorite city to visit no matter how cold it is"

thats cuz he dropped 81 on us

[Yeezus_]

Would you guys prefer the Raptors change their main colour to blue? That would make our 3 major sports teams with the same colour.

[DG88]

Josh Lewenberg ‏@JLew1050 2m
RT @TSN1050Radio Raptors new GM Masai Ujiri coming up at 5:32 on TSN Drive

Link Please?

http://www.tsn.ca/toronto/listen/

[ratul]

HEY! I'm on tha hot seat here!

[Hyperglide]

Never heard Ujiri speak until now as I am watching the press conference now and wow this guy is awesome. He has a passion for the game and he sounds like he's speaking from the heart and not some scripted well-spoken guy like BC is.

He was so emotional and he even sounded like a couple of times he was going to break down. You could tell he was overwhelmed with joy at his new contract and 'coming home.'

Feel very confident that Ujiri and Leiweke will get it done to move this franchise forward back to relevance.

[carl_english]

Casey: Build our defensive strategy around stopping Luke Walton.

Casey: "I would love to tank for Wiggins so I can bench his ass for the Messiah."

[KobeDwightPau]

When/where??

tim and sid... wow this interview is awesome. Tank is actually one of 3 options..but that will be MU's decision and TL will support it.

I can fap to this

[Tha Cynic]

The impression I get is that he isn't going for a full rebuild, but at the same time, he isn't going to have veterans be overplayed over young players. He'll try to retool the team, but in a way where young players play a major role. It also looks like he wants bench players who are young, as he talks about using the back of the roster for young guys. That means Terrence Ross and Quincy Acy will be getting a lot of playing time next season.

I look at the roster and I really don't know what the right way to go is. The Gay, Derozan, Val, Johnson and Lowry lineup is extremely athletic and fun to watch, but at the same time, they need a real coach. I can see Uriji building a very good team with those players, by making a couple of tweaks, but coaching needs to be addressed. I want a full rebuild, but at the same time, BC made that very difficult with the players he acquired. Uriji isn't exactly in an ideal situation. He's got a huge mess to clean up, and as a result, we may not see a rebuild. But, I'm not as upset about it, because I have faith in Uriji. I used to honestly think that I could do a better job than BC when it came to player transactions, but Uriji definitely comes off as someone with a plan. Lets see what he does.

Whether he decides to rebuild or retool, I think Uriji will do it the right way.

[Bankai]

Just jump the fence and believe

If & when Masai starts selling off players for draft picks, I'll jump on board.

Until then, I'm supporting these guys. I actually like this group. I like them more than any Bosh lead team that we had.

Couldnt have said it better myself. I really dont think this team is THAT BAD with nothing to live for. I still see some good promise here if they do decide to keep most of them. Im fine with either scenario at the moment.

[Salted Meat]

Everyone's already speculating what Ujiri will do, and he's already said he's a little while away from deciding, so I don't know why "I don't know" isn't a more popular option. He's going to sign his front office staff, they'll talk, they'll decide what the course of action is, and that'll be it.

Realistically though, looking at our roster, I think we'd be best to tank, or rather "develop our youth", and look to trade DeRozan, Lowry, Bargnani, and Gay for picks attached to bad contracts. Ride out the contracts for a few years while our youth develops, and then use the available caps pace to sign some vets, and trade for some more bad contracts with picks attached to them, and repeat the cycle.

[DG88]

Masai on Jonas Valanciunas

“Huge piece. Huge. Fantastic young talent. With big guys, already his development, second team all-rookie [is great]. … I look at Roy Hibbert, when I scouted Roy Hibbert, he was in high school and body was completely different. Not to say it’s taken that long, but the progress Jonas has made, the passion he shows and the hard work he puts into it, I feel he has a bright future.”

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2013/06/ ... me-change/

We know for sure now that JV ain't being moved.

[redred9]

Just jump the fence and believe

If & when Masai starts selling off players for draft picks, I'll jump on board.

Until then, I'm supporting these guys. I actually like this group. I like them more than any Bosh lead team that we had.

Couldnt have said it better myself. I really dont think this team is THAT BAD with nothing to live for. I still see some good promise here if they do decide to keep most of them. Im fine with either scenario at the moment.

me too. Of course tanking rather than making 8th in a loaded draft (with Wiggins) is tempting as hell, and I would absolutely be on board, but at the same time i don't agree that this group's ceiling is the current Milwaukee Bucks when Jonas is barely scratching the surface of his potential.

If we're 7/8th seed next year, I think this group will have a more than decent run through it's prime.

[RedX]

The only takeaway is that there are no takeaways. They're still building the FO and evaluating the talent.

I wish we could clearly say which direction we're headed in, but we won't know for sure until deals are made and the dominoes begin to fall.

I did like Masai's focus on separating himself from BC. I also like that TL and Masai are partners in team-building.

The only telling thing I got from it was that Massai said: You guys (media) will figgure out what direction we're going in once we get this started.

I do think that the team will see some radical changes. I don't think we'll be blowing it up nearly as much as is perceived — nor should we — we really have some good players on hand that with a few changes, perceived as tanking at first, may net us assets and players that turn out to fit well in our team identity / coaching philosophy.

What that makes me think though, is that this year is a write-off. We wont know whats happening until mid-season because a lot of our players are entering their prime, and their values will go up. That's when trades will go down — if they go down, and we'll see some real assets come our way.

[Patman]

Do people really expect us to blow up the roster to tank?? Sorry but it ain't happening anytime soon.
Masai will only blow it up if we start the season 4-19 again. Just my opinion .
I see us getting a starting pf, then move amir to the bench.

Also the only reason masai even mentioned about developing young Canadian players, because thats mlse's agenda, to get more Canadians interested in basketball Which will bring more money. Nothing to do with tanking for Wiggins.

You really think the massive chage in direction these guys are foretelling involves just moving Amir to the bench? Hell naw. If MU is being pressured to do anything, it's to make a lot of changes, not slip into an 8th seed

Yes and no. I don't think Masai will try to take sideway moves, or win-now moves that compromise assets. There's not a whole lot he can do in one year anyway, it's not like we have an aging star to pawn. But if he can somehow get value for Bargnani, Fields, and one of Gay or DeRozan, then that's a pretty huge splash IMO.

[C_Money]

I think the first order of business for him should be to try and clear some cap space before free agency starts on July 1st. Otherwise everything we do is going to have to come through trades.

[Test of Wills]

Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine 14s
New Raptors front-office boss Masai Ujiri, I'm told, is making hard push to hire Jeff Weltman away from Milwaukee

[UnderdogRaptors]

not sure i've seen these vids posted on here, so here they are:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_pRUh8WgXs[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m4tIor6pGY[/youtube]

[suntzuballin]

I like masai already he speaks from the heart you can see it you can see it resepect!