[Shams] Masai Ujiri is out as Vice Chairman and President of the Toronto Raptors - Part 2

[Son Goku 25]

Why are hockey guys talking basketball? You know who you are. I guess these guys have more Ammo now. Plus you have BC burners still haunting this board.

[Randle McMurphy]

It was already difficult getting players to come here. Now they will have no interest what so ever in coming here.

I must be missing all of the premier free agents this team acquired over Masai's entire tenure.

I would not be shocked at all that CMB’s reaction to being drafted by the team was because he already had heard about the situation with Masai.

Or maybe he didn't want to move to Canada like most kids his age living in the US wouldn't (or you know, literally a half dozen other reasons that are far more likely than that).

This is no longer the pre-Masai Raps that were just considered a joke (purple dinosaur team), and who fumbled around trying to look like a legit run organization. This is now a team that was legit, because they had one of the best executives in the league, and they threw it away. They would have been much better off if he had just left. What makes it so much worse is they fired him.

You appear to be living in 2019 and have just ignored everything (the bad seasons, the mismanagement, the lack of direction) that came after that. We are far more reminiscent to the late stage era BC Raptors now than the 2013-2019 Ujiri Raptors. A ton of mistakes have been made here since 2020 and mistakes eventually have consequences.

[Yeezus_]

You appear to be living in 2019 and have just ignored everything (the bad seasons, the mismanagement, the lack of direction) that came after that. We are far more reminiscent to the late stage era BC Raptors now than the 2013-2019 Ujiri Raptors.

Too bad the guy who’s proven himself to navigate through that late stage BC Era cant be hired for this role

[Randle McMurphy]

You appear to be living in 2019 and have just ignored everything (the bad seasons, the mismanagement, the lack of direction) that came after that. We are far more reminiscent to the late stage era BC Raptors now than the 2013-2019 Ujiri Raptors.

Too bad the guy who’s proven himself to navigate through that late stage BC Era cant be hired for this role

Oh, I'm sure Masai could have come back if he wanted to. He just would have had to take a significant pay cut going forward. $15M a season for what he's been doing since 2020 wouldn't have been paid by any owner in sports; it can't be any surprise what happened here.

[Randle McMurphy]

For all those talking about Masai being allegedly still one of the best executives of the league in the year 2025, this is how he is viewed by other fans outside of our Raptors fan bubble: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2466078

[Scase]

Casey is a dolt, but at least he's a basketball guy.

Man, this made me so sad. Is this what we've come to?

If it makes you feel any better, since misery loves company, I hated myself while typing that

Casey is a dolt, but at least he's a basketball guy.

Well, I wouldn't call him a dolt. He's a bit of a dinosaur perhaps. Nonetheless, he's a basketball guy and that's a good thing.

More so he's the definition of insanity, he never tried anything different, just the same pounding of the rock expecting different results.

[Yeezus_]

You appear to be living in 2019 and have just ignored everything (the bad seasons, the mismanagement, the lack of direction) that came after that. We are far more reminiscent to the late stage era BC Raptors now than the 2013-2019 Ujiri Raptors.

Too bad the guy who’s proven himself to navigate through that late stage BC Era cant be hired for this role

Oh, I'm sure Masai could have come back if he wanted to. He just would have had to take a significant pay cut going forward. $15M a season for what he's been doing since 2020 wouldn't have been paid by any owner in sports; it can't be any surprise what happened here.

I think it’s a pretty fair assumption if Mirko (Bell) was still around, the combination of his influence and LT’s influence would’ve resulted in Masai getting a new extension. So I dont think you can say it wouldn’t have been paid by any owner. And transparently, why do you even care how much Masai was getting paid if you’re agreeing Masai would’ve been able to navigate through this?

At the end of the day, the current brand equity, brand value, and the overall valuation of the Raptors team was largely due to Masai’s successful tenure.

Let’s also add that Keith has failed to establish and credibility in the 1.5 years he has been around and this is the guy Rogers wanted to lead the company.

[Reeko]

For all those talking about Masai being allegedly still one of the best executives of the league in the year 2025, this is how he is viewed by other fans outside of our Raptors fan bubble: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2466078

Who gives two **** about what non Raptors fans, who have no clue what's been transpiring, and are devoid of all context, think. You think they know that the nepo baby who fired him is the same one that has been running the Blue Jays into the ground for the past decade?

[ItsDanger]

Office politics 101: don't hire people who might make you look bad.

[bballsparkin]

When does the Steve Nash talk start? Has it already started and stopped and I missed it?

I never even thought of that.

Feels like a Rogers/MLSE kind of move though, doesn’t it?

Not sure, they might be too cheap for Nash. He was pricey as the Nets coach.

[Randle McMurphy]

Too bad the guy who’s proven himself to navigate through that late stage BC Era cant be hired for this role

Oh, I'm sure Masai could have come back if he wanted to. He just would have had to take a significant pay cut going forward. $15M a season for what he's been doing since 2020 wouldn't have been paid by any owner in sports; it can't be any surprise what happened here.

I think it’s a pretty fair assumption if Mirko (Bell) was still around, the combination of his influence and LT’s influence would’ve resulted in Masai getting a new extension. So I dont think you can say it wouldn’t have been paid by any owner. And transparently, why do you even care how much Masai was getting paid if you’re agreeing Masai would’ve been able to navigate through this?

Where did I agree that Masai would have been able to navigate through this? There's a reason I've wanted him gone for almost two years now. He's made a ton of mistakes and it's been clear that a new vision is needed.

At the end of the day, the current brand equity, brand value, and the overall valuation of the Raptors team was largely due to Masai’s successful tenure.

And he should be acknowledged for that. But that doesn't mean you get a free pass until the end of time to mismanage a team this badly.

Let’s also add that Keith has failed to establish and credibility in the 1.5 years he has been around and this is the guy Rogers wanted to lead the company.

Pelley is a glorified errand boy for the board and has major experience as a sports/media executive. If it wasn't him, it would be somebody else like him giving pressers like that yesterday. Can't say I'm gonna get too up in arms about him.

[Scase]

Too bad the guy who’s proven himself to navigate through that late stage BC Era cant be hired for this role

Oh, I'm sure Masai could have come back if he wanted to. He just would have had to take a significant pay cut going forward. $15M a season for what he's been doing since 2020 wouldn't have been paid by any owner in sports; it can't be any surprise what happened here.

I think it’s a pretty fair assumption if Mirko (Bell) was still around, the combination of his influence and LT’s influence would’ve resulted in Masai getting a new extension. So I dont think you can say it wouldn’t have been paid by any owner. And transparently, why do you even care how much Masai was getting paid if you’re agreeing Masai would’ve been able to navigate through this?

At the end of the day, the current brand equity, brand value, and the overall valuation of the Raptors team was largely due to Masai’s successful tenure.

Let’s also add that Keith has failed to establish and credibility in the 1.5 years he has been around and this is the guy Rogers wanted to lead the company.

No, no it wasn't. Every single team in the NBA had their valuation skyrocket due to the TV deals.

[Randle McMurphy]

For all those talking about Masai being allegedly still one of the best executives of the league in the year 2025, this is how he is viewed by other fans outside of our Raptors fan bubble: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2466078

Who gives two **** about what non Raptors fans, who have no clue what's been transpiring, and are devoid of all context, think. You think they know that the nepo baby who fired him is the same one that has been running the Blue Jays into the ground for the past decade?

So we can't have an educated opinion about how the Washington Wizards or New Orleans Pelicans are run if we don't live in Washington DC or New Orleans then?

It's just a look at what people outside of this fan bubble actually think of Masai as a GM at this point. His reputation has fallen considerably over the past half decade given the moves that have been made.

[carlosey]

Just look at how they run the Blue Jays. Drop big money on a player asset, hire cheap yes men, modify the roster every season to see if you get lucky. This results in meddling, trading of assets before they are developed, bad signings, etc.

[bballsparkin]

When Keith said he leaves the legacy stuff for the Winston Churchill’s of the world, I knew we’re screwed under his leadership. Man has no idea how to connect and resonate with fanbases.

He said that?

I thought I would give him the benefit of doubt. But a good friend of mine who is a bigger baseball fan than me said hell no **** that. He's a ***.

[Yeezus_]

Oh, I'm sure Masai could have come back if he wanted to. He just would have had to take a significant pay cut going forward. $15M a season for what he's been doing since 2020 wouldn't have been paid by any owner in sports; it can't be any surprise what happened here.

I think it’s a pretty fair assumption if Mirko (Bell) was still around, the combination of his influence and LT’s influence would’ve resulted in Masai getting a new extension. So I dont think you can say it wouldn’t have been paid by any owner. And transparently, why do you even care how much Masai was getting paid if you’re agreeing Masai would’ve been able to navigate through this?

Where did I agree that Masai would have been able to navigate through this? There's a reason I've wanted him gone for almost two years now. He's made a ton of mistakes and it's been clear that a new vision is needed.

At the end of the day, the current brand equity, brand value, and the overall valuation of the Raptors team was largely due to Masai’s successful tenure.

And he should be acknowledged for that. But that doesn't mean you get a free pass until the end of time to mismanage a team this badly.

Let’s also add that Keith has failed to establish and credibility in the 1.5 years he has been around and this is the guy Rogers wanted to lead the company.

Pelley is a glorified errand boy for the board and has major experience as a sports/media executive. If it wasn't him, it would be somebody else like him giving pressers like that yesterday. Can't say I'm gonna get too up in arms about him.

I completely disagree with you but this is all subjective so if you really believe this then sure.

Just know that Ed Rogers’ track record doesn’t really instil confidence that the right guy will be hired for the job. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

[Scase]

For all those talking about Masai being allegedly still one of the best executives of the league in the year 2025, this is how he is viewed by other fans outside of our Raptors fan bubble: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2466078

Who gives two **** about what non Raptors fans, who have no clue what's been transpiring, and are devoid of all context, think. You think they know that the nepo baby who fired him is the same one that has been running the Blue Jays into the ground for the past decade?

I think the point is being missed here, ignoring the specific Rogers angle of it, every single non raps fan I've seen on both the general boards and reddit are saying essentially the same few things.

Weird they did it right after the draft.
They had no idea what direction the team was headed in.
Baffling/bad moves made and a bad team the last few years.

The latter 2 are pretty straight forward and if anything, not being a raps fan makes that a more objective viewpoint. It's also what a lot of people have been saying here. Whether or not Ed fired him cause he hates him, there was plenty of ammo to justify the firing.

[Yeezus_]

Oh, I'm sure Masai could have come back if he wanted to. He just would have had to take a significant pay cut going forward. $15M a season for what he's been doing since 2020 wouldn't have been paid by any owner in sports; it can't be any surprise what happened here.

I think it’s a pretty fair assumption if Mirko (Bell) was still around, the combination of his influence and LT’s influence would’ve resulted in Masai getting a new extension. So I dont think you can say it wouldn’t have been paid by any owner. And transparently, why do you even care how much Masai was getting paid if you’re agreeing Masai would’ve been able to navigate through this?

At the end of the day, the current brand equity, brand value, and the overall valuation of the Raptors team was largely due to Masai’s successful tenure.

Let’s also add that Keith has failed to establish and credibility in the 1.5 years he has been around and this is the guy Rogers wanted to lead the company.

No, no it wasn't. Every single team in the NBA had their valuation skyrocket due to the TV deals.

Okay? There’s still large incremental growth of all three facets due to the success of Masai’s tenure since 2013.

[bballsparkin]

I only saw parts of the live presser and had never seen Pelley before. I didn't listen all that carefully because I was preoccupied. The thing that stuck out to me was the way he held the podium. I was thinking why is he holding it that way? With his arms out at 45 degree angels. Seemed strange. Was it to stop a nervous movement? Some kind of power trip thing? A natural fit at his height? Seemed odd.

[Randle McMurphy]

I think it’s a pretty fair assumption if Mirko (Bell) was still around, the combination of his influence and LT’s influence would’ve resulted in Masai getting a new extension. So I dont think you can say it wouldn’t have been paid by any owner. And transparently, why do you even care how much Masai was getting paid if you’re agreeing Masai would’ve been able to navigate through this?

Where did I agree that Masai would have been able to navigate through this? There's a reason I've wanted him gone for almost two years now. He's made a ton of mistakes and it's been clear that a new vision is needed.

At the end of the day, the current brand equity, brand value, and the overall valuation of the Raptors team was largely due to Masai’s successful tenure.

And he should be acknowledged for that. But that doesn't mean you get a free pass until the end of time to mismanage a team this badly.

Let’s also add that Keith has failed to establish and credibility in the 1.5 years he has been around and this is the guy Rogers wanted to lead the company.

Pelley is a glorified errand boy for the board and has major experience as a sports/media executive. If it wasn't him, it would be somebody else like him giving pressers like that yesterday. Can't say I'm gonna get too up in arms about him.

I completely disagree with you but this is all subjective so if you really believe this then sure.

Just know that Ed Rogers’ track record doesn’t really instil confidence that the right guy will be hired for the job. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

The only track record we have on Ed Rogers' sports teams is his hiring of Shapiro with the Blue Jays (who was both highly sought after and well respected leaguewide at the time they got him). That's very little to go on.