Webster: “We know how committed Masai is to the Team, it’s a non issue”

[Mack11]

massi alreayd has his bagz paked for new york

[Ackshun]

When will people understand and stop thinking so narrowly?

The Raptors pretty much had one of the best tanking years a team could have had while retaining their assets, developing key players, finding cheap center options all while playing competitive bball and keeping the team morale up unlike trash orgs that don't know any better than just losing without a purpose or vision.

All this while being away from home getting boo'd in front of anti Raptor fans playing at "home".

The market for Lowry will still be there. Had we traded him we'd either be in same situation or worse in terms of picks if we got some more overachievers and players looking for their next contract which could have sabotaged us. Instead, our rookie gets to learn from Lowry, we look great in front of the league and other star players, it shows we have a backbone and don't back down.. we won't take just any deal for the GROAT. Raps can now hopefully focus on next season and potentially make a trade or Two, sign a couple of players and draft an upcoming superstar/star.

You really couldn't have done better with the situation we were in all season. I'll take it and run.

I'm actually really really excited for the off-season. When the raps were bottom feeders, my favourite time of the year was surrounding the NBA draft.

We aren't bottom feeders but it brings me back.

[mtcan]

massi alreayd has his bagz paked for new york

Did Leon Rose get fired?

Or is Masai going to catch a Broadway play? I'm confused...

[Tor_Raps]

So you're saying not having Lowry from the start of the year would have kept us at the same spot?
Even with that being unlikely, we could have gotten a lot more for Lowry at that point by taking advantage of desperate teams like the Bucks, Sixers, etc.

Jrue was had for 3 first round picks and even PJ Tucker got the Rockets a 1st round pick. We just waited until the last eventual point thinking it would workout for us and we all know how that went...

Lowry hasn’t been amazing this season. We’re 6 games ahead of the 6th spot in the lotto. Lowry hasn’t been that big of a difference maker to where we would’ve been 6 games worse no.

I do agree in hindsight we should’ve traded him in the summer. We were never gonna get a Jrue haul but it may have been something better than the scraps offered at the deadline.

Hindsight is 20/20...no one predicted the way this season would turn out. NO ONE was advocating to trade Lowry because we had just come off having the second most wins in the regular season...so why would anyone have thought to break up the team? Sorry man...you can't say that right now and act like you knew what we would be here right now.

Feel free to check my posts about how I felt about this team as soon as Ibaka/Gasol left. I had us 7th in the East prior to the season.

Now I'm not saying I expected Baynes to be this friggin bad. Our team is definitely better than our record indicates no doubt. It is why I'm pumped for the offseason and think we can be top 4 next year if all goes well.

[Ramed Nazored]

He stay.

Masai played 4-d checkers this season.

[mtcan]

Lowry hasn’t been amazing this season. We’re 6 games ahead of the 6th spot in the lotto. Lowry hasn’t been that big of a difference maker to where we would’ve been 6 games worse no.

I do agree in hindsight we should’ve traded him in the summer. We were never gonna get a Jrue haul but it may have been something better than the scraps offered at the deadline.

Hindsight is 20/20...no one predicted the way this season would turn out. NO ONE was advocating to trade Lowry because we had just come off having the second most wins in the regular season...so why would anyone have thought to break up the team? Sorry man...you can't say that right now and act like you knew what we would be here right now.

Feel free to check my posts about how I felt about this team as soon as Ibaka/Gasol left. I had us 7th in the East prior to the season.

Now I'm not saying I expected Baynes to be this friggin bad. Our team is definitely better than our record indicates no doubt. It is why I'm pumped for the offseason and think we can be top 4 next year if all goes well.

Even 7th place is a far cry from where we are right now.

[Marty_Budda]

Hindsight is 20/20...no one predicted the way this season would turn out. NO ONE was advocating to trade Lowry because we had just come off having the second most wins in the regular season...so why would anyone have thought to break up the team? Sorry man...you can't say that right now and act like you knew what we would be here right now.

Feel free to check my posts about how I felt about this team as soon as Ibaka/Gasol left. I had us 7th in the East prior to the season.

Now I'm not saying I expected Baynes to be this friggin bad. Our team is definitely better than our record indicates no doubt. It is why I'm pumped for the offseason and think we can be top 4 next year if all goes well.

Even 7th place is a far cry from where we are right now.

If we had birch instead of baynes from day 1 we’re definitely a playoff team this year.

[Mack11]

massi alreayd has his bagz paked for new york

Did Leon Rose get fired?

Or is Masai going to catch a Broadway play? I'm confused...

Broadway play? in a pandemic? Im also confused

[mtcan]

massi alreayd has his bagz paked for new york

Did Leon Rose get fired?

Or is Masai going to catch a Broadway play? I'm confused...

Broadway play? in a pandemic? Im also confused

New York is opening up...good time to visit if I were Masai.

[OAKLEY_2]

When will people understand and stop thinking so narrowly?

The Raptors pretty much had one of the best tanking years a team could have had while retaining their assets, developing key players, finding cheap center options all while playing competitive bball and keeping the team morale up unlike trash orgs that don't know any better than just losing without a purpose or vision.

All this while being away from home getting boo'd in front of anti Raptor fans playing at "home".

The market for Lowry will still be there. Had we traded him we'd either be in same situation or worse in terms of picks if we got some more overachievers and players looking for their next contract which could have sabotaged us. Instead, our rookie gets to learn from Lowry, we look great in front of the league and other star players, it shows we have a backbone and don't back down.. we won't take just any deal for the GROAT. Raps can now hopefully focus on next season and potentially make a trade or Two, sign a couple of players and draft an upcoming superstar/star.

You really couldn't have done better with the situation we were in all season. I'll take it and run.

I really believe this was Giannis Plan B. 7th best odds. We have picked up in the usable department: Birch, Gillespie, Malachi, Yuta, Jalen Harris, Trent Jr. The only asset we gave up for this new crew was Norm. ! Incoming FRP. Incoming money spent from Lowry savings.

[SurgeIblocka]

This just made all the losing and failed tanking worth it. Let’s Gooooo Masai got us!

[alfie123]

Trust in Masai. Watch us get a top 4 pick this year!

I believe the NBA rigs drafts. Look at how they compensated teams that got screwed in the past. Silver owes us one!

[Jcity08]

When will people understand and stop thinking so narrowly?

The Raptors pretty much had one of the best tanking years a team could have had while retaining their assets, developing key players, finding cheap center options all while playing competitive bball and keeping the team morale up unlike trash orgs that don't know any better than just losing without a purpose or vision.

All this while being away from home getting boo'd in front of anti Raptor fans playing at "home".

The market for Lowry will still be there. Had we traded him we'd either be in same situation or worse in terms of picks if we got some more overachievers and players looking for their next contract which could have sabotaged us. Instead, our rookie gets to learn from Lowry, we look great in front of the league and other star players, it shows we have a backbone and don't back down.. we won't take just any deal for the GROAT. Raps can now hopefully focus on next season and potentially make a trade or Two, sign a couple of players and draft an upcoming superstar/star.

You really couldn't have done better with the situation we were in all season. I'll take it and run.

This right here!

We tried going for Giannis this season but that didnt work and I would have been more upset had we not at least tried making a concious effort on that front. But regardless, we've put ourselves in a position of long term success after a nightmare of a season (Tampa, Covid...ect)

Im happy we still have our future picks, cap space and talent like OG, GTJ, FVV, Siakam..
Ect... all while getting a lottery pick this summer in a packed draft class.

[Parataxis]

Sign that extension and we all forgive them for this horrible season lol.

The tank was executed to near perfection. Great season

Near perfection would have been trading Lowry earlier and having a worse record than we do currently.

And this is why people don't take some of the TWO posters seriously. It's not about being realistic - it just seems to be about bashing the team and dreaming the pipe dreams of somehow magically having finished in the bottom 4.

And had we finished second from last (there was no chance of that this season) you'd probably complain that we should have finished last.

Just try to enjoy things once in a while, okay?

[Tor_Raps]

The tank was executed to near perfection. Great season

Near perfection would have been trading Lowry earlier and having a worse record than we do currently.

And this is why people don't take some of the TWO posters seriously. It's not about being realistic - it just seems to be about bashing the team and dreaming the pipe dreams of somehow magically having finished in the bottom 4.

And had we finished second from last (there was no chance of that this season) you'd probably complain that we should have finished last.

Just try to enjoy things once in a while, okay?

I enjoyed 2019 and 2020 just fine.

As soon as Ibaka/Gasol left, I had 0 hope for this season. Wanting to trade Lowry in the offseason to avoid the half measure we did until half way through the season does not make me less of a fan lol.

I'd prefer a team either trying to do its best to win or do its best to rebuild/retool.

[SuppaSlick]

A little bit of draft luck could really make this a solid recovery, evaluation season

[OAKLEY_2]

A little bit of draft luck could really make this a solid recovery, evaluation season

We are going to have cap space. A quality pick in a stacked draft. We might leverage an asset in a sign and trade for Lowry but I bet Masai won't want to take on salary that he would never trade for in normal circumstances. They also have the option of dropping money on an RFA like Markkanen, Duncan Robinson, Talen Horton Tucker, Lonzo, Zac Collins, and Marvin Bagley. Tax teams would be the least likely to match offers. Tax teams need entry level money bodies. When Masai was dealing with Pat Riley no doubt he knew he could get get Robinson for just money and would not be taking back middling talent like Olynyk or Mike Scott. Only way he was going t take Robinson in a trade was if picks were involved. They weren't.

[goinrogue]

Trust in Masai. Watch us get a top 4 pick this year!

I believe the NBA rigs drafts. Look at how they compensated teams that got screwed in the past. Silver owes us one!

Glad to hear someone shares this opinion. I said this in another thread recently and someone called me an idiot LOL. Oh well.

[Merit]

We are not as bad as our record indicates, and far from the worst teams in the league. Best worst team ever etc. The fact remains if we had chosen to play a complete team and push for wins down the stretch, we would’ve had a better record.

To me, this is what the warriors have done the last two years and the raps are wise to do the same in what could be a historically strong draft class.

[tecumseh18]

Trust in Masai. Watch us get a top 4 pick this year!

I believe the NBA rigs drafts. Look at how they compensated teams that got screwed in the past. Silver owes us one!

Glad to hear someone shares this opinion. I said this in another thread recently and someone called me an idiot LOL. Oh well.

Its certainly "suspicious". Especially Cavs getting three #1s in the four years after Lebron left. The league-run Pelicans after CP3 was allowed to be traded (gifting them AD as compensation). Lakers getting #1, allowing them to trade for AD and give the Pels Zion as compensation.

The counter argument is always that if that were true, the Lottery Gods would be kinder to the big ticket franchises - like the Knicks. But I think the league is happy to step in and help the less sexy franchises stay afloat and attract attention when on national TV, by giving them top draft picks. But ultimately, the league is VERY happy when the stars "align" in the glamour franchises.

In the case of the Raptors, I have to ask the following questions:

1. Could the Raps have made a bigger stink about the shenanigans when the Clippers enticed Kawhi to LA? Why didn't they?
2. Why did the franchise so swiftly and decisively go into tank mode starting at the trade deadline. Norm's a better scorer than Trent, and would have wanted to come back. We've still got a good team, when everyone plays. We've beaten some of the top teams - as Nurse said the other day. We could have easily made the play-in, and be in a good position to beat the likes of the Pacers or whoever. For the team with the second best record in the league three seasons in a row to completely self-sabotage by resting players - or by putting in Stanley and Bembry in crunch time as they did against the Clippers in LA - just seems weird.
3. Why has Masai held off on re-signing back here? Is he negotiating with MLSE, or with the league, perhaps with a threat to leave the NBA altogether? If so, how does Masai expect the league to appease him?

I obviously don't know, and it's hard to look at the mechanism for the draft lottery and believe it could be tampered with. But it's fun to speculate - especially if it can help the Raptors redeem this lost season so spectacularly!