mtcan wrote:MEDIC wrote:BoyzNTheHood wrote:Losing the pick would probably cement this as the worst season in our history, and having been around since the start that’s saying A LOT!
Worst season? This isn't even close to.the worst season, even if we lost the pick.
Worst season for me by far was the year they traded Vince Carter for complete garbage.
We went from having the most popular & exciting player in the NBA & possibly having a bright furure.............to having a roster that was complete garbage & having a very bleak outlook for the forseable future. Things had been spiraling leading up to that season.
Fans went from having a sense of pride about being a Raptors fan to having to wonder if the franchise would even survive (especially after seeing Vancouver fold in recent years).
Easily the darkest time in franchise history.
This team has a nice young core of potential allstars. Tough break with the injuries, but future is bright.
Trading Vince Carter for Aaron and Eric Williams then selecting Charlie V and Joey Graham in the following draft while having to watch Rafael Araujo as a rookie.....that was a pretty dark time.
Leading up to that season the following things had happened (in no particular ordee):
1. BJ Armstrong outright refused play for Toronto
2. Kenny Anderson outright refused to play for Toronto
3. Butch Carter went off the rails
4. There was ownership instability (Alan Slaight shotgun clause)
5. T-mac would not re-sign
6. Antonio Davis wanted out & trash talked Toronto/ Canada
7. Vancouver folded
8. Might Mouse forced his way out
9. Raps had a history of terrible ownership, management & coaching
10. There was only a fringe interest in the Raptors. Leafs ruled the scene.
11. Isiah Thomas fight with ownership. Left on bad terms.
12. Stern screwed the Raps with his new drafting rule. Raps miss out on franchise.player (Iverson).
Carter was the only significant Raptor to embrace the franchise at that point. Then he decides to force his way out as well. After the trade, Mourning refuses to report & is bought out.......no return.
Raps fans had taken a beating at that point. The Carter trade felt like the final blow..