Windhorst: Raptors making noise around the league looking for a “big fish” // Giannis & Toronto "Mutual Interest"/KD too

[Spates]

Trae Young
Lonzo Ball

On paper I can rock with

Trae Young
Lonzo Ball
BI
Scottie
Yak

Regardless of the trade they might make, I can't help but worry about the lack of roster depth. It was a major issue during the struggle ball era and a major strength of current contenders

[niQ]

[Scase]

there is clearly credible reporting around the league that the Raptors are looking to make a move for a star player (Whindorst and Fischer have credibility)…

…but no credible reporting that the Raptors would actually offer Scottie in a Giannis trade (Doug Smith and Michael Grange have no credibility for Raptors trade rumours…they literally NEVER know anything ahead of time)

I wouldn’t conflate the credible reports with the non-credible reports

all this means is the Raptors are pursuing a star player

Meh, the raps are always "in talks".

[Tor_Raps]

there is clearly credible reporting around the league that the Raptors are looking to make a move for a star player (Whindorst and Fischer have credibility)…

…but no credible reporting that the Raptors would actually offer Scottie in a Giannis trade (Doug Smith and Michael Grange have no credibility for Raptors trade rumours…they literally NEVER know anything ahead of time)

I wouldn’t conflate the credible reports with the non-credible reports

all this means is the Raptors are pursuing a star player

Meh, the raps are always "in talks".

Do you remember a time where it was laughable for the Raptors to be considered in talks with anyone good?

I absolutely love that we've become relevant enough where some of the leagues best players have been rumored to Toronto.

[Scase]

there is clearly credible reporting around the league that the Raptors are looking to make a move for a star player (Whindorst and Fischer have credibility)…

…but no credible reporting that the Raptors would actually offer Scottie in a Giannis trade (Doug Smith and Michael Grange have no credibility for Raptors trade rumours…they literally NEVER know anything ahead of time)

I wouldn’t conflate the credible reports with the non-credible reports

all this means is the Raptors are pursuing a star player

Meh, the raps are always "in talks".

Do you remember a time where it was laughable for the Raptors to be considered in talks with anyone good?

I absolutely love that we've become relevant enough where some of the leagues best players have been rumored to Toronto.

Progress!

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Meh, the raps are always "in talks".

Do you remember a time where it was laughable for the Raptors to be considered in talks with anyone good?

I absolutely love that we've become relevant enough where some of the leagues best players have been rumored to Toronto.

Progress!

I can't wait to see how TWO reacts when we acquire a superstar - there will be so many TWO spins we will be dizzy lol

[CPT]

there is clearly credible reporting around the league that the Raptors are looking to make a move for a star player (Whindorst and Fischer have credibility)…

…but no credible reporting that the Raptors would actually offer Scottie in a Giannis trade (Doug Smith and Michael Grange have no credibility for Raptors trade rumours…they literally NEVER know anything ahead of time)

I wouldn’t conflate the credible reports with the non-credible reports

all this means is the Raptors are pursuing a star player

Meh, the raps are always "in talks".

Do you remember a time where it was laughable for the Raptors to be considered in talks with anyone good?

I absolutely love that we've become relevant enough where some of the leagues best players have been rumored to Toronto.

Mini-rant incoming (and maybe it's not even so different than it always was), but we've really created a ridiculous society in some ways. The incentives are all out of whack.

Are we getting all of this reporting on Toronto because it's true, or just because it's going to generate clicks? There's (IMO) a weird disconnect where we're not discussed as much on your average ESPN talking head shouting match because, well, we don't have ESPN, but online it's a different story. The smarter people know Toronto fans are insane, so they might play things up a bit. I'm now convinced that Bill Simmons (and by extension, The Ringer) tends to **** on us because he understands it will generate clicks, views, downloads, whatever.

More than just the rumour mill, I think it's pretty clear that some people say **** they don't even believe, just to generate attention. It goes beyond sports, of course. Half of the stuff you see on social media is just there to make you angry. Even seemingly innocuous content like recipe videos - you'll get 100x the views if you make something gross and it happens to go viral. Like that **** guy who would cook meals in a hotel sink with a hairdryer. Why have we created a society that rewards that?

This is all a bunch of rambling to say that some of these reports might be legit, while others are just the sports version of hotel sink guy. And with AI combined with the progressive brain rot of each generation, I think it's just going to keep getting worse. Only thing I think we can do is ignore the garbage content and try to promote and discuss the stuff that is actually good.

This has gotten sufficiently old man yelling at cloud, so rant over.

[djsunyc]

Meh, the raps are always "in talks".

Do you remember a time where it was laughable for the Raptors to be considered in talks with anyone good?

I absolutely love that we've become relevant enough where some of the leagues best players have been rumored to Toronto.

Mini-rant incoming (and maybe it's not even so different than it always was), but we've really created a ridiculous society in some ways. The incentives are all out of whack.

Are we getting all of this reporting on Toronto because it's true, or just because it's going to generate clicks? There's (IMO) a weird disconnect where we're not discussed as much on your average ESPN talking head shouting match because, well, we don't have ESPN, but online it's a different story. The smarter people know Toronto fans are insane, so they might play things up a bit. I'm now convinced that Bill Simmons (and by extension, The Ringer) tends to **** on us because he understands it will generate clicks, views, downloads, whatever.

More than just the rumour mill, I think it's pretty clear that some people say **** they don't even believe, just to generate attention. It goes beyond sports, of course. Half of the stuff you see on social media is just there to make you angry. Even seemingly innocuous content like recipe videos - you'll get 100x the views if you make something gross and it happens to go viral. Like that **** guy who would cook meals in a hotel sink with a hairdryer. Why have we created a society that rewards that?

This is all a bunch of rambling to say that some of these reports might be legit, while others are just the sports version of hotel sink guy. And with AI combined with the progressive brain rot of each generation, I think it's just going to keep getting worse. Only thing I think we can do is ignore the garbage content and try to promote and discuss the stuff that is actually good.

This has gotten sufficiently old man yelling at cloud, so rant over.

it's the entertainment business. treat it as such. nothing is news until you hear from shams.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Do you remember a time where it was laughable for the Raptors to be considered in talks with anyone good?

I absolutely love that we've become relevant enough where some of the leagues best players have been rumored to Toronto.

Mini-rant incoming (and maybe it's not even so different than it always was), but we've really created a ridiculous society in some ways. The incentives are all out of whack.

Are we getting all of this reporting on Toronto because it's true, or just because it's going to generate clicks? There's (IMO) a weird disconnect where we're not discussed as much on your average ESPN talking head shouting match because, well, we don't have ESPN, but online it's a different story. The smarter people know Toronto fans are insane, so they might play things up a bit. I'm now convinced that Bill Simmons (and by extension, The Ringer) tends to **** on us because he understands it will generate clicks, views, downloads, whatever.

More than just the rumour mill, I think it's pretty clear that some people say **** they don't even believe, just to generate attention. It goes beyond sports, of course. Half of the stuff you see on social media is just there to make you angry. Even seemingly innocuous content like recipe videos - you'll get 100x the views if you make something gross and it happens to go viral. Like that **** guy who would cook meals in a hotel sink with a hairdryer. Why have we created a society that rewards that?

This is all a bunch of rambling to say that some of these reports might be legit, while others are just the sports version of hotel sink guy. And with AI combined with the progressive brain rot of each generation, I think it's just going to keep getting worse. Only thing I think we can do is ignore the garbage content and try to promote and discuss the stuff that is actually good.

This has gotten sufficiently old man yelling at cloud, so rant over.

it's the entertainment business. treat it as such. nothing is news until you hear from shams.

Talks? We just traded straight trash for an elite scorer in BI

[Westside Gunn]

Meh, the raps are always "in talks".

Do you remember a time where it was laughable for the Raptors to be considered in talks with anyone good?

I absolutely love that we've become relevant enough where some of the leagues best players have been rumored to Toronto.

Mini-rant incoming (and maybe it's not even so different than it always was), but we've really created a ridiculous society in some ways. The incentives are all out of whack.

Are we getting all of this reporting on Toronto because it's true, or just because it's going to generate clicks? There's (IMO) a weird disconnect where we're not discussed as much on your average ESPN talking head shouting match because, well, we don't have ESPN, but online it's a different story. The smarter people know Toronto fans are insane, so they might play things up a bit. I'm now convinced that Bill Simmons (and by extension, The Ringer) tends to **** on us because he understands it will generate clicks, views, downloads, whatever.

More than just the rumour mill, I think it's pretty clear that some people say **** they don't even believe, just to generate attention. It goes beyond sports, of course. Half of the stuff you see on social media is just there to make you angry. Even seemingly innocuous content like recipe videos - you'll get 100x the views if you make something gross and it happens to go viral. Like that **** guy who would cook meals in a hotel sink with a hairdryer. Why have we created a society that rewards that?

This is all a bunch of rambling to say that some of these reports might be legit, while others are just the sports version of hotel sink guy. And with AI combined with the progressive brain rot of each generation, I think it's just going to keep getting worse. Only thing I think we can do is ignore the garbage content and try to promote and discuss the stuff that is actually good.

This has gotten sufficiently old man yelling at cloud, so rant over.

Agreed with above, its a business, and this is an engagement strategy.

Maybe from the NBA itself. For sure for all the influencers, journalists, newspapers, and radio stations to keep you engaged in the product. It keeps them employed, it keeps you engaged, entertained and gets you to spend money via views, merch, tickets etc. Good for the Raptors too - if they get a Giannis, Raptor fans might have to be on a generational waitlist to get seasons if it isn't already like that. And there aint **** to do in the winter in this country/city so must talk and watch sports. I haven't spent a dime on basketball since its gotten so expensive post Kawhi, but it does keep me engaged at work listening to the content while slaving away at my mundane slow corporate gig

Its fun stuff, its very entertaining specially when the Leafs are in the playoffs. Expecations are high and the overreaction from the disappointment is always funny...for move than a decade now since that Boston series in 2013.

[Tha Cynic]

I’m more surprised people are surprised Masai is looking for legit superstars or second tier stars. He has always been aggressive when a special situation comes up lol. This is not because of Rogers or contract situations. This is just how Masai has operated over the years since he got Kawhi.

The moment a couple of stars went down in the East, he was going to amp up. This is the time to strike.

This doesn’t mean they’ll actually end up with a star as other teams will definitely sell the farm for Giannis too.

[Tor_Raps]

Meh, the raps are always "in talks".

Do you remember a time where it was laughable for the Raptors to be considered in talks with anyone good?

I absolutely love that we've become relevant enough where some of the leagues best players have been rumored to Toronto.

Mini-rant incoming (and maybe it's not even so different than it always was), but we've really created a ridiculous society in some ways. The incentives are all out of whack.

Are we getting all of this reporting on Toronto because it's true, or just because it's going to generate clicks? There's (IMO) a weird disconnect where we're not discussed as much on your average ESPN talking head shouting match because, well, we don't have ESPN, but online it's a different story. The smarter people know Toronto fans are insane, so they might play things up a bit. I'm now convinced that Bill Simmons (and by extension, The Ringer) tends to **** on us because he understands it will generate clicks, views, downloads, whatever.

More than just the rumour mill, I think it's pretty clear that some people say **** they don't even believe, just to generate attention. It goes beyond sports, of course. Half of the stuff you see on social media is just there to make you angry. Even seemingly innocuous content like recipe videos - you'll get 100x the views if you make something gross and it happens to go viral. Like that **** guy who would cook meals in a hotel sink with a hairdryer. Why have we created a society that rewards that?

This is all a bunch of rambling to say that some of these reports might be legit, while others are just the sports version of hotel sink guy. And with AI combined with the progressive brain rot of each generation, I think it's just going to keep getting worse. Only thing I think we can do is ignore the garbage content and try to promote and discuss the stuff that is actually good.

This has gotten sufficiently old man yelling at cloud, so rant over.

You're overthinking things man. Raptors were so close to Dame that Shams had it ready in his drafts. We were in on Durant and we obviously landed Kawhi, which should shut everyone up tbh.

If Giannis gets on the market then us being mentioned should be seen as a compliment that we are in a position where we could be a potential landing spot. Only 1 out of 30 teams land any particular player...

[NoBias]

Trey Murphy does absolutely nothing for us. He does not move the needle. We need a superstar shot creator, and there’s not many out there in the league. If we strike out on Giannis, players like Kat, Sabonis, etc. Don’t really make us contenders.

[NoBias]

Also seeing a lot of people trying to trade RJ, and although he has his flaws I’d be more inclined to move IQ. We need a point guard who can get after it defensively. Masai has a lot of pieces to shuffle, I’m really interested in seeing how he tries to elevate our roster to contender status. I don’t see anything transpiring.. our bench is too inexperienced and our starting 5 needs more shooting. Shead could have a good year and step up, but we need more at the backup forwards and centre position.

[CPT]

Do you remember a time where it was laughable for the Raptors to be considered in talks with anyone good?

I absolutely love that we've become relevant enough where some of the leagues best players have been rumored to Toronto.

Mini-rant incoming (and maybe it's not even so different than it always was), but we've really created a ridiculous society in some ways. The incentives are all out of whack.

Are we getting all of this reporting on Toronto because it's true, or just because it's going to generate clicks? There's (IMO) a weird disconnect where we're not discussed as much on your average ESPN talking head shouting match because, well, we don't have ESPN, but online it's a different story. The smarter people know Toronto fans are insane, so they might play things up a bit. I'm now convinced that Bill Simmons (and by extension, The Ringer) tends to **** on us because he understands it will generate clicks, views, downloads, whatever.

More than just the rumour mill, I think it's pretty clear that some people say **** they don't even believe, just to generate attention. It goes beyond sports, of course. Half of the stuff you see on social media is just there to make you angry. Even seemingly innocuous content like recipe videos - you'll get 100x the views if you make something gross and it happens to go viral. Like that **** guy who would cook meals in a hotel sink with a hairdryer. Why have we created a society that rewards that?

This is all a bunch of rambling to say that some of these reports might be legit, while others are just the sports version of hotel sink guy. And with AI combined with the progressive brain rot of each generation, I think it's just going to keep getting worse. Only thing I think we can do is ignore the garbage content and try to promote and discuss the stuff that is actually good.

This has gotten sufficiently old man yelling at cloud, so rant over.

it's the entertainment business. treat it as such. nothing is news until you hear from shams.

What about Sharms?

[CPT]

Also seeing a lot of people trying to trade RJ, and although he has his flaws I’d be more inclined to move IQ. We need a point guard who can get after it defensively. Masai has a lot of pieces to shuffle, I’m really interested in seeing how he tries to elevate our roster to contender status. I don’t see anything transpiring.. our bench is too inexperienced and our starting 5 needs more shooting. Shead could have a good year and step up, but we need more at the backup forwards and centre position.

I’d love to have a 3&D PG, but I’d still rather have Quickley as a combo guard off of the bench than RJ as anything.

[canada_dry]

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=BleacherReport

Fischer is saying execs around the league are skeptical the Bucks will trade Giannis

I mean the skepticism comes from the fact that that both sides met and no trade request was made. Simply that both sides committed to being competitive as possible.

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[canada_dry]

Trae Young
Lonzo Ball

On paper I can rock with

Trae Young
Lonzo Ball
BI
Scottie
Yak

Regardless of the trade they might make, I can't help but worry about the lack of roster depth. It was a major issue during the struggle ball era and a major strength of current contenders

Both of them is INSANE lol.

Sent from my SM-G960W using RealGM mobile app

[canada_dry]

i haven't watched much bball in 1.5 years. is giannis as good as he used to be? is he getting more skilled? or does he still rely on physicality?

His mid range was elite this year.

Sent from my SM-G960W using RealGM mobile app

[canada_dry]

Top 3 in the league, athleticism and physicality might become a concern in 2-3 years unless he's lebron genetically. That's why the Raptors have a short window with him to win it all.

Anytime you can get a Top 3 player in the league, you do it, specially if he has a connection to Toronto, via Masai

I think given his agility and speed at his size, he might be more genetically gifted than LeBron.

LeBron is much more skilled than Giannis. Giannis is just modern-day Shaq. LeBron is both one of the most physically gifted players is all time and one of the most skilled. He can muscle his way to the rim. He can create his own shot. He can catch and shoot. He can quarterback an offence.

If LeBron only relied on his strength and athleticism to generate offence, the way Giannis does, he'd have retired by now.

How much giannis did you watch this year? Did shaq ever have a really really good pull up mid range? Just wondering...

Sent from my SM-G960W using RealGM mobile app