Decision making during our "rebuild" has been shockingly terrible. Review of timeline + path forward

[YogurtProducer]

My objective is to have an exciting team that is top 4 in Eastern conference. Then go from there. Championship or nothing mentality leads to disappointment. The hyperbolic statements from the gaslighting crowd should be ignored.

Oh man, do I have the team for you! The 2025-26 Raptors are an exciting team, currently sitting 4th in the conference!!

They actually are though

I know. I am just poking fun at Danger.

[AreBe]

Honestly when we reverse back to that pivotal timeframe prior to us trading for Poeltl, and before setting this horrible current treadmill trajectory we are now living..

- At the time we were 5th worse in the league (the draft slot which eventually won Wemby).
...

- 7. Basically 2025 becomes only "tank season" to acquire elite prospects as decision to trade for Ingram essentially signals end of rebuild (terrible team building decision). I see this as one of the low key worst decisions that was made.

It was as if management was tired of losing but also not taking responsibility for the reality of trading their lottery pick in 2024. If that's the reality you created you take responsibility for it and continue to rebuild properly. The correct decision would've been to remain in pure rebuild mode until we acquired a collection of elite /high value prospects. (massive fail).

- 8. accumulation of 2024 lower value prospects/picks now looks like it was some form of prospect compensation dump for trading
2024 top 10 draft pick. Most of these prospects havent even shown bench player ability/nba rotation player - Walter, Mogbo, Shead, Chomche. HUGE FAIL.

- 9. Mentioned Ingram trade basically ended rebuild which included trading Indiana 1st (basically only pick of value from Siakam trade). This pick will most likely now convey as attractive 2026 lottery pick in deep draft -- another missed opportunity to add young elite talent/prospect.
..
Can anyone identify the silver lining in all of this?

First round canon fodder is a step on the rebuild- and that is where we are.

I do not think ownership can stomach the required rebuild- Ownership wants immediate and instant profit right away- Note the 30 years of the Blue Jays sucking with no future- that is an ownership group that needs, urgently and immediately, the maximum possible return, NOW NOW NOW! The BIGGEST FATTEST RETURN - this means no sucking today to win tomorrow- OR a very brief sucking period.

Only until this past year it appears that the Jays' ownership grasped that the sports commercial enterprise has a very different business model, including that you lose money ( formerly NOT POSSIBLE! EVER- FIREABLE OFFENCE!) on the team, but cash out big time on TV, streaming, and brand promotion. I think it is the tent pole theory, or something like that. "In television and motion pictures, a tentpole or tent-pole is a program or film that supports the financial performance of a film studio, television network, or cinema chain. It is an analogy for the way a strong central pole provides a stable structure to a tent. A tent-pole film may be expected to support the sale of tie-in merchandise." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tentpole#:~:text=In%20television%20and%20motion%20pictures,stable%20structure%20to%20a%20tent.

WE cannot properly suck and rebuild until ownership loses the "sylo" theory that every division must bring in maximum profit right now or we can your ass and bring in someone else who will also fail, and replace it with the tent-pole theory.

[littlerock2277]

Just imagining a core right now of vanvleet, Powell, OG and siakiam and hopefully a reliable center. Would rather role with that team in the east right now then what we have currently have.

[bluerap23]

Just imagining a core right now of vanvleet, Powell, OG and siakiam and hopefully a reliable center. Would rather role with that team in the east right now then what we have currently have.

I will always wonder about that alternate universe where we did not trade Norm for GTJ. It is extremely unlikely that management would have paid Fred, OG and Pascal the max contracts that they received after leaving toronto though. That would have been a second apron team.

[littlerock2277]

Just imagining a core right now of vanvleet, Powell, OG and siakiam and hopefully a reliable center. Would rather role with that team in the east right now then what we have currently have.

I will always wonder about that alternate universe where we did not trade Norm for GTJ. It is extremely unlikely that management would have paid Fred, OG and Pascal the max contracts that they received after leaving toronto though. That would have been a second apron team.

Yeah that was the only issue, personally OG and vanvleet shouldn't have gotten those contracts from new York and houston, but yeah I remember Fred said the same thing on that podcast recently, the changes in ownership definitely didn't want to pay them. But honestly if we compare it to the salaries we have right now i think it would have been possible to pay all for 4 them similar contacts to what Ingram, quickley, Barrett and Barnes are currently making.

[Indeed]

Just imagining a core right now of vanvleet, Powell, OG and siakiam and hopefully a reliable center. Would rather role with that team in the east right now then what we have currently have.

I will always wonder about that alternate universe where we did not trade Norm for GTJ. It is extremely unlikely that management would have paid Fred, OG and Pascal the max contracts that they received after leaving toronto though. That would have been a second apron team.

We could have paid Siakam, which is basically Ingram plus 5m, and I probably think we don't need to bid on ourself for Quickley, neither having Walter salary. I guess we might not guessed Siakam would improve his 3 point shooting.

I don't think we would match VanVleet, so we are unlikely to be a 2nd apron team. The return from Anunoby is better for filling our needs, but we are probably not over the tax with him, just that we don't need both Anunoby and Barnes.

[AreBe]

Just imagining a core right now of vanvleet, Powell, OG and siakiam and hopefully a reliable center. Would rather role with that team in the east right now then what we have currently have.

But rightly, we needed a post championship tear down - might not be going as well as it should- last year’s tank was nowhere near tanking enough.
The worst thing we could do is trade kids and picks - we are not one player away.