TSN Radio: Jack Armstrong discusses Bryan Colangelo's future

[polo007]

http://twitter.com/TSN1050Radio/status/ ... 4813391872

TSN Radio

‏@TSN1050Radio

Podcast: The NBA on TSN's Jack Armstrong joined @TSNGameNight to discuss Bryan Colangelo's future as Raptors GM: http://iphone.tsn.ca/tsnpodcasts/Gameni ... y%2020.mp3

7:42 PM - 20 May 13

[TheAlchemist]

Bull.

Jack is pushing the same old garbage about our perception and how we are in the second block of highlights on TSN. And how Customs and such are a problem with players and hence why nobody plays in Toronto.

He also said how Ujiri would probably do the same thing Colangelo did.

None of these media personalities see the inherent problem with the Roster: WE HAVE NO SUPERSTARS IN A SUPERSTAR DOMINATED LEAGUE.

We are maxed out salary cap wise, Our team hasn't even made the playoffs in 5 years, and we have no Draft pick.

Tell me where does Customs and perception issues play a role in THAT?

[UneducatedFan86]

He is pretty dead on in everything he is saying. A lot of the issues with Toronto are based on false perceptions and stereotypes. Many American players are just not educated about Toronto, let alone Canada, and the organization does have to do a better job of getting the right information out there. It isn't just athletes, a lot of Americans have these wildly wrong misconceptions about Canada.

His spew about the media is pretty dead on too. Canada is a hockey country and basketball may never be as popular as it, but when you have curling, under-16 tournaments, AHL, Lacrosse, and other sports getting more media coverage then you start to see an issue. Basketball is one of the big 4 sports in North America, one of the most played sports world wide and up here a lot of people treat it like it's on the same level as table tennis.

All athletes tend to have a pretty large ego and if they feel like they are unappreciated they tend to want out. Just look at all the times players bring up the fact that they don't get enough national coverage and yes that comes with winning, but at the same time I think the media can do a better job at promoting the game of basketball better. Many times the broadcasters make it seem like basketball isn't important or it is an inconvenience for them to have to cover it and that is where I think the major issue is with the media coverage up here.

[TheAlchemist]

He is pretty dead on in everything he is saying. A lot of the issues with Toronto are based on false perceptions and stereotypes. Many American players are just not educated about Toronto, let alone Canada, and the organization does have to do a better job of getting the right information out there. It isn't just athletes, a lot of Americans have these wildly wrong misconceptions about Canada.

His spew about the media is pretty dead on too. Canada is a hockey country and basketball may never be as popular as it, but when you have curling, under-16 tournaments, AHL, Lacrosse, and other sports getting more media coverage then you start to see an issue. Basketball is one of the big 4 sports in North America, one of the most played sports world wide and up here a lot of people treat it like it's on the same level as table tennis.

All athletes tend to have a pretty large ego and if they feel like they are unappreciated they tend to want out. Just look at all the times players bring up the fact that they don't get enough national coverage and yes that comes with winning, but at the same time I think the media can do a better job at promoting the game of basketball better. Many times the broadcasters make it seem like basketball isn't important or it is an inconvenience for them to have to cover it and that is where I think the major issue is with the media coverage up here.

You're nickname suits you well.

If you paid any attention during the Jermaine O'neal trade, or what Mitchell was saying during the time, you'd realize that winning cures everything.

You can't build a brand without winning.

Everything solves itself if a team wins. During Vince Carters years, we were getting national coverage and the Raptors were really big. Yeah sure we can work on perception, the whole taxes, Customs and Sports highlight time, but that won't do anything in the long run, unless we win.

[tecumseh18]

You're nickname suits you well.

Your. I'm not a grammar nazi, but any post that criticizes the intelligence of another poster better not lead off with such an obvious mistake.

You can't build a brand without winning.

You're (see what I did there?) missing the point. The point being - how does the team win if most players, and certainly not the elite ones who make most of their money from endorsements, don't want to play here?

There's a multi-level answer to that.

1. Build through the draft. Acquire more picks. Move up in the draft. Never, ever, give a way a draft pick unless you're bringing a Harden-level player on a long-term contract.

2. Put a special emphasis on focus on non-American talent. Not win-now guys like Garbajosa and AP on their last legs, but young guys like M. Gasol, Pekovic (both 2nd rounders), Vucevic (16th overall in a "weak" draft where we could have picked up a second pick), Splitter (end of first round). And with a stream of quality Canadian players starting to come into their own, why not make a special attempt to get them?

3. Never, ever pay more than market rate to a player. This is true for any team under the new CBA but especially the Raptors. Keeping cap space is just too important, because it allows you to take on salary in a trade. Colangelo the big talker knows this, but he violates it often to make you realize what a slimy BSer he is.

God, I hate Colangelo.

[UneducatedFan86]

I said winning does matter in my post. I know winning is a major factor.

Yet, even when the Raptors have had a winning product on the floor (the VC days) we still weren't seen as a major FA destination. We traded for most of the core pieces of those early 2000 playoff runs. So, there are clearly other factors in why some players do not want to come to Toronto. Which can usually be associated with the idea that a player will possible lose money due to the higher taxes and lack of major endorsements/media attention.

This isn't just a basketball issue though. We saw this come up all winter long when the Blue Jays were making their off-season moves. All you ever heard about from a lot of the American media was the amount of money some of these players might lose due to the higher taxes and all the hassle they might get with crossing the boarder.

But, Jack has a point when he says that the media needs to do a better job at giving basketball in general, not just the Raptors, more attention. The Score still does the best at overall coverage and reporting of basketball news and games, but even that has really tailed off a bit over the last few years.

[DatHomieYouHaTe]

I said winning does matter in my post. I know winning is a major factor.

Yet, even when the Raptors have had a winning product on the floor (the VC days) we still weren't seen as a major FA destination. We traded for most of the core pieces of those early 2000 playoff runs. So, there are clearly other factors in why some players do not want to come to Toronto. Which can usually be associated with the idea that a player will possible lose money due to the higher taxes and lack of major endorsements/media attention.

This isn't just a basketball issue though. We saw this come up all winter long when the Blue Jays were making their off-season moves. All you ever heard about from a lot of the American media was the amount of money some of these players might lose due to the higher taxes and all the hassle they might get with crossing the boarder.

But, Jack has a point when he says that the media needs to do a better job at giving basketball in general, not just the Raptors, more attention. The Score still does the best at overall coverage and reporting of basketball news and games, but even that has really tailed off a bit over the last few years.

Let's be real, even when we had Vince Carter we weren't that good. Our best season was 47 wins. Free agents don't want to come here because we suck,plain and simple.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

[Rapz]

...WE HAVE NO SUPERSTARS IN A SUPERSTAR DOMINATED LEAGUE.

Tell me where does Customs and perception issues play a role in THAT?

When you give your own answers you don't need a question mark.

[yk24]

I will end this entire argument with one word: WIN

[DatHomieYouHaTe]

Who really Snatches up the great free agents anyways? Lets face it, there's only a few teams and they all have winning records.

[dTox]

The location/perception is an issue, but only to some extent. If we had rebuilt this team the proper way, avoided half assed jobs where we got the 7th/8th/13th pick in the last 5 years, we could've had some high quality players on our hand, for ex. Curry/Rubio instead of DD, Drummond/Lillard/Barnes instead of Ross. It's crazy when you realize that we were 1-3 loss away from having any of the above mentioned names, and none of this has to do with us being in Toronto, its incompetent management that resulted in our failure.

[Rapz]

I will end this entire argument with one word: WIN

And I send you to the old conundrum:
which comes first, chicken or egg?



In other words - in a show-league obviously setup to promote Superstars, how can small/unattractive NBA markets ever win (to attract superstars)???

[Rapz]

The location/perception is an issue, but only to some extent. If we had rebuilt this team the proper way, avoided half assed jobs where we got the 7th/8th/13th pick in the last 5 years, we could've had some high quality players on our hand, for ex. Curry/Rubio instead of DD, Drummond/Lillard/Barnes instead of Ross. It's crazy when you realize that we were 1-3 loss away from having any of the above mentioned names, and none of this has to do with us being in Toronto, its incompetent management that resulted in our failure.

hindsight is 20/20

[Patman]

I said winning does matter in my post. I know winning is a major factor.

Yet, even when the Raptors have had a winning product on the floor (the VC days) we still weren't seen as a major FA destination. We traded for most of the core pieces of those early 2000 playoff runs. So, there are clearly other factors in why some players do not want to come to Toronto. Which can usually be associated with the idea that a player will possible lose money due to the higher taxes and lack of major endorsements/media attention.

This isn't just a basketball issue though. We saw this come up all winter long when the Blue Jays were making their off-season moves. All you ever heard about from a lot of the American media was the amount of money some of these players might lose due to the higher taxes and all the hassle they might get with crossing the boarder.

But, Jack has a point when he says that the media needs to do a better job at giving basketball in general, not just the Raptors, more attention. The Score still does the best at overall coverage and reporting of basketball news and games, but even that has really tailed off a bit over the last few years.

To be fair, the one time we had cap space in the VC era, the crop was pretty dry:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/news/2001/06/29/unrestricted_freeagents/

Pretty much a who's who of role players, journeymen, and washed-up former stars. We needed a big man after we gave away Oak, and we took our chances of Dream's knees.

[ballislife]

Great interview, always love listening to Jack.

I thought he was dead on about the "sports centre" part of it. He's right, all we show in Canada is Hockey. I go to school in the U.S. and I frequently come home and the one thing that really pisses me off is the fact that it's so hard to get basketball highlights in Canada. They're ALWAYS showing Hockey.

I have to say that television in the U.S. is honestly WAYYY better than Canada. Athletes love watching TV, I'm sure they notice the difference and realize how much better TV is in the U.S. Canadian sports networks have to do a better job with the coverage of basketball, especially because we're owned by the biggest media companies in Canada.

[grumpwalter]

I will end this entire argument with one word: WIN

And I send you to the old conundrum:
which comes first, chicken or egg?



In other words - in a show-league obviously setup to promote Superstars, how can small/unattractive NBA markets ever win (to attract superstars)???

That's why it's more important for them to evaluate who can play together and who can't, and why it's more important to do draft night trades to acquire picks (by taking on Salary). Bryan did NEITHER.

[dTox]

The location/perception is an issue, but only to some extent. If we had rebuilt this team the proper way, avoided half assed jobs where we got the 7th/8th/13th pick in the last 5 years, we could've had some high quality players on our hand, for ex. Curry/Rubio instead of DD, Drummond/Lillard/Barnes instead of Ross. It's crazy when you realize that we were 1-3 loss away from having any of the above mentioned names, and none of this has to do with us being in Toronto, its incompetent management that resulted in our failure.

hindsight is 20/20

Not at all, majority of this board was in favour of going through a proper rebuild, go back and read the earlier threads. Its sad that an internet forum has a better succession plan than our sorry GM.

And by the way, everyone is judged based on hindsight, how else can you determine failure/success? At your work, do they look as to the excuse for your failure or do they look at the bottom line (the actual result)? A GM is based on his final body of work, and after 7 years, its been nothing but failure, so yes hindsight is a way to determine success.

[TheAlchemist]

...WE HAVE NO SUPERSTARS IN A SUPERSTAR DOMINATED LEAGUE.

Tell me where does Customs and perception issues play a role in THAT?

When you give your own answers you don't need a question mark.

LOL it was a rhetorical question.

You're nickname suits you well.

Your. I'm not a grammar nazi, but any post that criticizes the intelligence of another poster better not lead off with such an obvious mistake.

You can't build a brand without winning.

You're (see what I did there?) missing the point. The point being - how does the team win if most players, and certainly not the elite ones who make most of their money from endorsements - want to play here?

There's a multi-level answer to that.

1. Build through the draft. Acquire more picks. Move up in the draft. Never, ever, give a way a draft pick unless you're bringing a Harden-level player on a long-term contract.

2. Put a special emphasis on focus on non-American talent. Not win-now guys like Garbajosa and AP on their last legs, but young guys like M. Gasol, Pekovic (both 2nd rounders), Vucevic (16th overall in a "weak" draft where we could have picked up a second pick), Splitter (end of first round). And with a stream of quality Canadian players starting to come into their own, why not make a special attempt to get them?

3. Never, ever pay more than market rate to a player. This is true for any team under the new CBA but especially the Raptors. Keeping cap space is just too important, because it allows you to take on salary in a trade. Colangelo the big talker knows this, but he violates it often to make you realize what a slimy BSer he is.

God, I hate Colangelo.

Yup, you're right. I have to be grammatically correct to be tired of this "Inferior Canadian Sports" stereotype bull that keeps getting regurgitated in the media and forums alike.

You see, I wrote "you're", the right way .

[Rapz]

The location/perception is an issue, but only to some extent. If we had rebuilt this team the proper way, avoided half assed jobs where we got the 7th/8th/13th pick in the last 5 years, we could've had some high quality players on our hand, for ex. Curry/Rubio instead of DD, Drummond/Lillard/Barnes instead of Ross. It's crazy when you realize that we were 1-3 loss away from having any of the above mentioned names, and none of this has to do with us being in Toronto, its incompetent management that resulted in our failure.

hindsight is 20/20

Not at all, majority of this board was in favour of going through a proper rebuild, go back and read the earlier threads. Its sad that an internet forum has a better succession plan than our sorry GM.

And by the way, everyone is judged based on hindsight, how else can you determine failure/success? At your work, do they look as to the excuse for your failure or do they look at the bottom line (the actual result)? A GM is based on his final body of work, and after 7 years, its been nothing but failure, so yes hindsight is a way to determine success.

You are correct, but tanking while easy on paper, in real life to go and tell coach * players to take it easy out there...not so much possible. And at same time try to please MLSE and fill up seats...

My point is there are circumstances when you don't really know which one will turn into the best player in draft night. Point & case: Ginobili, Parker, KB, etc vs. Darko, etc.
So tanking and getting high draft picks it is still not a sure way to achieve success.

Between FA and tanking (and hoping to get all right players, ala OKC) I say FA and trades is the sure way to win.
If you don't believe it, look at Miami, Boston, etc. But these are much more attractive NBA market than Toronto will ever be...

[Rapz]

Great interview, always love listening to Jack.

I thought he was dead on about the "sports centre" part of it. He's right, all we show in Canada is Hockey. I go to school in the U.S. and I frequently come home and the one thing that really pisses me off is the fact that it's so hard to get basketball highlights in Canada. They're ALWAYS showing Hockey.

I have to say that television in the U.S. is honestly WAYYY better than Canada. Athletes love watching TV, I'm sure they notice the difference and realize how much better TV is in the U.S. Canadian sports networks have to do a better job with the coverage of basketball, especially because we're owned by the biggest media companies in Canada.

After over 25 years living in Canada I now live in USA and yes, it is a much different/better sports media out here. I still come back to GTA for business and visiting family and friends, and it is shocking (although not surprising) how all Canadian media seems to care about hockey.
I can see how any NBA players while in Canada when tuning in the radio/TV will be shocked by non-NBA/NFL coverage and lack of ESPN. Don't forget that most of NBA players also follow NFL, another missing component of sports discussion in Toronto media.
Due to this alone and the weather, it is a pretty good chance that many star NBA players would prefer New Orleans, Charlotte, OKC (before Durant), Memphis, etc to Toronto.
For some, even Minnesota and Milwaukee might be a better choice to Toronto, since they are still in USA and during the cold season they are mostly on the road - their summer homes are most likely in south anyway. But at least during the season while at "home", they can turn on the TV/radio and watch/hear news on their favorite NFL/NBA team, not hockey & curling.