Derozan interview on ESPN, Tues 10pm EST (TONIGHT!)

[Joker]

In terms of the American media coverage, what it all boils down to is they expect/assume the Raps to hold onto any decent player that indicates loyalty, because we shouldn't expect the upper echelon players to want to play here. We should be "grateful" for someone like Demar. But this is a recipe for treadmilling and Masai obviously knows that.

If you want to be a Big Boy franchise, you need to act like you're one.

[Whole Truth]

from n outsider perspective, dd is in the wrong with his actions so far...however he isnt lying when you see masai sweating n deflecting answers to those questions bout his run in with dd as to what was said. masai shouldve said nothing at all, it is a biz lots of players go thru trades just dont lie or say nothing at all

Masai just got off a long flight from Africa & rushed to the meeting. He was sweating because he was both tired & put in a strenuous situation.

He didn't have to appologize comsidering it was a misunderstanding but did out of respect for Derozan.

come on man, its not like ran from the airport .......the way he hesistated and bumbled his words trying to answer that question is a good indicator that what Derozen said wasn't false, I'm sure DD would still have hurt feelings even if Masai said yes you're in the conversation when asked, but he wouldn't have made these statements making Masai look shady.

Masai never said he wasn't going to be traded. He said there was nothing imminent, then went on to talk about the teams future. Derozan took that to mean he wasn't going to be traded.

[Volcano]

Some of you guys just can't accept Masai snaked DeRozan.. it happened. You need to accept it and move on from that the same way DeMar needs to move on from Toronto.

It's not even about accepting it, yall are just ok with it cause you woulda snaked DeRozan a while ago

Is snaked another word for traded? Lots of NBA players have been snaked before, it’s a part of the business

[HOOOMAN]

http://archive.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2003/12/11/antoine_walker_calls_danny_ainge_a_snake/

age old story of the emotionally immature basketball player and smart gm getting rid of underperforming overpaid "star"

[HOOOMAN]

what about the fact that you shouldn't tip your hand to anybody..because thats how leaks happen...and could potentially sour a deal...........

[NoZoLakers]

Masai just got off a long flight from Africa & rushed to the meeting. He was sweating because he was both tired & put in a strenuous situation.

He didn't have to appologize comsidering it was a misunderstanding but did out of respect for Derozan.

come on man, its not like ran from the airport .......the way he hesistated and bumbled his words trying to answer that question is a good indicator that what Derozen said wasn't false, I'm sure DD would still have hurt feelings even if Masai said yes you're in the conversation when asked, but he wouldn't have made these statements making Masai look shady.

Masai never said he wasn't going to be traded. He said there was nothing imminent, then went on to talk about the teams future. Derozan took that to mean he wasn't going to be traded.

when reporters ask Masai if he said to DD that he wouldn't be traded or part of the trade talks....Masai didn't answer it, he just deflected and said it was a "misunderstanding"....either yes or no answer.

[Joker]

1. The organization indicated that everyone was tradeable on possibly on the market after the season.
2. Demar was in trade rumours for San Antonio for numerous days leading up until the trade, rumours that the Raptors never even remotely denied, either directly or through Raptors media sources.
3. Demar got traded.

No real surprises, betrayal here.

[TrustFundBaby]

DD is trolling, acting like if Masai gave him a heads up that he was being shopped then it's all good

BS

What would have happened is DD would've sulked all season and tanked his value, or he would have had teams on a list he wants to go to

[Whole Truth]

come on man, its not like ran from the airport .......the way he hesistated and bumbled his words trying to answer that question is a good indicator that what Derozen said wasn't false, I'm sure DD would still have hurt feelings even if Masai said yes you're in the conversation when asked, but he wouldn't have made these statements making Masai look shady.

Masai never said he wasn't going to be traded. He said there was nothing imminent, then went on to talk about the teams future. Derozan took that to mean he wasn't going to be traded.

when reporters ask Masai if he said to DD that he wouldn't be traded or part of the trade talks....Masai didn't answer it, he just deflected and said it was a "misunderstanding"....either yes or no answer.

He didn't say it in the presser, he said it in a later interview, maybe someone here would post it for you.

[Volcano]

Masai just got off a long flight from Africa & rushed to the meeting. He was sweating because he was both tired & put in a strenuous situation.

He didn't have to appologize comsidering it was a misunderstanding but did out of respect for Derozan.

come on man, its not like ran from the airport .......the way he hesistated and bumbled his words trying to answer that question is a good indicator that what Derozen said wasn't false, I'm sure DD would still have hurt feelings even if Masai said yes you're in the conversation when asked, but he wouldn't have made these statements making Masai look shady.

Derozan confirmed in the interview that Masai only talked to him about building towards the future and that there was nothing imminent at the time. There was no direct mention of him being untradeable..that’s why DD the snake switched his narrative to wanting Masai to give him a heads up, which is impossible to do as they don’t even know if he’ll be traded or not until the Spurs actually agree. Masai told him the night before, which should be good enough.

[Joker]

Masai just got off a long flight from Africa & rushed to the meeting. He was sweating because he was both tired & put in a strenuous situation.

He didn't have to appologize comsidering it was a misunderstanding but did out of respect for Derozan.

come on man, its not like ran from the airport .......the way he hesistated and bumbled his words trying to answer that question is a good indicator that what Derozen said wasn't false, I'm sure DD would still have hurt feelings even if Masai said yes you're in the conversation when asked, but he wouldn't have made these statements making Masai look shady.

Derozan confirmed in the interview that Masai only talked to him about building towards the future and that there was nothing imminent at the time. There was no direct mention of him being untradeable..that’s why DD the snake switched his narrative to wanting Masai to give him a heads up, which is impossible to do as they don’t even know if he’ll be traded or not until the Spurs actually agree. Masai told him the night before, which should be good enough.

And Masai even said that until a trade is officially done, he always approaches his current players with the assumed notion that they'll be on the team next year.

[Volcano]

come on man, its not like ran from the airport .......the way he hesistated and bumbled his words trying to answer that question is a good indicator that what Derozen said wasn't false, I'm sure DD would still have hurt feelings even if Masai said yes you're in the conversation when asked, but he wouldn't have made these statements making Masai look shady.

Masai never said he wasn't going to be traded. He said there was nothing imminent, then went on to talk about the teams future. Derozan took that to mean he wasn't going to be traded.

when reporters ask Masai if he said to DD that he wouldn't be traded or part of the trade talks....Masai didn't answer it, he just deflected and said it was a "misunderstanding"....either yes or no answer.

No, listen to the rest of the interview..they asked him 3 times and he eventually gave in

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

Man Pop gotta have a talk with DeMar about doing these kind of interviews. It wasn't needed, and a simple 'Toronto will always be a 2nd home, but my focus is now San Antonio and helping this team as much as I can' would have sufficed in the intro presser (if there is one).

[Whole Truth]

Masai just got off a long flight from Africa & rushed to the meeting. He was sweating because he was both tired & put in a strenuous situation.

He didn't have to appologize comsidering it was a misunderstanding but did out of respect for Derozan.

come on man, its not like ran from the airport .......the way he hesistated and bumbled his words trying to answer that question is a good indicator that what Derozen said wasn't false, I'm sure DD would still have hurt feelings even if Masai said yes you're in the conversation when asked, but he wouldn't have made these statements making Masai look shady.

Derozan confirmed in the interview that Masai only talked to him about building towards the future and that there was nothing imminent at the time. There was no direct mention of him being untradeable..that’s why DD the snake switched his narrative to wanting Masai to give him a heads up, which is impossible to do as they don’t even know if he’ll be traded or not until the Spurs actually agree. Masai told him the night before, which should be good enough.

I wouldn't go as far to call him a snake, he's a man acting on emotions & not rational thought.

[Childs]

That's true, and I've been really harsh on Masai over the last two years over it.

It doesn't change the fact that derozan was compensated very generously for his work, and to make it sound like he sacrifices whatever to play here, and that he was doing us a favour of some sort is non sense.

His whole grip is he feels the team owes him for his contribution and he deserves to know Masai's plan before it materalizes, otherwise it's classified as disrespect. The bottom line is Masai didn't see it that way nor he needs to.

So he doesn't get owned to be told that he may be a trade piece? The guy attempts every summer to support the new guys in summer league and work with the young players every summer. Not every player has to do that. There are plenty of stars who just go on vacation and do jack. You spend 9 years with an organization, I think it's fair to at least know that there could be a chance to being traded.

By just giving me the say so of letting me know something's going on or it's a chance. That's all I wanted. That's all I wanted. I'm not saying, 'You don't have to trade me' or ... just let me know something is going on because I sacrificed everything. Just let me know. That's all I asked. Everybody know I'm the most low-maintenance person in the world. Just let me know, so I can prepare myself for whatever my next chapter is, and I didn't get that.

Based on this quote, all Masai had to say was "Hey you are our franchise player but there is a chance you could be traded." That's it.

Do you have a girlfriend by any chance? If you do, try this and tell the board how it goes.

"Hey babe, I know we've been together 9 years and things have been pretty good and we've been having a good time, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm still keeping my options open and if someone hotter and more fun comes along, I might dump you and hook up with her instead. Not saying it'll happen for sure. Just that it might happen...know what I mean? And I don't want you to be surprised or nothing, so just wanted to make sure you had a heads up. But we're still cool. This is just a heads up. Just so you know. I wouldn't want you to feel disrespected or nothing."

If you want to compare a business relationship with an intimate relationship that’s your prerogative and your own mistake.

[BBallInSight]

Yeah, I don't get this sacrifice thing. Exactly how? Having to buy Canadian food brands? A few cold days? It's like he was doing us a favour, and we're not appreciating that. If a girl breaks up with me, I'm not saying, "How could you? Look how loyal I've been! I've sacrificed everything for you." Geesh, he's had it pretty good. I understand him being shocked and upset, but this franchise acted as would all of the others: they make moves to improve.

[Courtside]

http://archive.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2003/12/11/antoine_walker_calls_danny_ainge_a_snake/

Great example. In the long run, Demar will be viewed a little more favorably in Raptors history than Antoine will in Boston's - mostly because of how much great there is - but ultimately both will go down as flawed stars who shot a lot and scored a lot but were ultimately better off being moved so the team could put in work to build towards a Championship.

Toine sounds a lot smarter and more professional than Demar, though, even if he did get emotional and call Danny a snake.

[SHFT]

The Demar hate on here continues to be so sad. It was pretty clear from the beginning that Masai didn't exactly handle this situation well, and his half apology didn't make it any better. DD has a right to be pissed. He'll get over it though. Hopefully RealGM will too.

How on earth was it a half apology?? He spent like 10 mins of his presser to confirm the groat to suit up for us to specifically address what happenes with demar. Masai also laid out facts which demar didnt do until his interview with espn.

Sent from my LG-H915 using RealGM mobile app

Except the part Masai didn't say was that he purposely misled Demar in the Vegas meetings with him and his agent. It was ruthless, and it probably saved us from having to add someone like OG instead of Jak (because everything gets out at summer league).

I just think there was a better way for Masai to handle things that wouldn't have resulted in this negative PR cycle. He could have confirmed that there had been discussions without letting him know they were ongoing. He could have lied and given a better apology, something more succinct instead of calling it a miscommunication which it wasn't. Why exacerbate the issue by pretending like it was all this big misunderstanding? Just say I'm sorry..obv Demar was surprised..we told him when it was close to completion..it wasn't close when we spoke in Vegas..this is a tough business...and leave it at that.

1) OK some real speculation there my friend. Masai said his convo was nothing was imminent and explained it by saying at the time of the convo with DD they were like 4th in line for this trade.

2) You have no idea what happened in the trade talks with SAS (none of us do) so I am not sure why your opinion is based on what could have been agreed to and how Demar got involved in the deal.

3) What Masai did caused some negative PR (which he admitted to and apologized for). But the CYCLE of PR you are speaking of, is strictly on Demar. Masai said his piece and Demar keeps going on about it. If Demar stopped (whether he agreed or not), there is no cycle.

4) Not sure if you understand what "nothing is imminent means". It means, nothing is close to being done. That is what Masai said, we were 4th in line at the time of the convo. We went from "LOL TORONTO" to "we are something to monitor" to "we are in the driving seat" to "trade is done" pretty damn fast for a superstar of Kawhi's ability.

5) It absolutely was a miscommunication - Demar admitted it himself. The discussion was how to get better the next season. Masai does that with all his players. If Masai lied to Demar, Demar would have said that in the interview.

6) HE DID SAY HE WAS SORRY...A BUNCH OF TIMES. In the presser where he was announcing Kawhi, literally half of it was an apology and an explanation.

I understand people here really like Demar (so do I) and I love that he repped us to the fullest. But let me be clear. DD said MU LIED to him at first (which started this entire thing). Now he is saying stuff "he felt like he was going to be here" and "should have given me a heads up". Those are 2 very different stories. THAT is why this is getting annoying to me.

[OAKLEY_2]

If we pull back a bit from Derozan is immature or Masai is a snake that misled him, you kind of arrive at an important reality. The reality is a lot of the players act like owners who in their minds have partial stakes and then get fkd over by the majority shareholders. I mean let's be honest. Bron thinks he owns the fn league. The Demar's see themselves as inside a club that includes allstar games and team USA selections. He buddy-buddy'd Masai just as Masai buddy-buddy'd him. When that seemingly codependent relationship came to an abrupt ending some of these players have to face the reality that they are not in the power position. Bottom line is Derozan thought when he signed the last contract he was then a lifer and was doing his part. Correct if me if I'm wrong but Derozan never had an NTC. That should have been his first clue. I do not blame him for having the outburst because he essentially was dumped as a salary dump inside of 15 seconds. That was a slap in the face as far as his sense of value and relevance. Masai essentially rolled the dice to roll again and he either gets a top three superstar or a salary dump and Danny Green. Derozan isn't the only observer wondering if that kind of riverboat gambling is prudent but only time will tell.

As far as Demar torching the ground for future free agents? They ain't coming anyway. You can really hear Masai's frustration about being a league afterthought when July 1 rolls around each year. Every Tucker that spurns us is a wound that never heals.

[VanWest82]

1) OK some real speculation there my friend. Masai said his convo was nothing was imminent and explained it by saying at the time of the convo with DD they were like 4th in line for this trade.

2) You have no idea what happened in the trade talks with SAS (none of us do) so I am not sure why your opinion is based on what could have been agreed to and how Demar got involved in the deal.

3) What Masai did caused some negative PR (which he admitted to and apologized for). But the CYCLE of PR you are speaking of, is strictly on Demar. Masai said his piece and Demar keeps going on about it. If Demar stopped (whether he agreed or not), there is no cycle.

4) Not sure if you understand what "nothing is imminent means". It means, nothing is close to being done. That is what Masai said, we were 4th in line at the time of the convo. We went from "LOL TORONTO" to "we are something to monitor" to "we are in the driving seat" to "trade is done" pretty damn fast for a superstar of Kawhi's ability.

5) It absolutely was a miscommunication - Demar admitted it himself. The discussion was how to get better the next season. Masai does that with all his players. If Masai lied to Demar, Demar would have said that in the interview.

6) HE DID SAY HE WAS SORRY...A BUNCH OF TIMES. In the presser where he was announcing Kawhi, literally half of it was an apology and an explanation.

I understand people here really like Demar (so do I) and I love that he repped us to the fullest. But let me be clear. DD said MU LIED to him at first (which started this entire thing). Now he is saying stuff "he felt like he was going to be here" and "should have given me a heads up". Those are 2 very different stories. THAT is why this is getting annoying to me.

This is getting frustrating. For the last time, and then I'm done...

Fact: Masai met with Demar and his agent in Vegas.
Fact: Demar was very clearly blindsided based on his post trade reactions.
Fact: Demar is saying Masai lied to him when he asked whether there was any truth to the Spurs rumors. His agent is saying the same thing.

It has has nothing to do with how imminent the trade might have been. Masai is answering the question in a way so as to avoid having to answer the real question: did he mislead Demar? Demar is an honest guy. Masai had every reason to lie to him with trade discussions ongoing. Multiple national NBA reporters have since stated that they were surprised the deal didn't get done the week before Masai left for Africa. That's how close it was. If you believe it was just a miscommunication when Masai is in the trade craft and secrets business, then I don't know what else to tell you.

When you apologize for something but continue to misconstrue the events around it, the apology doesn't land. You're blaming the wife who was publicly cheating on, lied to, and then dumped for another girl getting her side of the story out there. It would be extremely naive to think that wouldn't happen.