Masai Year End Presser @ 10am

[wow09]

What Manchester Unted did was be the first sports team to market globally. That's why there are so many Man U fans in North America, Africa, Asia, etc. If the Raptors start marketing a lot in Europe, Africa, Asia, etc we may end up with more money through merchandise sales as well as having players from abroad that grew up Raptors fans more likely to come to us in free agency. The next Jokic or Doncic may choose Toronto over NY or LA if they leave their current team 10-20 years down the road.

The NBA under Adam Silver is trying to expand their reach, but they get pushback from the networks that pay the bills and it ends up with a league very much interested in what LeBron had for breakfast. But it's evident from the trend of stars and superstars coming from outside the U.S. that Silver's going to get his way. And Masai has been busting his a** to be ahead of the curve. I'm sure its embarrassing to be put on the 2nd channel when the Jays hit spring training, or whatever. There's an hour of Leafs radio a day on both stations in August. They need to catch up.

The Leafs shows on AM radio has more to do with the different demographics of both teams. I hate when this is brought up to try and make the Raptors look like they aren't popular in this city.

[Los_29]

My God do I ever wish their was a Hot Tub time machine just to be able to post this clip everytime TM thought they'd bark up about the Play In n how it was the answer the shambles...

Pure gold!

I don't think too many people wanted the play-in. Once the deadline passed the team lost a couple of big games to bad teams and then they went full into tank mode. There were a few perma tankers that claimed the Raptors weren't tanking properly, when it was obvious that they were babying injuries and letting the bench and 905 handle the last stretch of games.

Not even remotely true.

There were (much of the same collection of posters) people fighting it right until we were mathematically eliminated swearing it was the way and talking like those who didn't want to were foolish, now Masai just made them look it lol

#poeticjustice

Which posters were these? I don't think I saw anyone claim they wanted the play-in aside from 1-2 threads in which they were rightfully flamed for.

I swear people just have this "it's us against the world" mentality when it couldn't be further from the truth.

This team has been tanking for nearly 2 months now.

[douggood]

i think having the 7th/8th or higher pick in a strong draft probably will affect decision to come back. if the team was out future picks, had old core etc you could see an exit, this chance to do a quick retool should be an exciting challenge for him.

[Yallbecrazy]

What Manchester Unted did was be the first sports team to market globally. That's why there are so many Man U fans in North America, Africa, Asia, etc. If the Raptors start marketing a lot in Europe, Africa, Asia, etc we may end up with more money through merchandise sales as well as having players from abroad that grew up Raptors fans more likely to come to us in free agency. The next Jokic or Doncic may choose Toronto over NY or LA if they leave their current team 10-20 years down the road.

The NBA under Adam Silver is trying to expand their reach, but they get pushback from the networks that pay the bills and it ends up with a league very much interested in what LeBron had for breakfast. But it's evident from the trend of stars and superstars coming from outside the U.S. that Silver's going to get his way. And Masai has been busting his a** to be ahead of the curve. I'm sure its embarrassing to be put on the 2nd channel when the Jays hit spring training, or whatever. There's an hour of Leafs radio a day on both stations in August. They need to catch up.

The Leafs shows on AM radio has more to do with the different demographics of both teams. I hate when this is brought up to try and make the Raptors look like they aren't popular in this city.

People who listen to sports talk radio are predominantly 40+ caucasian males so Leafs reign supreme there.

[Scott Hall]

To be honest, this sounds like a guy that is staying. He is hungry

this is what I've been saying for awhile now....he's hungry for another championship because his 1st one was ruined by that Oakland cop

And the Kawhi drama kind of ruined it especially after the "believe in yourself believe in your city" speech about
star players wanting to play here and you do everything right and he still bails and then there was the shooting at
the parade and all the Golden State injuries giving haters ammo to say our chip was tainted.

I know he's hungry for another one I know I am as well... The Raptors winning the Chip was always a bucket list
dream thing for me but I was sick for most of the playoffs and had a medical procedure after Game 2 in the Finals
talk about worst timing ever. Luckily I was ok and was able to go out to the Jurassic Parks after and then the parade
but I want another one under different circumstances and hopefully have different/better people in my life when
that happens as well.

[wow09]

The NBA under Adam Silver is trying to expand their reach, but they get pushback from the networks that pay the bills and it ends up with a league very much interested in what LeBron had for breakfast. But it's evident from the trend of stars and superstars coming from outside the U.S. that Silver's going to get his way. And Masai has been busting his a** to be ahead of the curve. I'm sure its embarrassing to be put on the 2nd channel when the Jays hit spring training, or whatever. There's an hour of Leafs radio a day on both stations in August. They need to catch up.

The Leafs shows on AM radio has more to do with the different demographics of both teams. I hate when this is brought up to try and make the Raptors look like they aren't popular in this city.

People who listen to sports talk radio are predominantly 40+ caucasian males so Leafs reign supreme there.

Precisely. Raptors demo is younger and more diverse. Raps fans by and large are not listening to AM radio that is all but obsolete.

[ForeverTFC]

I don't think too many people wanted the play-in. Once the deadline passed the team lost a couple of big games to bad teams and then they went full into tank mode. There were a few perma tankers that claimed the Raptors weren't tanking properly, when it was obvious that they were babying injuries and letting the bench and 905 handle the last stretch of games.

Not even remotely true.

There were (much of the same collection of posters) people fighting it right until we were mathematically eliminated swearing it was the way and talking like those who didn't want to were foolish, now Masai just made them look it lol

#poeticjustice

Which posters were these? I don't think I saw anyone claim they wanted the play-in aside from 1-2 threads in which they were rightfully flamed for.

I swear people just have this "it's us against the world" mentality when it couldn't be further from the truth.

This team has been tanking for nearly 2 months now.

People see what they want to see for their own narrative. My experience - which may also be biased - was that the vast majority of the board 1) didn't want to hit tank at the beginning of the season 2) didn't want to sacrifice all of our assets for a total tear down 3) didn't believe any combination of players on this team could lead a tank to a top 5 pick 4) had no interest in the play-in and wanted to maximize the draft position to the degree possible while adhering to point 2

I also saw the hardcore tWo faction blasting Masai and Bobby for not committing to a tank and not realizing that the Raptors needed the draft just to turn around in this thread to use Masai's words as the justification to their narrative (??)

Were there SOME posters that wanted playoffs to the last second? Yes but it was not sizable. I mean there was a "collection" of posters that called themselves "team neutral" 2 years ago. No one here claimed them as any significant part of the fanbase.

[Pooh_Jeter]

I don't think too many people wanted the play-in. Once the deadline passed the team lost a couple of big games to bad teams and then they went full into tank mode. There were a few perma tankers that claimed the Raptors weren't tanking properly, when it was obvious that they were babying injuries and letting the bench and 905 handle the last stretch of games.

Not even remotely true.

There were (much of the same collection of posters) people fighting it right until we were mathematically eliminated swearing it was the way and talking like those who didn't want to were foolish, now Masai just made them look it lol

#poeticjustice

Which posters were these? I don't think I saw anyone claim they wanted the play-in aside from 1-2 threads in which they were rightfully flamed for.

I swear people just have this "it's us against the world" mentality when it couldn't be further from the truth.

This team has been tanking for nearly 2 months now.

There was a sizeable contingent hoping for the playoffs all year. I don't think you saw the peak of it since you arrived April 10th.

[Beerpapi]

Man those quotes about the play in don’t do justice for the actual video of himself speaking on it. He really ethers the stupidity of that whole concept of trying to make it into the playoffs that was pushed by the media and so many fans. Feels good to have a Gm who sees the bigger picture.

Watch on YouTube

fire up that loud. Another round of shots.
Play in for what?
Play in for what?

That’s all I can hear when I watch Masai say that.

[WuTang_CMB]

Not even remotely true.

There were (much of the same collection of posters) people fighting it right until we were mathematically eliminated swearing it was the way and talking like those who didn't want to were foolish, now Masai just made them look it lol

#poeticjustice

Which posters were these? I don't think I saw anyone claim they wanted the play-in aside from 1-2 threads in which they were rightfully flamed for.

I swear people just have this "it's us against the world" mentality when it couldn't be further from the truth.

This team has been tanking for nearly 2 months now.

There was a sizeable contingent hoping for the playoffs all year. I don't think you saw the peak of it since you arrived April 10th.

This is true.

[Jcity08]

The man thinks long term success while fans are thinking season to season. Chess and Checkers.

This is my POBO!

[ForeverTFC]

Not even remotely true.

There were (much of the same collection of posters) people fighting it right until we were mathematically eliminated swearing it was the way and talking like those who didn't want to were foolish, now Masai just made them look it lol

#poeticjustice

Which posters were these? I don't think I saw anyone claim they wanted the play-in aside from 1-2 threads in which they were rightfully flamed for.

I swear people just have this "it's us against the world" mentality when it couldn't be further from the truth.

This team has been tanking for nearly 2 months now.

There was a sizeable contingent hoping for the playoffs all year. I don't think you saw the peak of it since you arrived April 10th.

Way to take context out of this whole thing:

1. beginning of the season leading to the all-star break, a sizeable portion said the team as currently constructed would not miss the playoffs - they were right until COVID hit - and they were not a fan of tearing the team down just to get to the lottery
2. after the COVID induced slide, the majority of that group wanted to maximize draft position without completely tearing down the team

This was the reality with context.

[HiJiNX]

To be honest, this sounds like a guy that is staying. He is hungry

this is what I've been saying for awhile now....he's hungry for another championship because his 1st one was ruined by that Oakland cop

And the Kawhi drama kind of ruined it especially after the "believe in yourself believe in your city" speech about
star players wanting to play here and you do everything right and he still bails and then there was the shooting at
the parade and all the Golden State injuries giving haters ammo to say our chip was tainted.

I know he's hungry for another one I know I am as well... The Raptors winning the Chip was always a bucket list
dream thing for me but I was sick for most of the playoffs and had a medical procedure after Game 2 in the Finals
talk about worst timing ever. Luckily I was ok and was able to go out to the Jurassic Parks after and then the parade
but I want another one under different circumstances and hopefully have different/better people in my life when
that happens as well.

Hope you’re doing better my guy.

[Bruin]

We have all star level players just entering their prime, a high level 2 way prospect in OG, a high draft pick, and a rabid fan base

It’s basically the perfect situation for any GM to walk into and Masai knows this. As long as MLSE doesn’t **** it up and disrespect him w a lowball offer, he’ll be back

[Jerry Lucas]

I don't think too many people wanted the play-in. Once the deadline passed the team lost a couple of big games to bad teams and then they went full into tank mode. There were a few perma tankers that claimed the Raptors weren't tanking properly, when it was obvious that they were babying injuries and letting the bench and 905 handle the last stretch of games.

Not even remotely true.

There were (much of the same collection of posters) people fighting it right until we were mathematically eliminated swearing it was the way and talking like those who didn't want to were foolish, now Masai just made them look it lol

#poeticjustice

Disagree. There were a lot of people that wanted to tank three games in, and that clearly wasn't Masai's goal. And at the deadline he brought up trying to make the play-in. At some point he changed his mind and everyone rested. Some media members and a few posters questioned why they wouldn't aim for the play-in, but no one needed to hear from Masai that they were trying/not trying. It was obvious. Certainly fans can think that Masai is wrong to tank at any point.

He also said they might just draft the best fit for the team and not the best talent available, how does that sit with you?

Not sure if Team Mediocre should be bragging about Masai basically saying he might screw up the draft by going for team fit. It has been proven over and over again that you always draft BPA.

I could look into a bunch of examples but I'll just bring up the most famous one for now. Portland decided to go with team fit instead of BPA in the 1984 draft because they already had Drexler. That decision cost them Michael Jordan.

[phanman]

Man that portion of the interview where he got emotional with the appreciation he feels from the staff and players... **** got me in my feelings.

#HeStay

[VancouverRaps]

lol "i have been studying the draft all year"

tWo

lol


I’m cool with the tank but every damn executive should be studying the draft throughout the year, it’s part of the job lmao

There’s execs that study the draft even if they don’t have a pick.

[ForeverTFC]

Not even remotely true.

There were (much of the same collection of posters) people fighting it right until we were mathematically eliminated swearing it was the way and talking like those who didn't want to were foolish, now Masai just made them look it lol

#poeticjustice

Disagree. There were a lot of people that wanted to tank three games in, and that clearly wasn't Masai's goal. And at the deadline he brought up trying to make the play-in. At some point he changed his mind and everyone rested. Some media members and a few posters questioned why they wouldn't aim for the play-in, but no one needed to hear from Masai that they were trying/not trying. It was obvious. Certainly fans can think that Masai is wrong to tank at any point.

He also said they might just draft the best fit for the team and not the best talent available, how does that sit with you?

Not sure if Team Mediocre should be bragging about Masai basically saying he might screw up the draft by going for team fit. It has been proven over and over again that you always draft BPA.

I could look into a bunch of examples but I'll just bring up the most famous one for now. Portland decided to go with team fit instead of BPA in the 1984 draft because they already had Drexler. That decision cost them Michael Jordan.

You don't have examples when fit is better than BPA because when it works out, the player becomes tagged as BPA. In other words, you can only attribute failures to drafting for fit, not success.

[Pooh_Jeter]

Which posters were these? I don't think I saw anyone claim they wanted the play-in aside from 1-2 threads in which they were rightfully flamed for.

I swear people just have this "it's us against the world" mentality when it couldn't be further from the truth.

This team has been tanking for nearly 2 months now.

There was a sizeable contingent hoping for the playoffs all year. I don't think you saw the peak of it since you arrived April 10th.

Way to take context out of this whole thing:

1. beginning of the season leading to the all-star break, a sizeable portion said the team as currently constructed would not miss the playoffs - they were right until COVID hit - and they were not a fan of tearing the team down just to get to the lottery
2. after the COVID induced slide, the majority of that group wanted to maximize draft position without completely tearing down the team

This was the reality with context.

The team started 2-8 and at their peak were what, a game or two from being out of the play in game? Every team has dealt with Covid and injuries.

No one was advocating for a mid season tear down. It was Lowry, Norm and Boucher who were the prime trade candidates.

You can hide behind context, but the simple reality is that this team wasn't all that good and Masai himself said the goal is a championship, not a play in.

[Purple Forever]

I think him staying ultimately comes back to some asks to expand his role and some clarity on budget going forward. I think he wants clarity on being able to grow the budget to win a championship and not going cheap and putting the cap space in MLSE's pocket.
He needs approval to grow the budget and add a centre and bring Kyle back. I suspect the back story here is having the approval to bring Ibaka back - maybe he was told not to spend this year ?