Masai: We have a Young Team and there will be Growing Pains

[Jcity08]

Our young guys getting some burn time is nice.

Also if we're back fighting to get into the play-in, I have no doubt that Masai & co will be angling for the lottery.

[Pointgod]

Ur a lot more optimistic than most. Anything from 35-45 wouldn't surprise me...but to say u cant envision a situation where we dont win 45 games if healthy is kinda crazy lol

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Not really when you look at the rest of the east and where we sat before team got smacked with covid. Charlotte, Knicks, Chicago etc even Hawks im not really scared of. Just gotta manage the schedule well and our key 3 guys need to be playing well. Improved bench, 2 real centres. Back home. Nurse best coach in the game now with Stevens out. Not crazy at all for this team to sit 5-6 next season, it’s probably closer to it being a reality than crazy when you really dive in.

I have it as:
Brooklyn - bounce-back year with additions of Millsap and Aldridge
Milwaukee - Champs
Miami - Lowry acquisition
Atlanta - Status quo
Boston - Healthy Tatum and Brown
Chicago - Demar/Vuc/Ball - huge off-season like Atlanta last year
NY - Kemba plus retained core pieces
8 is likely Pacers/Hornets/Toronto.

Pacers always bad injury luck so maybe they are not in, but they have better talent than Toronto (Sabonis, Lavert, Brogdon, Turner - maybe Warren but Duarte will fill that role)

Hornets don't have an identity, but with Ball they might take a step. He has that Trae Young type impact on the game, maybe moreso at some point in his career.

I get the confidence in having a C like Birch but he is hardly a starter level C - maybe one on a team with an elite offense. Ultimately, Toronto lost Kyle and while FVV is a great lockeroom guy, I don't think he has the KLow gene. The guys that could swing things are OG and Barnes. Those are the uncut gems that might be something great but odds are they aren't enough to swing this season around.

You forgot to add Philadelphia into the mix.

[Pointgod]

Tell me you’re tanking without telling me you’re tanking…

Just hope that we can get some value for guys that we don’t see being here long term before they leave in free agency. If we’re going to rebuild, let’s lean in all the way.

[God Squad]

I can't wait for the Anti retool people to spin this as "we're going to get the 4th seed"

[God Squad]

I'm honestly astounded.

We were a laughing stock of garbage proportions. Masai comes and immediately we are a perennial playoff team. Making it deep into the playoffs year after year. He notices why we keep losing, he pulls off a ballsy trade and we WIN A TITLE. We contend again for another year and then we appropriately tank and get the 4th overall pick.

And some people have issue with him? I'm not saying you have to agree with everything he does, I'm not saying he hasn't and won't make mistakes. But my god, hasn't the man built some trust and credibility? He has a vision for the team to get us back to winning a title and has shown he'll do anything to get there.

Have some effing faith.

I feel some of you weren't around for the dark times and don't appreciate what sort of FO we have.

Oh he's built respect and credibilty, hence why he was such a hot commonidity before his extention. It's a select few fans on the board that think they're "Out thinking/smarting" the rest, when in reality they're just spilling lies to fit their narrative about Masai.


"OMFG why didn't Masai bring in Kelly Oubre or Bullock. He's a hack."

Their spiel is getting tired.

[God Squad]

During summer league, just last month, on national TV/ESPN, you watched and heard the leader Fred Van Vleet saying "we were 4th seed until COVID hit us" thus very confident about the level of the team.

So you saw and heard FVV saying that, but many are still out here chatting about tanking/rebuilding. Try to come back to reality a little bit and don't waste time looking at 2022 Mock drafts.

Your tears are gonna taste amazing once your realize we are retooling/building and FVV/Pascal aren't long term core pieces.

[God Squad]

At least Masai is honest about expectations, and not trying to be some snake oil salesman. The Raptors are rebuilding.

There’s only so long he can use that “rebuilding” line before it starts turning into an excuse for losing. Thats exactly what BC did every season he was here. Fans won’t put up with that sh*t for long.

I notice to support your arguments you always relate Masai to BC or other failed raptor GMs. That's your first mistake and I pretty much disregard the rest. You paint things as if it's only one stroke, when in reality there are so many variables. The Raptors aren't the Cavs, our drafting history and development is far superior.
Basically stop looking at other rebuilds and think it has any indication of how ours will play out.

Now in terms of the "core" I think Masai knows this team isn't it. The league knows this team isn't a threat in the slightest. I sincerely believe FVV/Pascal won't be here much longer and he's going to let them up their value. But who knows, I've been wrong about a lot of things.

[God Squad]

Nick Nurse also did a podcast today where he said Scottie Barnes will play a lot. Multiple positions , get lots of reps

This is honestly all I really care about this season. As long as Scottie and the other young guys (OG, Precious, Gary, Malachi) get plenty of burn and the opportunity to play through mistakes and grow. I don’t care at all about our record this year

That sounds terrible from a fan perspective tbh. I would have a hard time watching the games if the record didn’t matter. It’d be like watching pre-season but all year long.

If you can't stomach a retooling team or a team focused on development, I suggest becoming a Nets/Lakers fan. Because EVERY team has to go through it eventually.

[ash_k]

I can't wait for the Anti retool people to spin this as "we're going to get the 4th seed"

PG - Best PG defender|20pts scorer
SG - 20pts scorer
SF - DPOY player
PF -'former' All-2nd team|20pts scorer
C - Birch
Bench : PG Flynn|SGShooting Svi|SF Barnes|PF Boucher|C Precious|+ player from Dragic trade)
back at the Scotiabank arena and posters here :"this is a 32-win team, it is tanking" really funny . Their only hope is that "All-2nd team" player's injury. Then again, some people around rather be OKC than the Clippers(even before Kawhi' ACL'. It must be some kind of "projection".

[ash_k]

During summer league, just last month, on national TV/ESPN, you watched and heard the leader Fred Van Vleet saying "we were 4th seed until COVID hit us" thus very confident about the level of the team.

So you saw and heard FVV saying that, but many are still out here chatting about tanking/rebuilding. Try to come back to reality a little bit and don't waste time looking at 2022 Mock drafts.

Your tears are gonna taste amazing once your realize we are retooling/building and FVV/Pascal aren't long term core pieces.

Like I said in the first page

It is a retool.
Both GTJr and OG have not reached their full potential and Barnes is only 20 years old thus naturally there will be growing pains.
Masai is taking some of the pressure away with that "growing pain"

A team that was 4th seed playing all road games led by NBA Finals Champs in FVV and Siakam cannot turn around and start losing games once they are back in their arena.

At their age and with their resume, unless you trade both for "prospects", this cannot be a rebuilding. You should fully expect a playoff-run as long as Nurse, FVV, OG and Siakam are around.

[God Squad]

During summer league, just last month, on national TV/ESPN, you watched and heard the leader Fred Van Vleet saying "we were 4th seed until COVID hit us" thus very confident about the level of the team.

So you saw and heard FVV saying that, but many are still out here chatting about tanking/rebuilding. Try to come back to reality a little bit and don't waste time looking at 2022 Mock drafts.

Your tears are gonna taste amazing once your realize we are retooling/building and FVV/Pascal aren't long term core pieces.

Like I said in the first page

It is a retool.
Both GTJr and OG have not reached their full potential and Barnes is only 20 years old thus naturally there will be growing pains.
Masai is taking some of the pressure away with that "growing pain"

A team that was 4th seed playing all road games led by NBA Finals Champs in FVV and Siakam cannot turn around and start losing games once they are back in their arena.

At their age and with their resume, unless you trade both for "prospects", this cannot be a rebuilding. You should fully expect a playoff-run as long as Nurse, FVV, OG and Siakam are around.

okay, playoffs where? Which seed? Because Masai and Co ain't down for the playin-8th.

[God Squad]

I can't wait for the Anti retool people to spin this as "we're going to get the 4th seed"

PG - Best PG defender|20pts scorer
SG - 20pts scorer
SF - DPOY player
PF -'former' All-2nd team|20pts scorer
C - Birch
Bench : PG Flynn|SGShooting Svi|SF Barnes|PF Boucher|C Precious|+ player from Dragic trade)
back at the Scotiabank arena and posters here :"this is a 32-win team, it is tanking" really funny . Their only hope is that "All-2nd team" player's injury. Then again, some people around rather be OKC than the Clippers(even before Kawhi' ACL'. It must be some kind of "projection".

Yeah, lets agree to disagree. Nothing about this team says top seed or top 4. MAYBE 7-8 I can see being a scenario. Also it has nothing to do with "being OKC rather than the Clippers".I'm pretty sure TwO and non TwO want to win a another championship. Again this is YOU spilling NONSENSICAL ****. You can add all the "LOL" or emoji's you want, but its you disregarding what the President says to create your own narrative. Again, lets agree to disagree.

[ash_k]

Your tears are gonna taste amazing once your realize we are retooling/building and FVV/Pascal aren't long term core pieces.

Like I said in the first page

It is a retool.
Both GTJr and OG have not reached their full potential and Barnes is only 20 years old thus naturally there will be growing pains.
Masai is taking some of the pressure away with that "growing pain"

A team that was 4th seed playing all road games led by NBA Finals Champs in FVV and Siakam cannot turn around and start losing games once they are back in their arena.

At their age and with their resume, unless you trade both for "prospects", this cannot be a rebuilding. You should fully expect a playoff-run as long as Nurse, FVV, OG and Siakam are around.

okay, playoffs where? Which seed? Because Masai and Co ain't down for the playin-8th.

But you did hear our leader live on TV saying "we were 4th seed until COVID hit us" right?..He should have added "while playing nothing but road-games":
With players improving, If you then think all this would turn us into a 8th seed the following season then we just don't live in the same world.

[God Squad]

Like I said in the first page

okay, playoffs where? Which seed? Because Masai and Co ain't down for the playin-8th.

But you did hear our leader live on TV saying "we were 4th seed until COVID hit us" right?..He should have added "while playing nothing but road-games":
With players improving, If you then think all this would turn us into a 8th seed the following season then we just don't live in the same world.

If you think anything FVV says has any long term or any effect on how Masai runs things then No, we don't live in the same world. Peace.

[ash_k]

okay, playoffs where? Which seed? Because Masai and Co ain't down for the playin-8th.

But you did hear our leader live on TV saying "we were 4th seed until COVID hit us" right?..He should have added "while playing nothing but road-games":
With players improving, If you then think all this would turn us into a 8th seed the following season then we just don't live in the same world.

If you think anything FVV says has any long term or any effect on how Masai runs things then No, we don't live in the same world. Peace.

you just wish Masai could make that reality disappear, don't you? . you must had 'muted' the parts about the commitment to the core (FVV, OG, Siak)

Just accept that reality : A team that was 4th seed playing nothing but roadgames will not magically turn into a 10th seed with a coach like Nike Nurse. Just accept it or just hope that Siak's injury recovery takes longer than expected and that both OG&GTjr dont improve. Good luck!

[aminiaturebuddha]

I'm just curious - how many people commenting on here actually listened to the CBC podcast where Masai made this comment?

It seems as though people are making a lot of inferences about what he might have meant from this one quote, but much of that is stuff that didn't come through for me at all based upon the full context of the conversation.

[LBJKB24MJ23]

Like I said in the first page

okay, playoffs where? Which seed? Because Masai and Co ain't down for the playin-8th.

But you did hear our leader live on TV saying "we were 4th seed until COVID hit us" right?..He should have added "while playing nothing but road-games":
With players improving, If you then think all this would turn us into a 8th seed the following season then we just don't live in the same world.

we heard you the first time. stop repeating yourself like it means anything.

being .500 at the 4th seed, at the halfway point doesn't mean anything so stop trying to push that agenda because a player said something so obvious doesn't mean it would necessarily be true over the course of the season. Everyone on the team got covid. AND the real physical injuries to OG/Siakam/FVV down the stretch of the season - Raptors would have gotten swept in the first round/play-in because of those factors. AND Lowry is gone - you know, the real emotional and leader of the team last year.

but i have no doubt FVV and Siakam are the new mantle of leadership and with OG being the non-verbal leader with the Kawhi like - letting - his - game - do - all - the - talking.

if Raptors are going to be the "true" raptors - and show us if they are a legit playoff team - with such a young core, this will be the year. it doesn't matter what they said last year. stop this stupid in-fighting because no-one really will know where this team will place without a game being played. team dynamics are different, new players, and Masai basically said don't expect them to be a top team this year just yet - because of the young core. Raptors COULD surprise us with the 4 seed - or be realistically be a 5th seed or be downtrodden to the 10th seed because of injuries/talent/inexperience etc.

[ash_k]

okay, playoffs where? Which seed? Because Masai and Co ain't down for the playin-8th.

But you did hear our leader live on TV saying "we were 4th seed until COVID hit us" right?..He should have added "while playing nothing but road-games":
With players improving, If you then think all this would turn us into a 8th seed the following season then we just don't live in the same world.

we heard you the first time. stop repeating yourself like it means anything.

being .500 at the 4th seed, at the halfway point doesn't mean anything so stop trying to push that agenda because a player said something so obvious doesn't mean it would necessarily be true over the course of the season. Everyone on the team got covid. AND the real physical injuries to OG/Siakam/FVV down the stretch of the season - Raptors would have gotten swept in the first round/play-in because of those factors. AND Lowry is gone - you know, the real emotional and leader of the team last year.

but i have no doubt FVV and Siakam are the new mantle of leadership and with OG being the non-verbal leader with the Kawhi like - letting - his - game - do - all - the - talking.

if Raptors are going to be the "true" raptors - and show us if they are a legit playoff team - with such a young core, this will be the year. it doesn't matter what they said last year. stop this stupid in-fighting because no-one really will know where this team will place without a game being played. team dynamics are different, new players, and Masai basically said don't expect them to be a top team this year just yet - because of the young core. Raptors COULD surprise us with the 4 seed - or be realistically be a 5th seed or be downtrodden to the 10th seed because of injuries/talent/inexperience etc.

so your point is nobody knows anything because we cant read the future and cant use last year while saying that we would have gotten SWEPT in the first round/play-in. But then in the future "Raps COULD surprise us with the 4 seed - or be realistically be a 5th seed". Damn, which one is it? REalistically 5th seed sounds like a great RETOOL.

No Masai said " WE ARE NOT A 'NOW' TEAM" with our players developing. (GTJr &OG have not reached their full potential).

[lobosloboslobos]

My humble suggestion is that:

those posters who are optimistic that this team can make the playoffs will revise their thinking and be happy to angle for the lottery if midway through the season it becomes apparent that this team is really not as good as they thought and that the young guys need another year to be ready to make that leap

and

those posters who believe this team has little to no chance to make the playoffs and who are convinced that tanking is the best approach to this season will revise their thinking and be happy to be doing well should the team actually prove to be better than they thought and our young guys take big steps towards success

any chance y'all can do that instead of us having a damn war all season? let's see what happens and hope for the best, whether it is a high lottery pick or a playoff spot.

[LBJKB24MJ23]

But you did hear our leader live on TV saying "we were 4th seed until COVID hit us" right?..He should have added "while playing nothing but road-games":
With players improving, If you then think all this would turn us into a 8th seed the following season then we just don't live in the same world.

we heard you the first time. stop repeating yourself like it means anything.

being .500 at the 4th seed, at the halfway point doesn't mean anything so stop trying to push that agenda because a player said something so obvious doesn't mean it would necessarily be true over the course of the season. Everyone on the team got covid. AND the real physical injuries to OG/Siakam/FVV down the stretch of the season - Raptors would have gotten swept in the first round/play-in because of those factors. AND Lowry is gone - you know, the real emotional and leader of the team last year.

but i have no doubt FVV and Siakam are the new mantle of leadership and with OG being the non-verbal leader with the Kawhi like - letting - his - game - do - all - the - talking.

if Raptors are going to be the "true" raptors - and show us if they are a legit playoff team - with such a young core, this will be the year. it doesn't matter what they said last year. stop this stupid in-fighting because no-one really will know where this team will place without a game being played. team dynamics are different, new players, and Masai basically said don't expect them to be a top team this year just yet - because of the young core. Raptors COULD surprise us with the 4 seed - or be realistically be a 5th seed or be downtrodden to the 10th seed because of injuries/talent/inexperience etc.

so your point is nobody knows anything because we cant read the future and cant use last year while saying that we would have gotten SWEPT in the first round/play-in. But then in the future "Raps COULD surprise us with the 4 seed - or be realistically be a 5th seed". Damn, which one is it? REalistically 5th seed sounds like a great RETOOL.

No Masai said " WE ARE NOT A 'NOW' TEAM" with our players developing. (GTJr &OG have not reached their full potential).

i think you just answered your own question. it could be anything of the above. i gave it a range of basically the entire eastern conference standings. you sound like you're too obsessed about being right than anything or something like that.