Masai Ujiri is Overrated

[dhsilv2]

Masai made the Raptors win a ring.

Who would’ve ever thought Toronto would have a championship?

Best GM in the NBA.

he's going to get the Doc Rivers treatment 10 years from now

"well what are the chances that a player of Kawhi Leonard's caliber suddenly wants out of his current situation, a player with 0 holes in their game, and a team is willing to trade him and an elite role player for an elite role player prospect and a machine gun isolation scorer"

Say what you will about derozan, but i don't think any role player will ever score 27ppg in a season and become the all-time scoring leader on an NBA franchise..

all depends on what you consider a roll player....

[mademan]

Masai made the Raptors win a ring.

Who would’ve ever thought Toronto would have a championship?

Best GM in the NBA.

he's going to get the Doc Rivers treatment 10 years from now

"well what are the chances that a player of Kawhi Leonard's caliber suddenly wants out of his current situation, a player with 0 holes in their game, and a team is willing to trade him and an elite role player for an elite role player prospect and a machine gun isolation scorer"

Since his tenure on the Raps started, theyve been a what,top 5 successful team in the league? It's not a 1 year thing. He built a sustained winning culture

[Godymas]

Masai made the Raptors win a ring.

Who would’ve ever thought Toronto would have a championship?

Best GM in the NBA.

he's going to get the Doc Rivers treatment 10 years from now

"well what are the chances that a player of Kawhi Leonard's caliber suddenly wants out of his current situation, a player with 0 holes in their game, and a team is willing to trade him and an elite role player for an elite role player prospect and a machine gun isolation scorer"

Say what you will about derozan, but i don't think any role player will ever score 27ppg in a season and become the all-time scoring leader on an NBA franchise..

where did i call DeRozan a role player?

[Godymas]

Masai made the Raptors win a ring.

Who would’ve ever thought Toronto would have a championship?

Best GM in the NBA.

he's going to get the Doc Rivers treatment 10 years from now

"well what are the chances that a player of Kawhi Leonard's caliber suddenly wants out of his current situation, a player with 0 holes in their game, and a team is willing to trade him and an elite role player for an elite role player prospect and a machine gun isolation scorer"

Since his tenure on the Raps started, theyve been a what,top 5 successful team in the league? It's not a 1 year thing. He built a sustained winning culture

easy to say when another GM brought in almost all the players.

[Anticon]

he's going to get the Doc Rivers treatment 10 years from now

"well what are the chances that a player of Kawhi Leonard's caliber suddenly wants out of his current situation, a player with 0 holes in their game, and a team is willing to trade him and an elite role player for an elite role player prospect and a machine gun isolation scorer"

Since his tenure on the Raps started, theyve been a what,top 5 successful team in the league? It's not a 1 year thing. He built a sustained winning culture

easy to say when another GM brought in almost all the players.

But won nothing with those players. Two depressing playoff losses in 7 years. Ujiri took those players and won a title in 6 years, breaking every franchise record along the way.

Ujiri should get praise for being smart enough to build around the players he inherited, not clearing house like more insecure GMs trying to put their mark on the team.

He turned the players he inherited into Kawhi, Ibaka, Green, and Gasol by building their value over time.

Of course, the question is now what he can do with his own guys, and that's what we'll get a better read on over the next few years.

[nikster]

he's going to get the Doc Rivers treatment 10 years from now

"well what are the chances that a player of Kawhi Leonard's caliber suddenly wants out of his current situation, a player with 0 holes in their game, and a team is willing to trade him and an elite role player for an elite role player prospect and a machine gun isolation scorer"

Since his tenure on the Raps started, theyve been a what,top 5 successful team in the league? It's not a 1 year thing. He built a sustained winning culture

easy to say when another GM brought in almost all the players.

Masai took over a 34 win team. When they won their first playoff series a couple years later they only had 3 player left from before his tenure. When they won the title they had only one

[CoachD]

It's actually laughable to suggest Masai is overrated.

Over his tenure, how many teams can say they have gone from one of the worst teams in the league to one of the winningest.

They went from one of the worst scouting teams to one of the best.

They went from one of the worst player development teams to one of the best.

They went from having a fanbase that turned their nose at the ugly merch offerings of a losing team to one of the best selling apparel lines with their WE THE NORTH brand.

They went from just talking about culture to having one of the most distinct.

[djsunyc]

considering market, organizational culture, and winning, he's the best in the nba.

[Jabroni Lames]

- 10 winning seasons out of 11 years.
- 2 conference finals
- 1 finals + championship ring

Ujiri did all this as a GM/POBO for 2 franchises (Denver & Toronto) where free agents don't want to go to. He also pulled off one of the ballsiest trades of all-time (Kawhi for DeRozan).

That's one of the top overall executive records of the last decade in pro sports. How is that overrated?

[TravisScott55]

This thread is embarrassing lol.

OP was so sold on Suggs cause ESPN told him to.

[Roco14]

he's going to get the Doc Rivers treatment 10 years from now

"well what are the chances that a player of Kawhi Leonard's caliber suddenly wants out of his current situation, a player with 0 holes in their game, and a team is willing to trade him and an elite role player for an elite role player prospect and a machine gun isolation scorer"

Say what you will about derozan, but i don't think any role player will ever score 27ppg in a season and become the all-time scoring leader on an NBA franchise..

where did i call DeRozan a role player?

My bad misread your post

[Jabroni Lames]

Ah, yes. The first “exposed” or “overrated” thread of the season. Good luck with that.

Like I was saying: these "exposed" and "overrated" threads never seem to end well. This one is trending in the same direction.

[mademan]

he's going to get the Doc Rivers treatment 10 years from now

"well what are the chances that a player of Kawhi Leonard's caliber suddenly wants out of his current situation, a player with 0 holes in their game, and a team is willing to trade him and an elite role player for an elite role player prospect and a machine gun isolation scorer"

Since his tenure on the Raps started, theyve been a what,top 5 successful team in the league? It's not a 1 year thing. He built a sustained winning culture

easy to say when another GM brought in almost all the players.

The title team had Lowry from the previous GM. Every other player was a Masai acquisition

[Tacoma]

Since his tenure on the Raps started, theyve been a what,top 5 successful team in the league? It's not a 1 year thing. He built a sustained winning culture

easy to say when another GM brought in almost all the players.

Masai took over a 34 win team. When they won their first playoff series a couple years later they only had 3 player left from before his tenure. When they won the title they had only one

4 actually. They still had Lowry, DeRozan, Valanciunas and Ross from the Colangelo era, representing 60% of the starters plus Head Coach Sam Mitchell hired by Colangelo. Thus his predecessor's footprint on that team was still significant.

However, having said that, bringing in players is only part of the equation. Another is ensuring you have the right mix of players with the right culture to form the basis of a winning and possibly Championship team. This is the harder part team building and where Ujiri especially shined and his predecessor miserably failed.

The Toronto team before 2019 was already a perennial 50-win, one of the best defensively with solid team leadership. That's the team Kawhi came into and allowed him to do what he did best - be the first option and top scorer. Ujiri's Trade Deadline Valanciunas for Gasol trade was the critical last piece of the puzzle to put them over the top (they likely would not have beaten the Sixers in Round 2 without Gasol). This team building was all on Ujiri and is why he's hot overrated.

[tamaraw08]

Masai made the Raptors win a ring.

Who would’ve ever thought Toronto would have a championship?

Best GM in the NBA.

With or without winning a ring, I think Masai is a very good GM but imagine this.

1. Kawhi didn't get injured in San Antonio?
2. Leonard did get injured but was ok with how MGT handled it.
3. Kawhi was upset with MGT but Pops stepped in and they reconciled and he didn't demand a trade.
4. They never reconciled but Spurs trades him to the Lakers or other teams other than Toronto.
5. They did trade him to Toronto but they asked for FVV and Siakam instead of Poeltl.
6. Spurs agrees to whatever, Kawhi missed that shot vs Sixers but Butler hits a late game shot in game 7.
7. KD, Klay NEVER GOT INJURED.
Now, what are the chances of them winning if one of these things happened?

[Madhouse]

Masai made the Raptors win a ring.

Who would’ve ever thought Toronto would have a championship?

Best GM in the NBA.

With or without winning a ring, I think Masai is a very good GM but imagine this.

1. Kawhi didn't get injured in San Antonio?
2. Leonard did get injured but was ok with how MGT handled it.
3. Kawhi was upset with MGT but Pops stepped in and they reconciled and he didn't demand a trade.
4. They never reconciled but Spurs trades him to the Lakers or other teams other than Toronto.
5. They did trade him to Toronto but they asked for FVV and Siakam instead of Poeltl.
6. Spurs agrees to whatever, Kawhi missed that shot vs Sixers but Butler hits a late game shot in game 7.
7. KD, Klay NEVER GOT INJURED.
Now, what are the chances of them winning if one of these things happened?

You can use these for about every team.

[MotownMadness]

He's pretty damn good at what he does actually

[CoachD]

Masai made the Raptors win a ring.

Who would’ve ever thought Toronto would have a championship?

Best GM in the NBA.

With or without winning a ring, I think Masai is a very good GM but imagine this.

1. Kawhi didn't get injured in San Antonio?
2. Leonard did get injured but was ok with how MGT handled it.
3. Kawhi was upset with MGT but Pops stepped in and they reconciled and he didn't demand a trade.
4. They never reconciled but Spurs trades him to the Lakers or other teams other than Toronto.
5. They did trade him to Toronto but they asked for FVV and Siakam instead of Poeltl.
6. Spurs agrees to whatever, Kawhi missed that shot vs Sixers but Butler hits a late game shot in game 7.
7. KD, Klay NEVER GOT INJURED.
Now, what are the chances of them winning if one of these things happened?

That's a LOT of what ifs to try and devalue a championship.

I will say this .... the spurs did ask for Fred and / or Siakam. Masai said no. Apparently he wasn't crazy about parting with Poetl either and had offered others but it had to be done.

As far as the Jimmy hitting a shot in game 7 .... ok.... but if Kawahi missed Toeonto had plenty of others that could come back and make a big shot.
Butler was the only effective creator for Philly.

And as far as rhe Warriors injuries go.... Toronto was 3-1 in the finals in games that klay DID play in ....

If KD played I think the series may have gone to 7 but Toronto still wins....

[NirvanaFC]

His only weak area is overpaying to resign players - Siakam getting the all-NBA kicker for his max contract, Trent getting 18 mil a year + player option, Birch getting 6m a year with no competition

[nikster]

Masai made the Raptors win a ring.

Who would’ve ever thought Toronto would have a championship?

Best GM in the NBA.

With or without winning a ring, I think Masai is a very good GM but imagine this.

1. Kawhi didn't get injured in San Antonio?
2. Leonard did get injured but was ok with how MGT handled it.
3. Kawhi was upset with MGT but Pops stepped in and they reconciled and he didn't demand a trade.
4. They never reconciled but Spurs trades him to the Lakers or other teams other than Toronto.
5. They did trade him to Toronto but they asked for FVV and Siakam instead of Poeltl.
6. Spurs agrees to whatever, Kawhi missed that shot vs Sixers but Butler hits a late game shot in game 7.
7. KD, Klay NEVER GOT INJURED.
Now, what are the chances of them winning if one of these things happened?

Thats a ridiculous list of what ifs