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NBA Off-Season Discussion

I?m optimistic.  (My response):

Question & Answers:  Discussion-Response

Re:  Raptors Summer League

You
From LD:

Would be interesting to see Chris Boucher improve in the Summer League. He?s fast, can shoot, but needs improvement as is mentioned.

Dewan Hernandez should be a standout in the Raptors 905 G League.

Sounds good, already. Tip-off!

Blake Murphy
@Lora D. Wait are you LD or is there another LD? If the former, I appreciate the sourcing yourself tact haha. But yes, let's tip off already.


https://theathletic.com/1050709/
 
Guilt Trip said:
If this was the Leafs and say Matthews left to go play at home after we won the cup... Best of luck to him and thanks.
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For me it'd be, "Thanks, and screw you."

Thanks for the championship Kawhi.  I won't boo you.  But I sure as heck ain't cheering for you.
 
Peter D. said:
Guilt Trip said:
If this was the Leafs and say Matthews left to go play at home after we won the cup... Best of luck to him and thanks.
Click to expand...

For me it'd be, "Thanks, and screw you."

Thanks for the championship Kawhi.  I won't boo you.  But I sure as heck ain't cheering for you.
Click to expand...
Only against the Lakers!
 
Since he's no longer a Raptor I'm not invested in Kawhi's on-court success anymore but I think to come away from his time here with "screw you" is pretty hard to justify.

The Raptors, and their fans, knew when trading for him that he wanted to go back to LA. We knew that the team was probably sacrificing a couple of years of being a very good team built around the Lowry/DeRozan combo in exchange for one year of a real shot at the title. All of us went into this with our eyes open.

So, realistically, what could Kawhi have done differently in his one year here to earn some respect? Play hard? He did. Win a title? He did. Be honest about his intentions? He was. Give the team fair consideration in the off-season? By all accounts he did.

I don't think there's a Raptors fan alive who wouldn't have agreed to a deal where the Lowry/DeRozan years would end in a title but then immediately kick into a rebuild. That happened. Kawhi was a huge part of that. Again, nobody has to cheer him on but I'd put pretty big money on him getting an ovation when the Clippers come to town.

 
There?s probably another title Kawhi can be given...?GM of the Year?. (*chuckle*)

Leonard has just revealed himself as the cleverest operator in sport. He wanted a team built to his precise specifications, and he just got one. That makes him more powerful than any general manager and most team owners

This leaves Toronto bereft, the crosstown Lakers looking stupid and a lot of U.S. media pundits looking to leave the country for a while in hopes people will forget how wrong they got this.
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Poor Lebron.  😲   


https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/article-kawhi-shows-hes-cunning-a-dynasty-builder-who-wants-to-create-a/
 
The way things unfolded:

Before sending Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers in a shocking deal, the Oklahoma City Thunder reportedly held talks with the Toronto Raptors focused on George and Russell Westbrook.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Thunder general manager Sam Presti offered George and Westbrook to Toronto for a package centered around forward Pascal Siakam, but the Raptors declined the offer.

Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star reported the Thunder "asked for Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and four unprotected first-round picks as a starting point for Paul George. The Raptors believed they were being used as leverage, and believed Kawhi finally, truly wanted LA. And then he left."

Wojnarowski added that Presti attempted to pit the Clippers and Raptors against each other with the idea that whichever team acquired George would also win the Kawhi sweepstakes.

Story:
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2844408-woj-raptors-rejected-russell-westbrook-paul-george-for-pascal-siakam-trade
 
Nik the Trik said:
Since he's no longer a Raptor I'm not invested in Kawhi's on-court success anymore but I think to come away from his time here with "screw you" is pretty hard to justify.

The Raptors, and their fans, knew when trading for him that he wanted to go back to LA. We knew that the team was probably sacrificing a couple of years of being a very good team built around the Lowry/DeRozan combo in exchange for one year of a real shot at the title. All of us went into this with our eyes open.

So, realistically, what could Kawhi have done differently in his one year here to earn some respect? Play hard? He did. Win a title? He did. Be honest about his intentions? He was. Give the team fair consideration in the off-season? By all accounts he did.

I don't think there's a Raptors fan alive who wouldn't have agreed to a deal where the Lowry/DeRozan years would end in a title but then immediately kick into a rebuild. That happened. Kawhi was a huge part of that. Again, nobody has to cheer him on but I'd put pretty big money on him getting an ovation when the Clippers come to town.
Click to expand...
Well said Nik, approximates my feelings and I can understand wanting to go home.  But part of me wonders "wouldn't be better to be King of Canada, than a 2nd wheel in a localized market"?  Asked it when Bosch went to be 3rd wheel on Miami.
 
Highlander said:
Nik the Trik said:
Since he's no longer a Raptor I'm not invested in Kawhi's on-court success anymore but I think to come away from his time here with "screw you" is pretty hard to justify.

The Raptors, and their fans, knew when trading for him that he wanted to go back to LA. We knew that the team was probably sacrificing a couple of years of being a very good team built around the Lowry/DeRozan combo in exchange for one year of a real shot at the title. All of us went into this with our eyes open.

So, realistically, what could Kawhi have done differently in his one year here to earn some respect? Play hard? He did. Win a title? He did. Be honest about his intentions? He was. Give the team fair consideration in the off-season? By all accounts he did.

I don't think there's a Raptors fan alive who wouldn't have agreed to a deal where the Lowry/DeRozan years would end in a title but then immediately kick into a rebuild. That happened. Kawhi was a huge part of that. Again, nobody has to cheer him on but I'd put pretty big money on him getting an ovation when the Clippers come to town.
Click to expand...
Well said Nik, approximates my feelings and I can understand wanting to go home.  But part of me wonders "wouldn't be better to be King of Canada, than a 2nd wheel in a localized market"?  Asked it when Bosch went to be 3rd wheel on Miami.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure Bosh was perfectly fine with being in Miami
 
Highlander said:
Well said Nik, approximates my feelings and I can understand wanting to go home.  But part of me wonders "wouldn't be better to be King of Canada, than a 2nd wheel in a localized market"?  Asked it when Bosch went to be 3rd wheel on Miami.
Click to expand...

Better for what? His ego? A need to be loved? If Kawhi was that kind of person, he'd never have been a Raptor in the first place.

And, beyond that, while the outpouring of love from Canadian fans was nice I'm sure, I don't think anyone should fool themselves into thinking that the Raptors wouldn't go back to being a 2nd Banana to every hockey team in the country no matter what Kawhi did.
 
Nik the Trik said:
Highlander said:
Well said Nik, approximates my feelings and I can understand wanting to go home.  But part of me wonders "wouldn't be better to be King of Canada, than a 2nd wheel in a localized market"?  Asked it when Bosch went to be 3rd wheel on Miami.
Click to expand...

Better for what? His ego? A need to be loved? If Kawhi was that kind of person, he'd never have been a Raptor in the first place.

And, beyond that, while the outpouring of love from Canadian fans was nice I'm sure, I don't think anyone should fool themselves into thinking that the Raptors wouldn't go back to being a 2nd Banana to every hockey team in the country no matter what Kawhi did.
Click to expand...

Raptors will quickly be forgotten by most in Canada pretty quickly. Much like the Jays after those two "runs"
 
OldTimeHockey said:
Nik the Trik said:
Highlander said:
Well said Nik, approximates my feelings and I can understand wanting to go home.  But part of me wonders "wouldn't be better to be King of Canada, than a 2nd wheel in a localized market"?  Asked it when Bosch went to be 3rd wheel on Miami.
Click to expand...

Better for what? His ego? A need to be loved? If Kawhi was that kind of person, he'd never have been a Raptor in the first place.

And, beyond that, while the outpouring of love from Canadian fans was nice I'm sure, I don't think anyone should fool themselves into thinking that the Raptors wouldn't go back to being a 2nd Banana to every hockey team in the country no matter what Kawhi did.
Click to expand...

Raptors will quickly be forgotten by most in Canada pretty quickly. Much like the Jays after those two "runs"
Click to expand...
Agree. The wagon will be back to having just the regular die hards on it again.
 
Yeah, I did sort of try to get at that when I was saying that it was Toronto's team and not Canada's. It was only ever "Canada's Team" when they were winning and the reality is that even if Kawhi came back then odds would be against them winning next year and odds would be virtually certain they wouldn't win the year after that. It was always going to be a short party. Kawhi wasn't going to be some sort of god-king when the Raps were going 48-34 and getting knocked out in the second round.

And as always Canada's relationship with Toronto will be, to quote Homer Simpson, that they'll take our money but they won't plow our driveway.



 
I agree that there would have been no guarantee even with Kawhi back in a Raptors jersey of the team winning a second championship.

Perhaps Kawhi saw the writing on the wall, so to speak, and since he always had it in mind to return to play in his native California, it made it all the more easier to decide which team was better suited for him and for winning himself another potential championship ring.

The fact that Leonard wanted Paul George and that the Raptors could not satisfy that request or trade possibility, goes to show the cleverness and thought process that went into Kawhi?s own decision-making.

This Leonard guy isn?t just a smart basketball player, but a wise businessman.
 
Nik the Trik said:
Since he's no longer a Raptor I'm not invested in Kawhi's on-court success anymore but I think to come away from his time here with "screw you" is pretty hard to justify.

The Raptors, and their fans, knew when trading for him that he wanted to go back to LA. We knew that the team was probably sacrificing a couple of years of being a very good team built around the Lowry/DeRozan combo in exchange for one year of a real shot at the title. All of us went into this with our eyes open.

So, realistically, what could Kawhi have done differently in his one year here to earn some respect? Play hard? He did. Win a title? He did. Be honest about his intentions? He was. Give the team fair consideration in the off-season? By all accounts he did.

I don't think there's a Raptors fan alive who wouldn't have agreed to a deal where the Lowry/DeRozan years would end in a title but then immediately kick into a rebuild. That happened. Kawhi was a huge part of that. Again, nobody has to cheer him on but I'd put pretty big money on him getting an ovation when the Clippers come to town.
Click to expand...

I feel jilted whenever a star player leaves Toronto.  Mats...CuJo...Carter...Bosh...Halladay -- I said the same about all of them.  Let alone one who just won a championship and had the team do everything right for him.

That's why I have no problem with the way Islanders fans act towards Tavares (provided of course it doesn't cross the personal line). 
 
Peter D. said:
Nik the Trik said:
Since he's no longer a Raptor I'm not invested in Kawhi's on-court success anymore but I think to come away from his time here with "screw you" is pretty hard to justify.

The Raptors, and their fans, knehttp://tmlfans.ca/community/Smileys/default/grin.gifw when trading for him that he wanted to go back to LA. We knew that the team was probably sacrificing a couple of years of being a very good team built around the Lowry/DeRozan combo in exchange for one year of a real shot at the title. All of us went into this with our eyes open.

So, realistically, what could Kawhi have done differently in his one year here to earn some respect? Play hard? He did. Win a title? He did. Be honest about his intentions? He was. Give the team fair consideration in the off-season? By all accounts he did.

I don't think there's a Raptors fan alive who wouldn't have agreed to a deal where the Lowry/DeRozan years would end in a title but then immediately kick into a rebuild. That happened. Kawhi was a huge part of that. Again, nobody has to cheer him on but I'd put pretty big money on him getting an ovation when the Clippers come to town.
Click to expand...

I feel jilted whenever a star player leaves Toronto.  Mats...CuJo...Carter...Bosh...Halladay -- I said the same about all of them.  Let alone one who just won a championship and had the team do everything right for him.

That's why I have no problem with the way Islanders fans act towards Tavares (provided of course it doesn't cross the personal line).
Click to expand...

You felt the same about Mats as you did about Cujo? Really? The circumstances couldn't have been more different.
 
Raptors sign SF FA Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (former Brooklyn Nets).

[tweet]1147980570179166209[/tweet]


https://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/persons-interest-new-raptors-hollis-jefferson-johnson/
 
(*sigh*)  Kawhi:

https://nationalpost.com/sports/scott-stinson-kawhi-leonard-mysterious-as-ever-left-toronto-in-the-most-confounding-of-ways
 
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