Sustained Prominence or Back to the NBA Basement?

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A 30,000-Foot View of the Raptors 25th Season

“What it do baby?!” The NBA season is back in full swing and our beloved Toronto Raptors celebrated opening night by raising their 2019 championship banner to the rafters while collecting their custom-made rings fitted with 600+ diamonds. It was quite a start to the season, but now the Raps need to put the celebrations behind them, and focus on the task ahead: defending their championship. 

Let’s address the elephant in the room: Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green are Raptors no more. They took their talents to Los Angeles in the offseason, and I’m still convinced that there was some miscommunication as to which LA team they should join (they have always played together). Nevertheless, Kawhi is with the Clippers with Paul George; Green is with the Lakers alongside LeBron and Anthony Davis; and the West has somehow become even more saturated with NBA superstars. 

This is fantastic news for all Eastern Conference teams looking to make it to the playoffs, including the Raptors. Anytime a superstar moves to the opposing conference, an Eastern Conference team like Toronto only has to face them twice a year, and will only go head-to-head with them in the playoffs should they make the Finals. Instead of lamenting what could have been had Kawhi stayed with the Raptors, we should be thanking him for at least choosing to go to the conference where we only have to face his team a couple times a season. Also, can you really fault the guy for wanting to go home and play in front of all his family and friends? I don’t think so. He came, he conquered, and he retrieved that “Larry O’B” not just for Toronto, but the entire country of Canada. That man deserved his freedom, and on behalf of Toronto, I wish him all the best in his career. 

Coming back to the Raptors, many NBA analysts and broadcasters project that the Raptors will recede to a subpar basketball club that may even miss the playoffs due to the losses of Leonard and Green. This is absolutely WRONG. These same analysts are severely underestimating the pieces that the Raptors still possess, as well as the dividends that a long and prosperous post-season play. No one can take away the fact that these players are champions. Kyle Lowry is a champion. Pascal Siakam is a champion. Ibaka, Gasol, Van Vleet, Powell, and Anunoby are all champions, and we will continue to see their experience and pedigree throughout this season.  

I’ll concede that we cannot match the talent and physicality of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers. Those two teams will almost certainly rank first and second in the East. However, the door is wide open after that. The Celtics have lost key pieces in Irving and Horford, and while Kemba Walker is a nice acquisition, look for the Celtics to take a step back this season. Indiana will be without their bona fide superstar in Victor Oladipo for at least half the season, so they’ll be lucky to squeak into the playoffs. The Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets are talented teams, but they each have glaring holes in their offences and defences, respectively. And you already saw what the Raptors can do with the Orlando Magic in the fourth game of the season (Hint: they wiped the floor with them despite allowing a 4th quarter comeback). All in all, I strongly expect that the Raptors end their season somewhere between 3rd and 5th in the conference, so long as the team that is currently constructed remains the same throughout. 

That being said, that very well may not be the case. We have already determined that Masai Ujiri is an NBA mastermind. A quiet under-the-table move that he made shortly before the season began was extending Lowry’s contract another year so that he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2020-2021 season. Why did he throw $31 million at an ageing point guard that has expressed minimal interest in remaining in Toronto after Kawhi departed? Because he is an invaluable trade chip, especially this season. Let me elaborate. 

There are only a handful of marquee players that will become available as trade bait during the NBA trade deadline in February. Of these names, Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry, and Bradley Beal come to mind. However, Beal signed another extension with Washington that makes him trade ineligible this season, which means Lowry’s stock jumps even higher. Ujiri extending Lowry’s contract by one year means that if he were to be traded to another team in February, that team would have control over him for the remainder of that season, AND the entire following season. That is a much safer bet than investing on a player that could be a flight risk, hence teams would be willing to pay more for Lowry in an effort to make a run for the championship.

This could all be a moot point if the Raptors show signs of excellence and championship pedigree throughout this NBA season. Perhaps Masai would like one last run with the group he currently has assembled before tearing it all down and reaping in the rewards. 

Whatever this guru decides, two points are certain: Firstly, that the keys to the franchise will be handed to Pascal Siakam and Co. in the very near future. And secondly, that “I believe in Masai!” (I wonder if R. Kelly makes royalties every time someone says that).

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Endi Batino
By Endi Batino

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