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USA Today Leiweke Interview: Off season Pump and Hype

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  • USA Today Leiweke Interview: Off season Pump and Hype

    Tim Leiweke heard all of the reasons NBA players didn't want to play for the Toronto Raptors. He called them excuses.

    The hard-charging and energetic CEO and president of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Raptors, shot them down one by one.

    Too cold. "Last time I checked, Detroit and Chicago have a lot of banners up in their ceilings. It's just as cold, if not colder there," Leiweke said.

    Higher taxes. "The taxes are a myth. I pay less in taxes here than I did in California," he said.

    Constantly going through customs and changing money. "It takes an extra 10 minutes at most based on the way our players travel. I think for the most part that doesn't bother anybody," Leiweke said.

    No ESPN. "That's my favorite one," he said.

    Of course ESPN is available.

    "Ultimately, I don't believe they keep any good player from coming here," Leiweke said.
    But while the Raptors' staffing is exceptional, they still need players. Leiweke came from entertainment giant AEG, which owns Staples Center and has an ownership stake in the Lakers. Leiweke is fond of what the late Jerry Buss did with the Lakers.

    "If I'm a player, I have to be sold on the idea that the culture is such that they're driven and all they care about is a championship," Leiweke said. "I do believe we are developing a reputation as an organization that is absolutely focused, intense and dedicated to winning championships. It's why I'm here. It's why Masai is here.

    "Players have to look at people who are on top and the culture they have created, and they have to believe we will do whatever it takes to win. And we wake up every day thinking about it."
    http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...ture/12275233/



    On marketing the Raptors:

    Our gross — sponsorships, tickets, suites — is one of top five or 10 in the NBA, and we're not ashamed of that.

    I expect we'll be sold out every game next year. I expect we'll have one of the largest increases in new season tickets. I'll expect we'll have one of the largest increases in ratings. That's all good for us. Sponsorship is up 18%, and that's before the impact of the playoffs.

    My guess is we're going to be one of the top three teams with new season-ticket sales this year. We're already top five. We'll end up top three. We'll have a shot at 3,500 new season tickets this year.

    Our ratings are way up. Part of that is our ratings weren't very good to begin with. But we're getting there. For us, we aspire to a million people viewing our games.

    We have a marketplace that is booming right in front of us and we have to become that team they all relate to. We have to be that team they want to play for, and we have to be that team they want to follow. That's the challenge we have right now. We haven't even scratched the surface.

    We're the only team in an entire nation. Think about that for a second. We're the only true international team in the NBA. For a league that has built itself and has become brilliant because of its international appeal, we are the only international team in the whole league and we're proud of that.

    We as a country are beginning to produce meaningful great players within this league. The Vince Carter impact is now being felt based on the influence that man and that team were at getting kids to want to play basketball at the highest level. We have an awakening in a Canada. One of the two fastest growing sports Canada is now basketball.

    If you add all of that, you have to look at the NBA and the Raptors and says it's one of the great growth stories in all of professional sports. … The uniqueness of the Raptors is we are our Canada's team.

    On the three-step process to making the Raptors successful on the court:

    To me, the challenge is, how do we convince the next Chris Bosh (the All-Star who started his career with the Raptors) he can win here? That takes a few things. First, resources. I'm OK with the reputation of having resources. I hope we don't have a reputation of just overpaying for the sake of overpaying, but I will not be shy about the fact this organization has great resources and we're not afraid to spend them. We did on our soccer team (Toronto FC). We will on our hockey (Toronto Maple Leafs) and we will on our basketball team.

    ...

    Second, you have to have the intelligence, and that's not a shot at anybody.

    ...

    Then there's the third piece, which is the hardest. If I'm a player, I have to be sold on the idea that the culture is such that they're driven and all they care about is a championship. ... My guess is, if you look around the NBA, one of the changes that we are now going through most people will look at us — some call it a circus, some call it drive and energy, some call it a ridiculous focus, call it what you will — but I do believe were are developing a reputation as an organization that is absolutely focused, intense and dedicated to winning championships. It's why I'm here. It's why Masai is here.

    Players have to look at people who are on top and the culture they have created and they have to believe we will do whatever it takes to win and we wake up everything day thinking about it.

    What's important is having a culture that isn't not satisfied with what we've done to date.
    On Ujiri telling Raptors fans "F--- Brooklyn" just before Game 1 against the Nets in the playoffs

    That wasn't meant as any disrespect to Brooklyn. But we're fighting back. We're taking our gloves and we're going to fight for this team and fight for this organization because we will do whatever it takes to win here. Players are looking at that now and they say 'different attitude up there now.'

    I love what Masai did because it who it really meant something to the players, the fact he was willing to stand up for them and fight back. That meant a lot to me. Again, I don't think we need to be out doing f-bombs in order to get there. But I admire him for fighting for this organization, and the players to a man loved what he did. Loved it.
    On the Raptors hanging an Atlantic Division banner:

    Personally, I wouldn't have done the banner. They didn't ask me, but if they did I would've told them that doesn't mean anything. I don't go in the locker room and congratulate the guys because we haven't done anything yet. Our guys know that. It's not that I don't love our guys and I won't fight for them. But we haven't done anything yet. I don't understand why everyone's happy.

    We have work to do here. For me, are we on the right path? Yes. Do we have a chance to do something great? Yes. Talk to me when we do it. I'm not happy. Masai's not happy.
    On what Leiweke, who worked for Los Angeles Lakers partner AEG, learned from late legendary owner Jerry Buss:

    Championship banners, those are the ones that matter. Jerry West taught me that. Show me the Larry O'Brien (Trophy). You want a scene? Dr. Buss at the Toyota training center and all those Larry O'Brien trophies overlooking the court. You show me that, and I'll show you roses. Until we get there we haven't done anything.

    I'm in awe of what Dr. Buss created. That's so hard to do

    That's where we need to get to and we can't be satisfied until we get there, and one of the ways you get there is an insatiable appetite to get there and we now have that.
    On whether the Raptors need a Toronto-born star on the team:

    We're going to sellout next year, and Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are not from Canada. But at the end of the day they are from Toronto. They live here. They're proud of Toronto. They love it here. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what their passport says, it matters what their heart says and as long as we have guys who want to fight for this city and believe in 'We the North' like our guys, they live in Toronto and that's good enough for me.

    Would it be great if we have a Toronto-born player on our team? Sure, that would be fantastic but that's not going to determine the success or failure of our organization. What matters to me is we have 15 guys on this roster who love this city as much as I do. I think we're getting there.
    On Steve Nash's future:

    There are probably few people who admire and like Steve Nash like I do. I had the privilege of getting to know him when he came to the Lakers. I love Steve Nash. I hope a great player like that gets to go out on a high. That said, I definitely would hope there's day in time where Steve Nash is playing a role here somehow.
    http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...jiri/12364599/

  • #2
    There is more in the articles.

    Pretty in depth interview.

    "But but but.... the Raptors get no media coverage in the US!"

    *just jokes, I have been guilty of that in the past but as always thought: winning changes everything*

    Comment


    • #3
      Give the man some more booster juice. Keep the engine revving.

      Comment


      • #4
        The taxes is interesting.

        He pays less in Toronto than California.

        I believe he is making $5M per year so he can certainly relate to the NBA player tax bracket.

        Comment


        • #5
          mcHAPPY wrote: View Post
          The taxes is interesting.

          He pays less in Toronto than California.

          I believe he is making $5M per year so he can certainly relate to the NBA player tax bracket.
          California has the highest state and local income tax rate in the USA, I think. (13.3%) For Ontario it's 13.16%. That's roughly 5 home games salary just to pay state taxes.

          Federal taxes for Canada's last bracket is 29%, USA's 39.6%

          Comment


          • #6
            I love TL
            @sweatpantsjer

            Comment


            • #7
              mcHAPPY wrote: View Post
              There is more in the articles.

              Pretty in depth interview.

              "But but but.... the Raptors get no media coverage in the US!"

              *just jokes, I have been guilty of that in the past but as always thought: winning changes everything*
              We got US media coverage when we were in the playoffs. The only teams that get coverage are playoff teams, and mega market teams like Lakers and Knicks. Before the Heat drafted Dwayne Wade, no one gave a shit about the Heat. Before Dirk made Dallas a contender, no gave a shit about Dallas. Before the Clippers got Chris Paul, no one cared about the Clippers. Houston was on nobody's mind until they got Harden. The key to all those shifts in popularity was winning and going to the playoffs.

              Comment


              • #8
                Primer wrote: View Post
                We got US media coverage when we were in the playoffs. The only teams that get coverage are playoff teams, and mega market teams like Lakers and Knicks. Before the Heat drafted Dwayne Wade, no one gave a shit about the Heat. Before Dirk made Dallas a contender, no gave a shit about Dallas. Before the Clippers got Chris Paul, no one cared about the Clippers. Houston was on nobody's mind until they got Harden. The key to all those shifts in popularity was winning and going to the playoffs.
                This. While Miami, Dallas and LA are all big markets. It takes star players/winning to I guess "activate" that big market status.

                I think that's the case for us too.

                Comment


                • #9
                  imanshumpert wrote: View Post
                  This. While Miami, Dallas and LA are all big markets. It takes star players/winning to I guess "activate" that big market status.

                  I think that's the case for us too.
                  Miami isn't even that big of a market. Only a little over 400,000 in the city of Miami. The "metro area", which includes cities over an hour and half drive from Miami, is over 5 million, but I call bullshit on all metro area populations. No one in fucking West Palm or Jupiter Beach is driving an hour and a half to watch a basketball game (more like 3 hours with game day traffic). They basically include the entire southwest coast of Florida in metro Miami area.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    mcHAPPY wrote: View Post
                    The taxes is interesting.

                    He pays less in Toronto than California.

                    I believe he is making $5M per year so he can certainly relate to the NBA player tax bracket.
                    He just chose the wrong state But, it was a clever spin he put on it.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Jclaw wrote: View Post
                      He just chose the wrong state But, it was a clever spin he put on it.
                      NY has a similarly shitty tax structure to California. Chicago has horrendous taxes too. All of the big markets are as bad or worse than Canada. Only Florida and Texas teams have Canada beat tax wise, and they have every team in the NBA beat tax wise.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Primer wrote: View Post
                        Miami isn't even that big of a market. Only a little over 400,000 in the city of Miami. The "metro area", which includes cities over an hour and half drive from Miami, is over 5 million, but I call bullshit on all metro area populations. No one in fucking West Palm or Jupiter Beach is driving an hour and a half to watch a basketball game (more like 3 hours with game day traffic). They basically include the entire southwest coast of Florida in metro Miami area.
                        Very true. If you look at just the pure population of the city itself, Toronto is #3 after NY and LA.

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                        • #13
                          TL earning his pay.

                          His conversational speech style doesn't print well or USA needs a new staff of editors though.

                          Also of importance:

                          On Canada Basketball:

                          Canada Basketball is relationship we have to play a bigger role with. We have a role now. We helped underwrite them. We'd like to build them a permanent training center with the one we're building. I'm not sure if that's going to happen. Battling to get people to pay attention Canada Basketball like people do USA Basketball. It frustrates me. We need to understand that if you look at the amount of support and attention USA Basketball gets, we're fighting a battle to get that same kind of respect for Canada Basketball. We need to support them. The league needs to support them,

                          Their success is very critical to the future of this league, and we need our partners to buy into that, that Canada Basketball is just as important as USA Basketball. We still have work to do there. I'm not happy that we haven't figured out the right relationship for us and the right relationship for the NBA and we're going to stay on that. To the commissioner's credit, he made his third visit in three months to Toronto. I admire Adam for the commitment he's making in helping us think through the growth in Canada.

                          We have work to do with Canada Basketball. We owe them more.
                          The GTA can't be the only part of Canada trying to grow the grass roots. MLSE and the NBA need to step up.
                          Last edited by Raptor Jesus; Tue Jul 8, 2014, 04:13 PM.

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                          • #14
                            Jclaw wrote: View Post
                            He just chose the wrong state But, it was a clever spin he put on it.
                            It is the federal taxes that is killing US.

                            The capitalist american dream has been replaced by socialism that would make the NDP blush.

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                            • #15
                              Primer wrote: View Post
                              Miami isn't even that big of a market. Only a little over 400,000 in the city of Miami. The "metro area", which includes cities over an hour and half drive from Miami, is over 5 million, but I call bullshit on all metro area populations. No one in fucking West Palm or Jupiter Beach is driving an hour and a half to watch a basketball game (more like 3 hours with game day traffic). They basically include the entire southwest coast of Florida in metro Miami area.

                              This almost just supports the idea that players love winning markets. Miami is a great place because they drafted Wade and eventually paired him with Lebron. The confluence of events that occurred in 2010 to create that team could have happened in (almost) any city. It just happened in Miami and that's what's made it the destination it is. This may have been mentioned elsewhere but imagine if Lebron goes to Cleveland, Melo goest to NY or LA and Bosh leaves for Houston. Who is going to want to play in Miami? 'Cause right now, Norris Cole, Granger and McBob are looking for someone to play 3 on 3 with.

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