Raptors ready to take the hoops world by storm | Toronto Sun
“We’re trying to build more. We’re trying to grow more,” Ujiri said in Montreal on Friday, before the Raptors took on the New York Knicks as part of the NBA Canada Series. That’s what the surprisingly successful We the North campaign tried to do. The next step, as the 20th anniversary season of the franchise looms, is keeping the positive momentum going. “We don’t want to be one of those guys that cries about being outside (of the NBA’s popular spots) or being in the cold. We don’t care one bit. We want to be our own team and we have a unique opportunity in Canada,” Ujiri said. “We want to build it to where it’s plenty of pride to be the only team that’s outside of the U.S. “I think that responsibility is on me. We have to win, we have to build a brand and that’s what we’re going to try to do and build our brand all over the world.” Ujiri’s catch-phrase is, “one team, one country.” For too long, the Raptors behaved as if they were isolated outcasts, toiling away in the NBA’s northern outpost.
With the $70-million salary cap about to rise significantly thanks to a lucrative new U.S. television deal, salaries will rise in concert, and some teams will inevitably find themselves hard-pressed to hold onto their talent. The rumour mill has half the teams in the league clearing cap space for Kevin Durant, whose contract with Oklahoma City runs out in two years. All of it raises questions about the right way to build a championship contender. Do you bottom out and patiently build through the draft? Or scuffle along and then hope to land a superstar prize in the summer? The former method has worked (San Antonio, Oklahoma City) and also not worked at all (Minnesota). The latter method has likewise been successful (Miami, Houston) and also rather less so (New York). “I don’t know what the model is,” says Masai Ujiri the general manager of the Toronto Raptors, a playoff team last season but one built more for balance and depth than around big-name stars.
Toronto Raptors: Building For Success | Hoops Habit
The team now enters this season even deeper than before as Masai Ujiri managed to fill the team’s two biggest needs during the offseason: offensive punch off of the bench in the form of Lou Williams, and a big/athletic defensive wing in the form of James Johnson. Perhaps in part due to the team’s history, but this rendition of the Raptors could easily be the deepest and most diverse roster in franchise history; having two and a half solid options at point guard (Williams is a hybrid, but can fulfill the role), potent scorers throughout the roster, exceptional athletes at each position, and some great one-on-one and team defenders. Toronto also still has plenty of room to grow, with an incredibly young, and still developing starting lineup. Kyle Lowry at 28 years old, and Amir Johnson at 27 years old (and entering his 10th year in the NBA) are the young veterans, with DeRozan (25), Ross (23) and Valanciunas (22) joining them despite not hitting the prime of their careers.
DeMar DeRozan welcomes stability of Raptors roster | Toronto Star
“I’m a guy on this team who had a lot of individual success and I have to try to use that and carry that over to help my teammates be better,” he said. “I can be a better leader and push us, probably a quality I didn’t have my first couple of years in this league. “Just being around all the top players every summer, being an all-star, being an elite player, being in the same class as them. It can’t do anything but rub off on you. You pay attention. “I hear stories from a lot of them where they say they were the same way early in their careers and that’s what helped them take the next step, to know what it took to be more than a great player — be a great player to take their teams further.”
Who’s Got Next in 2014-15: Centers | Basketball Insiders | NBA Rumors And Basketball News
With newfound confidence, he looked solid although not spectacular in his second season but showed enough to give Raptor fans hope for more to come. During this year’s FIBA World Cup tournament, it was the young big man who was looked upon to be a leader on both ends of the floor and he turned heads around the league with his performances. The time he’s spent working on his strength and post moves has started to pay off. Look for the Lithuanian big man to take the next step this year as his coaches have seen his improvement and want to make him a focal point in his third year to take scoring pressure off the backcourt. Kyle Lowry has made it known that he believes it will be his duty this year to feed the big man early to help balance the scoring and space on the floor. He will have every opportunity to take the next step in his progression this year and if his young career is any indicator, he will deliver.
TSN.ca’s 2014-15 NBA Season Preview: Atlantic Division | TSN
The Toronto Raptors will sneak up on absolutely nobody this season. They are no longer a team unfettered by expectations and lowly cellar-dwellers who opponents can afford to take lightly. Dwane Casey’s team is the defending Atlantic Division champion and they’ll be treated accordingly by the rest of the Eastern Conference. After establishing a franchise-best 48 wins last season, the team bowed out in seven games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs to an experienced Brooklyn Nets team. This left a bad taste in the mouth of the Raptors and they’re intent to build upon last year’s success. In fact, anything less than at least one series victory will be viewed as a major disappointment for the Raptors.
NBA Baseline Podcast: Atlantic Division Preview | CLNS Radio
This team found a chemistry nobody could have envisioned last season after moving Rudy Gay to Sacramento. Kyle Lowry and Greivis Vasquez could have bolted, but returned on reasonable deals to build on what they had started. Jonas Valanciunas is going to be a big part of what they do and how they progress this season, as he’s hoping on emerging as the quintessential “third guy” that many league experts think he can be. We will have to see if DeMar DeRozan can continue to play at an All-star level, and if the natural process of team continuity can propel the Raptors out of the first round of the playoffs. Despite being the Atlantic Division Champions from a season ago, many aren’t taking them seriously, and that’s just the way they like it.
