Perspective can be a hard thing to find, and even harder to consistently maintain. It comes and goes frequently, and can frequently change in an instant. This has been my experience with Raptors’ fandom at least. Just when I think I have things figured out, something pops up that causes me to change my entire perspective of the franchise, for good or for bad.
I find hope and get crushed in the process…I become doubtful and am often quickly given reason to hope again (okay…for a lot of years it was tough to find any shades of hope…). But I don’t think this is unique to the Raptors and their fans. It’s just a part of being committed to supporting any team, and particularly true for when it comes to being a fan of a traditional underdog that doesn’t produce.
When things do start to go well it can be tough to buy in due to history. Like how Charlie Brown continually gets more suspicious of Lucy holding the football while he kicks. You become hopeful that things have changed, or that they could become better, only to have those old feelings and old perceptions jump back in the same moment something goes wrong.
It happened throughout the Colangelo era (and each era before it), it happened against Brooklyn two years ago, and it happened in brutal fashion against Washington last spring. Just when I begin to hope that things have improved or are moving in the right direction, each of these times I have been knocked back down.
And I think that is the big appeal for NBA fans and management when it comes to the NBA Draft. Just when things are at their bleakest, and it feels like everything is working against you, a single bounce of a lottery ball can change the entire fortune of the franchise you so desperately follow. Just one bounce of a ball can change everything…
Then, finally, the balls bounce the right way for the first (and only) time in franchise history; but it’s the wrong year and the wrong decision is made. And the perspective comes creeping back in with the underperforming and frustrating nature of Andrea Bargnani. Even when you lose in order to win and change perceptions, you can still find new ways to lose and bring hopelessness into each fans mind..
I think there will always be that part of me that assumes the worst is going to happen for the Raptors, which contributes to my current high level of optimism about the Raptors feel really foreign and weird. But what, if anything, is happening at the moment that can contribute to the continuing perceptions’ of the franchise.
A franchise record 52 wins, with five games left and a very realistic shot of at least 55 wins. A third straight Atlantic Division Championship (for reference, the Knicks and 76ers each have just five division championships in their team’s histories, with the Nets having just four), and a guaranteed top two seed in the Eastern Conference. Toronto is assured to have a winning record this season against every team currently in the Eastern Conference playoff picture outside of the Indiana Pacers, who could tie the season series later this week. And all of this has been accomplished with Jonas Valanciunas missing close to 6 weeks, almost no contribution from DeMarre Carroll, with optimism remaining that he could return in time to contribute in the playoffs.
There is very little to be pessimistic about at the moment.
As optimistic as I feel as we prepare to begin what I hope is a long playoff run, I still can’t help but get lost in the NBA Draft. 20 years of franchise history has taught me to look forward to this moment, as even a later selection can help change the future of the team (Hi, Norman!).
We’re a winning franchise, one of the likely favourites in the conference, and I still have one of my eyes on the draft. How can I not? How often does one get to be a top five team in the league standings, and still have a likely top 10 pick (pre-lottery)?
What started as hope with the winning of a number one pick in 2006, and moved forward with many years of frustration with Andrea Bargnani, has now come around again as renewed hope thanks to Masai Ujiri and the generous franchise that is the New York Knicks.
By now most likely already know about this gift that Ujiri brought to Toronto in his first official transaction as the Raptor’s General Manager and President. On July 10, 2013, Ujiri traded the much maligned Andrea Bargnani to the New York Knicks for Marcus Camby, Steve Novak, Quentin Richardson, a 2014 second round pick, a 2016 first round pick, and a 2017 second round pick.
Masai Ujiri started his time in Toronto by acquiring three draft picks for Andrea Bargnani!! I mean…that happened almost three years ago and I still don’t fully believe it to be true.
But it is true…it somehow is completely true.
Even at the time it seemed like New York was giving up a lot for a player like Bargnani, but the biggest trade piece (the 2016 first round pick) didn’t seem like it would necessarily amount to much. After all, Toronto would be receiving the lesser pick between the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets, with Denver having acquired the swap rights form New York as part of the Carmelo Anthony trade (a deal also made by Ujiri…I swear, the man is a wizard).
The Knicks had just completed a 54 win regular season, with an appearance in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. And the Nuggets finished third in the Western Conference with a remarkable 57 wins, only to bow out in a first round upset to the Golden State Warriors.
At the time it looked like Toronto would likely be receiving a late first round pick in the trade (which still would have been a significant haul for Andrea Bargnani), but things started to turn poorly for both franchises, and therefore started to go well for Toronto.
The Knicks started at 54 wins, dropped to 37 wins in 2013-14, and just 17 wins and last place in the Eastern Conference in 2014-15.
Denver followed a similar fate as New York: from 57 wins in 2012-13, to 36 wins in 2013-14, and 32 wins in 2014-15.
Now it’s looking very likely that both will finish in the bottom 10 in the league standings. If the season were to end today, Denver would enter the lottery with the ninth pick, and New York would enter with seventh pick. Looking at their upcoming schedules, it’s still possible for New York and Denver to finish 6 and 7 respectively in the pre-draft standings.
It’s incredible how much perception can change in three years time, as each of these three franchises are in drastically different positions than they were at the time, and hope now springs anew for the Raptors in the 2016 Draft. Yes, there is plenty to look forward to long before the draft comes around, but a few bounces of a lottery ball can go even further in changing perceptions.
And it’s now simple enough to know how to cheer until the end of the season: continue to cheer against New York and Denver, while wholeheartedly throwing your support behind the New Orleans Pelicans (the longest of shots after losing to Philadelphia on Tuesday, and to Boston last night), Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings, and the Orlando Magic.
A top 10 pick seems imminent now…a top 8 pick feels likely…and if the balls really bounce our way) a top 3 pick is possible, although I can’t even begin to calculate the astronomical odds of both Denver and New York jumping into the top 3,
And it all started with Andrea Bargnani…or to be more accurate, it all started with Masai Ujiri and his apparent hatred of the New York Knicks.
