Sculpting a Winning Culture | Raptors Republic
The summer of 2015 represented the latest part in the transformation of the Raptors’ culture. After deciding to keep Casey, Ujiri was determined to continue changing the makeup of the roster. He let go of players that were not a fit for his vision (Greivis Vasquez, Lou Williams), and brought in his favorites – hard working role-players (DeMarre Carroll, Cory Joseph, Bismack Biyombo, and Luis Scola). He even drafted defense-first players in Norman Powell and Delon Wright. The message could not be clearer. Crucially, the team’s leader adopted it, as Lowry spent the summer transforming his body in preparation for the grueling playoffs.
The entire roster bought in, and the rock was finally split, as the team recorded its best overall season.
The club’s success trickled down from the ownership at the top down to Ujiri’s steady hand. The Raptors general manager had plenty of opportunities to change course, but chose instead to trust the process. He had a vision, and believed Casey could be a part of it. He provided stability – so rare, and yet so important in the world of professional sports. He allowed his head coach to mold the product, day by day, practice by practice, arriving at the current (but hopefully not final) peak in 2016.
The benefits of the newly established culture were numerous. From Lowry’s commitment to helping the team in any way he could in the postseason (curbing his penchant for arguing with officials and keeping his cool, unlike last year), to the seamless integration of a proven veteran in Jason Thompson late in the season (we heard no complaints despite his meager playing time). From the complete lack of drama emanating from the locker room (the casino story became a non-issue overnight), to the capability of improving young players in-season (a second round pick played a significant role in winning a playoff series). The culture kept improving, kept growing, kept providing value.
Casey will tell you they’re not there yet. That too, is an aspect of the new culture – a thirst that is never quenched, a club that continues ever onward on the quest to get better. Pound the rock.
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Podcast: Draft preview with Raptors HQ | Raptors Republic
I went behind enemy lines and joined Sean Woodley and Harsh Dave or Raptors HQ on their HeadQuarters podcast this week to help tee up the NBA Draft from the Toronto Raptors’ perspective. Normally I wouldn’t pass along a podcast appearance, but we go pretty deep here, and there’s some good discussion as to what the Raptors could do at No. 9 and No. 27.
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Raptors GM Ujiri plans to meet with DeRozan in next few weeks | Sportsnet.ca
“We’re nowhere because right now we cant (talk),” Ujiri told hosts Joey Vendetta and George Rusic on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. “Everything stops until July 1. So we’re still in the same place we were at the end of the season. We talked and had a good exit meeting. I will fly down to see DeMar at some point in the next couple of weeks to have a good chat with him and we’ll go from there.”
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Kyle Lowry shares his best parenting advice | Yahoo!
What’s it like to be a dad that travels frequently?
It’s definitely tough not being with your children every single day, but with the technology that we have now….I keep my phone on at all times so [Karter] can always call me or FaceTime me. I make sure that he speaks to me before he goes to school and he’ll call me when he gets home from school. The important thing is to be available if he needs me or if he has a small question or even if he just wants to say “hi” and hang up.
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Toronto Raptors | Jason Thompson
We ended the season feeling proud, even though we knew we were even better than how we played at the end. I don’t think you can overachieve when you are a two seed and have home-court advantage, even though for some reason the media counted us out. We know that we had more in the tank and know that we could have made it a better series against Cleveland, but you live and you learn. It was definitely a learning experience for all of us. And our fans were amazing. They love their Raptors basketball, and the support system was overwhelming. Everywhere you go, fans are showing you love. Even in the closing minutes of our final game, the fans were chanting “Let’s Go Raptors,” knowing all of the hard work we put in. They respected our run and recognized how special it was. It gave me chills. In addition to an amazing experience with the team, Toronto is a great city and Canada is a great country.
The Raptors had two years in a row of exiting the playoffs in the first round, and then started this year’s playoffs with that monkey on their back. Regardless of the fact that we were a two seed, we were pretty much the underdog in every round of these playoffs. We went on to beat Indiana and Miami, but not without adversity. We showed our resilience by overcoming that adversity at home and on the road. And as you could see at the end of the Cleveland series, I think they respected us because we were the only team that had beaten them up until that point. They had swept everyone else (no offense to the other teams), so it was a respect thing that we made it a real series. The whole country was behind us, and then we had our U.S. family and friends rooting for us as well.
NBA Draft 2016: ESPN’s Chad Ford has Raptors taking Henry Ellenson and Cheick Diallo | Raptors HQ
Diallo at 27 seems like a much more intriguing pick. Draft Express pegs the Kansas freshman as the 25th best prospect in the draft, going as high as the 19th pick. This sounds to me like a steal, given where the Raptors are in the late stages of the draft. In addition, some of the stuff written about Diallo reads a lot like the soon-to-be-departed Bismack Biyombo. And I don’t just say that because they both have awesome sounding names and were born in Africa. Diallo’s described as having elite mobility, great rim running ability and — gasp — good hands. He’s projected to be a solid defensive player at least. These sound like the kinds of things the Raps could use in a backup big man.
By the Numbers: Power forwards Raptors could target at NBA Draft | Sportsnet.ca
Crazy athlete. Has a super-high ceiling as a prototypical stretch-four — he shot 35 per cent from the college three-point line as an 18-year-old and blocked 1.6 shots in 25 minutes. That said, he’s not ready to contribute in the NBA. He’s mistake prone on both ends, needs to gain a lot of strength, and isn’t even a good rebounder considering his physical gifts. All that said: This might just be wasted breath. If you believe ESPN’s most recent mock draft (where he’s going No. 4), he could be long gone by the time the Raptors pick.
NBA Draft Prospect Preview: Jakob Poeltl, a big man stuck between eras | Raptors HQ
Toronto is about to have a Biyombo-sized hole in its front court rotation. This season’s back-up centre is about receive a gigantic pay raise, and the Raptors would have to perform some intricate cap gymnastics in order to afford him. Biyombo almost certainly is going to be a one-and-done in Toronto.
Drafting Poeltl would immediately plug the hole behind Valanciunas. Toronto’s centres complemented each other perfectly this year; Valanciunas and Biyombo’s skill sets made the Raptors pliable against any and all front court configurations thrown out by opponents. Poeltl wouldn’t offer that. His rim protection isn’t even near the level of Valanciunas, let alone Biyombo, and at this point he’s essentially JV-light on offense, with a bit more foot speed.
In addition to the overlap with the incumbent starter, adding Poeltl at the draft would essentially serve as a vote of non-confidence for Lucas Nogueira and the two years the franchise has invested in his development. Bebe might not have the chops to be a full time back-up, but the Raptors at least to find closure before abandoning the experiment.
In some ways, drafting Poeltl makes sense. On the other hand, drafting him to simply fill a vacant spot in the centre depth chart might not maximize the value that the entire roster can output.
Bennett’s arrival is good news for him as well as the Canadian men’s team | Toronto Star
And say this for Bennett: In the years he’s played for Canada, I have heard nothing but good about his willingness to fit in and his desire to be a good teammate and he seems a genuinely likeable young man who fits well into the program.
There is still a lot of flux left on the roster and the six coming exhibition games will go a long way in figuring out which 12 are the best blend so there’s no sense even trying to break down the team’s chances for at least a week and probably closer to two.
But for Bennett to show up is a credit to him and a bonus for the program and he should be appreciated for getting it all to work.
Raptors need to find a backup for DeMarre Carroll | Raptors Rapture
If Johnson waves Toronto farwell, his production must be replaced, unless the Brazilian phenomenon Bruno Caboclo is ready to go which is highly unlikely. That’s not a knock on Caboclo but it doesn’t seem as if he’s just yet ready for the bright lights of the NBA due to his sub-par performances with the Raptors 905.
Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri should attempt to fill that roster spot this off-season with a player who can come off the bench for DeMarre Carroll and help this team reach even greater heights.
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