The Raptor have always encountered rough seas in their transition between eras. These changes of the guard signaled the end of a period of moderate success as they ushered in terrible misery, with promises of potential on the distant horizon.
The Damon Stoudamire era crashed midway through the franchise’s third year when Darrell Walker abandoned ship and Damon scurried off to Portland. The second half of that season saw the franchise on palliative care and culminated in Glen Grunwald’s apologetic speech at Maple Leaf Gardens as Allen Iverson looked on having posterized Marcus Camby minutes before. The franchise was the joke of the league and Tracy McGrady had already begun counting down his exit as the franchise readied itself to build around Alvin and Walt Williams. Fortunately for the Raptors, this happened:
It was like the moon landing. It took about two weeks into the regular season for the league to realize what the Raptors had got. The transitory period between Damon-end and Vince-start was over. Like all stories this one had a beginning, a middle and an end. The beginning was pure shock as to what the Raptors had pulled off. Vince turned to Vinsanity and the Raptors thrived despite McGrady’s exit. The second act was the playoff series against the Knicks and the extension which kept both Vince and the franchise in Toronto. The end. How can we forget the end? The end was Rob Babcock, it was ‘Zo being bought out, it was Vince not dunking. It ended with this play in Detroit:
That was the end. Tales of pain and death were told in hushed voices. They say given the choice most people would rather choose unhappiness over uncertainty. The Raptors had both. A legacy eroded and a future uncertain, the Raptors had no choice but to enter the Chris Bosh era in 2005. We graciously embraced mediocrity if only because it allowed us to turn away from an agonizing abyss. Two first round exists confirmed that the path was slow and leading nowhere. The Chris Bosh era was in doldrums – too weak to contend, too good to fall out of the weak East’s playoff ladder. A move was needed but Toronto could carely keep or attract free agents and the draft was the primary source of any impact. That led to the second half of the era in the form of Andrea Bargnani.
Ari Herstand once said, “The best art divides an audience”. Bargnani sure did that…for a minute. It took years but in the end the art community had two sides: the first consisted of Bryan Colangelo, the second of everyone else including Andrea Bargnani. Those of you who stood by the franchise in those years probably have remnants of self-harm still visible. The salt on those self-inflicted wounds were made degrees more harrowing when you saw this during the commercial break:
Chris Bosh had had enough and called it quits, starting yet another transition into the DeMar DeRozan-era – he said he got us. Much like Bosh, this one lacked star power and potential of star power, as no matter how we sliced and diced DeRozan, he remained Option 2 on any serious contender. We convinced ourselves this was the right experiment to execute and DeRozan repaid what he couldn’t in playoff performance with hard work, ethics and a duty to the city. We loved him. Kyle Lowry came and emboldened the side but it remained firmly below LeBron’s East. Then his friend got shipped and we entered another period of excitement and uncertainty.
We had Kawhi Leonard. The move was considered risky by many but there was agreement that to take the next steps, risks had to be taken. You know the rest.
In none of the above changeovers has the franchise’s long-term outlook been so sure as it is today. Examining the core of this season we have three story lines.
The first is that of talent on the cusp of exploding. Pascal Siakam’s already there, OG Anunoby’s has shown enough to get excited about his potential, Fred Van Vleet and Norman Powell are hungrier and more prepared than ever. A strategy of internal growth as a way to contention isn’t always exciting because it’s usually sold as a shit sandwich wrapped in a lie. In the Raptors case we have Brioche buns and some Alberta steak. This meal is going to taste good either which way. The mindset is from the main star, Siakam, is bang-on as well: “After winning Most Improved Player and people look at our team, I’m sure they’re going to prepare for me. But it’s part of growing, too, for me, and understanding you’re going to get more attention and prepare for it so I can beat every defence that you can get.” That’s your star knowing it won’t be easy and preparing so as not to get surprised. And surprises are the worst.
The second is that of the aging veterans – Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol. Their market values are high and the bets are hedged wisely. At some point Masai Ujiri will have to make a decision on whether to reload for a title this season or parlay his veterans into future pieces or picks. The timeline is in our favor as there’s a whole half-season to make that call. Barring injury the value of either asset is unlikely to depreciate and the expiring nature of both contracts make it attractive even if on-court performance is subpar. We haven’t had that sort of a deal on our books since Jermaine O’Neal who we, of course, traded to Miami so they could also steal Chris Bosh from us in the summer. I’m telling you, this franchise has seen some shit.
The third is Kyle Lowry. We’ll enjoy our legend’s remaining time with us a with a perennial grin on our face knowing what he made us experience. That won’t change if the Raptors win 20 or 60 games.
The bets are hedged. The product is fantastic. No matter which way the dice rolls we got a gameplan. As far as bridge years go this one’s setup better than any that came before it.
