Basketball in Canada

[GernB]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

The Raptors should still have a decent enough squad for a 5th-6th seed performance and first-round playoff exit, but I definitely can't see them going any further. The eastern conference was tough enough last year with Leonard, and this year it's only going to be harder. Bucks are more or less the same group, only with more experience now. The Sixers and Celtics are looking better than they did last year, and now there's the Nets to worry about too (big TBD based on KD's health though).

There are still some big questions for the Raptors though - namely, will Siakam continue his ascent to superstar status, or has he hit his ceiling this past season? And now that Anunoby is healthy again, will this one be his breakout year as some commentators were predicting before the injuries & illness? The Raptors also seem to have a propensity for developing young players - will there be any new breakout bench performances this year?

Regardless though, it's the 2020-2021 season we should be focusing on now. With Lowry, Gasol, and Ibaka's contracts expiring, we'll have the room and hopefully the ability to woo Giannis; and start building a new squad around him & Siakam.

KD won't play next year so the Nets aren't a problem. Sixers have lost Butler, Redick and McConnell. Celtics have lost Horford and Irving. Bucks have lost Brogdon. Milwaukee will likely be 1st seed, but I can't see the others finishing ahead of Toronto.

[theman23]

Originally Posted by Denscity

Thanks Acajack. BC is so far from Toronto that I'm not sure I've ever seen it spelled out before.

Far in space, but always close to the heart. And apparently always on your mind.

[blueandgoldguy]

Well that sucks. A few days ago I thought Kawai was going to sign with Toronto.

I guess things haven't changed. Despite being a large cosmopolitan city with vast entertainment options the Raptors will always be a distant second for elite American free agent ballers and will have to settle for those a tier below or past their prime like Gasol and Ibaka and Lowry.

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by GernB

KD won't play next year so the Nets aren't a problem. Sixers have lost Butler, Redick and McConnell. Celtics have lost Horford and Irving. Bucks have lost Brogdon. Milwaukee will likely be 1st seed, but I can't see the others finishing ahead of Toronto.

Sixers have gained Horford though, and the Celtics Kemba. Kyrie is a great player but was apparently pretty toxic as a leader - they'll likely be better off without him. Didn't realize Brogdon was gone, but the Bucks still have their core of Giannis & Middleton. As you say they'll probably still be first seed.

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

I guess things haven't changed. Despite being a large cosmopolitan city with vast entertainment options the Raptors will always be a distant second for elite American free agent ballers and will have to settle for those a tier below or past their prime like Gasol and Ibaka and Lowry.

I don't think the quality of the city or the weather or any of that stuff matters to NBA players as much as it might to some of us - I mean how else could you explain the (past) strength of places like Oklahoma City or Cleveland?

More than anything it's the US income tax on Americans working abroad that probably does it. And while some of Lou Williams' comments the other day may have seemed petty, they probably reflect the attitude of most American players.

The Raptors road to success lies drafting & developing promising young players (see: DeRozan, Siakam, Van Vleet, Carter, etc) and signing or trading for big-name Canadian & international free agents. Aside from focusing on Giannis next year, we should also be looking at the possibility of acquiring dudes like RJ Barrett, Jamal Murry, and Joel Embiid, among others in the future.

[GernB]

Sixers strength is all up front, they have nothing in the backcourt as Simmons again proved this season. For the Celtics, Walker replacing Irving is at best a lateral move, while losing Horford weakens an already underperforming forecourt. Indiana looks to be improved with Oladipo coming back and after siging Brogdon.

I'm interested to see what the Raptors do to improve their bench, as drones like Lin, Meeks, Miller and Moreland should be gone. Does Boucher improve sufficiently to become a rotation player? Who else can they find? Signing Stanley Johnson and Matt Thomas isn't gonna do it, though Thomas is reputedly a super three shooter.

[Acajack]

Don't take it personally, Toronto.

Remember John Tavares' tweet of him as a kid in Maple Leafs bedsheets?

Yeah.

[TownGuy]

Not sure what the city has to do with it. The story is he is going to the Clippers because they acquired Paul George. If they hadn't, he was coming back to the Raptors. Yes LA is his home and there was always that but it was the George trade that triggered the signing.

[TorontoDrew]

Thank you Kawai, all the best.

[samne]

Originally Posted by TownGuy

Not sure what the city has to do with it. The story is he is going to the Clippers because they acquired Paul George. If they hadn't, he was coming back to the Raptors. Yes LA is his home and there was always that but it was the George trade that triggered the signing.

This is what we know.

Apparently the Raptors couldnt or wouldnt do this deal with OKC. OKC lso wanted Siakam in return. He is The Raps future.

Kudos to Kawhis camp for getting it done.

Raps aim for Giannis 2022.

[WhipperSnapper]

I wouldn't put that much weight on the George trade. He's a family man. His 20 million dollar house is there. He's endorsement will be better if he doesn't win a championship with the Clippers but, imagine his stock value if he wins with the Clippers.

The only option with Toronto would have been a 2 year deal and its success would have been contingent on going back to back. Basketball is probably the easiest league to go back to back but, I don't know if Kahwi's Raptor are the strongest team in the league. Riskier deal.

[suburbanite]

Word is Kawhi told the Clippers if they got George they got him. He wanted to be in LA but he also doesnt want to have to lay it all on the line every regular season game to fight for a ~4 seed.

Toronto didnt have that guarantee which is why Masai was much more hesitant to meet OKCs price.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by TownGuy

Not sure what the city has to do with it. The story is he is going to the Clippers because they acquired Paul George. If they hadn't, he was coming back to the Raptors. Yes LA is his home and there was always that but it was the George trade that triggered the signing.

I'm hearing that Kawhi has been trying to recruit players to sign with him in L.A. for the last few weeks. He tried to recruit Durant, then when that didn't work out, he successfully recruited Paul George. Looks to me like Leonard had zero intention of signing with Toronto.

Is this what team sports should be? A city supports you and invests in you and these guys don't give a second thought about abandoning that city. And these guys teaming up so they can dominate. I guess they are within their rights to do that, but it doesn't seem right.

Edit - The more I read this story, the angrier I get. This absolutely stinks.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/...tching-durant/

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...eorge-away-okc

[GSS]

Originally Posted by Nicko999

Pretty much...

I am surprised Toronto was in the race as long as it did. That tells us a lot about the city as a basketball market.

Ultimately, LA has better climate, lower taxes, more marketing potential and most importantly is Kawhi's hometown so it was a no brainer.

Yeah, I'm not surprised either. LA's the place he's always wanted to be, he won his championship with Toronto, no use staying there as it's not likely they'd repeat.

[GSS]

Dude, that's the NBA. Championships are decided by which star players deciding on what team they all want to join together. That's why I don't care for the NBA, it's uninteresting as a league unless your team is one the chosen locations for these improv dream teams.
This year was one of the rare years the NBA was interesting because of Toronto's win, but that was only because KD was out, and Klay Thompson wasn't on his A game.

Originally Posted by logan5

I'm hearing that Kawhi has been trying to recruit players to sign with him in L.A. for the last few weeks. He tried to recruit Durant, then when that didn't work out, he successfully recruited Paul George. Looks to me like Leonard had zero intention of signing with Toronto.

Is this what team sports should be? A city supports you and invests in you and these guys don't give a second thought about abandoning that city. And these guys teaming up so they can dominate. I guess they are within their rights to do that, but it doesn't seem right.

Edit - The more I read this story, the angrier I get. This absolutely stinks.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/...tching-durant/

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...eorge-away-okc

[EpicPonyTime]

Originally Posted by logan5

Is this what team sports should be? A city supports you and invests in you and these guys don't give a second thought about abandoning that city. And these guys teaming up so they can dominate. I guess they are within their rights to do that, but it doesn't seem right.

Players are 110% entitled to look after themselves and their interests over the interest of the team. It's absurd to believe that there's a problem with that when it's exactly how the teams operate on the other side.

Don't forget, the Raptors got Kawhi by doing DeRozan dirty. The last thing any Raptors fan can do is turn around and be upset Kawhi did what he felt was best for him.

[acottawa]

And he was only available to the Raptors because everybody knew he was going to bolt for LA after the season.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by GernB

Sixers strength is all up front, they have nothing in the backcourt as Simmons again proved this season. For the Celtics, Walker replacing Irving is at best a lateral move, while losing Horford weakens an already underperforming forecourt. Indiana looks to be improved with Oladipo coming back and after siging Brogdon.

I'm interested to see what the Raptors do to improve their bench, as drones like Lin, Meeks, Miller and Moreland should be gone. Does Boucher improve sufficiently to become a rotation player? Who else can they find? Signing Stanley Johnson and Matt Thomas isn't gonna do it, though Thomas is reputedly a super three shooter.

What do people expect? It’s an American sport being played by Americans.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by whatnext

What do people expect? It’s an American sport being played by Americans.

No offence to Kawhi (he did was he was supposed to do and Toronto got it's championship), but it is a sad state of affairs when a sport (any sport) is held hostage by mercenary sell-sword players who choose to band together and pitch their services to the highest bidder. It certainly does not make for a level playing field, and totally upturns the standard model of most leagues where you build championship teams by careful draft management and shrewd trades. In the NBA, it seems it's the players calling the shots and not the management. I don't think this is particularly healthy for the sport. A few teams favoured by the players prosper while the remainder wither. In the NHL on the other hand, parity is the rule and seemingly anyone can win the Stanley Cup.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by whatnext

What do people expect? It’s an American sport being played by Americans.

While I dont think they purposefuly discriminate against canada, these US leagues are often viewed by many Canadians as something they are not.

They'll always be US-first, no doubt about it.

I mean how could they not be?

It is even true of the NHL now.

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Thank you Kawai, all the best.

Did you just spell his name wrong haha??!! And you've got Toronto in your name and still spelled it wrong.
People from Ontario gave me shit for that I wonder what they will do to one of their own?