There has been considerable discussion the last several days, in different places on-line, about what has really hurt the Raptors franchise over the course of the last 4.5 seasons.
If you look at yesterday’s blog entry, you will see the list of Major Personnel Moves which the Raptors have made during this specific time period.
These are the team’s records of achievement:
Since 2006, Winter 2005-2006, 27-55, failed to make the playoffs 2006-2007, 47-35, made the playoffs/#3 Seed, Lost 1st Rd 2007-2008, 41-41, made the playoffs/#6 Seed, Lost 1st Rd 2008-2009, 33-49, failed to make the playoffs 2009-2010, 40-42, failed to make the playoffs
—————————-
Projecting Forward
2010-2011, sub .500?, fail to make the playoffs?
2011-2012, sub .500?, fail to make the playoffs?
etc.
When you look at these items closely, what you should begin to see is the illogical reasoning involved with asserting that top flight NBA players have been disinterested in playing for the Raptors … if/when Toronto has legitimately focused on putting together a championship-winning calibre team, which is not something that has actually been done since Steve Stavro [i.e. one-time principal owner] sold his controlling interest in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd.
While a specific team’s fanbase might not fully understand what ‘the game’ is really all about - at least, at the highest levels of competition - elite level NBA players do not fit into this same category.
The fact is … elite level NBA players understand very well that:
* Bottom-line profitability is not what operating a successful franchise in this league is all about;
* Simply fielding a “competitive” [i.e. "winning"] team most seasons is not what operating a successful franchise in this league is all about;
* Trying one’s very best to gradually build a legitimate contending organization which is actually capable of competing for and eventually winning multiple NBA championships is precisely what operating a successful franchise in this league is all about;
and,
* Repeatedly changing the same basic furniture in one’s original ’starter home’ does not equate properly with making an authentic attempt at …
When a team in the NBA makes a series of highly questionable basketball-related personnel decisions … which, on the whole, fail to prioritize the development of a championship-winning organization … over a lengthy period of time, then, the best basketball players in the world, and their respective agents, take note … even if the fans of this specific team do not, because they are focused on the wrong things, e.g. if the best player in the history of their franchise may have “checked out, mentally,” in the 2nd half of last season, since this is what has been identified by [A] the team’s President/GM and [B] certain other no-expert basketball observers, as the chief reason for the current state of the franchise.
During the latter stages of Chris Bosh’s tenure in Toronto, there were a number of highly vocal Raptors fans who suggested that he was someone without the type of “leadership skills” other great players respect.
“When Chris was in high school, he didn’t even say he was the best player on his team,” said Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt, who had Bosh on his team for one year before the then-teenager jumped to the NBA. “And they went 40-0 and won a national championship. That’s who he is. It’s not about who gets credit for what.”
Playing in Toronto wasn’t exactly been a path to superstardom for Bosh. The Raptors—who have ravenous fans in their own city—simply haven’t drawn much attention in the United States, mainly because of a lack of postseason success (Bosh has never reached the second round of the NBA playoffs) and that they’re just not on television as much as the glitzier clubs.
That’ll change now. Oddsmakers in Las Vegas already are saying the Heat are favorites to win the 2011 NBA title.
“Just with us coming together, it’s going to be out there,” Bosh said of the immediate pressure to win. “So we just have to be prepared for that and we have to stay behind each other, keep each other standing tall and just support each other and that’s all it’s about. When you’re having tough times, you rely on your friends, you rely on your teammates to pull you out of it.”
Bosh might only seem like the ‘other guy’ in this Heat star cluster.
No, he doesn’t have the MVP trophies like James and the championship ring like Wade. Make no mistake: He can play.
Bosh is one of only three players with at least 10,000 points, 4,500 rebounds and 600 blocked shots over the last seven seasons, joining Kevin Garnett(notes) and Tim Duncan(notes). He’s averaged a double-double in three of his seven years, and coming off a season where he put up career-highs of 24.0 points, 10.8 rebounds and 52 percent shooting.
And James is already letting Miami know, this team isn’t being built as a one- or two-man operation.
“This is not just all about D-Wade and C.B. and LeBron,” James said. “It’s about the whole team. It’s about the whole organization, starting from the top to the bottom.”
Bosh has been at the bottom for too long, never getting remotely close to an NBA title.
In Miami, thanks to his decision, he’s got that long-awaited chance to finally see the top.
“We just have to take that chance,” Bosh said. “And we were not afraid to be great. So we’ve jumped in the water. Now it’s time to swim.”
——————————————–
It is going to be very interesting to see how Chris Bosh is characterized by the US media moving forward from this point.
From the perspective of yours truly …
There are very good reasons why the USA Men’s National Team failed to win the Gold Medal at the 2006 World Championships but were then able to redeem themselves, 2 years later, at the 2008 Olympic Games …
i.e. which include the presence of Kobe Bryant [OG] and Chris Bosh [C/PF] on the Redeem Team
were written on this blog, well before others in the basketball community first began to recognize what a player like CB4 … if he’s used correctly … actually brings to the table for the he team he plays on, when afforded the opportunity to work with other like-minded individuals who are fervently committed to the concept of making sacrifices in order to win championships:
Hours after Wade met with the Bulls, Bosh, another of the Heat’s top targets, met with the Heat’s delegation in Chicago. It’s possible that Wade could call off his future visits if Bosh commits to the Heat. Moments before his meeting with the Heat, Bosh posted, “looking forward to seeing what Miami has to offer” on his Twitter account. After the meeting with the Heat, Bosh tweeted, “Pat Riley is very passionate about winning.”
——————————————–
Chris Bosh is a special player, in the NBA, and those Raptors fans who chose to only see “weakness” when they looked at his body of work, as the captain for Toronto, just might be eating some serious crow over the next several seasons.
———-
BTW …
When a man like Pat Riley speaks about “winning”, he is not just talking about “the winning of a relatively high number of regular season games and being competitive with some of the other above .500 teams in the NBA”.
When Pat Riley speaks about “winning”, and
Chris Bosh cites Pat Riley’s passion for winning, and
D-Wade speaks about “winning”, and
LeBron James speaks about “winning”,
they are making reference to “the winning of multiple league championships.”
——————————-
——————————-
As opposed to the type of long term goals which have been discussed in Toronto for much of the last 7 years …
We believe we have the best fans in the NBA and we believe in the city and country that we play in. Your passion, pride and support has been tremendous no matter what the circumstances, and we cannot thank you enough for that. We all share a commitment to winning both on and off the floor and MLSE/Toronto Raptors ownership and management will do whatever it takes to WIN while also making the community a better place. Our franchise will evolve and emerge stronger than before, and I assure you that our combined efforts will produce the WINNER you are hoping for.
Sincerely,
Bryan Colangelo
bc sig
President and General Manager
Toronto Raptors Basketball Club
———————————–
and search carefully for a reference to the …
Winning of a NBA Championship?
[Hint: The specific words you are looking for are "NBA Championship".]
Incredulously …
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. [MLSE], and its President/General Manager for the Toronto Raptors, Bryan Colangelo, STILL DON”T SEEM TO REALLY GET THE MESSAGE.
It is simply not “good enough” to try to put a “winning” product on the floor in this league year-after-year.
What is actually REQUIRED, at least, from a 1st-class organization, to be able to get and, then, retain enough of the best players in the world is to:
First. State publicly that it is your intention to try your VERY BEST to build a championship-winning organization;
and, then,
Second. Through a whole series of actions which you take, begin to MAKE THAT INTENTION COME TO LIFE gradually, over a number of years, within the framework of a comprehensive Plan Of Attack.
The fact is …
Empty promises are worth less than the pen and paper which they are written with … usually in invisible ink.
———————————–
PS. Whatever people are advising Bryan Colangelo to write this sort of nonsense should be removed immediately from his inner circle.
Against almost all the odds … with disparate sirens calling the names of each of his respective targets to other destinations across the league - i.e. to New York, Chicago, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Toronto, Dallas, Houston and Cleveland - Pat Riley, architect of the Miami Heat, has now pulled off one of the all-time great managerial “plays” in the annals of the NBA by retaining and, then, acquiring the services of …
not just one,
not just two,
but,
in fact …
three of the very best players in the league:
Dwyane Wade, OG, 6-4, 220
2003, No. 5 [overall] Draft Pick
2006, NBA Finals MVP
2006, NBA Champions [Miami Heat]
2008, USA Men’s National “Redeem” Team, Gold Medal Winner
6-time NBA All-Star
Chris Bosh, C/PF
2003, No. 4 [overall] Draft Pick
2008, USA Men’s National “Redeem” Team, Gold Medal Winner
5-time NBA All-Star
LeBron James, SF, 6-8, 260
2003, No. 1 [overall] Draft Pick
2008, USA Men’s National “Redeem” Team, Gold Medal Winner
2009, NBA MVP
2010, NBA MVP
6-time NBA All-Star
to form the foundation of his TEAM, in Miami, for the next decade.
———————————–
A terrific biblical quotation reads like this:
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
For those who can truly appreciate what goes into the building of a championship-winning organization …
It is going to be a great deal of fun to watch how this construction occurs, in South Beach, over the next few years:
given some of the other top teams in the NBA at the moment [e.g. the Lakers, Celtics, Magic, Jazz, Blazers, Thunder, Bulls, Hawks, etc.
For those who would choose to vilify others for the choices which they make in life, in pursuit of happiness, fulfilment, and the realization of their personal objectives ... hopefully, they too will take a step back, gain some badly needed perspective:
Last Saturday, me and a few friends of mine went on a hike. We were led to believe it would be a three-hour day hike, but we ended spending nearly all day climbing up a freaking mountain. It was miserable. At some point during the hike/climb, I realized that a goal-oriented view of hiking makes very little sense. Was the moment I was working for the moment I got to the top of the mountain, only to realize I was now going to have to scramble down this freaking thing? Was it the moment we got to the car, too exhausted to do anything but drive to the nearest gas station, buy a bunch of Gatorade, and drink it in silence? Was it when we got home and finally got to shower? Which one of those moments was supposed to make the whole miserable experience worthwhile? Was it when we could tell very unimpressed people that we climbed a relatively small peak?
The answer, of course, is none of them. If you don’t enjoy the process of hiking/climbing mountains, there is no way to justify the activity. Professional cyclists often talk about how the love of suffering itself is something all good cyclists must have on one level or another. More and more, I feel the same way about being a sports fan. If you’re waiting for that one game, one moment, one play, one championship, three championships, that will make all that suffering go away and let you feel nothing but warm inside when you think about your favorite players and teams, I suggest taking up quilting. To be a die-hard fan is to suffer. You just have to enjoy the little victories that you find while you’re suffering.
Maybe you believe that all the great things LeBron James did in the last seven years were just a dress rehearsal for the moments when he ultimately failed to deliver. Maybe you believe that all the good things you thought about LeBron over the years were revealed to be the products of deceit when LeBron started acting like a jackass who believed himself to be bigger than the game this summer. I suppose those are valid viewpoints. They do not happen to be my own.
For the first two years of his career, LeBron James was perhaps the most exciting prospect the game has ever known. For the next three years of his career, LeBron was an underaged MVP candidate who gave the Cavs a fighting chance at a championship. For the last two years, LeBron has been a dominant individual force who turned the Cavs into true championship contenders. For the last seven years, Cleveland basketball has been something to feel good about. When you think about it, that’s something.
If LeBron does decide to stay tomorrow, it will still never be the same as it was before; LeBron is no longer the golden child, and the Cavs won’t have the buzz around them that they once did. If he does leave, it will be one of the lowest moments in the history of one of the most tormented American sports cities. Either way, an era will officially end tomorrow.
The seven seasons that made up the (1st act of?) the LeBron Era in Cleveland ultimately ended in disappointment, failure, heartbreak, misery, doubt, bitterness, and plenty of suffering for everyone who lived and died with LeBron and the team he led. Personally, I wouldn’t trade those seven years of watching LeBron play for anything in the world.
-----------------------------------
and then continue to live their own life to the best of their ability, in a positive and constructive way, while trying to help others achieve their dreams.
"Life is fast; and, things happen quickly." - Derek Fisher
For men like Micky Arison, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and [now] LeBron James, it truly is never about “the money” but, rather:
1. Finding;
2. Developing; and, then,
3. Making a full commitment to, “The Winner Within,” arm-in-arm with a band of like-minded brothers having The Right Stuff that champions are made of.
Kudos to each one for being willing to try to make this happen TOGETHER … against all-comers.
PS. To the other serious “players”, in the NBA: The stakes have just been raised!
PPS. To those with feint hearts, and/or a general lack of commitment: Best you think about completely getting out of the game.
Others can choose to hate him, if they wish; that’s their right, as fans and paying customers.
The facts are these, however:
1. Chris Bosh was a loyal, hard-working, team-oriented employee of the Toronto Raptors for a span of 7 full seasons, during which it was the team’s upper management that consistently let him down, not the other way around;
2. Chris Bosh signed to a contract extension with the Raptors on July 15, 2006 because he felt that the situation in Toronto, at that time, working under the direction of Bryan Colangelo, the team’s new President/GM, was the best fit for him, in terms of being able to develop as an elite player and compete for a league championship in the not-too-distant future.
3. The personnel decisions made by the Raptors over the last 5 seasons:
have now shown Chris Bosh that the Raptors do not know how to build a championship calibre franchise.
———————————–
———————————–
“I’m a winner. Dwyane’s a winner. We are going to bring winning to Miami.” - Chris Bosh [July 7, 2010]
It was many months ago that you were first told by yours truly:
If Chris Bosh eventually decides not to re-sign with the Raptors it will be, primarily, because he no longer trusts, believes, and thinks their organization is fully committed to and capable of building a league championship-winning operation.
Unfortunately, that observation … stated here, in public, well in advance … has now turned out to have been 100% accurate.
For a person like Chris Bosh, it was never about the money.
Kudos to him for making a sound decision about his future career.
———————————–
PS. Anyone who would try to tell you that Toronto, as a world-class cosmopolitan city, is not a place where Prime Time NBA players actually want to play is simply clueless. THE MAJOR PROBLEM which the Raptors have isn’t connected to this myth at all. Until this franchise implements a new paradigm which prioritizes The Winning Of A League Championship and, then, makes a whole series of better [i.e. more sound] long term personnel decisions, regarding such things as who they decide to hire as their President, GM, Assistant GMs, Director of Scouting, Direct of Player Development, Scouts, Head Coach and associate staff, etc., there will be no significant improvement in their on-court performance.
… he made his intentions quite clear, with respect to:
1. His decision to declare for unrestricted free agency this summer;
2. His desire for a maximum contract;
3. His willingness to listen to the sales pitches of other teams
4. His willingness to re-sign with the Raptors after July 1, if the team does the right things in the interim to indicate that Toronto would, in fact, be the best place for him to continue his pro career, as an elite level player who is committed to [i] maximizing his ability, and [ii] trying to win the NBA championship
Q1. Has Chris Bosh done anything since that press conference to indicate that he has changed his mind about any of these 4 intentions?
A1. No, he has not.
Q2. Have the Raptors done anything since that press conference to indicate that they are committed to building a championship calibre team in Toronto?
- retained Jay Triano, as their head coach
- retained Andrea Bargnani [C], as their No. 2 scorer [with Bosh]
- alienated Hedo Turkoglu, as their principal acquisition from last season
- added PJ Carlesimo, as a new assistant coach
- added Ed Davis [PF], as a 2010 1st Round Draft Pick/No. 13
- added Solomon Alabi [C], as a 2010 2nd Round Draft Pick/No. 50
- extended an olive branch to Hedo Turkoglu, as their No. 3 scorer [with Bosh]
- re-signed Amir Johnson [PF], as their own UFA
A2. No, they have not.
=====================
PART 2
i. Was the major weakness on last year’s Raptors team the poor performance of its front-court players?
[e.g. considering the play of Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, Amir Johnson, Reggie Evans, Rasho Nesterovic, Patrick O'Bryant and Joey Dorsey]
or,
ii. Was the major weakness on last year’s Raptors team the poor performance of its Point Guards?
[e.g. considering the play of Jose Calderon, Jarrett Jack and Marcus Banks]
or,
iii. Was the major weakness of last year’s Raptors team the poor performance of its wing players?
[e.g. DeMar DeRozan/1st-yr, Hedo Turkoglu, Antoine Wright/UFA, Sonny Weems/2nd-yr, and Marco Belinelli/3rd-yr]
==================
Unfortunately …
and despite the message which the team’s fans are being given by the Basketball Operations department of MLSE,
… it does not seem as though Bryan Colangelo has a solid grasp of where the team’s REAL problems are actually rooted [i.e. #1. The overall attitude and under-whelming performance of Andrea Bargnani, C; and, #2. Their current slate of less-than stellar wing players].
==================
PART 3
If Chris Bosh does not eventually re-sign with the Raptors, he will have made a sound basketball decision, based upon what the Raptors’ management team has shown him over the course of his 7 seasons in the NBA, including the personnel moves which they’ve made [and not made], thus far, this summer … if his primary goal is to compete for a league championship.
If Chris Bosh does eventually re-sign with the Raptors, he will have made a sound financial decision, based upon the fact that he can earn an additional $30.0 M more of guaranteed money from the Toronto Raptors, over the course of his 6-yr maximum contract.
The next week, or so, is going to be very interesting, and should solidify what exactly Chris Bosh’s priorities actually are, both, as a person and an elite basketball player.
Unfortunately, the Toronto Raptors priorities have been established for quite some time already, as a profit-centered business operation.
In this season of unreason, this silly and powerful hurricane, the safe bet remains this: Chris Bosh is leaving. Even the team thinks so.
“I think it’s likely that he will leave,” Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo told The Fan 590’s Prime Time Sports on Monday. “It’s the perfect storm for Chris Bosh to leave.”
Other Raptor sources, contacted on Monday, believe the same thing. “My gut tells me he’s leaving,” said one.
A source close to Bosh yesterday was asked if Bosh had made a final decision on where to play next year, and the source said, “He hasn’t.” The source, however, conceded that Bosh is tired of being the centrepiece of a team that has yet to escape the first round of the playoffs during his career.
“It’s like if you went to work every day and you worked hard, and you never got a promotion,” the source said. “You want a chance to get ahead.”
———————
as the ‘witching hour’ approaches, after consistently espousing a different view for the better part of the last 12+ months, then …
what does it really say about the overall quality of the organization which he represents?
and then plausibly try to suggest that what was written in this space, in the aftermath of Toronto selecting Ed Davis [PF] and Solomon Alabi [C] in last week’s 2010 NBA Draft was in some way incorrect, regarding [i] the chief reason these two players were selected over others and [ii] how the Raptors now view the likelihood of Chris Bosh re-signing with them this summer.
The fact is …
What’s been written in this space … largely, in advance … about the nature of the goings-on with the Raptors franchise over the course of the last 3+ years has been highly/substantially accurate, concerning such things as:
1. The chief reason why Chris Bosh will leave this team, if he decides that he longer wishes to be an employee of the Raptors, i.e. he will have lost faith in the GM and owners’ ability to ever build a championship-winning franchise around him, based on what he has seen occur, since February 2006, a period of 4+ years;
and,
2. The actual source of THE problem which exits within the Raptors’ organization, and can be traced back up the chain-of-command from the players to the head coach and staff, the GM, the CEO/President and, ultimately, to the team’s principal owners [i.e. MLSE] … who also own the equally inept Toronto Maple Leafs [and Toronto Football Club/TFC] … and are primarily focused on achieving THE WRONG OBJECTIVE, as owners of a franchise in the NBA - i.e. making a consistent profit for its joint shareholders, as opposed to trying their very best to win the league championship - while perpetually deluding its own fanbase.
3. The Raptors being little more than a ‘Treadmill Team’ … i.e. continually spinning their wheels, and making no serious headway up the Eastern Conference Standings … and effectively wasting the plethora of resources which have been at their disposal for the last several seasons [in fact, going all the way back to 1997-1998 when Glen Grunwald was first elevated to the position of GM and the team was brought under the full control of MLSE].
Yesterday, it was suggested by Henry Abbott that THE MOST IMPORTANT element in play when determining which free agents actually sign with which organizations in the NBA is, in fact, the perceived strength and competency of the respective owners within the league.
The question which was then asked here was:
“Where do you suppose Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Limited [MLSE] is ranked [amongst the list of 30 principal owners in the NBA], according to TrueHoop?“
Unfortunately, until the owners of this team are perceived to be fully committed to the notion of building an authentic championship-winning organization in Toronto … which encompasses a number of different areas within the pro game, including [but not limited to] the following:
* Acquiring the best management team possible with championship-winning experience and a sound Basketball Philosophy
* Acquiring the best coaching staff possible with championship-winning experience and a sound Basketball Philosophy
* Acquiring the best collection of players possible with elite level basketball ability, including the right mix of [i] star players [plural], [ii] support players [plentiful], and [iii] highly effective role players throughout the roster
* Committing the financial resources required to get the job done right, by building gradually over an extended number of years within the framework of an integrated and comprehensive Plan of Attack
there will be no REAL substantive improvement … at least, over the long haul … in the fortunes of the Raptors franchise, relative to the other elite level outfits in the NBA.
A perfect storm?
When you wasted huge chunks of time … e.g. like the last 12 months … building the foundation of your house, essentially, on quick-sand, i.e. Could a Bargnani trade benefit the Raptors?, then …
Top 10 teams in the league – average spend: $80.3 million Bottom 10 – average spend: $66.1 million ($63.5 million excluding WAS, NYK & NOH)
That’s almost the equivalent of an extra max player, i.e. $16.8M (if we use the latter figure).
What does MLSE “need” to spend to reach the 50+ win plateau? $76.3 million is the average.
If we exclude OKC and POR that just made 50 wins (and have the luxury of rookie scale contracts – a result a savy drafting), that number goes to $80.2 million.
I’ve got scenarios where I can paint a picture that we’ll be a 3-million-dollar tax team. I’ve got scenarios where we’ll be a 7-million-dollar tax team. And I’ve got scenarios where we’ll be higher than that. – Bryan Colangelo
We can conclude that we likely need to spend in Colangelo’s “higher than that” category to be a contender. I don’t want a 50 win team – I want a contender. Having said that, we are putting together a few ideas on where we may be able to “trade for value” such that we work towards that goal – but MLSE will still have to spend will above the cap.
—————————————————–
This corner would go 1 step further, however, if the Toronto Raptors …
No.
RAPTORS/#9
$70 M
1
Bosh
16
2
Turkoglu
9
3
Calderon
8
4
Bargnani
7
5
Evans
5
6
Jack
5
7
Banks
5
8
Johnson
4
9
Wright
2
10
DeRozan
2
11
Nesterovic
2
12
Belinelli
2
13
Weems
1
14
Dorsey
1
15
O’Bryant
1
TOP 5
$45 M
LEGEND: Bright Green – Starter; Dark Green – Key Sub; Yellow – Reserve; Blue – Extra.
… are truly serious about becoming a legitimate contender for the NBA championship, in the not-too-distant future.
The cold HARSH REALITY is that, in order to accomplish this objective, Toronto will need to add OTHER High End players to their roster, while keeping Chris Bosh, which would then increase their Player Payroll somewhere between $9.0 M [i.e. low end] and $20.0 M, at a minimum.
Given the following FACTS from the 2009-2010 season:
Salary Cap = $58 M [approx.]
Luxury Tax Threshold = $70 M [approx.]
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALISTS
No.
LAKERS/#1
$103 M
SPURS/#7
$90 M
SUNS/#3
$79 M
JAZZ/#5
$83 M
1
Bryant
23
Duncan
22
Stoudemire
16
Kirilenko
16
2
Gasol
16
Jefferson
14
Nash
13
Williams
14
3
Bynum
13
Parker
13
Richardson
13
Boozer
12
4
Odom
8
Ginobili
11
Barbosa
7
Okur
9
5
Artest
6
McDyess
5
Hill
3
Millsap
8
6
Fisher
5
Mason
4
Frye
2
Korver
5
7
Walton
5
Bonner
3
Dragic
2
Miles
4
8
Vujacic
5
Hill
1
Lopez
2
Matthews
1
9
Morrison
5
Blair
1
Clark
2
Price
1
10
Farmar
2
Bogans
1
Amundson
1
Fesenko
1
11
Brown
2
Hairston
1
Dudley
1
Koufos
1
12
Powell
1
Mahinmi
1
Collins
1
Gaines
1
13
Mbenga
1
Temple
1
Griffin
1
Jeffers
1
14
Gee
1
Jones
1
15
Jerrells
1
TOP 5
$66 M
TOP 5
$65 M
TOP 5
$52 M
TOP 5
$59 M
LEGEND: Bright Green – Starter; Dark Green – Key Sub; Yellow – Reserve; Blue – Extra.
EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALISTS
No.
CAVALIERS/#1
$102 M
MAGIC/#2
$93 M
HAWKS/#3
$76 M
CELTICS/#4
$95 M
1
O’Neal
21
Lewis
18
Johnson
15
Pierce
20
2
James
16
Carter
16
Smith-Jos
11
Allen-R
19
3
Jamison
12
Howard
15
Crawford
9
Garnett
16
4
Williams-M
9
Nelson
8
Williams
8
Wallace
6
5
Varejao
6
Gortat
6
Bibby
6
Perkins
5
6
West
4
Pietrus
5
Pachulia
5
Robinson
5
7
Gibson
4
Bass
4
Smith-Joe
5
Allen-T
3
8
Parker
3
Redick
3
Horford
4
Davis
3
9
Moon
3
Barnes
2
Evans
3
Finley
3
10
Telfair
3
Johnson
2
Teague
1
Scalabrine
3
11
Ilgauskas
1
Anderson
1
West
1
Gaffney
3
12
Hickson
1
Foyle
1
Morris
1
Lafayette
3
13
Williams-J
1
Williams
1
Collins
1
Rondo
2
14
Powe
1
Daniels
2
15
Green
1
Williams
1
TOP 5
$64 M
TOP 5
$63 M
TOP 5
$49 M
TOP 5
$66 M
LEGEND: Bright Green – Starter; Dark Green – Key Sub; Yellow – Reserve; Blue – Extra.
AVERAGE PLAYER PAYROLL FOR PLAYOFF SEMI-FINALISTS = $90 M
To believe anything else is … quite simply … pie in the sky dreaming.
Pictures and words, together, are almost always a potent mix, in Raptorville … the day after the season ends …
Part I
Part 2
Part 3
—————————————————
If Bryan Colangelo does his job properly this summer, then, Chris Bosh will eventually re-sign with the Toronto Raptors, as an unrestricted free agent … for a maximum contract, worth some $30.0 M more dollars [in total] than he can obtain from any other suitor in the NBA … in an effort to finish what he started 7 seasons ago.
Conversely …
If Bryan Colangelo fails to do his job properly this summer, then, Chris Bosh will not re-sign with the Toronto Raptors, as an unrestricted free agent.
It’s really as simple as that.
Toronto is a world class city … with a rabid pro sports fanbase … and the only reason the Raptors have been unable to produce a truly HIGH END team, over the course of their first 15 years in the league, is because of the repeated managerial incompetence of their Owners and GMs.
“I have to continue building this basketball team following the same philosophy, convictions and instinct that have helped me find success throughout my career,” Colangelo said. “No disrespect, but I can’t let the media (or bloggers for that matter) dictate the way we conduct our business. In the end, winning games is the single biggest key to keeping our fans content and engaged.”
——————————————–
… and it speaks to the very heart of the biggest problems facing this 15 year old NBA franchise, both, at the moment and heading forward.
To wit:
The person responsible for running the Raptors on a day-to-day basis [on behalf of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd./MLSE] and, supposedly, with a set of well-defined long term objectives, as well, is someone who thinks that:
i. HIS OWN CAREER TO-DATE reflects “success”, as an executive in the NBA … without EVER having been associated with an organization which has actually WON THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP.
ii. The “business” of a legitimate NBA franchise does NOT actually involve EVER TRYING TO WIN A LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP.
iii. “Winning” a fairly high number of regular season “games” is what operating a legitimate franchise in the NBA is really all about, rather than actually trying to win the League Championship … ever.
iv. The primary “objective” of a legitimate franchise in the NBA is to simply keep its fanbase “content and engaged” … or, in other words, placated … by placing an emphasis on “winning” a fairly high number of regular season “games” and creating the perception of being a “competitive” entity in the pro basketball landscape, rather than actually BEING COMMITTED to winning the League Championship, like the other Top NBA Franchises are, on a continual basis [e.g. the LA Lakers, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, etc.].
v. HIS own PHILOSOPHY, CONVICTIONS and INSTINCT for the game of professional North American basketball have, to this point, generated “successful” teams … without EVER having reached the LEAGUE FINALS, not to mention actually having won the CHAMPIONSHIP, during his tenure as the General Manager for the Phoenix Suns and the Toronto Raptors, 2 of the wealthiest franchises in the history of the NBA.
When this corner of the blogosphere comes across a statement like this … which blatantly mis-states what THE OBJECTIVES of a legitimate NBA franchise SHOULD BE … it is simply sickening.
In stark contrast to the views expressed in this quote by Bryan Colangelo …
1. Legitimate NBA franchises have owners and day-to-day operators for whom an annual operating budget of approximately $100.0 M is a mere drop in the bucket, compared to the overall “net worth” of their financial holdings.
2. Legitimate NBA franchises have owners and day-to-day operators for whom the ACTUAL GOAL is TRYING TO WIN THE LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP, on behalf of their heavily committed and enduring fanbase.
3. Legitimate NBA franchises have owners and day-to-day operators for whom the ACTUAL GOAL of TRYING TO WIN THE LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP is PRIORITY No. 1 and what fuels EVERYTHING ELSE the organization happens to REPRESENT within their specific community [i.e. locally and regionally] at-large … which includes [A] the development of increased civic pride and [B] ”Making A Commitment To Achieve [personal and/or communal] Excellence.”
4. Legitimate NBA franchises have owners and day-to-day operators for whom the objective of winning a fairly high number of regular season games just happens to be an essential BY-PRODUCT of “Making A Commitment To Achieve Excellence” - not the reverse - and a necessary concomitant of establishing the following hierarchy, while working backwards from the identified end-point:
PART VI - Doing what’s necessary to win the NBA Championship, again … and, again, etc.
PART V - Winning the NBA Championship.
PART IV - Winning enough playoff rounds to earn a place in the Conference Finals, on a consistent basis.
PART III - Winning enough regular season games to earn a Top Seed in the playoffs, on a consistent basis.
PART II - Winning enough regular season games to qualify for the playoffs.
PART I - Building a championship calibre organization … the right way, from the ground floor up … by hiring the right individuals, with the right priorities, in the first place, who ALREADY KNOW HOW TO ACHIEVE “Part VI,” and are committed to doing so, once again, in this specific environment.
————
Unfortunately, based on the exact words which he actually uses, all too frequently, and his day-to-day actions …
If Bryan Colangelo is ever able to lead an organization to a League Championship in the NBA it will simply be akin to,
“Even a blind squirrel eventually finding an acorn, every once in a while.”
Until such time, however, die-hard fans of the team which he operates shouldn’t EVER expect their favourite franchise to actually,
“Make A Commitment To Achieving Excellence,”
over a protracted period of years.
This is simply NOT how this man has operated in his NBA career to-date … which is a TRUE pity.
The great City of Toronto DESERVES so much more from its professional basketball franchise than just being “entertained” - i.e. “content and engaged” - by a somewhat competive on-court “product” which is put on display by a money making operation like Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., in comparison with other places across North America like Los Angeles, Boston, San Antonio, Miami, Salt Lake City, Miami, Orlando, Dallas, New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Portland, etc.
Kudos to Jeff Blair …
but, what the Raptors’ organization is REALLY lacking is …
A FUNDAMENTAL Commitment To Doing What’s Necessary To Eventually Win A NBA Championship.
[ ... which is precisely why their GM never, ever speaks about it!]
Until THIS simple fact is changed, this franchise has absolutely zero hope of ever rising up to the top of the NBA.
