Has your opinion of Masai Ujiri changed lately ?

[thead]

I like just about everything he has done with the exception of the T-Ross extension. I hope to be wrong about that in the future though

[S.R.]

The thing is he was only getting started with what he wanted to do in Denver and with Toronto, he cleaned up Colangelo's mess and is also getting started now.


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I really hope he gets a long leash. A lot of GM's get canned after too short a time. Not every move will work out and the end of every contract opens up new cap space and new opportunity. Every season and offseason you have trade and drafting opportunities that are unique every year. (If BC had a chance to draft Anthony Davis instead of Andrea Bargnani, how different would his record look?) I trust Masai's smarts enough that I hope he gets a good amount of time to work on this team. A big part of it is youth and development, which is a multi-year process. Each year the talent in the pipeline will be better and better when you have a GM who knows how to trade for picks and prospects, instead of trading them away. You do that and all of a sudden your whole legacy does not depend on one big FA signing.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

I'll reserve judgment until after the 2016 offseason, highlighted by determining the fate/future of Casey and DeRozan.

The thing with MU is that there really isn't anything he's done that I have a problem with.

Positive things
- trading Bargnani for a good return (which could wind up being a phenomenal return with a little lottery help)
- trading Gay for a bench and no bad contracts
- trading Vasquez for a good return
- stacking all positions with quality young prospects in the 3rd string
- acquiring additional draft picks (especially compared to BC who was known to deal picks away), including multiple 1st round picks in 2016 & 2017
- creating a very liquid roster (ie: not a single useless player and/or albatross contract on the roster)
- going after (and at least getting a meeting with solid feedback) a big name free agent at a key position of need
- helping to change perception of Toronto among players/agents/media around the league

Neutral things - questionable, TBD, etc...
- keeping Casey after a second straight 1st round exit that was even worse than the first (I have 4 million guesses why)
- signing 29 year old Carroll to such a big/long contract (given that they're not exactly in win-now mode)
- re-signing Ross to such a big contract

[S.R.]

I like just about everything he has done with the exception of the T-Ross extension. I hope to be wrong about that in the future though

"Get the fuck off my page."

[Simplicity]

The thing is he was only getting started with what he wanted to do in Denver and with Toronto, he cleaned up Colangelo's mess and is also getting started now.


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That's why I said I thought it wouldn't be fair to judge him until the end of this off-season and he's still considered unproven

[SkywalkerAC]

Still had a masterful offseason, and the team is doing well despite being very young on the back end.

Fuck cap space.

[S.R.]

Still had a masterful offseason, and the team is doing well despite being very young on the back end.

Fuck cap space.

Easier said than done.

[planetmars]

I don't have faith that he knows what he's doing with regards to hiring/firing coaches. Casey was a BC hire.. he could have been let go since day 1 and has clung on. I'm hoping he's gone by season's end, but its not a sure thing.

The TRoss thing is confusing but he can correct that just like he fixed GV, Bargnani and Gay.

Another question mark is what happens with DD's free agency. Is he brought back? For how much? And what happens if he is brought back? What do you do to fix the roster if you're capped out?

I was a lot more optimistic a couple of years back. I've become more cautiously optimistic. I haven't been totally jaded yet, but it could happen by season's end.

[Henry_Chinaski]

Stuff that concerns me:

1) obviously TR contract.
2) drafting Bruno and Wright - off course, the jury is still out and it's way too early to tell. But I was hoping for at least one rookie to produce just a little bit. Maybe Portis or Harrell (or Capela last year) would've been a better choice. Ross is the last drafted player who is in rotation.

[Letter N]

He's too loyal for his own good.

Other than that he's been good.

[Nilanka]

I dunno. I actually wasn't too impressed with the offseason. Made some "bold" moves, but they feel like lateral moves, substituting defense for offense. This core is still Lowry/DeRozan/Jonas plus parts. We're still hard-pressed to make much noise come April.

If Masai's master plan is to go hard after Durant or Horford, then that's not much of a plan at all. We're currently on that dreaded treadmill (not good enough to compete for a title, but not terrible enough for a high draft pick). A short playoff run this year and the treadmill will be all but official....which is funny considering Masai vowed to never ride one.

[SkywalkerAC]

Easier said than done.

How do you mean?

[JimiCliff]

My opinion hasn't changed. Still think he's doing an excellent job.

He's playing the long game; picking up assets; in full-on 'Rockets before the Harden trade' mode. Has not made any moves to sacrifice the future, because there's no reason to yet. He's trying to build a culture, and it's coming along...

At this point, I think his trickiest call is, what to do with Lowry? I think KLoe's actively working against the culture Masai's after, in terms of attitude and selflessness. I think part of Masai has to be thinking, 'sell high'...

[white men can't jump]

I dunno. I actually wasn't too impressed with the offseason. Made some "bold" moves, but they feel like lateral moves, substituting defense for offense. This core is still Lowry/DeRozan/Jonas plus parts. We're still hard-pressed to make much noise come April.

If Masai's master plan is to go hard after Durant or Horford, then that's not much of a plan at all. We're currently on that dreaded treadmill (not good enough to compete for a title, but not terrible enough for a high draft pick). A short playoff run this year and the treadmill will be all but official....which is funny considering Masai vowed to never ride one.

Did Masai vow we'd never be a treadmill team? I thought it was more along the lines of the goal will always be a championship and it's not enough to just make the playoffs. Doesn't mean he can magically turn a treadmill team into a contender or that he'll blow it up as soon as it's obvious they're not. And I would think another short playoff run brings some major change, likely starting with the coach but maybe not limited to that.

I do agree with your first paragraph though. Think in terms of talent it's mostly a lateral bunch of moves, but I liked the moves because we got more D, and got players who are known as good system players on O with Cojo and Carroll, as well as a high IQ vet in Scola. So while I don't think we got more talented, we got better on the defensive side, and we got players who'll require a more organized, team-oriented offense. It will expose Casey if he fails to do a good job coaching, especially offensively.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

Did Masai vow we'd never be a treadmill team? I thought it was more along the lines of the goal will always be a championship and it's not enough to just make the playoffs. Doesn't mean he can magically turn a treadmill team into a contender or that he'll blow it up as soon as it's obvious they're not. And I would think another short playoff run brings some major change, likely starting with the coach but maybe not limited to that.

I do agree with your first paragraph though. Think in terms of talent it's mostly a lateral bunch of moves, but I liked the moves because we got more D, and got players who are known as good system players on O with Cojo and Carroll, as well as a high IQ vet in Scola. So while I don't think we got more talented, we got better on the defensive side, and we got players who'll require a more organized, team-oriented offense. It will expose Casey if he fails to do a good job coaching, especially offensively.

I believe what MU said is that the Raptors would never be caught in no man's land, which is essentially on the dreaded treadmill that Nilanka explained.

The same head coach with the same core, coming off back-to-back 1st round exits, the latest one a step back from the previous one. If it looks like a dog and barks like a dog...