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  • KHD wrote: View Post
    not really. we're gonna watch the games no matter what.

    making big $$$ is about keeping the fairweather fans engaged.


    That being said if the raptors are really knocking on the door, people will be paying attention even if they don't win.
    Fairweather fans generally like it when a given team plays well. You know what demonstrates good play? Winning lots of games in the regular season and progressing in the playoffs. That's pretty much it.

    If you win a lot of games and progress in the playoffs, casual fans take notice - precisely why they're such a hot ticket in Toronto, why TV ratings have soared vs the Bosh/Bargnani era, and why the franchise value has continued its climb.

    Now you're saying making the NBA finals wouldn't mean much if they don't win it all? PSSSSHHHHHHHh

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    • SkywalkerAC wrote: View Post
      Fairweather fans generally like it when a given team plays well. You know what demonstrates good play? Winning lots of games in the regular season and progressing in the playoffs. That's pretty much it.

      If you win a lot of games and progress in the playoffs, casual fans take notice - precisely why they're such a hot ticket in Toronto, why TV ratings have soared vs the Bosh/Bargnani era, and why the franchise value has continued its climb.

      Now you're saying making the NBA finals wouldn't mean much if they don't win it all? PSSSSHHHHHHHh
      I don't want my original point to me that a finals appearance is meaningless. If the raptors made the finals, I'd be absolutely utterly euphoric. It'd be memories to last a lifetime. BUT it concerns me when people talk about our now infamous "3 year window" and our best hope being lebron moving west so we reach our destination of a finals. And to me, if your only realistic plan has no hope of getting to the RINGS, the absolute holy grail, you might be doing it wrong.
      9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum

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      • KeonClark wrote: View Post
        ...if your only realistic plan has no hope of getting to the RINGS, the absolute holy grail, you might be doing it wrong.
        I would say that, during this particular era in the NBA, 27 teams in the league are doing it wrong. Cleveland, Golden State and maybe one other team in the west have a chance at a ring over the next three years. So what are the other teams supposed to do? Sell a cow for some magic beans? Seriously. What can their plan be? All they can do is stay competitive and hope something breaks their way. Like a draft pick blows up way beyond expectations. Or some other team is in mad dump mode when everyone else is capped out. Not much you can plan for other than stay as competitive as possible and hope. We've seen what happens when you tank. How has that worked out over the last six years?

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        • KeonClark wrote: View Post
          I don't want my original point to me that a finals appearance is meaningless. If the raptors made the finals, I'd be absolutely utterly euphoric. It'd be memories to last a lifetime. BUT it concerns me when people talk about our now infamous "3 year window" and our best hope being lebron moving west so we reach our destination of a finals. And to me, if your only realistic plan has no hope of getting to the RINGS, the absolute holy grail, you might be doing it wrong.
          You can't win RINGS with the GSW show around.. just impossible man. Even OKC will struggle and they have 3 future HOFer's on that team.. 2 of them in their prime.

          Seriously.. in the NBA you need one of the greatest players to ever play the game to have a chance at the ring. It's so damn tough. Hardest sport to win it all in. I hate parity with a passion, so I can't complain. Raptors have a good/solid team. Maybe one day they'll get that super duper star player like a prime Vince Carter but with good management around him. But I expect that to take another 20 years or so.

          For the time being it's nice cheering for a team that can win more games than they can lose.

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          • I don't get this whole obsession with small ball some of the regular posters have here.
            I know that this is the trend of the NBA and all, but when it comes to the specific situation of our raptors and the current landscape in the NBA, it just doesn't make any sense to go there... I feel like people are having bi-polar conversations all the time here.

            I mean, if you really think that we can outplay the warriors and the cavs at their own game (which is small ball) with our core guys like Lowry and Derozan and Ibaka and it's only a matter of getting a good return in a JV trade... then you are delusional.

            If you think that we can pull of some magic trades and get together a lineup that might be on par with the one of the warriors (something like Kyrie Irving, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Paul Millsap and Anthony Davis and some good bench players)... then you are delusional.

            I over-simplify and generalize on purpose, but those are the two and only "propositions" to beat the cavs and warriors AT SMALL BALL and both are delusional and unrealistic.

            The only realistic and very, very slight chance we have against these teams is by going against the flow and against the trend and by bringing something different to the table, by being unorthodox (just like the heat and warriors were only couple years back).
            We are invested in this makeup for at least 3 more years and we can only hope to maximize the output of this roster and if some circumstances break our way, we have to be ready to take it and run with it.

            We have to go for a hybrid style. Combine big with small. One obvious and key advantage we can have against the cavs and the warriors is JV. He needs to be as good and even better during the regular season and especially the playoffs compared to how he's performing this pre-season (he does look great so far). But the point is to play him and use him a lot and in a fluid way. Impose our advantage on other teams, not the other way around.
            Another layer could be our team-oriented play. We have to maintain our unpredictability with Lowry and DeRozan shooting less and creating more, just like they're doing it this pre-season. Our shooters need to be used regularly, so they can maintain their confidence and consistency. Everybody needs to scrap and hustle on D and those 50/50 plays. If every raptor can do that, we might give ourselves a chance.

            All this and maybe an injury or a bad stretch of basketball from Cavs and Warriors could give us the chance and I would like for our guys to be ready and seize it.

            But if they don't get to the finals or win it all, I'm not gonna be disappointed, as long as they play hard and the right way, sharing the ball...

            I just don't get this attitude and impatience of some who want the raptors to pull off this impossible "something" so we can compete for the ring "right now", otherwise the season is a bust...

            Enjoy the quality team we have now and enjoy the greatness of the Cavs and Warriors. Every decade has its 2 or 3 teams that dominate the league. If we stay alert, ready and patient, one day the Raptors might just be in the same position. In the meanwhile, we can remain very good and lurk for the occasion.

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            • planetmars wrote: View Post
              You can't win RINGS with the GSW show around.. just impossible man. Even OKC will struggle and they have 3 future HOFer's on that team.. 2 of them in their prime.

              Seriously.. in the NBA you need one of the greatest players to ever play the game to have a chance at the ring. It's so damn tough. Hardest sport to win it all in. I hate parity with a passion, so I can't complain. Raptors have a good/solid team. Maybe one day they'll get that super duper star player like a prime Vince Carter but with good management around him. But I expect that to take another 20 years or so.

              For the time being it's nice cheering for a team that can win more games than they can lose.
              The ultimate is always the ring, but it is nice having a few years to watch a good team after so many seasons of terrible teams. I literally used to use League Pass to watch the Spurs after a Raptors game just because the basketball played in the Raptors game was so shitty, my eyes had to be washed out. Now I can actually watch the Raptors and see some good team play, some good basketball being played. If I'm turning on a game in the evening in the middle of the winter and trying to relax after another day at work, honestly that does it for me. At some point basketball as an entertainment outlet in the life of a fan has to weigh in here. I'm fine with them doing this for a couple more years before taking a hard look at resetting the core.
              "We're playing in a building." -- Kawhi Leonard

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              • Yeah I just don't see anyone beating GSW in the next three to four years. Other teams will try, but we are competing to be number 2 for now. There are worse things than developing a consistent winning culture though.
                For still frame photograph of me reading the DeRozan thread please refer to my avatar

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                • JV's looking good though.

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                  • thead wrote: View Post
                    Yeah I just don't see anyone beating GSW in the next three to four years. Other teams will try, but we are competing to be number 2 for now. There are worse things than developing a consistent winning culture though.
                    Yeah I think one thing that is lost is that Masai isn't trying to go all in now, he is still investing heavy in long term potential. Think, how many other teams in tiers 1-3 in the NBA not only have a lot of rookie scale guys, but a lot of good rookie scale guys. In a way, the rebuild for this team is happening now, and rather than give the young guys 25-30 minutes like bad teams do, Raps are trying to supplement that with a winning culture and knowledge from an established core of good players.

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                    • DogeLover1234 wrote: View Post
                      Yeah I think one thing that is lost is that Masai isn't trying to go all in now, he is still investing heavy in long term potential. Think, how many other teams in tiers 1-3 in the NBA not only have a lot of rookie scale guys, but a lot of good rookie scale guys. In a way, the rebuild for this team is happening now, and rather than give the young guys 25-30 minutes like bad teams do, Raps are trying to supplement that with a winning culture and knowledge from an established core of good players.
                      All this time, I read your name to be "Dodge Lover".

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                      • Nilanka wrote: View Post
                        All this time, I read your name to be "Dodge Lover".

                        I especially like the 1234, like dogelover was already taken
                        9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum

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                        • Great article about JV on TSN today: http://www.tsn.ca/talent/confidence-...eason-1.882668

                          I especially like these parts..

                          “I worked on it this summer, just better basketball understanding, better reading so I think that’s the next step I’ve got to take on offence,” said Valanciunas, who even got some advice from countryman Arvydas Sabonis, one of the best passing big men in the history of the sport. “It’s not just about scoring, right? It’s about making the right play, being on the right spot, right timing, seeing the open cutters. You cannot be selfish if you want to win.”
                          "Big men can still do a lot of good things," Valanciunas said. "Rebounding is one of the biggest areas of the game and that’s never going to change. A guard cannot out-rebound a big guy, right? So that part is never going to change. Somebody’s going to need to protect the rim. We’ve got to finish defence with a rebound; it’s always going to be like that. I think those people who are saying that, that big men are going to be out of the league… Not."

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                          • Timing couldn't be better for a breakout season from Jonas. Is there any front court in the weakend East that should give him trouble?

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                            • CalgaryRapsFan wrote: View Post
                              Great article about JV on TSN today: http://www.tsn.ca/talent/confidence-...eason-1.882668

                              I especially like these parts..
                              Did Jonas actually finish the last quote with a 90s-style sarcastic "...NOT!"

                              I love him even more
                              9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum

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                              • Nilanka wrote: View Post
                                Timing couldn't be better for a breakout season from Jonas. Is there any front court in the weakend East that should give him trouble?
                                Well, the Cleveland and Milwaukee frontcourts off the top of my head would be pretty daunting. Tristan Thompson just constantly owns JV on both ends of the floor for whatever reason, and while you'd think he'd have his way with Milwaukee the difficulty they present with their length pretty much prevents entry passes into him in spots he likes, so he becomes a net negative having to deal with Giannis and Parker on defense.

                                Overall though your point is good. Most of the east can't really deal with Jonas's offensive strength.
                                That is a normal collar. Move on, find a new slant.

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