Everything Masai Ujiri

[G__Deane]

Dude you really are an idiot.

As you try so hard to make everything somehow racist, your next line of defense is to try and twist every damn innocent statement as racist itself and pat yourself on the back through it all. One of these days you might actually guess the colour of my skin and then stfu. I've never offered that because it's a weak azz thing to throw out there. Especially to people like you.

Not giving you more than that on a message board so you can guess or accuse or deny all you like. I got nothing to prove to you. But still stfu.

[A.I]

If my auntie had a dick, she'd be my uncle.

Masai is the #1 reason for the 2019 championship, not Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi Leonard is in fact fortunate that Masai Ujiri plucked him from his situation and plopped him into this one, then went and got Marc Gasol after. He's a 2x champion and he has the 2 best run organizations in the NBA (spurs w/duncan and raps w/lowry) to thank. Until we see him drag Paul George to a championship in LA, he's not as inevitable as some think.

Its funny when people say Kawhi gave the Raptors a championship as if Masai wasn't the one who brought him here, sure maybe the Spurs didn't want to trade him to one of the LA teams, but many other teams were interested, no one else pulled the trigger because Kawhi wanted to be in LA.

Even then, Kawhi was a part of this team and worked his ass off to win the championship. You could say Kawhi helped enhance Masai and Kyle's reputations, but those 2 did the same for Kawhi. He sure did a good job with his own and PG's reputation against the Nuggets...

[G__Deane]

Both Masai and Adam Silver coming out tonight in full support of each other after the sheriff idiocy. Masai remains a class act when he could have taken a well deserved shot.

[golden]

Its funny when people say Kawhi gave the Raptors a championship as if Masai wasn't the one who brought him here, sure maybe the Spurs didn't want to trade him to one of the LA teams, but many other teams were interested, no one else pulled the trigger because Kawhi wanted to be in LA.

Even then, Kawhi was a part of this team and worked his ass off to win the championship. You could say Kawhi helped enhance Masai and Kyle's reputations, but those 2 did the same for Kawhi. He sure did a good job with his own and PG's reputation against the Nuggets...

How dare you sound reasonable? In the brave new internet world, there is no such thing as a win-win anymore.

[G__Deane]

Behind the scenes of Masai Ujiri's Giants of Africa now streaming on cbc.ca

[S.R.]

In some ways, it's the opposite: the drive (or more accurately, the pressure) to win is intense these days. These days you can be league MVP, but until you win a chip, all your achievements are discredited. Not just by fans, but by old legends (Shaq, Magic, MJ, etc...).

The days of Stockton and Malone losing with honor and still being respected are gone. The pressure to win is now so strong that elite players feel the need to stack the deck, which was legitimized by Lebron, Wade and Bosh teaming up in their primes.

So, we need to have a legit elite player that is respected by his elite peers on our roster, before we can even be in the conversation. Otherwise, trying to get 2 elite players to team up and come to Toronto wouldn't be that appealing.

Yeah I think that's true for the top guys trying to get their first ring (and Lebron every year) for sure. Buddying up with another superstar to win a ring seems to be top priority in a bunch of FA decisions and trade demand preferred destinations.

Then there are role players who walk out of winning situations all the time for a bit more money, more minutes, or whatever. Dwight, Rondo, etc. are constantly bouncing around and sometimes seem to happily go from a top team to a garbage one. The whole thing definitely looks like more of a career for some guys, they're getting paid, doing what they want, maybe winning along the way and maybe not. I mean they'd generally be much more competitive than your average guy, though a few just float on talent still, but yeah I'm also surprised that "I want to win at all costs" isn't actually true in most decisions, apparently. Even though that's the type of thing they'll say when the mic is on.

The other dynamic though is stars genuinely think they'll win when they go somewhere new because they're super good. I guarantee Kawhi was pretty certain that when he and Paul George walked into the Clippers locker room, they had a high probability chance of getting a ring together. They just think they're gonna go to the new city and do it. They maybe underrate the role of an organization, their supporting cast, etc.

[Kagemusha]

And Kawhi didnt? Everybody got lucky the 5 bounce shot went in, kawhi included. A championship takes a group of people, and they all mutually benefit.

I'm not even sure what you're trying to get at here? What if the shot didnt go in? Ok? Sports success requires a break or 2 when the margin of error is razor thin?

what if Robert horry doesnt make the shot? What if Jordan gets called for a push off against the jazz? What if Jose Bautista doesnt connect on the bat flip? What if joe Carter doesnt go over the fence? Hell, imagine kawhis parents had never met 30 years ago! Masai would have never gotten so lucky!

Masai steadily built this team and 6 years culminated in the kawhi acquisition. This was not a fluke season. perennial winners got their final piece. You think we would have ever sniffed that opportunity with colangelo?

the results are in, the final score has been tallied. Masai won. Any suggestions of luck or good fortune or what ifs are an exercise in fruitless futility. What if james Naismith didnt even invent basketball?

Credit should go to every single person that got a ring on their finger. Period.
All these talk is not just childish but also nonsense.

[NoPropsneeded]

Yeah I think that's true for the top guys trying to get their first ring (and Lebron every year) for sure. Buddying up with another superstar to win a ring seems to be top priority in a bunch of FA decisions and trade demand preferred destinations.

Then there are role players who walk out of winning situations all the time for a bit more money, more minutes, or whatever. Dwight, Rondo, etc. are constantly bouncing around and sometimes seem to happily go from a top team to a garbage one. The whole thing definitely looks like more of a career for some guys, they're getting paid, doing what they want, maybe winning along the way and maybe not. I mean they'd generally be much more competitive than your average guy, though a few just float on talent still, but yeah I'm also surprised that "I want to win at all costs" isn't actually true in most decisions, apparently. Even though that's the type of thing they'll say when the mic is on.

The other dynamic though is stars genuinely think they'll win when they go somewhere new because they're super good. I guarantee Kawhi was pretty certain that when he and Paul George walked into the Clippers locker room, they had a high probability chance of getting a ring together. They just think they're gonna go to the new city and do it. They maybe underrate the role of an organization, their supporting cast, etc.

I often think about what you just said. Do stars even realize how important it is to have an organization that is all about winning and isn't afraid to spend? Sometimes I feel like the stars these days are only concerned with personal accolades. I'd rather work for a generous and smart employer who allows me to excel at my highest potential than one run by some maniac bald dude...But hey warm weather, beaches, and crackheads amiright?

[planetmars]

Tanenbaum, the chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., admitted Monday in a rare e-mail exchange that “Masai and I agreed months ago that we would sit down after the season has concluded to address his contract.

[G__Deane]

It's so potentially impactful, why not just "admit" this months ago? Anything else was counter productive.

[golden]

It's so weird to leave this so late. If Masai leaves to another NBA team (e.g. Wiz, Heat,...), the timing would will raise questions. If he leaves before the draft/FA period, then he'd be taking a ton of inside intel and confidential information with him to another team. If he leaves after the draft/FA, then you'd have to wonder if there was any sabotage going on.

My best guess: he gone. Why? Simple reason is that leaders always commit first. That's why they're called leaders. If Masai does stay, then I would expect there to be some easy out-clauses. But then again, do you really want a leader who has one eye out the window? One rumor is that Leiweke could be recruiting Masai with a founder-level ownership stake in the new Seattle NBA franchise, whenever that gets awarded.

[TrueTorontoFan]

h

It's so weird to leave this so late. If Masai leaves to another NBA team (e.g. Wiz, Heat,...), the timing would will raise questions. If he leaves before the draft/FA period, then he'd be taking a ton of inside intel and confidential information with him to another team. If he leaves after the draft/FA, then you'd have to wonder if there was any sabotage going on.

My best guess: he gone. Why? Simple reason is that leaders always commit first. That's why they're called leaders. If Masai does stay, then I would expect there to be some easy out-clauses. But then again, do you really want a leader who has one eye out the window? One rumor is that Leiweke could be recruiting Masai with a founder-level ownership stake in the new Seattle NBA franchise, whenever that gets awarded.

he stay?

but seriously no he is staying I don't see a NBA home unless its for the Seattle thing but to go to Washington nah.. and to go to the heat... makes zero sense

[Jclaw]

It's so potentially impactful, why not just "admit" this months ago? Anything else was counter productive.

I love that we take pride in how Masai’s blackberry never leaks but we’re frustrated we haven’t heard about his contract negotiations which very logically could be at the end of the season. The decision is impactful but not knowing about it by now? Who does that impact other than us? (Who, make no mistake, are very important). Sure, our espn future power rankings took a hit today but I don’t think Masai is sweating that. But I guess he might be. Who knows? He doesn’t leak.

[chris]

It's so weird to leave this so late. If Masai leaves to another NBA team (e.g. Wiz, Heat,...), the timing would will raise questions. If he leaves before the draft/FA period, then he'd be taking a ton of inside intel and confidential information with him to another team. If he leaves after the draft/FA, then you'd have to wonder if there was any sabotage going on.

My best guess: he gone. Why? Simple reason is that leaders always commit first. That's why they're called leaders. If Masai does stay, then I would expect there to be some easy out-clauses. But then again, do you really want a leader who has one eye out the window? One rumor is that Leiweke could be recruiting Masai with a founder-level ownership stake in the new Seattle NBA franchise, whenever that gets awarded.

from everything he's said publicly before the season and at the trade deadline (ie. things along the lines of "we'll address that situation when the time comes"), it seems to me like the decision to leave it until after the season was solely up to him. i would expect MLSE to have done whatever they could to secure a commitment ASAP.

and if he's already decided he's leaving why would he engage in contract negotiations with the raptors at all? perhaps for leverage, but i imagine he's at a point where he could get just about whatever he wants from whichever franchise he chooses.

[KeonClark]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. We have a huge inferiority complex that we somehow don't "deserve" masai. Look at all the top execs/ownership combos in the NBA, they never leave

San Antonio Buford/Pop - 27 years
Miami Pat Riley - 26 years
Boston Danny Ainge - 18 years
OKC Sam Presti - 14 years
Golden State Bob Myers - 9 years