Game # 10 Raps at Blazers Monday January 11th 10pm on Sportsnet

[golden]

I think late first round pick can still be in play. Playoff team probably won't value it.

Which teams have the most pressure to win now... this season? None really, because all of the elite players are signed for a while. The Bucks don't have the pressure of Giannis anymore. Morey just joined the Sixers, so he's got at least a 1-yr honeymoon period. Even the Clippers - Kawhi is going to sign the veteran supermax and stay home.

This year, it's just teams playing for the pride of winning, which is a lot less urgent than being forced to make moves to keep your superstar. I mean, every team would love to add a battle-tested veteran floor general like Lowry to their playoff squad, but which front office cares enough about winning this season to give up a 1st round pick? Hard to think of a clear-cut team.

[MixxAOR]

Which teams have the most pressure to win now... this season? None really, because all of the elite players are signed for a while. The Bucks don't have the pressure of Giannis anymore. Morey just joined the Sixers, so he's got at least a 1-yr honeymoon period. Even the Clippers - Kawhi is going to sign the veteran supermax and stay home.

This year, it's just teams playing for the pride of winning, which is a lot less urgent than being forced to make moves to keep your superstar. I mean, every team would love to add a battle-tested veteran floor general like Lowry to their playoff squad, but which front office cares enough about winning this season to give up a 1st round pick? Hard to think of a clear-cut team.

I think Denver is feeling the pressure, Jazz would like to improve, Mavericks could use Kyle.

[slaw]

What to do with Lowry is a huge question this year.

A lot has to do with why you are doing it. If you are moving him with the purpose of making the team better in 21-22 and beyond, it is going to be difficult to construct a trade that finds you those pieces given his salary, the uncertainty this year and the potential market. If they are trading him simply cause the team isn't very good and they feel the need to get anything they can back then that is fine I suppose but that doesn't necessarily make the team better going forward.

[golden]

I think Denver is feeling the pressure, Jazz would like to improve, Mavericks could use Kyle.

All of those teams have their franchise players locked up for a while. They have time on their side.

[MixxAOR]

All of those teams have their franchise players locked up for a while. They have time on their side.

I guess we lose Kyle for nothing then

[iblastoff]

Tim Lieweke and Masai loathe to be in the 7-11 range. Masai calls it "no man's land". They are all about winning championships.

From 2013:

Grange on Raptors: Ujiri must pick his path - Sportsnet.ca

masai became gm in 2013. were you complaining about a lack of championship for that entire 7 year stretch? nobody knows where this team will be by the time the playoffs comes around, let alone the next several years. to call this team treadmill after 10 games during a fucked up season is insane.

[golden]

I guess we lose Kyle for nothing then

Or, we might need to use his expiring contract to take back 1 or 2 bad contracts to get a pick.

The window to sell high on everybody was last season, but we unexpectedly overachieved. Not complaining, because last year was a fun year. But you have to sober up sometime.

[LJ2]

Plenty of teams would be feeling the pressure to win and not only to keep their own free agents. Can't keep investing without results.

This is where OKC introduces themselves as a third team with the assets required to facilitate a trade between two teams.

[Yuri Gagarin]

Crazy season. Very static offence and one game we score a franchise high in points. Wtf

[chris]

Or, we might need to use his expiring contract to take back 1 or 2 bad contracts to get a pick.

unless that pick is something like top-three, i hate this idea. it only makes sense if you're doing an OKC/hinkie style complete tear-down and assembling a war-chest of assets, but we're not in that boat.

FVV, siakam, OG, and boucher are all good players on fair contracts. we're not that far off (from getting back to last year's level at least. true title contender status is another matter). our problem is we have no depth. taking on bad contracts for a middling pick will impede us from adding around the margins.

if we trade lowry for shit contracts we should go whole-hog and get rid of everybody. build around paul watson and malachi flynn and complete the fantasy of half the board.

[MixxAOR]

Or, we might need to use his expiring contract to take back 1 or 2 bad contracts to get a pick.

The window to sell high on everybody was last season, but we unexpectedly overachieved. Not complaining, because last year was a fun year. But you have to sober up sometime.

I doubt Masai does that to Lowry. Unless that bad contract is Tobias Harris

[golden]

masai became gm in 2013. were you complaining about a lack of championship for that entire 7 year stretch? nobody knows where this team will be by the time the playoffs comes around, let alone the next several years. to call this team treadmill after 10 games during a fucked up season is insane.

Easy on the personal attacks. I'm just saying how Lieweke and Masai have thought about this team in the past and that Masai is not opposed to tanking to stay out of the 7-11 treadmill position, aka, no man's land. We don't know if this is a 7-11 team or not after 10 games, but it could very well be and that's what our Net Rating says (SRS record should be 5-5, 19th in the NBA, and we've only played 2 good teams... Sixers & Celtics). Pretty sure Masai and Bobby are having those 7-11 ceiling discussions right now, because forecasting the future of this team is their job description.

So, what do you think the ceiling of this team is this year? Next year? Consider that other teams are starting to improve as well.

And for the record, I was vehemently opposed to tanking during the Masai tenure, until this season. I always supported the "build from the middle strategy" through internal development and opportunistic trades, and also thought that DeRozan and Casey had to go to get over the playoff hump, even though we achieved a lot of success with them. All of that turned out to be true, but mainly because Lowry was the engine driving regular season wins.

I'd still be okay going the "build from the middle" route once again, but this year is potentially a unique scenario where Lowry (the driver of wins) is an impending free agent AND the team has gotten off to a rocky start AND we lost some key pieces from last year AND there's a pandemic AND we're the only NBA team that is getting booed in our home arena. Seems like a perfect storm season to tank as low as possible and get a talented young player or valuable trade chip to replenish our depleted assets, without it reflecting negatively on the team. I could care less about what other fans think if that sets up the team for longer term success.

[MixxAOR]

unless that pick is something like top-three, i hate this idea. it only makes sense if you're doing an OKC/hinkie style complete tear-down and assembling a war-chest of assets, but we're not in that boat.

FVV, siakam, OG, and boucher are all good players on fair contracts. we're not that far off (from getting back to last year's level at least. true title contender status is another matter). our problem is we have no depth. taking on bad contracts for a middling pick will impede us from adding around the margins.

if we trade lowry for shit contracts we should go whole-hog and get rid of everybody. build around paul watson and malachi flynn and complete the fantasy of half the board.

Lowry is expiring. He's free agent this summer. what team is giving lottery pick? I dont even think that playoff teams will trade for him now because they can wait for free agency to make their pitch.

If you guys think Lowry is this loyal guy who wants to retire with Raptors I think you mistaking him for Demar

[chris]

Lowry is expiring. He's free agent this summer. what team is giving lottery pick?

none. which is why i'd prefer to hang onto him if the only way to acquire an additional middling/late round pick is taking on shitty contracts that will prevent us from adding depth over the next few years

[MixxAOR]

none. which is why i'd prefer to hang onto him if the only way to acquire an additional middling/late round pick is taking on shitty contracts that will prevent us from adding depth over the next few years

Ok but you risk him leaving in free agency