Where is the demar appreciation day???????????????

[Shredder]

I would think the first sign to having your jersey hung in the rafters is getting a thread on Raptures Republic after they no longer play for the raptors!

[JawsGT]

No statues. Masai might deserve one though. Retire Kyle and Demar's #'s for sure. I'm on the fence about VC. No one else deserves to be in the conversation IMO.

[JawsGT]

Haslem will probably get his retired in Miami, much like the Collison situation above.

[G__Deane]

There are different reasons to retire a jersey. Nobody in OKC had a problem with retiring Nick Collison's number. Yes... Nick Collison had his jersey retired.

Exactly.
A new low to the low bar....

"The Oklahoma City Thunder will honor a longtime contributor by retiring the No. 4 jersey worn by Nick Collison later this season.

The team announced Saturday that the ceremony will take place on March 20, making Collison the first player in this franchise to have his number retired since moving to Oklahoma City 11 years ago.

"I am thrilled that Nick Collison will be the first Thunder player to have their number retired in Oklahoma City," Thunder Chairman Clayton I. Bennett said in a statement. "He has cemented himself as part of the fabric of this community and our organization by setting an example of commitment, hard work and authenticity. Congratulations Nick."

While he didn't make as much of an impact on the court as his seven-time All-Star teammate, Collison clearly helped the team, as evidenced by the fact that he kept being re-signed whenever his contract was up.

Collison ended his career with 5,359 regular-season points, averaging 5.9 per game to go with his 5.2 rebounds per game. Although these numbers don't match up with some other players who have their numbers retired, he is truly a unique case."

I'll say. A truly horrible example of a player to have his number retired....it amounts to a career participation ribbon.

So now we should retire numbers for working "hard and being authentic" lol
Let's NOT be Oklahoma North .... (not saying DeMar is Collison at all to be clear)

[golden]

I don't have any hard stance about it at all. I think the bar for jersey retirements, Halls of Fame, all of it is ridiculously low but not really concerned about it all that much; it's a form of marketing for fans, so be it. I personally just don't want jersey retirements (so sacred, no player must ever wear it again) to be for the best of the best. There's nothing wrong with being selective and setting the bar high; if we don't have handfuls of players who have been elite, so be it.

There are different reasons to retire a jersey. Nobody in OKC had a problem with retiring Nick Collison's number. Yes... Nick Collison had his jersey retired.

[KeonClark]

I don't have any hard stance about it at all. I think the bar for jersey retirements, Halls of Fame, all of it is ridiculously low but not really concerned about it all that much; it's a form of marketing for fans, so be it. I personally just don't want jersey retirements (so sacred, no player must ever wear it again) to be for the best of the best. There's nothing wrong with being selective and setting the bar high; if we don't have handfuls of players who have been elite, so be it.

Derozan and Lowry were elite. Our best players in 25 years of history, multi time all stars, made all nba, and both were building blocks and crucial elements leading to the ultimate prize of the nba championship.

It's a 30 team league and growing, the days of the old celtics having half of the all nba players on their roster is over. If you set the bar at "derozan and lowry", you may find that it takes a long long time for new players to surpass that.

[G__Deane]

Jordan in Miami aside, I just think it's a weird stance to take, being a hard ass about retiring demars number. We've been here 26 years and have NOBODY in the rafters yet, I think it's OK to have 2 numbers.

Sometimes it's just good business to do right by your guys. Think of how many people would be pissed if demar didn't get it, all because we want to stand on principle of some arbitrary bar to set that no other team seems interested in following.

Jersey retirements aren't the hall of fame. They're a show of appreciation for a special connection that was had.

I don't have any hard stance about it at all. I think the bar for jersey retirements, Halls of Fame, all of it is ridiculously low but not really concerned about it all that much; it's a form of marketing for fans, so be it. I personally just don't want jersey retirements (so sacred, no player must ever wear it again) to be for the best of the best. There's nothing wrong with being selective and setting the bar high; if we don't have handfuls of players who have been elite, so be it.

[The Great One]

So even model franchise's can make mistakes, got it :0)

They're doing the right thing. Not really sure about Elliott but Avery Johnson and Bruce Bowen huge part of their history. You have to retire the most important players in your franchise history. You don't have to be a future hall of famer or win multiple championships to have your jersey retired. The three Raptors that I mentioned btw( Lowry, DeMar and VC) are all future hall of famers and one of them has a ring. 100% their numbers should be retired. They're 3 of the most important players in franchise history.

But back to baseball. Joe Carter should have a statue outside Skydome. His #29 should also be retired alongside Halladay. Dude hit the most iconic homerun in World Series history.

[DanH]

If the Jays don't have a statue for Halladay (retired numbers for Halladay and Alomar) and Wall of Excellence for Bell, Joe Carter, Delgado and Fernandez and the Leafs don't have a statue for anyone either, there's your bar. Lowry is your Halladay, DeMar sure isn't your Alomar; retire Lowry's number, DeMar Wall of Excellence, there's no slight in that, it's an honour.

Agreed on the Rogers statue. That can be outside their head office, not the sports stadium. Pure hubris. Then again, he was a better owner than Labatts.

Leafs don't have statues?

[KeonClark]

You need to use Google lol: Joran never even played there and they retired his number!

Jordan in Miami aside, I just think it's a weird stance to take, being a hard ass about retiring demars number. We've been here 26 years and have NOBODY in the rafters yet, I think it's OK to have 2 numbers.

Sometimes it's just good business to do right by your guys. Think of how many people would be pissed if demar didn't get it, all because we want to stand on principle of some arbitrary bar to set that no other team seems interested in following.

Jersey retirements aren't the hall of fame. They're a show of appreciation for a special connection that was had.

[G__Deane]

Miami is a poor low end market?
Even Phoenix is well run.

You need to use Google lol: Joran never even played there and they retired his number!

[Kagemusha]

You made my point: poor low end markets retiring a player's number so fans can remember a superstar once played there.
Chicago didn't retire Orr's number .....

Why should Jordan's number be retired in Miami?
Maybe the Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox minor league team) should do it too

Miami is a poor low end market?
Even Phoenix is well run.

[G__Deane]

We have to agree to disagree on this one…

That's OK, disagreeing sometimes with respect keeps the site interesting. Cheers.

[G__Deane]

The Spurs are one of the model franchise in the NBA. They retired Avery Johnson, Sean Elliott and Bruce Bowen's numbers.

So even model franchise's can make mistakes, got it :0)

[G__Deane]

Miami retired MJ's number.
It'a always subjective imo.

Going by your logic, if Luka or Jokic retire without having won a ring, they don't deserve that honor?

Nash and Barkley's jerseys were retired in Phoenix too

You made my point: poor low end markets retiring a player's number so fans can remember a superstar once played there.
Chicago didn't retire Orr's number .....

Why should Jordan's number be retired in Miami?
Maybe the Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox minor league team) should do it too