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A Letter to the Raptors

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  • A Letter to the Raptors

    To my beloved Raptors,

    Year after year, failure after failure, one unfulfilled promise after another, I’ve followed you. Each time I forced myself to believe. Believe that this time it’ll be different. Without further adieu, this one is on you, my beloved Raptors.

    Demar Derozan, this is on you. Each year you bring a new skillset to the equation. But each year you forget to continue capitalizing on that skill as the year wears on. Each year you end up taking long contested 2’s that make fans pull their hair out. You were our best player in the post season, but that’s hardly an achievement in this case. You’re our first lieutenant, self-appointed co-leader; we need you to make those around you better as well. Still, I believe in you. You’ll come back better next year.

    Terrence Ross, this is on you. You’re an athletic freak, really. To see you underuse those skills each and every game, time after time, whether against the Warriors or the Knicks, it hurts. Your stroke is pure joy, but your mental game and decision-making is like watching a chicken with its head cut off. Maybe with a different franchise you would have developed more, maybe not. I still believe (foolishly?) that with some hard-nosed coaching you may become more than a 12th man on an NBA squad. Get to work young man.

    Amir Johnson, this is on you. You have the heart of a warrior. If I had to pick one person to take with me into a zombie apocalypse, it would be you. No matter the situation, pain or gain, you give it 110%. But Amir, my dear Amir. You’ve been playing hurt for months (years?). We had the Atlantic locked up for months (years?). Why not ask for a game or two off once in a while? Is it too much to expect you to understand the importance of a healthy Amir to us in the playoffs? Hell, take the last month of the regular season off, lord (science?) knows you needed it. I don’t know if you’ll be back next year, but a big thank you is due for your committed service. Cheers to you my good sir.

    Jonas Valanciunas, this is on you. You have passion, you have some talent, and you have the physical tools. Guy, you should be an 18&10 fringe all star when all is said and done. But how about showing some pride as a defensive anchor? It’s true, centers don’t usually figure out an NBA defense until mid way or so through their career, and our perimeter guys don’t do you any favors, but is it too much to ask to put an opposing guard on the floor as they coast through our paint? It’s playoffs, and our paint looked like an all-inclusive resort. I like you, I don’t think you were given enough practice in crunch time 4th quarter situations. But in all honesty, your insecure offensive game (all hail the almighty pump-fake) doesn’t exactly force your coach to play you. Despite all that, I believe in your future under a competent coach, and hope that our guard-centric iso-offense doesn’t chase you out of town.

    Tyler Hansbrough, this is on you. Except it really isn’t. You did everything you could. You’re a never-say-die hockey-mentality baller that fits in as an end of the bench/specialty situation bench guy. I guess it would be nice if you were taller.

    Patrick Patterson, this is on you. Your bball IQ is up there, you work hard on defense, and share the ball on offense. You’re from Venus, the Raptors are from Mars. But what happened to one of the best 3-point shooting big men in the league? I used to see you get the ball behind the arc, and jump up before the shot went up, knowing it would drop. Still, you’re a great roleplayer for any contender, and I hope you stick with us and come back with a re-focused 3-point shot. An aside to our next head coach – this guy is a GREAT mid range shooter, not really sure why this skill was not utilized this year. Actually, never mind, I know why it wasn’t.

    James Johnson, this is on you. How you didn’t pull a Marcus Camby on DC is beyond me. Your “undisciplined play” (really Jack? Really?) would surely have cost us the series if you played. One needs to value every possession in the playoffs, there’s no room for excessive gambling and berserk attitudes. Wait, we got swept doing all those things?
    I remember travelling to T.O. in February from Calgary, and being in the stands at the Clippers game. We were down and out to start, I was regretting buying the plane tickets as the first quarter was drawing to a close. But then you came in. You stopped Blake, you threw CP3 off as well. You initiated and inspired a comeback in a game that probably went down as the most fun on the season. Then you started next game against a full-strength Spurs side, and drained a game winning three among many other positives. Somehow you remained a great teammate even despite illogical DNPCD’s, but it made me a bit happier to finally see you show some emotion on the bench after the game 2 loss. Stay strong, work on your game, and I truly hope to see you cock that joint back at the ACC for some years to come.

    Lou Williams, this is on you. You came, you saw, you got your contract. There’s no doubt in my mind that teams will throw money at you this summer as a sixth man of the year. I won’t lie, you won us some games this year, but man oh man, did it cost us. Your playing style seeped into the rest of the roster, and its difficult to describe the feeling of watching the ball handler dribble his way into a contested shot play after play. Being hungover while riding a rollercoaster might come close. I’m not naïve, I realize these iso-plays existed last year too, but you got them trending, my sweet Lou. All the best to you on your next team. I have no doubt you’ll drop 35 when you play us next year.

    Greivis Vasquez, this is on you. The man and the shimmy. You’re fun to watch in person. You give the crowd a show and have an ever-present self-belief. I wish scientists could grab a piece of your confidence and give it to T. Ross. But man, your shortcomings are a little more than the ‘we need to play more physical’ drum you’ve been beating the last little while. Do you not take pride in your defense? No one is asking you to be Tony Allen, but come on, this is not Spanish bullfighting. You have limitations, but you’re a professional athlete. Your job is to literally work on your physical limitations. Do a full summer of plyometrics or something. Just getting to a Jose Calderon level of defense would a positive start at this point.

    Kyle Lowry, this is on you. You were supposed to be ‘it.’ You were this city’s hero, you had it all. The talent, the will, the attitude, the grit, you were the guy this franchise had been waiting for since Vince’s heyday. You were a true leader, with a chip on your shoulder, the guy who talked the talk and RAN the walk. You showed by example, never giving up, inspiring confidence in your teammates, in your fans. Do you realize how incredible of a feat it was to get voted in to the all-star game as a starter? We all know it weren’t US votes that got you in. This country believed in you. You were the reason ‘We the North’ got rolled out a year before the plan. And I can forgive you dogging it for the 2nd half of the regular season, all the excuses were there. If there was anyone on this team I (we?) believed could flip the infamous switch when it mattered, you were ‘it.’ And then this series happened. The awful shooting continued. The hail mary passes continued. The incessant complaining to the officiating crews like you were the 2nd coming of Lebron James continued. The silly technicals continued.
    Leaders don’t always get praised during successes. You were. But most leaders definitely get the blame when things don’t pan out, and this one is definitely on you. Bad shooting alone can be excused, but to completely abandon all the fundamentals that made you the unquestionable shepherd of our beloved Raptors, that cannot be excused. Kyle, get right, mentally and physically. The North needs you, because winter is still coming.

    Masai Ujiri, this one is on you. Executive of the year, Mr. Midas himself. In truth, I understand every single one of your decisions. Year 1 was amazing – the Bargnani and Gay trades were masterpieces. The team did exceptionally well, and the logical course of action was to keep the team together. And getting a bonafide scorer and a Brazilian translator for Bruno in a trade for John Salmons was nothing short of a miracle. Then came the trade deadline, which could be considered Ujiri’s first blunder (or 2nd, if one counts supreme leader Casey’s inevitable extension). The status quo remained, and did not pay off. Nearly every move appears correct on its own, but the comparisons to Colangelo’s first two seasons cannot be ignored. Now is the true test for you Masai, now that the players’ evaluation period is complete, yours begins. Your choices came with mixed results, but despite it all, in Masai I trust.

    And last, but certainly not least, Mr. ‘pound the rock’ himself, Dwane Casey. Dwayne Casey, more than anyone, this one is on you. You were with some of these players day in and day out for a full 4 seasons. You of all people must certainly know whether Terrence Ross likes his Captain Crunch with regular or chocolate milk. Whether JV prefers sushi or Italian. Whether Tyler Hansbrough is well equipped to guard a hall of famer stretch 4 in Paul Pierce. Whether our entire personnel is able to execute the famed scramble defense.
    You, Mr. Casey, had 4 years to craft a system to fit the skillset of your roster. It was a flawed roster, no argument there, but the greatness of a head coach comes from his ability to maximize the strengths of his players while minimizing or hiding their weaknesses. His ability to make adjustments throughout seasons/playoff series’ (which you apparently do not believe in). From not deciding to foul in a game where you’re down 2 with 25 seconds to go, to not recognizing that Landry Fields was able to significantly slow down Joe Johnson in his 2014 playoff game 2 guest appearance. From allowing Lou Williams to dribble out the clock and take a near-half-court shot when down 2 in the last possession of a game to completely ignoring one of your most consistent players on the season in a series he could have swung (not even in game 4 when you had absolutely nothing to lose and it was clear that the game plan from the first 3 games wasn’t working?!). From failing to develop 2 young talented lottery picks, to only holding some players accountable for sins their colleagues committed just as much if not more. This one Dwane Casey, this one is on you. I’ll leave you with this quote that to me, symbolized the Casey era with the Toronto Raptors:
    “For us, it’s do or die…. And die doesn’t mean we’re going to die, die means the series is over."

    Despite it all, we’ll continue to follow our beloved Raptors. I’ll continue to make annual trips to watch them play. This fanbase will remain loyal. Irrational, masochistic, and unlucky is what we are. But we sure do love our Raptors.
    Last edited by unlucky fan; Wed Apr 29, 2015, 01:47 AM.
    @alexgres10

  • #2
    Talk about making a statement with your first post. Welcome to Raptors Republic.

    Comment


    • #3
      Well said

      Comment


      • #4
        Excellent post. You should print and mail to MU at 50 Bay St Toronto.

        Comment


        • #5
          Wow!!! Great post. Boy you are long winded but I read every word.

          Comment


          • #6
            Meh.

            Dear Raptor fans.



            Sincerely,

            every single NBA player, ever.

            Comment


            • #7
              *Drops mic*


              If this is your only post on RR, legend.

              But do stay!
              The name's Bond, James Bond.

              Comment


              • #8
                you REALLY SHOULD.
                psrs1 wrote: View Post
                Excellent post. You should print and mail to MU at 50 Bay St Toronto.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Read every word. Agreed with everything except continued blind support. Fan support is our only voice to inspire change. We vote on team decisions everyday through TV ratings, merch, and ticket sales. I've done this for 20 years, and I just can't do it anymore. If Casey is gone, I'll be back screaming louder than ever for this team. If he's back, I'll lose all faith in Masai and refuse to waste my time and energy on a ship on a crash course.
                  There's math, and everything else is debatable.

                  @clericalbeats

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                  • #10
                    Thanks for the warm welcome and kind words fellow unlucky ones!

                    That's what happens when you read and read and read and never post. One day it all explodes. Haha.

                    I absolutely agree with you Robert, unfortunately I feel like as time will pass we'll be filled with renewed optimism and just keep on cheering. Much respect to you if you manage to kick the addiction. Casey can't be back, I won't believe it.

                    Man if I waited for the exit interviews before posting I'd have that much more material on our defensive guru. Bah.

                    Chances are this won't ever be read by Masai, but with your general agreement with the post, I decided to sign it 'The North' at the bottom and mailed it today. Go snail mail!
                    @alexgres10

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                    • #11
                      unlucky fan wrote: View Post
                      Thanks for the warm welcome and kind words fellow unlucky ones!

                      That's what happens when you read and read and read and never post. One day it all explodes. Haha.

                      I absolutely agree with you Robert, unfortunately I feel like as time will pass we'll be filled with renewed optimism and just keep on cheering. Much respect to you if you manage to kick the addiction. Casey can't be back, I won't believe it.

                      Man if I waited for the exit interviews before posting I'd have that much more material on our defensive guru. Bah.

                      Chances are this won't ever be read by Masai, but with your general agreement with the post, I decided to sign it 'The North' at the bottom and mailed it today. Go snail mail!
                      I hope one person will answer you. You need to be answered. That was fantastic, utterly fantastic. I loved every word you wrote. Not only was it all true, it was powerful. I hope you stay for the longhaul.
                      Axel wrote:
                      Now Cody can stop posting about this guy and we have a poster to blame if anything goes wrong!!
                      KeonClark wrote:
                      We won't hear back from him. He dissapears into thin air and reappears when you least expect it. Ten is an enigma. Ten is a legend. Ten for the motherfucking win.
                      KeonClark wrote:
                      I can't wait until the playoffs start.

                      Until then, opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one and they most often stink

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                      • #12
                        Wow. Just wow. I'm speechless *slow claps*

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                        • #13
                          unlucky fan wrote: View Post
                          Chances are this won't ever be read by Masai, but with your general agreement with the post, I decided to sign it 'The North' at the bottom and mailed it today. Go snail mail!
                          Are you serious? That's awesome!

                          I hope Masai reads it, and you have to post whatever comes back! (if something does)
                          The name's Bond, James Bond.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            unlucky fan....you sir are the RR rookie of the year with that post

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                            • #15
                              WhatRhymesWithCash wrote: View Post
                              Wow. Just wow. I'm speechless *slow claps*

                              Comment

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