Has your opinion of Masai Ujiri changed lately ?

[white men can't jump]

I believe what MU said is that the Raptors would never be caught in no man's land, which is essentially on the dreaded treadmill that Nilanka explained.

The same head coach with the same core, coming off back-to-back 1st round exits, the latest one a step back from the previous one. If it looks like a dog and barks like a dog...

Meh. Considering how much the makeup of the team has changed in that span though. Yeah, the core and coach have been the same, without having to invest heavily in them, and while being able to fully overhaul the rest of what's happening. We have no dead weight on this roster, and really no one on a deal that can't be moved (Ross' deal is now the only one people worry about now and pretty much why this thread exists) This was the first summer Masai really had a bit of space to play, and he added guys who could easily fit in with a new set of players if he wants to change things come next year (seriously where would Carroll and Cojo not fit?), and got his young C signed to an extension that could be a steal.

Now, if we lose in the 1st round, he re-signs Casey and DeMar, and doesn't make any major moves...then yeah, I got no issue with people officially calling it a treadmill. But the window just opened for bigger changes last summer. Again, he got players that could fit around any core, and next summer looks like the best chance to alter the core since trading Gay. We'll see what happens.

[OldSkoolCool]

I think Ujiri has a year to pick a direction.

He has needed this time so far to wipe the slate clean from Colangelo and get a start on building his assets. Now I would like to see something built on the foundation he has been assembling.

CoJo, Bruno, Powell, JV, Carroll, and Wright all appear to be what he is aiming for...what he does with Lowry, DD, Ross, Patterson, Scola, and Biybombo should be interesting as we move foreward.

And no, the Ross signing is not a bad thing because his contract size can be included in a ton of different combinations under the new cap.

[raptors999]

Anybody notice there hasn't been a peep about Casey essentially being on his last year. There's a team option but nothing

[S.R.]

Meh. Considering how much the makeup of the team has changed in that span though. Yeah, the core and coach have been the same, without having to invest heavily in them, and while being able to fully overhaul the rest of what's happening. We have no dead weight on this roster, and really no one on a deal that can't be moved (Ross' deal is now the only one people worry about now and prety much this thread exists) This was the first summer Masai really had a bit of space to play, and he added guys who could easily fit in with a new set of players if he wants to change things come next year (seriously where would Carroll and Cojo not fit?), and got his young C signed to an extension that could be a steal.

Now, if we lose in the 1st round, he re-signs Casey and DeMar, and doesn't make any major moves...then yeah, I got no issue with people officially calling it a treadmill. But the window just opened for bigger changes last summer. Again, he got players that could fit around any core, and next summer looks like the best chance to alter the core since trading Gay. We'll see what happens.

Yeah, I agree. Masai has generally given himself short or team-friendly enough contracts that it's not like this roster is really going to get stuck. If they're treadmilling, there's the ability to make changes.

The loyalty thing does go a bit far, imho. We'll have to see how this season turns out and what happens with Casey and DeMar. Those will be the two biggest decisions (or changes) of Masai's tenure. That's just coming next summer, so even if this season is underwhelming, the fork in the road is just a few months away.

If the season sucks and he brings the band back together.... I don't want to think about that yet. I guess then you're hoping to luck into a James Harden-type trade, or that you hit gold with some of your prospects.

[Mindlessness]

Easier said than done.

More like: Easy to say, impossible to do.

Unless we can fuck rules somehow, maybe in VR?

[CalgaryRapsFan]

Meh. Considering how much the makeup of the team has changed in that span though. Yeah, the core and coach have been the same, without having to invest heavily in them, and while being able to fully overhaul the rest of what's happening. We have no dead weight on this roster, and really no one on a deal that can't be moved (Ross' deal is now the only one people worry about now and prety much this thread exists) This was the first summer Masai really had a bit of space to play, and he added guys who could easily fit in with a new set of players if he wants to change things come next year (seriously where would Carroll and Cojo not fit?), and got his young C signed to an extension that could be a steal.

Now, if we lose in the 1st round, he re-signs Casey and DeMar, and doesn't make any major moves...then yeah, I got no issue with people officially calling it a treadmill. But the window just opened for bigger changes last summer. Again, he got players that could fit around any core, and next summer looks like the best chance to alter the core since trading Gay. We'll see what happens.

Oh I agree. My previous posts in the thread mirror your sentiments, especially with regards to the 2016 offseason, Casey and DeRozan.

[white men can't jump]

Oh I agree. My previous posts in the thread mirror your sentiments, especially with regards to the 2016 offseason, Casey and DeRozan.

It's actually kind of funny that this thread basically exists because he made one maybe questionable move by extending Ross.

[slaw]

It's actually kind of funny that this thread basically exists because he made one maybe questionable move by extending Ross.

It may be more than that. There are a lot of firm believers in tanking who are probably aching for a 76ers style tire fire to cheer on or against and a lot of the "nothing matters if you don't win the championship" types who revel in being as cynical and negative as possible. I suspect both camps don't have much good to say about MU.

[DanH]

To answer the OP, no, not really.

[rocwell]

sig

68,083,200 seconds ago Masai told us: “The one thing I can say is that we will not be trapped in the middle. . . . We will not be stuck in no-man’s land.”

We are still 'trapped in the middle'.

[Bendit]

No. It is just not easy to turn chicken feathers into chicken salad. Just picking the feathers can be a bit--.

We have no idea what options were open to him on either players, trades or the coach. What we know I believe is he is trying to present a decent team each year with incremental upgrades. I assume that he is waiting to make the one big move which will be the truth-teller as well as the next draft. I am disappointed that he did not make a coaching change but again who were available? My own choice/wish was Thibodeau...but as it's clear he doesnt want to at least coach this year. MU has another season to have a better team and then hire a Thibodeau type to take the Raps to the next level. There were signs of unaccountability again last night.

It's only been a couple of weeks people and we have a main cog out with a foot problem.

[MixxAOR]

He looks really fucking dumb right now

[peanutwoozle]

Didn't fire Casey last summer - Strike 1
Extended bum ass Ross - Strike 2

Stay Tuned for Strike 3 coming soon.

[MixxAOR]

Didn't fire Casey last summer - Strike 1
Extended bum ass Ross - Strike 2

Stay Tuned for Strike 3 coming soon.

Let go of Hassan Whiteside - Strike 3

[Scraptor]

He looks really fucking dumb right now

The thing is, I'm pretty sure we'll cobble our way to 45-50 wins. And people will say, when was the last time we made the playoffs three times in a row?

But the bigger picture is that we are unlikely to make a ton of noise in the playoffs, which would make it difficult if not impossible to attract a big free agent. Right now the Knicks pick is 17th. We've got little to no capspace when the rest of the league has a ton.

So how are we going to get better?