Wanted to say a quick, "Hello." Any other RealGm alumni here?

[Double Helix]

Hello everyone,

I've read through the forum rules and didn't see any notes against quick intros so I thought one in a slow off-season might not be too brutal.

I'm a long-time poster and former moderator on the RealGM forums that goes by the same name. I've posted there for the past 16 years and have been a regular contributor to stat of the day (SOTD) threads there over that time span. I've also been a regular contributor to draft analysis on the Raptors board there.

I've been to some Raptors Republic meetups over the years and admired the rise of this site and the writers who've been contributing and the terrific community that's been built up here with all of you. I have to imagine there is at least some overlap between boards with some posters here also posting there. So, I just wanted to say hello to posters known from there who might go by different names here as well as others I've yet to speak with. I hope to be able to contribute here this upcoming season. I'm a big fan of how your moderators have arranged topics to reduce clutter and original posts and it seems like there's a less toxic and more mature difference of opinion here between posters who like this we the North era and those who wish we were rebuilding.

Talk soon,
DH

[rocwell]

RealGM.

[DanH]

Hey DH. I post there occasionally under my twitter handle.

[Double Helix]

Hey DH. I post there occasionally under my twitter handle.

Awesome! As I was reading your twitter handle I immediately pictured your Raptor mascot avatar!

I have a feeling this is where many capologists now reside.

[TrueTorontoFan]

Welcome. I have posted on there once or twice. Usually i just observe.

[Scraptor]

I left after it got to the point where tsherkin locked my threads that showed Derozan in a positive light. He really hated Derozan and it was impossible to have a reasonable discussion.

I think JamesNaismith may also be a realgm alum. Fredericklove was here for a while but bounced.

Much more balanced discussion here. Also far less heavyhanded moderating.

[planetmars]

Welcome to the board! I love RR but I'm biased (been here for almost a decade.. geez).

Don't really frequent RealGM much. I love their draft pick site (can easily figure out who has who's pick, etc). The forums seem a bit nuts. Kind of like the front page of RR. There is enough chaos at work.. don't need to see it during my free time too.

[SkywalkerAC]

Hey DH!

I was on realgm for quite a while, and basketballboards way back when. I stepped away to spend a little less time addicted to raptor-discussion, but this place still eats my time. Oh well.

[Double Helix]

Hey DH!

I was on realgm for quite a while, and basketballboards way back when. I stepped away to spend a little less time addicted to raptor-discussion, but this place still eats my time. Oh well.

I of course remember you, SkywalkerAC! Was wondering where you and many other quality posters went!

[Double Helix]

Welcome to the board! I love RR but I'm biased (been here for almost a decade.. geez).

Don't really frequent RealGM much. I love their draft pick site (can easily figure out who has who's pick, etc). The forums seem a bit nuts. Kind of like the front page of RR. There is enough chaos at work.. don't need to see it during my free time too.

There was a time period immediately preceding the Rudy Gay trade to Sacramento that felt like a forum civil war there.

Two factions.

One referred to themselves as Team Negative and Team Tank or Tank World Order and was convinced that the 2014 draft class would be the second coming of the Lebron James, Wade, Bosh, Melo, etc draft class. Anyone who was a fan of Lowry or Derozan and wanted to see what they might be able to do together following a Masai-driven retool was labeled an enemy of the team. It was insane. Even some moderators joined team Tank and some positive threads suggesting that Derozan might be able to improve still, that Kyle Lowry was an elite talent not easily replaced, or that Andrew Wiggins may not be the second coming of Lebron James or that Dante Exum might be a bust were met with constant negativity that fans who felt this way were dillusional, that Derozan was too old to improve past 2013, that Lowry didn't have another gear or would leave, that a core of those 2 as focal points wouldn't even get out of the first round. I remember comparing Andrew Wiggins analytically to Rudy Gay and it was seen as this huge insult and yet here we are years later and that duo did stay together, did get out of the first round, did make it to the ECF, and has only been hurt lately by one of 2 super teams the likes of which are historically dominant come playoff time. Oh, and as much as I love Wiggins and all Canadian prospects, due to his shoddy defence. (Which was once thought to be a primary selling point) Wiggins seems further removed from becoming a top 10 player than I had even imagined then.

Not sure if things were similar here back then but it's funny looking back. If we had indeed started our rebuild then and Masai didn't Tank all out and had luck not been on our side during the lottos we could have ended up with like a Dante Exum, Mario Hezonja, Kris Dunn trio after 3 high lotto picks and completely missed out on Derozan's improvement and Lowry's rise to all NBA status and an ECF run. Funny how things work out.

[Cody73]

I never used RealGM, but it's nice to see a new fan come along. This place is great, albeit we have our scuffles as well. Enjoy your time here & here's to hoping discussions with you are easygoing.

[special1]

There was a time period immediately preceding the Rudy Gay trade to Sacramento that felt like a forum civil war there.

Two factions.

One referred to themselves as Team Negative and Team Tank or Tank World Order and was convinced that the 2014 draft class would be the second coming of the Lebron James, Wade, Bosh, Melo, etc draft class. Anyone who was a fan of Lowry or Derozan and wanted to see what they might be able to do together following a Masai-driven retool was labeled an enemy of the team. It was insane. Even some moderators joined team Tank and some positive threads suggesting that Derozan might be able to improve still, that Kyle Lowry was an elite talent not easily replaced, or that Andrew Wiggins may not be the second coming of Lebron James or that Dante Exum might be a bust were met with constant negativity that fans who felt this way were dillusional, that Derozan was too old to improve past 2013, that Lowry didn't have another gear or would leave, that a core of those 2 as focal points wouldn't even get out of the first round. I remember comparing Andrew Wiggins analytically to Rudy Gay and it was seen as this huge insult and yet here we are years later and that duo did stay together, did get out of the first round, did make it to the ECF, and has only been hurt lately by one of 2 super teams the likes of which are historically dominant come playoff time. Oh, and as much as I love Wiggins and all Canadian prospects, due to his shoddy defence. (Which was once thought to be a primary selling point) Wiggins seems further removed from becoming a top 10 player than I had even imagined then.

Not sure if things were similar here back then but it's funny looking back. If we had indeed started our rebuild then and Masai didn't Tank all out and had luck not been on our side during the lottos we could have ended up with like a Dante Exum, Mario Hezonja, Kris Dunn trio after 3 high lotto picks and completely missed out on Derozan's improvement and Lowry's rise to all NBA status and an ECF run. Funny how things work out.

I've never been to RealGM....But it seems like our situation at RR was much the same as over there, only maybe a little more civil....

We basically had the same 2 factions but i would add a 3rd....

1) Pro-Tankers (seems to mirror your version of Team Negative, Team Tank or Tank World Order)
2) Ant-Tank crowd (more positive outlook, build upon what we have type of crowd)
3) Team Neutral (those that were amused or annoyed by the constant bickering or just wasn't sure what they wanted to happen)

Welcome to Raptors Republic! As the off-season comes to a close and training camp and the 2017-18 season begins, I will be interested in hearing your perspective on our beloved Team.

Cheers!

[planetmars]

There was a time period immediately preceding the Rudy Gay trade to Sacramento that felt like a forum civil war there.

Two factions.

One referred to themselves as Team Negative and Team Tank or Tank World Order and was convinced that the 2014 draft class would be the second coming of the Lebron James, Wade, Bosh, Melo, etc draft class. Anyone who was a fan of Lowry or Derozan and wanted to see what they might be able to do together following a Masai-driven retool was labeled an enemy of the team. It was insane. Even some moderators joined team Tank and some positive threads suggesting that Derozan might be able to improve still, that Kyle Lowry was an elite talent not easily replaced, or that Andrew Wiggins may not be the second coming of Lebron James or that Dante Exum might be a bust were met with constant negativity that fans who felt this way were dillusional, that Derozan was too old to improve past 2013, that Lowry didn't have another gear or would leave, that a core of those 2 as focal points wouldn't even get out of the first round. I remember comparing Andrew Wiggins analytically to Rudy Gay and it was seen as this huge insult and yet here we are years later and that duo did stay together, did get out of the first round, did make it to the ECF, and has only been hurt lately by one of 2 super teams the likes of which are historically dominant come playoff time. Oh, and as much as I love Wiggins and all Canadian prospects, due to his shoddy defence. (Which was once thought to be a primary selling point) Wiggins seems further removed from becoming a top 10 player than I had even imagined then.

Not sure if things were similar here back then but it's funny looking back. If we had indeed started our rebuild then and Masai didn't Tank all out and had luck not been on our side during the lottos we could have ended up with like a Dante Exum, Mario Hezonja, Kris Dunn trio after 3 high lotto picks and completely missed out on Derozan's improvement and Lowry's rise to all NBA status and an ECF run. Funny how things work out.

Factions might be a good way of describing sides during on going debates. Wasn't just the tank vs anti-tank debate.. The more prevalent were the pro-DeMar and anti-DeMar debates (check out the length of the Everything DeMar thread) or even the pro-Bargnani / anti-Bargnani debates (check that thread too.. although it was moved to the Everything NBA forum once he got traded).

Being a fan as long as I have it was nice to see some winning for a change.. although I too was on the tank side of things when Bryan got canned and Lieweke and Masai took over. Glad I was wrong. It's nice to see some winning for a change even if it might not lead to a championship. Going to the ECF and winning two out of six against the champs was pretty damn enjoyable.

Although the tank vs anti-tank stuff is creeping up again since Masai locked up Lowry, Ibaka and DD for the next 3 years (and with Barrett being the next "Wiggins").

[Scraptor]

Factions might be a good way of describing sides during on going debates. Wasn't just the tank vs anti-tank debate.. The more prevalent were the pro-DeMar and anti-DeMar debates (check out the length of the Everything DeMar thread) or even the pro-Bargnani / anti-Bargnani debates (check that thread too.. although it was moved to the Everything NBA forum once he got traded).

Being a fan as long as I have it was nice to see some winning for a change.. although I too was on the tank side of things when Bryan got canned and Lieweke and Masai took over. Glad I was wrong. It's nice to see some winning for a change even if it might not lead to a championship. Going to the ECF and winning two out of six against the champs was pretty damn enjoyable.

Although the tank vs anti-tank stuff is creeping up again since Masai locked up Lowry, Ibaka and DD for the next 3 years (and with Barrett being the next "Wiggins").

The big problem with that faction business is that it becomes totally binary (people are unable to see the benefits of alternate strategies) and leads to massive bickering. People became very condescending/combative on RealGM and I would hope that anyone who comes over from there doesn't bring the same attitude with them.

[S.R.]

I came here after Raptor blog shut down.