Raptors Unique Dilemma: How to Solve American Basketball Players Lack of Desire to Play in Toronto

An NBA title is not sufficient for the Toronto Raptors to attract top tier talent in the NBA.  It’s long been an issue from day one of the Toronto Raptors’ existence.  There has never been a truly high profile free-agent signing in Raptors history.  The acquisition of Hedo Turkoglu was a sign and trade with Orlando and it was a bust.  DeMarre Carroll was a free agent signing in the summer of 2015 for 4 years $60 million and it is proof that Masai Ujiri can make mistakes.  Tracy Murray and Bismack Biyombo were good free-agent signings for the Raptors but not top-notch talent.

Both former NBA star Gilbert Arenas and current sixth man of the year award winner Lou Williams expressed their sentiments on why American players are not enamored with the idea of playing in Canada.  It’s troubling and has been troubling for many years.  Gilbert Arenas  in an interview with Fanatics View had the following to say:

“Raptors being in Canada is hard for American players.  You gotta remember, most kids are coming from the hood, that this is where my family, friends are. So me going all the way to another country, my friends, family can’t get there. So that’s already a conflict. So that my mom, my dad, my brothers and sisters can’t get there often. They can drive to Atlanta. They can drive to Chicago, and go and follow me and come to all my games.”

“When someone like Kawhi is a free agent and you’re like ‘why would he leave? He just won a championship.’ That’s exactly why he leave. He’s already won two championships. What is he playing for now? Maybe he wants to play 41 home games in front of his mother for the first time in his career. That’s important. It’s the little things. It’s not the money.”

Former Raptor Lou Williams also chimed in with the following statements in an episode of  a podcast called No Chill host by Gilbert Arenas and Mike Boticello:

“When you play in Toronto, you feel like you’re playing overseas,” explained Williams to Arenas and Botticello. “We can’t wait to go on the road sometimes, just to be in America.”

“It’s like little [things] you don’t think of, like the Channels on your TV, phone bill, you got to get a Canadian bank account. [Stuff] like that that people don’t think about. That [stuff] is s hard. And then you have kids, you’re raising your kids out in Canada…”

“One you’re there, you’re like ‘oh, this is dope.’ But the hard part is keeping guys there.”

The Value of the Comments Are Silly by Nature but a Problem

Some of these statements seem silly it’s not hard to open a bank account.  The raising your kids in Canada has been heard before when Antonio Davis back in the summer of 2001 was prepared to leave Toronto for Chicago he was floating the story he didn’t want his kids learning the metric system (The USA uses the imperial method for measurements).   The Chicago Bulls low-balled him with their offer.  The Raptors, his only option to getting paid handsomely for what he did on the court, were then able to get his name on a contract.

Certain parts of the USA suffer from severe cold weather as bad or worse than Toronto and Florida gets hit with Hurricanes, Texas with Tornados, and California has earthquakes.  Canada is North of the USA and while it is a sovereign nation with different laws and customs it mimics and promotes many American styles and cultures like tv channels, shops and entertainment (movies, tv shows, etc.).

Gilbert Arenas’ comments and Williams’ comments about taxes are understandable an athlete is paying taxes in his country of residence and also where he works as a non-resident.  What’s truly frustrating about the whole concept of the lone Canadian NBA team not being able to attract top free agents or keep key free agents when their contracts expire is the Raptors still have to compete in the NBA.

The Solution

What never gets addressed is how the Raptors overcome this snub that they are an outpost of the NBA.  We have seen previous Raptors management teams address the issue by signing foreign players as Bryan Colangelo did in the summer of 2006 with Anthony Parker who had been playing in Israel, Spaniards Jorge Garbajosa, and Jose Calderon.  The other method Toronto general managers have employed is to find young players who could become solid role players like a Jamario Moon through free agent camps or even more recently Ujiri signing an undrafted Fred Vanvleet.

There is a very unique way the Raptors could address the problem of not being an attractive destination for top-flight free agents and that’s to develop your talent.  The Raptors 905 is a good destination for young talent already identify and signed but the Raptors should look to set up a system or network of world youth basketball leagues in places like Africa, Brazil, Argentina or anywhere really.  Once that talent reaches age 19-21 the Raptors simply approach the top talents to either try out for the Raptors 905 or sign a 2-way contract with the Raptors.

Last season, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban suggested sending American youth players to Europe to learn to play the game the right way from a young age in comments he made to Eurohoops.net.  Most people focused on the words Cuban used in expressing their outrage at his insinuation.  When those comments are examined for actual relevance and value he wasn’t wrong entirely.

College basketball in the USA does not prepare big-men (forwards and centers) for life in the NBA in particular.  It’s a guard driven style of basketball and big-men are confined to play around the basket (rebounding, dunking, and short-range shots).  In today’s NBA power forwards and centers are expected to shoot from distance spacing the floor and be able to drive the lane from the wing positions when necessary.  NBA rules today now restrict back to the basket low post moves.

NCAA basketball is dramatically different from the NBA and is less than half an NBA season,  and its played in 2-20 minute halves winding up 8 minutes shorter than an NBA game.  There is also the difference in offensive urgency in that NBA offenses must get up shots in just 24 seconds in contrast to the 45 second NCAA shot clock.

The Perfect Template to Train Talent

In Masai Ujiri’s work in Africa as Co-Founder of Giants of Africa, his program offering basketball to the youth of various African communities has changed lives for the better.  The nefarious aspect of it is, of course, the potential of mining talent to play professionally.  Ujiri could be the guy that sets it up.  It would address the issue of the talent that avoids Toronto in the future.

As a franchise, imagine getting teenaged players playing a style and system of basketball you endorse knowing you have allowed them to personally improve but also in an environment under which they practice their passion but its a job that pays them, teaches them discipline and hard work.    The ultimate goal is an advancement to the NBA if they so deserve.

This was the part Mark Cuban wanted people to focus on in his statements last year.   It eliminates the hero-worship of college ball where egos swell because the player is always told he’s the greatest.  It breeds the notion like Allen Iverson years ago who expressed 33 times in an interview his disgust for practice or the need for improvement until its too late.

For the Toronto Raptors, it means also employing local scouts to keep you abreast of player developments and yes investing in a developmental system.  Any concerns as to cost should be minor as according to Forbes Magazine in February of 2019 are valued at $1.7 billion and generated revenue of $275 million.  While expense like operating expenses needs to be factored in already at$76 million and payroll which was $127 million at the time, a developmental network of youth leagues could be sustainable and adequately address the lack of interest in star American basketball athletes considering Toronto as a place to ply their trade.

 

Road to the NBA Finals 2019: Masai Ujiri’s Top 3 Transactions as Raptors GM and President(May 27th, 2019)

Masai Ujiri became the 5th Toronto Raptors general manager back on May 31st, 2013. He signed an extension as team president in 2016 hiring Bobby Webster as general manager. What no one knew then is that Ujiri would also become the Raptors’ best ever executive. Ujiri was named executive of the year in the NBA for his work with the Denver Nuggets back in 2013.

Since his appointment as the man in charge in Toronto, the Raptors have made the playoffs for six consecutive years. There has also been a pile of positive firsts. Under his tutelage, the Raptors have won 50 plus games for the first time in franchise history and have now done that for 4 consecutive seasons. The Raptors who are 1-1 in Eastern Conference finals series, having just dispatched the Milwaukee Bucks, made their first ECF under Ujiri in 2016. They are now also about to embark on a journey that could land the franchise it’s first-ever Larry O’Brien trophy in their first-ever NBA Finals Series.

The Finals’ appearance was made largely possible thanks to Ujiri’s trade landing the Raptors their first-ever superstar in Kawhi Leonard, with no disrespect to DeMar DeRozan or Vince Carter.

With only Kyle Lowry linked to a trade made by Bryan Colangelo before he was let go as the Raptors President, the current Raptors roster in the NBA Finals has truly been crafted by Masai Ujiri. Win or lose versus Golden State in the NBA Finals, Ujiri is likely to win the 2nd Executive of the Year award in his career. We take a moment here to assess three of his best transactions as the man in charge of the Toronto Raptors:

Norman Powell or Fred Vanvleet:

This is a tough choice between these players. One was a second-round pick in 2016 the other was never drafted. Just like the San Antonio Spurs management, Masai Ujiri has been making a habit of finding late first-round picks or undrafted talent. In 2015, Norman Powell was a second-round pick, of the Milwaukee Bucks. He was traded to Toronto and has outlasted his draft year mate and Raptors first-round pick Delon Wright in terms of usefulness.

While he did struggle in 2018 and lost his starting job to 2018 late first-round pick O.G. Anunoby, Powell is once again relevant to the Raptors rotation. He has made a big habit of coming up huge in playoff games. The 2019 ECF against Milwaukee was no exception. Powell had 54 points total off of the bench in the Raptors 4 straight victories over Milwaukee.

As for Fred Vanvleet, he signed as an undrafted player in 2016 with the Raptors and has been a steady backup to Kyle Lowry at the point. In the just-completed ECF, Fred Vanvleet scored 48 points in the last three games against Milwaukee. He was deadly accurate from the 3-point arc shooting 14/17 for 82.3%.

Pascal Siakam:

Masai Ujiri had two first-round draft picks in 2017. At #9, he selected c/f Jacob Poeltl. At #27, Ujiri selected Pascal Siakam. In his rookie season, Siakam started 38 games for Toronto and just 5 In his second season. However, in 2018 he was a huge part of the Raptors dominant bench averaging 7.3ppg.

The 2018-19 season has been a revelation of just how high the ceiling is for Siakam. He won the starting power forward spot out of training camp and has literally been the 2nd or third best player for the Raptors this season. He is highly favored to win the Most Improved Player Award for 2019.

Siakam has been pretty good throughout these 2019 playoffs. Siakam has had 5 double-doubles through the first three rounds of playoffs. Siakam also has been averaging 18.7ppg and 7rpg. Masai Ujiri may have unearthed gold when he drafted Pascal Siakam. Head coach Nick Nurse does not need to run plays for Siakam who is often involved in the games off of his tireless running, ball-handling skills and hustle on the court.

Kawhi Leonard:

​Kawhi Leonard was a surprise 2018 off-season addition to the Raptors that raised many an eyebrow. Masai Ujiri swung for the fence with a deal that removed star scorer and longtime Raptor DeMar DeRozan and Jacob Poeltl and a 2019 1st round draft pick from the roster.

What Ujiri was betting on is what has happened. Leonard has quickly re-established himself to be an elite NBA player after his disastrous 2017-18 season was mostly lost to injury. Along with former San Antonio teammate Danny Green, who was also included in the deal last summer, the two have brought a defensive intensity to the Raptors that is consistent. The pair of former Spurs also bring a winning attitude to the Raptors and Leonard is a former NBA Finals MVP.

Leonard brings an offensive skill set even better than Vince Carter. In these 2019 playoffs, his first as a Raptor, Leonard is averaging 31.2ppg, 8.8rpg, and 3.8apg. While Leonard may not be a Raptor for long due to free agency this summer, Masai Ujiri had a goal to get the Raptors to the NBA Finals where they are now. Win or lose, Leonard gives the Raptors their first and best shot to become the NBA Champions and Masai Ujiri made it all happen.