Toronto Raptors get blown out: the hard part begins [first of a series]

Apr 18, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; (left to right) Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) and forward James Johnson (3) and forward Terrence Ross (31) and guard Landry Fields (2) and center Jonas Valanciunas (17) in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Washington Wizards at Air Canada Centre. Washington defeated Toronto 93-86. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

With the Toronto Raptors’ post-season collapse complete, the time has come for a post-mortem. How did our team enjoy such a fine season, only to crash and burn in the worst week in franchise history? There are multiple possible answers to that question, and Masai Ujiri will be under considerable pressure to determine what they are. In the spirit of co-operation, let’s give him some help.

The Raptors weren’t merely defeated by the Washington Wizards – they were soundly thrashed. In retrospect, this should not come as a surprise. Toronto had been on a downward spiral since the calendar rolled into 2015. Counting the playoffs, the Raps are 25-29, which is evidence of serious rot in the foundations.

NO SOLUTIONS – JUST PROBLEMS

1. No Rap elevated his game in the playoffs.
2. Kyle Lowry, an injury-plagued shell of himself, was dreadful.
3. Jonas Valanciunas was embarrassed by Marcin Gortat.
4. Toronto was outrebounded in all four games.
5. I haven’t seen so many easy baskets in the paint since Andrea Bargnani was pretending to play defense.
6. How could a team led by an allegedly defensive-minded coach get hammered so badly, both inside and outside?
7. There’s a lot more, but this is getting dreary.

There are 5 critical elements to restructuring the roster for next season, a task which cannot be procrastinated upon any longer.

DRAFT

We’ve been publishing occasional analyses of interesting selections throughout the latter part of the season, and we will certainly continue to do that as the date approaches. For rebuild purposes, this year’s draft selection is the least consequential activity, at least in the short term, but it’s of immense importance over time.

FREE AGENCY

There are two elements to this activity: determining who should be retained from this year’s lengthy list of expired contracts, and persuading one or more players from elsewhere to join our ranks. For now, we’ll name the easy fellows to say farewell to: Chuck Hayes and Landry Fields. We’ll consider the others individually.

As for desirable free agents; clearly that’s a topic of considerable interest. However, there are financial implications, and we need to figure out who’s getting re-signed first. There’s no hurry. We’ll examine juicy free agents at our leisure.

CONTRACT EXTENSIONS

Our third-year men, Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross, are eligible for contract extensions. Have they earned them? If so, how much should they get paid?

TRADES

Who needs to go? Who might have to be moved, reluctantly, as we need to “give to get”? Who’s untouchable, and who do we want? We’ll stir this pot as well.

COACHES

Should heads roll among the suits? There are pros and cons in that debate which need airing.

CONCLUSION

Please make sure you return frequently. It’s going to be a longer than expected off-season, and one of the most interesting we’ve ever seen. We’ll be your guide.