Toronto Raptors are making a mistake with the Championship ring fiasco

The Toronto Raptors have elected not to give Jonas Valanciunas, C.J. Miles, and Delon Wright a championship ring. That is a decision that should be viewed as a mistake.

As NBA organisation’s go, the Toronto Raptors are good at being different. Masai Ujiri has built the Toronto Raptors up from the ground since his arrival in 2013 and the team is now one of the most winningest teams in the last decade and has six winning seasons in a row and four consecutive seasons with 50-plus wins.

All of that prior success culminated with a title win last season – the first-ever Larry O’Brien for the Toronto Raptors – a well-deserved accolade for one of the most well-run teams in the league from top to bottom.  The reward – other than the feeling of accomplishment beyond the realms of normality and the opportunity to call yourself an NBA champion and hoist that shiny trophy above your heard – was a championship ring like no other.

The ring is the biggest and most expensive championship ring in NBA history and features 74 diamonds, one for every win for the team in the 2018-19 NBA season. It’s a momentous occasion for all involved and it proved to be an emotional opening night for the reigning NBA champions.

For a team that seems to do all of the right things, the Raptors have decided to drop the ball his week with the news that they wouldn’t be giving Jonas Valanciunas, C.J. Miles, or Delon Wright a championship ring for their efforts last season.

Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun first broke the news which reverberated from Dallas, the final stop of the Raptors five-game Western Conference road trip, when he caught up with the Raptors GM Bobby Webster, who had this to say:

"“It’s not an easy decision but, to be honest, I think it’s standard. I mean we did our homework, we talked to teams and I think – I don’t remember – there was maybe one scenario where a team offered one. I think it was Anderson Varejao in Golden State but I think it was a really unique circumstance.”"

Following that up with: “It’s obviously not a feel-good thing but I think that’s the way the league is.”

No matter your opinion on the matter, this feels like a dropped ball from the Raptors front office. A team that prides itself on its organisational culture had the chance to be different, to buck the trend and to celebrate its history. That’s what this season is – the 25th season in the team’s history – is all about, celebrating its history in the best way possible.

I get that, because Valanciunas, Miles, and Wright, weren’t with the team in June then some might agree with the front office’s decision not to reward them with a ring, but that comes across as disingenuous and totally not what the Raptors stand for.

Valanciunas had been with the Raptors for over six seasons and was a constant during the Raptors’ success. He grew as the Raptors asked him to grow and was, routinely, the third-best player on the Raptors roster – after Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan – until last season.

Wright was in his fourth season with the team, and it might have been his last regardless of trade or not since he was an upcoming free agent but he still contributed to the Raptors’ success, as did C.J. Miles, despite only spending a season and a half with the team.

All three players were with the team up until the Marc Gasol trade in February. They were – to varying degrees – prominent in the Raptors road to the title last season. Obviously, a line has to be drawn when it comes to deciding who gets a ring and who doesn’t. No one is oblivious to that fact.

But to give Drake and Nav Bhatia, who are both fans, rings and not give one to Valanciunas, Wright, and Miles is ludicrous and stinks of a publicity stunt. If Nav and Drake deserve rings, then the argument for those three players speaks for itself. They were on the court for the Raptors the season they won the title. Sure, they weren’t on the playoff roster, but neither was Jordan Loyd – who was also rightfully rewarded with a ring.

Again, it’s difficult to decide who gets a ring and who doesn’t, but this should have been an easy decision. Does someone like Greg Monroe deserve a championship ring after he played 38 games for the Toronto Raptors last season? Maybe. And this is obviously where it gets difficult for MLSE in deciding who gets a ring or not.

The line has to be drawn somewhere. The Raptors weren’t expected to offer DeMar DeRozan a ring – something that makes a little more sense – after he was traded for Kawhi Leonard in July of last year. That would seem like a pity ring more than anything.

The Raptors had the chance to be different once again and potentially set a precedent for future winners. They, unfortunately, dropped the ball in that regard.

Valanciunas, Miles, and Wright were all deserving of a ring. They contributed to the Raptors’ success. It’s that simple.