Toronto Raptors
It’s been spoken about ad nauseam, but the Toronto Raptors front office missed a trick here. When it was announced that Jonas Valanciunas, C.J. Miles, and Delon Wright wouldn’t receive championship rings there was a bit of uproar, and rightly so.
Valanciunas, Miles, and Wright all contributed to the Toronto Raptors’ most successful period in franchise history in different ways, even if they weren’t on the playoff roster. The fact that they aren’t to receive rings because it basically equates to the standard protocol in the NBA is out of line by the Raptors lofty standards.
They’re a franchise that prides themselves on setting higher standards, going the extra mile and, generally, just going against the mundane grain of the stereotypical norm. Look, I get it, you have to draw the line somewhere, and realistically, that doesn’t seem like a fun conversation to have. But to draw it with three important players who all featured for the Raptors last season, and instead give rings to superfan Nav Bhatia and Drake is insulting.
It surely can’t be a financial thing either. MLSE is a billion-dollar organisation celebrating its first-ever NBA title with the Raptors. There should, and hasn’t, been any expenses spared. So why now?
This just stinks of a bad PR move.
VERDICT: STOCK UP