Now that the Toronto Raptors can officially take solace in the fact that their nightmare of a 2020-21 season has come to a close, president Masai Ujiri spoke to members of the press to both wrap up this unlucky campaign and answer some questions about what the future holds for him.
Ujiri has helped make Toronto one of the most consistent winners in the NBA, but there is a chance that he bolts due to the fact his contract is up at the end of this season. Ujiri put responsibility for getting him back on board with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and their competitive desire.
Ujiri strongly hinted that he will remain in Toronto if he thinks that ownership shows enough of a commitment to change and winning. Ujiri’s later comments show that fighting for a play-in spot is the furthest thing from his mind.
Ujiri’s response to earning a No. 9 or 10 seed and making the play-in tournament was “for what?” The Raptors have been a champion and a No. 2 seed in the last few years, and Ujiri wants to retool the roster to further that end.
“Everyone says blank check, blank check ... but we want to prepare yourself to win another championship .... play in the play-in game, for what? So what is the next lift, what is the next five years, 10 years ... “ Ujiri on what he will be taking to ownership about.
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) May 19, 2021
Ujiri didn’t absolve himself of blame, however, as he owned up to some of the mistakes he made in free agency. His claim that he failed to see “the type of bigs we should’ve been looking for” signals that he was very disappointed in the play of Aron Baynes and the departed Alex Len.
Masai takes responsibility for some of the roster construction issues that led to the slow start: "On my part I failed to see what we were looking for, maybe the type of bigs we should've been looking for. Thats on me... I put them in a tough position & I take ownership for that"
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 19, 2021
Toronto Raptors: Masai Ujiri is no fan of Aron Baynes or a .500 record.
At the risk of flogging a dead horse even more so than it has been over the course of the season, replacing Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka with Baynes and Len was a painful move. Len was waived just a few weeks into the season, and Baynes was such a poor interior finisher that he was relegated to the end of the bench.
Ujiri deserves credit for rectifying his mistakes by ditching Len while adding two younger, more physical players in Freddie Gillespie and Khem Birch. Even when the Raptors won just one game in the month of March, Ujiri showed a steadfast commitment to winning.
Ujiri made this team a force in the East, and while we all love Bobby Webster, he isn’t in Ujiri’s tier at the moment as a personnel guy.
With Kyle Lowry’s future up in the air, Ujiri can’t slip through Toronto’s grasp with him, as losing the pair would be painful to see. They need to let him get another crack at this roster and get rid of the Baynes-sized mistakes from last year.