As a Raptors commentator, I naturally have some preconceived notions and a deeper-rooted connection to the team, given that it's my hometown. Now, while that may be the case, I never shun or hide the facts that might be plaguing their roster or the ineffectiveness and inefficiencies present within the Raptors' current construction. I can love the team, sure, but that doesn't mean I'm oblivious to their shortcomings. For that reason, I love being able to cover the squad from all angles.
Now, as it pertains to other journalists or curators of basketball commentary mediums, they have no reason to develop an attachment or "hear me out" mentality toward the various NBA teams. Their delivery is cutthroat and unfiltered, largely based on facts—at least most of the time.
Not to say that my takes aren't valid—I'd like to think I'm pretty fair on both ends—but I can see why other analysts aren't huge believers in the Toronto Raptors.
I was listening to an edition of the Ryen Russillo Podcast, where he discussed various teams in the middling Eastern Conference landscape. Of course, Russillo touched upon the Raptors during the episode.
In the near five minutes he talked about Toronto, his comments were very striking and straightforward. Russillo would mention how the Raptors have four guys at the top of their payroll that nobody wants to pay, being extremely blunt in his delivery and saying:
"The payroll. So next year, Scottie Barnes, $38.6 million. RJ Barrett, $28 million. [Immanuel] Quickley, $32.5 million. And they just signed Brandon Ingram to three-years, $120 million, fully guaranteed. For whatever f***ing reason, I have no idea. I don't know who you're competing against. He doesn't play enough... So, those four players are going to be making $137 million next year combined, for what? "Ryen Russillo
So here’s the takeaway: it's clear that Raptors GM Masai Ujiri has a master plan in place to help bring the team back to a level of prominence. Nevertheless, his strategy of committing a significant portion of the salary cap to a core four (not to mention Jakob Poeltl as well) is not sitting well with analysts like Russillo. And as I've mentioned in some of my previous pieces, the Ingram trade immediately made me think about how strange the Raptors talent pool became with his arrival.
Could Masai Ujiri's vision for the Raptors become a double-edged sword?
It's no secret to any Raptors fan that when Ujiri has a vision, sometimes it's best to just let him cook and wait to see the prophecy fulfilled. In this case, if the Ingram buy-in pays off, then he can take it to the bank and say "I told you so." That's the devoted fan's perspective, but how about approaching things from a realist angle?
If the "Trust Masai" sentiment doesn't prevail, the ensuing aftermath could prove to be a serious problem for the Raptors' future. From that viewpoint, it doesn't look quite so much like sunshine and rainbows, does it? Then again, we can't go in circles playing a game of "shoulda, coulda, woulda."
I still firmly believe that Ujiri might be one of the NBA's most captivating front office executives because he consistently does things that no one else expects or seems to follow suit with. Masai is in a league of his own— for better or for worse.
Be that as it may, his tendency to be an unorthodox visionary has resulted in a mixed bag of success. Bringing the Raptors an NBA title will always be his claim to fame, but in the years since, it seems like Ujiri is chasing a glory that might have passed Toronto by.
While I may not share Russillo's level of pessimism regarding the Raptors, I can certainly understand why Ujiri's business decisions might be viewed as risky. If his ambitious, high-cost vision doesn’t come to fruition, what relevance will the Raptors have left?