Not going to lie, even I don't know what Raptors fans want anymore.
On the one hand, you can tell vibes are in check; the young guns are happy, and for the franchise's greater good, all their vets are looking mighty valuable right about now.
Just a few pieces ago, we already tackled how this upcoming schedule for Toronto puts them between a rock and a hard place, set for the easiest lineup of opponents moving forward. Good for morale, sure. Good for the tank, though? Absolutely not.
What's the next chess move for the Toronto Raptors?
With that in mind, it's quite fair to understand why some fans in the Raptors community are beginning to get a little bit weary of their team's successes of late. But a full-blown panic? It doesn't seem like it's worth going that far just yet.
Try to convince a loyal basketball fan, "Hey, just deal with your favorite team losing badly on a nightly basis, but don't worry; things will soon look up."
Well, that's precisely what the "Trust the Process" Sam Hinkie-era Sixers did for years. It sucked, and say what you will about how Philly looks now, but at their peak in 2018-19, man, they looked like a legit monster to deal with (just ask the championship Raptors squad).
But I get it; it's Cooper Flagg we're talking about here. He's the darling of college hoops right now, and miserable NBA franchises everywhere are praying to win the lottery for his services.
Do fans want Toronto to just sit guys out, with phantom injuries or illnesses? That'll please some fans, sure, but it's bound to tick somebody off. That's the thing. Basketball fanbases can be so fickle, and that's just the truth.
The trade deadline hasn't even passed yet, and even if the Raptors opt to keep a couple of vets (looking at you, Chris Boucher), a couple of faces are bound for new homes soon. When is it a bad thing for these fluctuating vets to finally be worth something again? Once Toronto can reap the benefits of showcasing them in a short winning span, it eliminates that one aspect of winning basketball.
After the deadline passes, that leaves Toronto with over two months to fizzle out to the bottom, if that's the ultimate goal. Nevertheless, look at years prior in the draft. Worst of the worst doesn't always mean you'll get rewarded in the end. Those mid teams, though? Now, we're talking.
This isn't the old lottery anymore, it's 2025 folks. Times have changed and the universe can play some funny games. Setting such high expectations is bound to result in some form of disappointment.
Is Cooper Flagg the dream? You're darn skippy, he is. But maybe it's time to just settle down a bit and have patience. Who knows what'll happen in these last few months of regular season hoops? The jobs not finished and it's not worth losing our minds over a couple good wins. Like I said before in a previous article, this is the same team that could beat Boston yet go on to lose to Utah.
Panic is never a rational option; it just raises the blood pressure, and nobody wants that now, do they?