Time to plan the DeRozan statue – Why I hate the Raptors as a Franchise

Today is July 18th, 2018 and I recently heard the news that the lowly Toronto Raptors are trading away their best player in hopes to win it all this season. I hate the Toronto media, for the most part, I don’t listen to Toronto sports radio because everything about it is so negative, I can’t stand a large portion Toronto Raptors sports fans and I think there’s a negative energy that surrounds Toronto sports teams that doesn’t need to be there.

Demar DeRozan did everything you wish every basketball player would do. He tried to get better every season. Last season based on my personal assessment Dwayne Casey and the entire Toronto Raptors coaching staff to a horrendous job against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Most Toronto sports fans blamed DeMar DeRozan, I blamed Dwayne Casey and the horrible defensive coaching job he did against LeBron James. The Raptors resigned what I considered to be the main culprit of the bad defensive schemes Fred VanVleet to a 2 year $18,110,010 contract.

Which sounds great on the offensive end but is disastrous on the defensive end because Kyle Lowry isn’t much taller than him. If you rewatch LeBron James genius during the 2018 playoffs against the Raptors he used the mix matches to get his players easy baskets which in turn got the entire Cleveland offense into a Rhythm, this also allowed the Cleveland Cavaliers to clamp down on Demar DeRozan, which made everything more difficult in the playoffs. This wasn’t how the Raptors played during the regular season as the coach of the year Dwayne Casey tightened his lineups and DeMar DeRozan was put in an extreme disadvantage. Now the reality of the matter is that this was a bad management move and Dwayne Casey had to make the best use of what he was working with.

Most of the Raptors players weren’t used to that level of physical play in the playoffs. Fred VanVleet during the playoffs had a lot of heart. But if there was anyone the Raptors should have elected to move it should have been Fred VanVleet. Those two guards of Lowry and Fred VanVleet up top is a horrible combination especially with the rise of these much taller athletic point guards. How this relates to DeMar DeRozan, well, in my opinion, this may actually turn out to be the best thing to ever happen to him.

I’m making a prediction that Kawhi Leonard requests the Toronto Raptors to buyout his contract. Kawhi Leonard sat out last season, what makes you think that he won’t opt to sit out this season? or sign get a buyout from the Raptors and sign for the minimum with the Lakers if this option isn’t available what makes you think that he won’t sit out next season? Kawhi has a lot to lose this season if he doesn’t perform well on the Toronto Raptor. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Kawhi simply takes a season off, in reality, the party that will look the worst in all of this will be the Toronto Raptors.

I don’t know any top-level player that wants to go to Toronto, especially after the Raptors got rid of DeMar DeRozan who was extremely loyal to them. LeBron James is such a basketball icon that if Kawhi Leonard were to sign with the Lakers even after sitting out a year, all the noise and pressure would still be on LeBron James. This is something I doubt Raptors management gave any thought too.

I can see it now, Kawhi Leonard asks the Raptors to buy out his contract or trade him. I can see this so clearly. If it doesn’t happen I’d be shocked. This trade reminds me a lot like when Vince Carter left Toronto. If people remember the big piece to that trade was Alonzo Mourning, but guess what Alonzo Mourning did? He requested a buyout, had his request met, then he signed to Miami with Shaq and Dwayne Wade and that team won their very first championship.

Vince Carter will be vindicated, Tracy McGrady will be vindicated all the former Raptor players that left this franchise high and dry will be vindicated after this DeMar DeRozan event. I agree, DeMar DeRozan deserves a Statue in Toronto and I hope and I hope all future Raptor fans realize that Toronto as great of a city as it is, is not a destination most athletes want to come too.

There’s a lot of unjustifiable negativity that permeates the city, a particular arrogance that appears to be part of the Toronto sports culture, an unreal expectation created by the Toronto sports media and a sense of entitlement that hasn’t been earned from the management of all Toronto sports teams. For the most part, Toronto sports teams have been a horror show, bland in their approach to winning, the MLSE most certainly knows how to price gauge the Toronto sports fan but getting actual results there seems to be an IQ malfunction that starts at the top

I wish Demar DeRozan nothing but the best in San Antonio and if I were Kawhi Leonard, now would be a great time to ask for a buyout. Because even with you, I doubt this Toronto Raptors franchise will make it to the playoffs, plus you don’t want to get injured playing for a team you have no desire to play for in the future.