RAPTORS WON’T SACRIFICE SUCCESS FOR A REBUILD
Ujiri speaks of three-year window with signings of top players Lowry, Ibaka
Though the Toronto Raptors attempted to celebrate the hereand-now Friday morning — the successful completion of new, three-year deals for Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka — it was impossible not to ponder what comes next.
Most crucially, how the Raptors compete in a watered-down East and against the powerhouse West.
“I think we started something and I think we’re going to continue to grow and try to finish something and continue to get better,” Lowry said.
“I believe it’s the best place to win a ring and even if it wasn’t I want to make it that,” he continued.
Raptors president Masai Ujiri spoke of a three-year window that will give the franchise the flexibility to remain competitive, while able to pivot down the line to a rebuild or retool if necessary.
“I think it’s a good start for us to put our foot forward to go out and compete the next couple years,” Ujiri said.
“This opportunity fell to us. We’ve looked at it. We’ve done all kinds of studies, whether it’s players, whether it’s the draft coming up, whether it’s the landscape of the NBA and the Eastern Conference, all of those things. You never know where these things go. I think all we’re trying to do is set ourselves up to be competitive, to put yourself in a position to maybe compete for a championship. It’s all based on the team, chemistry, all of those things coming together. Hopefully, we can start these things on a good note.”
Retaining Lowry and Ibaka certainly does that. Having the duo together with DeMar DeRozan and the rest of the squad from Day 1 should be helpful.
“Last year was such a rush, what 20 games? I got like two games with the (new) guys,” Lowry said, referring to his wrist injury.
“I think having a full training camp, getting the communication down, getting the coverages down. Getting to feel what Serge likes, getting more time with Delon (Wright) and Cory (Joseph in two point-guard backcourts, which will happen often) and all the guys out on the floor together,” he said.
What about the difficult cap situation?
“We’re going to try to figure out how we can get a couple guys in to help our basketball team,” Ujiri said.
“We’ll see. I can’t say too much because we’re in the middle of trying to do it. I wish I could give you guys’ names. But there are 29 other teams, too.”
Ujiri added there are ways to get the team away from the luxury tax level either soon, or into the season. How much is MLSE comfortable spending? How much is Ujiri comfortable putting on the ledger?
“I wouldn’t say there’s a limit, but we have to be realistic with ourselves, like how good is our team? That’s the judgment we have to make,” he said.
“(General manager Bobby Webster) and the analytics guys have to make that judgment for me to make a good decision. How good is our team and how much do we want to put into it? I think we’ll figure it out. I don’t think those are the toughest decisions we have.”
In the process of looking ahead, there was also a need to consider what was lost with the defections of P.J. Tucker and Patrick Patterson.
“It’s always difficult to move away from any player. It was difficult to see Patrick Patterson go, it was difficult to see P.J. go,” Ujiri said.
Will Ibaka have more responsibility with them gone?
“Not only me, I think everybody on the team, we have to step up and try to do more. It’s not only one person,” Ibaka said.
To that end, Ujiri indicated the Raptors will play faster, move the ball more often, defend hard, cut better and perhaps continue to go smaller.
Ibaka is fine with all of that. “(On) defence, I can play (three positions), can switch onto point guards, can roll, I can pop, it don’t matter. Whatever coaches think is best for the team, when you ask me, I’m going to respond,” he said.
Until the fate of Jonas Valanciunas is determined, it’s difficult to assess how the frontcourt will shake out. In the long term, Ibaka will be the centre with Jakob Poeltl as his backup and youngsters OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam will see considerable time at power forward.
Re-signing Norman Powell to a big new deal will be next summer’s priority and it’s difficult to see where the money to keep Lucas Nogueira would come from.
But that’s much farther down the line. For now, Toronto’s only focus is continuing to be a force in the East, despite losing a couple of key pieces.
Retaining the club’s top two free agents was a crucial step, but there is still work to be done.