Yes, It's Kawhi, but What Was Toronto Thinking?

Published on 19-Jul-2018 by Biff BoJock

Basketball - NBA    NBA Daily Update

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Yes, It's Kawhi, but What Was Toronto Thinking?

Like every other genre, the music niche now known as garage has seen its share of one-hit wonders.

Take Open Up Your Door by Richard & the Young Lions.

A catchy tune, it went mega here and there before it and the group were reduced to the land of trivia questions.

Kinda like the Toronto Raptors will be if they actually get a season of effort outta Kawhi Leonard before he moves on to the Los Angeles Lakers -- or wherever -- as an unrestricted free agent in 2019.

 

There the Raps were, pretty damn certain their -- and everyone else's -- nemesis was gonna do a Horace Greely and leave the Eastern Conference to the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and them.

Yes, them:

2015-2016   2016-2017   2017-2018
56-26  .683   51-31 .622   59-23 .720
Lost: East finals   Lost: East semis   Lost: East semis
to Cleveland, 4-2   to Cleveland, 4-0   to Cleveland, 4-0

 

So close. No cigar.

Maybe the club saw themselves becoming an Eastern Conference version of the Buffalo Bills.

 

Seems like Raptors management doesn't like Snickers.

Why else would they dump their Coach of the Year and, now, deport their roster's heart-&-soul?

 

Ask the Spurs about the Top Five player in question.

Leonard's already earned that distinction, and playing only nine games all last season because of a pulled attitude muscle or something.

Dude doesn't need to do anything in TO and odds are the Lakes will still come calling.

 

Raps' management is obviously gonna spend the season pitching Leonard on what a cool city Toronto is, and it is.

Unfortunately, dude's taking that literally:

 

Ironically, DeRozan was all in favor of the Raptors acquiring a Top Five player last year. In fact, he was pushing for the top player.

But he wasn't expecting to see himself going the other way.

 

Somehow, going radical for one season doesn't have that taking it to the next level feel. They've likely torn down more than they can build up.

Right now, the best-case scenario looks to be the answer to a future trivia question.