Are Masai & Bobby through?
My pre-season prediction for the Toronto Raptors season was a record of 41-41. Before surprising the Milwaukee Bucks 117-111, the Raptors had one win in their previous 18 games. Their record of 25-53 actually flatters the team, whose recent losses have been so one-sided as to be embarrassing. If Toronto were a normal sports city, there would be massive discontent from the fanbase. However, that’s not the case. Attendance at Scotiabank Arena averages 19,520, just a fraction below 100% of capacity. The press has been critical but muted. And if there are important commentators calling for the resignations or firings of Masai Ujiri and his top lieutenant, Bobby Webster, I’m not aware of them.
So I’ll step into the breach and ask: in light of this dreadful season, and the one prior (41-41, which was a fall-off from 48-34; in short, we’re going backwards), should Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster be moved along, voluntarily or otherwise?
I make no bones about being a Masai fan. He’s made a few missteps over his tenure, but given the fact he’s been the top Raptors executive since the summer of 2013, those would be inevitable.
If you can’t pick ’em in the draft, nothing else matters
I consider drafting well the most important skill for an NBA executive. Franchises like Sacramento, Minnesota, Detroit, and Charlotte, have spent years, even decades, in NBA purgatory because of selecting ‘busts’ consistently. Masai has never enjoyed the #1 pick. His highest selection, Scottie Barnes at #4, has become a foundational player.
Here’s the bottom line: every pick the Raptors have made in the first round since 2015 is still in the league. Sure, Delon Wright’s career is hanging by a thread, but he was a #20 pick. Not many of those guys enjoy as many years of service as him at the game’s highest level.
Malachi Flynn, the #29 selection in 2020, just dropped a 50-point game as a Detroit Piston. [The young man deserves a great deal of credit for never giving up on his game. I thought he should have been waived, but Darko Rajakovic liked him, and gave him a lot of floor time. “Well done” from me to both player and coach.]
Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, both chosen in the 20s, have been hugely important contributors to the success of the Raptors and now with their new teams. While there was considerably angst, which I shared, about the worrisome start to Gradey Dick’s tenure, such concern is gone. He’s a great shooter, and a lot more besides.
Masai’s trades recently have been problematic. He could be accused of waiting too long before dealing long-tenured players. However, none of his deals have been flops [a topic for a future post]. We may have to wait a couple of seasons for the full payback on the trades of Siakam and Anunoby.
The 2024 NBA Draft takes place on June 26 & 27 (Oh boy – a whole evening devoted to the second round! [sarc]). If the Raptors, who should be well-positioned to select several useful players, do so, then Masai can keep his job. I don’t want him drafting for someone else, and you can be certain that he would be employed elsewhere about 10 minutes after his firing/resignation hits the headlines.
Every team, even the mighty San Antonio Spurs, must rebuild sooner or later. If this season is the low-water mark – let it be so, please – and the Kiddie Corps can grow together, then Masai will have come through a miserable period with his reputation even higher than it already is. If not…I’ll write about it then. For now, he and his executive team should stay.
More (free agents, picking a coach) on this matter soon.
- Tags: Masai Ujiri, Toronto Raptors
