The Toronto Raptors need serious changes to avoid playoff extinction
- erkummel
- Jun 6, 2017
- 3 min read
Another playoff run comes to an end at the hands of LeBron James, this time it wasn’t close. So do the Toronto Raptors stick with this core group of players, or is it time to move into a new Jurassic period.
After the Cleveland Cavaliers eliminated the Toronto Raptors last season, at least there was the saving grace that Toronto won two games at home. This year the Raptors were dominated in every sense of the word and outscored by an average of 15 points per game in a four-game sweep that was never in doubt.
Now to be fair, Kyle Lowry was injured for two games and LeBron James is playing at a historic pace to open these playoffs. But the issue remains that the Raptors built this roster to compete with the Cavs and didn’t even take a game from them, so some serious changes are in order.
Masai Ujiri gave his team the tools to succeed in Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker and apparently it wasn’t enough. There are several different paths Ujiri and Raptors management can take this offseason, but whichever they choose will likely shape this franchise for years to come.
Kyle Lowry is the biggest piece of this puzzle moving forward. He’ll be getting max money or close to it this offseason and he’s earned it. He’s a three-time all-star and has been a fantastic leader for the Raptors, but with the injuries piling up at 31-years-old and his history of playoff struggles does the team really want five more years of Lowry? Maybe it’s time to move on from the kid from North Philly and go a different direction.
Now what is that direction? The team could go out and sign some marquee free agents and make another run at LeBron James and hope that the third time is the charm. Who could they go after that would make a big enough difference? Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and Gordon Hayward are all set to become free agents, but do the Raptors have a legitimate shot at bringing any of those guys in? Is someone like Paul Millsap enough of an addition to change things?
Then there’s the option of a full rebuild through the draft. A few years of misery at the bottom of NBA barrel hoping to find your next franchise player in a crapshoot. That seems a bit dramatic for a team that’s found the most success in franchise history over the last four years. Besides, DeMar DeRozan is in the prime of his career and locked up for at least four more years. He alone makes your team good enough that you won’t be able to properly tank for a lottery pick.
If a personnel change isn’t in order then just stick all the blame on the coach. There’s no doubt Dwane Casey is the greatest bench boss in team history. He’s led the team to four straight playoff appearances, back-to-back 50-win seasons and is the only coach in franchise history with a win percentage higher than .500.
While it has been a golden era of dino basketball, the last few playoff runs have proven that Toronto’s offensive system, or lack thereof, becomes completely stagnant in the playoffs. The last three seasons the team has finished in the bottom three among all playoff teams in scoring. If Ujiri keeps the same core of players, then Dwane Casey needs to go.
It’s time to give Jerry Stackhouse his shot at the big leagues. Former players like Jason Kidd and Derek Fisher stepped into the coaching ranks less than a year after they finished playing. Obviously those two examples had very different degrees of success, but Stackhouse is four years removed from his playing days and is fresh off a D-League title and coach of the year honours.
He’s put in the work to become a coach and as a former player and two-time all-star he’ll demand the respect of the players immediately. If the Raptors don’t bring him up, there’s a good chance another team will.
There are an overwhelming amount of decisions to be made this off-season and each one will no doubt shape the foundation of the Raptors for years to come.
So while the players wind down from a grueling season and find time for some much needed rest and relaxation. The work begins for Masai Ujiri and Jeff Weltman, as they go to work in their basketball laboratory in hopes of creating a 15-headed monster that can defeat LeBron James.
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