He did it, he Fucking did it!!
A #WojBomb was dropped on us at EXACTLY 3:00pm ET, saying the Raps had acquired PJ Tucker! Masai did what we all had hoped he would do and went for it, putting the East and more importantly the Cavs on notice. In basketball terms, this could be considered Masai’s Alex Anthopoulos moment where he finally said, “screw the prospects, screw the picks and fuck the budget, I want to win”.
With the acquisitions of Serge Ibaka and PJ Tucker (drafted by the Raps in 2006 2nd round), the Raptors filled some major holes in their line up with legit players, not guys they hope to make a difference. These players are impact players and should come ready to compete night in and night out. In doing so, Masai barely subtracted from the rotation (see ya Ross), managed to keep one 1st round pick in a supposedly loaded draft and managed to keep young pieces like Powell, Siakam, Wright & Poeltl. That’s a win all around.
After last years disappointing deadline, where Masai said their biggest acquisition was a healthy DeMarre Carroll (lame), the Raps for the first time maybe ever, showed they are serious about building a real contender that can go the distance. This team is built to take down Lebron & the Cavs.
Here’s what the rotation will now look like:
PG: Lowry/Joseph
SG: DeRozan/Powell
SF: Carroll/Tucker
PF: Ibaka/Patterson
C: Valanciunas/Bebe
Remember last year when we had Scola starting at PF, or Siakam this year, or Ross guarding Lebron? Yeah fuck that noise, this is a legit lineup! Both Ibaka and Tucker are HUGE (Donald Trump voice) upgrades on the defensive end, who will be inserted into a lineup that is currently 16th in defensive rating.
With 25 games to go the time is now and management has shown that, now the team has to execute. This starts with Casey. He has to come up with strategies that utilize all tools correctly (not like how he uses JV) in order for this team to win. If this team does not make it to the 3rd round, I could see Casey being axed. With Lowry, Patterson, Ibaka and Tucker’s contracts all set to expire, this is do or die for the Raptors. Management has gone all in and now it’s time for the coaches and players to execute, no excuses. They should get to the 3rd round and battle Lebron to the death. If not, there will be a lot of questions heading into the off-season as to what the Raps should do. This may be the most complete roster the raptors have ever put together, we need to see results. Good on Masai for going for it, I didn’t think he had the balls too.
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