Raptors media day leftovers: The rookies, Bruce Brown trades

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Toronto Raptors media day was all about setting the tone for the season to come back.

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On Monday, we realized they don’t count on to win too many video games, however undoubtedly are going to attempt to make it tougher for opponents to attain on them.

We came upon Masai Ujiri and Ed Rogers III get alongside simply tremendous, that Scottie Barnes is keen to tackle a management function and that the group’s new level guard Immanuel Quickley believes there’s much more to his sport than he beforehand has proven.

Listed here are a handful of secondary takeaways from what at all times feels a bit like the primary day of faculty, earlier than we delve into the following stage of camp, which has now shifted to Montreal.

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BRUCE BROWN SAGA EXPLAINED

When the Raptors introduced simply previous to camp that veteran swingman Bruce Brown wouldn’t take part and would miss a while as a consequence of knee harm, the plain query was why now for the surgical procedure? Why not do it earlier so he’d be 100% for the pre-season?

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Staff president and vice-chairman Masai Ujiri supplied the reply: “For Bruce, simply to make issues clear, like Bruce was cleared in the summertime and, as he started to ramp issues up a pair weeks in the past, his knee flared up and as soon as he did that, we went for one more checkup, and the choice was made that he ought to have surgical procedure.”

Brown had stated when the season ended that he had been coping with a knee subject since being acquired by Toronto within the Pascal Siakam deal.

“However all summer season, Bruce had been good, and he was understanding, and he’s participated with the group, and as soon as he started to ramp issues up, then it flared up. So our choice there was collective with him, his agent, the medical doctors, our medical doctors, and we got here up with the timeframe for the surgical procedure, and we look ahead to having him again,” Ujiri stated.

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Accidents to Brown and rookie Ja’Kobe Walter have eradicated most of sophomore Gradey Dick’s competitors for a beginning spot. Sure, Ochai Agbaji is within the combine as a result of he’s a much better defender than Dick, however since this yr is all about growth, count on Dick to assert the function.

THE ROOKIES WILL BE IN AND OUT

Head coach Darko Rajakovic defined that generally the younger gamers will likely be up with the large group, however they are going to doubtless additionally get loads of time with Raptors 905 in Mississauga.

“What we have to perceive this yr is that it’s not only one sport, not simply the beginning of the season, and we have to take a look at this as a giant image. We have now 4 rookies on roster, there’s going to be instances when these guys will likely be on the roster, there’s going to be instances when these guys will likely be in rotation. Possibly beginning,” Rajakovic stated.

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“There’s additionally going to be instances when these guys might want to go to 905 and play video games and observe with that groups. To allow them to get extra reps or develop on sure issues that we are going to lay in entrance of them. So there must be a superb steadiness there.

“I believe it’s essential for all the guys to get alternative. Coaching camp is gonna inform us rather a lot about the place the gamers are and what are the areas they should enhance and the place they should to get to.”

JAKOB POELTL KEPT IT REAL

The group’s veteran centre gave refreshingly sincere solutions. He was traded away simply earlier than the group gained the championship, having been part of the franchise’s rise, and returned from a tanking Spurs franchise to what was nonetheless a reasonably good group, at the least on paper, solely to see shut good friend Siakam dealt, Fred VanVleet depart and OG Anunoby traded.

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Now Poeltl is again on a rebuilding squad. Gained’t he be annoyed?

“Our expectation isn’t to win 65 video games this yr and be within the NBA Finals. I believe we are able to have actually optimistic experiences based mostly on how we develop, how we enhance over the yr,” Poeltl stated.

“We don’t must win each single sport to have a optimistic outlook on the finish of the season. That alone helps. And to be sincere, I believe we put ourselves able the place we are able to shock a bunch of individuals, the place we are able to exceed expectations, and people are the issues that make for a optimistic atmosphere.

“On the finish of the day we are able to look again on the season and say we acquired higher and a step nearer to the place we need to be.”

UJIRI ON NBA’S NEW FINANCIAL LANDSCAPE

The NBA modified its guidelines to punish huge spenders greater than ever.

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Whereas there isn’t a tough wage cap, the penalties for reaching what’s often called the second apron are fairly intensive and debilitating. That’s why trades have been made with groups determined to shed wage.

Even the latest Minnesota-New York blockbuster was largely carried out as a result of the Wolves wanted to do away with Karl-Anthony Cities’s huge contract.

“It’s attention-grabbing, we’re nonetheless actually finding out it,” Ujiri stated of the brand new guidelines. “These items are robust with the aprons is hard on groups, , and now we have to be cognizant to the way in which we construct groups and stuff you decide to and stuff you don’t decide to. As you see, offers are going to be like a bit harder. There have been fewer this yr, particularly throughout free company, however our jobs are to search out methods,” he stated (and the Raptors did reap the benefits of a group’s want to chop cap. Toronto acquired a handful of property, together with Davion Mitchell, rookie Jamal Shead and extra, as a result of the Kings wanted to discover a manner so as to add DeMar DeRozan).

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“I don’t need to say loopholes, I get in bother, however we have to discover methods within the new CBA to construct our groups effectively, to supply, and produce persistently. We’ve seen rather a lot a number of groups shed now when it comes to contracts, and that’s one factor groups are listening to, and all of us have to concentrate to that,” Ujiri added.

As Toronto’s rebuild continues, there needs to be alternatives to tackle onerous contracts in trade with property, much like the Sacramento deal. Possibly meaning dealing Brown or Chris Boucher (each on expiring contracts) for gamers with longer offers, together with sweeteners.

Time will inform.

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