Open the Door, Get on the Floor, Everybody Walk the Dinosaur
Posted by thesplog on October 19, 2007
The leaves are turning. The temperature’s plummeting. Tim Donaghy jokes are more common than court-side entourages. These clues can only mean one thing:
The Raptors are back.
Granted, it’s still the pre-season. And yes, there’s a cloud of uncertainty following Chris Bosh around these days. But the fever that captivated a city last spring has been reignited with less than two weeks remaining until opening night, and it’s about time.
It’s about time a city that has such a complicated relationship with the other MLSE-owned franchise felt unconditional passion for a team that’s easy to get excited about. The biggest difference between the A.C.C. brethren? Leafs fans spend their waking hours praying John Ferguson, Jr. doesn’t give them another reason to disown the team they’ve supported since childhood. Raptors fans support almost every move made by two-time NBA Executive of the Year Bryan Colangelo. Can you blame them? Almost every move he’s made has paid serious dividends.
The Raptors will not win the NBA title. The Raptors will not have enough cap space to make a splash at the trade deadline. But one thing they’ll do (regardless of the final outcome) is offer hope. That’s something that’s about as scarce on the Toronto sports landscape as water in the Sahara.
Now, you might have conveniently forgotten this little tidbit, but not too long ago, the Dinos were a franchise in disarray. Kevin O’Neill, Rafer Alston, Rob Babcock and Rafael Araujo (among others) turned Canada’s lone basketball club into a perennial disappointment. It once seemed as though the scar left by the aftermath of the Vince Carter era would never fully heal. But then, a miracle fell into the lap of MLSE’s basketball wing. The saviour paraded into town and continued his already impressive legacy. Suddenly, it was cool to love the Toronto Raptors again.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s not inaccurate to say that the transformation happened overnight. But now that it has, the expectations have been raised. We all know how this city operates. Give them a taste of success, and they want—no, need–it from that moment on. The Toronto sports fan is a notorious front-runner (don’t be fooled by the sellout crowds at Leafs’ games…their Bay Street suits get lost in the more colourful sea of jerseys and paint). But despite the overwhelming expectations entering this year and the stubborn belief that it can only get better, you get the feeling that no matter the result, Raptors fans will be fine.
Whether they play in the Eastern Conference Finals or lose to Chicago in the second round, the city has embraced them. Like the O’Jays once sang, people in this city are riding the love train. This in a city that lambastes a Maple Leafs’ defenseman for a bonehead mistake in the eighth game of the season. Fast forward to November 16 (yes, the eighth game of the Raptors’ schedule). Final play of the game. Toronto leads Indiana by 3. Jason Kapono (with a contract similar to that defenseman) fouls Troy Murphy from beyond the arc and Murphy makes the shot and the free throw for the four-point play that decides the game.
How long does the fallout last?
Do we hear “Trade Kapono” campaigns for almost a week after the mistake?
Does anyone question the four-year, $24 million deal signed by Kapono in the off-season?
I hope my point is being made here. There is an element of trust with this edition of the Raptors that we simply have never seen before. Colangelo could start a cult (hasn’t he already?) and he’d have a GTA-sized group of followers. But they’re not sheep. They’re not naive.
They trust him.
Ferguson, take note. There is someone not too far from your office who might be able to teach you a thing or two. You guys have something in common. You both had to rise out of the shadow of your well respected father and create your own legacy. You’ve both done it, but on opposite sides of the spectrum.
You know, John, it wouldn’t hurt to make friends with Bryan. You might learn something.
Evening Espresso - Oct 20 — AltRaps News said
[...] Colangelo brings blind trust with him to MLSE. Cue the [...]
Raps Fan said
i thought the contract offered to kapono was a little excessive. the kid can shoot, but that is about it. he isnt too quick, doesnt rebound well, and his defense is shoddy at best.
however, what that contract did do was show people the raptors are serious about improving the team, and are not to be taken lightly.
i imagine the strategy was more a message than a reflection of his value.
Anonymous said
Raps Fan..
“the kid can shoot, but that is about it.”
This just in, Kapono shoots the 3 ball better then anyone else in the NBA. When you do something better then everyone else, you get paid. The Raps shot an average 37% from 3 last year, and as a team they tend to launch more 3s then most team… Certainly not a bad idea in that case to bring in THE BEST!
Plus, Kapono will play decent defense and most importantly spread the floor for guys like Bargnani and Bosh to do damage inside and create lanes for the speedy TJ Ford and Jose Calderon to slash into… if defenders cheat on Bargnani, Bosh, Ford, or Calderon then Kapono will burn them for 3.
Sign me up for this Colangelo Cult… I’m in.
D. Ling said
That ‘Anonymous’ guy with the comment above has a good point, if only he was smart enough to publish his name so we could look at his blog too.