The Tragedy of Toronto: The Continued Irrelevance of the Toronto Raptors

This is the reality of the Toronto Raptors going into next season. A team over the salary cap playing inefficient basketball with a maximum ceiling of an 8^th seed. The Raptors now have one of the most bloated payrolls in the NBA with little room for growth. Furthermore, the 2014 draft is slotted to be the best draft class since 2003 with franchise altering talents such as Canadian Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Marcus Smart and more. Wiggins in particular is being compared to Lebron James and Kobe Bryant and is the consensus #1 pick before playing a single game at the college level. Imagine what that would do for basketball in Canada if the Raptors acquired a Canadian talent on the level of Wiggins.

With the current roster, the Raptors are just good enough to fight for a low playoff seed, excluding them from the NBA lottery yet again. This is what the future looks like for the Raptors if changes aren’t made.

Opportunity Lost: MLSE and the continued Irrelevance of the Toronto Raptors

The sad part about this situation is that it didn’t have to be like this. Toronto is the 3^rd largest city in the NBA, behind New York and Los Angeles and boasts an incredibly supportive and enthusiastic crowd. As the only NBA franchise in Canada, it has a prospective fan-base of over 35 million, well beyond that of any NBA team. The marketing potential for young athletes to be a Canadian icon is huge.

Regardless, BC has insisted that we have to overpay for talent and there is a perception around the league that Toronto is a mid-market city. Instead of promoting all that Toronto has to offer to players and the league alike, the Raptors have continued to do nothing of note since 2006. While some of the blame in this poor promotion falls strictly on BC, some of it also falls on Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), the much-maligned ownership group of both the Raptors and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Most NBA owners run a tight ship and keep an eye on the quality of their teams. A good owner evaluates talent and management while understanding the minutia of the game. If a General Manager falls outside of expectations, he is released by the owner.

MLSE follows none of these rules. As hockey is #1 in Canada, MLSE has seen fit to give BC free run over the asylum with little concern over quality. After all, the Raptors are profitable, have good attendance and do just enough to compete every night. Sound familiar Leafs fans?

The problem really begins and ends with MLSE. As they are an ownership group and not an individual, BC has often sought to do just enough to keep his job, hence the perpetual hunt for the 8^th playoff seed and the ensuing mediocrity season after season. By selling MLSE the Kool-Aid, which they have gladly drank, the Raptors have been doomed to years of mediocrity. Remember, MLSE is a group of businessmen who are in the business of making sports profitable first and foremost: They care more about the money than they do winning. When coupled with the fact that basketball ranks behind hockey in Toronto you have a recipe for disaster.

A Wild Saviour Appears…Maybe:

Recent developments at MLSE though, have given the starved fan base some cause to hope. Tim Leiweke, former CEO of the AEG group in LA that owns the LA Kings and 30% of the Los Angeles Lakers, has been named President and CEO of MLSE. Having played a central role in the construction of Staples Center in LA, as well as being closely associated with championship winning organizations, he has led some fans to believe change is coming.