This season has been awful, with many nights of basketball that is unwatchable. The Raptors should at the very least issue a simple apology.
Nobody anticipates Masai Ujiri to approach midcourt and extend an apology to the supporters who have endured numerous nights of horrible basketball.
Fortunately and mercifully, the Raptors’ home portion of their disastrous season comes to an official close on Tuesday night when they play the Indiana Pacers.
Anyone who finds the team’s two-game winning streak significant is either blatantly ignorant or entirely crazy.
It is possible to point to some of the individual player statistics, which may appear impressive, but they are meaningless in the grand scheme of things given the several roster gaps the Raptors have that will likely remain unfilled for up to two years.
Although many have valid worries, even if Scottie Barnes becomes a true franchise player, it is highly doubtful that the required supporting cast and bench depth will be acquired.
Immanuel Quickley’s development as a point guard will receive a lot of attention, but the reality is that he hasn’t had the pleasure of playing with Barnes for a significant amount of time.
Although Kelly Olynyk’s role has been increased, his ideal role for a team that is serious about going deep into the playoffs would be to come off the bench.
Regarding RJ Barrett, the same thing is possible.
As the team prepares for yet another off-season in which important decisions will be made, there are a lot of unanswered questions. There is also no athletic big man or capable wing.
Although Gary Trent Jr. has displayed moments, such as his performance in Milwaukee on Friday night, there is no assurance the unrestricted free agent will return for the upcoming campaign.
His offensive style and three-point shooting abilities make him a perfect fit for a second unit on a strong squad.
Rookie Gradey Dick is yet another player whose role is best reserved as a bench player.
Even if fully healthy with a few roster tweaks, the Raptors, at best, figure to be competing for a play-in spot next season.
Miami used the play-in route last spring to advance all the way to the NBA final, but the Heat happens to feature Jimmy Butler, who transforms into Playoff Jimmy when the stakes are at their highest.
There is no such player on Toronto’s roster and nor does anyone expect such a player of Butler’s ilk to suddenly emerge anytime soon.
When losses mount, when blowouts exceeding 40 points are surrendered at home, in the span of one month it should be noted, heads should roll.
Unless something completely out of the blue gets enacted, no one expects anyone with a profile to get axed.
Injuries are part of life in the NBA and no coach will ever use injuries as an excuse.
Somehow, rookie head coach Darko Rajakovic has maintained his sanity amid all this misery, which reached the absolute nadir in Minneapolis last Wednesday night when the Raptors lost by 48 points, the most-lopsided beatdown in club history.
Three games earlier, the Raptors were clobbered by the visiting New York Knicks by 44 points.
Toronto’s reward for all this losing might arrive at the draft lottery, but this year’s class isn’t exactly dotted with franchise-changing prospects.
As they prepare for the home finale and the season’s final four games, the path to relevance isn’t so clear.
An apology of some sorts won’t ease all the duress fans have been forced to endure, but it may go a long way in regaining their trust.
Memories of the Raptors’ third season in the NBA have been evoked, the year the Raptors lost a franchise-record 17 games in a row.
This year’s edition, as flawed and as depleted as it was and to some degree remains, did avoid the infamy by beating a fraudulent Bucks team in Milwaukee.
Back in the day, seismic changes befell the Raptors, from ownership to management, coaching staff and with the roster when the face of the club, Damon Stoudamire, wanted out and would be traded to his home city of Portland.
Butch Carter was named head coach and would soon oversee a transformation and a rebirth by summoning the best out of Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter.
Glen Grunwald was promoted to GM.
In the season’s final game played at Maple Leaf Gardens against Allen Iverson and the Sixers, many of the Raptors’ players had literally and metaphorically packed it in.
Toronto would lose its 66th game of the season.
A brave Grunwald addressed the unruly gathering in attendance who were justified in airing their anger.
Grunwald took the boos.
“I understand your sentiments, “ said Grunwald as the booing only intensified. “You have my commitment and our owners’ commitment to do everything we can to get this situation back on track.”
We suspect Tuesday’s home finale will not resonate quite like that fateful April 18 night in 1998.
Before their recent streak of making the playoffs, Leafs president Brendan Shanahan sent a letter to season-ticket holders.
Toronto FC would apologize to fans in a letter during an era when making the playoffs was non-existent.
Even Larry Tanenbaum, who has served as the shining light at MLSE, signed his name at the bottom of a letter sent out in the spring of 2012 when the Leafs missed the playoffs for a seventh straight season.
“We are disappointed with the results of this season,” read the letter. “We have fallen short of everyone’s expectations, and for that we are sorry . . . we take full responsibility for how this team performs on the ice, and we make no excuses.
“The way the year ended was unacceptable. Results are the only measure of success in sports and the results speak for themselves.”
Or as the great coaching sage Bill Parcells once said: “You are what your record says you are.”
The Raptors enter Tuesday with a 25-53 record, having dressed more players than produced wins.
Only once has the team won three games in a row
It’s been a terrible season full of nights of unwatchable basketball.
A simple apology is the least the Raptors should do.
