The Toronto Raptors have been one of the NBA's biggest surprises this year. A trade, which appeared to decrease the talent of the roster, was made in December 2013. This allowed Masai Ujiri the opportunity to take his time in determining which players he wanted to keep moving forward. The result, nobody, including Masai, could have foreseen. The team flourished playing team basketball on both ends, focusing on screens and ball movement with a plethora of great shooters. Much has been made about the great job Masai has done, but he inherited the key pieces of this roster. The man truly responsible for the turnaround of the Toronto Raptors is none other than former General Manager Bryan Colangelo.
Most fans and critics tend to focus on his mistakes. Yes, he drafted Andrea Bargnani 1st overall, but wasn't the potential for another Dirk Nowitzki worth the risk? Despite this, in his time in both Phoenix and Toronto, Colangelo has proven to be an impressive talent evaluator. In Phoenix, Colangelo drafted Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire, both of whom became perennial All Stars. Though his time with the Raptors has run out, his drafting and decision making will prove vital in building a champion in Toronto.
With the 9th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft the Toronto Raptors selected Demar DeRozan, an athletic swingman out of USC who only played one year of college basketball. DeRozan was a weak shooter and ball handler, but possessed the athleticism to one day be great. This past year Colangelo signed DeRozan to a 4 year 38 million dollar contract. Fans seemed displeased at the potential lack of cap flexibility, and articles mocked the deal believing DeRozan had been overpaid. Now in his 5th year in the league, DeRozan, through hard work, has become an All Star. He possesses a lethal midrange game and a quick first step, making him an unstoppable offensive force. Colangelo's foresight and continuous belief in DeRozan, not just in drafting him, but in signing him to a long term deal, proved the strength of his talent evaluation skills. Ujiri now has a go-to scorer being paid less than his contribution to the team. This gives him added flexibility to improve the roster.
The other key player in Toronto's current success, Kyle Lowry, was also acquired by Bryan Colangelo. The Raptors traded Gary Forbes, a journeyman, as well as their 1st round pick (#12-Steven Adams) for Kyle Lowry. Lowry, a small bullish Point Guard, appeared to get in fights with every coach he played for. The move was a low risk, high reward decision, which proved to pay off emphatically. Kyle's fighting spirit was nurtured by Coach Dwane Casey (also hired by Colangelo), as Lowry led the Raptors to the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference.
Two key pieces to the Toronto Raptors success moving forward are starters Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas and Ross, picked 5th and 8th respectively by Colangelo, offer a rare mix of youth, athleticism, and skill. The Raptors are unique in that they are winning with youth. The Raptors are the only team with 2 Sophomore starters in the league.
Basketball is an inexact science. Bryan, like all others before him, made mistakes. But his drafting and foresight far outweighed any negative contributions. The most impressive and honourable feat Bryan Colangelo made as Raptors GM, was that he made decisions in the interests of the long term success of the Toronto Raptors. With his contract with the Raptors nearing its end, Colangelo drafted young talented players, despite knowing his tenure may end before the players would reach their full potential. His selflessness and professionalism as a General Manager will allow Masai Ujiri to build a contender here in Toronto.
Thank you, Bryan.
-Wes
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