I Believe in Masai, I Believe He Can Touch the Sky

Toronto Raptors GM, Masai Ujiri has made moves this season that most thought to be impossible. Large contracts such as Rudy Gay's two-year, $37.2 Million contract was easily shed by the first year general manager. Gay, moved to Sacramento alongside fellow former Raptors Aaron Gray (C) and Quincy Acy (F), provided Toronto with a huge opportunity to make a splash this upcoming free agency with plenty of high-end players becoming available this off-season. Adding to the freed up cap space, Toronto was able to bring in what Sacramento's GM claims to be the four best "people" from their roster. Greivis Vasquez (G), Chuck Hayes (F/C), Patrick Patterson (F) and John Salmons (G/F) have given these new look Raptors a well needed morale boost.  Coach Dwayne Casey (seen below speaking with Raptors star Demar DeRozan) has his team working well together, and has Toronto currently sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference, first in the Atlantic Division and - for the first time in four years - above .500 with a 16-15 record this late into the season.

                                      

Winners of eight of their last 10, the Toronto Raptors have provided a fan resurgence for the city. Playoffs are most definitely in the realm of possibility with this team, and the test to how deep these youthful Raptors can make it in the post-season can not solely be based on these past few games. Overcoming opponents such as Oklahoma City, Dallas, New York, Chicago and first place Indiana don't prove that we have the best team overall. What it does show Toronto Raptor fans is a team has been built to win.  There is no abundance of superstars on this roster at all. However with a solid game plan in place and the right cast of players to execute Casey's plan, beating the top tier NBA teams is no longer just a dream for Raptors fans. 

The Raptors are currently on a five game winning streak, and will try to extend it to six as they take on the Miami Heat this tonight at 6 p.m.

Revamping the Dunk Contest

It's been just over a week since Raptors' rookie guard Terrence Ross won the 2013 Slam Dunk contest during All-Star Weekend in Houston.



As dunk contests go, it was pretty good, but there wasn't much that made me jump out of my seat. There were some creative dunks, but a lot of missed attempts watered down the proceedings. I started thinking about some ways that the NBA could improve their annual contest.

More Stars
This is one of the most obvious remedies. First, it would attract more fans to watch the event if the main event is a Blake vs. LeBron finale. There was a rule put in place a while ago which only let players compete if they were in their first three NBA seasons. Regardless, bigger names would make the contest more attractive and add a nice closing to Saturday night. The likeliness of this happening is very slim. Most of the biggest stars want the time off to relax and play in a light-hearted game on Sunday night.

Raise the Rim



Dwight Howard literally raised the bar with this dunk. He showcased his athleticism in a unique way. Sure, he's listed as 6'11". I'm sure other dunkers have tried this. Why not bring this out for the whole contest? Many of the contestants have tremendous leaping ability. We've seen this time and time again when players are dunking in-game with their heads already about the rim. The NBA should want to show this off on the grand stage. It would also make many of the dunks the players try more impressive. Imagine Terrence Ross' first dunk being done on an 11-foot (or even 12-foot) rim. The fans would be out of their seats and some excitement would be back. Or, how about this: first round of the contest is on the regulation rim and no one is eliminated. In the second round, the rim is raised to 11 feet and two are eliminated. The final round has a dunk-off on a 12-foot rim. That would be good TV.

Penalize Missed Opportunities
The dunks were impressive this year. It just took too long to complete the majority of them. The dunkers received multiple opportunities to complete their dunks to what seemed like zero penalty. For example, on Ross' first dunk, he was awarded a score of 50 from the judges even though he missed on what seemed like 10 attempts. Take points off for that. Sure, the dunks wouldn't be as creative since players would be afraid to bring something out they were unsure about. But the surprise would still be there. By the time Ross made the dunk, the buzz in the arena was gone. Everyone knew what he was trying to do. Taking points off for misses would keep the spontaneity up.

Time/Attempt Limit
The league has already tried this: a dunker gets unlimited attempts for 1:30. That's still too long. Cut this down to 45 seconds. Either that or give the dunkers three attempts. If you can't do the dunk in three tries, it's not as special. Sure, it'll look good. Just think about all those great dunks from the past completed on the first try.

Cancel the Contest
This might not be the most popular solution, but it could benefit the contest in the long run. Give fans the chance to miss the contest. Every year, people are trotted out to perform in the contest. To be completely honest, there isn't much left for the dunkers to do. The originality now comes from whatever props each person can bring out. Giving the dunk contest some time off would make the contest fresh again. The dunkers would be able to think of new things to pull out in front of the fans. Plus, they'd appreciate it more after some time off, like sleeping in your own bed after a vacation. You don't realize how much you like it until you go without it.

Anyways, those are just a couple of opinions. Leave a comment with some feedback or your own suggestions to improve the contest.

Raptors/Grizzlies/Pistons Trade

Before Toronto's game against Atlanta tonight, the Raptors acquired Rudy Gay from the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a three-team trade. So, here is the breakdown:

• Raptors receive:
• Rudy Gay
• Hamed Haddadi
• Grizzlies receive:
• Ed Davis
• Tayshaun Prince
• Austin Daye
• Raptors' 2013 2nd-round pick
• Cash considerations
• Pistons receive:
• Jose Calderon

One of the easiest ways to evaluate a trade is deciding who received the best player of the deal. At this point in time, it seems like the Raptors got the best of the deal.

But did they?

Gay will help the Raptors' line-up immediately. He'll push DeMar DeRozan to the shooting guard position, which adds instant athleticism to starting five. With Calderon gone as well, it looks like it will consist of a Lowry-DeRozan-Gay-Johnson-Gray combination until the team gets healthy. Andrea Bargnani and Jonas Valanciunas will likely start again when they resume play.

Gay also helps the Raptors in the fourth quarter, who haven't been able to close out games successfully - just like tonight. I know, I know. DeRozan was fouled. But doesn't that prove the lack of respect the officials in the NBA have for the only Canadian team? Gay has closed out games, especially against the Raptors.

However, the Raptors take a lot of money in the deal. Gay will be paid over $19 million in 2014-15. According to HoopsHype.com, he'll make more than Amir Johnson, Landry Fields, Valanciunas, and Terrence Ross combined (at the time of writing, the site did not have DeRozan's extension included in the cap).

It might not be as bad if they can unload Bargnani, which has been rumoured when he gets back from injury. Toronto has been more successful with "Il Mago", and he is starting to wear out his welcome with the fans. The former #1 overall selection has shown flashes of potential, but is it enough to get a deal done?

Many articles I have read consider this a salary dump for the Grizzlies. They get some nice pieces back for their part in the trade. Ed Davis was starting to come in to his own with more playing time in the depleted Raptors' front court. Davis averaged 33.5 minutes per game in January, putting up 14 points and 8 rebounds a game. He'll be a nice depth addition for the Grizzlies with the chance to develop into a fantastic player.

Calderon heading to the Detroit Pistons as a result of this might pain many fans. The Spanish point guard has played his entire career in Toronto and has done everything asked of him, whether it was coming off the bench of being part of the starting five. Calderon will help the development of Rodney Stuckey and Brandon Knight in Detroit.

In the long run of this trade, I believe the Grizzlies will be the winners of the deal. They have gained some financial stability AND added talent to the roster. The Pistons also come out ahead with experience in the back court. The Raptors appear to be the losers of trade, despite getting the biggest name. The ESPN Trade Machine agrees with me.

The one time the Raptors close something out, they may end up regretting it.