Amin Elhassan on the Raptors

[PhoSita]

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/grantland/player?id=12757122

In response to Zach Lowe saying the Raptors could be dismantled if they get swept:

Why is that a shock?  This Raptors team is an accident.  It's an accident.  It's not a good team.  It's a team that tried to be bad and then found something, and then in that mix, because they're in the Eastern Conference, they were good enough.  I call the Raptors the "Sons of the East."  It's the same thing ... like, do they have some pieces that should be interesting?  Sure.  Are they really a good team?  Not really!  And so, you can't, if you're in those organizations, can't kid yourself into having these expectations that are unfounded.

The Suns are like, "Oh, we're gonna make the playoffs."  No you're not.  It's pretty clear you're not gonna make the playoffs.  Unless obviously the unexpected happens, like in Oklahoma City.  But they still didn't make the playoffs!  Because, again, another team was growing faster than they were growing, because they had real talent, real star talent, and a bunch of OK dudes doesn't get it done.  Unless their attention to detail is top notch, their execution is top notch.  You know, their whole is greater than the sum of their parts. 

Basically, the Atlanta Hawks.  They can pull something like that off.  But if you look at the personnel they have in Phoenix and Toronto, they don't have that kind of personnel.  They got some guys that other teams would want a guy here or there.  And I agree with you, the fire sale is on if they get swept.

And really, there's nobody worth keeping.  There's nobody that's like, "Well, hold on now."  In the right deal, I'd sell all of them.

Kind of interesting in light of where the Celtics are at, right now.  You can't become too attached to a team of OK guys that has one or two nice runs.

The Celts do not want to be the next "Sons of the East."

[wdleehi]

I am not to worried.  Ainge is not afraid to make the big changes going forward.  He has moved players like Walker when he thought the team was stuck in such a rut.

[BudweiserCeltic]

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/grantland/player?id=12757122

In response to Zach Lowe saying the Raptors could be dismantled if they get swept:

Why is that a shock?  This Raptors team is an accident.  It's an accident.  It's not a good team.  It's a team that tried to be bad and then found something, and then in that mix, because they're in the Eastern Conference, they were good enough.  I call the Raptors the "Sons of the East."  It's the same thing ... like, do they have some pieces that should be interesting?  Sure.  Are they really a good team?  Not really!  And so, you can't, if you're in those organizations, can't kid yourself into having these expectations that are unfounded.

The Suns are like, "Oh, we're gonna make the playoffs."  No you're not.  It's pretty clear you're not gonna make the playoffs.  Unless obviously the unexpected happens, like in Oklahoma City.  But they still didn't make the playoffs!  Because, again, another team was growing faster than they were growing, because they had real talent, real star talent, and a bunch of OK dudes doesn't get it done.  Unless their attention to detail is top notch, their execution is top notch.  You know, their whole is greater than the sum of their parts. 

Basically, the Atlanta Hawks.  They can pull something like that off.  But if you look at the personnel they have in Phoenix and Toronto, they don't have that kind of personnel.  They got some guys that other teams would want a guy here or there.  And I agree with you, the fire sale is on if they get swept.

And really, there's nobody worth keeping.  There's nobody that's like, "Well, hold on now."  In the right deal, I'd sell all of them.

Kind of interesting in light of where the Celtics are at, right now.  You can't become too attached to a team of OK guys that has one or two nice runs.

The Celts do not want to be the next "Sons of the East."

I don't know what these guys are ranting on about. Toronto have a lot of free-agents, there's really no fire sale to do.

The only long contract they have is Kyle Lowry, the rest are short and cheap contracts. And Lowry is quite a solid player, whose injuries caught up to him in the last few months.

What's important here is who they try to retain, and how they replace the empty roster spots.

One thing though, Toronto is not a free-agent destination, so they have to make due with what they can.

But fire sale? Don't see the point of it.

[PhoSita]

I am not to worried.  Ainge is not afraid to make the big changes going forward.  He has moved players like Walker when he thought the team was stuck in such a rut.

Indeed.  I trust Ainge to be bold when the situation calls for it.

[Csfan1984]

Does sound like where C's could be next year. I don't blame the Raptors they were handed the division they would have been in playoffs no matter what. I just hope BS got his taste and understanding that you need talent and stars in the NBA. Let's take a step back and acquire some via high draft picks. 2016 looks stellar at the top.