Summer Of Change?

Faces Will Change But Goal Is Same 

Today I am taking a step back and trying to come to terms with what lies ahead for the Toronto Raptors. One of the great things and worst things about being a sports fan is the emotional ride it takes us on. We all invest our emotions into people and have very little control over what becomes of that investment. Ultimately others will make choices that will impact on us and that is the reality of sports. I think it is why things like blogs, posting boards and fantasy sports have all become popular with fans. It gives you the control of things by being allowed to have your voice and opinion heard and feel like it matters. We can have our opinions on various players and teams expressed and get some validation for what we think in some cases. In others be forced to defend them to the world. We all have players we cheer for and others we dislike. Everyone has some kind of experience in life that makes us like some people and root for them. There is endless amounts of stats and opinions you can find to validate you belief. Ultimately though it comes down to your emotions that will rule how you feel. If you don’t feel that emotion you are missing out of the point of sports altogether.

In a off-season that is all about changes these emotions will be on high alert. Unexpected we had that kind of emotion starting earlier this month with the sudden departure of Chuck Swirsky. It is almost a symbol of what is to come for this franchise. Some took the lose of Chuck as a very emotional departure and they were deeply moved. Others were not of that thinking and had enough of Swirsky and his style of broadcasting. It was a classic example of how many people all that are under the same umbrella as Raptor fans can have very different views. The same can be applied to every person you connect with the Toronto Raptors. Sam Mitchell was going to be fired in the minds of many. But that did not happen and again you saw the full range of responds and emotions from Raptor fans. Some to this day do not accept the fact that Mitchell will be back on the sidelines this upcoming season. Despite the general manager without being asked and still said for all to hear that this would be the case.

There are the endless debates over Jose Calderon and T.J Ford and the future of Andrea Bargnani. They can get heated and down right nasty in nature. The reason is that emotion once again. Some people will always have strong feelings about these players based on that emotional investment they have made in the Toronto Raptors and the people that make it up. In this summer the only thing we can say for sure is that some of the faces and names that fill out the Toronto Raptors roster will change. Change can be a very hard thing to deal with and people react differently to it. I personally like to have as little change as possible in my own life. I embrace and enjoy a routine and try to stick to that with minor alterations. Other people can not stand a daily routine and it will drive them nuts. The nice thing about my routine is it may be the same things each day but they are dynamic in nature. Like writing this blog for example. I have no clue what tomorrow’s blog will be about and that is what makes it fun. The one thing about change though is it can be both scary and exciting all at the same time. Every change we make has a risk attached to it. There is always consequences to change. Sometimes that may mean losing people in are lives that have brought us a lot of happiness and joy. In the case of the Raptors the first name that pops in my head is Morris Peterson. He was the major change that impacted the Raptors the most in the emotional sense. I have heard many times over how Peterson may not be a great player and just a good player. He may have needed to go for very good and sound reasons of logic. The problem is logic has nothing to do with emotion. They are complete opposite in nature. I like to think of myself as someone who is both emotional and logical. It creates an inner conflict inside of me that goes on each and every day. It is a challenge to decide what is something based on emotion and what is based on logic.

I have that issue the most when dealing with T.J Ford. I make no secret that if there is anyone that I have that emotional attachment to it is him. I just like the make up of T.J Ford and many of the things people don’t like about T.J are things I like. I like his passion and his determination and the fact that he is a small guy in a big man’s game. Prior to Ford one of my favourite players was Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues. I had the chance to meet him at one of Vince Carter’s Charity games in Toronto years ago and if you never knew better you would have thought he was a kid of a player in the game. I towered over him in size and having been around NBA players before there are not many that I do not have to look up too. I have mentioned in this blog before that before there was a Toronto Raptors, I was a Charlotte Hornet fan. Bogues was the point guard there in the days of Dell Curry, Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning. The main difference between Ford and Bogues to me is attitude. T.J is a guy that has an ego that is far larger than his size. Muggsy had a really good guy image that made people cheer for him even more. I enjoy both types of people. I like players that have an EGO and confidence to them. I also liked a bad guy wrestler like Macho Man Randy Savage as a kid. So emotionally if Ford was removed from this roster I would be upset by it. I think though from the logical side of my brain that if the Raptors could improve and get fair value for Ford I could accept it and move on. That is the problem though from what logic tells me it will be very hard to get true value for Ford given the factors that we all know. I take no joy in the thought of T.J Ford remaining with the Raptors for the wrong reasons. If Ford is the one that stays and Claderon is the one that goes I think it is just as wrong. I am not going to deep into the whole T.J Ford and Jose issue today but it is part of what I am talking about. Nothing creates more emotional reactions from Raptor fans. It is an issue that I have seen turn fan against fan in a battle to the end. The core of all of it is based on emotion. Logic gets mixed in from time to time but it at it’s root is an emotional debate.

There is another name that still to this day brings out emotion in Raptor Fans. Vince Carter…just reading that name will turn many Raptor Fans into a rage. Many say they HATE VINCE and I believe them. His cousin was also hated by Raptor Fans and T-Mac had a wise thing he said once in his return to Toronto. He said I am glad they boo it just proves they loved me. Love and hate are emotions that are so close to each other despite the total opposite meaning. You can not hate anyone if you didn’t have some emotional connection to them. The reality is many LOVED Vince Carter and over time that love was turned into HATE. That hate is so deep and so great that it will ultimately take away from what in my mind is the best player the Raptors have had in their history. The bitter irony of all of this is that the one thing the Raptors still lack in the reconstruction of the franchise after it had been torn apart by Rob Babcock, is a “Vince Carter like wing player”. There was recent talk about Richard Jefferson coming to Toronto in a possible trade but not a mention of Vince. I mean it is clear that it would be from a public relations point of view a totally unacceptable move to fans. Logically it would make sense if you thought of Carter as a basketball player alone. People can not take that emotion out of the mix to allow that. I can not imagine what would happen if Vince ever returned to put on a Raptor jersey. It would be something to see I do know that. I am one of the few that just don’t hate Vince Carter. You may not like how he left and how he handled it. I choose to look at it in a logical sense. In the end of things Vince Carter was right about his concerns with the organization and the direction it was heading. It took him leaving to make the change that he saw was needed happen. The thing Vince did not understand is that he was part of the problem. Chris Bosh said when he re-signed with the Raptors that he wanted to be part of the solution in Toronto. I respect that and that is why I will always have more respect for Bosh. Vince did not choose to be part of the solution and ultimately added to the problem. He was the leader of the team and did not set the example that others could or should follow. Bosh on the other hand is everything you could ask for in a leader of a team.

I guess the point of all of this is to say that there is a lot of changes that may take place. For each and everyone that calls the Raptors as their team will have a variety of emotions about those changes. It will make for a long summer that will have a wide range of emotions. I just remind us all to remember that despite whatever might be coming or not coming till the ball goes in the air in late October or early November no one will know if it will have worked or not. Even Bryan Colangelo will not know. For every move that is made lots of people will have many emotions about it. We all have players we like and in some case love. Change is not easy and it can be painful for some. The reason why we make change is to improve and get closer to our goal. In this world of sports that means win more games and advance closer to championships. Sports is a fun mix of emotions and logic that all come together. That is why you read a blog like this and turn on your T.V to watch a game. You want to believe in something or someone. I respect that and try to do my best to help in that experience. At the end of the day I always want to be a fan and not lose that no matter what the future may hold. I got told early on by someone that I make this blog to emotional at times. I say that is what makes it great. I care deeply about what I am doing and I think that helps me do it in a way that can be interesting to read. In the end we all can find the same stats and trade rumours but what makes things unique is what amount of yourself are you willing to but into what you do. For me that is 100%.  

Tags: Bryan Colangelo, Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon, Muggsy Bogues, Raptor Fans, Raptors Offseason, Sam Mitchell, T.J Ford, Vince Carter