Raptors Reasonablists, Volume 1 Part VII: On deadline day, Toronto lands P.J. Tucker in deal with Suns (2024)

Welcome to another edition of Raptors Reasonablists with Eric Koreen and Blake Murphy. Throughout the year, lead NBA writer Koreen and regular contributor Murphy discuss hot-button issues surrounding the Raptors, but with an even-keeled approach in pursuit of finding reasonable middle ground. If we have faith in anything, it is that reasonable middle grounds lead to: a) workable long-term solutions; b) increased empathy and understanding for others; and c) more wins — at least more wins when they truly matter — probably. We hold these truths to be self-evident, and we hold these truths to be good truths.

Since it’s trade deadline day, Eric and Blake will be reasonablizing live throughout the day, updating this post every 30-to-60 minutes as the flow of the day dictates.

Murphy, 9 a.m.: Good morning, Eric, and happy trade deadline day! This is one of the most fun days on the NBA calendar, but it’s also one of the most unreasonable. This day needs us.

Off the top, let’s get ahead of it and reasonablize potential inaction: The Raptors already did their major shopping, acquiring Serge Ibaka for Terrence Ross and the lesser of their two 2017 first-round picks last Tuesday. You wrote a whole series of pieces (here, here, here and here) about it. They could use some roster balancing, but if Masai Ujiri’s Blackberry Passport doesn’t bear fruit today, it’s not as if the team stayed put.

They have assets, though, and the need for some depth and/or shooting on the wing. Jared Sullinger’s contract stands as a potential salary-matching piece, they own a first- and second-round pick in each draft in perpetuity, and the back end of the roster is lined with prospects of varying degrees of intrigue to push a deal along. The lack of sellers may drive prices up, so Ujiri and Jeff Weltman will face some difficult decisions at their margins.

So, the big question: Do you think anything will happen between now and 3 p.m. ET?

Also, what’s for breakfast?

Koreen, 9:29 a.m.: BREAKING NEWS (from my subconscious): According to a dream I had last night, Serge Ibaka will have zero points and zero rebounds in 22 minutes in his Raptors debut, and it will become clear that he has no intention of staying in the NBA after his contract is up, heading back overseas. You see, there is a Raptors Unreasonablist lurking inside all of us.

Irrationality is not what people come to us for, though, is it? To your big question: My de facto answer to this is always no, the Raptors will not make a trade, because it’s always more likely that, because of the complicated nature of the collective bargaining agreement and varying goals of different teams, needs and money do not line up. However, we have already seen two of the, say, five most intriguing available players move, and they both moved well before the deadline — Ibaka and DeMarcus Cousins. (For the record, the other three most intriguing players are Jimmy Butler, Paul George and Paul Millsap, although the Hawks have been very clear that they do not intend to move him, and their word seems holier than the Kings’ word.)

And that leads me to believe we could have a busy deadline day, despite an apparent dearth of natural sellers. Whereas teams could have gone into the deadline with a “Well, it’s going to be the Warriors/Cavaliers Finals again, why try?” attitude, look at all the pseudo-contenders who have made moves already: the Raptors, Wizards (Bojan Bogdanovic), Hawks (Ersan Ilyasova) and Rockets (Lou “For One” Williams). It was the Pelicans — the out-of-the-playoffs — who went all-in to acquire Cousins. And by “all in,” I mean they brainwashed Vivek Ranadive.

All of which is to say I believe the Raptors will make a move — probably a minor one. I know, I know: Their second-round picks are not worth much, and their first-round picks are probably more valuable than any of their realistic targets. (Williams went for a low 2017 first-rounder, and he should be worth more than Phoenix’s P.J. Tucker, a likely Raptors target) Still, if Ujiri is willing to swing big with the Ibaka trade, something tells me he is going to fortify the wing spot, where one injury could leave Dwane Casey choosing between playing Patrick Patterson at small forward or playing Bruno (not really, but you get the point).

I guess, what I’m asking, is how important is it to win every transaction, in a vacuum, especially if they’re minor moves, if the Raptors are trying to drop the “pseudo” from their contender status? Also, who are they trading for? And how are you?

For breakfast, I’m going with Harvest Crunch. It fills me up and never lets me down. I have very real lunch concerns, though.

Murphy, 9:48 a.m.: My counter to the Williams’ value point vs. Tucker is that yes, Williams fetched a first, but the Lakersalso had to take back a bad contract in that of Corey Brewer, which runs through next year at a salary larger than Lou’s. It’s similar to how Washington surrendered a first for Bogdanovic butalso got out from under Andrew Nicholson’s deal.

Which brings us to Tucker, because, according to Marc Stein, the Suns are holding firm on asking for a first-round pick.The Raptors don’t have a bad mid-sized salary to unload, so the workings of a deal would basically be paying the Suns a first for a Sullinger-Tucker swap. Obviously, Ujiri would love to get this asking price down to a second-rounder (which has little value, as you’ve pointed out), or perhaps Fred VanVleet. Looking at the Suns’ own assets, maybe they’d send back a second-rounder likely to be in the early-30s for the first in the early-20s? That doesn’t seem like enough. Would you surrender a first for a Tucker rental?

Toronto's big Deadline Day decision, of course, is whether to finally surrender a first-rounder (likely with Jared Sullinger) for PJ Tucker.

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 23, 2017

More directly to your question, no, I don’t think it’s necessary to “win” every trade. Value does not exist in a vacuum, and there is no objective standard to hold trades to. Ujiri likes to win trades, sure, but the Raptors are in a position where the marginal value of an addition, given their place on the win curve, may outstrip it’s actual value. That is to say, an addition pushing the Raptors from pseudo-contender to contender (if it existed) would be more important than just getting the best asset. I don’t really see a deal that drops pseudo from their title, but something that pushes them from “40 per cent chance to make the conference finals” to “50 per cent chance to make the conference finals” is a huge marginal gain. I still don’t think I’d give up that first for Tucker, but it’s close.

A non-Tucker name I’m interested in your thoughts on is Gerald Henderson. His $9-million contract for next year is completely non-guaranteed, the math works with Sullinger and any one of the prospects (including VanVleet), and the Sixers might only want a second and said prospect. He’s unspectacular, but so is everyone in the tier the Raptors are shopping in.

And I’m good. I had the same breakfast I have every day – a bunch of fruits and vegetables I don’t like thrown in a blender with some other stuff, and peanut butter on rice cakes. Need that #BSOHL by the end of Blue Jays’ training camp. Lunch is a concern only if things get busy – I have chicken breast thawed if I get time to cook it. Roll through, I’ve got extra.

Koreen 10:07 a.m.: I can’t believe you didn’t bite on the dream I had. I’m still thinking of a dream I had. Don’t lead me on, Masai. I’m waiting for a trade to arrive.

Your point on the difference between the reported price the Raptors would have to pay for Tucker and what the Rockets and Wizards did is well made, and well taken. It is interesting, now that the cap is projected to flatten out again, that bad contracts and expiring contracts are suddenly meaningful again. We know that the Raptors will be in a cap/tax crunch of their own this summer if they intend on keeping all (or even two) of their three marquee free agents, so young, productive assets will continue to be a big part of what they do. Therefore, giving up a first-round pick — even if he is very unlikely to contribute next season — for a two-month rental is a risky proposition. Remember, Tucker projects as the ninth or 10th man in the rotation, and playoff rotations can sometimes shrink to seven or eight.

Yes, I would trade Sullinger and VanVleet (and a second, what the hell) for Gerald Henderson. I assume he’s just as good as his years of Raptors killing suggest (he is not). But that strikes me as a more reasonable price for what is, in essence, an insurance piece.

Let’s switch gears here for a minute, though. We have a general feel for what the Raptors’ options are, and as you point out, they are all peripheral moves — perhaps it negates a matchup disadvantage in a playoff series, but that is about it. The same cannot be said for the second-place Celtics. How much are you hoping Danny Ainge continues to sit on his assets and bide his time today, Blake, instead of splurging on Jimmy Butler or, heaven save us, Paul George.

Murphy, 10:26 a.m.:You asked me on Twitter how scared I am. To that, I ask,(in an extremely Timo Cruz voice): Scared? Scared of who? Scared of Danny Ainge? I’m supposed to be scared of Danny Ainge?

Yes, the idea of the Celtics adding Butler or George kind of hangs over this entire day. There would be no counter-move available for the Raptors to make – they don’t even have the assets to drive up the price on those names, let alone get involved – and the Celtics would be substantially more dangerous. What’s more, those might be the two best DeMar DeRozan defenders in the NBA who have smiled more than one time in their lives (non-Kawhi Leonard division, is what I mean). So not only would Boston be better in general, they’d match up better with the Raptors. Avery Bradley is great, but it’s those bigger defenders that give DeRozan the most trouble, and the Raptors would have a much tougher time hunting Isaiah Thomas switches.

With that said, I’m skeptical that the Bulls and Pacers are all that earnest about moving their stars. It just doesn’t make a good deal of sense for Chicago, given how they’re presently built. Indiana makes more sense — that Nets pick with 20-year-old wunderkind Myles Turner is a really nice starting point — but everything we know about Ainge suggests he’s probably uncomfortable paying market price despite his wealth of assets.

Am I talking myself down? Of course I am. Butler and George need to stay where they are, on middling teams who present only a moderate first-round threat to the Raptors. Are you having more trouble soothing your own concerns about an all-in Celtics push?

And I apologize for no-selling your dream, there,Leithauser. It was a bad dream. I’m still curious if my mid-season dream that had Delon Wright going to the Bulls for a 2019 first-round pick will come to fruition. (It won’t. This isn’t Legion, or something. Speaking of which: Have you checked out Riverdale yet? Episode 5 is the light at the end of my deadline tunnel.)

Koreen, 11:14 a.m.: I have the first four episodes of Legion on my PVR, and have watched the first episode of Riverdale the other night. I posed a question about this on Twitter the other night that maybe you can answer. Dark, pouty Jughead gives me pause, but Betty and Veronica (an actual name of a Veronica Mars episode!) stole the pilot.

From a Raptors perspective, the prospect of a Celtics trade scares me poopless, for all of the reasons you mention. On the bright side, the Raptors would revert back to scrappy-underdog status. Remember 2013-14? That was fun!

In some ways, it makes more sense for the Celtics to keep the picks, push their apex down the road to when LeBron is a bit deeper into his (never-ending?) prime. In some ways, it makes sense for the Bulls and Pacers to hold on to their stars, trying to build around them instead of without them. However, it would be tough, if you’re worried about being stuck in the back half of an Eastern Conference playoff race in perpetuity and eventually losing those players for nothing, to turn up your nose at one of the Celtics’ Brooklyn picks, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, or something like that.

Back to the ‘Topes, and we get another tidbit from ESPN’s Stein. (If Adrian Wojnarowski gets Woj Bombs, does Stein get Stein Grenades? Stein Sirens?)

In addition to P.J. Tucker, Toronto has also pursued Wilson Chandler, league sources say. Denver, like Phoenix, wants a first-rounder back.

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 23, 2017

Chandler is a better player than Tucker — and a more intriguing fit for the Raptors — but there are caveats. He is owed about $25-million over the next two years, and, as mentioned, the Raptors have gone beyond flirting with the tax for next season. They might not be a couple, but they’re seeing each other twice a week. Additionally, Chandler has a salary of $11.3-million this year, which means the cost is probably Sullinger, a first-rounder and some prospects (or you can throw in Patrick Patterson or Cory Joseph, and make the trade bigger). For that reason, the Chandler option seems like it would be too rich for the Raptors’ blood.

Man, Rachel Homan is just cruising at the Scotties Tournament Of Hearts. Ontario, represent. I should probably start my exodus for the BioSteel Centre. Thoughts on Chandler? Also, what are your thoughts on this roster if nothing else happens today? How much does the Raptors’ lack of depth at the wing bother you? Do you have a favourite Raptors trade deadline move? Mine is definitely Juan Dixon for Primoz Brezec, in 2008. That was the first deadline I covered. You never forget your first time, I guess.

Murphy, 11:40 p.m.:The biggest thing to note about Jughead is that as the narrator-reading-his-own-writing, he’s a pretty poor writer. His prose is clunky and heavy-handed, and he reveals too little of his own story for the role he appears set to play in the ancillary storylines. Anyway.

As for the FrankenSteiner, Chandler does, on the surface, seem like a tough get. As you point out, the salary-matching means either Jakob Poeltl or Lucas Nogueira is outbound, or some combination of multiple pieces from the Wright/Siakam/Caboclo/VanVleet pile. Surrendering one or two prospects, and a pick,and taking on salary ahead of a tax crunch would seem to be surrendering a lot of flexibility for a third wing who would bump Powell form the rotation and only play maybe 20 minutes a game (plus stand as Carroll insurance), but again, we’re back to the marginal win curve – if the Raptors feel Chandler nudges them significantly closer to the Cavaliers, than raw value isn’t as important.

Still, I’m skeptical it happens. It just doesn’t seem like a Ujiri-like move, unless he perceives the Cavs to be in a weaker position than I do. Should nothing happen, the roster is probably still the second-best in the East on paper (assuming nobody else makes a move, either), and the same post-Ibaka question marks about their ability to turn things around quickly would remain. So long as they avoid Cleveland in round two, I’d still give them a fair chance to repeat as conference finalists.

I’m still hoping there’s a smaller move nobody saw coming, like the Daye-De Colo swap. Those tiny deals are always funny.The Dixon-Brezec deal was awesome because Brezec, the Slovenian gangster, was a treat. My favorite was definitely the Sebastian Telfair acquisition, though. I talked myself into his resurgence so quickly I must have gone through three or four VHS copies of Through the Fire.

Elsewhere, Woj reports that Danny Ainge still isn’t putting the Nets pick into play in Paul George discussions, which, uhh, yeah. Or HAS IT?

Update on Boston, Indy: Boston hasn't met Indiana's asking price on Paul George, but Nets pick has entered conversation now, sources say.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) February 23, 2017

Good news for Raptors fans, I suppose, that the pick is in play and the Celtics still haven’t met the asking price. Good luck at BioSteel…please let us know who is conspicuous by their absence at practice and what it all means.

Koreen, 12:36 p.m.: I have arrived at BioSteel, and the news is dark.

Update on Boston, Indy: Boston hasn't met Indiana's asking price on Paul George, but Nets pick has entered conversation now, sources say.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) February 23, 2017

I have a feeling we will be sweating this out to the deadline, and past. Indiana is right to insist upon the 2017 Nets pick, by the way. Paul George, if you remember, is very, very good. Meanwhile, Nerlens Noel is off to Dallas for a bunch of stuff and a protected first-rounder.Let’s pour one out for all of those Terrence Ross-for-Noel rumours from early in the season. They were too beautiful for this world.

That sort of price for Chandler seems totally out of character for Ujiri, particularly after the Ibaka trade. One of the first things Ujiri said in his introductory press conference was that he wanted the back end of his roster to be filled with young players. While that sort of deal for Chandler would not rob the Raptors of every last asset, but it would tilt them too far in favour of the present versus the future. And I really believe Ujiri wants a foot planted firmly in both, especially while James still figures to run the conference for a few years yet.

That gets back to the very frustrating — or complicated — reality for the Raptors. If not now, with Lowry and DeRozan both in their primes, when go all-in? But with the Cavaliers and the Celtics (if they trade for Butler or George) clearly ahead of them, what is the point of surrendering future assets? Why give US$200-million to Lowry? Why not blow it up?

I’m being facetious. However, that is the potential reality that the Raptors exist in, and it feels particularly relevant today.

Murphy, 1:10 p.m.:It’s a sad day, retiring Noel from The Kenneth Faried Raptor Rumour All-Stars. It will be nice if P.J. Tucker becomes the first to actually realize his destiny as a Raptor. Someone has to, right?

You’re right, it’s a tough spot for the Raptors to be in. There is no correct answer, except failing to answer the question at all. If they’re ever going to go all-in, it has to be in the next two-and-a-half years, and a Chandler (or Tucker) deal is something I can sell myself on for those reasons. If you’re not going to take a big swing at Cleveland, and you’re going to be on the decline as LeBron James is, then there’s a chance of looking back at an opportunity that went un-maximized. (I’m making up words.) And if you’re not, you’re right, the nuclear option should have come into play earlier.

But there’s also value in just being really good for a long time. Wojnarowski mentioned the Raptors in the same breath as the Spurs the other day, and did so earnestly. Building organizational equity is important, and Ujiri, should he feel that way, would be right to be cautious about risking too much of the franchise’s near-term stability if he’s not 100 per cent sure retaining Lowry (and Ibaka) will happen. I’m waffling here. To be honest, I’d bet the Raptors front office has spent the good part of the last few weeks waffling on such issues, too.

And hey, maybe the nuclear option has come into play. Lowry and DeRozan have both been excused from another day of practice, which likely signals they’re being traded or are terrible teammates andshould be trade. Obviously. What’s the deal on that, from BioSteel?

Koreen, 1:25 p.m.: We are still outside, waiting for practice to end. (Ibaka has to get really, really used to playing with Cory Joseph and Norman Powell, man.) Doug Smith of the Toronto Star tweeted that both have separate reasons for missing practice, even though Lowry has a fashion event at The Bay later, which has not been cancelled, to my knowledge. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reported that DeRozan has a family issue. It is weird, and it is sub-optimal, but it is not worth conspiring about.

Meanwhile, let’s prepare for this doomsday scenario.

Can echo what @WindhorstESPN just said on @SportsCenter: More than a few rival teams out there think Boston has a shot at Paul George today.

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 23, 2017

Of course, this has been Ujiri’s play since the Raptors got good: stay good for as long as possible, collect assets at the same time, and make a play for a superstar if and when he becomes available, whether it is in free agency or via trade. Again, a day like today — a week like this week — underlines the flaws in this plan. We know they will have no cap room for a while (saving a weird change in course), and they currently do not have the assets to land a star (Ujiri blew it when he did not trade up in the draft for Buddy Hield).

This is a real conundrum. It’s great that the league’s most plugged-in reporter mentioned the Raptors and Spurs in the same sentence, but the Spurs already have five titles, so I doubt they are actually in the same category in the minds of players and agents. I don’t mean to be overly negative here, but the Raptors’ version of running on the treadmill is less impressive than the Spurs’ version.

There is no obvious jumping off point here, but the Raptors are about to open practice, so I must scurry. I fully expect Paul George to be a Celtic when I return.

Murphy, 1:45 p.m.:I have to be honest, Eric. I’m feeling a little unreasonable. The salt levels are high at the thought of the Celtics landing George. And there is nobody around for me to engage in#HugWatch with to make me feel better. On the bright side, everything is just chatter until something is done. There’s posturing, there’s leaking for a reason, and so on. Maybe Ainge just wanted the world to know he tried to cash in those assets, while he secretly scribbles “Yabu Hive” in a giant heart in his notebook? Until 3 p.m. or a little after, there is hope.

As for the larger picture the Raptors face, it’s not the prettiest. It’s not the worst, mind you, but there isn’t a clear path to getting substantially better than they are right now. The warchest of picks and prospects is good for long-term stability and keeping the back-end flush with useful, inexpensive players.And I like treadmills. I do not, however, know exactly how the Raptors get off this one, unless it’s a Mavericks-like strategy of staying in a position to strike for long enough that fortune eventually smiles your way.

And hey, woah. No Lucas Nogueira or Bruno Caboclo at practice, either? What’s going on with the Brazilians? The Suns were one of the three teams reported to have Caboclo interest ahead of the draft. Go kick down Ujiri’s door, hit Weltman with a big boot, throw Webster over the top rope, and tell us what all this means.

Koreen, 2:31 p.m.: When asked, Casey said 13 players — so everyone save for Lowry and DeRozan — participated in practice. That would seem to include our Brazilian emoji-friendly friends, even though they were not seen on the court. As for DeRozan, he was at a family funeral, while Lowry had travel issues with a private plane — hate when that happens.

The mood at practice seemed loose — Sullinger, perhaps the most likely player to be traded, was dancing in between shooting free throws — but this time of year always has people on edge.

“How much time we got left? About an hour?” Patrick Patterson said after practice. “Yeah, so soon. . . . Everyone is looking at their phones, and just counting the clock down as we progressively go towards the end. But once the time hits everything will be a lot better, everyone will be good.”

But will the Raptors be good? I guess that’s what we’re trying to get at, and it all comes back to whether you view this whole operation as championship or bust. I think we both know the folly in that, but stasis — even if it is well above mediocrity — will eventually become a tough thing to sell to fans, and maybe free agents, too.

Alas, we are getting ahead of ourselves. Twenty-nine minutes left, and no major moves. Nothing on Butler, and there is this warning about George…

I repeat: Paul George – barring a title chance in Indy – is hell-bent on heading for Laker Land. This message has been sent throughout NBA.

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) February 23, 2017

Tick, tock.

Murphy, 2:49 p.m.:Here’s a philosophical question for you: If the Bulls make a trade, do the new Bulls become Raptor killers, do the old Bulls stay Raptor killers, or do all parties become Raptor killers? Because I can’t stand the thought of Blake Murphy look-alike Joffrey Lauvergene killing the Raptors.

OH HEY. Paul George is staying put.

Indiana has passed on trade offers for Paul George and All-Star forward will remain with the Pacers, league sources tell @TheVertical.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) February 23, 2017

We’re 10 minutes away, but let me ask you this: If everyone in the East is done, are the Raptors the second-best team in the East?

Koreen, 3 p.m.: Whee-ooooh, whee-ooooh.

Sources: Toronto is sending Jared Sullinger and two future second-round picks to Phoenix for PJ Tucker.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) February 23, 2017

So, the most predictable move that could get done did get done: Tucker to Toronto. Good on Ujiri for getting the price down to two second-rounders instead of a first. That’s some nice negotiating. I think getting Tucker — and more importantly, the Celtics doing nothing — means the Raptors have the second-most talent in the conference, yes.

Will they get to the conference final, then? Well, they will likely have to get into third or second place, first. However, this addresses their biggest need on the roster without sacrificing a big part of their future. Masai, as they saying goes, got it done.

Thoughts?

Murphy, 3:20 p.m.:Well then, that certainly was a buzzer-beater. 3 p.m. struck like a Michael Ruffin throw-away lob, and then Ujiri played Morris Peterson, snatched the final open line to the league office, and hoisted a great deal across just in time.

I’m a fan of the deal. The sticking point in our earlier discussions was the first round pick, and the Raptors added a piece without losing it. Second rounders have value, to be sure, but a late first in a deep draft and the four years of cost control that come with it is a huge piece to keep in-house, especially ahead of a luxury tax squeeze this summer. The net here — getting Ibaka and Tucker for one rotation player, one expiring contract, one first-round pick, and two second-round picks — is a pretty obvious win, and the Raptors’ 10- or 12-man rotation, depending how deep you want to go, is very, very solid.

Now, Tucker’s not a perfect piece, obviously. He’s not a great shooter, for example. But he understands his role well, fits the culture and attitude of the team from what I’ve been able to gather from Phoenix, and brings a ton of defence and toughness. Whether he jumps Norman Powell as the first wing off the bench is the biggest question here, but options abounding is rarely a bad thing, especially in the playoffs.

And yes, the Celtics did nothing. Which is amazing. The Raptors appear to be the second-best team in the Eastern Conference once again. And their future pipeline looks pretty solid. So that’s good! Whether that means they get to the conference finals isn’t something I can tell you, but it’s more likely today than yesterday, and much more likely now than 10 days ago.

Your thoughts? Are they bound for a rematch with Cleveland?

Koreen, 3:56 p.m.: Well, the Raptors have played about two good games in the last month, so I’m not ready to book a rental car to drive to Cleveland for mid-May just yet. (Although I believe you can cancel rental cars without penalty, so maybe I should.) However, Ujiri did what a general manager of a team like the Raptors is supposed to do: gave his team — theoretically a very good one — the best chance to win without sacrificing the future in a meaningful way.

That is a very good thing. The Raptors now have reasonable insurance at every position — although injuries to Lowry, DeRozan or Ibaka would still probably spoil their chances, but that is how things work in the NBA. They have filled their two biggest needs, and have not mortgaged the house to do so.

The Powell-Tucker battle which you anticipate will be interesting, but might also be very matchup dependent. The fact that they can now put a defence-first supporting cast, without sacrificing size, around Lowry and DeRozan if they choose is meaningful.

Basically, between the move they made and the moves the Celtics did not make, today could not have gone better for the Raptors in terms of the short-term. Would I rather have their future than Boston’s? Well, no. The Celtics’ ultimate upside is still huge, and what Ujiri did over the last nine days does not guarantee anything — not even a playoff series victory. That is how wobbly the Raptors have been of late.

However, he gave them a great shot to play well into May again. Nice things are nice, Blake.

Murphy, 4:05 p.m.: Nice thingsare nice, Eric. And Tucker is a nice addition, on the heels of another one in Ibaka. I understand the pull to compare them to the Celtics of the future or the Cavaliers of the present, but the Raptors can only operate as the Raptors.

The only lens through which they can be evaluated is the Raptors lens, and they operated as the Raptors quite well today, and over the last two weeks. Getting Ibaka and Tucker at no rotation cost beyond Ross and no long-term cost that wasn’t somewhat superfluous with the rest of their asset base is a tremendous sequence of moves. Better today, not significantly worse-off tomorrow. Pretty, pretty good.

Now, let’s see how all of the pieces fit, how Lowry and DeRozan look after their breaks, and how much things can turn around with all of this new life and excitement. Twenty-five games is not a long time, and April, mercifully, is not too far away.