DeMar DeRozan is making the Raptors divorce even uglier TORONTO â" Raptors president Masai Ujiri apologized Friday for a âmiscommuni...
TORONTO â" Raptors president Masai Ujiri apologized Friday for a âmiscommunicationâ with four-time All-Star and franchise icon DeMar DeRozan, but Torontoâs traded All-Star guard didnât seem quite ready to make amends.
Speaking for the first time since sending DeRozan to San Antonio for Kawhi Leonard, Ujiri began by saying sorry to DeRozan. The career Raptor had expressed anger and frustration in an Instagram post after learning of the deal, indicating heâd been told he would not be traded.
Shortly after Ujiri apologized Friday, DeRozan added a new post to his Instagram feed: a facepalm emoji, a symbol of frustration and exasperation.
Reflecting on a conversation heâd had with DeRozan at Summer League earlier this month, Ujiri said he âshould have handled it betterâ when discussing future plans.
âMaybe my mistake was talking about what we expected going f orward from him,â Ujiri said. âI think thatâs where the gap was, because in my job I always have to assume that Iâm going forward with the team that I have. If there was a miscommunication there, I do apologize to DeMar.â
Still, after three straight disappointing playoff exits, Ujiri felt something needed to change with the Raptors. He acknowledged struggling with the âhuman sideâ of the trade, but decided Leonard was too good a prize to pass up.
Now, Ujiri says, the Raptors âare stepping on territory that we never have.â
âI think if we look at ourselves honestly, everybody knows that we had to do something different, even if it wasnât this,â Ujiri said. âWe had to figure out something different. I take responsibility for that.
âWeâve been doing this how many years?â Ujiri said. âYou canât continue doing the same thing over and over again. And when you get a chance to get a top five player, which doesnât come very oft en, I think you have to jump on it. Weâve given a chance to this team, weâve tried to build it as much as we can but, at this point, this opportunity came in front of us and we had to jump on it.â
DeRozan led the Raptors in scoring in each of the last five years, and was key to Toronto winning a franchise-record 59 games and securing the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last season.
âThereâs no measurement for what DeMar DeRozan has done for this organization,â Ujiri said, pledging that the departed guard will be acknowledged âin the biggest way that we can possibly do itâ for his nine seasons with the Raptors.
Even with DeRozan, Toronto lost three straight postseason series against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, including consecutive second-round sweeps. The Raptors have never reached the NBA Finals.
Leonard, the 2014 NBA Finals MVP, has twice finished in the top three in MVP voting and is a two-time winner of the leagueâs Defensive Player of the Year award. Ujiri called his new acquisition âa no-nonsense basketball player that plays on both sides of the floor and produces.â
Still, there are reasons for concern. A seven-year veteran, Leonard missed all but nine games last season because of a leg injury. He can become a free agent next summer, and has stated his desire to play for the Los Angeles Lakers.
As long as Leonard is with the Raptors, however, Ujiri will work to show him what Toronto has to offer.
âI think thereâs a lot to sell here,â Ujiri said. âOur team, our culture, our city, our ownership. We have everything here except a championship, in my humble opinion. I donât think we lack anything in this city.â
Leonard has yet to pass a physical, Ujiri said, adding one is expected to happen âin the next couple of days.â
Ujiri, who returned from a trip to Africa earlier Friday, has not met Leonard in person since the trade, but said they have spoken on the phone. Ujiri disputed rumors that Leonard has no interest in playing north of the border.
âHe didnât express a lack of interest about playing in Canada to me,â Ujiri said.
DeRozan and Leonard are expected to be on the court together next week when USA Basketball convenes a national team training camp in Las Vegas. That team is coached by San Antonioâs Gregg Popovich.
Source: Google News US Sports | Netizen 24 United States
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