Tag: Masai Ujiri

Blake Murphy: “There’s a Million Things to Say” About Kyle Lowry’s Raptors Impact

August 16, 2021 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

After nine years, the Kyle Lowry era in Toronto has come to an end, but Raptors Chairman Larry Tanenbaum has said that Lowry’s will be the first jersey retired by the franchise (Keith Allison/Flickr).

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Blake Murphy of The Athletic joins the show to delve into the performance of the Toronto Raptors during Las Vegas Summer League, especially regarding the newly drafted Scottie Barnes. Additionally, we discuss the Kyle Lowry trade, what he meant to the city and the Raptors franchise, and how they will move forward without him next season and beyond.

9:10-10:08: “[For Scottie Barnes], the playmaking on the move is real. … Barnes’ defense is gonna be his calling card early on. I think he’s been pretty good on that end. The processing speed there is really high level and they’ve had him picking up full court, they’ve had him guarding across positions. So I think he’s going to be a real player from day one defensively as hard as that is as a rookie, but the offensive game is gonna take a little bit of time.”

18:48-20:20: “The Raptors haven’t had a lot of guys stick around nine years. They haven’t had a lot of guys win a lot in Toronto also. So I think the fact that Lowry’s […] ascension kind of parallels the franchise’s own rise to being a more legitimate franchise in the NBA, and being a pretty consistently good team and eventually a championship contender. The growth of Lowry and the growth of the team as a whole are kind of hand in hand. … Lowry has always really fit kind of what Raptors fans are about. Continue reading

Blake Murphy: “Raptors Will Be Measured By What They Do Against Cleveland”

March 17, 2017 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Blake Murphy interviews second-year Raptors guard Delon Wright.

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O Canada! Our home and native land! Blake Murphy, who writes about the Raptors for ESPN TrueHoop’s Raptors Republic and The Athletic among other sites, joins the podcast to share his knowledge on team topics such as how trade deadline acquisitions Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker enhance lineup flexibility and the irony of Jonas Valanciunas’ situation in that the better he plays seemingly the less chance he has of sticking around next season. Among other salient team-centric subjects, Murphy addresses how Kyle Lowry could have better handled his controversial wrist injury. Unfortunately, this episode does not come with universal healthcare, but here are some soothing excerpts to help alleviate those pains of yours. Plus, preexisting conditions do not preclude you from enjoying:

4:21-5:09 on Serge Ibaka’s fit with the Raptors:

“He’s had a nice positive impact. The 3-point shooting, he’s knocking down 40 percent of his shots on 4.5 looks per game. The best thing for the Raptors is that most of them have been above the break. Normally the Raptors get a lot of corner shooting, especially from their power forward position, but as Ibaka has played some center, he’s given them a nice pop threat, which is a different wrinkle for guys like DeRozan, and when he’s back, Lowry to use. The Raptors defense has been much much better since the trade deadline. They’re seventh in the NBA in Defensive Rating over the last 10 games. That’s not all owing to Ibaka, but he’s been a nice rim-protecting presence…Ibaka’s seeing a lot of time at center and in close games they’re closing with Ibaka [there].”

NBA Reacts to Muslim Ban; Loren’s Jeopardy Run

January 31, 2017 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Luol Deng, a proud former refugee from South Sudan, was one of many from the NBA community to speak against President Trump’s recent Muslim ban. (@LuolDeng9/Twitter)

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Last Friday’s executive order from the Trump administration has drawn criticism from the NBA community, as well as from various corners of the country and world. The panel will discuss the NBA’s reaction, why they believe it was justified and what more can be done by the everyday person. That conversation is preceded by Aaron’s commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, also on Friday. His primary takeaway? The Holocaust’s strongest, most enduring lesson: Silence in the face of discrimination of any group is unacceptable and must never take place in order to avoid repeating the costly mistakes of the past. But first, in a much lighter discussion, Loren takes us through his thrilling Jeopardy appearance, in which he won two games and took home more than $37,000. Stick to sports? Not this time. The stakes were too high.

Music: “Who Likes to Party” by Kevin MacLeod

Tag: Masai Ujiri

Blake Murphy: “There’s a Million Things to Say” About Kyle Lowry’s Raptors Impact

Blake Murphy: “Raptors Will Be Measured By What They Do Against Cleveland”

NBA Reacts to Muslim Ban; Loren’s Jeopardy Run

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