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[QUOTE="jncuse, post: 3507578, member: 1969"]
I certainly hope the Nuggets win game 7 so it adds more basis to the following.

The Raptors needed Kawhi to win the championship this year
Kawhi needed the Raptors to win the championship.this year.

A team with Lowry/Siakam as 2A/2B is nearly as equipped to win then with Playoff Paul IMO (The Raptors additional strength comes from players 4-8 in the rotation).   Yes Siakam was horrible in the playoffs this year -- he had mentally fell apart under the pressure of being the #1 option.   That likely would not have happened if he had simply stayed in last year's role.

Ibaka, FVV and Powell as 4th, 5th and 6th options would be top 3 or 4 in the league I would think.     Then you round out the team with elite defensive players in Anunoby and Gasol** (**in certain matchups where he could use his smarts... because he can also get burnt in the wrong matchup like we saw with Boston).

I think with the Raptors going 53-19 this year, the stupid asterisk that was added to their title last year is slowly going away.  They were a very good team who would have been better than last year if Kawhi had come back, due to a healthy Anunoby and a developing FVV/Powell (and the fact that the vets like Lowry/Ibaka did not step down at all)

I can just imagine a "small ball" lineup with Kawhi / Siakam / Anunoby as the frontcourt -- would be great defensively.
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