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[QUOTE="jncuse, post: 3793586, member: 1969"]
It will be sad to see Kyle Lowry and Norm Powell almost certainly go today but it has to be done at this point.   This team is not a contender, Lowry is a FA, and I think Toronto wants to use their money next year on a big and not Powell.

Tough year for Toronto... knew they would have some fall back from losing Ibaka/Gasol.    Baynes was a total dud, especially earlier in the year, and combine that with the Tampa Bay adjustment that nobody else had to deal with the Raps started a brutal 2-8, with a number of close losses after blown double digit leads.    They got it back to .500 at 17-17 (beating Brooklyn, Philly, Milwaukee) in games close to the 30 game mark.    They also had metrics that made them look better than a .500 team.   So while not a top contender by any means,  they appeared like a team that could make it to second round (as a 3-5 seed in the weak east) and at least give a good scare to any of the elite teams in losing.   At that point they were probably still evaluating whether they should be sellers or try to fix the problem at the 5 (Baynes)

Then Covid hit.  Most teams have had a covid impact at some point.   A few teams got hit really hard.  Toronto was one of the they got hit really hard by Covid with 3/5 of their starters out for a full two weeks (Siakam, FVV, Anunoby) plus one other rotation player.  FVV was actually quite sick as well, so their legs were not back into it as a team.    Add in the Tampa Bay factor which can't help the team attitude the next thing you know the team is a nine game losing streak and fighting for the qualifying playoff round.

Its time to move forward.   Stiffs in the Middle, the "Tampa" factor, Covid losing streak.   Probably best to get young assets, miss the playoffs and hope you get lucky in the lotto, and reset while back in Toronto next year.
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