I know it's fashionable to be pretty black and white with opinions about our team, but I don't think success on the court, for this Raps squad, is strictly going to come down to 'is Pascal good enough', 'can Fred find his shot', 'what moves can we make'...

Sure, the roster had issues last year. Building something takes time and effort. Were mistakes made? Probably. Did some players slump more than they should or play through injuries affecting their play? Seems likely. Did Nurse lose the room or give up on the roster he had? Appears possible.

But the one consistent thing with Masai has been talking about culture, and winning. You know who else focuses on those things? Pat Riley. Miami have had some luck, and benefit from being an attractive free agent destination. But they have a guy on top who loves ball, and has a vision for what he wants in his team, physically and mentally. They found a coach who fits their culture. They found players who fit and are balling out.

It's not easy, certainly, but what I think Masai wants is that kind of organization. It's not about how to make the team better quickly by tanking. Tanking promotes losing, and I'm guessing he wants a team of guys "with that dawg in them" and a culture of a team who buys in and goes hard. Guys who would hate tanking, and hate themselves for going along with it. You think Himmy Butler would appreciate tanking for a better shot at a top four pick?

We looked fully locked in during the championship run. Then we lost assets in various ways, depleting the pantry. Did we make mistakes here? Yep, but had we landed Giannis nobody would be talking about that. Masai swung and missed. Happens to everyone, even the very best. So now they've got to build it back, but I think he's unwilling to tell the team to purposely lose. He'd rather they fight, claw, scratch and not give up, all while he and Bobby try to clean up their mess.

The players will still occasionally struggle. Whoever coaches will have brain farts, and will need time to implement their systems on both ends of the court. We may miss out on trades, or FA's. The next season(s) might still suck until things get sorted out and back on track. This isn't a straight "trust Masai" post, he's not perfect and he has, and will, make mistakes. But I think I understand what he's going for, and I respect the shit out of that.

Last year we saw this team play with less heart. That sucked. Personally, I'm a fan of ball first and the Raps second. If we have a struggling or mid team, but we play hard and have a fun system, I'll still watch. I believe we can get back to being a threat, whatever the team looks like by then. It may take a bit of time. There will definitely be some pain along the way. But for us older fans who went through the real dark days... A little pain can't erase the shine of a still recent chip and a glimmer of what the Toronto Raptors can be.

Rather than be angry at every decision the team makes, or doesn't make, that didn't pan out... Rather than dump on players who are legit NBA players just because they can't singlehandedly carry a team into the deep playoffs... I'll settle for having a team that's fun to watch and trying to build something long term, for repeat contending and not just a flash in the pan. Go Raps!