I’m not going to sit here and write a eulogy for this era of the Raptors. Everyone seems to think that they’re going to blow it up after this, that they’re going to trade away major pieces in a firesale and start over with Bruno Caboclo at the helm (alright I doubt anyone thinks that last part is going to happen). All because they got swept by the Cavaliers? That’s not a good enough reason; they’ve got a really good regular season core that only needs a bit more time (and a new coach probs) to become a really good playoff core.
Now, I don’t know if Serge Ibaka is really part of the core. He could be, after all, Toronto would’ve lost in the first round if it weren’t for him. But he’s old, and he disappears for big chunks of time. And he’s gonna be expensive as heck to keep around. Just the idea of a player being a stretch-four is enough for multiple teams to get out their checkbooks and tell him to write whatever he wants on it. Did I mention he’s old? He’s old and not looking nearly as springy as he used to.
He did score 23 tonight, so at least Raptors fan’s last memories of him will be somewhat positive.