The Raptors and Fan Interaction Part III
by Adam Francis on Nov 12, 2010 12:30 PM EST
in Enhance Your Experience
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In the final part of his Friday afternoon mini-series, Franchise looks at attendance and wonders if decreased fan interaction may cause MLSE to prematurely "push the button."
As we've been discussing on the site, this could be a very long season for fans of the Toronto Raptors.
Little talent, injuries to "key" players early on, and a tough schedule to boot make for a foreboding situation.
However in the end, does any of this really matter if fans keep coming to games, keep buying Raptors-related paraphernalia, and keep discussing the club as fervently as they have?
Perhaps not.
MLSE's coffers keep filling up and as we've seen with their brethren, the Maple Leafs, the on-court product could stay at an abysmal level for years.
However I think as fans we can safely say that Bryan Colangelo is a proud man.
He's not one to admit defeat, and he's not one to keep trying until he feels he's got the right pieces in place. We know quite well that if the pieces aren't right, we can expect some major changes.
As a parting thought in my recap of Toronto's loss to Charlotte Wednesday night, I noted that Bruce Arthur and I had been discussing one of the major issues we saw with this club going forward; could Bryan Colangelo leave well enough alone to ensure this team landed a top spot in next spring's draft lottery?
It's the million dollar question in my books and I'm just not sure if BC can put his pride on the shelf for 6 months.
But last night I got thinking about something else.
Forget pride, what if there's another element that comes into play forcing Colangelo to push the panic button? What if things get so bad that the ultimate whipping strap comes out; MLSE losing money.
Can this happen?
Well without getting into all the economics of how MLSE operates, that's highly doubtful thanks to their other endeavours.
But what about the Raps themselves?
The team is 11th in overall attendance but a good chunk of that comes from their road games. At home they're averaging the 20th worst attendance record in the league at just over 15,700 a game. To put that in perspective, the Clippers, Timberwolves and yes, Bobcats are all averaging more fans.
That's a problem.
The team didn't sell-out the home opener for the first time in eons, and Wednesday's match vs. the Bobcats (granted it was the Bobcats) was akin to a home game in Atlanta.
And it goes beyond just "asses in the seats."
The fan interaction at games is a far cry from even last season and while the Raptors are doing their best via Twitter and NBA TV Canada to promote the brand, this isn't the Leafs. At some point (and it could be very soon), fan interaction may be the real harbinger of change, not the team's record, coaching or play.
And don't think MLSE doesn't know this.
Just in the past week I've seen promotions via various Twitter deal sites that had Raptors' tickets discounted by 51%, and emails and other medium offering Raptors' merchandise at cut rates. The red flags are showing, and MLSE is trying to use every avenue possible to get fan interaction back up.
That's why as rough as it's been on the court so far, I'm finding it fascinating to watch this season unfold as it could be the first time since the franchise's inception that fan interaction (and therefore economics) dictates decisions.
If the club continues on a 10 win pace (essentially what Toronto is on right now), fans may indeed see the true colours of MLSE...
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I think the fact that many people do not get the channels that their games are on will hurt them in the long run.
by JumpShootersRUS on Nov 12, 2010 1:27 PM EST reply actions
re Results thru 8 games
While 1-7 for 8 games is not good, it should not be surprising for any observers.
Five of those losses have been by an average of 5 points, as they have been competitive despite the inconsistences of performances by all, and an inability to finish. Why is that a surprise for a new young team with no All Star players ? The problems that need correcting (turnovers, struggling 1st qtrs, inconsistent PG play, and defensive intensity, from game to game, quarter to quarter, and injuries) are all fixable with time and experience playing together, with the coaches fitting the rotations together.
The talent is there, but it is young and inexperienced, and inconsistent and will take time. It is still not time to give up on this TEAM when we all knew it was in for a tough 1st month with 8 of the first 12 on the road in two 4 game trips.
This team will WIN and LOSE as their defensive game and consistency starts to be the
way they play from game to game. Defensive play needs time to grow as a TEAM.
BE PATIENT !!!
Fan-tastic
The team is 11th in overall attendance but a good chunk of that comes from their road games. At home they’re averaging the 20th worst attendance record in the league
One would take from this statement, that the Raptors are a bigger draw on the Road, then they are at home. Essentially though, MLSE issues with attendance are their own fault. Televised games are all over the map, with little consistency, and little regard for creating a fan base, that is necessary if you want to put people in those stands.
What MLSE does (during the balance of the season), will have Richard Peddie all over it. If RP panics, then we could be in for trouble. If he reassures BC that his job is safe, then maybe Colangelo can take right path – use the TPE & Expirings only for “future” prospects (or talent upsides), and work on improving the odds in the draft. Unless BC knows he’s here for a bit longer, the pressure will remain to do something.
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Unless BC knows he’s here for a bit longer, the pressure will remain to do something.
BC has had full job security, knowing since 4 years ago that he’d be here for at least 4 years. Why would he all of a sudden act differently with security than he did before? Besides, it’s his job to do whatever is best for the franchise, not whatever is best for his own job security.
I don’t necessarily advocate firing BC during the season, but there is no point in extending him any sort of reassurance beyond the term of his current contract.
BC Extension
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BC may have had himself a 4 year contract, but he has had to deal with the following issues:
- Mitch got COY – how do fire a COY?
- A perfect PG situation, and then all hell breaks loose.
- A bum trade to Charlotte
- Another PG situation that features 2 top-notch backups.
- Bosh – Keeping him into the mix, affected a correct strategy – BC’s fault mind you.
The current “track” is a very difficult one to stay on. Fans can only handle so much losing, even though the benefit may reap rewards. That’s the pressure BC will experience as the season progresses. The correct approach (IMO), is to give Colangelo as much leeway with that approach. Otherwise, he’ll try to patch things, with the intent to make the season palatable for the fans.
Toronto fans have a tendency to be that instant type of fan – cheering exuberantly when we win 4 games in a row, and deriding the team when we lose 4 games in a row.
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by RapthoseLeafs on Nov 12, 2010 3:46 PM EST up reply actions
What is this idea that fans in Toronto are different then fans in any other major market?
Wouldn’t any fan be happy during a 4 game winning streak, and upset during a 4 game losing streak?
Just to clarify
Wouldn’t any fan be happy during a 4 game winning streak, and upset during a 4 game losing streak?
Take the Leafs for example. Start off the season with a 4 game winning streak, and next thing you know …. they’re play-off bound.
Never-the-less, maybe too harsh of a statement. I just think we tend to be our own worse nightmare.
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by RapthoseLeafs on Nov 12, 2010 5:04 PM EST up reply actions
Speaking of Next Year
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How difficult is it to get another 1st round pick, even if it’s in the lower range. Having 3 picks in the 1st Round gives Raptors 3 kicks at the can, or the opportunity to package two of them (not our own), for a better pick.
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Agreed – picking up say a late lotto pick could translate into a top-ten pick if packaged with the Miami pick, cash, and a future 2nd.
by dhackett1565 on Nov 12, 2010 2:46 PM EST up reply actions
Considering teams wanted upwards of $3 million cash for early 2nd rounders last season, I don’t anticipate the Raptors picking up extra picks in the late first round unless they are part of deals for guys like Reggie Evans and Leandro Barbosa. Even then, Colangelo might have to assume ANOTHER brutal contract in order to get extra picks.
by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Nov 12, 2010 4:43 PM EST up reply actions
Why are we all so focused on picks?
Can anyone name a first round draft pick that Toronto has had that has turned into something good? (Not including Bosh and Carter who ultimately left)
Isn’t the problem management in general? How will picks fix this? Even if we get a stud in the lottery, how can management be trusted to build a winner around said stud?
A Little shy on those 1st round picks
Can anyone name a first round draft pick that Toronto has had that has turned into something good?
- Damon Stoudamire
- Tracy McGrady
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by RapthoseLeafs on Nov 12, 2010 5:09 PM EST up reply actions
Marcus Camby, Morris Peterson.
Besides, what does it matter what has happened in the past? Did Washington have much draft success before John Wall? Or Chicago before Michael Jordan?
What happened in the draft before Colangelo is moot, anyway. While Colangelo failed to build a winner around Bosh, Bosh simply wasn’t a good enough player to build around. He certainly had success in Phoenix, so it’s not as if he doesn’t know how to build a winner.
Tim W.
The Picket Fence
Hope vs desparation
The only thing that struggling teams can sell is hope. If fans think that while today is bad, tomorrow will be better, and the day after that will be even better, fans will buy into the team. A lot of the true Raptor fans know this team cannot win many games. There’s some talent on this team but a lot of it is very one-dimensional. So the true Raptor fan knows that just moving pieces around by trading one veteran for another won’t accomplish anything. It just smacks of desperation and extinguishes hope.
For me, the only thing BC should do is ride out the season, trading veterans for youth and draft picks. The TPE should be used to pick up an asset or two that can then be traded for youth and draft picks. The only path to hope now is youth, and it will be a long journey, but hopefully, eventually, it will pay off with brighter days.
Fan Interaction - Miami version
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While I hate to rag on Bosh, I have to chuckle about things down in South Beach.
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A few fan comments
- What’s up with Bosh? Is this dude really this soft? I mean for god sakes play some defense, rebound, box out, take a charge, post up do something that takes some effort. He’s sleep walking……
- Bosh is a walking jumping piece of uselessness. We need a KG, not a Bosh. He should just giggle like the Pillsbury dough boy every time he drives to the basket.
- Yo Bosh, Shaq is right. You da Rupaul of big men and guess what? You in da USA now and EVERYONE can see you’re crap.
And then a perspective from Jason Whitlock (of Fox Sports)
- Chris Bosh is too soft to be the third wheel of the "Big Three." You could see it Friday night when New Orleans center Emeka Okafor stitched clown suits for the Miami Bigs in the Heat’s second loss of the young season.
A career 13-point scorer, Okafor dropped 26 and 13 on the Heat, sinking 12 of 13 shots.
- Is Bosh a homeless man’s Dirk Nowitzki, a perimeter big man who put up inflated scoring and rebounding numbers because when visiting NBA players cross the Canadian border they put far more effort into acquiring condoms, loonies and a strip-club champagne room than their on-court assignments?
- James and Wade could both beat up Chris Bosh. The third wheel, especially if he’s a front-court player, can’t be the softest of the trio. It won’t work. It screws up chemistry. It’s going to make the Heat vulnerable to big, strong rebounding and defensive teams.
- If I’m Pat Riley, I watch the next two games very closely. If things go poorly for Bosh, I bring Dwyane Wade into my office and question him about how upset he and LeBron will be if the "Big Three" undergoes an official name change. The "Big Two" makes the most sense.
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It is sort of enjoyable to watch Bosh and the Heat struggle early on. I was expecting Bosh’s scoring to plummet. The rebounding drop surprises me — he’s actually putting up similar scoring and rebounding numbers to what Beasley gave the Heat last season. But I guess Bosh smokes less weed so, ummm, nice upgrade.
That being said, I don’t think anyone who watched the Raptors play should be surprised by the softness on the defensive end. As good as Bosh was on the offensive end of the floor, the Bosh-Bargnani frontcourt allowed an endless number of players to finish at the rim with little to no resistance. Whitlock went a little overboard, but point taken…
by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Nov 12, 2010 4:48 PM EST up reply actions
lol... FOX NEWS is giving Bosh the Bargnani treatment...
They probably have an informant on this board right now…. taking notes…lol
The media is merciless… wow… I wish I could ramble on about ‘Well we will just trade for Varejao – he would have been a better fit with Michael Jordan back in the day’ – and look at how well Luis Scola is doing – perhaps we should just go and convert him into a Miami Heat asset.
Yes yes, blah blah, …. I won’t be happy unless we can get KG in a heat uniform too. I mean that’s what this BIg 3 needs…. I mean why do we have to suffer with our frontcourt so?
I’m sure that once they sign CP3 as a ‘back up’ for Wade then we can listen to them whine about how ‘they liked LeBron ’before’ he became a villain’ …
Soon they will start harping on about what the Miami Heat really lacks is ‘Kevin Durant’ … He would really help round things out…
Jesus!
Bosh's Scoring
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I know this is apples & oranges, but Bargs is tracking a little bit better than Bosh.
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Bosh ….. 33.6 min – 14.8 ppg – 6.0 Rbs – 1.8 apg – 1.2 bpg
Bargs … 33.3 min – 19.5 ppg – 4.9 Rbs – 1.3 apg – 1.1 bpg
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On a similar note …. Raps are only 3 games away (in the loss column). :-0
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by RapthoseLeafs on Nov 12, 2010 5:18 PM EST up reply actions
The team is 11th in overall attendance but a good chunk of that comes from their road games. At home they’re averaging the 20th worst attendance record in the league at just over 15,700 a game. To put that in perspective, the Clippers, Timberwolves and yes, Bobcats are all averaging more fans.
20th worst? Wouldn’t that be 10th best? And considering teams don’t make money off away games, it shouldn’t matter how big a draw your team is on the road, only at home.
20th worst reminds me of when my brother saw my runner up trophy for a 3 on 3 tournament, he said “They give out trophies for first loser?”. I laughed even though I cried inside.
Tim W.
The Picket Fence
Are we our Record?
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I realize a good number of fans think this team is pretty much useless, however – and I know I’ll get killed for this – I think our team is better than our record. Why we haven’t done better can be attributed to a number of causes, including a tough West Coast trip.
The Good Things – First
- 3rd in Offensive Rebound
- 7th in FT%
- 8th in FTA
The Not So Good Things
- 24th in Assists
- 24th in Turnovers
- 27th in 3pt A
- 29th in 3pt %
There are other factors, and I wouldn’t diminish them, but from the stats above, we need to move (pass) around the ball more. Plus be more careful with the ball (Turnovers). And we need to improve the 3 point situation – Last year, the Raps were 18th in attempts & 5th in percentage.
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We are 1-7, but we also have 74 games left.
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