Sunday Thought - Should MLSE Press the "Re-start" Button on the Raptors?

“The Huskies” was a no-bainer 15 years ago and I still love it. I mean, when you’re already considered an NBA oddity, why not link to the past when the Toronto Huskies were actually one of the NBA’s original teams! I always feel ashamed when I think of NBA announcers fighting to keep a straight face when announcing the Toronto RaptTORS… The naming of the Raptors was a timely marketing play, with little foresight and vision and now is just embarrasing…

Toronto Tornadoes, Toronto Terror , or maybe just switch the logo to the The raptor jet

Let’s play to what a lot of Americans think about Canada – The TORONTO SOCALISTS

It’s time. No more Raptors please. It’s embarrassing enough dancing around the nickname when you’re telling someone who your favourite team is. You always end up saying Toronto because Raptors makes you seem like a little child.

MLSE should see the brand change to the Huskies as it’s basketball franchise maturing into adulthood. The Raptors are only known as that team Vince Carter played for in his prime, not for anything they’ve done on the court. Plus MLSE does jersey changes for profit better than anyone.

If they really wanted to…
They could decide in the future to change the dinosaur to a bird and still call themselves the Raptors. Would sell a whole bunch of new merchandise and they could use the following tagline: "The evolution of a franchise."

by HQ Interloper on Dec 7, 2009 7:07 PM PST reply

Obviously….

This “new team” should also be launched in a year we finally get the All Star game so the management can put on tons of parties and woo all the players with what a cool city we have here and finally dispel the myth that living in Toronto is like living in Alaska.

would be commercial suicide (because Toronto is already renowned amongst players for its parties so this would have little impact on perception) but I wouldn’t be opposed to a re-branding AS LONG AS IT’S NOT SIMPLY A MARKETING EXERCISE TO DISTRACT FROM THE ON THE COURT PRODUCT WHILE GENERATING REVENUES ON NEW MERCHANDISE SALES.

Hopefully the types of conversations that took place after the Bosh fiasco focused on a long-term philosophy and build strategy for a team facing the Raptors unique set of circumstances. Hopefully some of the following questions were posed and are on their way to being answered

1. How does this team win consistently, if the window of opportunity related to top ranked U.S. born drafted players lasts only for the duration of their first contract and
possible extension

2. Acknowledging that the talent gap between the U.S. and the rest of the world is shrinking and that everywhere but the U.S. is to remain a primary source of talent for the Raptors, what steps can be taken to gain an informational advantage over other teams and, more importantly, what character traits must be present in foreign born players to allow for a smoother/quicker path to high level play than has been realized thus far.

3. Is there ANY WAY this team can invest in Canadian Basketball, either from a financial or knowledge standpoint, such that more of the talent produced is eventually NBA STARTING caliber, and is there anyway to corner the market on Canadian talent that reaches this level?

Huskies was a no-brainer from the start. Check out CB4himself on this wallpaper.

http://www.basketwallpapers.com/USA/Chris-Bosh/chris-bosh-toronto-huskies-wallpaper.php

Even he looks like a no-nonsense, tough-as-nails, tenacious defender in a Huskies uniform. (and he’s the RuPaul of big men)

Everything’s there; history, teamwork, a wolf-like predatory desire to achieve. It suits the great white north and espouses everything that’s cool about Canada. (Like the mountie’s dog in Due South)

It was that dimwit Isaiah Thomas that screwed it up. Time to give T.O. what it wants.

I suggest we start refering to this team as the Huskies on this and every site on the internet, and in any conversation related to Toronto’s professional basketball team. Slowly, build a ground swell to a tipping point where everyone, by default refers to the team as the Huskies. Let’s force MLSE’s hand on this one!

Before the Toronto had a team, I dreamed of an NBA team called the Toronto Thunder. I guess that’s out, now.

When the Raptors name came out I was horrified. What an awful and short-sighted marketing gimmick that was. I’ve gotten used to it, but I’d still love it to be changed. I like the Huskies, although I question what the dance pack will be called.

I like Huskies the most. Raptors is a terrible franchise name. Terrible and I love the team.

or
Toronto Tropics (let’s get Tropical)
Toronto Towers
Toronto Rebels
Toronto T-Birds………..

So obviously Huskies would be best. Blue and white, and old school. Everybody wears a small black patch to remember the Raptors, but that is all that remains. The mascot is the only thing I will miss.

Argggggg. Toronto Huskies will not work as I stated near the beginning of the thread, the Timberwolves branding would cause confusion (the last the thing the NBA will do is embarrass itself by having two teams in the league with similar branding). However, if everyone insists on changing the Raptor branding then lets go all the way and do the whole NBA over while we are at it. it is not like the Raptors are the only team with irrelevant branding.

Team name now – New team name (additional choices)
Atlanta Hawks – Atlanta Menage-a-trois’
Charlotte Bobcats – Charlotte Wifebeaters, they can wear grease stained white t’s (Charlotte my sister is my cousin’s)
Cleveland Cavaliers (the irony of this name under the present circumstances is not lost on me). – Cleveland Sucks (Cleveland Crybabies)
Detroit Pistons – Detroit Welfare’s (Detroit Motor City Breakdowns)
Golden State Warriors – Golden State Weirdos (Golen State No D’s)
Indiana Pacers – Indiana No Blacks
Los Angeles Lakers – LA All-Stars
Los Angeles Clippers – LA No-Stars (Los Angeles Losers, Los Angeles Sterling Losers)
Miami Heat – Miami Hate
Memphis Grizzlies – Memphis Grizzly floor Showings (Memphis where the hell is Memphis’, Memphis Whose Crackhead Idea was it to put a team in Memphis’, Memphis Fed Ex’s)
Minnesota Timberwolves – Minnesota Kahn’s
New Jersey Nets – New Jersey Nyets, Brooklyn Nyets
New Orleans Hornets – New Orleans FEMA’s
New York Knickerbockers – New York Nutiowners
Oklahoma City Thunder – Oklahoma Zombie Sonics (okay not my idea but I like it, to prevent getting sued it came from the Sports Guy)
Philadelphia 76er’s – Philadelphia 76 points per games
Phoenix Suns – Phoenix Seven Seconds or Less’
Utah Jazz – Utah Saints (only real name change I would make)
Washington Wizards – Washington Bullets

Quite frankly, I am surprised at the amount of support for Huskies. I thought it was pretty lame back whenever it was we brought it back the first time. And the last thing this city needs is more losers dressed in blue.

Besides, our jerseys are actually pretty sharp now. We just need to find better players to wear them.

Who cares, who cares and who cares…. If the team is winning they could be called the Flying Nancies. Comon would you prefer “The Jazz”, ohhh how about “The Pistons”, maybe “The Nuggets”, “The Nets!!??”. Look at our hockey team, “The Maple Leafs”, they could have named them the Dandilions and we would have liked it just as much by now. I mean comon they are named after a friggin leaf. The team name has absolutley nothing to do with the pride and nostalgia associated with the actual team and franchise. What the hell is a “laker” any way??!