Raptors Still Waiting on Ujiri's GM Decision; And That's Fine

Let's say you get offered a new job in another city in another country that pays you over three times as much as you are currently making.

The new job is pretty much the same in terms of the field it's in, the scope of work, etc, etc.

How long do you need to sit and think about it before saying "yes" or "no?"

That's the question that's going through the minds of many a fan of the Toronto Raptors of late regarding the team's pursuit of current Denver Nuggets' GM Masai Ujiri.

It's been weeks since we first learned of the Dinos' interest in the NBA's Executive of the Year, and about a week now since we learned of the Raps making an offer to Ujiri, one that depending on what number you believe, is at least going to pay him a very good chunk more than he was making as GM of the Nuggets.

And yet still we wait for word on the decision.

What the hell is the hold up?

It's easy to think that the delay is some indictment of the unappealing nature of the job opening, or even the franchise itself. We Raptors fans are such suspicious and self-deprecating folks. (And who could blame us!)

The Toronto Star's Cathal Kelly does a nice job laying out this line of reasoning for the delay, noting that "hey, if the prospect of having your pay increased by 500 per cent isn't enough to lure you away...well..."

But I have to think there's more to it than this.

We're talking about a decision that impacts family, friends, and likely most importantly, future prospects. It's one thing to grab the reigns of a team that is willing to fork over a boatload of cash. It's another to do so when that team promises to be an uphill battle in terms of future on-court success, which in turn could not only impact your career in the short-term, but the long-term as well.

Along these lines, NBA Executives are quite different than NBA players I would say. NBA players know that their careers aren't typically that long, so they look to maximize profit at the first chance, regardless of things like "fit" and "potential for team success." (The exceptions of course are the Garnett's and Payton's later in their careers.)

NBA Execs however are in this for the long haul, so I'd argue a decision such as the one facing Ujiri, isn't one of what I'd call, purely an "economic animal."

Michael Grange's piece for Sportsnet this afternoon reinforces this notion, and goes one step further noting how meticulous Ujiri is in any process, so with something like this, he'll examine every iota of data when making his decision.

And so here we sit.

And wait.

Which really is fine.

I'm not going to get bent out of shape on this one because there's nothing the Raptors could have done differently. I maintain that the Colangelo piece was a mess, but after that, they moved swiftly on Ujiri, made a very substantial offer by all accounts, and there's nothing more they can do but wait on his decision.

And as fans, we'll just have to enjoy a little more Pacers-Heat flopping, and bide our time until the final decision comes in.