Raptors HQ - The Complete Ka-Why is Staying in Toronto BracketThe International Fan Site of the Toronto Raptors Basketball Clubhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/14481/raptors-fave.png2019-04-05T11:00:00-04:00http://www.raptorshq.com/rss/stream/180494032019-04-05T11:00:00-04:002019-04-05T11:00:00-04:00The Ka-Why is Staying in Toronto Bracket: The Dramatic Conclusion
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<figcaption>Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>After weeks of debate and discourse, Jay Rosales and Sean Woodley have done it: they’ve arrived at the most compelling piece of evidence that proves Kawhi Leonard will stay with the Toronto Raptors.</p> <p id="DkYxjq"><span>Pascal Siakam</span>’s astronomical growth. A new-age approach to player health oozing with innuendo. We’re down to the two most compelling reasons why <span>Kawhi Leonard</span> is staying in Toronto. By now you know the drill. Sean Woodley and Jay Rosales will share a charming back-and-forth as they try to hone in on the rightful winner. If they reach a standstill, the almighty twitter poll will decide.</p>
<p id="hU2Cvj">First, a look at how each of the still-standing bits of He Stay evidence got here. beginning with the path of the upstart sixth-seed, “<span>Pascal Siakam</span> is Really Good Now.”</p>
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<p id="Ealxrx">And the Vegas favourite coming into the final, Load Management. </p>
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<p id="pHYdd9">Both of these nuggets have knocked off heavyweights. No creamy schedules or fortuitous bracket breaks here. With the exception of maybe <span>Serge Ibaka</span>, whose Elite Eight loss at the hands of Load Management will be documentary fodder years down the line, no members of this field deserve to be playing for all the glory more than the two that made it to the last dance. Let’s begin, shall we? </p>
<h2 id="D7ZY7Y"><strong>THE FINAL </strong></h2>
<h3 id="9A3drn"><strong>(6) Pascal Siakam is Really Good Now vs. (2) Load Management </strong></h3>
<p id="RJWkUy"><strong>SW: </strong>Jay, buddy, what the hell are we supposed to do here. </p>
<p id="IylVQo">For the most part during the tourney’s run, I’ve been able to throw a little conviction behind my picks. I’ve had a spine. I haven’t dilly-dallied or straddled the fence or wasted words repeating myself while trying to come up with a concrete winner for each match-up. Here, though, I’m kind of at a loss. </p>
<p id="YHyYNa">Jay, what’s even your thought process going into this one? </p>
<p id="vcXKX8"><strong>JR: </strong>I am just as conviction-less as you. When we started this bracket, I wondered which headline-grabbing, Raptor-fanboying, inject-into-my-veins moment would be crowned winner and definitive reason why <span>Kawhi Leonard</span> is staying in Toronto. Yet, here we are, with two finalists that are NOT highlights, but season-long statements to Kawhi. “You want a long career? Let’s introduce you to this load management program!” “You want a championship? Let’s introduce you to our present/future star, Pascal Siakam!”</p>
<p id="UylhyO">How do we possibly choose between these two juggernauts?</p>
<p id="4KOelR"><strong>SW: </strong>I think whether you side with Pascal or managing loads comes down to where you think Kawhi’s priorities lie. Is he more about having a supporting cast that gives him the best possible chance to win, or does his health supersede everything else? Is there a point at which Kawhi would cast the utmost maintenance of his body aside in the interest of winning another title? </p>
<p id="tQur4p">The answer to that question feels kind of obvious, no? He had already won a title with San Antonio, the most decorated and critically acclaimed franchise of the last 20 years. A couple more 50 and 60 win seasons followed that title. And yeah, while their older core of champs aged out and were replaced by a less remarkable supporting cast, the <a href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">Spurs</a> were still gonna be an annual conference finals contender with <span>Leonard</span> in the fold. </p>
<p id="WOMdmM">All it took for that fruitful relationship to sour and disintegrate was a disagreement over his health. As the reporting suggests, Kawhi wanted a second opinion on his thigh injury, the Spurs didn’t take those concerns to heart, noted seducer of teammate’s wives <span>Tony Parker</span> <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fnba%2F2018%2F03%2F23%2Fspurs-tony-parker-quad-injury-hundred-times-worse-kawhi-leonard%2F453946002%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.raptorshq.com%2F2019%2F4%2F5%2F18296139%2Ftoronto-raptors-kawhi-leonard-staying-bracket-march-madness" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">decided to hurl some shit Kawhi’s way</a>, and now Kawhi plays for the <a href="https://www.raptorshq.com/">Raptors</a>. </p>
<p id="KqhjS3">Kawhi’s a health nut, above all else. And the Raptors have accepted and embraced his inner hypochondriac. Zach Lowe, on the latest episode of his podcast, made reference to Kawhi only playing when he wants to. That statement didn’t seem to have a particular lean either way — it was just the damn truth. Kawhi <em>has </em>been treated preferentially this season. Other guys on the team <em>have </em>played through bumps and bruises while Kawhi’s off having his load managed. And I’m sorry, but that’s the way it damn well should be! Not handling Kawhi with extra special care would have made them no better than the Spurs, whose entire ethos places their organization and culture firmly ahead of the desires of the individual. The Raptors entire pitch to Kawhi is about being different than the Spurs. Mission freaking accomplished. </p>
<p id="QP2QDj">Pascal Siakam is absolutely brilliant. With each game he builds the case that he’s the best right-hand man Kawhi’s gonna find for next season anywhere in the league. But I’m convinced that Siakam could be literally as good as <span>Giannis Antetokounmpo</span> and it wouldn’t matter to Kawhi if <span>Alex McKechnie</span> had dicked around and played hero doctor all year. Load Management isn’t the sexy pick. It doesn’t dunk on the break. It doesn’t hit corner threes at a comically high rate. But it’s the best reason why Kawhi should view Toronto as a viable long-term home. Also, any time he’s out for load management it sounds like he’s taking a night off from yanking it. That’s good fun for everyone. </p>
<p id="deSIlj">Jay, do you agree? </p>
<p id="a2WnTG"><strong>JR: </strong>Kawhi’s lived a charmed basketball life. He got to play for a Division I school without leaving his hometown. His coach, Steve Fisher, was an all-time great who once coached the Fab Five to consecutive NCAA Finals. Then, his first NBA team was the San An-freaking-tonio Spurs, where he learned the ropes from legends like <span>Gregg Popovich</span>, Tim Duncan, <span>Manu Ginobili</span>, and <span>Tony Parker</span>. When he wasn’t receiving the care he needed there, he found his way to a Raptors squad brimming with All-Star talent, excellent leadership, and a top-notch coaching and medical staff! Imagine spoiling all that by going to the <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a>. Anyway, enough beating around the bush. </p>
<p id="W1avhp">Since the trade, reality has definitely exceeded expectations. You couldn’t have scripted the Keeping Kawhi campaign any better than it’s played out thus far. What makes this decision so tough is that the finalists lean on each other. With Kawhi sitting out games, Pascal has been able to thrive. Alternatively, Siakam’s improvement has allowed the load management program to work. If the Raptors were 5-17 instead of 17-5 with Kawhi sitting, do you really think Raptors management would allow the program to continue? Getting/keeping Kawhi healthy was only going to pay off if the Raptors also found themselves in a favourable playoff position. They have done that, with a huge assist from Pascal. </p>
<p id="KKNrk3">Let’s remind ourselves of why this bracket started. If Kawhi decides to re-sign with the Raptors, what will people point to as the main reason? Phrased differently, which of these finalists are more likely to be remembered a couple years down the line? Load management’s become synonymous with Kawhi this year, but who’s to say how long it will last as he gets further removed from his injury. The maturation of Pascal can be viewed as a separate Raptors success story unto itself, independent from Kawhi’s decision entirely. Or it could be viewed years from now as the first step towards the Raps boasting the most terrifying 1-2 punch in the league. </p>
<p id="0xVL8m">Ultimately, Pascal’s growth feels like something unique, and load management can be replicated for any star around the league. Sean, can Siakam pull off the upset?</p>
<p id="9W92F5"><strong>SW: </strong>It seems only right that we rely on the people to make the final determination. For a final time, let’s go to the poll. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">the final of the Ka-Why He’s Staying Bracket goes tomorrow, and we need your help deciding who wins! The matchup: <br><br>(6) Pascal Siakam is Really Good Now vs (2) Load Management<br><br>Pick the more compelling reason why he’s staying, please and thank you</p>— Sean Woodley (@WoodleySean) <a href="https://twitter.com/WoodleySean/status/1113950205135720448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2019</a>
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<p id="CoURbV">Well hot damn. We have ourselves an upset, and a champion. Let me state for the record that I think this is wrong, but I am powerless against the will of Jay and The People to overturn it. </p>
<p id="OA4Mpj"><em>“Pascal Siakam is Really Good Now” wins the Ka-Why He’s Staying Tournament. </em></p>
<p id="FaSTiK">Come back next March as Pascal defends his title in the Anthony Stay-vis Bracket. </p>
https://www.raptorshq.com/2019/4/5/18296139/toronto-raptors-kawhi-leonard-staying-bracket-march-madnessSean WoodleyJay Rosales2019-04-03T11:00:00-04:002019-04-03T11:00:00-04:00Ka-Why Leonard is Staying in Toronto: The Final Four
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<img alt="NBA: Portland Trail Blazers at Toronto Raptors" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SKafz6QwRZ1yyhy60f3aIQ_rSos=/0x0:3303x2202/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63343319/usa_today_12265456.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>We’re down the the four most compelling bits of proof that Kawhi will be a Raptor beyond this summer. Sean Woodley and Jay Rosales are back to usher us into the Finals. </p> <p id="XVpDHC">WE’RE HERE! </p>
<p id="ovnwgI">After starting with 32 nuggets of tantalizing He Stay proof, the field has been whittled down to just four non-pretenders. Upsets dominated the early rounds. The Lingering Hand still can’t believe it’s not competing in Week 3 of the tournament. <span>Serge Ibaka</span> has surely doused himself in some wild and wacky comfort food in the days since his tough quarterfinal loss to Load Management. A real ass person losing to a health philosophy — only here in the Ka-Why Leonard is Staying Bracket can you get that kind of nonsensical bullshit. </p>
<p id="E7TkWT">Remaining in the field are still a pair of one-seeds, though both are Vegas underdogs coming into today’s action based on the form each of the four finalists have shown to this point in the tournament. Can the malleable feelings of Sean Woodley and Jay Rosales, or the mighty twitter polls sway the outcomes away from chalk? The only way to find out is to scroll down. Let’s do it. </p>
<p id="9RzlAS"> </p>
<h2 id="a3SBVi">SEMI FINAL #1</h2>
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<strong>(1) Celebrating Pascal’s Winner vs. (6) </strong><span><strong>Pascal Siakam</strong></span><strong> is Really Good Now</strong>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Inject this into my veins <a href="https://t.co/5vLwWul9Jb">pic.twitter.com/5vLwWul9Jb</a></p>— ً (@RapsNationBruh) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapsNationBruh/status/1086098504810778624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2019</a>
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<p id="J6ZQzf"><strong>SW: </strong>This <a href="https://www.raptorshq.com/">Raptors</a> season has been largely about Kawhi, it’s true. But it has almost equally been defined by Pascal Siakam’s ascension into the league’s, oh I dunno, top-25? That <em>feels </em>hyperbolic, considering just a year ago Pascal was a fun and fast bench piece whose usefulness in the playoffs was a little hit or miss. Two years ago he was winning G-League Finals MVP while the Raptors were actually playing real playoff games. Now he’s probably about to be ranked higher on the next SI Top 100 list than <span>DeMar DeRozan</span> ever was. It’s absolutely fucking preposterous. </p>
<p id="FadpJV">But it’s also probably accurate! <span>Tracy McGrady</span> and <span>Richard Jefferson</span> can undersell Siakam’s growth all they want, but the leap has been profound. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Is Pascal Siakam improving or just getting more of an opportunity. I don’t know. Impossible to say. Can’t prove anything. <a href="https://t.co/9utClh7jlu">pic.twitter.com/9utClh7jlu</a></p>— (((Eric Koreen))) (@ekoreen) <a href="https://twitter.com/ekoreen/status/1111656398192951297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2019</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">According to <a href="https://twitter.com/knarsu3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@knarsu3</a>'s defensive positions tool, only two players in the NBA this year have guarded every position >10% of the time and posted a D-PIPM > 1.0.<br><br>Draymond Green and Pascal Siakam.</p>— Anthony Doyle (@Anthonysmdoyle) <a href="https://twitter.com/Anthonysmdoyle/status/1113126109120512001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2019</a>
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<p id="UunOrM">Kawhi’s celebration of Pascal’s winner was a true delight. But it doesn’t happen if Siakam doesn’t make himself a worthy option to throw the ball to on an ISO to close a game. And I’m certain it’s not the only of Siakam’s exploits to receive rave reviews from the team’s best player. Ditching Siakam to go play with <span>Danilo Gallinari</span>’s aging ass feels almost negligent if you’re Kawhi and his camp — especially without seeing Siakam’s development through to the end. This one is really easy for me, Jay. We’ve got a sixth-seed in the final — if you agree, of course. </p>
<p id="TYmLyC"><strong>JR: </strong>Did you know that when you google “Kawhi smiling” or “Kawhi smile” or even “Kawhi celebrating”, you’re still getting a heavier dose of <a href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">Spurs</a> Kawhi, as opposed to Raptors Kawhi? While San Antonio did get a seven-year head start, the consensus has been that he never showed as much emotion as he’s showing with the Raptors. Google doesn’t seem to agree. Typical American bias, surely. </p>
<p id="ea4WF8">At this point, he’s shown so much emotion throughout the season that I’m almost, dare I say ... getting used to it? Celebrating Pascal’s game-winner was an amazing Kawhi-Is-Staying highlight, but it’s candidacy to advance has run into a juggernaut.</p>
<p id="qCNBEs">Siakam currently has a VORP of 3.3. In Kawhi’s seven seasons with the Spurs, here’s the list of teammates who posted a VORP higher than 3.3: Tim Duncan in 2014-15 (4.2), and <span>Danny Green</span> the same year (4.1). That’s the entire list! We’ve already mentioned why Kawhi may not find as a good a teammate on the <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a> as Spicy P. What is more shocking is that he’s only played alongside someone with Siakam’s value <em>twice</em> in his career!</p>
<p id="Ltenwu">I’m with you on this one, Sean. Siakam being really effing good is Finals-worthy.</p>
<p id="zvEjjG"><strong>SW: </strong>Because we love the people, we put it to the poll anyway. And because the people are smart, they have firmly backed up our pick. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kawhi is Staying Bracket Semi #1 — (1) Celebrating Siakam’s Winner vs the Suns vs (6) Pascal Siakam is Really Good Now <br><br>pick the more convincing piece of evidence.</p>— Sean Woodley (@WoodleySean) <a href="https://twitter.com/WoodleySean/status/1113087115150143488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2019</a>
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<p id="8SZOx9"><em>“Pascal Siakam is Really Good Now” advances. </em></p>
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<h2 id="s2sQaD">SEMI FINAL #2</h2>
<h3 id="j0e4EJ"><strong>(1) Tim Bontemps Podcast Clip vs. (2) Load Management </strong></h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"> your weekly "kawhi is really happy" update <a href="https://t.co/D9JxdwON1q">pic.twitter.com/D9JxdwON1q</a></p>— William Lou (@william_lou) <a href="https://twitter.com/william_lou/status/1106354849875193858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2019</a>
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<p id="7stMvM"><strong>JR: </strong>Imagine for a second that Kawhi has committed to re-signing with the Raptors. It’s not important when the decision was made nor why. Let’s presume only Masai Ujiri, Bobby Webster, and Kawhi’s agent, Mitch Frankel, are aware. </p>
<p id="KOhCgC">What’s the motivation to keep it a secret? If Kawhi just came out and said he’s re-signing, wouldn’t that be such a huge monkey off the team’s collective back that it propels the Raptors to their first <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-finals">NBA Finals</a> appearance? </p>
<p id="QCxQHO">Or maybe, just maybe, the four of them have concluded that Kawhi’s non-commitment is what drives the team to “leave it all on the floor.” The prospect that this might be Toronto’s only season with Kawhi has given each player that extra little incentive to maximize their individual talents. Stay with me here. If the notoriously tight-lipped Masai and Bobby agree with both sides of the coin — that informing the team could have positive and negative effects on the players — then how do you appease everyone? You leak to a credible source that he’s happy! Not to Shams or Woj, whose respective reputations would turn the info into a media storm, but to Tim Bontemps, who is highly regarded in his own right, and would surely spread the word. Dropping little news bits like this satiates hungry Raptor fans, while maintaining the trust established between Kawhi and management.</p>
<p id="27d07L">If you believe this conspiracy theory, welcome to my rabbit hole! It’s a lonely and desolate place. If, however, all your marbles are accounted for, then Load Management is the safe choice. Give me grainy podcast audio for a spot in the Finals!</p>
<p id="GxegrM">What say ye, Sean?</p>
<p id="pcUeUw"><strong>SW: </strong>I clearly need to smoke more weed. </p>
<p id="m5XerC">I ... think I know where you’re going here? I think. Basically what you’re suggesting here is that the evidence to support the assertion that He’s Staying is so overwhelming, so voluminous, that it simply must be that he has already committed to staying, at least to someone behind the scenes. I can almost get on board with that. This entire bracket has been eye-opening. A lot of really encouraging shit has happened this year! Maybe his return <em>is </em>already written in stone. </p>
<p id="w6rnMW">It’s on the second part where you lose me a bit. The theory that the front office is reticent to share the glorious news of Kawhi’s plans to stick around holds water if you believe the uncertainty about Kawhi’s future is the sole reason why the Raptors might want to go out and try to do the damn thing this year in the playoffs. I just don’t think that’s true. This team has motivating factors out the wazoo — <span>Kyle Lowry</span> teetering into his post-prime, the desire to beat <span>Brad Stevens</span> and his stupid face, <span>Nick Nurse</span>’s quest for validation in year one, all those damn past playoff torments, and a LeBron-free road to the Finals, just to name a handful. If anything, the specter of Leonard’s departure only serves to increase the pressure hanging over every single Raptors playoff game. If the team believes internally that it’s Finals or bust on the keeping Kawhi front, then it seems far more likely that the lads would feel the urge to press the issue any time something goes awry. I love <span>Serge Ibaka</span>, but I don’t need him going into save-the-season mode in round two against Philly. </p>
<p id="ArJNiZ">If Kawhi were already truly committed to sticking around, Masai and Bobby wouldn’t be the only ones privy to the news for long. They would have to tell the team, if not the media. Doing so would unshackle the team, freeing every last man to play as themselves instead of trying to be what they think Kawhi would want them to be. It would erase the prying questions from dolt reporters with nothing better to ask of Leonard up at the post-game playoff podium. </p>
<p id="5BewGv">The Raptors <em>and </em>Leonard would approach playoff ball unburdened and unafraid, which in turn would make them unstoppable ... at least until the dumb <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Warriors</a> beat them in five. </p>
<p id="0uPFaO">So no, I do not yet believe Leonard has committed to the Raptors. But if he’s gonna, the fingerprints of the Raptors medical staff are going to be all over that shiny new contract. This has to have been the dream outcome for Leonard in the 2018-19 season. Playing in 56 games, at a level at or close-to his 2016-17 borderline MVP form in pretty much all of those games, while the team hums along at a 60-something win pace when he does need a breather, all with a group of doctors and staff who take his health concerns seriously? It’s been just about perfect, man. Very few teams, if any, could have offered that kind of environment to Leonard. Either he’d be too critical to the success of Team X to allow him to rest for a third of the schedule, or he’d be given the leeway to take things at his own pace and be stuck with a rockier, lower-seeded path through the playoffs. Toronto offered Leonard balance, and perhaps a little preferential treatment, about which I am not complaining at all. </p>
<p id="IaQ8Oh">Bontemps’ quote on the podcast doesn’t exactly mention the L-word and the M-word, but it hits on everything orbiting around them. Timmy Goodtimes doesn’t get the chance to share his observations without Load Management bringing them to life. </p>
<p id="CQNvks">We’re at an impasse. So the poll will decide which kernel of proof moves on to Friday’s final. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kawhi is Staying Bracket Semi #2 — (1) Tim Bontemps talking about how happy Kawhi is vs (2) Load Management</p>— Sean Woodley (@WoodleySean) <a href="https://twitter.com/WoodleySean/status/1113088052069588993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2019</a>
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<p id="6JsKiK"><em>“Load Management” advances </em></p>
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<p id="gXCO6t">We’re all set for Friday’s final — (6) Pascal Siakam is Really Good Now vs. (2) Load Management. The titanic battle we all deserve. Stay tuned. </p>
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https://www.raptorshq.com/2019/4/3/18292760/toronto-raptors-kawhi-leonard-staying-bracket-final-fourSean WoodleyJay Rosales2019-03-29T12:00:00-04:002019-03-29T12:00:00-04:00The Ka-Why is Staying in Toronto Bracket: We’re down to Eight
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<img alt="NBA: Los Angeles Lakers at Toronto Raptors" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BwsFUfvkJsYgdTuzj3Uo6dEfCpc=/0x0:2653x1769/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63319601/usa_today_12348174.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>After another week of intense analysis and review, Sean and Jay have gone through another round of the Ka-Why is Staying is Toronto bracket to determine the Elite Eight.</p> <p id="n3H97y">We’ve reached the quarterfinals! </p>
<p id="TChU2F">Some wild and unpredictable action has carried us to this point. Favourites have fallen, many Cinderellae have shone at the ball. Three one-seeds, a two, three sixes (!!) and an upstart eighth-seed have survived the first two rounds of the tournament. There are no pretenders left here. The lone 1-2 regional final match-up pits the two pre-tourney favourites against one another. <span>Pascal Siakam</span> is heavily featured in a pair of the remaining entries. Some nuggets of truth are going to go home earlier than they deserve. It’s a tournament loaded with talent, man. The mountain of evidence portending Kawhi’s decision to stay is robust enough that every bit of proof was guaranteed a hard road to the finals — what was the committee to do?</p>
<p id="zm4YEw">Sean Woodley and Jay Rosales are here to narrow it down the four most convincing pieces of He Stay evidence. Here we go. </p>
<h2 id="KIzl3y"><strong>CANDID CAMERA REGION</strong></h2>
<h3 id="GnNKY0"><strong>(1) Celebrating Pascal’s Winner vs. Phoenix vs. (6) Applauding Boucher’s Chasedown </strong></h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Inject this into my veins <a href="https://t.co/5vLwWul9Jb">pic.twitter.com/5vLwWul9Jb</a></p>— ً (@RapsNationBruh) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapsNationBruh/status/1086098504810778624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2019</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kawhi was on his feet after this chase down block by Chris Boucher. <a href="https://t.co/Vvr5BdKSh4">pic.twitter.com/Vvr5BdKSh4</a></p>— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1104220756727148544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2019</a>
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<p id="ArSrLY"><strong>JR: </strong>We’re down to the nitty gritty. The best of the Candid Camera region both involve Kawhi sitting on the bench. They both involve a highlight that you’ll see on TSN’s Top 10 <a href="https://www.raptorshq.com/">Raptors</a> regular season moments. Most importantly, they involve Kawhi initiating the smile program in his… okay, I’m sorry, this has to stop. </p>
<p id="UMHihm">I think the “Kawhi is a robot” thing can be put to bed already. He’s shown a range of emotions throughout the season and his teammates have constantly backed up his own assertion of being a fun guy. I don’t know what <span>Gregg Popovich</span> was doing in San Antonio but it’s clear that Kawhi is emoting more than ever before. Maybe it’s the culture that management has built. Maybe it’s the teammates that invite Kawhi’s joyful side out to play. Maybe it’s a combination of everything we’ve written about throughout this bracket. Whatever the reason, Kawhi is obviously a great teammate who genuinely likes it in Toronto and ain’t afraid to emote about it. Full stop. Alright, back to the match-up.</p>
<p id="7BTHSz">With so many similarities between the two highlights, I need a Tale of the Tape to help decide.</p>
<p id="gKOolz">Which highlight made Kawhi happier? Pascal, easily. Kawhi’s celebration for Boucher looked like a golfer clapping for his partner who just won the tournament, “I’m proud of you, but I’ve done that before.” For Pascal, Kawhi was definitely thinking, “Gee golly, I can’t believe you scored that. I don’t know what to do with all this joy!”</p>
<p id="CcdHGT">Which highlight gives you greater hope that Kawhi’s staying? Boucher, by a margin slimmer than his arms. Celebrating the 15th roster spot is as positive a sign as you could hope for as a Raptors fan.</p>
<p id="tn1Z2p">It’s a tie, so here’s my tiebreaker. Which highlight do you think he’d remember, if Kawhi was asked to list his favourite moments of the season? I’m going with Pascal as my final choice. But if Kawhi was really asked this question and he answered Boucher, then he’s DEFINITELY staying! That sounds confusing, but I’m sticking with Pascal as the winner.</p>
<p id="meFTiQ"><strong>SW: </strong>First off, let me go on the record and say I think it’s a freaking joke that The Lingering Hand got dispatched by the reader poll in the last round. I respect the sanctity of the poll enough to adhere to its decision, but man I hate it — and this is as a Lingering Hand skeptic back in round one. Anyway, I’m not mad you’re mad.</p>
<p id="Uq1Ggg">As far as the match-up we’re stuck with goes, I’m torn. We’ve gotta dig down into these smiles and compare the two. </p>
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<p id="CkakNn">Upon first glance, the Siakam reaction produces the more excited and exuberant of the two grins. Seems like a walk in its favour, right? </p>
<p id="fBvCWc">NO! </p>
<p id="EAjX1M">Think of the contexts from which both of these smiles were spawned. Photo 1 comes from the direct aftermath of a game-winning Siakam bucket. <em>Of course</em> Kawhi is stoked. He projects himself as a guy gives few shits about anything outside of basketball success. His glee here was a foregone conclusion. It’s predictable, even a little dull! </p>
<p id="KivnFN">Photo 2, however… this tells me so much more. That game in New Orleans was a joke; it ended in the second quarter. Kawhi had no obligation to still be engaged in the on-court action after he sat down for the final time at the end of the third. Yet he was. </p>
<p id="60qk7m">The smile on his face in Photo 2 is less emphatic. A skeptic might call it coy, or suggest that he’s just fulfilling his obligations as a teammate. But take a closer look. That is a smile borne out of comfort. It may be the most content <span>Leonard</span> has ever looked. There’s even an element of pride present as he marvels at Boucher’s block. “Yeah… that’s my fucking teammate,” he said, probably. </p>
<p id="wHwEuG">Also consider when this game took place on the calendar. Toronto blitzed New Orleans on March 8th, almost a full month after the <span>Marc Gasol</span> deal. In that game, the Raptors rolled out the starting lineup, featuring <span>Gasol</span>, and it crushed. All but one of the starters posted a plus/minus higher than 10; <span>Gasol</span> was a +6 himself. Reading the contours of his face, you can see Kawhi’s realization of the opportunity these Raptors present him setting in. This is a comfortable man, with a comfortable smile. There’s no need to sensationalize his happiness with gregarious yells or an agape mouth. Kawhi’s rocking the face of a man wrapped in a heated blanket on a Sunday afternoon. I know this because I have made that face under those circumstances before. Those are some of my happiest moments. He is staying.</p>
<p id="0CCO2r">Alas, Jay has the wrong opinion on this matter, so we have but one place to go. TO THE POLL! </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">more heartwarming Kawhi celebration -- reaction to Siakam's winner vs. Phoenix, or his reaction to Chris Boucher's garbage time chase down block vs. the Pels.</p>— Sean Woodley (@WoodleySean) <a href="https://twitter.com/WoodleySean/status/1111429946549796864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2019</a>
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<p id="aePZH1">Awh, shit. </p>
<p id="W2DAmw"><em>“Celebrating Pascal’s Game Winner” advances. </em></p>
<h2 id="EZKNiU"><strong>EXTERNAL FACTORS REGION</strong></h2>
<h3 id="kjL6zj">
<strong>(8) “Snow is nice to look at.” vs. (6) </strong><span><strong>Pascal Siakam</strong></span><strong> is Really Good Now</strong>
</h3>
<p id="KT8nRb"><strong>SW: </strong>Kawhi’s possible affinity for a frolic in a freshly powdered field has had a fantastic run through the tournament. Its two tournament victories are a middle finger to all the rubes whose first and only take on Toronto is “brrr, cold.” Half the damn league is located in cold weather cities. <span>Kevin Durant</span> is by all accounts ready to ditch California for New York, where there is both snow and a bad basketball team. Is it SO crazy to think Kawhi might be a fan of the cold? Or at the very least willing to stomach a few months of it in the interest of playing for a good ass team? Obviously we don’t think so here, because we’ve advanced this eight-seed all the way to the quarters. </p>
<p id="VGdruA">That said, Pascal’s talent supersedes Mother Nature entirely. If he’s not in the league’s star tier yet, he’s damned close. Every time he ISOs and spins on a poor fool, or knocks down a corner three, or swallows up an entire opposing team for a quarter as he did in the fourth on Sunday against Charlotte, he paints another piece of a picture — one of a perfect complimentary star to play next to Kawhi. It is unbelievable that Siakam’s development was only given a sixth-seed in this tournament. The idiot who made the bracket should probably quit writing. </p>
<p id="ubyXjW">Jay, where you leaning here? </p>
<p id="gUx9dP"><strong>JR:</strong> I agree. Who is Kawhi playing next to in L.A? <span>Jimmy Butler</span>, who will surely end his streak as a toxic teammate? <span>Kevin Durant</span>, who definitely won’t have any problems dealing with the Los Angeles media? <span>Kyrie Irving</span>, who is a stellar leader that will never throw his teammates under the bus? Meanwhile, Toronto has, not one, but two teammates who are All-Star calibre AND stand-up guys. Lowry may be on the wrong end of 30 but Siakam is the real selling point.</p>
<p id="r3GntU">It’s ironic that these two are matched up. “Snow is nice to look at” is essentially the ‘most improved’ factor in Kawhi’s recruitment. From day one, all news outlets wondered about how Kawhi would adjust to living in Canada. All season long, Kawhi answered every single “is it cold” question as best as any Raptors fan would hope. It all culminated with his statement on snow’s beauty on All-Star weekend. Unfortunately, it’s going up against the ‘most improved’ that matters most.</p>
<p id="jacmnb">You’ve nailed all the Siakam points perfectly, Sean. Spicy P moves on to the Fab... no. Fantastic... no. Final? Damn, they’re all taken. Wait — Fanatical Four!</p>
<p id="PQqaf2"><em>“Pascal Siakam is really now” advances</em> </p>
<h2 id="F74tTg"><strong>ENCOURAGING QUOTES REGION</strong></h2>
<h3 id="JlAicH"><strong>(1) Tim Bontemps Podcast Clip vs. (6) Masai’s Media Day Speech </strong></h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"> your weekly "kawhi is really happy" update <a href="https://t.co/D9JxdwON1q">pic.twitter.com/D9JxdwON1q</a></p>— William Lou (@william_lou) <a href="https://twitter.com/william_lou/status/1106354849875193858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2019</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Masai Ujiri - "The narrative of not wanting to come to this city is gone. I think that's old and we should move past that. Believe in this city. Believe in yourselves." <a href="https://t.co/ZaTzXxbLqx">pic.twitter.com/ZaTzXxbLqx</a></p>— TSN (@TSN_Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/1044238889895030786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2018</a>
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<p id="ZzKEjp"><strong>JR: </strong>I’ve made the mistake of picking against Masai before, and I’m going to do it again. While Masai’s speech is easily the most dramatic quote of the season, I believe it laid the foundation from which most other Kawhi-Is-Staying news bits were built on. His rallying cry was aimed at changing the mindset of an entire fan base, while also calling out any NBA player that doubted the prospects of playing north of the border. It was also not-so-quietly pointed at the superstar seated to his right, as if to say, “You may not see it now, but you’re going to want to stay.”</p>
<p id="BohHOX">Despite all that goodness, I’m going with the one-seed. The purpose of this bracket is to eventually point to one news bit and say, “THAT is why Kawhi is staying.” Outside of Kawhi actually saying, “I’m staying,” aren’t Bontemps’ words the closest we’ve heard that Kawhi re-signing isn’t just a pipe dream (at least before Josh Lewenberg’s <a href="https://www.tsn.ca/raptors-increasingly-confident-they-can-keep-kawhi-1.1279582">latest inject-this-in-my-veins report</a>)? Tell me my convoluted reasoning makes sense, Sean. The Tim Bontemps Podcast Clip wins, right? RIGHT?!?!?</p>
<p id="jvmSnA"><strong>SW: </strong>This is a showdown between the two sound clips from this year that most felt like adrenaline shots to the heart when I heard them. Sitting in the gallery for Masai’s speech, it took every ounce of energy I had to not start flipping tables and running through walls in the ACC concourse. Bontemps made me put my vacation in the mountains on pause, just so I could re-listen and over-analyze every single syllable. </p>
<p id="fXUSgt">I’m siding with the sound bite that actually references <span>Leonard</span> and delves into his feelings. Masai’s speech was rousing, but was ultimately directed towards paranoid fans and bum ass reporters with nothing better to ask about than a history of star departures from which the Raptors are almost a decade removed. Bontemps was relaying his notes from directly talking with and observing Kawhi. I’m going Bontemps here. He’s on to the Final Four. </p>
<p id="HbF5dH"><em>“Tim Bontemps Podcast Clip” advances </em> </p>
<h2 id="53eVOp"><strong>MISCELLANEOUS NUGGETS REGION</strong></h2>
<h3 id="zvEjjG">
<strong>(1) </strong><span><strong>Serge Ibaka</strong></span><strong>’s Existence vs. (2) Load Management </strong>
</h3>
<p id="ABHdhg"><strong>SW: </strong>We’re here. The showdown for the ages. Many people have been saying this quarter-final match-up is the <em>real </em>final of the tournament. You’re hearing it more and more. While that’s probably unfair to Pascal, there is no getting around the fact that a quarterfinal exit for one of these contenders is going to lead to some serious questions in the off-season. </p>
<p id="FSV570"><span>Serge Ibaka</span> is the people’s choice here. Load management, for some dumb ass reason, has carried a negative connotation from jump street. Ibaka on the other hand is unadulterated fun; he’s been photographed with his arm around Kawhi on more than one occasion, he got him on the cooking show and churned out a playful teaser centered around Leonard’s looming free agency to boot; he melts Kawhi’s icy innards through song. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">the key to keeping kawhi in toronto is officially serge ibaka: <a href="https://t.co/0IBD66ZUoe">pic.twitter.com/0IBD66ZUoe</a></p>— Yahoo Sports Canada (@YahooCASports) <a href="https://twitter.com/YahooCASports/status/1096602528035360768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2019</a>
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<p id="QBGi44">Look at the way Kawhi lights up just at the mere mention of the Raptors’ dual-threat chef and songstress. My heart wants to go with Serge here. Everything about this unlikely friendship delights me. </p>
<p id="XAA95g">Having said all of that… it’s Load Management, man. It’s the soulless pick, I know. It doesn’t sing or cook up delicious looking shanks of cow heart. It actively takes <span>Kawhi Leonard</span> out of games and thus leaves us unable to watch him do incredible basketball things once every three or four games. But it’s also the right pick; same as it’s been the right call by the Raps to exercise extreme caution in their handling of the guy they hope to convince to stick around well into the 2020s. Load management is the thing that has inspired some of the most encouraging words Kawhi’s spilled from his lips this season; it’s what has gotten him to say words like “trust” and “amazing” over the last few weeks. It’s got the kind of long-game implications that Ibaka and his amusing quirks simply do not have. Choosing Load Management over <span>Serge Ibaka</span> is shrewd and ghoulish. It’s the equivalent of choosing an expiring Kawhi over a dedicated DeMar DeRozan. Eight months later I don’t think any sane person is questioning that call. </p>
<p id="LSoseS">Are you with me on this one, Jay? </p>
<p id="eExMOi"><strong>JR: </strong>Damnit, Sean. I was really hoping you’d go with Serge because I’m going with Load Management too and kinda sorta wanted to see what the people would choose. But I guess if there are any gripes, make your own bracket!</p>
<p id="FQB8Or">While we both have been collecting Kawhi-Is-Staying news all season long, Serge’s trailer was a turning point. It will be the first time Kawhi participates in either of his teammates’ popular shows — the Inside the Green Room podcast being the other. We half-jokingly hope that Kawhi will announce his intentions to re-sign during the show, but even with that, his appearance will be a landmark moment in the Kawhi recruitment process and, quite honestly, the reason this bracket was created!</p>
<p id="SDy29j">Sean’s done an amazing job of pointing out all the reasons why Serge’s overall #1 ranking is much more than just Kawhi appearing on How Hungry Are You. However, load management has produced a season-long collection of Kawhi-Is-Staying statements.</p>
<p id="H7D2eA">Every time he sat due to load management, the Raptors were scoring hypothetical points with Kawhi. When he joined the team, Leonard expressed how important it was to have a long career, and <span>Alex McKechnie</span> has basically pitched a perfect game. </p>
<p id="81ongs">Sorry Serge, but your run ends here.</p>
<p id="Nb88aX"><em>“Load Management” advances.</em></p>
<p id="MrNTUA">So, the Final Four is set. A dual Pascal match-up between the time Kawhi got real pumped by a game-winning Siakam bucket squares off against Siakam’s general emergence into a two-way monster on one half of the bracket; Tim Bontemps’ glowing words about Leonard’s glowing aura against Load Management on the other. Check back next week as the Ka-Why Leonard is Staying Bracket reaches its dramatic conclusion! </p>
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https://www.raptorshq.com/2019/3/29/18286468/toronto-raptors-kawhi-leonard-hes-staying-bracketSean WoodleyJay Rosales2019-03-27T10:31:27-04:002019-03-27T10:31:27-04:00The Ka-Why Leonard is Staying Bracket: Time for the Sweet 16
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<img alt="NBA: Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZO7Eh0rfx5Haiy22L5ihNHC6H6w=/0x0:4280x2853/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63308576/usa_today_12329624.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>David Richard-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Sixteen pieces of infallible proof of Kawhi’s intentions to stay remain. Today Sean Woodley and Jay Rosales narrow it down to eight. </p> <p id="cEpNaf">Since we first released the this here content last week, the He Stay momentum has only gathered. National media, fans, the team itself — all seem a little more optimistic about Kawhi’s future plans these day. Are we responsible for speaking all these good vibes into existence? Probably. And you’re welcome. </p>
<p id="BE4vXV">The 16 remaining bits of evidence that Kawhi’s ready to lay down Canadian roots will be trimmed in half today. Sean Woodley and Jay Rosales, take it from here. </p>
<h2 id="NVY2Yx"><strong>CANDID CAMERA REGION</strong></h2>
<h3 id="vceMS5"><strong>(1) Celebrating Pascal’s Winner vs. Phoenix vs. (4) KLOE & KLAW: Best Buds </strong></h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Inject this into my veins <a href="https://t.co/5vLwWul9Jb">pic.twitter.com/5vLwWul9Jb</a></p>— ً (@RapsNationBruh) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapsNationBruh/status/1086098504810778624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2019</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">KYLE X KAWHI POST GAME BANTER <a href="https://t.co/FxRtQFY4Ak">pic.twitter.com/FxRtQFY4Ak</a></p>— William Lou (@william_lou) <a href="https://twitter.com/william_lou/status/1084616283243581441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2019</a>
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<p lang="und" dir="ltr"> <a href="https://t.co/2iNpFfKeV2">pic.twitter.com/2iNpFfKeV2</a></p>— William Lou (@william_lou) <a href="https://twitter.com/william_lou/status/1093913612270387200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2019</a>
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<p id="eABfeT"><strong>JR:</strong> Kawhi celebrating his teammate’s game-winning bucket would probably win this match-up if we polled every single Raptor fan. Kawhi cracking jokes with <span>Kyle Lowry</span> would probably win this match-up if we polled <a href="https://www.raptorshq.com/">Raptors</a> Twitter. To me, this boils down to whether you think Kawhi’s stay-worthiness™ is about enjoying the culture that’s built on the court (Pascal game-winner) or off it (Kyle = best bud). </p>
<p id="27hVD3">Sean, I’m going to contradict what I said on your <a href="http://traffic.megaphone.fm/LKN7452628476.mp3">podcast earlier this week</a> and go with Pascal. I know I was quite vocal about the KLx2 relationship being a favourite in this region, but there’s something to be said about how happy Kawhi was with Siakam’s buzzer-beater. Many teammates have lauded Kawhi’s behaviour off-camera, claiming he actually is a fun guy. The fact that some of those moments are caught on camera with Kyle shouldn’t really change that stance. </p>
<p id="8kgDVr">Re-watch the Pascal clip.</p>
<p id="8Q733P">That is unadulterated, unbridled, and prior to this season, unbelievable joy glistening off of Kawhi. He first congratulated Pascal then looked like he wanted to spread more love. Give me that Kawhi all day long (or at least for another round). What do you think, Sean?</p>
<p id="okZhhu"><strong>SW: </strong>I was pretty sure I was all in on the Kyle-Kawhi relationship in this showdown. But congratulations. You have moved me off my spot like you’re Kawhi and I’m Paul George. Kawhi’s shown glee on the sidelines a bunch this season, but you always remember the feeling the first time you experience something new. </p>
<p id="fqVZhl">Kyle and Kawhi getting along is fantastic! But both seem like guys who don’t necessarily need to be chummy with teammates in order to stay focused on winning games. I mean, think about how surly <span>Lowry</span> seemed early in the year in the wake of <span>DeMar DeRozan</span> getting shipped out, and how the Raps started 20-4 anyway. And not to bring too much gloom to the conversation, but <span>Lowry</span> is 33 and just over a year from the end of his contract. If Leonard is to sign on long-term, <span>Lowry</span> likely won’t be here for the majority of it. Leonard’s giddy responses to team success is probably more crucial than his friendship with Lowry. Though I will not object to the two engaging in more goofiness for the cameras. </p>
<p id="imgZIA"><em>“Celebrating Siakam’s Winner” advances </em></p>
<h3 id="bRpe6Y">
<strong>(2) The Lingering Hand vs. (6) Applauding </strong><span><strong>Boucher</strong></span><strong>’s chase down</strong>
</h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The lingering hand .......... he’s staying <a href="https://t.co/hpI1r7AnDg">pic.twitter.com/hpI1r7AnDg</a></p>— Noor (@nzainy9) <a href="https://twitter.com/nzainy9/status/1076647714178232320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2018</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kawhi was on his feet after this chase down block by Chris Boucher. <a href="https://t.co/Vvr5BdKSh4">pic.twitter.com/Vvr5BdKSh4</a></p>— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1104220756727148544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2019</a>
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<p id="9H6cTt"><strong>SW: </strong>I was a noted skeptic on the topic of the Lingering Hand last week; so much in fact that it only narrowly survived an upset via the mercy of the blind poll. But I’m not the type of person who’s so married to my opinions that I can’t be swayed by convincing evidence to the contrary. </p>
<p id="EY5AGm">In the week since we posted part one of the bracket, Brian Windhorst said something that’s made more of a believer out of me. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">it happened too late to make the bracket but Windy saying on his latest pod to not write in Kawhi to the Clips yet and “I think Kawhi is doin OK in Toronto... the situation with Kawhi right now is as good as the Raptors could have ever hoped,” woulda been no worse than a 2-seed.</p>— Sean Woodley (@WoodleySean) <a href="https://twitter.com/WoodleySean/status/1109081066453766146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2019</a>
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<p id="4YzDPQ">I’m sure Windhorst will be very okay with me quoting something he said on a podcast and putting it in a blog. He actually really likes when people do that. Go back and listen to the episode of The Hoop Collective from which this passage came. The contents of that little spiel are encouraging enough. What really got me, though, hesitation in his voice when cutting off Tim McMahon, who remains confident that the <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a> are the leaders for Kawhi this summer. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">i've listened to this like 100 times since thursday <a href="https://t.co/Dd2CpROvNQ">pic.twitter.com/Dd2CpROvNQ</a></p>— Sean Woodley (@WoodleySean) <a href="https://twitter.com/WoodleySean/status/1110894501982281728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2019</a>
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<p id="LozHDy">Windy knows shit, man. More importantly, he’s known for knowing shit and not really spilling the full can of beans until the last possible moment (see soup, chicken tortilla). Then when you consider Windy’s track record of being on the trail of stories well ahead of time (think <span>Jimmy Butler</span> vs. the Wolves), you’d be a damn fool to wave away that clip as mere off-the-cuff speculation. </p>
<p id="lHOr65">Maybe Kawhi <em>is </em>doing pretty OK in Toronto. Maybe he’s <em>so </em>OK with Toronto, in fact, that he feels compelled to place his hand upon or near the logo at any opportunity that presents itself. What if this captured footage of Kawhi’s hand grazing the wall adjacent to the logo is a regular occurrence, borne out of his adoration for the team that has treated him so darn well. </p>
<p id="smX3jE">I’m just as thrilled as everyone else that Kawhi got jazzed up when <span>Chris Boucher</span> proved himself once again to be the garbage time king of the Raptors. I’m even more pumped up by Windhorst’s vague allusions to his happiness with the franchise. I’m a Lingering Hand stan. What about you, Jay? </p>
<p id="sDzpWz"><strong>JR: </strong>I can’t gush over Kawhi’s joy for a Siakam buzzer-beater then NOT do the same after showing similar emotions towards <span>Boucher</span>. In fact, that’s probably even more noteworthy -- Kawhi cares about this entire team, not just a few individuals. When you look up and down this entire roster, is there a single person that’s unlikable (on or off the court)? Even the coaching staff is so damn likable. On top of all the many reasons discussed in the bracket, do you really think he’ll leave for L.A. and play with noted shit disturbers, <span>Jimmy Butler</span> or <span>Kevin Durant</span> or <span>Kyrie Irving</span>?</p>
<p id="AfkRLF">Sorry, Sean. I was going to follow that up with, “...and that’s still not good enough to top the lingering hand.” But I think I just jedi mind-tricked myself into picking the <span>Boucher</span> clip. I think we need a poll.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">ok, more compelling piece of evidence that he's staying -- the lingering hand on the logo , or the time he applauded Chris Boucher's garbage time chase down.</p>— Sean Woodley (@WoodleySean) <a href="https://twitter.com/WoodleySean/status/1110739974020845568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2019</a>
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<p id="HjcIdd"><strong>SW: </strong>Goddamn. Upset city. </p>
<p id="DXzZUP"><em>“Applauding </em><span><em>Boucher</em></span><em>’s Chase Down” advances </em></p>
<h2 id="9uaHzL"><strong>EXTERNAL FACTORS REGION</strong></h2>
<h3 id="4Pw6OQ"><strong>(8) “Snow is nice to look at.” vs. (5) Raptors hire Castleberry & Handy</strong></h3>
<p id="VAJ8gG"><strong>JR: </strong>Oh, this one’s juicy. Does the Cinderella run continue through to the Exceptional Eight? (Sorry, ‘Elite’ was taken) Or does her run end because she left her slipper at the Castle(berry)? Alright, I’ll just see myself out.</p>
<p id="RzYnY8">If Kawhi ultimately decides to sign elsewhere, all signs point to Los Angeles. The Clippers do not have a renowned medical staff. The Clippers do not have two all stars to pair with him (at least not now, and there are no guarantees they will). The Clippers do not play in the easier conference. What the Clippers do have over the Raptors is warm climate and a chance to play in his hometown. The weather doesn’t appear to be that bothersome to Kawhi, despite what others have made it out to be. Kawhi is aware of those reports and seems to be making an effort to point out how comfortable he is with the Canadian climate. Whether he’s wearing a thin jacket during a snowstorm or commenting on how nice the snow looks, I believe he’s knocked off “warm climate” as a Clipper advantage.</p>
<p id="QiqSJ2">The hiring of Castleberry and Handy were solid and definitely checked off several “Will Kawhi like it here” checklist items. However, if we’re going to applaud the team staff, I’d start with Alex McKechnie. Wait a second. Is the 8-seed really going to advance?</p>
<p id="XAb8HP"><strong>SW: </strong>As much as I don’t really subscribe to the climate being a major drawback to Toronto’s allure as a destination (half the league’s teams are in cold weather cities, and guys only spend like four months a year in town once you factor in travel), this winter really sucked, man. Snow <em>is </em>really nice to look at! But what’s more important after that garbage February we just had are Kawhi’s opinions on ice storms. No sane person likes ice storms. </p>
<p id="k4HWdh">Remember when All Star Weekend was here in 2016, and it was the coldest weekend since the original Toronto Huskies were a thing? There’s no way that didn’t stick with people whose lone sojourn to the city came on that weekend. First impressions are lasting, fair or not. Kawhi’s first winter spent in Canada was wretched and slippery and hellish, even for a self-proclaimed garage-to-garage winter survivor. Driving was ass this year — ass enough to give me a bit of pause. </p>
<p id="84JbAx">Hiring Castleberry and Handy after the Kawhi deal went down was another piece of the Raps’ holistic commitment to making their new superstar as comfortable as humanly possible in his new surroundings. Perhaps the warmth of friendly faces was enough to power him through the coldest, darkest days and months this winter had to offer. </p>
<p id="9Oc3kE">I’m going with the assistants, which means we return to the poll. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">another poll -- what gives you warmer fuzzies inside your tum-tum: Kawhi saying "snow is nice to look at" or the raps hiring Jeremy Castleberry & Phil Handy after the trade.</p>— Sean Woodley (@WoodleySean) <a href="https://twitter.com/WoodleySean/status/1110750948329172993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2019</a>
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<p id="VZIMcq"><em>“Snow is nice to look at” advances </em></p>
<h3 id="1jbr0d">
<strong>(2) The Raptors Play in the East vs. (6) </strong><span><strong>Pascal Siakam</strong></span><strong> is really good now </strong>
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<p id="Uuv8dD"><strong>SW: </strong>I dunno if anyone else has noticed, but <span>Pascal Siakam</span> is freaking amazing. He’s not-so-quietly taken a very real star turn over the month or so. His development has made thinking about a potential life without Kawhi in TO a kind of comforting exercise. The thought of pairing a Siakam who’s a year or two further along in the curve next to a Leonard who’s signed long-term? That’s terrifying for everyone <em>but</em> the Raptors. As is, the Clippers have no Siakams. They have max salary slots, yeah. One’s got Kawhi’s name on it if he wants it (lolol). And the other? The only thing more abundant than superstars on this summer’s open market will be teams trying to sign them; a lot of GMs are gonna get stuck offering $100 million to Khris Middleton. Toronto won’t have to gut their roster or overpay for their second guy — they’ve got him, cost-controlled no less! Kawhi could head to LA only to find himself another one of the league’s isolated stars. Siakam’s growth has given him a guaranteed alternative to that — to say nothing of the room the Raps will see open up in the summer of 2020 when Lowry, Ibaka and probably Gasol come off the books. </p>
<p id="npkner">I know the Eastern Conference is the league’s junior circuit. But Kawhi’s good enough to go out west and make a team an instant contender with the help of a pseudo star or two. He’s already won a title out West for crying out loud. It just so happens that the simplest star partnership for Leonard is in the lesser conference, on the team for which he currently plays. If the Clippers had Siakam, they might actually be a team to fear. Siakam’s run in this tournament might go as deep as he is embedded in my heart. What are you thinking here Jay? </p>
<p id="3vJADK"><strong>JR: </strong>Who am I to question someone’s heart? Before the season started, I remember telling many people that Kawhi would consider staying because he’s playing in the weaker conference. It wasn’t exactly the strongest reason and, with everything that’s happened since October, it’s not as strong a reason now. The top of the East is loaded all of a sudden. </p>
<p id="i6RveV">Siakam’s improvement this season can’t be understated. He’s only been playing basketball for eight years. In 2009, he was still on his way to becoming a Catholic Priest. Now he’s a soon-to-be Most Improved Player award winner, a future All-Star, and a legitimate two-way threat that playoff teams must game plan for. Also, the chemistry that Pascal and Kawhi have built over the season is stronger than any on-court Leonard teammate, other than <span>Danny Green</span>.</p>
<p id="VzdokV">Spicy P moves on in the bracket.</p>
<p id="ltO76a"><em>“Pascal Siakam is really good now” moves on</em></p>
<h2 id="YQBN0s"><strong>ENCOURAGING QUOTES REGION</strong></h2>
<h3 id="5bJ2Jv">
<strong>(1) Tim Bontemps Podcast Clip vs. (5) </strong><span><strong>Nick Nurse</strong></span><strong> vs. The Refs </strong>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"> your weekly "kawhi is really happy" update <a href="https://t.co/D9JxdwON1q">pic.twitter.com/D9JxdwON1q</a></p>— William Lou (@william_lou) <a href="https://twitter.com/william_lou/status/1106354849875193858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2019</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kawhi on Nurse having his back after Sunday's game: "It's great. He can see the game. We're playing it, we feel a certain way, we always think we're right on the floor. But when you've got your coach seeing the same thing you're feeling, it's great."</p>— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) <a href="https://twitter.com/JLew1050/status/1075092169684369408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2018</a>
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<p id="KSrBP1"><strong>JR:</strong> Two strong quotes going head-to-head. The Bontemps quote about Kawhi being really happy just screams, KAWHI IS STAYING. However, the quote about Nurse and “seeing the same thing you’re feeling” also screams, KAWHI IS STAYING, especially because it’s coming out of Kawhi’s mouth. </p>
<p id="d2msO8">I’m rolling with the Bontemps clip because it highlights an important aspect of the Kawhi-Is-Staying phenomena. Media <em>outside of Toronto</em> are starting to realize that Los Angeles is no longer a foregone conclusion to be Leonard’s home next season. Sure, it’s been a fun season-long gag calling out various cues about Kawhi’s affinity to Toronto. But, up until recently, it felt like homerism for Toronto fans to think he’s staying in the Six. When a reputable NBA reporter like Tim Bontemps starts noticing, it’s kind of a big deal. Wouldn’t you agree?</p>
<p id="OvJhOF"><strong>SW: </strong>Yeah, as I alluded to with the Windy clip earlier in the post, I think the national reporters catching wind of Kawhi’s contentment is a pretty big thing to make note of. Hard news always starts with whispers, and Bontemps’ talking about how psyched Kawhi seemed to be about life when he saw him was the first truly audible one from outside of Toronto. </p>
<p id="i5ZwqG">I’m not saying Nurse’s staunch, fine-earning defense of Leonard against the basketball cops isn’t a strong contender here. Coach-player bonds have some importance — just, maybe not to Leonard. If Gregg Popovich wasn’t enough to bridge the gap between the <a href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">Spurs</a> and Kawhi, then I’m not counting Nurse as one of the main draws of the Raptors as far as keeping Leonard around is concerned. Give me those juicy bits of speculation and scuttlebutt from folks in the know, baby. </p>
<p id="MiF4QB"><em>“Tim Bontemps Podcast Clip” advances </em></p>
<h3 id="ihGZbW"><strong>(2) “Toronto has great energy” vs. (6) Masai’s Media Day Speech </strong></h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">During his availability at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAAllStar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAAllStar</a> media day, Kawhi Leonard was asked about his thoughts on Toronto thus far ... <a href="https://t.co/Gy8wvh1QPC">pic.twitter.com/Gy8wvh1QPC</a></p>— Eric Smith (@Eric__Smith) <a href="https://twitter.com/Eric__Smith/status/1096829646459547648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2019</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Masai Ujiri - "The narrative of not wanting to come to this city is gone. I think that's old and we should move past that. Believe in this city. Believe in yourselves." <a href="https://t.co/ZaTzXxbLqx">pic.twitter.com/ZaTzXxbLqx</a></p>— TSN (@TSN_Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/1044238889895030786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2018</a>
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<p id="xqzrHx"><strong>SW: </strong>Can you imagine being the poor bastard across the table from Masai Ujiri in a negotiation? Saying no to him must be impossible, in no small part because of how freaking much he believes in what he is selling. </p>
<p id="W7oE0J">For years, Ujiri’s been reinforcing a promise — a guarantee that one day, some superstar around the league is going to realize how dope a city Toronto is in which to both live and play. His speech on Day 1 was the latest example of his trumpeting of Toronto’s quality, and probably the most emphatic. </p>
<p id="MfXvZp">Kawhi’s smart enough to have come to the realization that Toronto’s “energy” is truly something to behold on his own. But Masai’s felt that way about Toronto deep in his bones for years. It’s that conviction, that belief in what he’s pitching Kawhi’s way that compels me far more than Leonard’s early season statement of some frankly obvious facts about the very good city that likes basketball. Ujiri, like this new version of Siakam, is a recruiting tool on his own. And by my reckoning, he’s a damned impressive one. Masai’s speech moves on for me. Where do you stand, Jay? </p>
<p id="sEZEA8"><strong>JR: </strong>“The narrative of Kawhi not wanting to stay in this city is gone. I think that’s old and we should move past that. Believe in this city. Believe in yourselves. First of all, here in Toronto, we have to believe in ourselves, right? We should stop talking about Kawhi coming to this city or wanting to come to this city — that’s old talk. Kawhi wants to win. We have a privilege and an opportunity to be one of <em>the</em> NBA teams here. That’s a huge privilege for us. And it’s our jobs to try and bring these players. It’s our jobs to try and sell these players. But we’re proud of who we are. We’re proud of to have these guys. We’re proud to have the young players we have here. We’re proud of what Kyle and what everybody has done to help keep Kawhi here. So, let’s be proud and let’s move past that narrative of Kawhi wanting to stay here. HE. STAYING.”</p>
<p id="zsizhi">That’s the unofficial transcript of Masai’s speech which also doubles as my official vote. Masai moves on in the bracket.</p>
<p id="Ipbhpb"><em>“Masai’s Media Day Speech” advances </em></p>
<h2 id="NS7cjR"><strong>MISCELLANEOUS FACTS REGION</strong></h2>
<h3 id="Nu32kf">
<strong>(1) </strong><span><strong>Serge Ibaka</strong></span><strong>’s Existence vs. (4) Norm Powell & Kawhi’s Mom are Pals!</strong>
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<p id="PUPcPh"><strong>JR:</strong> What’s so great about Serge is that his web series, How Hungry Are You, has been timed perfectly all season long. The first episode with <span>Bismack Biyombo</span> was published the day before the Kawhi trade, so it kinda flew under the radar. It had a short life span of approximately 6 hours of Raptors Twitter gawking, perplexedly saying “he served what?!?!? cow tongue??” The Bench Mob episode really brought the series to a new level of entertainment and rewatchability. With various teammates and celebrities joining subsequent episodes, popularity for the series continued to grow. However, the underlying question in the backs of all Raptors fans minds was, “will Kawhi ever be on the show?”</p>
<p id="B0C3rI">After enduring a season of lamb brain, worms, and pig head, here’s hoping the season two finale is one to remember:</p>
<p id="17OSvs">[Wide shot, Serge’s dining room]</p>
<p id="5wOJyR">Serge walks out of the kitchen with a giant platter. As he approaches him, Kawhi lets out his famous nervous laugh. Serge lifts the cover and reveals Kawhi’s new contract. *scene*</p>
<p id="8Wb3cS">Sorry Norm. I appreciate what you’ve done but here’s where your run ends.</p>
<p id="w3Amrg"><strong>SW: </strong>Every favourite is better off getting a good challenge early in the tournament as opposed to going untested until the stakes are highest. That’s what <span>Serge Ibaka</span> is getting here. The Norm-Kim connection is clearly strong, as is the shared love for San Diego between Powell and Kawhi. </p>
<p id="BuJiLn">But Ibaka, man. He really does seem like the closest thing to a true pal Kawhi has found on Toronto’s roster. And it’s not just the many instances of Ibaka and Kawhi sharing a smile or a hug or an Instagram teaser video that has me convinced of Ibaka’s importance. It’s the times at which Ibaka has been the target of Leonard’s scorn after a miscue on the floor, and their ability to overcome them, still oozing adoration for one another, that have cemented my belief in Serge being the MVP on the Kawhi pursuit. It’s the kind of relationship of accountability the trash ass <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Celtics</a> wish their impending free agent star was capable of having with his teammates. Kyrie has telegraphed his decision to leave with endless public jabs against the media and Boston’s youths. His departure feels like a foregone conclusion. Leonard’s been chill with the media, and able leave in-game disagreements with the likes of Ibaka on the court where they should stay. Ibaka is critical to Toronto’s friendly team dynamic; indispensable, even. </p>
<p id="vdLvv7"><em>“</em><span><em>Serge Ibaka</em></span><em>’s Existence” advances</em> </p>
<h3 id="ncNqvk"><strong>(2) Load Management vs. (3) Raptors go all-in at the deadline</strong></h3>
<p id="mMahuT"><strong>SW: </strong>It’s such a shame bracket content has to, by internet law, drop in line with the start of the Exploitation Ball Tournament. Had we been given an extra week to get it rolling, we would have had like three new one seeds to throw into the bracket. </p>
<p id="R9vJSi">One of those would be this quote, given by Kawhi after Friday’s game against OKC. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kawhi on the importance of his relationship with the Raptors medical staff: "It's big. You've gotta be able to play for people you trust and them be able to see what you feel. And you just go from there and try to get better together."</p>— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) <a href="https://twitter.com/JLew1050/status/1109295392666148864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2019</a>
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<p id="MTUwwQ">If you’ve been one of the people getting wet-pantsed about Kawhi regularly sitting games this year, you should have to get that tweet tattooed on your thigh. </p>
<p id="MwxlcJ">That one word, trust — it’s the most important thing Leonard’s uttered since becoming a Raptor. Piecing together all the reporting of whatever the hell it was that happened last year in San Antonio, it’s seems trust was sorely lacking between Leonard and the Spurs. I’ve been nursing a theory all along that Kawhi always wanted away from the Spurs more than he wanted to be in LA. Maybe that’s just me rocking the rosiest coloured glasses, or maybe all Kawhi wanted was to feel heard by the medical staff tasked with keeping him healthy. </p>
<p id="YIDkeJ">If listening ears are what he’s after, reports suggest the Raptors are providing them. Load management is just the part of the Kawhi-doctor relationships we see on the court; it must be yielding positivity behind the scenes, too, <a href="https://www.tsn.ca/raptors-increasingly-confident-they-can-keep-kawhi-1.1279582">given the report Josh Lewenberg dropped on Monday</a>. Rest his ass all he wants, man. </p>
<p id="2ryOst">I’ve got load management moving on. It’s certainly not a bad thing that the Raps went all-in with the Gasol deal. But all the talent in the world wouldn’t matter if Toronto hadn’t gone all-in on Kawhi’s health as well. Whatcha thinking here, Jay? </p>
<p id="yxUZCf"><strong>JR: </strong>I agree. If we held out a bit longer, this bracket would have looked a lot different and with stronger high seeds. On the flip side, had we released this earlier, maybe some heavy hitters like Serge’s Existence and Tim Bontemps podcast don’t make it past a round or two. You’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t. </p>
<p id="toPIOu">The same can be said about the Raptors coaching staff and their Kawhi Leonard Load Management program. You’re criticized if you play him every game because health was one of Kawhi’s biggest concerns heading into the season. You’re criticized if he sits out 1 in every 4-5 games because you’ve spent your hard-earned dollars to see Kawhi play and damnit he’d better not sit for no reason. </p>
<p id="6zz6eo">Managing Kawhi’s workload was the ultimate 2-birds-with-1-stone approach. Appease the superstar who has had a jaded past with medical staffs, while also keeping him fresh for the playoffs. The fact that Toronto, despite losing bench depth, was able to reel off 15 wins in 20 games without Kawhi certainly helped.</p>
<p id="tFOJTM">Masai and Bobby working some deadline magic is absolutely a worthy foe, and certainly sends the right message to Kawhi that they’re willing to win now. But the risk of shipping away <span>Jonas Valanciunas</span>, <span>Delon Wright</span>, and CJ Miles (<span>DeMar DeRozan</span> and <span>Jakob Poeltl</span> qualify here too) for a one-year run at the title (hypothetically).....is still not as big of a risk as it would have been to take Leonard’s health concerns lightly. </p>
<p id="63pyBO"><em>“Load management” advances </em></p>
<p id="hzskH5">Here’s a look at the updated bracket: </p>
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<p id="8vKev8"><strong>Come back on Friday as we move into the quarter-finals!</strong></p>
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https://www.raptorshq.com/2019/3/27/18283426/toronto-raptors-kawhi-leonard-is-staying-march-madness-bracketSean WoodleyJay Rosales2019-03-22T09:15:00-04:002019-03-22T09:15:00-04:00The Ka-Why Leonard is Staying Bracket: Wrapping up the Round of 32
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<img alt="Toronto Raptors v San Antonio Spurs" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cx9v6LpneHGCmcj4xmQ1jyYe9fQ=/0x79:2102x1480/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63280987/1076918992.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>It’s day two of the most important bracket ever created in the name of content. Let’s watch as Sean Woodley and Jay Rosales sort out the second portion of the first round to decide why exactly Kawhi Leonard is staying in Toronto.</p> <p id="JkUeBX">We’re on to day two of the Ka-Why Leonard is Staying Tournament! Eight of our most cockle-warming bits of proof that Kawhi’s stay in Toronto will be extended beyond July have moved on to the Sweet 16. They’ll be joined by eight more today. </p>
<p id="m4FXoN">Some heavy hitters are in action today, including the number-one overall seed: everyone’s pal and master chef, Serge Ibaka. Will we see another 8-over-1 upset like we saw in the opening day of the tournament? Will Lawrence Frank ever recover from being snubbed by his white whale? Here’s hoping today’s action will at least produce some answers. Frank’s lingering existential dread is beyond our help. </p>
<h2 id="UPTTKg"><strong>ENCOURAGING QUOTES REGION</strong></h2>
<h3 id="xw0IyP"><strong>(1) Tim Bontemps’ Podcast Clip vs. (8) “Pretty sad” JV got traded</strong></h3>
<div id="3CAVv9">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kawhi said he was "pretty sad" JV was going.</p>— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlakeMurphyODC/status/1094269317007532032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2019</a>
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<p id="AwpC9U"><strong>SW: </strong>I am sick and goddamned tired of hearing about the <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a>, man. Jerry West is an old fraud, riding the wave of being the guy on the NBA’s logo — an honour he didn’t even earn! Bill Russell beat his ass like a dozen times in the Finals but couldn’t make it to the end of the logo interview process? Sure. </p>
<p id="aoCvvz">National media folks have been especially Clipper-happy whenever Kawhi’s future comes up. “Blah, blah, he’s likely to sign with the Clippers. They’ve built an amaaaaazing situation for him, how could he possibly say no to joining the illustrious Los Angeles Clippers,” the sources will say once every couple months. It’s exhausting. </p>
<p id="kwIFKV">So you can understand my excitement when I heard one of the plugged in national guys talk about how psyched Kawhi seemed to be about his situation and the team he’s currently playing for. I was on vacation in the Canadian Rockies when I caught wind of it and dropped everything to listen to the clip. Do you know how pretty the mountains are? How hard they are to stop looking at? I’m pretty sure a grizzly bear could be chowing down on my legs and I’d still be transfixed by those beautiful snow capped peaks. Word of Kawhi being, in Bontemps’ words, “happier than I’ve literally ever seen him,” though? Those mountains can go kick rocks. </p>
<div id="I4r7tQ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"> your weekly "kawhi is really happy" update <a href="https://t.co/D9JxdwON1q">pic.twitter.com/D9JxdwON1q</a></p>— William Lou (@william_lou) <a href="https://twitter.com/william_lou/status/1106354849875193858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2019</a>
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<p id="Dps5e1">Up against the most glee-rich piece of NBA media I’ve consumed this year is Kawhi’s sombre reaction to <span>Jonas Valanciunas</span> being shipped out in the <span>Marc Gasol</span> deal. Skeptics will say his “pretty sad” status after the deal might hurt the chances of him sticking around. To me, I see a man cultivating connections and laying down roots. Sometimes those roots get ripped out before a relationship blossoms. Someone leaving town in six months ain’t putting in the work to plant them in the first place. </p>
<p id="WesmZZ">As 1-8 match-ups go, this is a pretty good one, Jay. What are you thinking here? </p>
<p id="uCUftq"><strong>JR: </strong>Not to get all conspiracy theory-like, but why didn’t this clip/tweet go viral? Why does <span>Lawrence Frank</span> attending Raptor games make headlines while Kawhi’s happiness remains a footnote? Could it be that we’re getting so many Kawhi-is-staying worthy quotes, that this is just another one? Or does NBA media have tunnel vision and already hell-bent on putting Kawhi in a Clippers uniform?</p>
<p id="G7yOH2">To your point, Tim Bontemps is one of the best in the game at getting player news. If he says Kawhi’s really happy, then damnit the man is really happy! Notice how the happy quote came after the sad-JV-got-traded quote? Actually, that’s not fair. I agree with you that there’s a lot to like about Kawhi making connections in the short time he’s been here. But I choose positivity over negativity everyday!</p>
<p id="ql5o2C"><em>“Tim Bontemps Podcast Clip” advances</em></p>
<h3 id="NKMNkq"><strong>(4) Nurse quote about first meeting vs. (5) Quote about Nurse after he called out refs</strong></h3>
<p id="MPjyjV"><strong>JR: </strong>“First impressions are the most lasting.” — Proverbs.</p>
<p id="S0ROTc">More like Pro-Nurse, amirite? Not long after the “first photo”, Raptor fans had to play the waiting game again with Kawhi. This first meeting between new head coach and new superstar — not to be overly dramatic — had EPIC IMPLICATIONS towards how this season could go. With rumblings about this being a one-year layover before jetting off to Hollywood, the <a href="https://www.raptorshq.com/">Raptors</a> have basically been asked to pitch a perfect game - from training camp all the way to June. <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/raptors-coach-nick-nurse-great-first-meeting-kawhi-leonard/">The fact that Nurse and Kawhi connected immediately was an early win for the franchise</a>. </p>
<p id="7SJIjk">On the other hand, the subsequent quote was filled with goodies that validate the connection between Nurse and Kawhi. Admitting they’re on the same page in December is probably more indicative of his desire to stay then if they’re on the same page in July. </p>
<div id="GrBAM0">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kawhi on Nurse having his back after Sunday's game: "It's great. He can see the game. We're playing it, we feel a certain way, we always think we're right on the floor. But when you've got your coach seeing the same thing you're feeling, it's great."</p>— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) <a href="https://twitter.com/JLew1050/status/1075092169684369408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2018</a>
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<p id="X0QxdC">However, it’s been said that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. And Nurse nailed his. AAAARRRGGHHHH I can’t choose. You decide, Sean.</p>
<p id="XJ7ATA"><strong>SW: </strong>This is the first time I’ve gone out and nailed the seeding. This is what a 4-5 match-up is supposed to be. Neither of these contenders are likely to make a run past the next round, but dammit if they aren’t going to grind it out for one-off glory. </p>
<p id="HoFiZS">I think I’m siding with the slight underdog here. Word of that first meeting going off smoothly was swell, but that came in the off-season. It was the coach-player relations version of muscle watch. I’d be alarmed if the reports <em>weren’t </em>glowing. Nurse coming to <span>Leonard</span>’s defense in the midst of a tough stretch of whistle for his superstar was the kind of coaching move that won’t get the accolades of a sweet out-of-bounds play, but it should. Superstar dynamics are tricky. As we’ve seen this year, their desires can be fickle. The best you can do as a coach is to support your star at all costs and hope it yields a strong bond. For Kawhi to go out of his way to shout out his coach for leaping to his defense is far more encouraging than a light summer chat. </p>
<p id="k8b2lr">You cool if we hand the W to the fifth-seed? Or should we take it to the poll? </p>
<p id="ZuxMau"><strong>JR: </strong>We are men of the people. Let’s see what the people have to say.</p>
<p id="e78wdQ"><strong>SW: </strong>And the people say: </p>
<div id="VuQTqb">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">pick one — Nick Nurse & Kawhi Leonard’s first meeting, or the time Nurse called out officials for not giving Kawhi calls</p>— Sean Woodley (@WoodleySean) <a href="https://twitter.com/WoodleySean/status/1108548704271646720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2019</a>
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<p id="2rj2ec"><em>“Nurse slagging refs in the name of Kawhi” advances</em></p>
<h3 id="3M6nj2">
<strong>(3) </strong><span><strong>Danny Green</strong></span><strong> on Kawhi’s Comfort Level vs. (6) Masai’s Media Day Speech</strong>
</h3>
<p id="Tp4Dgp"><strong>SW: Y</strong>ou’d assume based on their near decade as teammates, <span>Danny Green</span> knows Kawhi better than anyone else on the team — save for maybe assistant Jeremy Castleberry. So I trust this early-December evaluation of how <span>Leonard</span> was acclimating to Toronto livin’. </p>
<div id="4hLAhf">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Danny Green on Kawhi Leonard: “He seems very comfortable and very happy. Obviously it’s not the SD weather but he loves the fans [in TO]. I think he really feels at home, likes it here, and is enjoying his time. I think he’s pretty happy and comfortable.”</p>— Kevin Rashidi (@KevinRashidi) <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinRashidi/status/1070385990185836544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2018</a>
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<p id="b9y2JP">But for me, I can’t escape the feeling that Masai’s rousing media day address to the feeble and anxious Raps fans still licking the wounds opened by departed stars of old helped to kick-start Kawhi’s love affair with Toronto. </p>
<div id="XvxMTB">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Masai Ujiri - "The narrative of not wanting to come to this city is gone. I think that's old and we should move past that. Believe in this city. Believe in yourselves." <a href="https://t.co/ZaTzXxbLqx">pic.twitter.com/ZaTzXxbLqx</a></p>— TSN (@TSN_Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/1044238889895030786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2018</a>
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<p id="wIo51z">“Believe in this city, believe in yourselves,” implored Ujiri after a basic ass news reporter question about Toronto’s checkered past as a desirable destination. Perhaps Kawhi took that advice to heart, throwing himself head first into the culture of the city, and in the process, discovering a place he’d be thrilled to call home, weather be damned. Masai the pitchman, with that keen knack for making people believe in anything he says, is the great unmentioned recruiting tool in the Raptors’ back pocket. The speech that rung in the Kawhi era still sticks with me; what if it’s still sticking with Kawhi? </p>
<p id="1LrBHJ">I think it’s clear where I’m leaning here, but what about you, Jay? </p>
<p id="JaXDHG"><strong>JR: </strong>I like where your head’s at. Masai took the F*ck Brooklyn approach to getting Kawhi on board. But I can’t shake the feeling that the comments from a close friend about his comfort level is more indicative than an attention-grabbing rallying cry in September. You could argue that Danny’s comments are also attention-grabbing, but if you’ve ever listened to his podcast, Inside the Green Room, you know he only speaks the truth. I think we might need a poll on this one, Sean.</p>
<p id="OWx5QP"><strong>SW: </strong>Oh, fine. </p>
<div id="gyD6qW">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">what's more moving: Danny Green talking about how comfortable Kawhi is in Toronto, or Masai Ujiri's "believe in your city" speech from media day</p>— Sean Woodley (@WoodleySean) <a href="https://twitter.com/WoodleySean/status/1108591823981895680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2019</a>
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<p id="Ilcis7"><em>“Masai’s Speech” advances </em></p>
<h3 id="hZnFhx"><strong>(2) “Toronto has great energy.” vs. (7) “Toronto is like being in New York.” </strong></h3>
<div id="XmAfKp">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">During his availability at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAAllStar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAAllStar</a> media day, Kawhi Leonard was asked about his thoughts on Toronto thus far ... <a href="https://t.co/Gy8wvh1QPC">pic.twitter.com/Gy8wvh1QPC</a></p>— Eric Smith (@Eric__Smith) <a href="https://twitter.com/Eric__Smith/status/1096829646459547648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2019</a>
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<div id="XsaOyp">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Operation Kawhi is off to a great start. <a href="https://t.co/wYODcTZjiZ">pic.twitter.com/wYODcTZjiZ</a></p>— Matt Shantz (@m_shantz) <a href="https://twitter.com/m_shantz/status/1056603588405927936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2018</a>
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<p id="xddklP"><strong>JR: </strong>Everything Kawhi says in the “great energy” quote is positive and totally worth the second-seed in this region. He shouts out the fans, the city, his teammates, the coaching staff, organization, and, for good measure, doesn’t hate the weather. How could it possibly lose to a quote where Toronto is not the largest metropolis being mentioned?</p>
<p id="7ql4cg">Because one quote talks about how great it’s been and the other references about how great it’s going to be (it’s safe to assume that whatever he ventures off to see will be great).</p>
<p id="ERiWRd">Because one focuses on the past and present, while the other focuses on the future.</p>
<p id="nIo5Uj">Actually, that all I’ve got. Unless you’ve got another reason for the upset, I’m just forcing the issue at this point. It’s the “great energy”, isn’t it.</p>
<p id="Aws96d"><strong>SW: </strong>Yeah I’ve got no reservations about going chalk here. Had Kawhi been connected to New York for the last year and a half, or had he compared the feelings Toronto makes him feel to those Los Angeles engenders in his heart, then we’d be talking. But nah. This is a seventh seed that’s just happy to be here. It never should have had any illusions of defeating favourite. Moving on. </p>
<p id="XqOi9w"><em>“Toronto has great energy,” advances. </em></p>
<h2 id="6Yz1kX"><strong>MISCELLANEOUS NUGGETS REGION</strong></h2>
<h3 id="g1nm66">
<strong>(1) </strong><span><strong>Serge Ibaka</strong></span><strong>’s Existence vs. (8) Has Led Team in Scoring 42 Times </strong>
</h3>
<p id="Rw8l2e"><strong>SW: </strong>Finally we’ve come to the number one overall seed in the tournament. To me, at least, <span>Serge Ibaka</span> has been the MVP of the Kawhi recruitment effort. Rather than being threatened by Kawhi’s presence, and timid when it comes to addressing the enormous elephant that is Leonard’s contract status, Ibaka has leaned into every little bit of the Leonard experience. </p>
<p id="z3upqT">He’s embraced Kawhi, positioning himself — from the outside at least — as Kawhi’s closest buddy on the team, all the while staying unafraid to playfully put him on the spot. </p>
<div id="RWyILi">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is my championship. <a href="https://t.co/sIMuG0V1v0">https://t.co/sIMuG0V1v0</a> <a href="https://t.co/HfJAxBsLGM">pic.twitter.com/HfJAxBsLGM</a></p>— K. (@ThatPersianGuy) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThatPersianGuy/status/1082671734719954945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2019</a>
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<p id="v8uxMt">Some might call Ibaka’s brazenness reckless. Keep in mind the quiet, respectful approach <span>Kyle Lowry</span> and <span>DeMar DeRozan</span> each took toward each other’s free agency decisions during their time together in Toronto. Serge is having none of that. </p>
<p id="98ir9O">But maybe that’s the way to do it. Kawhi’s been treated like the egg a grade 11 physics class has to safely drop from a window. I’d theorize that Kawhi finds it refreshing — humanizing, even — whenever Ibaka broaches the subject everyone else wants to dance around. Kid gloves are not meant for handling grown ass adults. Ibaka has realized this. </p>
<p id="I2YjCq">On Tuesday, Ibaka dropped a perfect teaser for Season 2 of his acclaimed (by me) cooking and lifestyle show, <em>How Hungry are You? </em></p>
<div id="HXZwVG">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">You really don't want to miss this... Subscribe now! >> <a href="https://t.co/6Qzur5oPAq">https://t.co/6Qzur5oPAq</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/howhungryareyou?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#howhungryareyou</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mafuzzychef?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#mafuzzychef</a> <a href="https://t.co/3rpsbYW8cK">pic.twitter.com/3rpsbYW8cK</a></p>— Serge Ibaka (@sergeibaka) <a href="https://twitter.com/sergeibaka/status/1108065771182280705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2019</a>
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<p id="JE8tIS">Our guy <a href="https://www.raptorshq.com/2019/3/19/18273365/watch-the-tape-toronto-raptors-are-you-coming-back-next-year-kawhi-leonard">Jacob Mack covered it already</a>. But I’ll expand. There’s a case to be made that those 15-seconds are the single greatest indicator of Kawhi’s intention to stick around we have yet come across. </p>
<p id="FiKmvi">This was a pre-taped trailer. There is clearly direction behind Kawhi’s prolonged silence. I’d venture to guess that clip won’t even appear in the actual episode when it drops. It is purely a vehicle for buzz. And Kawhi was party to all of it! </p>
<p id="iiLiGY">He and Ibaka are clearly buds. Even with Serge’s willingness to tow a potentially awkward line with Leonard and his future, he’s not an idiot. He’s not about to alienate a guy who willingly appeared on his web series — especially with the future of the franchise on the line, a reality Ibaka declared himself to be painfully aware of in that passage from Chris Mannix’s piece. <em>There is absolutely no way Kawhi did not green-light this trailer to be published!</em> This fact, more than anything, tells me he’s just as much in on the gag as Ibaka. Kawhi’s note-perfect, entirely expressive performance here says more than anything caught by a press mic or TSN camera this year. And it says, “I’m fuckin’ staying, dude.” </p>
<p id="71o5nT">Oh, Serge is up against Kawhi’s very defined role as the leading man in the Raptors offense. This eight seed is going to get pumped, right, Jay? </p>
<p id="3Vaw2n"><strong>JR: </strong>So, what you’re saying is, Serge is Duke and Leading Scorer 42 times is over-the-hill dads playing pickup at the YMCA. Gotcha!</p>
<p id="ic7DHi">Ibaka wins. There’s no debate here.</p>
<p id="TQke1x">I hate to be a downer, but (warning: I’m about to mention something that might spoil the episode — or at least it’s validity as the one-seed) did you notice the change in camera angle between “coming back” and “next year”? It definitely looks like two different questions stitched together into one. Serge could’ve been asking if Kawhi would come back on his show, and ask a totally different question that happened to end with “next year”. Have I blown your mind? Are you re-considering the seeding? Or should I stop writing so late in the evening?</p>
<p id="L746pd"><strong>SW: </strong>Please stop talking. But hey, even if your no fun theory is accurate, Serge’s record of Kawhi recruitment is unimpeachable. He runs away with this one, and I imagine he’ll be a monster to try and knock out of this tournament. </p>
<p id="p0tY9t"><em>“</em><span><em>Serge Ibaka</em></span><em>” advances </em></p>
<h3 id="9b7rrB"><strong>(4) Norm Powell & Kawhi’s Mom are Pals vs. (5) Raptor on the shoe</strong></h3>
<p id="wpiDNO"><strong>JR: </strong>If there’s one thing I’ve realized throughout this bracket process, it’s that the Raptors really covered all the bases in keeping Kawhi happy. While Serge is out here doing the Lord’s work with Kawhi, Norm is using his San Diego roots to make an impression on Kawhi’s mom, Kim. I can see the late June conversation now:</p>
<p id="uxKQQR">Kawhi: “Mom, you think I should come back home and sign with the Clippers?”</p>
<p id="V0rFcM">Kim: “And leave behind those nice people in Toronto? Even that Norm fellow took the time to teach you piano!”</p>
<div id="Jit0us">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">I really want Beal but I really don’t wanna trade Norm man<br> <a href="https://t.co/G7ZiOfFdzS">pic.twitter.com/G7ZiOfFdzS</a></p>— ₭ING ₭LAW (@klawSZN) <a href="https://twitter.com/klawSZN/status/1081412218153881600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2019</a>
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<p id="58qv6O">The Raptor (skeleton? logo? carcass?) in the shoe is pretty damn cool. Naysayers will argue that it should have been a full-bodied raptor, as opposed to a dead one. I personally would’ve been more impressed if there were only one shoe design, and <em>that</em> one had the dino theme. </p>
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<p id="Cd6cxj">I’m also a big fan of subtlety. Norm befriending Kawhi’s mom in an effort to win over her son is subtle. It’s a long game winner. Placing a logo that mimics the team you currently play for is not subtle, nor does it necessarily have staying power. In the end, I’m taking Norm. You with me on this one, Mr. Woodley?</p>
<p id="tgHKxp"><strong>SW: </strong>No! The shoe is really convincing to me. I know it’s one of just six different colourways that’s embroidered with the raptor skeleton, and I understand that it’s only on the insole. But shoes are expensive to make, man! It would have been <em>really </em>easy to <em>not </em>include the bones from the first Dr. Allan Grant scene in Jurassic Park in any of the shoe designs. But it’s in there anyway. It’s gotta be the shoes moving on, for me at least. But we’ve reached yet another stalemate, so we’ll let the internet decide. </p>
<div id="roxzGF">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">oh hey another poll because my god it’s so hard to decide — what’s better: Norm & Kawhi’s mom being pals, or a raptors skeleton being on one of his signature shoes.</p>— Sean Woodley (@WoodleySean) <a href="https://twitter.com/WoodleySean/status/1108595834483019776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2019</a>
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<p id="MgiC6q"><em>“Norm and Kawhi’s Mom are Pals,” advances </em></p>
<h3 id="vMX4LQ"><strong>(3) Raptors go all-in at the deadline vs. (6) Snubbing Lawrence Frank</strong></h3>
<p id="Aml1cU"><strong>SW: </strong>Toronto could have hung tight at the deadline, allowed JV to return from injury, and incorporated him back into the match-up dependent rotation <span>Nick Nurse</span> had constructed early on in the season. There wasn’t anything exactly wrong with the roster the Raps started the year with. But there was just a little something missing from Toronto’s mix. </p>
<p id="rIdvZ1">Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster moved all the way in with the Kawhi deal in the first place. To leave holes unattended to come deadline time would have been a half-assed way to double down. So instead they used their full asses, and swung the deal for <span>Marc Gasol</span>, injecting the lineup with an all-time good big man passer whose skills should play up against any of the best teams in the East. Not only did the move boost the Raptors’ ceiling, making it more likely that the team will reach the magical <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-finals">NBA Finals</a> threshold that could make Kawhi’s decision to stick around that much easier. It also showed Kawhi just how bold the front office is willing to be in the name of chasing rings. That’s quite a quality to have in a partner! </p>
<p id="dN20C1">Toronto’s deadline maneuvering is matched up with the following interaction, detailed by The Athletic’s Sam Amick in his piece documenting the thirstiness with which the Clippers are lusting after Kawhi this year. This franchise creeps me the hell out. </p>
<div id="1sEEON">
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<p lang="ht" dir="ltr">LMAOOO <a href="https://t.co/cHeGNhuYAZ">https://t.co/cHeGNhuYAZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/he9CHB3qLY">pic.twitter.com/he9CHB3qLY</a></p>— William Lou (@william_lou) <a href="https://twitter.com/william_lou/status/1074809022170193921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2018</a>
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<p id="xUJws0">As much as it is awesome that Leonard snubbed Frank, who no doubt was ready to tamper his ass off had Kawhi stopped to chat, I have a hard time advancing this scenario into the Sweet 16. It’s that smile Amick alludes to, from his next-day debrief with Leonard, that gives me pause. I don’t know how to read it. Is he smiling because of a snub job well done? Or could it be a knowing nod to Amick that he knew exactly who he was ignoring out of fear of the T-word? The doomsday scenario is that he was smiling merely thinking about the idea of playing for the Clippers. I’m going with the three-seed here, Jay. What are you thinking? </p>
<p id="HRg439"><strong>JR: </strong>In the battle to keep Kawhi, Serge and Norm are working the front lines andNurse and his staff are load managing on the seas. All the while, Masai and Bobby Webster are strategizing at base camp. </p>
<p id="KVPcG9">Look no further than opening day against Detroit two seasons ago to see the growth of this roster. On that day the following guys played over 20 minutes: <span>Jonas Valanciunas</span>, <span>DeMarre Carroll</span>, <span>Patrick Patterson</span>, and Cory Joseph. Now compare that to Sunday’s game, also against the <a href="https://www.detroitbadboys.com/">Pistons</a> and you’ve got <span>Fred VanVleet</span>, <span>Danny Green</span>, <span>Jeremy Lin</span>, <span>Marc Gasol</span>(!), and Kawhi freaking Leonard(!!). The Clippers simply can’t field a roster as good as what the Raptors have. The Clippers could have Lawrence Frank lay rose petals in front of Kawhi’s path and he’d still be treated better in Toronto. The Clippers could pay every single person in Los Angeles to beg Kawhi to return home and the Raptors would still have a country to support him. The Clippers are... The Clippers. They do not strike fear. It’s no surprise Frank’s presence went unnoticed by Kawhi. </p>
<p id="TtcS3H">Masai Ujiri demands he be noticed simply by walking into a room. Just like Raptors management, I’m all-in; the three-seed moves on.</p>
<p id="HKThrf"><em>“Raptors go all-in at the deadline” advances </em></p>
<h3 id="bp4Cl0"><strong>(2) Load Management vs. (7) Willingly Stayed in TO over All-Star </strong></h3>
<p id="buPwNw"><strong>JR: </strong>Can you honestly remember the term ‘load management’ being used before this season? Not only has it become synonymous with <span>Kawhi Leonard</span>, but it’s recently being used — the term and the act — by other teams (<span>Joel Embiid</span> and <span>LeBron James</span> come to mind). This has got to be the strongest 2-seed in the field.</p>
<p id="ExTZ8W">I’ll admit I was a little giddy to hear Kawhi came straight back to Toronto after his All-Star appearance. </p>
<div id="1xh5TB">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">LET THE RECORD SHOW THAT KAWHI LEONARD WILLINGLY STAYED IN TORONTO WHEN HE DIDN'T HAVE TO. <a href="https://t.co/O8rmbd6uNk">https://t.co/O8rmbd6uNk</a></p>— kelsea (@kelsea_lately) <a href="https://twitter.com/kelsea_lately/status/1098744898180841472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2019</a>
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<p id="4aBgBU">The extended time off after the All-Star Game could have been spent in the nice California weather, but his immediate return to Toronto signified two things: 1) He’s really okay with the weather, and 2) He really didn’t want to lose to the <a href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">Spurs</a> again.</p>
<p id="9V6VvR">All that being said, this is an easy chalk win for me. Toronto’s careful management of Leonard’s load moves on. Wouldn’t you agree?</p>
<p id="u0YZKj"><strong>SW: </strong>Yeah. Look, Kawhi might be a bit of a hypochondriac. But who are we to judge! And who are we to discourage the Raptors from adhering to Kawhi’s needs if he wants to be a bit persnickety about how often he plays. He’s awesome; the Raptors are in the business of keeping the awesome player in town. Not<em> </em>managing his load would be borderline negligent. The Spurs obviously did <em>something </em>pertaining to his health that he did not appreciate; Toronto should be avoiding making the same mistakes at all costs — even if it does look from the outside like they’re giving him preferential treatment. Guess what, the 27-point averaging Finals MVP who happens to be the most talented player in franchise history has earned a little special attention. </p>
<p id="bf4R1i">That Toronto has been so conscientious when it comes to Kawhi’s health is a major feather in their cap. By joining any new team this summer, Kawhi will be taking a risk, and entrusting his health to a brand new, unknown medical staff. Who knows what kind of creepy doctor shit the stalker ass Clippers might be up to. Signing with the Clips might doom Kawhi to having his torso spliced onto Chuck the Condor’s legs at Steve Ballmer’s behest. </p>
<p id="JyFkQ4">I, too, found it encouraging that Kawhi opted to spend the All-Star break in T.O. But I also don’t really view Kawhi as much of a vacation guy, so I’m not sure how much to really read into it. I’d like to spend a week in the home of Jerk King, too. </p>
<p id="OQYKYQ">Load management may be a phrase to snicker at, but it’s gonna be a powerhouse in this tournament. Load management vs. Serge Ibaka in the Elite 8 is the heavyweight match-up we deserve. </p>
<p id="E7H89B"><em>“Load management” advances </em></p>
<p id="bNRcVV"><strong>Come back on Wednesday as The Sweet 16 unfolds! Here’s a look at the bracket through round one. </strong></p>
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https://www.raptorshq.com/2019/3/22/18276085/kawhi-leonard-staying-in-toronto-raptors-tournament-bracketSean WoodleyJay Rosales2019-03-20T09:30:00-04:002019-03-20T09:30:00-04:00The Ka-Why Leonard is Staying in Toronto Bracket: The First of 32
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<p>Everybody likes brackets. Everybody wants Kawhi Leonard to stay in Toronto. With this in mind, join in as we settle the Ka-Why Leonard is Staying Tournament.</p> <p id="ltVFGp">We all know <span>Kawhi Leonard</span> is definitely staying. It’s hilarious think any other outcome is even possible this summer. The <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a> can talk a big (and creepy) game, and project themselves as this grand franchise just waiting to steep itself in newly-accrued history, but they’re still the goddamn Clippers, man. The <a href="https://www.postingandtoasting.com/">Knicks</a>? Ha. Brooklyn? We all know how to fill in that blank. The <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/">Lakers</a> are the exact kind of self-aggrandizing shit show Kawhi seems to despise. It’s gonna be Toronto. It just is. </p>
<p id="8Otj3j">But for a second let’s just pretend we don’t have such accurate foresight. A lot of things have happened to and near <span>Kawhi Leonard</span> during his first (of many) season(s) in Toronto, each of which helping to build the the “He’s Staying” case. But which screen-grab, quote or fact of life has been the most convincing piece of evidence pointing toward Kawhi’s decision to stay put in Toronto? That’s what we’re here to determine. </p>
<p id="jOGETM">Rather than exploiting teens and pretending like we know what collection of unpaid labourers will triumph over all the other unpaid labourers, Sean Woodley and Jay Rosales are here to talk about the cold hard facts behind the soon-to-be handsomely paid member of the Canadian work force. In the The Bracket of Ka-Why Leonard is Staying, 32 nuggets of information will be pitted against one another, with just one being chosen as the most convincing reason for Kawhi’s impending decision to become a dual citizen. </p>
<p id="DlHNYo">We begin with the first eight match-ups of the round of 32. </p>
<h2 id="xL3w9v"><strong>CANDID CAMERA REGION</strong></h2>
<h3 id="Q771f1"><strong>(1) Celebrating Pascal’s Winner against Phoenix vs. (8) All-Star Game Dancing</strong></h3>
<div id="kt9XBW">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Inject this into my veins <a href="https://t.co/5vLwWul9Jb">pic.twitter.com/5vLwWul9Jb</a></p>— ً (@RapsNationBruh) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapsNationBruh/status/1086098504810778624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2019</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Break it down, Kawhi <a href="https://t.co/8VKZCSK1JK">pic.twitter.com/8VKZCSK1JK</a></p>— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1097358003215290368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2019</a>
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<p id="M8czBW"><strong>SW: </strong>There was a time early in the season when Kawhi wasn’t even sitting courtside on his load management nights. That wasn’t a problem, per se — by all accounts those absences from the bench were in the name of treatment and stuff — but it was still a little jarring! With word of the Clippers being hella creepy stalkers lurking in the bowels of the arena, and the general fan base-wide paranoia over the state of Kawhi’s day-to-day mood, it’s always been just a little more comforting to see him in the periphery of the screen than not when he’s out. </p>
<p id="uKiym4"><span>Pascal Siakam</span>’s winner against the <a href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/">Suns</a> came with Leonard out for rest. And it was one of the first times I can recall seeing Leonard exude genuine glee in response to something the team had done. It was so exciting, in fact, that is inspired this dumb idiot to do this dumb tweet.</p>
<div id="l5c4BO">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">/turns on Walk the Line <a href="https://t.co/7YosBJjJ0q">pic.twitter.com/7YosBJjJ0q</a></p>— Sean Woodley (@WoodleySean) <a href="https://twitter.com/WoodleySean/status/1086104164369907712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2019</a>
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<p id="Ef2dRY">Kawhi dancing at the All-Star game wasn’t really <a href="https://www.raptorshq.com/">Raptors</a>-related, which explains the low seed. But damn it was fun to see the NBA’s biggest recluse attempt to show that he’s open to exuberance, however much his dance move looked like an NBA 2K glitch. My girlfriend would also like me to mention that this was the moment she realized that Kawhi was worth fully investing in. Are the Raptors responsible for cracking open the shell Kawhi was once encased in? Who’s to say. What say you, Jay — is there an upset in the works here for you? Or are we going chalk? </p>
<p id="Vd1E3z"><strong>JR: </strong>The effort it probably took for Kawhi to utilize his dance software — on a national stage and in the presence of his peers, no less — calls for an upset scare. But I’m going chalk with this match-up. </p>
<p id="MBdhuW">He could be celebrating because the Raptors won. He could be celebrating because his friendship with Siakam is growing and he’s happy for his buddy. He could be celebrating because Nurse may have unlocked another end-of-game play that, in turn, opens up the floor for Kawhi. He could be celebrating for a multitude of reasons. But he’s celebrating — and staying (at least in the bracket for another round).</p>
<p id="F5r89k"><strong>SW: </strong>Yep, I’m with you. <span>Pascal Siakam</span> is cool. <span>Kyrie Irving</span> and KD are not. I’m picking the clip that does not feature the latter wo. </p>
<p id="Y3eEeo"><em>“Celebrating Pascal’s Winner vs. Phoenix” advances </em></p>
<h3 id="WNsAQu"><strong>(4) KLOE & The Klaw: Best Pals vs. (5) LA Media is Bad </strong></h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">KYLE X KAWHI POST GAME BANTER <a href="https://t.co/FxRtQFY4Ak">pic.twitter.com/FxRtQFY4Ak</a></p>— William Lou (@william_lou) <a href="https://twitter.com/william_lou/status/1084616283243581441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2019</a>
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<p lang="und" dir="ltr"> <a href="https://t.co/2iNpFfKeV2">pic.twitter.com/2iNpFfKeV2</a></p>— William Lou (@william_lou) <a href="https://twitter.com/william_lou/status/1093913612270387200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2019</a>
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<p id="4LSO2F"><strong>JR: </strong>I was recently on the Rolling <a href="https://www.welcometoloudcity.com/">Thunder</a> podcast with Ben Mertens, and asked him how Oklahoma City was able to get <span>Paul George</span> — the supposed one-year rental who everyone expected to sign with his hometown of Los Angeles (sound familiar?) — to re-sign with the Thunder. He said it basically boiled down to two items: 1) the culture that Sam Presti and co. had built; and 2) Russell Westbrook. From a culture standpoint, refer to the entire “External Factors” region. As for Westbrook, Mertens mentioned Westbrook’s ability to relieve some of the pressure/workload from <span>George</span> made his decision to re-sign much easier. That’s where Kyle comes in. What started as “I don’t know if I’ve spoken to him” in late July, has blossomed into numerous examples of KL (x 2) showing their budding relationship.</p>
<p id="qFOGza">Meanwhile, In Kawhi’s first trip to his hometown as a Raptor, an L.A. reporter asked a silly question, hoping it would lead to Leonard reminiscing about his Los Angeles roots.</p>
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<p id="WuJRXQ">Kawhi wasn’t having it. “Kawhi’s not feeling Los Angeles” doesn’t roll off the tongue but the effect is just the same. I’m leaning K.L.O.E. (x 2) in this match-up. What say you, Sean?</p>
<p id="fG9VPp"><strong>SW: </strong>Yeah, I think I agree. I am certainly thankful to the poor bastard who decided to ask Kawhi about Christmas. Any bit of contempt for the LA media experience is helpful. But those interactions with Lowry have a playfulness you just don’t get between two guys who are merely co-workers forced to figure it out together. Lowry once called his buddy <span>DeMar DeRozan</span> out on camera for his inability to properly add.</p>
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<p id="fEn2yZ">Kawhi calling Kyle stupid is basically the same thing. A four-seed may have been too low here. </p>
<p id="pJAKkZ"><em>(4) “KLOE & The Klaw: Best Pals” advances </em></p>
<h3 id="VubPYY"><strong>(3) Budding Friendship with OG vs. (6) Applauding Boucher’s Chase-down </strong></h3>
<div id="M6Mipo">
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<p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/gyh4VtWiu2">pic.twitter.com/gyh4VtWiu2</a></p>— 306 Raptors (@306Raptors) <a href="https://twitter.com/306Raptors/status/1100562213088124929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2019</a>
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<p id="jtDeiY"><strong>SW: </strong>By the end of last year, <span>OG Anunoby</span> was unfairly drawing comparisons to Leonard. It was crazy at the time, and has been proven even more crazy now that the actual Leonard is on the team and we can see the two side-by-side. OG rules, but come on, man. </p>
<p id="i8zxbV">It’s nice however, that the two quietest Raptors are in touch with each other’s senses of humour, and that Kawhi seems willing to share his bounty of wisdom. </p>
<div id="av5ysT">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Is there anybody in the NBA that Anunoby would rather model his game after than Kawhi? <br>OG: "Is there anyone else? Probably Kawhi the most."<br>Has Kawhi taken on a mentorship role?<br>OG: "If I ask him a question he'll answer it and if he sees something he'll tell me."</p>— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) <a href="https://twitter.com/JLew1050/status/1061676867588108288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2018</a>
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<p id="bdIBVN">Kawhi getting jazzed for the Raptors’ garbage time MVP’s chasedown block near the end of the very fun <a href="https://www.thebirdwrites.com/">Pelicans</a> blowout on March 8th isn’t surprising, really. You’d have to be clinically dead to not get pumped for that shit. The smile-clap combo, though? That’s a rare one from our guy. </p>
<div id="kGkBCJ">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kawhi was on his feet after this chase down block by Chris Boucher. <a href="https://t.co/Vvr5BdKSh4">pic.twitter.com/Vvr5BdKSh4</a></p>— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1104220756727148544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2019</a>
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<p id="0CCh4l">Whatcha thinking here, Jay? The tutelage of OG, or the genuine excitement for a guy Kawhi may never share the floor with in another game this season?</p>
<p id="DrdBhD"><strong>JR: </strong>Add me to your list of people unfairly comparing OG and Kawhi. Over the last 12 months, I’ve used the terms Kawhi 2.0 and Kawhi Lite to describe <span>OG Anunoby</span>. The problem with the OG-Kawhi friendship is that they’re TOO similar. Like, are they actually friends? Has anyone seen them speak real-live audible words to each other? What if they don’t like each other, but OG quietly follows him because he’s expected to become the next Kawhi? Call me crazy, but sign me up for genuine happiness for the 14th man. Sign me up for any smile-clap combo from Kawhi. Sign me up for any emotion from Kawhi.</p>
<p id="vFLcHx"><strong>SW: </strong>I am such a sucker for any instance of Kawhi cheering on the lads that I have no choice but to agree with you here. </p>
<p id="7qFluZ"><em>“Applauding Boucher’s Chase-down” advances</em></p>
<h3 id="F1yLeD"><strong>(2) The Lingering Hand vs. (7) The First Photo</strong></h3>
<div id="IOhEem">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The lingering hand .......... he’s staying <a href="https://t.co/hpI1r7AnDg">pic.twitter.com/hpI1r7AnDg</a></p>— Noor (@noorrzainab) <a href="https://twitter.com/noorrzainab/status/1076647714178232320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2018</a>
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<div id="zh2aqy">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Welcome to the North <a href="https://t.co/FWy6huVI9l">pic.twitter.com/FWy6huVI9l</a></p>— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) <a href="https://twitter.com/Raptors/status/1020452739887902722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2018</a>
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<p id="xYqr2p"><strong>JR: </strong>The last time Kawhi was in a <a href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">Spurs</a> uniform at his peak superstar powers, he was single-handedly destroying the <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Golden State Warriors</a> in Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals. Fast forward a year and a half and Kawhi finally gets his revenge — albeit in a late-November game with no Steph Curry. After the victory, as if to signify in his own quiet way, “I got us,” Kawhi’s giant right hand touches (caresses?) the Raptors logo.</p>
<p id="xpH5ei">After the dust settled from the trade, excitement started to dwindle as Raptors fans waited for a tweet/quote/rumour/ANYTHING from Kawhi. Then, it happened. A simple photo, taken inside the Raptors’ practice facility, with Bobby Webster to his right, and Masai Ujiri to his left, posed <span>Kawhi Leonard</span> and… wait a second… are those... his teeth?!? Is Kawhi smiling??? As this entire bracket is outlining, the “Kawhi is Staying” phrase has been used a plethora of different ways over the season. But the very first time it was used, is something quite unforgettable. </p>
<p id="fKmCpU">I gotta say, if that hand didn’t linger... if it was more of a tap... I’d be calling for an upset.</p>
<p id="7nO1iW"><strong>SW: </strong>Ugh. I wanna go with lingering hand here. I really do. It’s delicate and chilling and makes my stomach flutter just the tiniest little bit. He didn’t put the hand <em>ON </em>the logo, though. He could just as easily have been gaining leverage as he walked around the corner. It’s just not conclusive upon review that he’s reaching out to graze the logo of his new beloved squad, which pains me deeply to admit. </p>
<p id="4bU9ko">That first photo with Kawhi… man. I remember that thing coming across the TL so vividly. It was proof that all of it was real; that Kawhi Leonard was, in fact, a Toronto Raptor. It was also the first opportunity we all got to dunk on Chris “He’s Not Coming” Haynes. After that week of uncertainty and the slightest sense that it could all fall apart, that photo gave us permission to cast aside all reservations. I badly would like to know who took it so I can send them a card. </p>
<p id="zWDvYo">We’ve reached an impasse, so it’s time for our tiebreaker protocol to get its first bit of work. AND THE VAGUE TWITTER POLL SAYS:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">this is a poll for which i'm not providing context. please just pick the image that makes you feel the most.</p>— Sean Woodley (@WoodleySean) <a href="https://twitter.com/WoodleySean/status/1108207314778103808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2019</a>
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<p id="VDS9IK"><em>“The Lingering Hand” advances. </em></p>
<p id="EX5pCU"></p>
<h2 id="5ZHmFY"><strong>EXTERNAL FACTORS REGION</strong></h2>
<h3 id="vHSNxI"><strong>(1) The Five-Year Max vs. (8) “Snow is nice to look at.”</strong></h3>
<p id="yLx5Gz"><strong>SW: </strong>Not much in the way of fanfare here. The Raptors can offer Leonard more money than anyone else — five years/$190 million vs. four years/$141 million from teams without his Bird Rights. For a guy with an injury history, that is not nothing, even if the supermax rules offer diminishing returns for guys who are gonna be rich as hell no matter what version of a max deal they sign. </p>
<p id="sbosxq">Pitted against the financial advantages of the Raps’ position is the possibility that maybe Kawhi just really likes to look at snow. I get it. It can be pretty as hell. I personally am a winter over summer guy. Why is it so crazy that Kawhi might be one too? In addition to this pull quote from <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-all-star-game">NBA All-Star weekend</a>’s media day, there’s at least one other instance of Kawhi referring the natural beauty of fresh-fallen snow back when those dumb LA reporters kept asking him about the weather and Christmas. </p>
<p id="XRl4V9">This is a tricky 1-8 match-up in a loaded section of the bracket. Jay, are you more moved by money or snow’s magical properties? </p>
<p id="qNVadR"><strong>JR: </strong>As you’re about to read in the next match-up, Kawhi really purchased TWO multi-million dollar homes since joining the Raptors. You could look at that two ways. 1) He has so much money, it doesn’t matter if he loses several millions on his next deal, or 2) He needs to recoup some of that dough and go where the cash flows. On the flip side, Kawhi’s been seen multiple times wearing un-winter-like clothing during very winter-like weather. He may not only love the snow but, dare I say, loves the cold! Have I just convinced us to go with this tourney’s first ever 8-over-1 upset? (Or did you screw up the seeding again?)</p>
<p id="C3Yjwf"><strong>SW: </strong>No! I was on the fence, and you’ve talked me into it. The supermax doesn’t seem to matter to anyone who matters. Kawhi could have gotten an even <em>more</em> lucrative deal had he stayed in San Antonio. But San Antonio does not have snow, at least not a reliable amount of it for five months of the year. Toronto does, thus, he is staying. </p>
<p id="h5YsUf">I imagine Kawhi appreciates the uniqueness of every single snowflake. He is, after all, a one-of-a-kind character among NBA superstars himself. Now, for him and Serge to take a trip to Ottawa for a canal skate and maple taffy to really seal the deal. </p>
<p id="8jGe1c"><em>“Snow is nice to look at,” advances </em></p>
<h3 id="02iWve">
<strong>(4) </strong><a href="https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/kawhi-leonard-reportedly-buys-house-toronto-signifying-nothing-233751587.html"><strong>Bought a house in Toronto</strong></a><strong> vs. (5) Raptors Hire Castleberry & Handy</strong>
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<p id="4iXNVm"><strong>JR: </strong>Kawhi buying a home, as opposed to renting one, is definitely bracket-worthy. The fact that he ended up buying another home in California — albeit, 2.5 hours away from Staples Center — steals a bit of thunder from the Toronto purchase. It’s ot so much that he bought a home in California, but that he’s so rich he purchased two homes inside 6 months. It just seems like he a thing he does. It’s good-not-great news for the Kawhi-is-Staying crowd. </p>
<p id="TQow8J">What was great news was the hiring of Spurs Assistant, Jeremy Castleberry, and Player Development extraordinaire, Phil Handy.</p>
<p id="wBlBRi">Tired: Bringing in players that compliment Kawhi’s style of play.</p>
<p id="AT0lE8">Wired: Bringing in COACHES that a) Kawhi knows and respects, and b) have experience helping superstars develop (like <span>Blake Griffin</span>, <span>LeBron James</span>, <span>Kyrie Irving</span>, etc.)</p>
<p id="Xhvmv8">For my money, the Assistants win this match-up.</p>
<p id="tJ441E"><strong>SW: </strong>Another example of me over-seeding something. The house thing is nice and certainly doesn’t hurt, but even in the insane Toronto housing market, an NBA star buying a new pad is no more harmful to the wallet than when I sometimes level up and get a king-size chocolate bar — the difference being that I can’t resell the chocolate bar and make a killing if I decide after eating it that I’d like a different one with more nougat. But Kawhi will not be selling his place in our fair city! Because he’s staying! And the additions of Castleberry and Handy probably played a role in that. Easy win for the 5th-seed. </p>
<p id="pDsV0V"><em>“Raptors Hire Castleberry and Handy” advances </em></p>
<h3 id="xCv6gh"><strong>(3) Japan Loves New Balance vs. (6) Pascal Siakam is really good now </strong></h3>
<p id="pih3ZQ"><strong>SW: </strong>Kawhi signs with New Balance — <a href="https://www.wbur.org/bostonomix/2018/11/29/new-balance-kawhi-leonard">one of, if not the most popular sneaker brand in Japan</a> — and the Raptors find their way into a pair of preseason games in Tokyo just before Leonard’s first full season with a signature New Balance shoe? I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.</p>
<p id="TIBOGg">Up against Toronto’s conveniently timed trip abroad is the ascension of likely Most Impoved Player, Pascal Siakam. Kyle Lowry is amazing, but he’s turning 33 next week. While playing with him is certainly a short-term carrot to dangle in front of Leonard, Siakam’s transformation into a fringe All-Star with ludicrously good on-court impact metrics give the Raptors a legit dude to sell Leonard on teaming up with for the long haul. No, he’s not one of the other superstar free agents in Leonard’s class, but he certainly seems less odious to play with than the Durants, Irvings and Butlers of the world. </p>
<p id="iOBUwV">This is a heavy-hitting match-up Jay. I’ve done a horrible job seeding this thing. But someone’s gotta move on. Who ya got? </p>
<p id="FYRmkb"><strong>JR: </strong>Similar to how amateur bracket pickers say things like, “I don’t care who, but you’ve got to have a 1-seed make the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/a/march-madness-2018-ncaa-tournament">Final Four</a>”, I think there has to be a business reason for Kawhi to stay. The Japan-New Balance story fits the mold. </p>
<p id="IYjTx8">Siakam should be the winner, but we have enough basketball reasons for Kawhi to stay. Besides, Kyle and Serge are going to carry the load as Kawhi buddies in this bracket.</p>
<p id="iL7DiV">Give me more New Balance!</p>
<p id="Z2vdOn"><strong>SW: </strong>The New Balance thing definitely raises my eyebrows. And had Kawhi been featured in the Raptors’ promo video announcing the Japan preseason games — like <span>Marc Gasol</span> was — I would be picking it to win. But man, Pascal Siakam is so freaking good now. If the NBA weren’t so predicated on good players teaming up to win stuff, I’d be less inclined to choose his growth as the winning pick here. There’s a world in which Siakam gets ranked higher on SI’s Top-100 next year than <span>DeMar DeRozan</span> ever did; he’s a real recruiting tool, so I can’t choose the shoes. But maybe the blind poll will.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">another context-less poll that i promise will make sense tomorrow. just pick one.</p>— Sean Woodley (@WoodleySean) <a href="https://twitter.com/WoodleySean/status/1108214909802856450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2019</a>
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<p id="6L2MfM"><em>“Pascal Siakam is Really Good Now” advances</em></p>
<h3 id="SyiM74"><strong>(2) The Raptors Play in the East vs. (7) Kawhi is the Antidote to Paul Pierce</strong></h3>
<p id="Z5MDXj"><strong>JR: </strong>Quick, name a team that’s tanking. Congratulations, you’ve likely named a team from the East who will gift-wrap three or for wins for Toronto every year. If you’ve got a chance to only play the Warriors twice a season instead of four times, wouldn’t you take it? Do you think Kawhi would have as many opportunities for load management if he played in the West? All signs point to Leonard being a smart (and fun) guy. The East has just enough good teams to challenge him, yet a ton of easy teams against whom he can expend minimal energy. Kawhi definitely has ‘it’. You know, that thing Paul Pierce famously claimed the Raptors lacked. </p>
<div id="bdeIPF">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/EAE0y9mROW">pic.twitter.com/EAE0y9mROW</a></p>— William Lou (@william_lou) <a href="https://twitter.com/william_lou/status/1096066425096151045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2019</a>
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<p id="5vSYj5">The same ‘it’ that New Balance claims Kawhi possesses. If anyone can confirm that it was Kawhi’s idea to include that line, this instantly becomes a tournament favourite. Alas, it was probably the work of a Production Assistant, so I’ll stick with the 2-seed. Would you agree, Sean?</p>
<p id="Eomfl8"><strong>SW: </strong>I’d like to believe that Kawhi is a fan of poetry in sports. I don’t know how much he’s followed the Raptors since they got good; he was, after all, off winning Finals MVPs and what not during the early years of this run by the Raptors. If he is in fact unaware of Toronto’s past run-ins with Pierce, he’s done a really bad job of showing it. In addition to that convenient screen grab from the New Balance commercial that we’re shoehorning into this argument, there was the whole matter of Leonard doing something Pierce also <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk_B5_74Tvk">famously did against the Raps in the playoffs</a>. </p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nurse on Kawhi's game-winner: "I asked him if he called bank and he said he called game."</p>— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) <a href="https://twitter.com/JLew1050/status/1095156061345140737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2019</a>
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<p id="2ZfEnz">There’s an argument to be made that Kawhi’s been fashioning himself as the Raptors’ antidote to all that has let them down in the past all season long. I would like to believe it. But man, the East sucks so much ass. It’s gonna be hard to knock off the favourite here. </p>
<p id="5xWSHc"><em>“The Raptors Play in the East” advances. </em></p>
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<p id="P09Se9"><strong>Come back for the second half of the Round of 32 on Friday!</strong></p>
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https://www.raptorshq.com/2019/3/20/18273668/toronto-raptors-kawhi-leonard-staying-free-agency-bracketSean WoodleyJay Rosales