Long before we had the current iteration of the Knicks, one with draft picks and young assets, New York often preferred to take the approach of star hunting, even when they were well past their prime or were plagued with injuries, in hopes that it would lead to instant success.That strategy lead to multiple head-scratching contracts, losing picks, and ignoring the development of what young players they did have, and as it so often has for other franchises, it failed the Knicks and set them back multiple years.
This offseason might be one of the most important in Raptors franchise history.Or it might just be yet another crossroad they seem to find themselves in every two or three years.Back in 2018, the team was coming off an Eastern Conference best 59 wins, but were swept in the second round by LeBron and his Cavs for the second year in a row.
The Toronto Raptors are in one of the worst places an NBA franchise can be: purgatory.At the moment, they lack any type of direction.The Raptors find themselves in a similar situation to other teams of being not good enough to win a championship, but not bad enough to be a top lottery team.However, unlike other top lottery teams teams like Orlando, Charlotte, and Detroit who are actively trying to rebuild through the draft, or teams that try to make trades to immediately contend, It seems as if they are unsure if they want to go down any of these paths.
Michael Winger loves to build. He'll get his chance with the Wizards.
As Clippers general manager, Michael Winger, left, worked alongside Jerry West and others to oversee six consecutive winning seasons.(Scott Varley/MediaNews Group/Daily Breeze/Getty Images) (MediaNews Group/Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images/MediaNews Group via Getty Images)LOS ANGELES - Whenever a Lego set shows up at his Manhattan Beach home, Michael Winger gets as excited as his 5-year-old daughter.