Is there ever a point when it’s okay for a fan to not care about wins and losses? Or does that completely undermine what it is to truly be a fan? To be a fan is to be a fanatic, to love a team to the point of near obsession, but there comes a time when even the most diehard fan needs to accept that a team’s best course of action is to lose. This is the case with the Toronto Raptors.
At 13-32 the Raptors currently sit tied for 13th in the Eastern Conference. They’ve lost 8 in a row. They’ve lost 21 of their past 26. Now, this was expected. With Chris Bosh leaving Toronto had a void in their line-up that it was widely recognized would not be filled easily. But it’s not as if the team doesn’t have talent to build its future around.
DeMar DeRozan has taken massive steps in the past 22 games; averaging just under 20 points, even scoring 20+ on 9 of those occasions. He may just be the explosive wing player that the Raptors have lacked since Vince Carter; or at the very least, the first wing that can create for himself that Toronto’s had in a long time. Andrea Bargnani appears to have found a niche as a scorer in the league, averaging 20+ points a game for the first time in his career. Now, the knock on Bargnani is that he doesn’t rebound and he’s below average on defence, but guess what? That’s who he is. He won’t ever average 10 boards a game, but not many centers in the NBA can score like he does in as many ways as he can. At the very least he’s a piece to either build around or trade. Even potential can be seen in young combo guard Jerryd Bayless, who was picked up for basically nothing in a trade earlier this season. He put up his first career double-digit assist total with 11 Monday against Memphis. Maybe nothing; or maybe a small step for a two-guard trapped in a point guard’s body.
Maybe it seems wrong that to Raptor fans this season has become nothing more than a glorified fantasy team; with stats of the individual meaning more than the success of the club, but a fan needs something to cheer for right? Maybe your average Toronto fan can’t stand to consciously cheer for his team to lose, but they can live with just focusing on the development of DeRozan this season.
In fact, success isn’t always a good thing when you look at the big picture. I use for example the team that causes me the most pain as a fan: the Miami Dolphins. When Ricky Williams retired unexpectedly, the team plummeted. Then in 2005 there appeared to be hope. The Dolphins went 9-7 behind the steady play of Gus Frerotte at quarterback. Now, as anyone who knows anything about Miami can tell you, the Dolphins haven’t had a franchise QB, let alone a reliable QB since Dan Marino retired in 1999. Now, as anyone who knows anything about the NFL can tell you, Gus Frerotte is not a franchise QB, he is in fact, a QB who injured himself for an entire season by head butting a cement wall while with the Redskins. Essentially, the Dolphins got a little lucky. So when next season rolled around, we had wasted a mid-1st round pick on Jason Allen; given Daunte Culpepper the keys to the offense, believing we were one piece away from a Super Bowl; and gone an awe inspiring 4-12. The 2010 Dolphins just finished 7-9. Why? Because the team has yet to go through a proper rebuilding process.
Patience will be the key for Raptors fans. I mean, look at the prospects of the Eastern Conference playoffs anyway. Sure, a team with a below .500 record will make it this year in the East, maybe two. But is getting swept by the Celtics or Heat in the first round of the playoffs really worth giving up a lottery pick?
Nothing is ever guaranteed in a league where draft selection order is left to chance, but with an above average draft class this year; the Raptors need to take advantage with a top five pick. They need to continue to rebuild. Regardless of the sport, a successful team is structured around home grown talent and Toronto has an opportunity to add to theirs by, well, losing. A true fans’ job is to cheer for and understand their team. Maybe you can’t bring yourself to cheer for losses, but at the very least, an apathetic approach this year is the way to convey your understanding.
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