The Raptors are who they are. Is that what their fans want?

Limited Upside

The Toronto Raptors faced a crossroads this summer and decided to bring the band back together, for the most part. Now, they seem stuck in pretty good land. Is that OK? Our two panelists disagree, and it makes for a fun conversation. Daniel Reynolds, the editor in chief of Raptors HQ, and Seerat Sohi, a terrific freelance writer based in Toronto, join the show to discuss the following:Was this year the time to blow it up, or did Masai Ujiri's handling of the Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka contract situations make bringing the team back together palatable?Are they really stuck in place? Is there anything that can jolt them out of the East's middle tier? And if they are actually stuck, is that so bad?How the Raptors' fate and popularity in the city is tied to the Maple Leafs.We all agree that this recent Raptors run has helped rebrand the franchise. Is there more than needs to be done to cement their new reputation, or has this core done enough already?Where do Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan stack up in the NBA's pecking order? Why is it so hard to discuss them rationally?Would you rather see Jonas Valanciunas finally break out, or Norman Powell take a major step forward? Who else should we be paying attention to off the bench?Serge Ibaka -- will he play a lot of center this year? Has his decline been overstated?How will they replace some of the key bench players they lost?Some more info on how the franchise's relationship with Drake soured. (Don't expect to see much of him this year at the Air Canada Center).A passionate defense of the "Raptors" nickname.Which three Raptors players would you want on your all-time banana boat, i.e. the three players you most want to vacation with?Predictions, etc. Will this team tread water or dip?This is the 24th of Limited Upside's 30 team previews leading up to next season. We're bringing together representatives from all 30 SB Nation team sites and other team-specific experts from the SB Nation/Limited Upside community to gauge the temperature of the fanbase heading into the season. PREVIOUSLY: Jazz NEXT UP: Cavaliers

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