Raptors won't let Ujiri go without a fight

Josh Lewenberg

TSN Raptors Reporter

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TORONTO - Shortly after Bobby Webster's introductory press conference, the Raptors' newly promoted general manager chatted with a contingent of local media as someone playfully referenced the elephant in the room (or, more accurately, the one who had just snuck out of the room).

To paraphrase: "With everything going on in the NBA today, you won't even make the front page," they joked.

That didn't seem to bother the mild-mannered 32-year-old. He prefers to keep a low profile, which is one of the things that make him the perfect candidate for a job directly under team president Masai Ujiri, a truly commanding presence and personality. Webster's ascension from the league office to the Raptors - as their resident salary cap guru - to, now, the NBA's youngest GM is impressive but, on the biggest day of his professional life, all eyes were on his boss.

Ujiri spoke briefly to open the proceedings, indirectly acknowledging what had been an eventful afternoon but insisting that the day belonged to Webster and Toronto's other two promoted executives: Dan Tolzman, now assistant GM and vice president of player personnel, and Keith Boyarski, VP of basketball strategy and research. He didn't take questions and ducked out shortly after.

What he didn't say is what Raptors fans were desperately needing to hear: I'm not going anywhere.

On a day that saw Chris Paul (one of the league's best point guards) traded to Houston and Phil Jackson (one of the league's worst - albeit most polarizing - execs) let go in New York, speculation that Ujiri could also be on the move is what got the attention of people north of the border.

It all started with a report from Adrian Wojnarowski, soon-to-be of ESPN, that identified Ujiri as Knicks owner James Dolan's primary target to replace Jackson. If this sounds familiar, it's because a similar report emanated from the New York Daily News in April of 2016, when the Knicks were allegedly tiring of Jackson and looking to Ujiri as a potential successor to run their front office.

What came next was probably not a coincidence. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment extended Ujiri, a move that came with a substantial pay raise and one that will keep him under contract with the Raptors for an additional four years. They weren't willing to let him walk out the door then and it's highly unlikely they feel any different about the former NBA Executive of the Year now.

That the Knicks - one of the most poorly run franchises in professional sports - would have interest in Ujiri is hardly a surprise. They should. Whether that interest is mutual remains to be seen, but consider the situation he would be walking into.

Conveniently some are painting Jackson as a scapegoat, the cause of New York's recent misfortune and, while he's certainly not without blame, the Knicks were a mess long before he showed up. It starts at the top. It starts with Dolan, an incompetent and meddlesome owner that has cast a shadow over the organization for almost two decades. He can sell Ujiri on the challenge that lies ahead, changing the culture of a once-powerful franchise, and promise full autonomy over basketball operations but it would be foolish to think this leopard will change his spots.

Ujiri has recently spoken about the five different directions he could take the Raptors this summer, depending on how July free agency shakes out, most notably the decision of Kyle Lowry. In Toronto, he has that support from ownership, to do anything from spending into the luxury tax to gutting the roster in a full rebuild, all of it at his discretion. Would he have that kind of freedom and power under Dolan?

Meanwhile, MLSE has the means and the motive to do whatever it takes in an effort to keep Ujiri happy. They have been good to him, both personally and professionally, and the two parties have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship since Ujiri was recruited from Denver in 2013.

The league-wide perception of the Raptors and Toronto as a basketball city has changed considerably in that time. What was once a punchline of a franchise, almost on par with where the Knicks are now, is now considered to be one of the strongest, most well-regarded brands in the NBA. For that they can thank a host of people: the players - specifically Lowry and DeMar DeRozan - Dwane Casey, former MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke and, yes, even Drake. However, Ujiri is at the forefront of it all.

Simply from a basketball standpoint, he can be replaced, because any basketball executive can be replaced. He's made some moves that have worked out, he's made some that haven't and - to his own admission - he has benefited from some luck along the way. But, not to discredit the job he's done, there are a lot of capable front office people out there, including the three that the Raptors promoted on Wednesday.

With all that said, Ujiri is arguably the person the organization can least afford to lose - Lowry and the rest of its players included - and it's because of what he represents. He's truly become one of the most powerful men in the sport, commanding respect from players, agents, coaches and his peers throughout the business. He has legitimized the Raptors. Gone are a lot of the stigmas that haunted them for most of their existence - that no one wanted to play, or stay, in Canada.

How might it look if he were to walk away, leaving for a worse situation in a bigger city? Not just to us - the media, the fans - but to those that will ultimately determine the team's fate: the players, prospective future free agents. In the NBA, like in any walk of life, perception is reality. Ujiri has brought stability to the Raptors at a time in which they needed it the most. Losing him now would threaten to negate much of that progress.

MLSE values him highly. They have made no secret of that. For Ujiri, they would be wise to go to war. Whether that means beefing up his newly extended contract - and they may have to, given the leverage New York's reported interest affords him - or demanding a ransom in compensation from the Knicks, should it come to that, it's unlikely they will give him up without a fight. Nor should they.