[Grange] Ujiri on not initiating extension talks with Siakam: “A lot of players didn’t play the right way. I said it, that we were selfish, I’m not running away from that. We were selfish and we didn’t play the right way. So let us see it when we play the right way.”
Ujiri on not initiating extension talks with Siakam: "A lot of players didn't play the right way. I said it, that we were selfish, I'm not running away from that. We were selfish and we didn't play the right way. So let us see it when we play the right way."
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) October 2, 2023
by EarthWarping
30 Comments
Out of everything he’s said, this one was just weird.
This is whack. I didn’t think Siakam played selfish per se but giving him incentive to play that way this year while holding his extension hostage……
What the hell does this even mean? Is Siakam that selfish that you won’t extend him?
I don’t think he’s speaking about Siakam when he says the team played selfishly.
Siakam’s playstyle is iso heavy but he is definitely not a selfish player.
Gary and OG were flubbing endless fastbreaks leading up to All-Star Weekend when super open passes were makeable
It was super nasty and blatant
I donāt understand this quote, is he saying Siakam played selfish?
Can’t wait to see three players who will be unrestricted FAs all looking to get paid next summer to play unselfishly
No way Masai is creating the next scapegoat narrative already… last year was FVV and Nurse
This is malpractice
Iām pretty sure the writing is on the wall. Siakam is gone. OG & GTJ will get extended. If Siakam is gone, trade him.
Woah
Sounds like he’s saying he’s giving the roster one more chance.
Siakam was the least selfish one out there
Yeah this is just a stupid thing to say when talking about Siakam, he was not a selfish player AT ALL.
when Masai goes and has a chat with Scottie: it’s because Scottie’s a lazy bum and needs the riot act read to him
when Masai says Pascal is not doing what he wants him to do: Masai’s lost the plot and is deflecting blame
got to love /r/raptors
I expected this quote for FVV before getting shipped out, but it’s just fucking weird as a response to Siakam extension talks
It’s never a good idea to publicly insult your best player in a contract year when he’s already not happy…has Masai never read a book on negotiation in his entire f#$king life?? Siakam might just say “f#$k you” and walk at the end of the season at this point…
Wow what a clown thing to say from a guy who did fuck all to add the base level talent around him and our few good offensive players
Especially when Siakam is one of the best playmakers at his position
Holy shit people can’t read on this sub or what? Ever played on a team before?
Did you guys expect him to specifically name people? Anyone that watched over 5 games last year knows exactly what he’s talking about. The ball was in Fred’s hands all the time and the dude took logo shots constantly at the worst rate in the NBA. That’s what he’s referring to. The fact Fred said multiple times “I’m gonna get my 20 first” & he played that way. He got his 20 points per game on .001% shooting and then would play actual basketball.
We were selfish, now we’re not selfish. We moved one major player. It’s not rocket science what he’s suggesting.
…what is Masai’s endgame here??
Pascal just said “I’ve never played selfish basketball in my life” and then “I don’t have an ounce of selfishness in me”.
These guys are negotiating in public. Hopefully a deal gets done soon.
As much as everyones freaking out, I actually like this. Why should we reward players for how they played last year? Say we extend Gary, OG and Pascal, what kind of message would that send?
Thats like saying “oh i know you guys all played like ass last year, but that doesnt matter heres a max contract”. Do you think getting rewarded like that is going to make them change? Hell no.
This idea that we could play out the season, and still nove OG or Siakam at any point and get a good return, is stupid. The longer we wait, the worse our return is going to get. First off, waiting until the last year of the contract is a bad idea to begin with, but at the very least as an opposing team you want to have a full season with the acquisition to try and sell them on staying there. If you only have like 30 games, you’re putting a lot of risk in bringing a guy in and having their minds set on going elsewhere.
Tbh, I think it’s too late in the process already, and even if we trade OG and/ or Siakam, we won’t get nearly the return we could have last season, or this off season.
Everything is basically downhill from here.
Yikes. Honestly I never saw anything wrong with the way siakam played. Heās always seemed to look for the open man when double teamed. And isoed and looked to score often because heās our best player and best at creating for others off the dribble?
Well yeah. Fuck all those who kept defending that shitty brand of basketball and writing it off as negativity. Masai is calling out that iso-heavy ball Fred and Pascal ran.
Canāt wait for people to still defend Masai on this. Constructed criticism is allowed people
Thank you Masai! Been saying all summer Siakam is the slefish one on this group more than fred ever was. Get your all-nba somewhere else.
I don’t think Pascal is a selfish player but…
Compare 2019 championship Pascal to 2022 Pascal.
In 2019, Pascal was a solid 2nd/3rd option, attacking in transition consistently, and very engaged on the defensive end. Didn’t need or demand the ball.
In 2022, he is clearly trying to build towards being a #1 option worthy of a super max. Trying to take over as a #1 option on offence, with minimal transition energy. He was an average defender at best, and was clearly trying to use all his focus and energy on the offensive end. Minimal energy on the defensive end.
I don’t blame him for how he tried to develop in 2022, he’s earned that opportunity with what’s he’d one for this team over the years, and needs to be that kind of player to get that supermax extension.
The problem is the organization is now saying “Hey, we tried with you as the #1 option, and we couldn’t even win a play-in game. We’re going with Scottie now” Is Pascal willing to revert to his previous role as an exceptional complimentary player? If yes, great for the team, but Pascal isn’t getting the supermax. If no, then he’s putting himself ahead of the organization to try and get his bag. Not an easy decision whatsoever.
Siakam walking for free like every other asset we got
ITT: a bunch of raptors fans hyperventilating because they didn’t watch the media day interview and took Grange’s misleading and poorly written tweet at face value. Masai did not say “pascal is a selfish player, that’s why we aren’t extending him”. Masai DID say “I want to see what this team plays like under a new coach before I max Pascal again”