Their training facilities are still under construction. Players and staff are looking for temporary residences in Tampa.
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As the only NBA team to play outside of its market, and its country, this season, the Toronto Raptors have a lot to face.
But according to team president Masai Ujiri, there is one trait unique to the Raptors: the ability of this formation to come together and face great challenges.
He doesn’t expect anything else despite the bizarre season ahead.
“Look, it’s not an easy task here,” Ujiri said on a video conference on Saturday. There are a lot of sacrifices. I know everyone is making sacrifices right now. We have the opportunity to play and do a job that we love. I am proud of this organization. ”
The Raptors begin their team practices this Sunday in Tampa, where they will play their home games this season.
The Toronto squad learned less than three weeks ago that they couldn’t play at the Scotiabank Arena. The last-minute change forced the construction of a field in a hotel ballroom and the search for accommodation for players and staff.
Recreating the comforts of Toronto’s OVO Center won’t be easy, but Ujiri says if the reaction is the same as this summer, facing the fields in the NBA bubble, the team will adapt.
“I remember walking into the ballroom at the same time as Kyle (Lowry) and Fred (VanVleet). I will never forget the picture. They immediately grabbed a ball and started shooting, he said. These guys are basketball players. They see a wooden floor and a basket and they start to play. ”
Ujiri, who is with the team in Florida and was also in the NBA bubble at Walt Disney World, said the priority was to support players and staff in their relocation.
“As the leader of this organization, you try to do as much as possible for the players, staff and everyone to be comfortable,” said Ujiri. It is for this reason that you want to be in the same environment as them, to live the same experience. ”
The global pandemic will determine whether the Raptors can return home before the end of the season.
“Whether it’s Napoli (where the Raptors are held), Orlando or wherever, we play to win,” Ujiri insisted. There will be adversity no matter where we are. We love our fans in Toronto and we will do anything for them. ”
The uncertainty surrounding where the Raptors would play has pushed the renegotiation of staff contracts to the back burner, but Ujiri has said GM Bobby Webster’s new contract is all but signed.
There remains uncertainty surrounding the future of Terence Davis, who faces seven counts, including assault and harassment after allegedly hitting his girlfriend. Davis, who is with the team in Tampa, appears in court on Dec. 11, a day before the Raptors’ first preseason game.
Ujiri stressed that the team must follow the investigation process of the NBA and the Players Association.
“We made a decision as an organization with all the information we had at our disposal. We do not tolerate what has been alleged and we have discussed it with Terence and our organization, he added. We even went so far as to talk to all the women on our team to get their point of view. ”
The season for the G-League, the developmental league of the NBA, is also in troubled waters. If the season gets underway, the 905 Raptors, which are located in Mississauga, Ont., Will face the same restrictions as the Raptors. That doesn’t mean they won’t find a way to play.
“I’ll say this, whatever the G-League does, the Toronto Raptors and 905 Raptors will be in it,” Ujiri concluded.
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