Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors announced Saturday that forward Serge Ibaka is out indefinitely with a sprained right ankle, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic.

Ibaka suffered the injury during Toronto's 122-104 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. Per ESPN's Andrew Lopez, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse called the sprain "pretty bad" after the game.

Additionally, the Raptors announced that starting point guard Kyle Lowry will miss at least two weeks after suffering a fractured thumb in the same game.

The 30-year-old Ibaka is averaging 14.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 22.9 minutes per game over the course of eight contests this season. Although he hasn't made a start, Ibaka is a key contributor, as he is seventh on the team in minutes per game.

While Ibaka is out, Marc Gasol and Pascal Siakam will continue to comprise the starting frontcourt for Toronto. In terms of who may be called upon to take on Ibaka's role, Chris Boucher is the top candidate.

Boucher is a 26-year-old third-year player who hasn't seen much action during his young NBA career. Boucher has appeared in just 35 regular-season games and owns career averages of 2.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.9 blocks.

In six games this season, Boucher is averaging 1.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 block in 6.0 minutes per contest. Although he hasn't played much, Boucher is fifth on the team with a player efficiency rating of 16.02 ahead of the likes of Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell and Gasol.

The 6'9" Boucher saw his most extensive playing time of the season Friday after Ibaka went out and finished with five points, eight rebounds and one block in 14 minutes.

Toronto's depth will be tested in a big way with both Ibaka and Lowry on the shelf, but since the Raptors are off to a strong start at 6-2, they have some leeway until their full rotation is restored.

Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry will miss at least two weeks after suffering a fracture of the distal phalanx of his left thumb in Friday night's win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

ESPN's Rachel Nichols reported the news Saturday.

Lowry said after the game the injury was not related to the offseason surgery he had to repair ligaments in his left thumb.

"Originally, we thought it was something in the nail bed because the nail bed turned black and blue," he told reporters. "We got some X-rays, and we sent the X-rays off to the doctors, and there was a small fracture in the thumb."

Also, Serge Ibaka sprained his ankle in the victory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pvwn_U8zVc

Lowry was off to a strong start to the 2019-20 campaign with his offensive role increased following the offseason departure of Kawhi Leonard. The 14th-year guard is averaging 21.8 points, 6.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 42.6 percent on threes through eight games.

A two-week timetable would make the Raptors' Nov. 23 clash at the Atlanta Hawks the earliest possible return for the five-time All-Star. The team will likely play it safe given his history of thumb injuries and its 6-2 record, though.

Fred VanVleet will take over the team's point guard duties, while Norman Powell should slide into the starting lineup at shooting guard. Terence Davis could also get more playing time in the backcourt rotation.

Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry suffered a small fracture in his left thumb Friday in a 122-104 win against the New Orleans Pelicans, according to postgame comments from head coach Nick Nurse (h/t ESPN NBA reporter Andrew Lopez).

Lowry posted six points and five assists in 16 minutes before exiting.

The Raptors' chances of repeating as NBA champions basically evaporated the moment Kawhi Leonard signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. Lowry's presence, however, is one reason why Toronto can still challenge for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.

The five-time All-Star averaged 14.2 points and 8.7 assists while shooting 34.7 percent from three-point range last season. He was fifth among point guards in ESPN.com's real plus-minus (plus-4.65).

Lowry missed 17 games in 2018-19, but the Raptors still finished with the second-best record in the East. Having Leonard and Danny Green helped Toronto cope without its floor general.

Now, Leonard and Green are gone, making it more difficult for Nurse to adapt.

Lowry's injury will provide Fred VanVleet with an opportunity to run the Raptors offense on a more frequent basis. VanVleet averaged 11.0 points and 4.8 assists off the bench for Toronto a season ago, and he connected on a number of big shots in the playoffs. So far this season, VanVleet has averaged 15.6 points and 6.9 assists as Toronto's starting shooting guard.

Based on VanVleet's improvement, Nurse can at least have a little more confidence in the fourth-year guard until Lowry returns.

Comedy superstar Tiffany Haddish tells Serge Ibaka about being a trailblazer in comedy on a new How Hungry Are You?

If Giannis Antetokounmpo decides to test the free-agent market after next season, the reigning NBA MVP will reportedly be pursued by the reigning NBA champions. 

Per The Athletic's John Hollinger, the Toronto Raptors will likely be "one of the chief pursuers" of Antetokounmpo in the summer of 2021 if he becomes available. 

There is the question of whether Antetokounmpo will become a free agent. 

Per NBC Sports' Kurt Helin, NBA team executives expect the Greek Freak will sign a supermax contract extension this summer to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks.

From a financial standpoint, re-signing with the Bucks will allow Antetokounmpo an opportunity to maximize his earning potential. The 24-year-old is eligible to sign the largest contract in NBA history after this season with a total value of $247.3 million over five years, per ESPN's Bobby Marks.

Per Anita Elberse, a Harvard Business School professor, from an interview she did with Antetokounmpo over the summer (h/t Rick Rommell of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel), he said if the Bucks are "underperforming in the NBA next year, deciding whether to sign becomes a lot more difficult."

In the wake of losing Kawhi Leonard as a free agent, the Raptors have maintained long-term financial flexibility with Pascal Siakam as their only player signed to a guaranteed deal past the 2020-21 season. 

There is great risk for Toronto, which hasn't historically been a destination for top free agents, if it puts all of its chips in Antetokounmpo, but team president Masai Ujiri isn't shy about making bold moves to upgrade his roster. 

Fred VanVleet expressed a willingness to stay with the Toronto Raptors when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

VanVleet said Wednesday on Sportsnet's Tim & Sid he doesn't want to make any declarative statements because he has a number of things to consider before his final decision, but he also maintained he'd like to remain in Toronto.

"But, I mean, I've been on record about how I feel about this place," the fourth-year guard said. "This organization knows how I feel about this place. So in a perfect world, we know what would happen."

The Raptors gave Kyle Lowry a one-year, $30 million extension to keep him under contract through the 2020-21 season, and they signed Pascal Siakam to a four-year, $129.9 million max deal. The team has shown a willingness to keep its current roster together.

Money shouldn't be an issue for the team. Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka are both coming off the books in the summer, while the quartet of Siakam, Norman Powell, Dewan Hernandez and Matt Thomas are the only players under contract through 2021.

But a thin free-agent class could make VanVleet's value climb so high that re-signing him becomes unfeasible relative to his likely on-court returns.

CBSSports.com's Colin Ward-Henninger ranked VanVleet as the 15th-best player overall and second-best point guard available in the offseason. 

Some of the free agents ahead of him are effectively unattainable because they're either restricted free agents (Brandon Ingram, Bogdan Bogdanovic) or have lucrative player options they can trigger (Andre Drummond, Gordon Hayward, Otto Porter Jr.).

VanVleet certainly knows what's at stake this season. He had 34 points, five rebounds and seven assists in the Raptors' 130-122 overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. With a big year, he could command a huge contract even though he doesn't have a strong collective body of work.

Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri will not face criminal charges after allegedly shoving a police officer while attempting to step onto the court after the team's NBA Finals win over the Golden State Warriors. 

"The District Attorney's Office has determined that no criminal charges will be filed in the matter," the Alameda County District Attorney's Office said in a statement Tuesday.

"Mr. Ujiri attended a meeting with the District Attorney's Office focused on matters that we believe merited constructive, structured mediation and conflict resolution and were better handled in a setting outside the courtroom."

The officer said he suffered a concussion and a jaw injury in the incident. A witness told USA Today after the initial allegation the officer initiated contact between himself and Ujiri, who responded by shoving the officer after a misunderstanding regarding his credentials.

"I am extremely pleased with the decision," Ujiri said in a statement. "While these past months have been difficult waiting for a determination on this matter, I understand the nature of the process and am appreciative of the efforts of all involved. I am happy that this is now behind me and I look forward to the task of bringing another championship to the City of Toronto."

The district attorney's office said the matter was able to be handled privately, though any terms of an agreement have not been disclosed. 

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse will go down in NBA history as the first person to use the Coach's Challenge in a regular-season game:

Raptors wing Norman Powell was called for an offensive foul against New Orleans Pelicans guard Josh Hart early in the first quarter of the NBA's regular-season opener. Nurse immediately challenged the play, but the foul was confirmed.

The NBA Board of Governors instituted Coach's Challenges on a one-year trial basis this offseason.

Per NBA.com, "a team can use its challenge for: personal foul calls on its own team at any time in the game" as well as "out-of-bounds and goaltending/basket interference calls during the first 46 minutes of the game and the first three minutes of OT."

In the last two minutes of regulation or any overtime period, only referees can call for out-of-bounds and goaltending reviews.

Teams are only allowed one challenge per game.

As for reactions to the new challenge rule, Dan Wolken of USA Today and Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports did not take to it kindly:

This coach’s challenge in the NBA is going to be a disaster

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) October 23, 2019

A real coach's challenge!

(I kind of hate this new rule)

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 23, 2019

Sean Highkin of Bleacher Report and Blake Murphy of The Athletic had a couple of jokes lined up:

https://twitter.com/highkin/status/1186801378468876288

Nick Nurse has the worst coach's challenge record in league history.

— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) October 23, 2019

A few questions remain about the new challenge rule. Namely, how will it be perceived when it's used more widely among all 30 NBA teams? Furthermore, how will the coaches put it into practice? Do coaches use it at the first sight of a blatantly bad call, or do they pocket the challenge until the fourth quarter?

The answer will be revealed shortly, as the NBA schedule gets into full swing Wednesday with 11 more games.

The Toronto Raptors and their fans got to celebrate the first championship in franchise history Tuesday before the season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Four months after shocking the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, the team unveiled the banner and players received their rings in front of an excited crowd at Scotiabank Arena.

A historic ring for a historic accomplishment. #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/IZdkXQTj4B

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 22, 2019

Our first will never be forgotten. #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/OCr0jOdj09

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 22, 2019

It's really real. pic.twitter.com/JD2gRYNJwq

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) October 22, 2019

The nice touch is every player’s name etched into the red trim pic.twitter.com/Jkii2MJ7z8

— Doug Smith: Raptors (@SmithRaps) October 22, 2019

Kyle Lowry kicked off the banner release with some words to the crowd:

Raptors hang their first banner 💯 https://t.co/tAoNimc1ku

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 22, 2019

The players also shined in their "NBA Champions" warmups:

💍🏆👏

Toronto welcomes their NBA CHAMPION @Raptors! #KiaTipOff19 pic.twitter.com/jEptBTsG2l

— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2019

The entire pregame ceremony was a fun one for the players getting a chance to celebrate: 

Raptors receive their championship rings 💍 https://t.co/1bYSFv9RGF

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 22, 2019

.@NBAonTNT is the spot for live coverage of the @Raptors as the defending NBA Champions receive their rings in Toronto before the upcoming season gets underway!

Stick around and see them vs. @PelicansNBA next pic.twitter.com/608iemt33y

— TNT Sports U.S. PR (@TNTSportsUS) October 22, 2019

Even the fans came away with replica rings:

Every Raptors fan in attendance is gonna walk away with this replica championship ring 💍

(via lloydjulian/IG) https://t.co/kNFUpX6uuR

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 22, 2019

There was clear excitement in the entire crowd:

Raptors replayed Kawhi Leonard’s four-bounce jumper on the big screen & you could feel the goosebumps taking over. Fans are fired up. Energy is off the charts. Now I see why teams get their doors blown off on these nights. Can’t be in the moment when recent past was so amazing

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) October 22, 2019

Closing that out with a "Lowry" chant is perfect.

— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) October 22, 2019

They obviously didn't forget everyone who helped along the way, including head coach Nick Nurse and team president Masai Ujiri:

Masai Ujiri gets MVP chants as he accepts his Raptors championship ring. pic.twitter.com/pD474qDn5W

— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) October 22, 2019

Excuse the bass blurring my video but Nick Nurse just got his ring and the crowd went WILD. #raptors pic.twitter.com/nIJBRWSyRL

— Jess Patton (@_JessPatton) October 22, 2019

Still, it was the players' night to celebrate before kicking off the upcoming season.

The Raptors don't have as high of expectations this year without Kawhi Leonard, entering the season with 50-1 odds to win the NBA title at Caesars Casino.

However, there is still loads of talent on the roster as well as plenty of confidence following last year's title. It could be enough to make the squad a contender once again in 2019-20.

Forward Pascal Siakam agreed to a four-year, $130M maximum contract extension with the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The contract does not include a player or team option, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

ESPN's Bobby Marks provided a yearly breakdown of the deal, which will pay Siakam $129.9 million in total:

Here is the Pascal Siakam max extension based on a $116M cap in 2020-21:

20/21- $29M

21/22- $31.32M

22/23- $33.64M

23/24- $35.96M

Total of $129.9M

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) October 19, 2019

Siakam was a first-round pick in 2016, and the 2019-20 season would have marked the final year of his rookie contract.

He is coming off a breakout performance in 2018-19 that resulted in him being named the Most Improved Player. After averaging 6.0 points during his first two years in the league, he averaged a career-high 16.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season.

As good as he was during the regular season, he upped his game even more while helping the Raptors win their first-ever championship.

He put up 19.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during the postseason run, recording 19.8 PPG and 7.5 RPG during a six-game victory over the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals.

Josh Lewenberg of TSN reported in late September that the two sides had engaged in preliminary extension talks, with Siakam's camp seeking a max contract worth approximately $130 million over four years. At that time, though, a deal did not appear to be close.

Ultimately, they were able to come to an agreement that will keep Siakam in the Six through the 2023-24 season.