Raptors President & GM Masai Ujiri said that MLSE is "prepared to pay the luxury tax should Ujiri want to bring the band back together or go after high-profile free agents, but, more interestingly, he was also given the blessing to dismantle the team entirely and try again from scratch." On potentially tearing down the team's core, Ujiri said, "We’re not afraid of that at all. Because it might be the right way to go, you never know." SPORTSNET.ca's Steven Loung wrote it "seemed clear Ujiri isn’t above blowing up his core and tanking to try to get back in position to win a championship again." This is "definitely the most extreme of the 'culture reset' scenarios, but it may also be the wisest" (SPORTSNET.ca, 5/9).
WORKING FROM HOME: In Ft. Lauderdale, Ira Winderman notes the Heat confirmed a recent report on Heat President Pat Riley that he "agreed to a five-year extension to continue in his role" a year ago. That would "keep him under contract" through the '20-21 season. In the report, it was "mentioned that Riley's agreement is 'with the understanding that he can work anywhere.'" Riley clarified through a team spokesperson that he is "not going anywhere for an extended period." It is "not unusual for NBA executives to work away from cities where teams are based," though it is rare to have "such logistics with executives involved in team's day-to-day activities" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 5/11).
NOT BLAZING ANY NEW TRAILS: The Trail Blazers unveiled a new logo earlier this week, though ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said there is "no real difference." Kornheiser: "They moved the red from the bottom to the top. ... What happened here was a creative consultant charged somebody $250,000 and produced the same piece of junk that they had last week." ESPN's Michael Wilbon said, "If I was [Trail Blazers Owner] Paul Allen ... you would hear the following announcement in the Blazers headquarters: 'Will all the marketing people please report to Mr. Allen's office now and bring your playbook,' because I would be running people right out of there" ("PTI," ESPN, 5/9).
