#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the press conference for the Toronto Raptors' 65th season in Sim League. I'm GM Penny, and I'm thrilled to be here today to discuss the highlights of Season 64 and our plans for the upcoming season.

Last season was a significant leap forward for our team, as we managed to make it to the playoffs and put up an incredible fight against the formidable Detroit Pistons. We took them to the brink, but unfortunately, we lost a heartbreaker in Game 7. Nonetheless, we are incredibly proud of our team's progress and resilience throughout the season.

During the offseason, we acquired Mark Shinn in the draft with the 13th pick, and we believe he will bring a lot of talent and versatility to our team. We were also able to secure long-term deals with two essential players, Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney, during free agency. Additionally, we signed a stellar big man in Larry Canfield, who we expect to have a significant impact on both ends of the floor.

Overall, we are incredibly excited to build off the successes of last season and are determined to continue progressing as a team. Our goal is to make even further strides and compete at the highest level. We have confidence in our roster, our coaching staff, and the dedication of our players to achieve greatness.

Thank you for your attention, and I'm now ready to take your questions.

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: You mentioned Larry Canfield specifically as a free agency win, but the recommended roster rule for preseason had Larry coming off the bench. It's obvious that Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney are solid starters, but what positional battles do you have still going on your team heading into the regular season?

GWR: We’ve heard reports that Lenz Durrenberger was incredibly close to signing with you, going as far as to say “in another timeline I would’ve signed with the Raptors.” How disappointing was missing out on him

The Raptors were like a PBSL sleeper agent last season. On no one's radar, they came into the playoffs and gave a top 5 team an absolute run for their money? How did you do that? Do you think you will be an overlooked success again, or do other GMs know now that the Raptors are here to win?

garbageman wrote: Wed Aug 02, 2023 4:00 pm Sham Smith, Bulls.com: You mentioned Larry Canfield specifically as a free agency win, but the recommended roster rule for preseason had Larry coming off the bench. It's obvious that Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney are solid starters, but what positional battles do you have still going on your team heading into the regular season?

Larry Canfield will join the starting lineup so no battle there but I am still thinking about Kamari Brown and Jerald Honeycutt. I'm leaning towards Kamari starting but I'll take it up to the deadline to decide.

JNR wrote: Wed Aug 02, 2023 5:33 pm GWR: We’ve heard reports that Lenz Durrenberger was incredibly close to signing with you, going as far as to say “in another timeline I would’ve signed with the Raptors.” How disappointing was missing out on him

It does not really faze me.

greepleairport wrote: Thu Aug 03, 2023 12:40 pm The Raptors were like a PBSL sleeper agent last season. On no one's radar, they came into the playoffs and gave a top 5 team an absolute run for their money? How did you do that? Do you think you will be an overlooked success again, or do other GMs know now that the Raptors are here to win?

Last season was fun. I did not understand why the Liddell trade got so much hate but I really liked how the team responded in the 2nd half of the season. I just want to be known as a good GM and I really think I can make strides this season and beyond. My division has a lot of good GMs and I want to be in the conversation with them.

What lessons did you learn from your playoff appearance last season?

K-100 wrote: Thu Aug 03, 2023 9:17 pm What lessons did you learn from your playoff appearance last season?

It is really difficult to win two road games against a superior team so defending homecourt is important.

Dont rest on your laurels either. Harold Schiff went 1-15 in one of the games and I thought the Pistons were toast. It was just one game.

K-100 wrote: Thu Aug 03, 2023 9:17 pm What lessons did you learn from your playoff appearance last season?

It is really difficult to win two road games against a superior team so defending homecourt is important.

Don't rest on your laurels either. Harold Schiff went 1-15 in one of the games and I thought the Pistons were toast. It was just one game.