Shout Out to 2 Single Season Raptors Legends

 A couple of players who played very impactful single seasons with the Raptors announced their retirements this offseason and I think they deserve a spot on my blog. Both of these guys impacted the team in different ways, but have been integral parts of Raptors history. And no, this isn't a Vince Carter post, these guys are more near and dear to my heart than Vince ever could be. I can't wait to be an old head in 20 years dropping these names to the boys at a bar as we discuss random role players of the 2010s-2020s, those will be the days. 

Danny Green

The first guy deserving of a shout out is Danny Green who called it a career at 37 years old. Danny played for a bunch of teams throughout his long career, but the most memorable one for me was his one season in Toronto in 2018/2019. Danny was the fifth starter on the Raptors championship team, starting all 82 games and consistently being a steady force in the Raptors lineup. I still remember the day the Raptors announced the trade for Kawhi. At around 2AM while everyone was asleep, basketball was changing forever. We all woke up to the notification that DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl had been traded for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. I remember thinking it was a miracle that we managed to pull Danny Green out of that trade along side Kawhi Leonard. After winning a championship with the Spurs, Danny had made himself into one of, if not the best 3 and D players in the world. Danny played his role well defending 1-3 at a high level while knocking down catch and shoot 3s at an elite clip. Kawhi was the main piece in that trade, but I don't think the Raptors win the championship without Danny Green being included as well. 

I remember clear as day sitting in my parent's living room watching the second Raptors game of the season in 2018 against the Boston Celtics. With the Raptors up single digits and time dwindling, Jayson Tatum made a drive to the basket in transition. What looked like an easy layup was blocked simultaneously by Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard. I remember leaping with excitement and shouting THIS IS WHY WE GOT THESE GUYS! Danny played his ass off in transition defense and was one of the best chase-down block guards in NBA history. Danny was also one of the most reliable catch and shoot players in the NBA, especially in his Raptors season where he shot 45% from 3. There's a game that stands out to me, mid season against the Magic when Kawhi was resting. The Raptors were down a point with seconds left and Nick Nurse drew up a play to inbound to Danny Green for a quick catch and shoot 2. Danny cashed it for a game winner. 

Danny was integral to the championship run, although his shooting slipped, his defense never did and they needed every bit of it against the gauntlet they went through in the East. I still will never forget the final game of the championship where Danny was inbounded the ball with seconds remaining, all he had to do was take a foul. He ended up throwing the ball out of bounds for a turnover to give the Warriors one last shot at tying the game. In that same living room where I witnessed the double blocked shot months earlier, I shouted "JUST TAKE THE FOUL DANNY!!!!" LUCKILY Steph Curry missed a relatively open 3 point attempt, the Raptors win and the rest is history. Danny will always have a home in Toronto, a place where he became a champion for the second of 3 times. 

Aron Baynes

Oh boy where to even begin with this one. From 2019-2020 the Raptors had in my opinion the best centers in their franchise history in Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka. In an all out effort to sign Giannis in the 2020 off season, Masai Ujiri opted to let both Ibaka and Gasol walk in free agency leaving undersized Chris Boucher as the only "center" on the Raptors roster. Enter Aron Baynes. Baynes had put up a pretty good season in Phoenix the year prior averaging 11 points a game and shooting 35% from 3 on pretty good volume. It looked like while Baynes would be a downgrade from Ibaka/Gasol, he would at least hold down the position for a year and keep up the Raptors' team success. Boy was that wrong. 

Baynes for what it's worth was a great professional. He came in and worked hard in his role every game. It was unfortunate that by the time he got to the Raptors his mobility was completely shot and the 3 point shooting looked more like a fluke than anything you could rely on. By the end of the season, Baynes looked so disappointing that Khem Birch and G-Leaguer Freddie Gillespie were looking like breaths of fresh air in comparison. Oh yeah, did I mention that due to COVID this season was played in Tampa Bay with fans (when they were allowed in) actively cheering against the Raptors? Fun times

A time I will never forget, despite trying to, was at the end of the year when the Raptors were clearly not trying to win anymore resting Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam the Raptors ran out some bare bones lineups. Good piece of Raptors trivia for you, on May 14 2021 the Raptors played a 7 man rotation against the Dallas Mavericks in a 114-110 loss. The Raptors that game started Malachi Flynn, Jalen Harris, Khem Birch, Freddie Gillespie and Stanley Johnson. Coming off the bench was DeAndre Bembry and Aron Baynes. First of all, this is my go to when people claim they want tanking, only a true sicko is watching this game (which is myself.) But second of all, I remember specifically that Aaron Baynes played minutes at the 3 in this one. Nick Nurse knew they had nothing to play for anymore which gave him the ultimate freedom to cook however he wanted to. Nick being an experimental guy decided to run 3 centers out there in Khem Birch, Freddie Gillespie and Aron Baynes. As hilarious as this sounds, Baynes was a +12 in the loss. 

What most Raptors fans will remember about Baynes is he was the "tank commander" that led to the Raptors getting the draft pick that became Scottie Barnes. I will always remember how Aron Baynes taught me to appreciate a good center while we have them, a big reason why I am more of a Jakob Poeltl fan than any of my friends. Baynes had an awesome career all things considered, one where he won a championship with the Spurs. At the end of the day, I will always remember this single season Raptors legend.