Members of the Toronto Raptors expressed optimism at a news conference Saturday, saying they are hungry for another championship.
The reigning NBA champions met with media at the Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto just a day before their training camp in Quebec City kicked off.
“It’s a new season,” head coach Nick Nurse told reporters. “I feel almost the same as I did last year and the expectations are the same.”
Some things have changed since the Raptors won their first NBA championship on June 13.
“Obviously we’re not favourites. I think if Kawhi [Leonard] would have come back, and Danny [Green] would have come back, with the same team we could have been favourites to win it,” player Fred VanVleet admitted Saturday.
In early July, Leonard signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, and Green signed with the Lakers, but the majority of the team is back.
“I think [the] guys are going to step up, I think [the] guys are up for the challenge,” the team’s president Masai Ujiri said.
Many players shrugged off the fact that oddsmakers don’t expect them to retain their title.
“We really don’t care what the odds are or what people are saying,” said player Norman Powell. “It’s been like that since I first came to this team as a rookie. We’ve always been the least favoured to win.”
This coming season could present another challenge for Ujiri, who will have to deal with the end of star player Kyle Lowry’s contract.
Ujiri jokingly told reporters Saturday that Lowry "gives me a headache once a month,” but added that it’s “fine, that’s our relationship.”
Lowry said that Ujiri deserves legacy status for his impact on the team.
Lowry also told reporters that his focus is just on one thing: another championship.
“It’s always the same goal for me. I’m motivated even more than ever now,” he said. “When you get a taste of it [then] you always want it.”
