Is hiring Bobby Webster the right Decision? This is a question many Raptor fans are asking after the team made Bobby Webster the head of Basketball operations. As a result, the team will extend Bobby Webster’s contract but he will not have the position of president. However, he will be the decision maker for the Toronto Raptors and will report directly to the MLSE board of directors. So was it a good move for the team moving forward? Let’s dive in.
Is Hiring Bobby Webster the Right Decision? Continuity and Price
The first benefit of hiring Bobby Webster is continuity for the team and organization. He has served as Masai’s right hand man for years. Also, their philosophies and ideas on roster construction are probably pretty similar. This will mean a sigh of relief for the coaching staff and some players in particularly Scottie Barnes. Both Masai and Bobby were high on him and Webster will make every attempt to build a team around Barnes. Also, coach Darko will get a little more leeway to show that he can coach a team to win and not for development only.
Second, the price of hiring Bobby will be a lot cheaper than hiring a top notch front office executive. This is Bobby’s first time with total control of the team so in a sense, he will come at a discount. This will be music to the ears of MLSE as they have been in the process of cutting costs when it comes to their front offices of the teams they own. And even though he is cheaper, they are hoping that Bobby Webster becomes the next hot shot executive in the NBA. If he does, then they have an absolute bargain!
Is Hiring Bobby Webster the Right Decision? Too focused on Numbers?
The one concern I have is that Bobby Webster might get too concerned about numbers and that he might sacrifice talent in the process. What do I mean? Well, Bobby has the reputation of being a numbers guy. This comes in handy when trying to prevent the team from paying the luxury tax. However, there were two instances I remember that he focused too much on number crunching and lost talent as a result.
The first was trading Norman Powell for Gary Trent Jr. The Raptors did not want to pay Norman Powell a new contract as they thought it was too much for his age. So they decided to trade him for Gary Trent Jr. at the trade deadline. I still remember the Open Gym Episode where Bobby Webster brought up Gary Trent Jr. to Masai at the deadline. It still makes me cringe! The result was that the team ended paying the same per year contract for Gary Trent Jr. as Norman Powell received. And Powell was the much better player. Ouch!
The second was trying to sign Serge Ibaka to a one year contract instead of a two year contract extension as he wanted. The reason was that they wanted to have preciously enough money to try to sign Giannis Antetokounmpo in free agency. However, there was little chance of this happening as Giannis was on a championship contender and the Bucks could offer him more money than any other team. Also, he was a loyal person by nature and the Raptors should have known that. As a result, Ibaka signed somewhere else and the Raptors signed Aron Baynes. Talent lost.
Conclusion
I am ok with the hiring of Bobby Webster for the team as it keeps things stable with the team. The next couple of years will be key. If he can help the team get back to the playoffs and there is growth, it is a great hire. However, if things are stagnate or get worse, the team can pivot from him and start a full rebuild with someone else. But for now, it is a good hire and now the team can focus on the upcoming season.
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