As media day unfolded in Toronto a day before the NBA Finals, with the basketball world in town, the Houston Rockets were eyeing the self-destruct button. They had a chance to finally beat the Golden State Warriors, and failed, and it was reported the Rockets were willing to trade just about anyone. Sometimes you win, or you implode.
That’s where the Raptors were a year ago, and look at them now. LeBron James destroyed what they had built, so Masai Ujiri installed Nick Nurse as coach and traded DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard and made a deadline deal for Marc Gasol and, a year later, here they are.