Welcome to the Vibe Check! It’s Almost Time for a Fresh Raptors Season

In a new weekly column for Raptors HQ, Chelsea will asses the vibes around the Toronto Raptors.

Welcome to Vibe Check! A new column on Raptors HQ!

The vibes this past year have been... interesting to say the least. Which leads to some obvious apprehension going into the new season. As someone who always likes to see the glass half full, I though I would do weekly check ins with out Raptors community to assess how we are doing, as a collective.

Here’s how it’s going to work:

Section 1: Rate the Vibes

On a scale from 1-10, I’ll rate the vibes surrounding the Raptors that week. Good or bad, bad or worse. A 1 rating means another player is receiving a lifetime ban from the NBA, or something equivalent to that feeling. A 10 rating means we are feeling that 2019 energy again, plan the parade.

Simple Enough?

Section 2: Roses and Thorns

Ever heard of roses and thorns? It’s basically when you share one negative thing (thorn) and one positive thing (rose) from your day/week/month etc. The idea is to allow a safe space to let out the negative energy but also encourage you to look at the positives in life. It’s a therapy practice, which we could all use a bit of these days.

I’ll start with the thorn first, so that we end on the high note of a rose, something positive.

Section 3: Upcoming Games

A brief section outlining what the next week-ish looks like for the Raptors and a prediction of how many games they will win. I will also throw in a guess of where I think the vibes will be the next time we chat.

Sound good? Okay let’s practice.

Rate the Vibes: Let’s start with a 5

Rating the current Toronto Raptors vibes at a 5 seems like a fair assessment. Room to improve, but not the worst?

Let’s be honest, last season kind of rocked everyone. It wasn’t even the on-court product so much as everything surrounding it. Hopefully this upcoming season has less off-court drama and more on-court development.

The other thing that’s different about this year is that the team seems to have a plan, rather than a concept of a plan. Tell me why last year’s Raptors were the first thing to come to mind when that meme started circulating.

We know what this team is supposed to be. We know we will have the same core for the whole season. There are no emotional goodbyes or returns to worry about. Except maybe Gary Trent Jr, cause I will be emotional for that one. Shoutout Gary.

So yeah, 5 seems right.

Roses and Thorns: I miss NBA basketball

Thorn: I miss the NBA season! I think everyone is getting a little antsy now that we are creeping toward the preseason. It feels like going back to school. It’s also been a fairly chill offseason (other than the Olympics), which has been nice in a way. Yet, I also find myself somewhat missing the drama of having a huge name request a trade? I mean we had KD and Damian Lillard in back to back years. The podcasters have no idea what to talk about this season. Maybe that’s a good thing.

Rose: On the other hand, we have WNBA hoops! Now that the Toronto team is officially on it’s way, it has been fun to think about everything ahead of us in Toronto for the next few years. It will be fun to watch how expansion works for Golden State this offseason. On the court, the WNBA has been an absolute thriller — which makes me miss the Raptors a little, because I miss being a part of that action IN PERSON. Anyway, the NBA season will be here before we know it, but until then the WNBA playoffs will be more than enough elite hoops.

Upcoming Games: ***Crickets***

Okay, so there are none at the moment. You can watch the WNBA, which is fantastic, but as far as Toronto basketball goes... we got zip.

I do think the vibes will elevate in the next few weeks though. As much as there are expectations for this team already, you can’t help but feel an increased hope and energy going into a new season. Everyone is just happy to be back. Everyone is rested and maybe a little tan. The new fits are crisp and it feels like a fresh start.

So I think as we approach training camp, that giddiness and excitement will rise.

That’s it for Vibe Check this week! See ya next time!