As a Torontonian that has
been following the Raptors since their inception in 1995, is safe to say the
2015/2016 NBA season will go down as the greatest year in Toronto Raptors
history. Although this year’s journey has been amazing, one cannot help to reminisce
the past 21 years of disappointment. Over the past two decades, I never felt
that the Raptors were part of the NBA fraternity and being located in Canada
definitely does not help. However, this feeling of exclusion does not stem from
the geographic whereabouts of the Raptors, but it stems from the lack of
on-court accomplishment as an organization. Similar to the NBA 2K video game
series, I believe there are certain achievements an organization needs to
accomplish to validate their membership within the NBA fraternity. Below are 5
achievements that I believe an organization needs to fulfill before that franchise
can even be considered a novice member of the NBA fraternity (Tier One).
As
winning the NBA championship is such an exclusive accomplishment, this list
does not apply to franchises that have won a championship. The organizations listed
below are automatically part of the highest tier within the NBA fraternity:
76ers, Blazers, Bucks, Bulls, Celtics, Hawks,
Heat, Kings (Royals), Knicks, Lakers, Mavericks, Pistons, Pistons, Rockets,
Spurs, Thunder (Supersonics), Warriors and Wizards (Bullets).
Tier One Achievements:
#1:
The 50+ Win Club

(Organizations Pending – None)
#2:
A Streak of 10+ Wins

(Organizations Pending – Grizzlies)
#3:
The Final Four

(Organizations Pending – Clippers, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Hornets, Grizzlies and
Pelicans)
#4:
Multiple All-Stars on Roster

(Organizations Pending –
Grizzlies)
#5:
Hosting the NBA All-Star Game

(Cities Pending – Memphis, OKC, Portland and Sacramento)
Based
on the checklist above, surprisingly quite a few organizations (Clippers, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Hornets, Grizzlies and
Pelicans) are
ineligible to be considered a Tier One member of the NBA fraternity. Although
most organizations are only reaching the “Final Four” away from completing the list,
the Memphis Grizzlies has a bit of work to do. Let me know what you think about
my list and feel free to chime in on what achievements you would like to add or
even take out.
~ NORTH IS COMING ~
~ NORTH IS COMING ~