New GM Ujiri thinks Toronto market a 'sleeping giant'

New Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri did a lengthy interview with The National Post on Friday ahead of Raptors training camp.

Among the highlights was Ujiri referring to the Toronto basketball market as one that hasn't quite reached it's potential:

"For me, the challenge -- when it came up, that dream of getting it going here for the fans, for the organization, for ownership, for people, there's something about Toronto. It's a sleeping giant in some kind of way, if we can figure out how to get it going."

If the market really is a sleeping giant, a few playoff berths leading up to the 2016 NBA All-Star Game could certainly wake it up.

Ujiri was also up front about where the team is at present:

"I really can't say this team is going to be fourth or seventh or 12th. I can't do that. I want us to have growth, big-time growth, and improvement so that we can actually know what we have on this team. And then we can move from there."

What they have on the team is a handful of talented players but no clear identity. Fans should appreciate that Ujiri is taking a more measured approach rather than immediately burning the foundation to the ground or going all-in.