SH Blog: Toronto Raptors, Drake Receive $25,000 Tampering Fine

The Toronto Raptors are fighting vigorously to remain relevant in the NBA. While basketball takes precedent over all else, the organization has also made a clear effort to become more socially relevant.

Part of that expansion has been the association with hip hop artist Drake. The Grammy award-winner was named the global ambassador for the Raptors, which instantly caught the attention of the entertainment world and all of its followers.

On Monday, August 11, Drake earned the wrong type of attention for his hometown squad. He brought the wrath of Adam Silver to Toronto.

According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the Raptors were fined $25,000 for Drake’s tampering with reigning MVP Kevin Durant.

The Toronto Raptors have been fined for comments rap star and team ambassador Drake made about Kevin Durant at a recent concert that the NBA deemed a violation of its anti-tampering rules.

The fine is for $25,000, sources with knowledge of the league’s ruling told ESPN.com on Monday.

Rapper Drake, the global ambassador for the Raptors, asked a Toronto crowd to show its support for Kevin Durant during a recent concert where the NBA MVP was in attendance.

Durant, who attended Drake’s show last week in Toronto, was the subject of what the league regarded as a public recruiting pitch from the famed Canadian artist, who was named the Raptors’ global ambassador in September 2013.

For those who missed it, Drake said the following to Durant at a recent concert, per Stein:

“Before we leave, I just want to show one of my brothers something,” Drake told the crowd. “You know, my brother Kevin Durant was kind enough to come to the show tonight and watch us. I just want him to see what would happen if he came to play in Toronto. Let him know what would happen.”

Worthy of a fine? You decide. Silver already made his ruling.

Whether or not Durant has interest in shipping up north, this seems like a harmless offense. As many artists do at their live performances, Drake paid homage to someone whom he calls a friend. It just so happens that his friend is the reigning NBA MVP.

Thus, the 27-year-old seemingly overlooked the responsibilities that have been entrusted in him by the Raptors.

Fair or foul, Drake is not Drake to the NBA—he’s Aubrey Graham. He’s a global ambassador for its lone Canadian organization. Already subject to a massive spotlight, everything that the former Degrassi actor says in pertinence to the NBA matters.

Whether it’s asking fans to cheer for one of the most popular athletes on the planet or simply saying, “Go Raptors,” it all holds weight. In this instance, his comments were powerful enough that Silver felt the need to act.

Drake holds a connection to professional athletes that few, if any, executives can relate to. Whether you like his music or not, Drake is one of the most commercially successful and internationally popular recording artists in the world today.

Five years removed from his breakout EP, So Far Gone, Drake has experienced half-a-decade of global fame. There are many players in the NBA whose exposure to songs such as, “Best I Ever Had” came at a young enough age for Drake to be idolized.

Andrew Wiggins, for example, was a 13-year-old Toronto native when, “Best I Ever Had” first debuted. Durant, the topic of conversation, was in his early 20s for a majority of Drake’s career and is still only 25.

This isn’t to pick out Wiggins or Durant, but instead an acknowledgement of the influence that an immensely popular entertainer holds.

In the end, playing for the Raptors will come down to just that—playing for the Raptors. With Drake’s level of star power, however, his every sports-related activity will be monitored.

Harmless or not, Silver showed that the leash is short when it comes to tampering.

Cleveland Pursuing Shawn Marion, Ray Allen?

Two of the best remaining free agents are over the age of 36 and played vital roles on recent NBA championship teams. Both players are past their primes, yet each has managed to turn a specific skill set into a reason for employment and significant playing time.

Those two players are legendary shooting guard Ray Allen and the vastly under-appreciated combo forward Shawn Marion.

Having played critical roles in the success and failure of LeBron James, it’s no coincidence that they’re both on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ radar.

Allen is the obvious target. He’s the league’s all-time 3-point king. He also hit the series-saving—and in some eyes, legacy-saving—3-ball in the 2013 NBA Finals.

Allen has both defeated and teamed with James en route to a pair of NBA championships.

For all of the expected interest, however, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio reports that Allen has made one thing clear: he’s not sure if he’s coming back. When he knows, the rest of the world will, too.

No earlier.

Ray Allen update: He says today no need to wait from some secret inside source, that when he reaches decision on future he’ll just say it.

— Sam Amico (@SamAmicoFSO) August 11, 2014

At 39 years old, Allen isn’t a veteran by NBA standards—he’s ancient.

A vast majority of players have retired by 39, let alone 35. Those that do stick around rarely perform at a high level that late in their respective careers. Allen has been an exception in more ways than one, consistently hitting the big shots for the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat over the past few seasons.

If he does come back for the 2014-15 campaign, Allen would turn 40 roughly one month after the 2015 NBA Finals.

As for Marion, 36, he’s a brilliant example of keeping your enemies close. This isn’t to say that he and James dislike each other, but instead to acknowledge that Marion has contained some of the best in the world while receiving no recognition for it.

It doesn’t take a historian to remember that it was Marion who locked James down in the 2011 NBA Finals.

The Cavaliers aren’t only looking to bring Marion in to land one of James’ fiercest matchups. He’d play a vital role on a Cavaliers team that, with a combination of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao, is in desperate need of defense.

According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the Cavaliers aren’t the only team expressing interest.

Heading into Monday, Cavs were still regarded as frontrunners to land Marion, but invite from Larry Legend led to him making trip to Indy — Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) August 12, 2014

If playing with LeBron James doesn’t tickle your fancy, playing for Larry Bird will.

Marion played in 76 games in 2013-14, averaging 10.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals on a slash line of .482/.358/.785 for the Dallas Mavericks. He played 31.7 minutes per contest and further established his reputation as a nearly eternal source of energy.

Playing without Rick Carlisle and Dirk Nowitzki could be a hurdle, but Marion is more of a defensive specialist than anything else. Indiana fits his mold as a defensive-minded club that needs a short-term replacement to the injured Paul George.

If George miraculously comes back for 2014-15, Marion’s ability to play both forward positions is what makes him valuable. He’s as good as any perimeter player at crashing the boards and is beyond comfortable when defending opponents in the post.

They aren’t All-Stars, but Allen and Marion are both in a position to seriously alter the postseason picture. The question is, where will they go?

Around The League

• Brooklyn Nets guard Markel Brown suffered a, “Non-displaced fracture of the fourth metacarpal in his right hand,” per Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. He will miss 4-to-6 weeks of basketball action. Brown was selected No. 44 overall at the 2014 NBA Draft and had the highest max vertical leap of any player at the 2014 scouting combine at 43.5 inches. He’ll battle for a role within the second unit.
• Free agents Chris Singleton and Malcolm Lee worked out for NBA personnel in Las Vegas, per Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Tim Grgurich held a camp and both players showed up to showcase their skills. While it’s unclear whether the two will find a new home for 2014-15, both are 24 years old and hold value.
• Paul George will change his number to No. 13, per Darren Rovell of ESPN. George applied for the swap and was approved. His nickname will thus become PG-13.
• Sportando reports that the Philadelphia 76ers have signed Ronald Roberts Jr. to be a partially guaranteed three-year deal. The 6’8″ St. Joseph’s Hawks alum averaged 14.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in 2013-14. He went undrafted in 2014, but shined during Summer League.