Corner Three The Raptors may keep Toronto-area real estate agents busy this summer, as another disappointing playoff exit means no one is safe from being traded. Warren Toda/EPA, via Shutterstock You ask; I answer. Every week in this space, I’ll field three questions posed via email at sportsnyt@gmail.com. (Please include your first and last name, as well as the city you’re writing in from, to enhance the chances your question is chosen.) Q: Dwane Casey ... classic case to show why N.B.A. awards should be voted on after the playoffs. Aren't we talking about an “of the year” designation? — Brad Carter (Utah)



STEIN: I suspect you understand what's happening here even before registering this complaint. The league wants the regular season to matter as much as possible. If the voting for such awards factored in the playoffs, it would diminish what happens in the regular season even further. In other words: Not gonna happen.



Our story on Casey winning coach of the year from his peers, and Boston’s Brad Stevens not getting even one vote, touched on several of the factors that are presumed to have led to Stevens' blanking. Such as: potential jealousy from rival coaches because of all the praise Stevens gets; and the notion that, even after five seasons in Boston, he's still somehow regarded as a "college guy" from a different world. But I want to expound on one more element of this multi-faceted debate that seemed to rile up N.B.A. Twitter.



The N.B.A, like it or not, sees the news media as the least biased and most thorough voting body for end-of-season awards. Which should explain why N.B.A. Executive of the Year and the National Basketball Coaching Association’s award are essentially the only two the news media doesn't vote on.



No one is suggesting that the news media is unbiased, or that it never makes shaky choices in its voting. But it's not controversial to suggest that N.B.A. coaches and front-office executives are more apt to factor friendships — or feuds — into their selections than N.B.A. reporterdom.



Q: Did the Raptors basically peak at the wrong time — similar to when Michael Jordan was ruling the East? And what should they do: Rebuild or retool? — Alfredo Rodriguez



STEIN: I would argue that this season was actually a sensational time to peak — if we dare assume that winning one championship would be enough to satisfy Raptors fans.



The Cavs haven't had less around LeBron James since the 2008 or 2009 playoffs. The Celtics, while clearly more dangerous than anyone thought without the injured Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving, are as vulnerable as they're likely to be for the foreseeable future. And the Sixers, as we all found out in the Boston series, are still so early in their evolution.



When you add it all up, Toronto's 2017-18 championship prospects couldn't have been much tastier. This group of Raptors doesn't sport a long-term outlook anywhere near Boston's or Philly's, but the opportunity squandered was massive. That's why changes are already underway.



Expect them to continue.



Word is that the Raptors quietly explored their DeMar DeRozan trade options last summer — before they had any inkling that a breakout season was looming — and I'd fully expect Toronto to explore those possibilities again. Not just with DeRozan but with anyone and everyone on the roster.



The Raptors, under the stewardship of the team president Masai Ujiri, typically move in a measured fashion. You have to think this summer will be different.



Q: Who do you think would make the best coaching choice for the Bucks? — Don Sauberan (Lincoln, Neb.)



STEIN: The question Don is really asking is: Who will win the Mike Budenholzer sweepstakes?



Milwaukee is believed to be the job Budenholzer wants most, but let's see. After multiple meetings with both the Bucks and the Raptors, Budenholzer could well have preferences that outsiders aren't privy to at this point.



The Raptors are the more stable organization and are known as the more willing spenders. But the Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo on their roster.



Getting this hire right is critical for Milwaukee, because the Bucks have to start winning in the playpffs to ensure that The Greek Freak — for as much as he openly loves Milwaukee — has reason to keep loving it. It's also fair to wonder how Budenholzer's system reputation would mesh with Antetokounmpo's improvisational nature.



We should know soon if it's Milwaukee or Toronto, but I can't call it yet. The only near-certain winner at this stage is the Atlanta, which owes Budenholzer an estimated $14 million-plus and want to see him get a new job more than anyone to let someone else pick up that tab.



Another great question: Where do Milwaukee or Toronto turn — especially the Raptors — if they don't land Budenholzer? That's even less clear.