Is cheering for losses 'morally justifiable'?

As the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors continue to struggle, therein lies a unique phenomenon; the different ways in which Toronto fans tend to react.  Supporters of the Maple Leafs cannot reach for the panic button quick enough, while Raptor fans have mostly reacted with indifference and apathy.  Why are Leaf fans stricken with incomprehensible anxieties, while Raptor fans are merely shrugging their shoulders and taking the 1-7 start for what it's worth?

Surely, it is not from a difference of expectations.  Any logical Leaf fan knows that the current roster is not going to cause serious damage.  And as for the Raptors, everybody (and I mean EVERYBODY) projected them to be this bad.  

So?  The difference in fan reaction stems from each team's prospects for the future. Once the Leafs finish near the bottom in the NHL standings, they will be handing the Boston Bruins another top first round pick.  That would likely render the Phil Kessel deal an absolute disaster.  For the Leafs, there is no saviour draft pick on the horizon.  What you see is what you get.  However, there is no doubt that the Raptors roster is going to look drastically different next year with the looming addition of a top draft pick in the 2011 NBA draft.  For the Raptors, unlike the Leafs, there is the opportunity for a quick fix.  Thus, failure by the Leafs will not be tolerated, but for the Raptors, losses seem to be manageable.

This begs the question.  Is it ever justifiable as a sports fan to cheer for your team to lose?  In the situation of the Raptors, it sure is.

As we have seen, Toronto is not a desirable playing destination among NBA stars.  Vince Carter came and went, ditto for Chris Bosh and Hedo Turkoglu (not really a star, but still) left on bad terms.  After all that these athletes have said about the city, and their lack of understanding about how dynamic the city of Toronto really is, there are few options for the Raptors to improve.  It seems the only way is through the NBA draft.  And so while it can be considered offensive to the current players on the Raptors roster to cheer for losses, a true FAN will understand the dire situation that faces the franchise.  The only way for the Raptors to get better is for the losses to mount.  At least this way, the Raps can lock up a stud draft pick for two years and have the option in the third and fourth year to keep the player around.

This idea does not suggest that one should go to the Raptor home games and cheer against them.  That is crude and disrespectful to the players' whose job is still to try and win basketball games.  Simply be mindful of the fact that losses are the best way for the Toronto Raptors to improve and know that it is absolutely justifiable to let yourself be overcome with excitement if/when the Raptors finish with the worst record in the NBA.