Built Ford Tough

When Bosh was here? I would agree. However, right now, I'd much rather have Bargnani at $33M/3 yrs than Gay at $53.65M/ 3 yrs.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8038389/sources-billionaire-robert-pera-agrees-purchase-memphis-grizzlies

Workout news is starting to trickle in. http://blog.raptors.com/press-releases/raptors-announce-2012-pre-draft-workout-dates/ So far I know for sure the following players will be in Toronto at some point: Damian Lillard Austin Rivers John Henson Kendall Marshall Robert Sacre Speculated to come in, but haven't read anything official: Meyers Leonard Moe Harkless

PJ3 really is a freak. http://s3.amazonaws.com/cine_1/9389842.gif If he puts it all together he easily becomes the best player in this draft. Too bad the chances of that happening are microscopic.

Question is, what exactly is his position? I don't really think he has one. His jumper is too weak for shooting guard He is clearly not a point guard He's too small to play the 3 Looking at his game, I think the most logical position for him would be a point forward role, but the problem is he doesn't have the size to play the 3. So then you try him at the 2, but his jumper sucks and he is useless without the ball in his hands. So you play him at the point, but he doesn't have any real point guard instincts. So really, what is his ideal position? I think the biggest reason why he has jumped between the 1, 2 and 3 so much in his career is because he really doesn't have a true position and the Kings are just trying to find out where it would be best to play him.

Indiana. Have a very good team 2-5 but are missing a real difference maker at the point. Very good defensively so they can compensate for his weakness there. Good cast of shooters around him (Granger, George, West, Hill [if they re-sign him]) and a nice low post big in Hibbert. He wouldn't have to take that big of a paycut to go there, either. Even after extending Hibbert and possibly Hill, the Pacers could still offer him a decent sized contract. They make the most sense for him in terms of being on a competitive team while not having to sacrifice money.

Like already mentioned, I think they'd rather just trade down and pick up an additional pick. Possibilities are: Portland for 6 and 11 Cleveland for 4 and 24 Golden State for 7 and 30 I think Golden State is highly unlikely, but I could see the other two scenarios as possible if Portland or Cleveland fall in love with somebody like MKG or Beal and Charlotte thinks they'd be better of trading down and picking up, say, Barnes and the best big available at 24 (Cleveland) or Lamb and Sullinger/Zeller (Portland). I can't see them trading out of the draft all together.

Aren't you a fan of drafting Austin Rivers? What exactly do you consider Rivers to be, if not a slashing 2? Him and Waiters numbers are nearly identical if you look at them from a Per 40 minute basis to make up for Rivers playing 10 more minutes a game. Rivers shot 36.5% from three this year (2.1 makes on 5.6 attempts) Waiters shot 36.3% from three (1.8 on 5.1) Rivers shot 47.7% on two point shots (4.1 on 8.6) Waiters shot 52.9% on two point shots (5.8 on 11) Rivers shot 65.8% from the line (4.3 on 6.5) Waiters shot 72.9% from the line (3.9 on 5.3) Rivers' FTA/FGA was 0.46 Waiters' FTA/FGA was 0.33 Rivers' 3PA/FGA was 0.40 Waiters' 3PA/FGA was 0.35 Rivers attempted 21.3% of Duke's free throws this year Waiters attempted 16.6% of Syracuse's free throws this year Looking at the numbers, one could argue that Rivers is just as much of a slashing 2 as Waiters is. On another note, we finally have some names for workouts. Both Lillard and Rivers will be in Toronto next week, although I don't know if they will be working out together or seperately. Also, here is some stuff from interviews today with Rivers, Lillard and Barnes. Rivers: Lillard: Barnes: http://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/nba/raptors/article/1208645--nba-draft-2012-toronto-looking-good-to-several-young-guards

That speculation was correct. He is 6'5" in shoes. Considering basketball is played in shoes, that holds more weight than the measurements without, unless the player is gaining 2" or something. I know some people wear ridiculous shoes to inflate their height, but Rivers gaining an inch and half isn't really out of the ordinary. Waiters being 6'4" in shoes isn't really that big of a deal as well. 6'4" with a 6'7.25" isn't bad for a shooting guard. It isn't great, but it certainly doesn't make him undersized to the point where it should be a concern. PS: ABL, I would respond to your post but there really is no point. It is clear that we have vastly different views on Waiters' role on that Syracuse team and there is no point going in circles, which we would be doing if I responded to your post. Lets just leave it we both think each other is wrong about his role on that team.

Complete list of measurements: http://www.hoopsworld.com/2012-nba-draft-combine-measurements-released I'll edit it into a table and edit it into my first post later, but for now if you want to see anything just use that link.

It is still basketball, no? Does him coming off the bench make him any less talented as a player? Boeheim had two veteran guards on his team and both were returning from a very successfull season where they finished as a 3rd seed in the NCAA Tournament. He didn't want to mess with that chemistry and, thus, Waiters came off the bench. It is not a testament to his talent. He was clearly better than both Jardine or Triche but if is isn't broke, why fix it? Joesph - 13.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.5 apg on 42.1 FG% and 34.5 3PT% in 32.2 mpg Waiters - 12.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.5 apg on 47.6 FG% and 36.3 3PT% in 24.1 mpg Per 40: Joseph - 16.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.9 apg and 1.7 spg Waiters - 21.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.1 apg and 3 spg Advanced and efficiency stats: Joseph - 1.15 PPP, 53 TS%, 19.6 PER, 17.8 USG% Waiters - 1.20 PPP, 57 TS%, 26.1 PER, 16 USG% Waiters has him beat in literally everything other than raw numbers, which is to be expected given Joseph played 8.1 more minutes a game. Even with those extra 8 minutes a game, Waiters is still almost more productive from a per game basis. As you can see, his advanced and efficiency stats absolutely blow Joseph out of the water. Joseph, or even Jardine, may have been the leader of the Orange this season, but there is no debate that Waiters was the team's best player. Of the middle of the pack prospects, who can you definitively say is the better prospect than Waiters to the point where it would be absolutely foolish to draft Waiters over them? Obviously we aren't including guys like Davis, MKG, Robinson, Beal and Barnes. I'm not saying he is a sure thing or anything like that, but he is certainly worth discussing in that range as far as I am concerned. I wouldn't put him in that first tier of players, but he definitely fits in the second tier with guys like Lamb (debatable if he should be in the 1st tier), Rivers, PJ3, Zeller, Henson, Sullinger, Lillard and Marshall. The draft is deep, but it is a huge convoluted mess once you get past the top 5-6. If you want to read more about them, I posted about it in the Raptors Draft Thread a while back.

41 points on 17/22 shooting through 3 quarters. Not bad for a Robin...

Was going to say the same thing myself. I've been flipping back and forth between this and the Blue Jays game but when I have been watching, that was the first thing that stood out to me. He is completely locked in. The question is will he be able to mantain it once Boston goes on a run, gets the crowd into the game or he just faces some sort of adversity? I don't expect him to have another half like that, but it will be interesting to see if he maintains that calm attitude.

Colangelo says he has not made any promises. Take it for what it is worth. And likely my last update of the day. So by the sounds of it Lillard was the most impressive today with White and Harkless rounding out the top 3.

It is worth mentioning that there was similar speculation that the Raptors promised Knight at 5 last year. He didn't cancel workouts and stuff like that, but I remember multiple reports that Knight had been given a promise. That obviously turned out to be false as the Raptors drafted Valanciunas and he was their target all along. Here are a couple of interviews: Moe Harkless And an absolutely hilarious Jeremy Lamb one: http://www.csnnw.com/pages/video?PID=FEeMpB-oNBfHWRqNpoz2FV65Bbj9eCVZBJRamtI "That light skinned dude" "Nicolas Batum?" "Yeah, Batum"

He's had a couple of workouts and was, according to everybody in attendence, by far the best player at one of them (I believe it was in Vegas) and absolutely blew everybody away. And does it really matter that he came off the bench? Does James Harden coming off the bench make him any less of a player for the Thunder? Even though he came off the bench, he was still the best player on Syracuse this year. I don't think he will be a star or anything, but he certainly has the potential to be an above average starting shooting guard or a very good 6th man. If you have the chance to get that with a mid-late lottery pick I think you take that and are pretty pleased. Remember, the speculation is that the promise has come from a team like Toronto, Portland or Phoenix. That is likely either the 8th, 11th and 13th picks. That really doesn't seem too far fetched for a player with Waiters ability. No real surprises there. I think this is what most people were speculating for Barnes. Everybody knew he would measure out really well. Huge for Robinson. I think that may have solidified himself as a top 3 pick. I think most people were expecting him to be closer to 6'7 and the wingspan is a very nice surprise as well. I don't think he gets past both Charlotte and Washington since you know he will kill the athletic testing as well.

If I had to rank them, I'd say: Portland Phoenix Toronto The only problem I can think of is why would Waiters cancel all workouts for a promise to be picked 13th? I'm sure he could impress enough to be picked higher than that. That makes me skeptical whether or not Phoenix is actually the team. I think it is Portland. It may not be with their 6th pick, but they make the most sense to me.

I think we can safely rule out: Charlotte, Sacramento, Detroit, Washington, New Orleans, Golden State. None of those teams make any sense at all. That leaves: Portland - Mkaes the most sense as Matthews is alright, but nothing special. If they are set on getting a 2 guard and they like him more than Lamb, I could see it. Toronto - Most logical scenario is a team like Memphis wants him so the Raptors draft him and trade him to the Grizzlies. Colangelo did this for Indiana and Hibbert in the Jermaine O'Neal trade. Maybe they like him more than DeRozan? Cleveland - Sleeper here, but makes sense. Maybe all the Barnes talk is a smokescreen and they are looking for a shooting guard to pair with Irving? If that is the case and they are worried about Lamb's motor, Waiters would be the next logical choice. At 4, though? It is definitely a stretch but Cleveland showed last year that they aren't afraid of "reaching" for a guy if they like him. A couple more tweets:

I posted in the Combine thread that Waiters received a promise and cancelled all workouts, and there is speculation as to who may have promised him. I have no idea how legit this source is, but it does make some sense. - Colangelo was at the workout where Waiters supposedly crushed it and had everybody gushing over him. - Immediately following that Ford moved Waiters to 8th on his mock and hasn't moved him since then. - Colangelo and co. are at the Combine. - Waiters was a highly regarded high school recruit, which is something Colangelo has always seemed to make a focal point of in the draft. Of course, there are reasons why it doesn't make sense, either. - All offseason long we've heard Colangelo wants a shooter and Waiters is a slahser with an inconsistent jumper - All the talk about small forward while Waiters is a 2. - Trade speculation. - Colangelo hs never been known to play his cards so early. Maybe all of this is rading the pick is a smokescreen or maybe BC already has a deal in place and the team who they are dealing the 8th pick to want Waiters. Who the [expletive] really knows? Haha. Another scenario would be trading DeRozan instead of the pick. However, if they are trading for an Iguodala or Gay, that is a win now move and does it really make sense to combine that with starting two rookies next year? Not to me. This is all speculation on my part of course, and if I really had to guess, I would lean on the side that the Raptors aren't the ones who promised him.

Ridiculous. You are telling me that Rudy Gay, a career 16.2 PER (career high of 17.8) player who is a volume scorer with average efficiency (career 53 TS%) and is on a max contract is worth a top 8 pick, Ed Davis, a $10M expiring Jose Calderon (who, as a backup, is fantastic) and more on top of that? Please. The sad thing? I can see Colangelo overpaying and doing something like this. If it is me, I'm offering the 8th pick and Kleiza for Gay. I'd throw in Ed Davis if they agreed to send the 25th pick. If Memphis expects the Raptors to eat all of Gay's contract and send them additional assets on top of that, tell them to hit the road.

We won't know for sure until tomorrow when the measurements and athletic testing are official, but that is the rumor going around. If it is true, then yeah, it is huge for his stock. A lot of people thought he would be closer to 6'3 than 6'5. Since he isn't particularly long or that great of an athlete, a lot of people figured he'd struggle to be able to get his shot off in the NBA. If he is in fact 6'5 it won't be nearly as much of an issue as he won't be stuck as an undersized combo guard. That is legit shooting guard size. No idea about Boston, but maybe San Antonio would float Parker out again? Last year there was a lot of rumors going around that their was an offer of Tony Parker for the Raptors 5th pick so that they could draft Valanciunass. The Spurs pulled out from what I read, but maybe they re-visit something like that again? That really is all I could think of. Some more stuff coming in: Sounds like Waiters has received a promise: If he is cancelling all workouts I would imagine his promise is from a team with a top 10 pick. Given his skillset I would imagine he would look very nice in workouts so it makes me think whoever gave him a promise is in the top 10. Otherwise it doesn't make sense for him to cancel everything.

And nothing to do with actual combine stuff, but Thomas Robinson on Davis wearing a Check My Stats shirt:

Yeah. DeRozan is Player A (accidently took his last year stats, though, without realizing it) and Gay is Player B. If a team offered Toronto an 8th pick and a prospect like Ed Davis for DeRozan, I'd jump all over that and that is with DeRozan not being horribly overpaid (hence, the uner $8M contract) like Gay is. I'd be shocked if Memphis turned down an offer of Ed Davis and the 8th pick for Gay.

I forgot to mention that Sullinger is speculated to have measured 6'9. If that is true, that is huge for his draft stock.

I was wrong and it isn't airing on NBA TV Canada, so I can't give any personal opinions. Here is what I've read, though: Drill related: - Kendall Marshall shot 14-30 from three in the shooting drill - Damian Lillard practically didn't miss a shot all day. - Tony Wroten missed around 20 shots in a row () - Moe Harkless was the most impressive SF of the day (Barnes, MKG didn't participate in drills) - PJ3 worked out with the power forwards and looked good - Royce White looked very good both defensively (supposedly he couldn't be moved at all) and offensively - Andrew Nicholson shot the ball really well and showed nice touch around the basket Measurements: - Thomas Robinson supposedly measured 6'8 3/4 in shoes with a 7'3 wingspan - Austin Rivers was 6'5 in shoes - Bradley Beal measured out between 6'5 and 6'5. I've read a couple different things Official measurements will be released tomorrow. Davis, Barnes, Beal, Lamb, Moultrie, MKG, Drummond, Robinson, Rivers and Waiters all didn't participate in anything today. That is all I've got so far. Like I said, I couldn't watch it since I was wrong and NBA TV Canada didn't air it like they usually did, so this is all just stuff I read.