Toronto Raptors 2010 Draft Discussion

[Built Ford Tough]

Found this on RealGM and have absolutely no idea how valid it is, but I thought that I would post it here anyways.

 

Take it for what it's worth...I don't want to start another thread because it would likely get locked or I'll get flamed.

 

My mother's childhood friend is a very large scale hockey agent (I won't give his name out of respect). He works often with an agent who is likely to represent Daniel Orton.

 

Anyway he told me that Colangelo is in love with Orton. He told Orton's rep that he's looking heavily into him. It reminds a lot of Amare Stoudamire's draft situation, as he was a high school player and didn't have as much exposure or experience but oozed raw potential.

 

So once again don't kill the messenger. It could be complete bs but who knows.

 

To me, Orton definitely looks like an intriguing prospect. He looks like he can be a very good defender who has nice size and length. From what I have saw/read (mainly read) he looks like he can be a good post defender who can also be a presence down low contesting and altering. He doesn't have much to show for his freshman season, but after undergoing knee surgery that kept him out for the majority of his senior year in high school and dealing with his mothers death, this past season could not have been an easy one for him. He's big, athletic, and will alter shots with his defensive presence.

 

There are obviously some huge question marks surrounding him as well. He isn't really proven at the collegiate level which could scare some people off. He has already had surgery on his ACL which brings up some concerns about his knees heading forward. He is still very raw both offensively and defensively, and who knows if he is ever going to amount to much on the offensive end of the floor.

 

With all of that said though, I definitely would not be angry if the Raptors selected Orton. If they could manage to trade down, possibly gain another pick in the process, and still manage to land Orton (or another big man) along with a combo guard like Bledsoe, Bradley or Warren, or a wing like George, Crawford, Pondexter or Ebanks, I would be very happy with the draft.

Edited April 29, 2010 by Built Ford Tough

[BasX]

Kid has a ton of talent, I think grabbing Atlanta's pick is well worth it because if MLSE is willing to go over the luxury tax to resign Chris then we can afford to find a couple picks. Orton is extremely intriguing. FWIW Dx does have us taking Orton at 13 and if he somehow grabbed Atlantas pick, guys like Bradley or Warren would be available.

[Flash]

Orton is just what you need. He's the polar opposite or Bragnani in that he's a great defensive C with limited offensive skill. Perfect compliment if you ask me.

 

Getting Atlanta's pick would be a smart move as well. Maybe pick up a wing player or a PG later in round 1.

[Built Ford Tough]

Orton is just what you need. He's the polar opposite or Bragnani in that he's a great defensive C with limited offensive skill. Perfect compliment if you ask me.

 

Getting Atlanta's pick would be a smart move as well. Maybe pick up a wing player or a PG later in round 1.

 

Avery Bradley would be who I would want to see them buy a pick and take. He is a very talented player, but he just happens to be stuck in between positions and that could wind up hurting his stock. If he does end up sliding and manages to turn into more of a point guard, I think that he could easily become one of the steals of this draft. There is no denying his talent and he is still very young.

 

I love his defensive ability on the floor the most though. I think that he is going to stick in the NBA simply because of his ability on the defensive end regardless of whether or not he is able to make the transition from more of a two guard to a point guard.

 

It would be such a joy to see a Raptor guard actually playing great defense for a change instead of seeing Jose Calderon running around like a chicken with his head cut off randomly clapping his hands.

 

It is worth mentioning that his lack of point guard skills may not be as much of an issue if he were to be on the Raptors though, assuming Hedo Turkoglu decides that he actually wants to play basketball next season and not just collect a pay check. Bradley would bring the ball up the court and can initiate the offense, but with a playmaking small forward like Turkoglu, he can afford to hand Turkoglu the ball and allow him to run the offense while he looks to be more of a scorer/shooter than a playmaker.

 

Of course, this is assuming that Turkoglu actually does something productive next season and doesn't play like he did this past year, which is anything but a safe assumption.

Edited May 11, 2010 by Built Ford Tough

[BasX]

Avery Bradley + Daniel Orton would be an awesome draft in my eyes.

 

 

 

[expletive], I can't believe I said something good about a Texas and Kentucky player.

[Built Ford Tough]

Two latest stories about the Raptors draft situation (one valid, one Twitter).

 

DeMar DeRozan will be representing the Raptors during Tuesday's draft lottery.

 

DeRozan will be the Raptors' representative at the NBA Draft Lottery in Secaucus, New Jersey on Tuesday -- the team's consolation for finishing at 40-42 and in the Eastern Conference's ninth spot. After losing a coin flip tiebreaker with Memphis due to their equal records, the Raptors are all but assured of the 13th overall selection at the NBA draft on June 24.

 

Toronto still has an opportunity to move into the top three, but it's going to take a huge stroke of lotto luck to get there.

 

Only one team has ever vaulted from nearly as far to land the first overall pick -- the 1993 Magic, who were the best non-playoff team that season and still wound up with the first overall pick (for a second-straight season no less). But the Magic faced better odds that year (1 in 66) than the Raptors do on Tuesday (6 in 1000) after the NBA rejigged the format to give the worst teams better odds at a high pick.

 

http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/lottery_051410.html

 

 

 

 

Paul George Tweets saying he would do damage with DeRozan

 

RT @BMDinTDOT: @King24George Yo King George I see you Homie....I hope the Raps Draft you at #13 so you can play with Comptons own DeMar ...

 

@BMDinTDOT Mos def Debo is my dude we'll do damage..

 

 

Like I said above, it is Twitter and all, but it is still nice to see a player showing interest in playing for the Raptors. I think he is a reach at 13, but if the Raptors buy a later pick and he is still around, I would love to see them draft him (although Avery Bradley is still my first choice if the Raptors were to buy a pick). Him, DeRozan and Sonny Weems would be a very nice compliment of athletic wing players heading forward.

 

Speaking of DeRozan, is it just me or does he seem to have connections with a lot of college players or, particularly, players from the Cali area?

[Built Ford Tough]

According to many different things that I have read and heard, Avery Bradley has been making his way up the draft rankings. Chad Ford has him now ranked 13th out of his top 100 prospects and there is a lot of speculation that he will move into the lottery after pre-draft workouts and things like that.

 

So it looks like my ideal draft of picking up a center like Hassan Whiteside or Daniel Orton at 13 and buying a pick from Minnesota, Memphis or Atlanta and picking up Avery Bradley after might not be very realistic.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing the Raptors take Bradley at 13 to be honest, assuming that he climbs up the rankings and improves his stock after workouts and such and players like Monroe, Udoh, Davis etc... don't fall to 13. I just think that he is a perfect fit with this team.

 

A better scenario would be to trade down from 13 to a spot where Bradley would still be available and gain an extra pick or some other asset in the process.

 

 

 

Here is an article from Raptors Republic talking about the Raptors drafting Avery Bradley at 13, which goes hand-in-hand with my post.

 

So, assuming that the ping pong balls on Tuesday night keep everything the same, and that the Raptors pick at #13, here is what I foresee happening: Look for the Raptors to draft 19 year old Avery Bradley, the 6′3″ Texas guard. Here’s why:

 

1.He was the best perimeter defender in the NCAA last year.

 

2.He was rated higher than John Wall coming out of high school, and he was the top rated player in the country before going to Texas.

 

3.He has a 6′7″ wingspan.

 

4.He is an excellent scorer and a good mid-range shooter.

 

The knock against him is that he is more of a “combo” guard and not a true point, but with the Raptors locked into 5 years of Turkoglu at the SF, a back court of DeRozan and Bradley – two young, athletic, long, defensive minded guards (in a rotation that includes Jack and Weems) allows the Raptors to run their offense through Turkoglu as the point-forward. At the same time they make up for some of the defensive deficiencies of Turkoglu and Bargnani. In fact, if they can draft Bradley at #13, keep Amir Johnson, and find a way to get a legitimate big man back in any deal that sends out Bosh and Calderon, this team would could realistically focus on the 5 seed in the East and 45 wins. Lastly, with the increased emphasis on guard play in the league and the number of lightning fast guards out there, a guy like Bradley who can guard both the 1 and the 2 would be invaluable.

 

http://raptorsrepublic.com/2010/05/16/big-board-raptors-leaning-towards-avery-bradley/

 

His top 5 rankings for the Raptors are:

 

1. Ekpe Udoh

2. Patrick Patterson

3. Avery Bradley

4. Gordon Hayward

5. Hassan Whiteside

 

I definitely don't want to see the Raptors take Hayward. I fail to see the logic in taking a guy like Hayword, especially when you consider who else would be on the board at 13.

Edited May 17, 2010 by Built Ford Tough

[BasX]

I knew Bradley would rise up the draft board. The reason he was so low is because of the lack of success the Longhorns had last season. They fell apart just as bad as the Tar Heels, maybe not that bad. So many factors come into play there. However, I talked to a big Longhorn fan that has always stated that the demise of that team has to do with the Seniors and their attitudes towards the younger players. Pittman and James were the ones identified. Also, Bradley ended up going to Texas to play with Jordan Hamilton, a very good scorer who had a down freshman year. Also playing with Dogus Balbay sets any team back offensively.

 

The ranking above Wall is deceiving. ESPN rated him higher than Wall, but they also put DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favours, Xavier Henry above Wall but all the ratings were the same (98). Rivals (who usually has the best rating system) had Bradley 4th with Wall, Cousins and Favors in front of him in that order. That being said, he was in that class of players and him being thought of as a late 1st was pretty insane to me. If the option put out with getting Bradley, keep Amir and getting something or value for Bosh and hopefully Jose, then this would be as good of an off-season as we could get. A back court of Jack, Bradley, Weems and DeRozan would be appealing to me. Bradley will be an All-NBA defense team payer in this league. I want him.

 

Bradley is a better talent than Whiteside and Orton, no doubt and I'm happy he is moving up the rankings. I think Bradley next to Hedo is the best thing we can do to try and hide Hedo a little.

[BasX]

Okay Ford has released his second mock draft, his first after the draft lottery and if we select the player he has us taking at 13, it'll be a good night for me. Ford has us taking Avery Bradley the guard out of Texas that many of us are high on This is what Ford had to say about the pick:

 

The Raptors already have two pretty good point guards on their roster -- Jose Calderon and Jarrett Jack. However, neither is the uber-quick speed demon that coach Jay Triano would love to have. Bradley also gives the Raptors something else that neither Calderon and Jack provide -- the ability to play lockdown defense.

 

I can't argue any of that because you have to think one of the two point guards is going to be traded. Hopefully Calderon is that player but either way Bradley brings that defense we need in the back court.

 

Also, thinking about the Point guards in our division alone (Rondo, Holliday, Harris and who knows what the Knicks will do) we need a good defender on the perimeter. I am officially on the Avery Bradley Bandwagon.

Edited May 19, 2010 by BasX

[Dash]

Bradley is a terrific fit for the Raptors, you guys would love him.

[Doc]

I hope to god we get bradley. Only a month away.

[Doc]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYJVTePSMYw

 

Omg I want.

 

Omg, same birthday.

 

Omg, Same number.

 

Hello new fav player.

[Built Ford Tough]

^^^ How sick is that block he has at about 47 seconds into that mix? I remember watching that a week or so ago and was just blown away by it. That was a huge block. Very impressive from Bradley.

 

One thing that I found interesting is that you are hearing a lot of talk about Bradley in regards to the Raptors, much like you heard to much talk about DeRozan last season. It ha to make you wonder if the Raptors have basically already made up their mind that Bradley is their guy if he still on the board at 13, much like DeRozan last season.

 

Obviously things can change after workouts and such, but I thought it was an interesting note regardless, especially considering every year that Colangelo has had a draft pick since coming to Toronto, most Raptor fans knew who he was going to pick well before the draft.

 

Also, thinking about the Point guards in our division alone (Rondo, Holliday, Harris and who knows what the Knicks will do) we need a good defender on the perimeter. I am officially on the Avery Bradley Bandwagon.

 

That is exactly what I was thinking as well. Considering the fact that players like Rondo and Holliday are still young and look like they will be with their respective teams for a long time, it is crucial to get a point guard who is at least able to contain them, rather than having seeing point guards in the Atlantic just completely run all over the Raptors for years to come.

 

Even Harris is still a huge threat, despite his subpar season this year, and you definitely have to think that sooner or later the Knicks are going to try and bring in a point guard to run D'Antoni's offense.

 

Take it even one step further and look outside of the division. The Raptors have to contend with players like Derrick Rose, Jameer Nelson and, now, John Wall in Washington as well. It makes it even more paramount to improve the defense from the point guard spot.

 

One of the Raptors biggest weaknesses this season was providing absolutely no resistance at the point of attack and it is why teams were able to pick them apart so effortlessly all season long. When you can get into the center of the defense whenever you want, without any resistance at all, it puts way too much pressure on your defense.

 

 

Bradley is impressing at workouts already, which I 100% expected him to do.

 

Quite possibly the most impressive player in attendance here, Avery Bradley put on an outstanding shooting display in both drills and scrimmages, showing off his picture perfect form while many times making those in attendance wonder if he can miss a shot. In drills, Bradley looked very smooth pulling up off a confident dribble, knocking down a variety of shots, while also showing off his excellent athleticism in transition, putting his 37.5 inch vertical leap to good use.

 

Where Bradley really impressed though was the scrimmages, where his team rarely lost and he made great use of the floor’s spacing, getting to open spots of the floor with ease, showing no troubles getting separation from his man. With his excellent body control, balance, and elevation, Bradley just needs a glimmer of space to get his shot off, and he showed that especially playing the pick-and-roll game. Bradley hit a variety of pull-up jumpers from the mid-range and from behind the arc, many with a hand in his face, which didn’t seem to do much. He incorporated in some hesitation dribbles and fakes to get separation when his first move didn’t work, but mostly didn’t need it, just being so proficient out of simple pick-and-rolls.

 

Bradley was able to dominate constantly looking for his shot out of pick-and-rolls, but he didn’t really excel finding his teammates, something that wasn’t problematic here but did lead to some troubles at Texas this past season, as he’s prone to showing tunnel vision looking for his own shot. While it’s tough to take much concrete from these scrimmages, nothing we saw here suggested Bradley is yet ready to be a full-time point guard in the NBA, in line with what we saw from him all season.

 

Bradley also didn’t show much in terms of finishing at the rim, though to be fair the way he was playing, he didn’t need to try. He is a bouncy athlete in space for sure, but he did have some troubles finishing at the rim in college this season, and it’d be nice to see him continue to work on his floater.

 

Defensively, Bradley likewise shined, using his full 6’7 wingspan to great use, never giving up on a play, and constantly trying to affect plays from behind when beat. He did a good job battling through pick-and-rolls and played physical, intense defense pretty much every possession, having some great battles with the other small guards here. Bradley also appeared to be a very good teammate, encouraging others and being pretty vocal in general.

 

Seeing Bradley run so many pick-and-rolls and play in an environment with much more spacing than he saw at Texas, it’s not hard to see many reasons why he has the potential to be a better NBA player than he was in college, especially if he can go to a system that emphasizes those two concepts. Bradley’s 6’7 wingspan also bodes well for his chances of defending shooting guards at the next level, at least reserves, many of which are 6’5 and under. While there are questions about his position, Bradley certainly brings quite a few NBA skills to the table, and could be capable of contributing immediately in the right situation, though situation should be critical to his early chances at success.

 

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/West-Coast-Workout-Swing-Part-2-Joe-Abunassars-Impact-Basketball-3468/

 

There really isn't any new info in this as it basically verified what we already knew about Bradley (great defense, athletic, long, quick, good jumper, average finisher, lack of point guard skills etc...) but it is definitely nice to see him impressing so much during workouts.

 

One thing that I really liked reading was hearing how Bradley performed so well with pick and roll situations and having great spacing on the floor, two things that the Raptors offense relies heavily upon.

 

One thing that worries me is that he will impress too much during workouts and somebody like Indiana might grab him ahead of the Raptors. One thing the Raptors have going in their favour is that most of the teams ahead of them already have point guards with players like Flynn (and Rubio), Harris, Davis, Stuckey, Paul, Curry and Williams.

 

Anyways, enough rambling on my part, just thought I would pass that information along. I have been on the Bradley bandwagon for a while now, but he has officially become my 100% first choice regardless of whether or not he may be considered a reach at 13 (which by the time the draft rolls around, I don't think he will be).

Edited May 19, 2010 by Built Ford Tough

[Built Ford Tough]

Couple of things:

 

First off, the NBA Pre-Draft Camp is getting underway tomorrow. Day 1 will be covered on Raptors TV, for those of you that have it (4PM Pacific Time, so 7PM Eastern). DraftExpress posted this on their Twitter:

 

We'll also be at the media day sessions Thurs/Friday, interviewing all of the top prospects on camera like we did last year. Should be fun.

 

I'll definitely be tuning into it (don't know if I will watch the entire 4 hours on Raps TV) and I'll try to post my thoughts as much as possible.

 

Secondly, apperantly Memphis is open to trading a pick in this years draft. As of right now they have 3 picks (12, 25 and 28) and are open to moving one, or all of these picks depending on what they can get in return.

 

Heisley emerged from the draft lottery proceedings with the same mindset he entered, and that is to wheel and deal. It's not a lock that the Grizzlies will select 12th next month, or three times for that matter.

 

"We'll be trying to trade from now through the draft," Heisley said. "If we can get an impact player, we might trade all three of (the picks). If we can't do that, then we hope to use those three picks to get an impact player."

 

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/may/18/memphis-grizzlies-draw-no-12-pick-nba-lottery-wiza/

 

I would imagine that the 12 pick is out of the question (unless for some reason the Grizzlies like Calderon or something like that) but much like earlier when we heard that Atlanta is opening to moving their pick, I would definitely like to see Colangelo and MLSE try and acquire one of the Grizzlies later picks in the draft.

 

However, it seems like the Grizzlies are more interested in acquiring players instead of money for these picks, which could be a bit of a problem because, like I said above, unless they like Calderon I don't really see the Raptors having much to offer (I think Colangelo will try to move Calderon before Jack).

 

I wouldn't mind seeing something like Bradley at 13, get a later pick (whether it is from Memphis, Atlanta or Minnesoate) and grab somebody like Kevin Seraphin or Soloman Alabi. It is basically the same idea I had earlier, but you take the guard first (as Bradley is the guy I want the most) and then take one of the late 1st round bigs.

Edited May 19, 2010 by Built Ford Tough

[Flight]

What about Bledsoe? I can see him as a very good player in the near future, almost a combo style point guard.

[Built Ford Tough]

What about Bledsoe? I can see him as a very good player in the near future, almost a combo style point guard.

 

I wouldn't mind Bledsoe, but if I had a choice between Bledose or Bradley I would go with Bradley as I think that Bradley fits in better with the Raptors.

 

What I really want to see is the Raptors work out both Bradley and Bledsoe together at some point before the draft. It would be really interesting to see both of them work out against one another.

 

As you can probably guess from reading this thread, Bradley is my number one choice for the Raptors, but I wouldn't be upset if the Raptors managed to draft a big with their 13th pick and acquired a later pick and took Bledsoe with it.

 

Here are some combine results posted in a Chad Ford Insider blog:

 

Craig Brackins

 

Height: 6-8 ½

Height w/ Shoes: 6-9 ½

Weight: 226

Wingspan: 6-11 ½

Standing Reach: 9-0

Body Fat %: 8.4

Vertical (inches): 40

Lane Agility (s): 11.62

3/4 sprint (s): 3.69

Bench Press (reps): 8

 

 

Dwyane Collins

 

Height: 6-6 ½

Height w/ Shoes 6-8

Weight: 230

Wingspan: 7-4-

Standing Reach: 9-1 ½

Body Fat %: N/A

Vertical (inches): 34 ½

Lane Agility (s): 12.22

3/4 sprint (s): 3.29

Bench Press (reps): 3.29

 

 

James Anderson

 

Height: 6-4 ½

Height w/ Shoes 6-4 ½

Weight: 6-4 ½

Wingspan: 6-8

Standing Reach: 8-7 ½

Body Fat %: N/A

Vertical (inches): 34 ½

Lane Agility (s): 11.62

3/4 sprint (s): 3.21

Bench Press (reps): 15

 

Stanley Robinson

 

Height: 6-7

Height w/ Shoes 6-8 ½

Weight: 213

Wingspan: 7-0

Standing Reach: 8-11

Body Fat %: 10.1

Vertical (inches): 38 ½

Lane Agility (s): 12.36

3/4 sprint (s): 3.15

Bench Press (reps): 10

 

Devin Ebanks

 

Height: 6-8

Height w/ Shoes 6-9 ½

Weight: 206

Wingspan: 6-9

Standing Reach: 8-10

Body Fat %: 9.7

Vertical (inches): 35

Lane Agility (s): 11.97

3/4 sprint (s): 3.53

Bench Press (reps): 6

 

Lance Stephenson

 

Height: 6-4 ½

Height w/ Shoes 6-6

Weight: 227

Wingspan: 6-10 ½

Standing Reach: 8-6 ½

Body Fat %: 9.4

Vertical (inches): 35 ½

Lane Agility (s): 11.67

3/4 sprint (s): 3.28

Bench Press (reps): N/A

 

Manny Harris

 

Height: 6-3 ½

Height w/ Shoes 6-5

Weight: 177

Wingspan: 6-8

Standing Reach: 8.4

Body Fat %: 7.4

Vertical (inches): 6-8

Lane Agility (s): 12.02

3/4 sprint (s): 3.22

Bench Press (reps): 10

 

Avery Bradley

 

Height: 6-1 ½

Height w/ Shoes 6-3

Weight: 176

Wingspan: 6-7

Standing Reach: 8-3 ½

Body Fat %: 7.6

Vertical (inches): 37 ½

Lane Agility (s): 11.51

3/4 sprint (s): 3.03

Bench Press (reps): N/A

Edited May 21, 2010 by Built Ford Tough

[Built Ford Tough]

I know it doesn't mean much and all, considering it was the Draft Combine, but I found it interesting that DeMarcus Cousins had an interview with the Toronto Raptors considering the fact that the Raptors are way out of his target range.

 

Toronto, Golden State and Minnesota had all interviewed Cousins before Thursday. The Raptors asked a lot of questions about his character, while the Warriors were concerned with his conditioning.

 

http://www.realgm.com/src_feature_pieces/906/20100520/notes_from_2010_pre_draft_combine/

 

Again, I know it doesn't mean much, but I did fint it interesting that he even had an interview with the Raptors considering worst case scenario he gets picked 6th. He did blow off an interview with the Spurs.

 

It will be interesting to see if there is any other communication between the Raptors and Cousins when private workouts and things like that start again. That would definitely raise some flags about the potential of the Raptors moving up in the draft to get him.

 

Just thought I would share this info regardless of the fact that is is probably nothing.

[BasX]

Maybe the Rockets move up, draft Cousins and ship him to Toronto for Bosh. Just spit ballin here but that scenario makes sense to me.

[Check my Stats]

Avery Bradley was sick in my sim league.

[Built Ford Tough]

Colangelo says he can figure out nine players who are most likely to be gone when the Raptors make the 13th selection but there’s a group of a dozen or so who are candidates for that pick.

 

He won’t give specifics on which players are on his radar at the moment, although with both Chris Bosh and Amir Johnson free agents on July 1, there would be a need to add some size to the Raptors roster.

 

http://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/nba/raptors/bryancolangelo/article/813761--raptors-gm-bryan-colangelo-mining-talent-pool-in-search-of-draft-day-gem

 

I imagine the 9 players he is talking about are:

 

John Wall

Evan Turner

Derrick Favors

DeMarcus Cousins

Wesley Johnson

Al-Farouq Aminu

Cole Aldrich

Greg Monroe

Ed Davis

 

I think you can also throw Ekpe Udoh into that group of players who will definitely be gone before Toronto picks.

 

As far as the speculation on who he is leaning towards, I think the Raptors will end up coming out of the draft with a big man as from what I have read it somewhat seems that Amir Johnson won't be back with the team next season. That would leave only Andrea Bargnani and Reggie Evans as the only big men under contract for next season. I'm guessing it will either be Daniel Orton, Hassan Whiteside, Patrick Patterson or Donatas Motiejunas (him and Gheradini have made multiple scouting trips to watch him since the season has ended).

 

Something that may possibly change things would be if he has a sign and trade deal in place for Bosh prior to the draft, and the Raptors are getting a big man in return for him. If that is the case, I could maybe see them going after Avery Bradley, Eric Bledsoe, Xavier Henry or Paul George.

 

This is pure speculation on my part, but if I had to guess, I think that the Raptors draft list, in nor particular order, would be something like:

 

Hassan Whiteside

Daniel Orton

Eric Bledsoe

Patrick Patterson

Xavier Henry

Avery Bradley

Paul George

Donatas Motiejunas

 

I don't really see who else the Raptors would consider taking at 13. Colangelo is definitely right when he says that after the obvious top 9 or 10 (the players I listed above) the next group of players are all really close together. This is going to be a hard draft to predict if things don't clear up a bit after private workouts.

Edited May 25, 2010 by Built Ford Tough

[Check my Stats]

If we take that Euro I am going to be seriously very mad, and why the hell is Amir being let go? He was one of our best players last year. It is like we are trying to get rid of all our hustle guys each year.

[Built Ford Tough]

If we take that Euro I am going to be seriously very mad, and why the hell is Amir being let go? He was one of our best players last year. It is like we are trying to get rid of all our hustle guys each year.

 

I'm not saying that Johnson is going to be let go for sure or anything like that, but it seems like things have taken a 180 degree turn when it comes to him. During the year end press conference, Colangelo mentioned that re-signing Johnson was one of the biggest priorities for this offseason, especially with all of the uncertainty surrounding Bosh. However, everything that I have read since then has little comments that make me think he may not be back.

 

Basically, things went from:

 

"Amir is one of our main priorities this summer. We are going to do whatever it takes to bring him back"

 

to:

 

"He is an unrestricted free agent. The Raptors would like to keep him but other teams are going to be looking at him and the price may be too high for Toronto."

 

 

I could be completely wrong, and for all I know they may have some sort of deal in place already, but seeing how much the comments on Amir have changed from when the season ended to now, it makes me wonder if he wil be back or not.

Edited May 25, 2010 by Built Ford Tough

[Built Ford Tough]

Chad Ford's latest mock has the Raptors taking Daniel Orton at 13.

 

Some other things worth mentioning.

 

Favors up from 3 to 2.

Cousins falling to 6th.

Gordon Hayword going to the Clippers at 8.

Aldrich falling all the way to 11.

Has Udoh falling to 14.

Alabi moving all the way up to 19.

Motiejunas dropping to 21.

Patterson falling to 22.

Whiteside dropping to 24.

[Built Ford Tough]

Raptors are going to begin their private workouts on Monday and will hold them throughout the week.

 

The Toronto Raptors will continue preparations for the 2010 NBA Draft by holding predraft workouts at Air Canada Centre next week. The Raptors have four dates scheduled beginning Monday, May 31 through Thursday, June 3. Additional workouts will be announced as needed.

 

I haven't heard about any of the players that they will be working out other than Jeremy Wise, a 6'2 PG from Southern Mississippi, on Thrusday.

 

I'm really hoping that they bring in Bradley, Bledsoe, Henry and George to work out against one another one day, and also bring in Orton, Whiteside and Aldrich to work out against each other.

 

With all that I have read about Paul George since the season ended, he has seemed like a great fit for this team and considering he has done nothing but impress during workouts, I'd love to have him on the Raptors. Him and DeRozan would be a great wing tandem heading forward.

 

Henry has grown on me quite a bit as well. He is NBA ready at 19 years old and I think that he can be a very good player in the league. He is already a great shooter, athletic, strong and is, if I recall correctly, the youngest player in the draft.

 

I know that I have raved about Bradley in this thread, but I wouldn't be upset in the least if the Raptors drafted George or Henry.

[Built Ford Tough]

The Raptors had Avery Bradley, Willie Warren, Gordan Hayward and Stanley Robinson in for workouts today.

 

You can watch interviews with Hayward and Bradley on the Raptors website.

 

 

Not much else to post about as these workouts are usually kept pretty quiet and you don't hear much until closer to the draft. Just thought I would post who the Raptors worked out today.

 

Also, the workout that was going to take place on Wednsday might not happen according to Doug Smith. Not exactly sure why.

 

EDIT: DX also updated their mock today. They still have the Raptors taking Orton at 13 but Greg Monroe moved up to 5th, they have Babbitt going 12th, George moved from 23rd to 15th, Bradley moving from 28th to 18th, Whiteside falling to 20th and Bledsoe going 26th.

 

They also updated their top 100 prospects.

 

http://www.draftexpress.com/rankings/Top-100-Prospects/

Edited May 31, 2010 by Built Ford Tough