Raptors Tanking/Draft Anticipation

[headliner]

Getting a big man is an obvious need for the raptors but I don’t think the answer is in this draft. From what I’ve seen each big man seems like a project with the exception of Kantar but I think he most likely be taken by Cleveland with #4 or Utah with #3.

[Dash]

Chad Ford mock draft 3.0

 

5. Toronto

Jan Vesely

Position: PF

Height: 6-11

Weight: 240

Age: 21

Country: Czech Republic

Analysis: I'm still trying to get the pulse of what's happening in Toronto. Now that Bryan Colangelo has his extension, he can afford to take more risks. The question is … who does he gamble on? Last week we had Valanciunas here. He's still in the mix, but I've been told that Vesely is even higher on his list.

A terrific athlete, Vesely is ready to play right now and adds great size to Toronto's front line. Kemba Walker is also a legit option here and if for some reason Brandon Knight falls, he won't slip past the Raptors.

 

He also has the Cavs taking Kanter with the 4th pick and Walker slipping to the Kings.

[Built Ford Tough]

BFT, isn't Knight and Bayless too redundant though? I'd assume that at the top of the Raps draft board, they have the two bigs (Kanter and Val).

 

And I also think they should look at trading down if they're not comfortable with selecting any of the prospects left on the board in order to get a guy like Kawhi Leonard. They need some help on the defensive end and with rebounding. There's a ton of big men they can select next year (although, the same could be said about the crop of SF's in 2012 too).

 

They probably are, but really, who cares? The Raptors suck and are going to suck equally as much next season so I'd have no problem with taking Knight and allowing him and Bayless to duke it out for a year or two. I think Bayless is a better prospect, but if Knight is still on the board at 5 I think you have to take him (unless Kanter is there as well then I wouldn't have a problem with drafting Kanter instead of Knight).

 

As for the Raptors board, I would imagine it goes like this:

 

1. Knight

2. Valanciunas

3. Kanter

4. Walker

5. Leonard/Vesely

6. Vesely/Lenoard

 

Based on what I have heard, Knight is definitely at the top. Some Raptors execs went out to dinner with Knight already and, as far as I know, this has only happened two times in the 5 years that Colangelo has been with the team and those two players were Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan, both of which were clearly the Raptors number 1 targets in their respective drafts. If Knight is available at 5 I have no doubts that he will be picked by the Raptors (unless Irving or Williams fall, but that won't happen).

 

I'd hate it if they traded down and drafted Leonard, or drafted any small forward in general. I don't mind Leonard as a player, but there is absolutely no way in hell that I would be happy with them taking a small forward this season considering how deep the small forward class is likely to be next season. Give me anyone of Gilchrist, Barnes, Miller, Nash, T. Jones or Thomas over any of the small forwards in this class without hesitation. Hell, I'd rather draft Perry Jones and try to play him at the 3 than draft Leonard this season and pass up on somebody like Knight, Walker, Kanter and Valanciunas.

 

Unless they are getting a legitimate asset in return for trading down (and by that I mean the pick that they are trading down for isn't the best asset in the trade) no way would I move down considering the ridiculous depth at the 3 in next years draft. Give me a point guard or center from this draft and then I will find my small forward of the future next year considering the fact that 3 of them have franchise player potential.

[Built Ford Tough]

Some new stuff from a Colangelo interview today on Sim and Tid: Uncut.

 

- Will be attending a Kanter workout in Chicago on June 5th and 6th. Will also get a more in depth interview with him than they would've at the combine.

 

- Says he likes Walker's quickness on the defensive end of the floor and mentions how it is a point guard driven league. However, I got the vibe that he isn't particularly impressed with Walker and that he likely wouldn't be taken at 5 if the draft were today. Workouts can obviously change his opinion on him, but if I had to guess Walker is below Knight, Kanter and Valanciuns on his draft board, and quite possibly guys like Vesely and Leonard are above him as well. I think he likes him, but isn't as high on him as Knight and Valanciunas, who I think is the top 2 on his board. Somebody else may interpret this interview as him being high on Walker, though.

 

- Says that he was really impressed with Tristan Thompson. Really liked his interview and liked what he saw from him at the drills, but he is pretty redundent with Ed Davis on the roster. He then went on to say that they will take the best player in terms of talent and need for the team.

[Built Ford Tough]

Brandon Knight did very well in the athletic testing. He basically measured out on the same level as guys like Rose, Westbrook and Wall when it comes to the quickness and agility drills, which is surprising considering how the knock on him was that he wasn't that great of an athlete.

 

He put up a 10.74 in the lane agility drill (6th best at the combine), a 5.27 in the modified lane agility drill (4th best) and a 3.07 in the 3/4 court sprint (tied for 2nd best).

 

John Wall had a 10.84 lane agility and a 3.14 3/4 court srpint.

Russel Westbrook had a 10.98 lane agility and a 3.08 3/4 court sprint.

Derrick Rose had a 11.69 lane agility and a 3.05 3/4 court sprint.

 

I'm not sure how he did in the vert testing and the bench press (I imagine he struggled with the bench pressing, although he did at least 4 reps as he wasn't in the bottom 5) as full results won't be released until tonight or tomorrow, but his agility and speed results are very encouraging.

 

For those of you who are interested, Bayless had a 11.26 lane agility and a 3.07 sprint.

 

Kemba did really well, too. He had the 11th quickest lane agility score at 10.87, had the 11th best standing vert at 32 inches and had the 5th best max vert at 39.5 inches.

 

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/2011-NBA-Combine-Athletic-Testing-Results-3725

[Dash]

DraftExpress Jonathan Givony

That's why Toronto is strongly looking at both Bismack Biyombo and Kawhi Leonard with the #5 pick. Both would help a lot in that regard.

 

Jonathan Givony

DraftExpress Jonathan Givony

Teams can talk about getting better defensively, but the only way to do that is to get players that are really inclined to play defense.

[Built Ford Tough]

I can understand Biyombo, but I sure as hell hope the Raptors don't got after Leonard, at least if they stay at 5. Either trade down to get him, or just go and draft one of Knight, Walker, Valanciunas, Kanter or Biyombo (although he scares the hell out of me) and then take one of the several marquee small forwards next season. There is no reason for the Raptors to draft a small forward this year considering the depth of next years class and the fact that the best 3 in the draft (I still think Williams is a 4 so I'm counting Leonard as a 3) isn't even remotely close to the BPA at 5.

 

 

 

On a different note, Raptors have released their workout dates:

 

The Toronto Raptors will continue preparations for the 2011 NBA Draft by holding pre-draft workouts at Air Canada Centre.

 

The Raptors have four dates scheduled beginning Tuesday, June 7. The other workout dates are Wednesday, June 15, Thursday June 16 and Monday, June 20. Additional sessions will be announced as needed.

 

http://www.nba.com/raptors/node/17627

 

Knight will be in Toronto sometime next week:

 

mr_jasonjones Jason Jones

Brandon Knight says he will workout for Toronto next week.

 

EDIT: Forgot to mention that they will be going to Chicago to meet with Kanter and watch him workout on Monday. I think I posted that earlier in this thread, but I figured I would mention it again considering it is just days away.

Edited June 2, 2011 by Built Ford Tough

[Built Ford Tough]

Walker will be working out for the Raptors tomorrow.

 

chadfordinsider Chad Ford

Kemba working out for Raptors on the 7th and the Pistons on the 8th. Will go up against Alec Burks in Detroit.

 

Brandon Knight will be in Toronto to workout for the Raptors this week as well, but unfortunately, him and Walker will have seperate workouts, not against each other.

 

@chadfordinsider

Chad Ford

So ... both Kemba & Brandon Knight in Toronto tomorrow ... however Knight's camp asking for separate workouts.

 

Colangelo and Co. will be heading to Europe in a bit to watch Vesely and Biyombo at some point this week as well.

 

 

 

I haven't heard anything about how their visit to Chiacgo to see Kanter has gone, but if I see anything I'll make sure to post it.

[AboveLegit]

Draft Express was pretty critical of Enes today on Twitter, not sure you saw this BFT.

 

Some new game footage of Enes Kanter is circulating from his prep school days. I'm watching one game now. It's fairly underwhelming stuff.

 

I don't know if he's just tired here or what but he looks really lethargic playing vs very weak competition. Getting destroyed on defense.

 

Watching some of the other Kanter games now. Pretty much the same story. Not putting any effort in. Playing zero defense. Not boxing out.

 

I wasn't as high on Kanter as other media people prior to watching this, but now I'm legitimately concerned. Transition will be significant.

 

Kanter also shows some very impressive stuff offensively. Moving guys around in the paint. Great hands. Soft touch.Range out to 3-point line

http://twitter.com/#!/DraftExpress

 

I know this is all from his high school days, but it's the only footage GM's have aside from the Hoops Summit Game. Obviously his strength is on the offensive end of the court, but this is concerning.

[Built Ford Tough]

I don't really take anything Givony says about Kanter seriously, just like I don't take anything that he says about Valanciunas seriously (or at least all of the positives). He has spent the last 10 months pimping up Valanciunas while shitting on Kanter and Givony is known to have his favourites as well as players he seems to constantly hate on. Valanciunas and Kanter seem to be those two this year.

 

Not that I can blame him about Valanciunas considering how he was basically the first guy to discover him as an NBA prospect, but he seems to have something seriously against Kanter as I don't think I've seen anything positive from him about Enes.

 

If somebody like Ford or Aldridge start ripping into Kanter then I would be worried, but as long as Givony is the only guy constantly saying how underwhelming he is, I'm not going to think too much about it. Most other draft guys seem to think he has been fairly impressive thoughout this process and it is mainly Givony who is harping on all of his weaknesses without mentioning any strengths.

[Built Ford Tough]

Knight and Walker were in Toronto yesterday but there isn't too much talk about how the workouts went. Nothing really noteworthy came out of the workouts as far as I know. Walker struggled with his jumper supposedly and impressed Jim Kelly with his passing, but that is pretty much all that came out of the workouts. Raptors seem to be pretty tight lipped about the whole process, even more so than last year.

 

A couple of things from today, including Colangelo shooting down those ridiculous rumors that he offered DeRozan for the 2nd pick in the draft.

 

DraftExpress Jonathan Givony

Colangelo did say he's "definitely exploring acquiring another top-10 pick," but maintains that DeRozan "won't be part of any package."

 

DraftExpress Jonathan Givony

Tomorrow Toronto, Washington, Utah and Detroit will travel to Vitoria, Spain to meet and watch Bismack Biyombo in a private workout.

 

DraftExpress Jonathan Givony

Bryan Colangelo is in Belgrade right now watching Jan Vesely in the Serbian league finals. Also in attendance: Utah and Washington.

 

 

From a Ford chat earlier today.

 

Rhett (Toronto)

 

Chad, it's beginning to look like the top 4 in the draft are settled: Irving, Williams, Knight, Kanter. Does the uncertainty begin with the Raptors at 5?

 

Chad Ford (1:22 PM)

 

Not sure they are set. But most likely four? Yes. Kanter is the biggest wildcard of that group. Raptors group is Knight if he's there, Kemba Walker, Jan Vesely, Valanciunas and Kanter if he's there. Kawhi Leonard also a darkhorse. If Knight is off the board, I think they are leaning toward Vesely. He's been their favorite for most of the year and would be a good fit in Toronto.

 

Ford's latest mock has the Raptors taking...

 

Toronto

 

Jan Vesely

 

Position: PF

Height: 6-11

Weight: 240

Age: 21

 

Country: Czech Republic

 

Analysis: Bryan Colangelo could go a number of ways here. He has strong interest in both Brandon Knight and Kemba Walker. If Knight's on the board, I don't think he gets passed on here. If Walker's here the question for Colangelo is what to do with Leandro Barbosa and Jerryd Bayless. Both players are similar to Walker.

 

He could go with an international player, such as Valanciunas, Vesely or Bismack Biyombo. Of the three, sources say, Vesely is the highest on their board. He provides size and athleticism at the small forward position. The other dark horse here is Kawhi Leonard.

 

Dear god, no. If the Raptors taking Vesely at 5 I will offcially be back on the fire Colangelo bandwagon. I would take any of Walker, Biyombo, Valanciunas, Leonard, Walker or ever Marcus Morris or Thompson over Vesely. Hell, give me Jimmer instead of him. You know what, I'll take Donotas Motijunas over Vesely. Everything I have seen from this guy screams absolute bust. He can jump and run, but has literally no basketball skills, and on top of that, he is already 21 years old.

[Built Ford Tough]

According to Ford, the Raptors are seriously interested in Bismack Biyombo and are considering him at 5 or trading down in order to get him.

 

chadfordinsider Chad Ford

Sources say Raptors are seriously looking at Biyombo. He'll workout for them on Monday. Could take him at 5 or might move down a few spots

 

http://twitter.com/#!/chadfordinsider/status/82087519998586880

 

Then again, Ford seems to have absolutely no idea what the Raptors are going to do as he has had them taking everybody from Knight, Kanter, Walker, Vesely, Valanciunas and even Leonard at one point in time. Might as well throw in Biyombo's name and that way he will have covered pretty much every player the Raptors might draft.

 

Biyombo is also going to be working out for the Raptors on Monday. This will be his 2nd workout with the team.

 

 

Valanciunas measured out really well at Eurocamp.

 

chadfordinsider Chad Ford

Combing back through my notes from Eurocamp. Valanciunas measured 7'0"/245 lb with a 7-4 wingspan & 9' 3" standing reach there.

 

chadfordinsider Chad Ford

We had Valanciunas listed at 6-10/230lbs. Pretty big difference.

 

If Knight and Kanter (he scares me, but I wouldnt pass him up) are both off the board at 5, I Valanciunas is my next choice. He definitely has some risks around him, but I also think that he could develop into a very good two way center, especially after seeing him measure out so well and the fact that he is only 19 so he could possibly grow even more. He was one of the best rebounders in Europe this past year, shoots free throws at a 90% clip and is one of the younger players in the draft. I don't think it is absurd to think that if all goes well he could develop into a similar player to Joakim Noah, and that would be an excellent pick at 5 in a weak draft.

 

Another positive with Valanciunas is that he is unlikely to come over next season (if there is one) and the Raptors will likely be in a similar position next season, but having a great pick in a much better draft. If they walk away with Valanciunas next season and one of Barnes/Miller/Gilchrist next season, I would definitely be excited for a future lineup of:

 

C: Valanciunas

PF: Davis

SF: Barnes/Miller/Gilchrist

SG: DeRozan

PG: Bayless

 

Obviously this isn't a lineup that would contend, but it is a very nice start. Of course, we have to place Bargnani in there somewhere as he isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

[Built Ford Tough]

From Doug Smith:

 

They have, according to league sources, made efforts to move up to No. 2 but don’t have a good match with Minnesota and have narrowed their list of draft hopefuls to about four.

 

That group would include Kentucky guard Brandin Knight, Lithuanian centre Jonas Valanciunas, San Diego State swingman Kawhi Leonard and Biyombo with Vesely and Connecticut guard Kemba Walker as fallback possibilities.

 

http://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/nba/raptors/article/1012101--mavs-dwane-casey-to-be-raptors-head-coach

 

Kind of surprised to see Leonard there but there was talk early in the process that the Raptors were interested in him and I know that Colangelo and Kelly made a couple of trips to SDSU during the season to, presumably, scout him. So it doesn't come as a huge shock by any means. I think that Colangelo probably sees a potential Marion in him and it is quite obvious that Colangelo is a big fan of Marion's.

 

Also worth noting is that Kanter's name isn't involved at all. Either this means they think he won't be there at 5 (but he is more likely to be there than Knight is if you ask me) or they don't like him very much as I have speculated over the last few days.

 

It would definitely be a bit of a blow if the Raptors came away from this season with somebody like Biyombo or Leonard if you ask me. Quite possibly the 2nd worst season in Raptors history and the light at the end of the tunnel is one of those two? Yikes.

Edited June 21, 2011 by Built Ford Tough

[Dash]

Looks like the Jazz aren't committed to Knight just yet. From the sounds of it there is a decent chance he slips to you guys.

 

DraftExpress Jonathan Givony

The draft starts at #3 with Utah. No one has any clue what they're doing. You can ask 100 NBA people. 60 will say Knight, and 40 say Kanter.

 

DraftExpress Jonathan Givony

Spoken w/a few agents who have had clients drafted by Utah in the past. None had any idea that it was for sure going to happen until it did.

Edited June 21, 2011 by Dash

[Built Ford Tough]

That would be ideal. He definitely has his flaws and is a work in progress when it comes to being capable of playing the point, but he has nice defensive potential, is a good shooter and has a nice combination of athletcisim and size.

 

I still don't think he falls to 5, though. There is talk about the Wizards moving up to 4 now, and if that happens I would imagine that the Jazz will take him at 3 and Washington takes Kanter at 4, which wouldn't be bad at all assuming Colangelo went with Valanciunas as he is 2nd on my board.

 

According to Ford the Raptors are zeroing in on 3 players and they are Knight, Biyombo and Kawhi Leonard. I'm pretty disappointed at there being no mention of Valanciunas, but then again, it is Ford and according to him the Raptors were pretty much set on taking Vesely for the past couple of weeks.

 

This pretty much fits with what Doug Smith said the other day and Colangelo said earlier today (after the Casey presser) that their list is pretty much narrowed down to a guard, 2 forwards and a big. I'd imagine that to be Knight (guard), Leonard (forward), Biyombo (forward) and Valanciunas (big), but the Valanciunas part may just be wishful thinking on my part.

[Built Ford Tough]

• Toronto has narrowed its choices to four -- Knight, Jonas Valanciunas, Bismack Biyombo and Kawhi Leonard

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/30619/draft-buzz-knight-eyes-cavs

 

Just further proving that what Doug Smith mentioned the other day.

 

It is also worth noting that basically every major mock draft (ESPN, NBADraft.net, DX, HoopsHype and NBA.com) all have the Raptors drafting Brandon Knight with their 5th pick. At the beginning of the week it seemed like the Raptors had no chance at drafting him at 5, but lately it seems that he just may be there.

 

Of course, who really knows? This all could be a bunch of BS as far as we know and a classic examples of GM's putting out smokescreens to hide who they really want.