Austin Rivers

The Good: Son of an NBA coach, comes from a solid college program at Duke, proven scorer at the college level, oozes confidence, had nice things to say about Toronto, did I mention his dad is Doc Rivers?

The Bad: Lacks one elite level skill, comes across as cocky, failed to live up to expectations in his freshman season, questions about athletic ability, NBA nepotism, went to Duke, questions about his ability to be a starting 2 guard at the next level.

The Verdict: Stay away; Rivers might have good value later into the lottery, but at 8 he’s simply too high a risk for not nearly enough reward.

Damian Lillard

The Good: Exceptional scorer’s mentality with the ability to get to & finish at the bucket as well as hit the outside jumper, had impressive assist to turnover ratio, led his team in almost every offensive category, good size at the point guard position.

The Bad: Played in a less than completive conference, his team failed to even qualify for the tourney, was less than impressive against better competition, is still a relative unknown commodity as a junior, questions about his ability to lead a team.

The Verdict: If he’s still there, and there’s not someone who the Raptors have fallen in love with behind him, they have to take him.

Dion Waiters

The Good: No fear in driving to the hoop, very effective slasher with an improving shooting arsenal, jumps the gap well leading to high steals rate, spark plug off the bench, physically strong and takes contact well; John Hollinger thinks he might be Dwayne Wade.

The Bad: Not great size for a 2 guard, less than explosive athlete, was unable to crack the starting rotation at Syracuse for 2 straight years, cheats on defense, questions about true position, jump shot still unpolished.

The Verdict: If he turns out to be Dwayne Wade, this will look dumb, but pass, and pass quicly.

Andre Drummond

The Good:  Rare physical tools, has the potential on height, weight and strength alone to be a dominant big man in the NBA; while still raw, has good rebounding, shot blocking, and inside scoring ability, was in the discussion for #1 overall pre-season.

The Bad: Underperformed in college, incredibly raw, massive bust potential, questions about his desire to play the game, can be passive on the floor, slight attitude problems.

The Verdict: Big bodies with this kind of potential don’t fall in the draft often; if he’s there at 8, take him, and figure out the particulars after.

Jeremy Lamb

The Good: Excellent shooter with unlimited range, freakish wingspan, has above average ball-handling ability for the position.

The Bad: Very wiry slender frame, avoids contact at all costs, can be overpowered on the defensive end, questions about his ability to lead a team/be a good teammate, and relies on his jump shot too heavily.

The Verdict: Unless the Raptors believe Lamb will usurp DeRozan within the year, pass.

I was hoping to talk to Chris Denker from NetScouts Basketball (fingers crossed for tomorrow), so I thought instead of talking to a very informed basketball mind, it might be equally as useful to talk to an uninformed basketball mind. Luckily, I just so happen to live with such a mind, my girlfriend. While vastly more intelligent than me on almost every other subject, she knows almost nothing about basketball. Her only basketball reference is the ten second increments of Raptor games she sees when she comes into the room to give me a dirty look for watching Raptor games.

To give us something to talk about, we watched this highlight package of Andre Drummond from UConn, currently slotted to go to the Toronto Raptors with the 8^th pick as per DraftExpress.com. Once we were finished, I asked her some questions.

If you had to guess, how well do you think this player would translate to the NBA?

I think he’d translate very well and very quickly. (She asked how big and tall he was, and when I answered 7’0” and 270, there was an audible gasp). In the highlights it looked like they focused on his ability to tip the ball into the hoop, but he wasn’t able to gain the ball on his own on most of those plays. While his advantage wouldn’t be as pronounced in the NBA as it was in college, I think it would still exist.

Overall, what did you think of the player?

He was really impressive, I kept marvelling at his height. He seemed like the star of his team, although it was just highlights, but it looked like it was his team. The crowd loved him, which is really important, because he’d bring viewers in. His play seemed effortless, it seemed like dunking came naturally to him. He is definitely good.

If you were an NBA General Manager, would you risk your job selecting this player?

Not sure, I’ve only seeing his highlights, if I saw more on him, I potentially would. If his only job was to make sure the ball goes in, then yes, I would risk my career on him.

Why would you be hesitant to take this player?

He seems to be getting the ball a lot rather than getting it himself. Also he seemed really showy, he takes away other players chance at glory because he jumps to put back a shot that might still go in, which doesn’t seem necessary.

What do you think of the criticism this player has received for his lack of effort?

In the NBA if you let your guard down for even a moment, you get left behind. If he isn’t holding up his own, then the team could completely fall apart. Fast paced game, can’t have slackers.

How would you rate his footwork, based on what you saw, and how would it translate to the NBA?

I didn’t get a good look at his footwork; all I really noticed were his arms.

Thank you for your time, you were a great sport.

No problem, but this isn’t getting put online or anything is it?

I thought this would be a good time to end the interview, as I was pretty sure she didn’t know what footwork was, and my next question was about Andre Drummond’s hands. All in all, I think she came to the same conclusion any of us would, albeit knowing far less about the game. He has a big body, and people that big are rare, even in the NBA.  Looking at the draft board, I think the Raptors could do a hell of a lot worse than a project big man, even if we already have one of those coming over.  Tomorrow, we’ll either be lucky enough to hear from Chris Denker, or you’ll be unlucky enough to hear me complain about Damian Lillard. Now start crossing your fingers.

Party time?

When Bryan Colangelo became the GM of the Toronto Raptors back in 2006, I was elated. They finally had a creative leader in the front office that seemed to have all the qualities you look for to represent a franchise. He was eloquent, decisive, intelligent, friendly with the media, and wore suits that made me want to wear suits. He seemed to come into the city with a surge of momentum, and he carried it all the way to the 2007 Executive of the Year award in his first full season at the helm through a combination of savvy trades, unconventional signings and the daring selection of a European player first overall. And then, it kind of just went to shit. Slowly but surely, fans and the media stopped being star-struck by them fancy words n’ suits, and started looking at the direction he was taking the franchise. The bad moves started to outweigh the good, and the club was unable to recovery from a litany of body blows (Garbo hurt, Bosh gone, Roy Hibbert where art thou?). Always the consummate salesman, Colangelo effortlessly spun the story his way, until the list of failed franchise saviors became too much to overlook (oh wait…Val…).

So here we are, at a bit of a crossroads for the Raptors franchise, and Bryan & Co. are still making the decisions. Despite winning two Executive of the Year awards, there’s legitimate debate about whether or not Colangelo is a good GM, which makes the following all the more scary. Being in the final year of his deal, there is little doubt that Colangelo is attempting, to the best of his ability, to save his job, much like the rest of us would. The unfortunate part of Bryan attempting to save his job is that it will almost certainly mean doing whatever he can to ensure that the Toronto Raptors win as many games as possible next season, which in a very naïve way, would qualify as a success. This fixation on wins is detrimental to the Raptors because mortgaging the future for the present (the opposite of what I argued for yesterday) will undoubtedly harm the organization for untold years to come. I think we all know this to be true, we know he will do it (as in all honesty we would too), and we accept it.

One of the best arguments I heard against the Raptors pursuing young talent, other than those who simply disagreed, was that the Raptors would not pursue youth, because Bryan was in the last year of his deal and wouldn’t trade for talent that he might never get to use past this upcoming season. This simultaneously makes no sense and perfect sense, so something must be done to resolve the problem. I’m going to suggest some out of the box thinking -sarcasm- and propose that we extend Bryan Colangelo. Throw him a three year deal at a discounted rate with a club option on the third year. With the sword of Damocles no longer hanging over his head, and newfound support of ownership, Bryan will be able to return to his creative, suave roots and bring the Raptors back to something resembling the exciting young team they were in 2007.

Here’s another radical thought -again, sarcasm-, if you don’t think worthy of an extension, or couldn’t deliver if he received one, fire him. The limbo Bryan is being put in is unfair to him, to the players, and the fans. Decisive action needs to be taken, because this halfway in halfway out approach the Raptors seem to be taking with just about everything these days is getting a little old.

Extension or not, the Draft Party on June 28 at St. Louis near Yonge/College goes on!

Yesterday was a fairly slow new day with regards to the draft, so until I have enough time to properly describe my hatred for Damian Lillard, I thought I might explore some hypothetical trades. Granted, hypothetical trades might be the biggest waste of one’s time possible, so by all means abandon ship now.

As I stared at the many mock draft boards that inform almost all of my opinions, I kept coming back to MKG and thinking, he’s going to be a solid NBA starter for the next 15 years. Other than Anthony Davis, I don’t think there is any other player you can say that about. There are quite a few with higher ceilings (Beal, Drummond, Robinson, PJ3, Waiters if Hollinger is to be believed), but none who have such a high floor. This past season on the Raptors roster, there wasn’t a single player who provided the kind of consistent play and effort that MKG is projected, and I believe will, bring. Sure, Toronto has many players that ooze the kind of potential that dominates the discussion surrounding the NBA draft every year, but none who were consistent, solid players. The Raptors are in the danger zone of listing in-between mediocrity and an 8th seed in the playoffs, which is the death knell for franchises in the NBA.

If Raptors prospects like DeRozan, Bargnani (prospect or established vet?), Davis and JV reach their full potential, and a quality player manages to fall to them at 8, there could be the start of something special. What is far more likely to happen, on the other hand, is that about half the prospects will pan out with varying degrees of success, and the 8th pick will turn out to be a middling prospect that has the potential to be quite good. We have been sold on the idea that players like Bargnani and DeRozan are cornerstones of the franchise, however, for the most part, we now this to be untrue. Waiting in the wings is a young Lithuanian, who many believe (even outside Toronto) could be a legitimate player to build around. If this is indeed not just the latest delusion we’ve been peddled by Bryan & Co., then I see no reason to do it halfway.

There is no player on the Toronto Raptors that I would not gladly bundle with our first round selection (JV being the exception) for the opportunity so select MKG. Embrace mortgaging the present for the future, as the present didn’t look so bright anyway. Powerhouses are being built in the East, and it’s no longer a place where a ragtag group of misfits and other NBA team’s outcasts can actually compete. I’m actually a big fan of DeRozan, Baragnani and Davis, but building blocks of a championship they are not. There are teams desperate to sell their fans some tiny glimmer of hope (here’s looking at you Charlotte); I say give it to them, whatever the cost may be. Allow Dwayne Casey to instil a true culture change, and have the Raptors be reborn in his defensive minded image. Mortgage the farm, and soon the flock may prosper.

So, if you managed to stay on the ship, I did warn you what a fantastic waste of your time this would be, so you really only have yourself to blame. The blame game aside, I really do think MKG and JV are legitimate building blocks for a championship contender, and an imaginative GM secure in his job might be able to see it and execute. Unfortunately, these things we do not possess. Talk to you tomorrow Republic.

Draft Party on June 28 – Yonge/College. Good times for all, MKG or not.

The people have spoken, and while it wasn’t quite unanimous, Dion Waiters got the most shout outs in the comment section, so Dion Waiters it is. If you’re unfamiliar with Mr. Waiters, you aren’t alone, as he’s flown under the radar most of the season leading up to the draft, and didn’t even crack the top 2 shooting guard prospects in my player comparisons a while back. The two prospects that were profiled, Jeremy Lamb and Bradley Beal (which are dated, but can be found here) have in the past been seen as better prospects, although lately Waiters has been skyrocketing up some draft boards. Chad Ford currently has him ranked as the 7^th best prospect, and John Hollinger has him ranked as the 4^th best prospect while comparing him to Dwayne Wade. So, is he the late-lottery to mid-first round pick he was projected to be two months ago, or the second coming of one of the greatest two guard to grace and NBA floor in the past couple decades? Let’s take a look.

Waiters’ most obvious comparison in the draft is the aforementioned Bradley Beal, as they are both undersized two guards, although once you get past the height, they possess very different skillsets. While Beal prefers to most of his damage on the perimeter, Waiters is a classic slashing combo guard. Measuring 6’4” (6’2.5” without shoes) Waiters is a few inches below the optimal height for a shooting guard, but used his superior strength to bully his way into the paint at the collegiate level. Defensively, he is prone to gambling (think a slightly more responsible Barbosa) which leads to impressive steal numbers, but he is by no means a lockdown defender. While not as polished as his slashing game, he is a reliable shooter off the dribble within the arc, and has proven he can stroke from the 3 point line (albeit a college 3), and also possesses an above average floater.

He has been described as a “sneaky” athlete, as he doesn’t possess the prototypical build one might expect out of explosive athlete. Despite having good ball handling skills and being a competent passer, he doesn’t project as a point guard (although stranger things have happened), and seems positioned to enter the league as a combo guard capable of playing the point in a pinch. Despite struggling mightily in his rookie season, Waiters was a very effective bench player for the Orange as a sophomore, and some scouts believe he will continue being a “spark off the bench” type player once he enters the league. In college, he was not an effective half-court player, and did the majority of his work off the break with impressive efficiency. Waiters pulled out of the draft combine and cancelled the rest of his workouts after reportedly being promised he would be picked by a lottery team. As this article gets posted, the best information I can get points to Phoenix at 13 making the guarantee, and not Toronto (8) or Portland (6 & 11).

I’ve watched about an hour of tape on Dion Waiters (kind of depressing, I know) and for the life of me I can’t quite figure this one out. I am by no means an expert talent evaluator, but the elite level player Waiters is being compared to is simply ludicrous. Hollinger’s assertion makes no sense whatsoever; Dwayne Wade (in both college and the NBA) attacked the basket with ferocity through traffic, while Waiters takes the opportunities presented to him (mostly on the break) and finishes hard, but without much explosiveness. The other player Waiters is often compared to (in a best case scenario) is Ben Gordon, and again, I simply don’t find this to ring true. Gordon manhandled his collegiate opponents and was an absolute nightmare from the perimeter, and even he has regressed into a mediocre two guard.

The “sneaky” athlete label Waiters picked up is really just a sneaky way of saying he isn’t a great athlete.  While it’s obvious that Waiters is stronger than the two guards he faces, I have doubts whether this will translate into the NBA where the majority of his opponents will be just as strong, and much larger. His shot will also be bothered by lengthier and more aggressive NBA defenders.  His small stature will also be a liability on the defensive end, where he has yet to prove effective, even against inferior opposition. With a lack of a refined half-court game, and his potential to be a defensive burden, Waiters will almost certainly be relegated to the bench, at least to begin his NBA career.

While my analysis didn’t do a fantastic job of conveying it, I’m actually not as down on Waiters as it might appear, I’m just not as star-crossed as it seems some (far more knowledgeable) people are over at ESPN are. If he figures everything out, which is a big if, he could turn out to be an Eric Gordon type player. On the other hand, from what I’ve seen, I think it’s far more likely he turns out to fall somewhere in the range of Ben Gordon and a homeless man’s version of Ben Gordon.

If anyone has something they’d like me to look into, just leave me a message in the comment section and I’ll get on it for tomorrow.

It appears as though quite a few in the Republic disagree with my assertion that the Raptors should trade their first round draft pick. There generally seems to be three main criticisms; Jared Sullinger isn’t that good and wouldn’t have been selected before (or when) the Raptors came up, that a player from the top six would fall, and that players chosen in the Raptors slot in past drafts have (with some frequency) turned out to be all-star talents. With regards to Sullinger, my point wasn’t so much that he had value to the Raptors (although a healthy Sullinger in my opinion would be a solid pickup at 8), but rather how much value he had to the first seven teams.

As the pool of potential top ten draftees’ diminishes (as it did with Sullinger’s red flag), it increases the odds the Raptors will get an inferior prospect. As for the other two criticisms, in another draft class I might even agree with them, but the NBA draft needs to be looked at in a vacuum. The value of a certain pick can vary wildly depending on the particular year, so while it’s nice to think you’ll get a player comparable to past eighth overall selections like Rudy Gay or Robert Parish, you’re far more likely to end up with T.J Ford or Brandon Wright. In the worst case scenario, you might also end up with Joe Alexander or *gulp* Rafael Araujo. While the names I threw out there either put a smile or tear on your face, they’re really meaningless, as none of those players are in this year’s draft, and that should be all we’re concerned about. The assertion that every year a player in the 7-12 range turns out to be a future all-star is false, and even if it were the case, there is no way to predict which player that will be.

Finally, many believe that the Raptors would be misguided to trade their first round pick because a player from the top six prospects (Davis, Robinson, MKG, Beal, Barnes and Drummond) will fall out of their draft slot and right into Toronto’s eager hands. This has happened in the past, and to be quite frank, it’s happened quite a lot, as GM’s overreach for players who had no business being taken that early (Hoffa’s a prime example). Just because it has happened in the past, however, in no way indicates for a certainty that it will happen this year. Actually, I would argue that there is no chance of this happening. If you look at the top 6 in this draft, I would love to hear which 2 of the remaining 24 first round picks will supplant them. Even if you think one team’s GM in the top 6 will make a misguided choice on draft night, the Raptors need one third of the GM’s in the top 6 overreach.

Before we go, I’m in need of some feedback. For tomorrow’s article, I’d like to do an in depth analysis of one potential Raptors draft pick, since after all, odds are they keep the pick (even if I disagree). So, when replying to my flawed logic, please give the name of player you’d like to see profiled. And yes, Jae Crowder counts (he of the unexpected 1 ½ inch growth spurt).

Last but not least – the RR Draft Party near Yonge/College at St. Louis Bar and Grill. This is your chance to throw eggs at us. Like, actual eggs.

The landscape of the 2012 NBA draft changed quite a bit last night, or not at all, depending on how much you value Jared Sullinger. A player that many (myself included) had going before the Raptors pick at 8, Sullinger has apparently been red-flagged by multiple NBA medical staff’s, and could now potentially fall outside the first round. While that news is unfortunate for this year’s version of DeJuan Blair, it could also devastate the Raptors draft plans. Just as I was beginning to stomach the idea of Jeremy Lamb in a Raptors uniform, it appears he may be off the board before the Raptors make their selection.

This leaves Toronto in the unenviable position of having to make the 8th pick in a draft where there is a noticeable dip in talent after the 6th, with one of the more attractive options in the 7-10 range apparently gone because of a bad back. The optimist in me wants to believe that a player in the top 6 falls to the Raptors, but the realist in me knows that Toronto will be choosing a less talented prospect who doesn’t fit in the Raptors rebuild plans. If your most likely option is a shooting guard with effort issues (hey, don’t we already have one of those?), and your worst case scenario is picking either a shoot first point guard (Damian Lillard), Ed Davis clone (John Henson) or a project big man (Meyers Lenoard), it might be time to reassess this pick. I’m all for drafting the best player available, but with Sullinger out of the picture, it has become painfully evident that there isn’t a prospect that makes sense at 8 for the Raptors.

The best option left is to move the pick; either throw together a package of picks and players to trade up for a better talent, trade down into the teens for a better team-player fit while acquiring future assets, or move out of the first round entirely for a veteran at a position of need. Unless Toronto comes to its senses and decides to shop the pick along with the much maligned and beloved Andrea Bargnani to a team in need of a potential star at PF (Charlotte, Washington and Sacramento make sense at 2, 3 and 5, respectively), the most likely trade option is to swap the pick for a veteran. Let’s just hope that such a trade would work out better than the 2008 Roy Hibbert for Jermaine O’Neil debacle that set the organization back a couple years.

As I continue to ponder this year’s draft, I’m becoming increasingly convinced that this is a franchise defining moment for the Raptors. I don’t want to over-hype the significance of the 2012 rookie class, even though they’re quite an intriguing bunch. It’s just that, like it or not, the Raptors are not going to suck next year and probably won’t suck for the foreseeable future. That’s not to say they’ll be a guaranteed playoff team (although in a weak Eastern Conference, it’s likely) or a contender for some hardware; rather it’s all but assured that the days of top 10 picks and high-end rookie talent are behind us for a while. Regardless of who they pick in 2012, the Raptors will be improved with the arrival of last year’s heir apparent, as well as a second season (and full training camp) from an effective head coach, and an influx of talent via free agency as Bryan Colangelo scrambles to save his job. This is a franchise defining pick for the Raptors not because so much rests on that player’s shoulders but because they’re due for significant improvement, in any case. If they manage to grab a stud, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect a meteoric rise up the Eastern Conference standings next year. If, on the other hand, they take a player who ends up a bust, they’ll still rise to that wasteland of mediocrity that teams like the Rockets have wandered in for the past decade.

So now that I’ve over-blown (or put into perspective) the importance of this year’s draft, let’s start looking at some players. March Madness gave a lot of potential middle-to-late first round picks an opportunity to boost their stock but unfortunately for the Raptors, it provided more questions than answers for those players likely to be available when they will be picking. Sure, Anthony Davis cemented his status as the obvious number one pick, but it was a roller coaster for just about everyone else. Andre Drummond and Jeremy Lamb took a big hit to their stock with a quick first round exit. Harrison Barnes and Jared Sullinger missed the opportunity to establish themselves as top 5 picks with dominant performances. MKG and Thomas Robinson managed to hold steady with impressive (if unspectacular) tournament performances. The only player who truly boosted his value was Bradley Beal, who now seems poised to be the second coming of Ray Allen (albeit a 6’4 version). When I did the player profiles by position a little while back, I slightly fell in love with each one of them (except for Damian Lillard, there’s no lovin’ Damian Lillard) and as a result, I probably overvalued their “best case scenarios.” Now that the honeymoon is over, I challenge anyone (really, please convince me) to prove that any one player, picked 2 through 8, will be a guaranteed stud. While it’s easy to be intrigued by just about everyone on that tier, they all come with lots of question marks.

So,  we’re looking at an incredibly crucial draft that currently only has the number one pick penciled in. Since most mock drafts seem oblivious to Toronto’s actual needs — a lot of sites have the Raptors selecting a center prospect, on the reasoning being that we don’t have a center prospect (sigh) — I thought it might be beneficial to give a Raptors perspective. First, some ground rules. I’ll update the Raptors Big Board whenever something noteworthy happens or the order significantly changes. The Board will go 10 deep, and it will be based on the Raptors current squad (Jonas included), my own opinion, and any new information/research that becomes available. There’s no real point in doing a board for the second-rounders (since it fluctuates so wildly) but I’ll throw out some names every once in a while that I think the Raptors should be looking at. To start, we’ll take a quick look at my man crush from the NCAA tourney.

Currently slotted to go anywhere from the late first to late second round, Jae Crowder is everything the Raptors should be looking for with the first of their two second-round picks. He’s a senior at Marquette who possesses unimpressive size for the small forward position, and lacks any single elite skill. But he makes up for these less than eye-popping qualities with a ridiculous motor and a jack of all trades skill set that make for a potent combination. He reminds me of a shorter version of Kenneth Faried, and not just because of the hair. While he lacks Faried’s elite rebounding ability, he makes up for it with an extended shooting range, and I believe he could have a similar effect on the game. Unfortunately, I’m fairly sure other folks are going to fall in love with Crowder, and someone will take a chance on him at the end of the first round. Dare to dream though. Now, off to the board.

Raptors Big Board Version 1.0

#1 – Anthony Davis PF 19-years-old, 6’10; 220 lbs.

The only player the Raptors would be forced to take if he were available (as in, they win the lottery), Davis would immediately warrant a trade or position change for Andrea Bargnani. Paired with incoming rookie Jonas Valanciunas, the Raptors could have the beginnings of a one two big man punch reminiscent of the Duncan-Robinson Spurs.

#2 – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist SF 18-years-old, 6’7; 228 lbs.

The Raptors have a slew of holes they need to fill in the offseason, and MKG fills just about all of them. He brings a rare combination of defense, toughness, leadership, athleticism, and an improving offensive game – all at a position where the Raptors currently have an opening. His ceiling has been set by many as Gerald Wallace, which either means I undervalue Gerald Wallace, or overvalue MKG.

#3 – Bradley Beal SG 18-years-old, 6’4; 201 lbs.

The controversy begins! Or maybe it started with MKG… Either way, I have Beal third because of his tempting combination of shooting and defense, as well as the fact that I’m not sold on DeRozan yet. Even if I’m proven wrong with regards to DeMar, this can still work. While a 2-3 combination would potentially be a disaster, I’ve yet to hear a compelling reason why Russell Westbrook can be a star point guard, but converting Beal to the point position is unfeasible.

#4 – Andre Drummond C/PF 18-years-old, 6’10; 251 lbs.

Despite the fact Drummond has been playing uneven basketball all year, he was still rated 1.A to Anthony Davis on potential alone. After a horrible showing in Connecticut’s first-round loss in the tournament, his stock has taken a dip but he’s still the same potential-laden player he was all year. The Raptors would have the luxury of bringing him along slowly, and Dwayne Casey could be the right coach to turn Drummond into the monster many believe he could become. Too many Power Forwards you say; well I agree, but it’s hard to pass on someone who’s being compared to Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum.

#5 – Thomas Robinson PF 21-years-old, 6’9; 240 lbs.

The same argument against drafting Drummond will apply to Robinson. We already have a good 4 man in Bargnani, and far too many prospects behind him to add yet another to the mix. Again, I agree, but high motor big men with chiselled frames and improving offensive and defensive games are a rare commodity, and while the Raptors have a lot of power forwards, they don’t have any with the qualities Robinson possesses. Is he good enough to force a Bargnani trade? Maybe not, but you’d have to consider it.

#6 – Harrison Barnes SF 19-years-old, 6’8; 223 lbs.

It’s hard to get excited about the prospect of the Raptors drafting Barnes, but it’s also hard not to recognize that he fills some of the Raptors needs. He would be an upgrade over James Johnson in the small forward slot and could provide the steadying offensive production the Raptors have been looking for from the position for the past decade.

#7 – Jared Sullinger PF/C 20-years-old, 6’9; 280 lbs.

The Raptors have never had a true low-post scoring threat, and in Sullinger they would be getting the best one in the nation. His lack of athleticism and shot-blocking ability are going to scare some teams away, but players like Kevin Love have proven that Jared Sullinger’s deficiencies don’t preclude him from being a star in this league.

#8 – Perry Jones PF 20-years-old, 6’11; 220 lbs.

Possessing one of the highest ceilings in the entire draft, Jones is only rated so low in the draft because there are real questions about his motor and desire to become an elite player. Surrounded by the right coach and teammates –  and potentially a switch to the small forward position — who have the patience to live with his mistakes while demanding consistent effort could allow Jones to become the steal of the draft.

#9 – Jeremy Lamb SG 19-years-old, 6’5; 185 lbs.

Suffering from many of the same questions about motor and desire, Jeremy Lamb has also seen his stock hurt by an unspectacular NCAA tourney performance. He has undeniable shooting ability to go along with a wingspan to make Chad Ford drool, and if he puts it all together he really could be the second coming of Reggie Miller. Aside from his many question marks, Lamb’s ranking suffers because I’m not certain he’s an upgrade over DeMar DeRozan.

#10 – Kendall Marshall PG 20-years-old, 6’4; 180 lbs.

If you’re going to reach, reach for something you need. The Raptors are in desperate need of a franchise point guard, and while I might be wrong, I think Marshall is going to boost his stock as we near the draft. His passing ability is something that just doesn’t come along often, and he’s the kind of throwback player that you want in a pure point guard.

This game was chalk full of excuses for the Miami Heat. They got into town at a time most senior citizens wake up. They’ve been going through a late March lull in which they seem to be waiting for the games to matter again. Finally, with a basement dwelling opponent like the Raptors, it’s hard to imagine them getting too fired up. So, with a combination of lack of sleep, motivation, and enthusiasm, Miami managed to rub their eye goop off before tip, and promptly go on a 10-0 run that sucked all of the energy out of the building. Not only were the Raptors overmatched at every position, but Casey managed to compound the talent discrepancy by putting Kleiza up against LeBron and throwing Gray on the court to deal with the offensive wizardry of Joel Anthony.

While it’s easy to point to those two players as key’s to Toronto’s slow start (and believe me, they were both horrible), it was Bargnani’s early 1^st quarter hook that turned the flow of the game back in Toronto’s favour. A
steady stream of Jose assists, classic Amir hustle and timely shooting by flavour of the week Gary Forbes pushed the Raptors back into the game. In what was a truly bizarre first quarter, Toronto managed to only have a 4 point deficit going into the second.

What followed was two quarters of teasing, in which an obviously overmatched Raptor squad slipped on its collective glass slipper and tried to give the ACC something worth cheering for. Bargnani recovered from his early exit to steady the offense, but he was obviously slowed by an injury or lack of endurance, and it showed on the defensive side of the ball. DeRozan continued his strong play against the Heat by consistently attacking the basket, but, like Bargnani, he was unable to affect the game with anything other than his offensive production.

The only true bright spot for Toronto was the play of Amir Johnson who chipped in a 12/12 in a very blue collar performance. While Jose had an eye popping line of 9/6/16, it’s getting to the point where I can’t watch him on defense anymore. I don’t expect Jose to play shut down defense, or even contain any other point guard in the league. I do, however, expect basic defensive principles and a level of effort that rises above passable. Now that the preachy bit is over, back to the game.

Toronto entered the fourth tied at 83, and managed to keep pace with Miami up until they were tied at 89, after which the Raptors imploded. The offense became stagnant and relied on outside jumpers, while the defense allowed penetration to the lane and uncontested jump shots. The ACC was as quiet as a library until our old temptress free pizza came back into the fold. Down by double digits, and with the game far from in question, the crowd burst into cheers at the thought that they’d at least get something (albeit thigh expanding) out of this game. Then something happened that upset me.

With happy pizza rich fans celebrating, Chris Bosh got the ball with an open lane to the basket and dunked the ball. Instead of running (hell, jogging even) back on defense, he started to shout and gesticulate at the crowd like, well, an asshole. A long time ago, I had my feelings hurt by Chris Bosh, and at the time, I pretended like it didn’t affect me. Like a spurned lover, I have to admit that things haven’t been so great since he left, but I had just come around to thinking that things were good; he was happy in Miami, and Jonas was about to make everything better. This probably sounds like a little much, but that scab has been reopened, and I’m right back to where I was before: F**k you Chris Bosh.