Raptors Draft Day Information & Discussion

It was fine. Aside from Kanter, I didn't have much preference for one over the other between Walker, Knight and Valanciunas. Hopefully Valanciunas can prove me wrong. ;)

The racist, ignorant, bigoted comments are really surprising coming from Canadians. I expect that sort of thing from ignorant Americans, but I guess ignorance exists everywhere.

Not really sure why all the hate though. It's not like BC went and picked some random player just because he's European. Valanciunas is highly regarded by a lot of people who actually cover basketball, and was slated to be drafted at #4. The San Antonio rumor, if true, had them wanting to acquire him. Guess it's okay for San Antonio to bring in international players to continue their decade long reign, but not for our 22 win team.

And I hope all the people at the Grill are having a great time. Wish I could have been there.

The Raptors website had a live chat and it was a disaster. 90% hating the pick. It was terrifically funny, but at the same time a little nauseating.

Problems with the draft pick:
-white
-Euro (like Aruajo (SA but who cares, his name is foreign)
-like Barney (in spite of the fact he is the anti-Barney)
-BCSUCKSFIREHIMIWANTTOWINNEXTYEARANDONLYBEMEDIOCREB UTNOTAPOSSIBLECONTENDER!

With the Spurs reportedly hot for JV, then trading for Leonard who is not a shooter/proto Spurs player (good defensively though), selecting Canadian Cory Joseph...I feel there may be a trade happening here and possibly a larger one including Jose to help with the traded Hill.

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bloodyhandedgod wrote:

The Raptors website had a live chat and it was a disaster. 90% hating the pick. It was terrifically funny, but at the same time a little nauseating.

Problems with the draft pick:
-white
-Euro (like Aruajo (SA but who cares, his name is foreign)
-like Barney (in spite of the fact he is the anti-Barney)
-BCSUCKSFIREHIMIWANTTOWINNEXTYEARANDONLYBEMEDIOCREB UTNOTAPOSSIBLECONTENDER!

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yeah that was ridiculous.

I've got no real problem with this pick. Despite our desperate need of a true big to man the lane, we weren't going to get this in the draft for next year. Getting a possible solution in a couple of years is not bad (I think a couple of years, anyone know of buyout news?). Seeing Kawhi drop that far and the Spurs getting him in a trade at 15 makes me sad. Their track record in the draft is solid, and it makes me wonder if the Raps should have tried harder to get him. (would you take Bayless instead of Hill?) Unless the asking price was Ed, in which case I have no problems sticking with what we got.

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bloodyhandedgod wrote:

Some technical trouble around here. Assuming all the fans swamped this place. We got Valanciunis. I was shocked for a few moments and then realized it's a great pick. If we felt no one was good enough for now for our team, planning for the future is what we should do. Heard rumors he might be able to join us late next year.

Brave pick by a GM with 2 years and an option to work with. And on other Boards (sorry, we were down) I saw more racist and ignorant comments than I cared to deal with. Hope for future "big nites" that RR can make itself able to handle all the extra input. And still, thanks for a great site.

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Ya sorry guys. We got completely slammed with traffic which shut down the site for the most part. Needless to say we're not happy about it and Arse is already taking care of it.

Also a bold move for another reason : if the roster stays the same (more or less) next season, that's pressure on Casey to improve results. However, if the roster is the problem it means another terrible season. Is that good with a deeper draft next year? Does it invite the opportunity for Barnes or Kabongo to fall into our lap? Mixed bag with this pick in the end I think. May end up being the best thing for long-term development of the team though, regardless of next year's draft.

I absolutely love this selection definitely gutsy call by BC and hopefully it doesn't turn out as fans have been saying rafael arujo 2.0

I just want to hear the Kemba & Knight fans to start talking

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white men can't jump wrote:

I've got no real problem with this pick. Despite our desperate need of a true big to man the lane, we weren't going to get this in the draft for next year. Getting a possible solution in a couple of years is not bad (I think a couple of years, anyone know of buyout news?). Seeing Kawhi drop that far and the Spurs getting him in a trade at 15 makes me sad. Their track record in the draft is solid, and it makes me wonder if the Raps should have tried harder to get him. (would you take Bayless instead of Hill?) Unless the asking price was Ed, in which case I have no problems sticking with what we got.

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At this point in time, I would take Hill over Bayless.

Setting aside the obvious flame bait (Raptor fans have every right to be immediately queasy on "European Talent"), what happened to playing to win? This pick assures us, that barring a miraculous trade, we do not improve next season. By virtue of ineligibility we do not add talent to the worst defense in the league. We do not address our atrocious perimeter shooting. And most importantly we do not instill faith that the organization and those within it have the fans best interest at the fore in their decision making process.

BryCo had to know this wasn't going to fly with a growing number of disgruntled fans. How does this address lack luster season ticket sales? How does this revitalize the brand and evoke passion in it's fan base? How does this jive with the hype hung on Soloman Alabi's shoulders last season.

BryCo made this decision based on the optics that he was on a short leash and that when management applied pressure his "pick the best talent on the board matra" would shrivel.

I wanted Kemba.. but Jonas is a really good pick. Getting a true center is very difficult in this league. Most teams do not trade their center, and the Raptors never really had one. The 2012 draft looks loaded with talent but has no good center prospects. We were never going to get Gasol or Nene, and Oden/Ming were too high risk.

Jonas is a very good pick. He has been a top European MVP in a lot of tournaments. He shoots very well, and loves to rebound and block shots. He's only 19, and I see a lot of good potential here. I bet BC assumed Cleveland would take him, and when they didn't he jumped on it. Similar to what he did with Davis last year.

It is also very easy to move a center in this league. Easier than a PG or a Wing. If he can't handle the NBA then I'm sure another team would take a crack at him. But I am a fan of this pick.

If only BC traded Bargs... that would have been icing on the cake :)

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Raptor Jesus wrote:

Setting aside the obvious flame bait (Raptor fans have every right to be immediately queasy on "European Talent"), what happened to playing to win? This pick assures us, that barring a miraculous trade, we do not improve next season. By virtue of ineligibility we do not add talent to the worst defense in the league. We do not address our atrocious perimeter shooting. And most importantly we do not instill faith that the organization and those within it have the fans best interest at the fore in their decision making process.

BryCo had to know this wasn't going to fly with a growing number of disgruntled fans. How does this address lack luster season ticket sales? How does this revitalize the brand and evoke passion in it's fan base? How does this jive with the hype hung on Soloman Alabi's shoulders last season.

BryCo made this decision based on the optics that he was on a short leash and that when management applied pressure his "pick the best talent on the board matra" would shrivel.

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But BC isn't done yet. He can still make trades. BC has proven year after year that he knows how to make trades. I'm sure he'd be able to find defensive players and players that can shoot through trades and potentially free agency.

I believe he chose the BPA, and that was Jonas. BC has been in the league a long time, and I'm sure he realizes that a good stud center is hard to find. He found one and grabbed him right away.

this is a good pick. Even if he doesn't come till late next season our team will still be slightly better than last season. Our young players will continue to improve we'll probably win around 30 games IMO and then get Jonas V and eventually be a great team. Great pick hopefully this means bargnani gets traded.

Valanciunas must have given the worst draft interview in the history of the NBA draft. Talk about train wreck. Good thing he's a baller.

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planetmars wrote:

But BC isn't done yet. He can still make trades. BC has proven year after year that he knows how to make trades. I'm sure he'd be able to find defensive players and players that can shoot through trades and potentially free agency.

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No one's arguing that he can make trades, he just can't make good trades. But the actual act of making them, I'd put him top 3 in the game and just barely behind two teenagers with a NBA 2k11 franchise.

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Quixotic wrote:

At this point in time, I would take Hill over Bayless.

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I probably would too. I'm not sure if Hill's ceiling is that much or at all higher. I mean, they have similar strengths and even weaknesses (struggle to sometimes get others involved). I mean, Indiana also already has Collison as a young PG, so we'll see if either him or Hill will benefit in this situation.

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bloodyhandedgod wrote:

-Euro (like Aruajo (SA but who cares, his name is foreign)

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This, I think, is the best part. I still want to know what constitutes being a "Euro" in the negative sense. Is it:

- Born in Europe + played for a European team (e.g. Nowitzki)?
- Born anywhere + played in the Euroleague (e.g. Jennings, Biyombo)?
- Born in the US + played high school and NCAA ball in the US, but plays for a European national team (e.g. Koufos)?
- Born in the US + played high school and NCAA ball, but name sounds foreign (e.g. Przybilla)?

Or maybe it's whether or not someone played middle school basketball in the U.S. Kleiza is a "Euro", but Horford is never thought of as an international player. Since skin color is obviously not the issue, the only thing I can think of is Kleiza didn't play middle school basketball in the U.S. but Horford did (I'm assuming).

I can at least understand (but not agree with) people having issues with projecting NBA success from non-NCAA games, but 1) nobody had issues with drafting high schoolers with no NCAA experience, and 2) guys like Kleiza and Araujo (who isn't European to begin with) had NCAA careers to evaluate, no different from any other NCAA player.

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Apollo wrote:

Valanciunas must have given the worst draft interview in the history of the NBA draft. Talk about train wreck. Good thing he's a baller.

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I think he's craftier than he looks. He must have been appealing to Bosh haters.

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Raptor Jesus wrote:

Setting aside the obvious flame bait (Raptor fans have every right to be immediately queasy on "European Talent"), what happened to playing to win? This pick assures us, that barring a miraculous trade, we do not improve next season. By virtue of ineligibility we do not add talent to the worst defense in the league. We do not address our atrocious perimeter shooting. And most importantly we do not instill faith that the organization and those within it have the fans best interest at the fore in their decision making process.

BryCo had to know this wasn't going to fly with a growing number of disgruntled fans. How does this address lack luster season ticket sales? How does this revitalize the brand and evoke passion in it's fan base? How does this jive with the hype hung on Soloman Alabi's shoulders last season.

BryCo made this decision based on the optics that he was on a short leash and that when management applied pressure his "pick the best talent on the board matra" would shrivel.

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Dude, relax. Who in this draft was sure to address our needs at D and shooting in one pick?......Biyombo would still be a backup and a project, and he's the only real defensive prospect. Jonas is arguably the most talented big in the draft, and if you can get that you always roll the dice.
Our 3-pt shooting may not be good, but we'll still score. Coaches, despite some theories, are a big part of what a team does, especially on D. Who knows what impact Casey will have, but the improvement on D will likely depend at least as much on him as on any talent we may acquire, if not more.