The Raptors and the 2014 Draft

[TSF]

You can't be serious, ak47 is one of the longest guys in the league. His length is freakish!

Edit- Wait a sec, I think you're misreading me..I was jokingly responding to your "spoilt for length in North America" comment with a random selection of long limbed euro dudes . Anyway this discussion can end now, my bad!!!

I know it's getting away from the Euros, but I just have to say that Tayshaun Prince has the freakiest wingspan in the nba. I swear i've seen the dude scratch the bottom of his knees standing up.

[raptors999]

Playing NBA defense. Some of it is skill but a lot of it is just being freakish.

[mcHAPPY]

I like Napier's elite ball handling skills. However if I am drafting between him and Payton, I take Payton for his size and defense because he is also very good at getting into the paint.

Two years younger as well.

Payton is a young junior.

[RaptorsFan4Life]

K.J. McDaniels

Draftexpress has us drafting him at 20. He looks prefect for what we need, the only issue is he's not a very good shooter. He's a slashing SF that can box out and play really good D. He might overlap with Demar a bit but Demar has gotten much better at him jumper.

He looks sorta like Tony Allen but a bit more athletic and being able to finish.

[BigCamB]

I think he's going to be very, very ordinary offensively.

[RaptorsFan4Life]

I think he's going to be very, very ordinary offensively.

Yes but his specialty is defense. He seems similar to James Johnson but with potential for better offensive game.

[007]

If he can play above average wing defence, take him.

[tenforthewin]

Worthwhile Draft Pick

Other than the big three of this year's draft pick of J.Embiid, A.Wiggins, J.Parker, what players are worth our starting Roster + pick to grab upon.

1) J.Randle - He could be a poor man Z-Bo but will flourish and probably will have a better career than Z-Bo as a franchise PF to build upon with. If we can somehow grab him by trading one of our starting roster let's say resigned Lowry or T.Ross, the Raptors would have a solid season to come.

2) D.Exum - He could be the darkhorse of this year's draft, a Kobe 2.0 or P.Hardaway 2.0 in the making or maybe a S.Muhammad with all the hype but no production. I don't want the Raptors to grab him since he made it clear to the press that he wants to play alongside Kobe or the Utah Jazz and it would be nice for him to hit the gem in the West.

3) M.Smart - He would be an ideal PG to replace K.Lowry but I don't see Masai would consider trading an established PG in Lowry for a draft pick beside M.Smart could bolt for a better team when his rookie contract runs out. I don't see Smart plays for this team.

4) N.Vonleh - I always see a Chris Bosh in him or he could have a better career than the latter, question is do we need an upgrade at the PF position. Amir is our heart and soul and he played well in the playoff, if we are gonna upgrade the PF spot, I say we need to go for an established low post scoring PF to pair up with Val, at this stage, it's too early to say whether Vonleh will be that PF of the franchise for the team. I see Vonleh end up with either Jazz or the Lakers

5) G.Harris - We have players like DeMar and T-Ross, I clearly don't see why we need Gary Harris and not gonna trade either of the two plus a pick for him even though Harris did well in the Final Four and can score the basket, I see him having a G.Henderson, E.Gordan, OJ Mayo type of career, nothing but a 6th man in the making, not a true SG for any team but can be lethal when coming off the bench, he should go for a playoff team where they need shooters.

6) A.Gordon - If he can somehow become a B.Griffin 2.0, it would be awesome but not our team when we don't have a C.Paul, K.Irving or heck even J.Calderon a pass first PG to make Gordan a special player. Gordan was a beast in the final four but it's very clear to see that he cannot create his own shot, he needs a PG to make him happen. I see Gordon having a A.Stoudamire career which he needs to play for a team with superb passing skills of a PG, I see him going to the Lakers or the Jazz.

7) Other than the above 6, I really want to see the Raptors (if we are to trade our pick + player), for

a) T.Ennis - Yes, I think he will be the T.Parker, S.Nash, J.Calderon in this year's draft. A pass first point guard, I say get him and have him backup Lowry for this year then if Lowry pulls a A.Williams or M.James, we can always ship him away and keep T.Ennis. Question is do we need to trade T-Ross or DeRozan + pick for him

b) D.Saric - Maybe, if B.Colangelo is our GM, I see him trading our pick + player for Saric and somehow mode him into a Hedo Turkolu, Ersan Ilyasova type of player. Saric's stock is on the rise and I don't see him falling out of Top 15 in this year's draft but he shouldn't play for the Raptors

c) N.Stauskas - Maybe, no one has talked about him in our draft pick and his stock's on the rise, after going from a early second round pick to even lottery, I see Stauskas' stock rise and fall but only time will tell; however if he does fall at No20, I'm quite sure Ujiri won't hesitate and grab him, his a tremendous shooter, Canadian but Lithuanian as well, he will bring more fans and bring that bond with none other than Valanciunas but question is will he fall for us at No20

d) K.Anderson - Most boards have him fall for us at No20 but again he's the darkhorse of this year's draft and could potentially be that franchise player everyone will be talking about in 5-6 years. K.Anderson does remind fans with a little bit of Magic Johnson in him, a tremendous passer at his size but lacks the athleticism at the NBA level. However, his stock is on the rise since Final Four and I don't see him falling out of the Top 15 in this year's heavy loaded draft unless we make a push for him.

Realistic Draft at No20
1) Glen Robinson III - An explosive SG/SF with tremendous upsides, I see him having a J.Richardson or R.Jefferson's type of career if being coached right and he plays defense so he's our No1 priority if we are to keep our pick at No20, question is does GRIII wants to play for North of the Border consider his popularity and status of being the son of Big Dog

2) D.Inglis - A foreign player with tremendous upsides, some compare him to Tyronne Hill, I say he's a Boris Diaw, Travis Outlaw type of player, a player who's not afraid of doing the dirty work to help a team win. Although he could also be a bust and not flourish at the NBA level but the chance of that is pretty slim, not a great shooter but plays tough defense, could also be a James Johnson 2.0 or JYD 2.0 where the fans will love him for his toughness and defense. If GRIII is picked before the 20th pick, I say we should grab him at No20

3) A.Payne - A few boards having us picking this guy but something tells me this guy is just a College Phenom and won't be that special in the NBA consider two factors: His heart condition, he has tremendous heart but his heart condition disallow him to play 48 minutes per game and also consider he just lost one of his biggest fan in that little girl, Madison was it due to cancer, probably shocked him the most after the Final Four. I don't see us picking him if we are to keep Amir, Tyler Hansborough, 2Pat or Hayes, so no room for him to develop. He should go for a better team

4) C.Capela - Again, a darkhorse, not known player who's stock has risen in the past two months. I see him as a bust or a project so no, we want an established players who can contribute immediately at the NBA level

5) PJ.Hairston - Great shooter but picking him up at No20 is a bit too much, he should be picked somewhere in the second round

6) E.Payton - His stock has risen since Final Four; however I dont see the Raptors drafting him if we are to keep both Lowry and Vazquez

7) Rodney Hood/TJ Warren/Cleanthony Early - The darkhorse of this year's draft, again I see all three having a decent role playing career in the NBA level, although all three can contribute early in the NBA but I don't see the Raptors drafting any of the three and if the Raptors does, I would cry. I don't know, I just don't see any of the three as a Raptors.

[NoPropsneeded]

TFTW is back! Happy days!

[Chr1s1anL]

The Top 2014 NBA Draft Targets for Every Playoffs Team
Via bleacher report

2013-14 Season: 48-34 (East No. 3), 101.3 Pts For/98.4 Against

Area(s) of Need: Facilitating help, forward depth

First-round Pick(s): No. 20



Kyle Anderson, UCLA G-F (6'9" So.): Anderson might already be gone by the time Toronto's turn rolls around, but the Raptors will be keeping an eye on him as the early first round unfolds. His size and outstanding passing skills could make him a steal.

ESPN's Jeff Goodman (subscription required) explains that Anderson is a good investment regardless of if Kyle Lowry stays: "The Raptors need to cover themselves in case Kyle Lowry goes elsewhere—and even if he returns, they could use a quality backup point guard. (He) simply makes people better."

T.J. Warren, NC State F (6'8" So.): Masai Ujiri should target T.J. Warren if he falls toward Toronto's slot. The ACC's leading bucket-getter can fill it up in a variety of ways and brings plenty of size as a 3.

Warren must improve his three-point efficiency, but his off-ball instincts, mid-range game and transition will serve him well as a secondary scoring option.

K.J. McDaniels, Clemson F (6'6" Jr.): Clemson's star is one of the best high-level role players available in this draft. He would undoubtedly take Toronto's defense to the next tier while providing elite athleticism and shooting potential on offense.


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[The Great One]

Still on the Zach LaVine bandwagon. If he's there at #20 i think the Raps should take him.

But one prospect that intrigues me is Jerami Grant. After watching this Nets/Raptors series. Pretty obvious the Raptors need a big SF that can defend big perimeter players like Joe Johnson.

Here's the scouting report on Grant:

Strengths: Impressive physical specimen of a forward ... Has a huge wingspan (7'2"), making him a potential terror on the defensive end ... Great all-around athlete ... His combination of size and length help him to simply overpower and out athleticism smaller wing forwards ... Fantastic shot-blocking wing player ... Can guard multiple positions thanks to his length and lateral quickness ... Good offensive rebounder who can produce a lot of second-chance buckets ... Equally comfortable driving to his right or his left ... Decent shooter from out to beyond the 3pt. arc ... Unselfish player with good court awareness who makes the extra pass ... Capable of rebounding the ball and then running the fast break himself...Has a lot of raw physical tools and a decent skill set at age 19, making him a guy with a lot of upside ...

Weaknesses: Still very raw at this point in time. Only played 14 MPG last season for Syracuse, indicating that he has a long way to go to be pro-ready...Needs to expand his offensive game. Isn't a great ball handler and slasher for a small forward, and doesn't have any kind of post game ... Still a bit thin. Needs to hit the weights and add some muscle ... Shooting consistency is still a bit of an issue ... Needs to improve from the stripe. 56% free throw shooter last season..

[white men can't jump]

Still on the Zach LaVine bandwagon. If he's there at #20 i think the Raps should take him.

But one prospect that intrigues me is Jerami Grant. After watching this Nets/Raptors series. Pretty obvious the Raptors need a big SF that can defend big perimeter players like Joe Johnson.

Here's the scouting report on Grant:

Strengths: Impressive physical specimen of a forward ... Has a huge wingspan (7'2"), making him a potential terror on the defensive end ... Great all-around athlete ... His combination of size and length help him to simply overpower and out athleticism smaller wing forwards ... Fantastic shot-blocking wing player ... Can guard multiple positions thanks to his length and lateral quickness ... Good offensive rebounder who can produce a lot of second-chance buckets ... Equally comfortable driving to his right or his left ... Decent shooter from out to beyond the 3pt. arc ... Unselfish player with good court awareness who makes the extra pass ... Capable of rebounding the ball and then running the fast break himself...Has a lot of raw physical tools and a decent skill set at age 19, making him a guy with a lot of upside ...

Weaknesses: Still very raw at this point in time. Only played 14 MPG last season for Syracuse, indicating that he has a long way to go to be pro-ready...Needs to expand his offensive game. Isn't a great ball handler and slasher for a small forward, and doesn't have any kind of post game ... Still a bit thin. Needs to hit the weights and add some muscle ... Shooting consistency is still a bit of an issue ... Needs to improve from the stripe. 56% free throw shooter last season..

There are things about Grant that intrigue me, but I'm also scared he's too much like MKG. I don't like the idea of basically playing 4 on 5 on the offensive end, where a guy like that pretty much has to find a way to get points on cuts and offensive rebounds...and otherwise the D can totally ignore him...

Also LaVine is really a project to me, and I don't know how he develops. He is a great talent, but so far from being a pro-level basketball player. Poor fundamentals in so many ways. Weak frame for any position except PG, which I doubt he'll ever be able to develop into. Way too weak defensively for someone with his physical ability....I don't know. What I've seen from him really puts me off.

[mcHAPPY]

I thought McDaniels was 23... think I had him mixed up with Early.

Turns out he is just turned 21.

That makes him a little more interesting to me.

Hopefully, for his sake, he can add a long 3 to his repertoire.

[jacobdr4]

I love watching tj warren score for nc state but really unsure if his game will translate to the nba. Seems like a big risk reward at no. 20

[MACK11]

Inglis would be my choice at 20

He's 6'9 240lbs SF 7'3 wingspan

also unlike Grant he can actually do something on offense so we would not be playing 4on5