First a history lesson. The Raptors traded Jermaine O'Neal last season to the Heat. As part of the deal the Raptors sent a lotto protected first round draft pick to the Heat. It's protected from 2010-2015. What this means is that the next time the Raptors make the playoffs they lose their first rounder to the Heat. If they miss the playoffs they keep it.
Fast forward, Bosh is out for the season and the Bulls are playing better ball; 6-4 in their last ten. It looks like they may steal 8th seed. Their next two games are against the Nets and Raptors. If they win both and the Raptors lose to the Hawks, the Bull take a one game lead on 8th seed. It's time to start talking about potential draft picks because things don't look good right now. In the inverted standings, sorted by win %, the Raptors rank 13th, the Bulls 12th. If the Bulls take over 8th seed in the east the Raptors would move to 12th in the inverted standings. It is not likely that they will be able to catch the 11th team no matter how much they struggle without Bosh. So, right now, if the Bulls take over 8th seed it looks like the Raptors will land the 12th overall pick in the draft. Should they miss the playoff, what player would you like to see drafted at 12-15?
For me I think they should go with the best play available and that player may be Stanley Robinson . While they have Hedo Turkoglu now and Sonny Weems is playing very good ball at times, Stanley Robinson has the sort of upside where if paired with DeRozan down the road they two could become a formidable duo on the wing. The Raptors have been crying for a lock down defender for years to help hide some of the other players' weaknesses. Robinson has to potential to be a lock down guy and he rebounds the ball well, something important at the 3 for a team with Andrea Bargnani. Robinson can play either the 3 or 4. So if Bosh leaves and no suitable replacement is found he could fill in there until someone is found and/or Hedo is booted. One more thing, he played for UConn. Great program, great instructors, great overall experience. That matters.
Fast forward, Bosh is out for the season and the Bulls are playing better ball; 6-4 in their last ten. It looks like they may steal 8th seed. Their next two games are against the Nets and Raptors. If they win both and the Raptors lose to the Hawks, the Bull take a one game lead on 8th seed. It's time to start talking about potential draft picks because things don't look good right now. In the inverted standings, sorted by win %, the Raptors rank 13th, the Bulls 12th. If the Bulls take over 8th seed in the east the Raptors would move to 12th in the inverted standings. It is not likely that they will be able to catch the 11th team no matter how much they struggle without Bosh. So, right now, if the Bulls take over 8th seed it looks like the Raptors will land the 12th overall pick in the draft. Should they miss the playoff, what player would you like to see drafted at 12-15?
For me I think they should go with the best play available and that player may be Stanley Robinson . While they have Hedo Turkoglu now and Sonny Weems is playing very good ball at times, Stanley Robinson has the sort of upside where if paired with DeRozan down the road they two could become a formidable duo on the wing. The Raptors have been crying for a lock down defender for years to help hide some of the other players' weaknesses. Robinson has to potential to be a lock down guy and he rebounds the ball well, something important at the 3 for a team with Andrea Bargnani. Robinson can play either the 3 or 4. So if Bosh leaves and no suitable replacement is found he could fill in there until someone is found and/or Hedo is booted. One more thing, he played for UConn. Great program, great instructors, great overall experience. That matters.
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