ya i feel that way too but at the same time want to see him here starting at the 5 while bargnani crys on the bench until he gets traded.MangoKid wrote:
To me, this draft reminded me a lot of the first ever Raptors draft... the majority of fans were screaming for the NCAA tournament darling Ed O'Bannon, just like they were screaming for Walker/Knight tonight... the majority was left disappointed and out for blood, but management knew best and it turned out being a great pick (Mighty Mouse).
I think this kid is going to be a stud. He is only 19, is huge already, has a solid frame to add muscle mass to, plays inside and rebounds (opposite style game to Bargnani), seems to be a nice, humble guy, is excited to come to Toronto... what more could Raps fans want?
Even if he takes another year to get here, so what? So the Raps go with a rotation of Davis/Bargnani/Amir and a free agent big for one more year... is it really that bad???
- Davis gets loads of playing time to develop
- DeRozan gets a year as an offensive focal point and a chance to develop further at both ends of the court
- Bayless gets a chance to prove his critics wrong (me included)
- Bargnani gets a season to prove to the new defensive-guru coach that he can commit to defense/rebounding, or he gets traded at the trade deadline or next offseason
- the young core gets another year to develop some chemisty
- the Raps finish in the lottery and get a chance to address the SF position in the next draft (ie: Barnes)
--> then in the 2012-2013 season they'll be adding 2 top-notch pieces (ie: Barnes & Valanciunus) to the team... I am excited for the future of the franchise... and something tells me BC will be busy this offseason!
Last edited by CalgaryRapsFan; Fri Jun 24th, 2011 at 01:17 AM.
After thinking it over, I don't mind the pick. I hope he stays in Europe for another year to develop his game further and put on some muscle before coming over here. This will also aid in the tanking we'll be doing next year for another lottery pick.
I listened to BC's post draft interview, and he said that he is concerned that if Jonas stays in Europe 1 more year that BC might send a coach there to help Jonas develop because BC doesn't think Jonas has enough support over there to develop properly . BC said that if Jonas got the buyout and came to Toronto Jonas could reach his full potential quicker because of the Raps resources. BC also mentioned that Jonas' current team just fired there head coach and have just hired a new one, so BC would like to coordinate some stuff with him if Jonas stays.
Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
hopefully he can become as big as Linas Kleiza lol
I think BC will end up buying him out. I have a feeling we'll hear his name on opening night
Correct me if I'm mistaken but doesn't Jonas have similar attributes and physical measurements to Joakim Noah with a softer touch and a better free throw percentage?...
I liked when he was asked why he's compared himself to Bosh, and stumbling along with his English, he said that he was weak like Bosh .... or something to that effect. lol
.
Completely disagree. O'Bannon ran around with two knee braces on. Damon was a stud coached by Lute -- anyone with
B-ball knowledge knew it was a good pick.
But back then there weren't as many savvy b-ball fans in Canada. This is over a decade later, way more knowledgeable fans, way more local kids playing ball, way more b-ball culture. I've gone into bars and hung out with seniors watching Bennetton Treviso playing Euro League on their laptops. That was not happening back then. Maybe people watched March Madness, but that was it.
If people didn't like the pick its not a blind lack of knowledge. Enough of us are online to know that Cleveland liked the kid more than Kanter. There are other issues at play.
1. Euro fatigue - rightly or wrongly players like Bargs and Hedo have made fans forget about Garbo and undervalue Jose...
2. Misdirection - Raps fans were sold Knight from day 1 ... We bought the sell job.
3. With three "bigs" fans thought Center could be played by committee until a veteran C could be brought in via FA or trade, PG of SF were scene as more immediate issues.
Come on. Bargnani and Valanciunas are nothing alike.
I am happy with the Valanciunas pick. I think he has top 10 Center kind of potential.
At first i was upset about this pick but now I think it was a good choice. The only problem for me is going to be watching Knight and Walker have monster rookie seasons.
It's not a matter of BC buying him out. The team's part in this is simple: pay up $500,000. It's the other $2 mil that Valanciunas has to cover from his own salary. Not a huge deal considering how much he would make over the four years of his rookie scale contract, but if leaving Europe next year instead of this year means Valanciunas wouldn't have to pay as much, it'd be pretty big motivation to stay another year.
Measurement-wise, Valanciunas is the opposite of Noah. Noah has below average wingspan and standing reach for a center, while Valanciunas is above average in both.
Love the pick, I say he could become Tyson Chandler and that would be huge for us
I'm going to heavily disagree with you on #2 and #3.
On one hand, you talk so highly of Raptors fans, yet from your characterization in #2, Raptors fans must be super-naive and new to the NBA if they think GMs make a habit of truthfully releasing into public knowledge who they covet. Not to mention, it also doesn't make Raptors fans look very good if they're so fixated on a certain draft prospect that they would actually be unhappy if someone unexpectedly fell to them.
#3 is a matter of your personal opinion. Perhaps some other fans share it, but it certainly isn't shared by all. I have no idea how Davis/Johnson/Bargnani playing C by committee is okay but Calderon/Bayless/Barbosa covering the 1 is not. At least Calderon's effect on the team's offense makes up for his defensive deficiencies. Neither Davis nor Johnson are suited to defending the bigger centers in the league, and Bargnani's offensive contribution has yet to exceed his negative impact on the team's defense. SF is probably the biggest hole, but the "knowledgeable fans" would also know that next year has more highly touted SFs than anything else, and almost no bigs. Furthermore, the "knowledgeable fans" would realize that on a team with such little talent, drafting for need instead of the best talent available is a fool's task -- it was a 22-win team after all, nobody should be untouchable.
Biyombo may or may not be younger, and definitely has more muscle, but I don't see how he has more potential. Biymombo will probably never average double digits in scoring. Valanciunas should be a very good rebounder, defensive player and apparently had a very good touch around the basket, so should be much better offensively.
Read my blog, The Picket Fence. Guaranteed to make you think or your money back!
Follow me on Twitter.
I'm kinda neutral on this guy, hopefully they bring him here next season if there is one, so he can develop his talents right away.
Bargnani is asked how he gets beat on the boards.
"Being lazy maybe," he says. "That's the only reason it can be. I've got the body, I've got everything to take 10 rebounds a game. It's just sometimes I get lazy."
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote