Normally we don’t cover such non-Raptors events, but this one is a bit special. After having been shipped by the Raptors earlier, and not having a qualifying offer tendered by the Kings, the Rockets announced on Saturday evening that they had waived Bruno Caboclo.
We all remember the infamous analysis on draft day, which happened to be four years ago:
The exact quote was:
He’s two years away from being two years away…and then we’ll see.
And we’re at the point where we’ll have to see. He’s unlikely to get a sniff of an NBA gym in the future, with the main problem being that despite having the physical tools, he hasn’t proven that he’s a basketball player. He’s now 23 years old and I’m not sure he can cut it in a professional European league, not necessarily because he’s not sufficiently good at basketball, but because he never appeared to be a professional. There’s always the G-League so some team could conceivably throw him an invite, considering he had some good moments there. Expecting him to project out to an NBA-level player though, is at this point unrealistic.
Caboclo’s drafting and subsequent development is noteworthy in Raptors franchise history. He was a notable figure around which the Raptors 905 came into existence, and was a reason why you cared about having a D-League team. Even with the benefit of hindsight, I still say it was a half-decent pick given that #20 in a weak draft isn’t going to yield much, making a swing for the fence a reasonable option.
He may not be part of the Raptors anymore, but he will forever have a place in Raptors folklore. Here’s his best game for the 905:
Good luck, Bruno.
