The Draft: It’s All We Have Left

Assuming that Bryan Colangelo doesn't trade away another of our first round picks over the next 70 days, on June 24th at 7pm in Madison Square Gardens, David Stern will introduce to the Toronto fans and media our next great hope. However, before we get too excited about what the Raptors can expect to take…

The Big Winners and Losers of the Draft

@DeMar_DeRozan – Toronto here I come. Air Canadas back. After a lot of crazy hype in the hours leading up to the draft (that saw some pretty big names get dealt) the draft itself came and went without a whole lot of action.  In fact, after the first 10 picks, nothing really happened.  The most…

2009 NBA Lottery Consensus (?) Mock Draft

With the draft only hours away and so much still unresolved, I decided to poll the boys at the office to see who they thought was getting their name called by David Stern in the first hour of tonights draft. Here is what the writers at raptorsrepublic.com had to say:

Talking Draft with Chris Denker Part 4

Both Curry and Flynn can play for me (aka the Raptors) Chris Denker: The Toronto Raptors have the #9 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft and the passionate Raps Fans have some strong feelings about who they would take. Which I think is great! Bryan Colangelo and his group have a big decision to make,…

Talking Draft with Chris Denker Part 3

Blake Griffin: Top of his Class Q. Who is your Top 10? 1. Blake Griffin 6’10 248 PF Powerful & athletic, quickness in the post, runs floor, should be very good in pick & roll situations. 2. Ricky Rubio 6’3 185 PG Leader, crafty & smart, very good passer, lanky long defender creates steals with…

Talking Draft with Chris Denker Part 2

Tricky Ricky. Some of the comments your readers had after our first set of questions were great and I feel they deserve a proper response. I wish I could respond to everyone but you have such a great following on Raptors Republic that I think I’d be writing until well after the draft

Talking Draft with Chris Denker Part 1

I’ve had the pleasure of trading some tweets/emails with Chris Denker, Managing Partner at NetScouts Basketball. Chris has a wealth of experience in the basketball industry accumulating over 22 years as a coach, scout, advance scout, video editor, clinician, consultant, writer, and administrator. Chris Denker is a 14 year veteran of NCAA Division I basketball…

Mock Draft plus Podcast Analysis

For complete analysis of the mock draft check out my talk with Arsenalist. You can also listen in iTunes or download the audio file. [audio:http://raptorsrepublic.com/blog/audio/2009-06-02-phdsteve.mp3] 1. Los Angeles Clippers Blake Griffin 20 PF 6-10 248 Oklahoma Griffin is a no-brainer as the #1 overall pick. Every GM, every blog, every website has Griffin ranked as…

Ninth ain’t bad, almost good

The draft lottery only f****d one team and we weren’t it, that’s good enough reason to feel content this morning. Watching the lottery last night I can’t imagine why NBA GMs and coaches actually make the trek over the swamplands to attend this morbid event. I mean, Colangelo, Saunders, Bird, Gentry, what are those guys…

Raptors NBA draft lottery history

The math says lightning ain’t gonna strike twice. The draft lottery is tomorrow and before we start dreaming of Blake Griffin and Ricky Rubio, it’s better to look at the current reality and our history in this “competition” and be humbled by the results. We have a 1.7% chance of winning the lottery, a 2.0%…

6th to 10th picks this decade

First up, don’t forget the RR March Madness Pool. Let’s kick off our NBA Draft coverage by recapping what’s been going on between the 6th and 10th pick this decade. The Raptors are currently slated to draft 8th and even though the team’s playing terrible I don’t see them falling below OKC and upping their…

2007 NBA Draft: Isaiah Thomas is sick!

No surprises in the draft really, the Raptors were quieter than a mouse pissing on cotton but the Knicks provided the entertainment with yet another bad trade which showcased the weak, inept mind that Isaiah Thomas possesses. Oden went first, Durant second and then the Hawks surprised many but more on that later.  Check out…