Now that the draft order is only days away from being established, and mock drafts are flying across the internet faster than a CP3 drive to the basket, lets breakdown some of the more common players linked to the raps at #17.
MSNBC: Nicolas Batum SF 6-8 210 France
ESPN: Chase Budinger SG 6-7 205 20 Arizona
Hoopshype: Alexis Ajinca 7-1 C Hyeres-Toulon (France) / 1988
Inside Hoops: Nicolas Batum (SF 6-8 212 France)
Real GM: Nicolas Batum (SF 6-8 212 France)
NBA draft: Russell Westbrook 6-4 187 PG UCLA
My NBA draft: Chris Douglas Roberts Memphis SG
Draft Express: Alexis Ajinca C 20 years old; 7′1″; 225 lbs.
SI Fannation: Chris Douglas Roberts Memphis SG
Hoops Addict: Hibbert 7′2 Center Georgetown
The truth is, no one knows what Colangelo is going to do? Will he draft for size, need, or best available? Will he draft a back up PG and deal half of Forderon, or a center and deal Rasho, package his pick to move up in the draft, or deal out of the draft all together?
However, assuming the Raptors were to keep the pick at 17 and that their roster was going to be exactly the same at the start of next season as it was after they got spanked by Orlando: then my money is on CDR!
Chris Douglas-Roberts comes from a top-flight program (Memphis) that had 2 final four appearances and won 90+ games over the last 3 years. Under Coach Caliperi, he was on a team that ran a high-octane offense, like Colangelo would like to see, he runs the floors, is an active rebounder from the guard position, has a high basketball IQ, and most importantly, he can score!
On a team like Toronto where Bosh is the go to guy and a PG like Calderon or Ford make it easy to get open looks, he could really flourish. He has played in the shadow of Derrick Rose and Tyrus Thomas, but is still acknowledged as one of the best flat out scorers at the college level over the last 3 seasons. In fact his numbers are pretty good when compared against teammate Rose who is likely to go #1 this year (Rose: 14.9 pts, 4.5 reb, 4.7assts). Here are his stats at Memphis:
SEASON MIN PTS REB AST
2005-2006 <22.6 <8.3 <3.3 <1.5-
2006-2007 <26.6 <15.4 <3.4 <1.7-
2007-2008 <28.7 <18.1 <4.1 <1.8–
Here is the ESPN scouting report on CDR:
And here is the You Tube proof:
The raps don’t need Magette or Richard Jefferson as many bloggers have them linked to making a deal for. CDR can bring the size, speed, athleticism, offensive flare, and ability to drive to the basket- that the raps so desperately need from the wings. He is 6-7, 200llbs, and could player the 2 or 3 in the pros (although probably best suited for the 2).
As always, Standing in the key, I’m the Dr., I’ve got my feet planted, and I’m planning on taking a charge.
Phdsteve.
Technorati Tags: Alexis Ajinca, Bryan Colangelo, Chase Budinger, Chris Douglas Roberts, Chris Paul, Corey Maggette, Derrick Rose, Jose Calderon, Nicolas Batum, Rasho Nesterovic, Richard Jefferson, Roy Hibbert, Russell Westbrook, TJ Ford, Tyrus Thomas
May 20th, 2008 at 11:37 am
My basketball IQ is pretty low but I do know whoever they do draft should not be a project !! The last draft pick has been 2 years in the making and so far the returns have been questionable at best.
And of course the East may actually get better next year. I think the primary concern is a physical type player that can add some scoring. I sense
BC may actually do a sign and trade with Miami.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Hey John,
you are right, who knows what BC is going to do- and the East will definitely be better next year.
my question is, sign and trade for who? Do you mean Toronto signing and trading Calderon or Miami signing and trading Marion? If its Calderon going to Miami, who’s coming back that can help Toronto? Other than Wade and Marion, there is really only Haslem and while he is a good player, I dont think he is what the Raps need.
Also, Marion in Toronto does work for a variety of reasons, but mostly because the money doesnt work *Marion can opt out of his contract this summer but the raps wouldnt have enough cap space to sign him- and if he doesnt opt out, it would cost the raps $20 million in contracts to get him. Lastly, where does he play in this system? I know, Marion can play all five positions and doesnt need any plays called for him to be effective on offense, but $20 million can solve a lot of problems on this team, and truthfully, Marion just isnt worth that much money.
Besides, why would Miami take back $20 million in junky raps contracts that are expirirng (like Garbo, AP, Rasho, etc) when Marion is better than all of them put together AND even if he exercises his players option for 08-09, his salary comes off the cap next summer (in 09) when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Likewise, why would the Raps waste all of the expiring contracts (and the trade leverage that comes with them) for a player who is going to be a free agent AND make less on his next contract, when they could just wait one year and sign him with a portion of the cap space they will have? It just doesnt make any sense for either team.
Check out my piece later this week on free agency and the cap to see why Marion and many other high priced players are not coming to Toronto.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
oh ya, one more thing, CDR is not a project. He is NBA ready. He has an NBA body, a high basketball IQ, and he can definitely start and score at the NBA level. The only issue for him is going to be on the defensive end. However, he is an excellent rebounder from the guard position, with a long wing span and is very athletic. He has all the tools to be an excellent all around player in the NBA.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Just a hunch about Miami. Probably dead wrong but one never knows.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
good find on cdr, you sold me on him, if he is available at 17, definitely has to be on the short list. short of wade and marion, there is no one on miami i would trade either ford or calderon for. haslem would be nice, but he’s a power forward, not a center.
the only FA singings will be of the euro kind aka useless. nothing signigicant from the nba. as far as trades go, the more i think about it, the more i feel nothing will happen until we approach the trade deadline….sadly…
May 20th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
I’ve been saying for awhile that the raps should draft Roy Hibbert, but BC may make some moves and move up in the draft, but it is obvious we need a big body to get in a bang the boards. I like Hibbert
May 20th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
the Bulls just got the #1 pick, the Heat got #2 and the Twolves #3. I couldnt see the Bulls trading away their pick , but they do have some good looking players that could be available to the Raps. Gordon, Deng, Thomas, etc. The Raptors could package TJ for one of these players. teh bulls have a lot of talent.
the Heat need to rebuild and it looks like they’ll get Rose, who will be a nice back court compliment with Wade. If they can re-sign Marion then they’ll be a contender, but if the raps could somehow sign him it would be great. maybe BC can lure him somehow under the salary cap.
wishful thinking
May 20th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
the bulls wont be in the market to trade for a pg, they will draft rose…book it. the last thing they need is another forward….although beasley could be special.i don’t want anyone from the bulls except deng…dude s solid.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
I don’t think the bulls are trading the pick and even if they were, there are a lot of teams with a whole lot more than the Raps who will be looking to get their hands on Rose.
Even if the Bulls wanted TJ Ford or cap relief, I think they will want to have a new coach in place and give him a chance to work with Heinrich before giving up on him.
Its more likely that the Raps go after Deng or Gordon aggresively in the FA market but since both are restricted free agents (which means Chicago can match any offer) and since Toronto is currently over the cap (which means that they can only sign players to the mid-level exemption, which is approx 5.5 mil) that doesnt look to be happening either.
If the raps are to move up in the draft as Doug Smith suggested in the Toronto Star today, teams like:
the clippers at 7, the pacers at 11, and the kings at 12 appear to have the most need for a PG and might show some interest in taking back TJ Ford.
Now for my own crazy, unsubstantiated rumour: you might see the bulls and heat swing a big deal that flops picks and sends the Matrix to chicago (how cool would that be!)
May 21st, 2008 at 9:53 am
what about that italian kid? i bet if bc moves up in the draft, he takes him…that would piss me off.
May 21st, 2008 at 10:32 am
Gallinari is the guy you are talking about.
here is the link to his espn profile.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?playerId=19078&draftyear=2008&univLogin02=stateChanged
He is supposed to be awesome BUT Toronto would have to move into the top 4! to get him and I dont think the raps have the fire power to make that kind of trade. The reason being that the Knicks pick at #5 and you can bet dollars to donuts that D’Antoni has already convinced Donnie Walsh that Gallinari is exactly the type of yong player he needs to play his run and gun offense. Colangelo isnt the only one with Italian connections! Besides, from a marketing perspective an Italian superstar in NY….fugettaboutit!
Id be shocked if he wasnt in NY next year.
I just want to give this shout out again- THE RAPS DO NOT NEED TO MOVE UP IN THIS DRAFT. This team does not need more youth. It needs quality veterans who, to borrow a phrase from Larry Brown “know how to play the right way.” Besides, their most glaring weakness is at the wings, where this draft has lots of quality players who will not be superstars but will be good solid NBA players (and right away). Players like CDR, Brnadon Rush, Chase Buddinger, etc. all will be available after the lottery. If anything, the Raps could afford to trade down or even out of the draft this year.
May 21st, 2008 at 12:25 pm
This draft will not substantially improve the Raptors because it’s only one player of unknown ability. If the Nets and Knicks improve their teams and with the Sixers improving too, the Raptors could end up in last place in the Atlantic division with their current roster. BC may have to make drastic changes to the Raptors to start the rebuilding process, again.
May 21st, 2008 at 12:44 pm
i couldn’t agree with you more faq. what is scary is that atlanta, charlotte and indiana should be better next year as well. last in the atlantic could be the last of their problems.
i wasn’t looking to this draft as a means for the raptors to get better, trades, bargnani improving will be the only way. if whoever they get at 17 turns out to be solid, that is a bonus…can’t be counted on.
May 21st, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Im not sure Id go that far. This team, as is, is a .500 team. Even if nothing is done, they’ll still compete for the 7 or 8 spot next year. Lets not forget that although Atlanta took Boston to 7 games in the playoffs, they still finished 16 games under .500 last year. If with an improving East, the Raps would need some serious bad luck (ie. Bosh breaks his leg) to not make the playoffs next year.
The problem is, just making the playoffs sucks. This team, in a weaker Eastern conference should be making a run at representing the East in the finals AND here is where I agree with you, in that this team, as is, is just not good enough. And unless there are some changes, it will not be good enough next.
They’ll be good enough to make the playoffs (and not get a lottery pick- which is another bad) but nto good enough to beat anytbody once we get there.
May 21st, 2008 at 4:10 pm
my bad… Knicks pick 6th not 5th as I had noted earlier on.
fyi- since the lottery some new mock drafts are out:
ESPN has toronto taking:
Robin Lopez
Position: C
Height: 7-0
Weight: 245
Age: 20
School: Stanford
and ESPN has CDR going to Detroit in the late 20s
honestly, I might have to call it quits as a raps fan if they make this pick. One of the least talented players in the draft- who they might pick because he brings size and energy? This sounds alot like the justification for drafting Arrujio.
SI has them picking:
F Donte Greene Syracuse Fr. 6-11 226
with CDR going 20 to Denver. Greene is a nice player who has real skills and would be a nice addition to this team except JUST LIKE THERE LAST 2 no 1s (Bargnani and Charlie V) plays the same position as Bosh.
May 21st, 2008 at 5:06 pm
i don’t know dude, the raptors went on a really bad slide to finish the year, and the playoffs. there is no indication things will get better come next season. with the other teams getting better, there is potential to fall out of the playoff race in the east if nothing is done to address the holes in this team.
May 21st, 2008 at 9:40 pm
agreed that something needs to be done, but they would have to take a serious step backwards to not make the playoffs next year.
Who is going to bump them out of the playoffs?
Indy may be better but that depends on what they for with JO and Tinsley- plus they couldnt even make the playoffs (which again in the east meant being better than 16 games under .500) even with a career year from Dunleavey.
In theory New York should be better under DAntoni, but this is still the same roster that lost oover 100 games the last 3 years under Isiah and Larry Brown who are both pretty good coaches, and had a losing record before that under Lenny wilkens. So although DAntoni is good, can he get a 20 to 25 game turnaround out of this same roster next year? There is some truth to what Jack Armstrong always says “it aint the xs and os, its the jimmys and joes.”
Philly and Atlanta should both be better, but they made the playoffs last year.
Jersey has potential but needs some serious restructuring, in that having RJ and Carter, and Harris is nice but unless they get somebody upfront who can score they will continue to loose more games than they win (plus they are looking to shed cap for Lebron in 2010, which means if they cant land Melo this summer, look for them to rebuild.
Milwaukee should be better under Skiles, but this team has lots of parts but is so soft and really lacks focus and toughness. Skiles will help in that department, but again, this is a team that would need a 25 win improvement from last year to be .500 team.
Charlotte under Larry Brown could be better but first needs to resign Okafor and then needs to upgrade the roster.
Miami has a great pick in the upcoming draft but Marion may still opt out. And even if he stays, Marion and Wade did not look very strong together in the dozen games they played together this year. They certainly would have the talent to be more competitive, but your looking at a 35 win differential here to get the .500 mark.
Chicago is the most problematic of the Eastern teams. They have lots of good young talent at almost every position and now own the #1 pick with the opportunity to draft Beasley who would fill their void of badly needed post player. However, there are 4 big issues that would need to be resolved in Chicago before I would consider them contenders again: 1) they need a coach, a real coach, a good coach, the kind the players wont quit on (2) the players need to grow up. their antics last year, both in getting skiles fired and around the whole Kobe issue just showed how far from contending this team really is (3) they have to resign Gordon and Deng who are restricted FAs (and do something with that horrible Hughes contract they inherited) and (4) they have to figure out a way to get Hinrich back his mojo. He was just awful last year.
So for the bottom feeding teams in the east, its a big hill to climb to bump the raps. All of the teams finished close to 20 games under .500. To increase your win total by 20 over a given year is extremely difficult. I’ll look it up and post a little later how often it has actually happened (but my guess is not too often). Its not like in the West where Portland, GS, and even Sacto just missed out on the playoffs and can expect to challenge for sure next year.
In truth, the top of the East is the part of the conference that keeps getting better. Last season both Boston and Detroit would have owned the #1 in the West and you can expect both teams to continue to improve through the draft and veterans willing to play for the minimum for the chance to win a ring.
Next year, Orlando will be better since Howard will be one year older and more experienced, SVG will have had another year to implement his system, and they appear ready to address issues at both guard positions during the off season.
And lastly, Cleveland will be busy again. It has to be. the Boston series showed again that if Lebron had ANYONE on his team, that Cleveland coudl be deadly. He single handedly took Detroit to brink 2 years ago, then single handedly beat Detroit and took his team to the finals last year, and then singe handedly took a 66 win team to 7 games (and the final minutes of a game 7). If they want him to stay long term, you gotta believe that they will be very active.
so, I disagree that Toronto has to worry about the gap closing between themselves and those at the bottom of the East. Instead, Id be really worried about the gap that is widening between the former Atlantic division champs and the real contenders coming out of the East.
May 21st, 2008 at 10:01 pm
hey guys
thats a lot of interestin stuff you guys got going there.
with all the discussion about CDR
what do you guys think about the Frenh Prospect Nicolas Batum
hes pretty athletic, and has got good height and is a good defender
can play 3/2 and can score quite well. It would also add length to the raptors. He is sort of like Kevin Durant body wise, maybe the same or more athletic..??But he is not strong enough to go inside.
But still apparently he has no potential cap.
and i still think Beasley is going to MIA
and Rose is to CHI
May 21st, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Hey Haad,
Lots of mock drafts see Batum as the best fit with the raps for many of the reasons you point out. Unlike CDR and most of the US college players, I havent seen Batum play, but from what Ive read he had a very disappointing season overseas. Most scouts see him as having enormous potential, like you said, but that potential is going to take some time to develop. Had the Raps won 50 games this year and made it to the conference finals I would have said he’d be a great pick. You could draft him, keep him overseas and let him develop (this way he doesnt count against the cap) and then bring him over in a couple of years when he’s ready. Currently, I think the raps need a more NBA ready player. Especially after all the Bargnani stuff, I just get nervous when scouts and GMs are throwing out the phrase “unlimited potential.”
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:56 pm
i hate drafting on potential, very few players have lived up to it over the years. i actually can’t think of a player that was drafted based solely on potential, that panned out. anyone care to educate me?
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:04 pm
andrew bynum.
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:11 pm
i half concede. he was a 7 foot 18 year old. at maybe the easiest position to play when you have that size and agility.
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Rudy Gay and Thad Young come to mind as well.
But you are right, the guys who pan out to be decent starters are maybe 1 a year and the ones who end up becoming superstars are ??? I cant think of one either.
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:36 pm
rudy gay wasn’t really project. he was a potential 1st overall candidate, thad young for sure though.
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Raptors need the guy name nicholas batum, I think hes good for our team and he can help our team improve while hes improving, he’ll bring raptors improvement with his own potential…and we need a player who can rebound, block, and do the dirty things like steven hunter
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:28 pm
why not go out and get steven hunter. he probably comes pretty cheap!
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:16 pm
no ddoubt that Batum has “potential” but as we have seen over the last few years, players who light it up in Europe dont always translate into great players in the NBA. Toronto only has to look at AP or Il Mago for examples of this. Plus, Batum didnt have a very good season this past year. There is lots of talk about him coming here, but as Ive already said, Id rather have someone like CDR, Or Rush at #17 who can do similar things and have proven themselves in strong collegiate programs against top notch compteition.
John Hollinger on ESPN.com has a formula for translating european players PER (player efficencincy rating) into NBA stats. Other than rebounding, most other stats go down sufficiently.
Lets face it, the Raps got really lucky with Calderon. Other than him, how often do top notch Euro-players come over and really contribute? Manu, Toni Kukoc, Vlade- OK, true, but how many more just end up being role players or bench players? Batum to me seems much more like a role player than a legit starter.
BUT (and this is a big BUT) I havent watched a lot of film on him. I am only going on what I have read about him. Whereas, I have watched a ton of NCAA games over the last 10 years, including this last semester when I was working at UCLA.
May 23rd, 2008 at 2:17 pm
As promised below is a link to the top 11 turnarounds (in wins) in NBA history. Take a peek a see for yourself how hard it is to go up 24 or more wins and why although the Raps have issues, they really arent in that great a danger of missing the playoffs in the East next season.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0804/nba.biggest.turnarounds/content.1.html
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:38 pm
phdsteve,
Enjoy what I’ve read, thus far.
If you will … riddle me this boy wonder …
How bad would it really be for the Raptors to miss the playoffs entirely NEXT season and go backwards for a year? (e.g. with an injury to Chris Bosh that takes him out for the bulk of the season BUT is not career-threatening)
Just 1 year, is all I’m talking about … given the current state of the team from a resources standpoint.
Food for thought.
khandors last blog post..Live Blogging @ LABalltalk.com for Game 2
May 26th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Um…CDR played in the shadow of Rose and Tyrus Thomas? Thomas was at LSU…
And unless Donte learns some post moves, he’s a long ways off from playing the same position as Bosh in the NBA. I’m guessing you didn’t see him at Cuse last year but the kid is a jacker…he took more 3’s than foul shots.
June 1st, 2008 at 3:32 am
There’ll be quite a few interesting prospects at No.17 this year in the draft. This draft has two excellent young talents, then falls down to project type players very quickly, but the last half of the draft is filled with intriguing names. I like the depth there, that bodes well for the Raps.
Toronto will need a backup point guard once they trade TJ but I don’t see anyone at 17 that makes sense. Best left to fill in free agency.
There’s a bunch of wings I like which is good because that’s where the Raptors need reinforcements the most. These guys would all be on my list (in order) Brandon Rush, Bill Walker, Chris Doulgas-Roberts, Courtney Lee, Chase Budinger. They all look like quality wings at an NBA level. All bring some scoring and shooting to the table, there’s some defense too. That’s where the Raptors should be looking.
In terms of big men …. I don’t think you getting anything great at No.17. Robin Lopez is a good name, similar to Varajeo. He could come in and contribute right away. Once you get past him though you’re looking at bigs who aren’t ready to play either lacking polish or NBA level bodies. Roy Hibbert interests me but he is in dire need of a true big man coach which Toronto don’t have. Hibbert has the worst footwork of any Georgetown centre I’ve ever seen. He needs a lot of polish. Koufos looks great value if he drops to 17 but he’s eerily similar to what the Raps already have. DeAndre Jordan will likely go Top 10 but if he slips I definitely take the risk and draft him.
Donte Greene would be a great selection but I think he’ll be off the board by 17. If he slips he jumps a lot of those other wings. Reminds me a lot of Rashard Lewis.
There’s a bunch of really good players who are at the end of the first/early second round that would make great sense for Toronto. DJ White is my steal of the draft. He’s getting nowhere near enough recognition for his talents. I compare him to a post-injury Antonio McDyess. 6-9, long, decent athleticism. Has a post game (turnaround J, jump hooks, up and under, drop steps). He can shoot out to 15-17 feet. Plays good one-on-one defense, defends the post well, plays good help D. Plays within his abilities. Just a nice big man. The type of guy who’ll make a great backup big man for your team for many years.
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