Got to hand it to Toronto Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo. He met with the media one last time on Tuesday afternoon before draft night and was quite forthcoming in answering queries. He basically said that Toronto's draft board is structured in such a way that if things go according to plan, and that is a huge if when it comes to the NBA draft when there are teams wheeling and dealing and picking in front of you, fans can look for one of basically five players to be selected by the Raptors.
By the sounds of it, Toronto's front office and coaching staff have a better handle on this draft more than any other of the selection processes in the past few summers and they are surmising that some of the names that they like will be gone by the time they are on the clock to make a pick. To be sure, the Raptors have had two players, Jrue Holiday and James Johnson back in town for a second look and remarked that there would be no media availability this time around.
So basically you're looking at the likes of Jonny Flynn, Holiday, DeMar DeRozan, Gerald Henderson or, who according to Colangelo seems to be rising on the Raptors draft board, the aforementioned Johnson. For now, it will only be one of those five players as Colangelo hinted that there would probably be no additional first round pick "purchased" because unless it is the right guy you're just taking on salary. Add to that Toronto has no pick next year because of the Jermaine O'Neal / Jamario Moon trade to Miami and it might be prudent to wait and "buy" a pick next year. Colangelo did say that one agent tried to convince the Raptors to trade up to take his client but Toronto declined giving more credence to the notion that you may be able to get a solid player in a not so highly acclaimed draft class anywhere between picks 4 and 15.
The addition of Reggie Evans solidifies the front court and for now it doesn't seem like another big man is a pressing need. Toronto's own free agents are floating around and that is another piece of the puzzle that has to be solved. Unrestricted free agents such as Shawn Marion and Anthony Parker, as well as restricted free agent, Carlos Delfino are key pieces. Once decisions are made regarding these players it may clarify the role for the newest Raptor drafted Thursday night, regardless of who it might be. Marion is the biggest domino and even if he decides that Toronto is not the place for him, what can Toronto obtain for him in a sign and trade scenario?
The best case scenario is having strong enough players where a rookie plays enough to get some experience but does not have to carry a heavy load and the weight of high expectations. Orlando had a terrific situation where Courtney Lee was drafted 22nd behind more high profile names and developed nicely. With the likes of Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu and Mickael Pietrus, Lee had people to compete against in practice and without heavy expectations, turned into a solid selection that played better and better over the course of the year.
It seemed that was the same type of scenario when Toronto selected Morris Peterson with the 19th pick. The team had some established perimeter players in place with the likes of Vince Carter, Alvin Williams and Dell Curry in place allowing Mo Pete to develop in a timely fashion without having to produce under intense scrutiny. By the way, look back to drafts from say 2000 to present and check out the playoff teams picking just outside the lottery from 16-24. Yes there have been some real "busts" but there are also some pretty fair players that have been selected by playoff teams and turned out to be solid players a la Courtney Lee this season.
So how much is all of this going to cost? Colangelo estimated that there would be somewhere in the neighbourhood of $21 million to look after their internal matters. There is a separate envelope of money for the #9 selection outside of the estimated $21 million. It all sounds plausible, and in this season where red herrings and smoke screens are prevalent, it sure seems like Colangelo is not playing his cards all that close to the vest right now. But hey, things change so we'll just have to wait and see.
