4 AM Draft Thoughts

Went I got into work and saw you posted some 4 am draft thoughts, I was kind of mad I didn't stumble across them late last night. I spent my night with some cute german girls, but my mind was consumed with the draft. I went to an internet cafe on my way home, and wasted an hour (and a euro) trying to find some raps news. Real GM was down, and I was desperate to find some info, as NBA.com didn't seem to be too helpful.
But before I got too upset, I remembered the 5 hour time differential and realized this post is only 30 minutes old. If anyone has read this thread before me, you should see a doctor. (Technically, I would be referring to myself, because I was looking for this article about 5 hours ago...)

"I spent my night with some cute german girls, but my mind was consumed with the draft."

so what is wrong with that picture lol. If U need somebody to trade places with just post it I will come lol.

I couldnt disagree with you more about Randolph. As long as he doesnt party himself to death in the city that never sleeps he is going to kill the Raps. Is it me or did every one else in our division just get better (mush as I predicted). Yes NY still has a few crap contracts on board but their rebounding issues in the front court just cleared up. With a potential 40 + points up front they are going to be scary.
Boston also got better. My feeling was that they would have to give up jeffereson to get back the vet they were looking for but that didnt happen. Instead they now have a nucleas of Jefferson, Allan, and Pierce and Tony Allen coming off the bench (remember how he was lighting it up before he got hurt). Yikes.
Philly also got better. Their team already looked decent before the draft and the guys they picked up may not be ready right away but they should get enough out of them with Miller there to be a threat.
NJ is the only real question mark. It seems odd that they werent the ones to acquire Randolph considering all the talk going on before the draft of Jeffereson for Randolph. Maybe it was wishful thinking on NJs part but considering how little NY actually gave up for Randolph makes you wonder why a deal couldnt get done here.
As for the Raps. I am severly disappointed that they couldnt find a way to get what they needed. As Richardson is now in the East you have to imagine that Pietrus and Barnes will now be off the market leaving very little left in FA to get. Who is Toronto going to add in the SF to complete their team?

portland just got a whole lot scarier. oden, frye, aldrige, roy, fernandez?? chemistry does go a long way, but that's some serious talent. we'll see. but that's mos def a team coming up to watch out for.

the randolph to knicks trade was a joke. another big, fat, hilarious joke on Isiah, that is.

i have no doubt in my mind that the knicks will be the worse for it. who do you put your money on to start crying first about not getting enough touches or attention?? curry? randolph? starbury?? it's a tough call.

tiago to san antonio? what a steal.

and as for the raps, the remaining GS guys are probably off the table now that jay rich is gone. but things are probably far from over. I'm sure BC is changing his suit from last night as we speak, probably having not even slept or been home all night, studying every move and pick up from last nights action. something is going to happen. I'm counting on it.

and just as an aside: I'm starting to get the feeling that having 2 'starting' quality PG's doesn't really mean much if there isn't anybody for them to give the ball to. I think I'm just coming to grips with the fact that calderon might not be around come november 1st.

and thanks again for hooking us up at the grille last night franchise!

DAVL: Trust me; I was 100% cognizant of what was wrong with the picture. I'll give you a shout next draft night. You can carry the convo while I space out thinking about European prospects.

Does anybody know whether BC had a press conference last night or whether he has spoken to the media yet? I would like to hear how close he was to making some moves. I was rather surprised we didn’t get Fernandez. It seemed like a pick we would have been more than able to purchase if we wanted to. Though I guess Portland was just the belle of the ball last night.

Not sure I agree on the J Rich move....dude can't play more than 40 games. Wright has huge upside. Just may turn out to be a bad move 3 years from now.

I agree, disappointing that Portland managed to buy Fernandez rather than us, not to mention missing out on Splitter when he fell that far.

Portland ended up with a LOT of highly-regarded players - Oden of course, but Koponen, Fernandez, Demetris Nichols, Taurean Green. There has to be more moves there - I'm not sure Frye will be there long, he doesn't seem to fit with Aldridge already there.

I like what Seattle is doing, it'll be interesting to see if a roster full of 3/2s and 3/4s pans out.

As for undrafted players, I said it before, I'd love to see the Raptors bring Zabian Dowdell into the fold. He seems a solid citizen and good PG prospect, could spend time in the D-league and be groomed to be the backup (or to compete with Ukic?) once the Raps can't afford (financially or roster-space-wise) to keep 2 starting PGs.

Unless BC has an eye on Papaloukas? We've dealt for one Greek national, and he seems to bring in Euros in pairs (apart from Bargs, but who saw Belinelli going to GS?)...

Regarding yesterday's deals, I think GS did well to dump Richardson's contract for a prospect - Pietrus and Barnes probably resign now. I think the move is bad for Charlotte (can't believe I agreed with Stephen A. on that one), J-Rich is highly overrated, though he will do more for that team now than Wright would have, Wright being such a project. In a couple of years though, bad deal for Charlotte.

The Knicks-Blazers deal could be one of those that works out well for both teams... Zach and Curry might be a bad fit together on the court, but won't be any worse a fit than Starbury, Francis, Crawford, and Nate all together in the backcourt. The fact that Isiah dumped Francis' contract and that I think Frye is overrated and may have already peaked makes it not a bad deal for NY.

For Portland they get rid of the last vestiges of the Jailblazers (other than Darius Miles, but I'll be shocked if he ever suits up for them again), dump Z-Bo's contract, will probably buy out Franchise and get some cap relief when Roy and Aldridge have to be resigned, and get an asset who may be flipped in Frye.

Boston, like Charlotte, will be better in the short term for their deal, but certainly not in the long term. Allen and Pierce are both at the point in their careers where they have a lot of mileage and injuries are taking more of a toll. If Rondo develops and Allen-Pierce don't take too many offensive opportunities away from Jefferson they could prosper... I'll be interested to read Bill Simmons take on it, he being such a Celts fan.

Interesting draft for sure... great coverage guys.

One FA I haven't heard mentioned alot in Raptors circles is Jarvis Hayes (Washington, restricted FA, SG/SF). I've always been a fan of his game - he a good slasher, smart & intense player. Washington just drafted Nick Young and still have Caron Butler, so they may not be able to keep him. I think his role on the team diminished last year, but he played great in his first year.

It might be wishful thinking on my part, but I'd be ecstatic if they signed him...

He's my favorite Raptor, so I hate to say it, but we HAVE to trade Jose to Atlanta for Marvin Williams now. I hear you, saying Atlanta would never go for it, but c'mon, envision a 5 of Jose, JJ, Josh Smith, Horford and Zaza? That would be a seriously fun young team. And a very good one too...

To all the Isiah haters out there. Are you kidding me? The guy ripped a desperate Portland off. If the curry/randolph situation doesnt pan out do you think someone out there might be in the market for one of them? hmmmmmmm. Think about it. The biggest problem in NY was their lack of rebounding (outside of lee) and they just solved that. Randolph may suck on defence but he and Curry will be dine on offence (as long as Starbury continues to accept his role as an actual PG). If things dont work out, its not as bad as the starbury, francis, crawford situation because both of them are valuable commodities (young enough to have value) and you can fix it with a trade (say nj, hello Rod, I see your team is struggling still, we will help you out, send us vince/jefferson and we will give you Curry/Randolph) to insert team here.
The Celts trade I have mixed feelings about. Allen is very close to his best before date but on the other hand I believe he will have a better season in Boston then he would have in Seatle simply because he will not have to do it all himself. Are they a playoff team? Maybe, maybe not? They have 3 good pieces in Allen, Pierce and Jefferson and if Rondo can handle the pg duties they might make some noise. If you are Danny Ainge it is certainly worth the risk and easier than trying to trade Pierce for 50 cents on the dollar. I think you have to mortgage your future a little if it helps you win today and I wouldn't be suprised if Ainge has another move go off before the start of the season to get one more piece and that might be enough to take them to the Conf finals (assuming he doesnt do something stupid like trade for Toine again).

I know I'm probably a heretic for saying this, but;

If we are going to deal one of our PG, wouldn't it make more sense to trade TJ Ford, if only because we could get more for him?

That said, I just don't see it happening. I see BC keeping them both and building two attacking units;

Unit 1
C-Bargnani
PF-Bosh
SF-Graham?/Delfino
SG-Parker
PG-Ford

and Unit 2

C-Nesterovich
PF-Humphries
SF-Garbajosa
SG-Dixon?/Jackson
PG-Calderone

With so many guys who can play multiple positions BC/Mitchell can mix-match to get the kinds of players on the floor they need for the situation they face.

Sure, I'd love to see some big name gunner or All-Star small forward land in TO in a trade, I just don't see BC sacrificing either of his two PGs to do it.

Oh my... I'd been thinking the Portland-NY trade might result in Frye, maybe Rudy Fernandez, and others being flipped to Seattle in a sign-and-trade for Rashard Lewis, but over at TrueHoop they're speculating Frye, Francis' contract, Fernandez, might be on their way to Phoenix for Shawn Marion. :-O

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-25-142/Unannounced-Blazer-Trade-for-a-Small-Forward.html?post=true

Pardon me... TrueHoop is referring to a Portland trade of an unnamed SF. The comments below refer to the Marion idea at Blazer's Edge.

http://www.blazersedge.com/story/2007/6/29/7560/55490

Regarding our pickup of Giorgos Prientzis, I have to admit reading his profile at Draft Express, that he is EXACTLY the kind of under-the-radar move our GM is known for.

What struck me most;

- The kid can hit the three
- He can slash to the basket, albeit his handle leaves something to be desired
- He's good to bang the boards.
- He'll be dirt cheap.

Now, given that our GM has a propensity to collect players in twos (two from Texas, two from Spain, two from Benneton Treviso, etc.), does the Prientzis move not seem like an omen that we are going to pursue Theo Papaloukas, or another Greek player?

From what I know and understand, Printezis is not afraid to get dirty and from what my father tells me, he is a tough defender and fights for rebounds. Apparently, he blew quite a few people away during the Euro draft camp. As much as I was praying for a move to get Fernandez, I have to believe that BC knows what he is doing. Why else would he trade next years second rounder for a late second this year? I don't think that BC makes moves just for the sake of keeping busy. God, I would love to see Papaloukas in a Raps jersey.

I am

....not to say that BC wasn't doing everything in his power to get the likes of Rudy or Tiago in the first.

This Printezis is making me thirsty! Will we ever see Yoakim Noah and Anderson Varejao in the same place at the same time?
Contracts aside, the JRich deal looks good for Charlotte now but they will rue the day because BWright is going to cause some havoc in this league down the road, his wingspan is 747.
Allen to Boston might help the Celts win a few more games next season but they're not really doing anything with that move, they needed someone like Jianlan (who will now become the second most popular asian character in Milwaukee since Arnold Takahashi from Happy Days).
Durant in Seattle, the never win northwest?! maybe that team has to move to KC because without DJ (rip), Jack Sikma and Paul Silas they're not going to turn that franchise around (see exhibit B, as in Bryant, Kobe). The kid can't do it himself. Luke Ridnour, Jeff Green and Johan Petro don't cut it. Don't get it twisted he should be everything he's billed to be but he just might not be there for Seattle fans to enjoy.
Leaving aside the December 24th shopping spree by the Blazers, Detroit and Atlanta both had very solid drafts. Stuckey and Affalo give the Pistons some nice depth at the guard positions and maybe the young blood can occassionally inspire a group that, although very talented at each position, at times seemed to lack that hunger and spark to go for the kill. The Hawks addressed their primary inside/outside needs and will cause problems in the east if they can gel as a team. Having guys like Horford and Law who are both leaders and character guys should facilitate that reality.
BC needs to find someone to clean the boards, we can't go on losing clearly winnable games because Anderson Varejao is allowed to get to a loose ball on the offensive glass. Can we reform Ron Artest and bring him into the Raptors fold, a psychiatrist seemed to help Tony Soprano (albeit marginally) and Artest's habits seem like colouring outside the lines compared to his sins.
Splitter would have been a nice pick but Buford is no slouch and he would never miss out on a "gimme" pick like that. Belinelli and Fernandez would also have looked good come early November.
An apology of sorts to Franchise who took a bit of a beating about Josh McRoberts last night, while talking about McRoberts I actually meant Tyler Hansbrough the whole time...although, I still think McRoberts is a
dud.

wolfinsuitsclothing, I agree with you, I was hoping we could have gotten Yoakim Noah, this guy match our team so much, does BC not know that we need a board cleaner, he keep picking these guys that will hardly go to the basket, we need guys that are not afraid to REBOUND we have enough shooters we N E E D REBOUNDERS. Atlanta has got a good banger we always seem to pick these guys that do not like to play in the post. The teams that win championships has guys that just rebound in the basket that is all they do, I like BC but he has to realize what the team needs.

Marcia, Raptors didn't have a draft pick. How did you expect BC to pick Noah? top 10 draft picks aren't cheap to come by.

Everyone is talking about how Randolph won't work in NY, but I have a feeling Isiah might just be stockpiling assets, to make a play for one of the bigger players on the trading block. As far as assets go, you have to admit, randolph is a BIG upgrade on Francis and Frye. David Lee, Randolph, a contract and draft picks could perhaps pry away Garnett from Mchale, no?

MattK: Why would Pheonix trade for Fernandez when they sold the pick to Portland?

the raps should go after james singleton. hes athletic, good rebounder, and he finds ways to get to the basket. the best part is that he will be cheap and the raps wouldnt need to use the full mid level exception. he has potential and can be great. Any thought?
LAs Only Raptor Fan what do you think about it, seeing that u come from LA, do you see james being a good fit?

johnny dangerous: The speculation over at TrueHoop was that the sale of the Fernandez pick to Portland only to deal him back to Phoenix could have been a crafty way to get around the NBA rule re: maximum $3 million limit on cash considerations in a trade. So that Portland (with Paul Allen's deep pockets) has already given Phoenix $3 mil for the pick, and then could deal Fernandez and others along with another $3 mil to the Suns for Marion.

Don't know how much to read into that, but it's interesting speculation. If Sarver is really worried about finances and not wanting to continue to spend into the luxury tax stratosphere in Phoenix...

Out of all the moves made by the Raptors' Atlantic Division rivals, the Nets scare me the most. If Sean Williams can retain a modicum of sanity, he can provide that athletic post presence which they lack. Krstic should also be back, and it sounds like Carter is going to stay.

The Celtics will be better in the short term, but how much gas does Ray Allen have in the tank? I would've kept the pick and drafted Brewer or Green. And last time I checked, the inept Doc Rivers is still the coach.

I think Philly could've helped themselves more with either Julian Wright or Nick Young instead of Thaddeus, but they're still going to be a rebuilding team regardless.

On paper, the Knicks definitely got the better of the trade with Portland, but Isiah still seems to be operating without a plan. He's like the guy in a fantasy league who has a yen for a different player every day of the week. The Knicks still have a roster of me first players with no true point guard. And I'll never forget the quote from Randolph's high school coach: "Every day I pick up the newspaper and I am relieved to find that Zach hasn't shot someone."

Wonder who the small forward free agent is that Colangelo has in mind? Luke Walton? Pietrus? Will he make an offer to Gerald Wallace for the hell of it?

James Singleton would be a decent fit. Dunleavy rarely played him, so it's tough to say how good he can be. Personally I think the Raptors have enough projects/hopefuls at the SF. Other than slightly improving your odds of a player having a breakout season, not sure if Singleton is a defenite upgrade over delfino/graham.

But yea he would defenitely be cheap.

Dammit!
I agree with marcia..we need rebounding!
Iam over Rasho, and them soft Europeans!
I hate sound so refreshing, but dammit, we need a Zack to attack the boards on the Raptors Team, like yesterday!

I just hope i don't see Boston and Newyork beating us this coming season.

Lord 4give me for my anger!
Now i must go and repent,
i have my pastor on redial.

peas&luv

And Speeddial!!

Keon Clark, I do that too, sometimes I get so angry I have to ask the Lord to forgive me, but I really care about this team and they keep getting these Europeans players who does not grab the ball out of the basket we need some aggressive REBOUNDER, I just hope he is dealing for one at this moment

VC is opting out of contract

I sometimes ask god to give people better grammar

What are ya going and ripping our International players for, we need another strong rebounder but really we're going to have the same group moving forward and they'll get better at rebounding as a group.. Rasho was dependable last year and played well, Bargs is our only soft International player and hes gonna get stronger.. Would Nocioni not be a good fit for a starting SF

Raps sign Kapono 4 years, $24 million!!! What the hell???

I hope he fails his physical. What do we need another outside jumpshooter who can't rebound, defend, drive or jump?????????????????????????????????????

Ok with Kapono and Delfino at the SF position, I think BC and Sam are planning to play Garbo at PF which is his natural position (he had never played SF in Europe). So that gives us Kapono, Bosh and Bargnani as predictable starters, and then Delfino, Garbo and Rasho as backups (and Humphries). I have to say that it looks pretty good to me. Oh, and I guess that means goodbye to Joey too...

Aaron, I agree... Not Kapono, he couldn't possibly be our FIRST choice among the free agent SFs?!? Pietrus, Nocioni, Gerald Wallace etc., would be more expensive and harder to sign, but have we already given up on them, or was Kapono BC's first choice all along?

I have to admit that the Kapono signing surprised me. It seems like an awful lot for a one dimensional player. On the other hand, he's a tremendous spot up shooter; he shot almost 50% from the field and led the league in 3 point percentage. But that's pretty much all you get from him.

I guess we can say that this means MoPete will be playing elsewhere next season. I don't know what it means for Graham, although he will certainly have to battle for playing time if he sticks around. However, for a team that needed to get more athletic and better defensively at the 2/3 spots, I'm not sure that adding Delfino and Kapono at the expense of MoPete and Joey makes much sense.

I'm assuming that this is the first of several moves, so I'm going to reserve judgment.

let's just keep in mind that kapono doesn't just shoot well from 3 point land, he owns it. over 50%.

him, ap, and bargs? talk about stretching the d. laying down a ton of space to let bosh work.

also, let's not forget we have probably the best PF in the eastern conference, commanding double teams like a 3 year old with a big wheel.

3 ridiculously good shooters from downtown won't hurt. (though a slasher now becomes absolutely necessary.)

Well that was extremely frustrating...I was just about finished a four page article on the Raptors and their free agent options and I wrote about how I didn't see Kapono or Carrol as being real options...

Think I'll still post it in a bit but will give my thoughts on this signing as well.

I am so disapointed with BC signing Kapono, we have a lot of players that can shoot the 3s, we needed a REBOUNDER, this team is starting to look a lot like the Sun, defense win championship, it is fun to watch the up and down style and the shooters but we need to play defense and we need a REBOUNDER, of all the person he had to sign Kapono, this stinks.