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Patterson, Henry, George and Bledsoe to Work Out for Raptors This Morning


RaptorsHQ is excited to see two of its top draft options drop by the ACC this morning for workouts...

Star-divide

Another day, another set of potential draft prospects in to visit the Toronto Raptors.

Unlike the Memphis Grizzlies, who are reportedly struggling to get guys through the door, the Dinos certainly are not, and with their fifth pre-draft workout continue to follow the "leave no stone unturned mantra."

Today's participants include:

Thomas Heurtel, Guard, 6-2, France

Eric Bledsoe, Guard, 6-2, Kentucky

Xavier Henry, Guard/Forward, 6-7, Kansas

Paul George, Forward, 6-9, Fresno State

Tyler Wilkerson, Forward, 6-8, Marshall

Patrick Patterson, Forward, 6-9, Kentucky

Another pretty strong list.

Originally I believe Avery Bradley was supposed to be included in this session as well, however a sprained ankle appears to be limiting his ability to work out.  Don't mistake this as for some "political-agent-stuff" either, I know quite well that he loves Toronto and is hoping he lands here on draft day.

It's a shame however we can't see him going up against Bledsoe, a similar prospect in many respects.  Both are great defenders, have blazing speed and elite athletic ability (although Bradley has the edge here) and need to hone their point guard skills in a big way.

Nevertheless, seeing Bledsoe up close will be a great addition to our scouting reports here as he's a tough guy to get a read on.

Did playing side-kick to John Wall overshadow just how good this kid can be?

That's the question on many GM's minds right now I'm guessing, and so for a kid like this, a "one-and-doner," workouts are probably a lot more important in terms of getting a feel for their abilities etc.

Contrast that to another participant today, Patrick Patterson.

Patterson is coming off a solid Junior season at Kentucky where he averaged 14 points, 7 rebounds and a block a game.  Hardly dominant numbers but very nice when you consider he played beside perhaps the top low-post threat in the country, DeMarcus Cousins, and the elite back-court of John Wall and the aforementioned Bledsoe.

He's not an "en vogue" pick right now, but he's one of the safest bets in the draft.  He'll immediately be able to come in and help a club in many ways but because his "upside" isn't on the same level as some of his peers, there's a good possibility he drops out of the lottery range.  If so, I'm betting he'll go down as one of those historical draft-day steals, similar to a Carl Landry (a similar player coming out of college in fact) or a Tayshaun Prince.

I'm not overly enamored with him, but you could certainly do a lot worse at 13.

Moving from "safe pick" to "pick that could get you fired," we turn to Paul George.  Personally, this is one of my favourite players of this draft.  He had an uneven year at Fresno for sure, and is hardly a polished product like Patterson, but it's hard not to be completely intrigued by his skill-set; put simply, he's got all the intangibles you'd want in an NBA small forward.

At the worst I think he'll become a Wilson Chandler type, hardly a bad thing, but on the high side the sky is really the limit if he puts in the time.  He needs to work on areas like ball-handling and shot selection, and he'll need to step up his D and beef up of course.

Finally, on the flip side of George, we have Kansas product Xavier Henry.

With his chiselled physique and much more NBA-ready game, I expect him to come in and have an impact from day one.  He's not the most athletic guy in the draft, but he finds ways to get it done at both ends, and is already a tremendous catch-and-shoot player, something the Raptors lacked from the 2-3 position last season.

Unlike George, who duplicates many of the skill-sets possessed currently by DeMar DeRozan and Sonny Weems, Henry would complement what TO has currently in its back-court and probably would be able to step in and play major minutes from day one, something that probably appeals to Bryan Colangelo.

No, he's probably not a future All-Star, but at 13 I certainly feel that he's a great value, especially since he's projected to go in the top 10.

One final note on Henry - a player Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun and I threw around as a comparison?

None other than former Raptors Mo Pete when he first came into the league.

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i heard avery is still coming to TO

but i think only to talk with Bryan and co. is that true?

if so, im expecting they take him at 13. this would be his 2nd time here. unless of course a top 10 pick drops. cole aldrich anyone? he’s likely to drop

by tea time on Jun 17, 2010 9:31 AM EDT reply actions  

We’ll see later this morning if Avery is here. No word yet, but considering we showed up Tuesday morning not expecting to get to talk to Jack, DeRozan, etc, who knows.

And I know he WAS supposed to take part in this workout vs. Bledsoe but the ankle injury is keeping him out.

As an aside, the ankle injury is legit…I know first hand that he’s hoping Toronto grabs him at 13.

Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com

by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Jun 17, 2010 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions  

why does he like Toronto so much? anything in particular like does he enjoy the city or team atmosphere

by raptors_run_the_show on Jun 17, 2010 7:49 PM EDT up reply actions  

The same reason the other players like it so much, the strippers and 19 year old drinking age :D

by McGateway on Jun 18, 2010 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions  

League Quality

It’s amasing that of all the college and euro league players (probably a hundred) that the 13th pick in the draft is not expected to be good enough to make much of an impact and likely will end up being a bench player. You would think they would be better than that. It’s a testament to the quality of the NBA.

by RT... on Jun 17, 2010 9:46 AM EDT reply actions  

Very good point.

People forget that Mo Pete was a very good player when he came into the league, one of the top guys in the NCAA. The NBA simply is on another level.

Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com

by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Jun 17, 2010 10:14 AM EDT up reply actions  

Question

Sorry, I fogot to ask:
Some of you continue to talk about a second round pick for the Raps. Do we have such a pick and if so at what number?

by RT... on Jun 17, 2010 10:24 AM EDT reply actions  

Not yet at least… There are alot of rumors that BC is trying to get one and that MLSE is supposedly willing to pay cash for said pick. But nothing in stone yet as far as I know.

by PNUTZ on Jun 17, 2010 10:34 AM EDT up reply actions  

Would’ve been nice if they had this line of thinking last year when DeJuan Blair was slipping all the way to the Spurs…

by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Jun 17, 2010 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions  

I still can’t believe he fell that far. Spurs’ management have horseshoe-shaped asses.

by benjibopper on Jun 17, 2010 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions  

What about Marcus Thorton?

We play this game after every draft, pick the highest scoring 2nd round pick for the upcoming season. Love to see how RAPHQers do. Hardest game ever.

by Ustation on Jun 17, 2010 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions  

sure but DeJuan Blair isn’t about scoring, he’s about rebounding, something that tends to transfer well from college and something Raps desperately needed last year (and still do, surprise).

by benjibopper on Jun 17, 2010 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions  

That’s a really great idea, actually. I’m thinking someone needs to start a FanPost along those lines, and we can all enter our picks.

by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Jun 17, 2010 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions  

Yes.

This is why the HQ is the shiznizzle. Between that and the Hedo Torture Clock, you guys keep me coming back.

by RaptorsAddict on Jun 17, 2010 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions  

LOVE that idea

How do we get involved? We could run it on the site post-draft if you wanted…

Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com

by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Jun 17, 2010 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions  

i like dejuan blair but i don’t think he will be in the league long maybe 4-5 more years he has a bad kneel and that has to be limiting him in some way and that is a big risk

by raptors_run_the_show on Jun 17, 2010 7:51 PM EDT up reply actions  

So did Stoudemire and Granger for that matter and they seem to have done alright for themselves.

by McGateway on Jun 18, 2010 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions  

question.

Quick question u saw the young guns practice yesterday.did u stick around to see if they improved their game at all? I’m glad to see that our young core are already in Toronto working out together could only mean good things to come in the future for this team.

by sherwin316 on Jun 17, 2010 2:05 PM EDT via mobile reply actions  

Lots on this tomorrow

Young guns were in again today and we got a lot more of a look, including some great photos of their workouts.

Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com

by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Jun 17, 2010 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions  

Workouts today

Any news on how the workouts went today?

by Member29 on Jun 17, 2010 2:42 PM EDT reply actions  

Tons.

We’ll be doing a full breakdown as usual in the morning but the basics are:

-Henry was banged up and George suffered a hip-pointer during the workout so not exactly the one-on-one battle we wanted to see. That being said, this was these guys 10th and 11th workouts!!

-Patrick Patterson looked great. Think teams are sleeping on him like many did with David West a few years ago. Great physique, conditioning, mid-range game, and back-to-the basket play. Just a solid player although without the upside of others.

-Henry shot the ball well but Jim Kelly talked to me after and noted he wished that Henry attacked the basket more. Just sounded like he’s not an option at 13.

-Who IS an option at 13? At this point I think the 5 Toronto is looking at are Cole Aldrich, Avery Bradley, Ekpe Udoh and Pattrick Patterson, with George being the wild card. It’s really going to come down to who’s available at 13 from that group.

Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com

by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Jun 17, 2010 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions  

looking forward to the break down

After seeing Patterson in action today do you see him as a SF or PF?

by Member29 on Jun 17, 2010 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions  

Sammy D trade

Does this trade mean that these parts or teams are off the market or if it will play a part of a further trade. BC is talking big, and we are all waiting, hopefully he can pull a rabbit out of a hat. BC promised to buy a pick last yeat too, fool me once… actions will speal louder than words, this team has a terrible draft history and terrible draft luck.

ALSO…

All those ‘true fans’ that were jumping up and down at the end of the season praying the raps wouldn’t make the playoffs, for the future long term benefit of the team; could you please explain why we are in a better position now? We could have made the playoffs (even if we lost 4 straight it would be tangible evidence of growth) and drafted 15th, instead of having another season end in total disappointment and drafting 13? Remember this next year.

I’m in the ‘Break up the Bosh and Bargs combo’ camp. If you had to choose between the two, Bosh is the better player. Bosh definitely only comes back to the Raps because he thinks he is the man that can take a compliment of players to the finals – I doubt it. However, if we choose Bargs I would assume that BC keeps him as a complimentary piece and either keeps looking for the team’s stud or tries for a Detroit style balance. As a fan I am more curious to see the latter.

Finally, report and articles so far this off season have been amazing. The Draft insight is excellent and I think we all talk ourselves into a fairly clear image of what should be done to save our team. (Unfortunately what should happen never seems to – Kapono instead of Wallace, Hedo instead of Marion. Throughout the drag of the long season, some of the post game round ups were venemous!

What date is the draft?

Walker McKenna

by Robert Archibald on Jun 17, 2010 4:37 PM EDT reply actions  

Forgetting the lottery protected pick...

if we made the playoffs miami would of gotten our pick this year, so no we would not be picking 15th…miami would be.

by dbonds on Jun 17, 2010 4:58 PM EDT up reply actions  

Ah yes, well spotted

We are still going to lose that pick, but hopefully it will be in the 20’s when we do!

Also, if Aldrich is available, I take him over Bradley in a heartbeat.

Walker McKenna

by Robert Archibald on Jun 17, 2010 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions  

If Bosh leaves, the Raptors won’t be drafting in the 20’s for a long, long time.

Think more along the lines of a top-four pick next year. Perhaps a marginally “worse” lottery pick the following season.

by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Jun 17, 2010 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions  

Don’t count out the “catch lightning in a bottle” good luck that could net us 2 first overall picks (okay okay okay, unlikely but one can dream can’t one).

by McGateway on Jun 18, 2010 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions  

76ers / Kings trade

Definitely this takes the Hedo-to-Kings trade off the table, unless somehow it includes say Hedo+Jose for Beno+Garcia+others

by B.C. on Jun 17, 2010 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions  

This is draft is a Mystery

I’m not really sold on any player coming out in this Draft this reminds me of the 2000 or 2001 draft where most of us fans can only remember guys like Pau Gasol or ……..hmmmmm you see what I’m saying? after all John wall didn’t put up explosive numbers and he’s the “consensus” number#1 pick in the draft…. wow !!!! it almost doesn’t even matter who the Raps draft because we are either a rebuilding team next season or a team on the positive surge …not sure where we are going ????

by raptor fan 4 life on Jun 17, 2010 5:23 PM EDT reply actions  

To add

i guess after the first pick … most of these dudes need more time in college (2-3 more years) … hope they prove me wrong….

by raptor fan 4 life on Jun 17, 2010 5:26 PM EDT reply actions  

Pretty much all of them need more time in college

But thats what makes the draft process so interesting. You are not just looking at what they can do now but also 5 years down the road. Do you pick the safer more developed player (Aldrich, Patterson) or go for the homerun (Bradley, George). Its a great year to have a late lottery pick as there are going to be some very good players at 13. The question is, will we pick the right one. That we will not be able to answer for a few years.

by cmrm123 on Jun 17, 2010 6:18 PM EDT up reply actions  

if...

If we get both Avery and patterson some how imma be the happiest fan in history can’t wait for the draft to get here already..oh it looks like hedo aint goin to the kings anymore with them trading with the sixers today.

by sherwin316 on Jun 17, 2010 6:25 PM EDT via mobile reply actions  

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