Ross is the Right Pick, at the Right Time

Fans wanted a sexier pick because the Raptors are a team that has many needs. Kinnon Yee writes though, in a draft lacking superstar power, the Raptors addressed a glaring need which will hopefully pay dividends sooner rather than later.

Look, I get it.

Our roster looks pretty ugly right now and with no moves happening at least for the next few days, it's understandable why people are waking up this morning looking at our draft selection and going "what the heck happened last night"?

The reactions from those commentators last night sure didn't help.

However, I had already tempered my expectations coming into this draft. Did I want a point guard? Sure, if one with decent ability was available. I certainly didn't want a clone of Jerryd Bayless. Did I want an impact scorer? Yeah, but so do the other 7 teams drafting ahead of us.

And then, there are people who are hoping to find a franchise superstar in this draft.

The Raptors haven't exactly been knee-deep in explosive superstars at the wing positions since Vinsanity left town, and it's perhaps why a lot of our fanbase craves it.

But here are the names I was looking to replace:

Mo Pete. Anthony Parker. Jorge Garbajosa. Carlos Delfino.

And in Terrence Ross, we may exactly have that.

The checklist in my head was that the Raptors needed a servicable wing player. We needed someone who could shoot 3s, or at least be developed to shoot threes who could also be a consistent defender at his own position.

Was Linas Kleiza able to do both things? Jason Kapono? Hedo Turkoglu?

And it's been something we've been missing for a while.

So when the Raptors drafted Terrence Ross, I thought "that's exactly the kind of player the Raptors needed to get out of this draft, at their position."

There are those who will say "the Raptors took Ross much too high and should have traded down".

Maybe, but that would also mean that one team would have wanted to take the Raptor's draft spot because they absolutely had to get a player at 8. Obviously, that trade never materialized.

So at the end of the day, Terrence Ross is the kind of player I wanted the Raptors to get out of this. They didn't need to reach and they didn't need to look for a project. The Raptors need a productive player who might some day be able to develop into another Morris Peterson. You know, a guy who was solid, if not unspectacular, but was definitely never a detriment to his team.

After all, I'm tired of waiting on guys like DeMar DeRozan to suddenly "get it" and bloom. And honestly, I'm glad that we're not waiting on another DeMar DeRozan/Sonny Weems type to develop.

The key is that the Raptors need to surround him and others on the roster with the right pieces.

Now it's time for July 1st.