Tuesday, May 24, 2011

A Breakdown of Choices for the Toronto Raptors

So all of you probably know by now that the NBA Draft lottery on May 17th was not kind to the Toronto Raptors, as they fell from the 3rd spot to 5th in the order. This isn’t necessarily as bad a thing as many fans are making it out to be as the Raptors technically had a greater chance to move down than move up. Furthermore, from a salary cap point of view, based on the rookie scale the 5th pick will be paid less than the 3rd pick which frees up a few extra dollars for the Raptors which is always a good thing especially heading into a year with CBA uncertainty (I’m praying there won’t be a lockout but it doesn’t look good). Also if one wanted to fall from 3rd to 5th in a draft this would be the year to do it with what is being called the weakest draft since 2006 (coincidentally the same draft that the Raptors selected Andrea Bargnani #1). After the 1st 2 picks who will undoubtedly be: Duke PG Kyrie Irving and Arizona F Derrick Williams; the draft pool from picks 3-9 is pretty much a coin flip.

Here are a few of the names you may hear tied to the Raptors in the coming weeks: UConn PG Kemba Walker, Kentucky PG Brandon Knight, Turkish/Kentucky C/F Enes Kanter, Lithuanian F Jonas Valanciunas, Czech F Jan Vesley, San Diego St. F Kawhi Leonard, Texas F and Toronto native Tristan Thompson. Now whom should they take? Let me break down every one for you.

Enes Kanter – Height w/shoes: 6' 11.25" Weight: 259lbs Wingspan: 7' 1.5" Standing Reach: 9' 1.5"5

He’s the #1 center on the board with excellent size, strength and what appears to be a high basketball IQ. However, he hasn’t played since he dominated the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit in April as he was deemed ineligible by the NCAA to play for Kentucky in 2011 for taking improper benefits from a Turkish pro team. He did remain at Kentucky as a student and practiced with the team but no one has seen him in a game in quite some time and there is risk in that. Also shows signs of immaturity as he has stated he would like to play for the Washington Wizards and declined interviews, at the NBA Combine in Chicago, with the Raptors (5th pick), Utah Jazz (3rd pick) and the Milwaukee Bucks (10th pick) but you do have to keep into account that he is only 19 years old. He’ll most likely be gone before #5 but he could slide and the Raptors would take a serious look at him if he does but if declining his interview means anything it could mean that he’d hold out to force a trade to team he really wants to go to a la Steve Francis and the Vancouver Grizzlies fiasco of 1999.

Brandon Knight – Height w/shoes: 6'3.25" Weight: 177lbs Wingspan: 6' 6.75" Standing Reach: 8' 2.5"

Depending on whom you talk to he’s rated as the #2 or #3 PG in this class. He has excellent size for a PG and a great amount of speed and scoring ability and excels pushing the ball up the court. Also has a great first step to get by opponents off the dribble. With that said he isn’t an elite athlete but he is above average and his basketball IQ and decision making need a lot of work. He didn’t make the type of impact most expected in his 1 year at Kentucky but he has a high motor and seems to be a hard worker. He shoots it well but nowhere near consistent enough for the pros. At 177lbs he was the lightest player at the combine but in time he will fill out so I don’t see that as much of a concern. At 19 years old he’ll be a project and teams will have to wait a bit for him to develop. I’ve heard Utah likes him at 3 or would be willing to trade down to get him but most mocks project him to be there at 5 if the Raptors want him. If Kanter is gone the Raptors will look really hard at him.

Jonas Valanciunas – Height w/shoes: 6’11” Weight: 240lbs Wingspan: N/A Standing Reach: N/A

I know that mock drafts don’t mean anything since they’re never right but it seems that most of the mock drafts out there see the Raptors selecting Valanciunas. This could be true especially if the Raptors are serious about shopping Andrea Bargnani because Valanciunas is almost a carbon copy physically of what Bargnani looked like in ’06. He’s long, agile, and very fluid while running the floor and at 19 he’s bigman with a lot of promise who still has potential to grow over 7 ft and of course fill out physically. In terms of style of play he is the exact opposite of Bargnani. He is much more comfortable playing in the low post and his range only extends to about 12-15 feet. Defensively he is intimidating because he is so long and he plays with a lot of heart. He needs to fill out physically and he has to develop a lot more post moves as he is predictable down there but he has a very high motor and loves to play the game. He’ll take some time to develop but he’ll be a good starter for any team down the road. He’s a PF and the Raptors already have a logjam at that position so they’d probably only take him if they have a deal in place to free up that part of the roster.

Jan Vesely – Height w/shoes: 6’11” Weight: 230lbs Wingspan: N/A Standing Reach: N/A

If you see this guy play you would think he was a North American player. He isn’t a traditional Euro player as he isn’t robotic in what he does and openly shows his enthusiasm, often times trying nice dunks in the layup line and screaming and gesturing to the crowd when he makes a dunk or a block. In Europe that is frowned upon and seen as not having respect and all that other strict stuff but it fits right in with the North American culture of the NBA. He has a terrific combination of size and length for the SF position but again he’s another player that needs to fill out physically (do they not lift weights in Europe?). He’s great at running the floor and attacking the rim but his offensive game is very limited and with his handle he won’t be leading the break. He is great on defense however and fits more into the mold of someone like Andrei Kirilenko but he is more athletic than Kirilenko was in his prime and he’s also taller and longer. The Raptors would look at him ‘cause he is huge at the SF position but he doesn’t push the ball up the floor and that doesn’t fit with the style of play that they want to play with but he does have the potential to be a lockdown defender and that is something the Raptors severely need.

Kawhi Leonard – Height w/shoes: 6' 7" Weight: 227lbs Wingspan: 7' 3" Standing Reach: 8' 10"

Has good size for the SF position but his wingspan and huge hands are what are really impressive. He is a terrific defender on both the perimeter and inside. Physically he is very strong but he is also very agile; he can push the ball up the floor but not on a consistent basis. He has a relentless motor and plays the game with a lot of energy and aggressiveness. He likes to play on the outside and although his shooting has improved it has to get a lot better since he likes to drive and attack the rim. Showed a willingness to play with his back to the basket but he has to vastly improve in this part of his game. His huge hands combined with his length, energy and great timing allow him to grab rebounds on both ends of the floor that are seemingly well outside of his rebounding area. He is extremely quick off his feet, and he is very good at tipping the ball and keeping it alive on the rim. He’ll bring the defense and intangibles and give a little bit of offense but he possesses leadership qualities and already has a NBA body and his shooting will become more consistent over time in my opinion. 5 may be a little too high for him so the Raptors could trade down to 7 or 8 to take him. He provides toughness, rebounding and intangibles something the Raptors desperately need at the SF position but could maybe get those same qualities out of incumbent SF James Johnson.

Tristan Thompson – Height w/shoes: 6' 8.75" Weight: 227lbs Wingspan: 7' 1.25" Standing Reach: 9' 0.5"

He is a Toronto native and has already said he would love to play for his hometown team but that is not a reason for the Raptors to draft him or to please the fan base. He’s a lefty post player with average size for the PF position but he has a tremendous wingspan. He’s also worked really hard on his body to gain some muscle but his frame looks like it’ll allow him to carry even more weight without sacrificing his speed and quickness. He’s not a great athlete but he’s a good athlete, he’s able to make plays on both ends of the floor thanks to his length, energy and blue collar style of play. He’s got great hands and can catch passes in transition very easily and he runs the floor extremely well. He’s also fundamentally sound in positioning for rebounds and although his post game is a work in progress he has shown the ability to go over both shoulders. He is extremely quick off his feet especially on a second jump but he needs to attack the glass at both ends more consistently. He’s a good defender and with his long arms he alters and blocks a lot of shots but with time he can become a great defender especially on the help side. 5 is too high for him so the Raptors would trade down to get him if they really want him but his stock has risen since the middle of the college season to now. He’ll go in the top 10 and some mocks have him up as high as 7 but I think he’ll be in around 8-11. If the Raptors were to take him they would have to deal a forward and most likely it would have to be Amir Johnson as they have similar skill sets. With that said I don’t see him ending up with the Raptors in any scenario but I wish him the best of luck and as a Canadian I’ll definitely follow him closely and root for him.

Kemba Walker – Height w/shoes: 6' 1" Weight: 184lbs Wingspan: 6' 3.5" Standing Reach: 7' 7.5"

At 6’1” he is the second shortest player in the draft (only Isaiah Thomas from Washington is smaller) and at 184lbs he is the second lightest player in the draft (only Brandon Knight is lighter) so that should be a testament to how tough he is as he led UConn to the national championship. However, he is explosive for a PG. He has amazing speed and quickness and his ability to change direction and tempo make him the player he is. He has a great handle and gets into the seams of the defense quite easily with his quickness and often times uses floaters to score or just gets to the rim for easy layups. His shot has improved but is still not quite fully there yet. He's become a better spot up shooter but it’s his pull-up jumper off the dribble that will propel him to become an effective PG in the NBA especially off of screen and rolls and who better to learn from than Jose Calderon who has all but mastered the screen and roll. He already has a good feel for the screen and roll but his range isn’t consistent yet. However, with time he can become a good 3 point shooter. He finishes well and gets to the line a lot but at his size there is a risk of injuries with his style of play. He has above average vision with the ball and has shown the ability to hit the open man, open up the floor, or thread the needle but his decision making needs to get a lot better. Often times he forces the issue too much but this could be a by-product of playing with inferior talent around him. On defense he is strictly “in-your-face” because his speed and quickness allow him to keep up with opposing PG’s but he’ll have to get stronger physically for bigger guards. He does play the passing lanes well and has good instincts on when to go for the ball. His biggest drawback is his size and poor decision making as he is still turnover prone but the NBA is filled with small guards who are great players like Chris Paul, Aaron Brooks, Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, Jameer Nelson, Raymond Felton etc... and his decision making will get better with time. In my opinion if the Raptors keep the 5th pick this is who they should draft. There is something to be said of a winning track record and at every level he’s played at he’s won and he proved he could carry a team on his back and I think he’ll be fine at running a team in the NBA as he has great leadership. If he were to go to the Raptors he would fit right in with their up-tempo style of play and also if you’re drafting on the best talent available he’s probably it at 5.

Peace and Much Love to Ya :)

*All the measurements used are from DraftExpress.com*
**Don’t forget to comment!! Let me know what y’all think and if I’m right or wrong!**
***I’ll have full draft profiles for the projected top 15 in the coming days!***

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

A New Cabinet for a New Majority Government

The new cabinet was sworn in today to signify the birth of the new government led by a Conservative majority. There were many rumors floating around preceding the official event, the main one being John Baird (who was the Government House Leader) filling Lawrence Cannon's old position as Minister of Foreign Affairs. This turned out to be true and can I say that I am very satisfied with this particular shuffle.

Some people claimed Baird is too hot-headed and, to put it politely, angry, to represent Canada on the world stage. Bullshit. He played the role of government attack dog very well because he is a very talented politician. In a cheesy American-style line, he serves at the pleasure of the Prime Minister because a united government is an effective government. Now that he can put away his snarky hat (and boy will I miss that), he can focus on the current international missions, mainly Afghanistan and Libya. Osama (that didn't autocorrect, odd) being dead and Gaddafi being close to something similar will lead to troop levels rightfully lessening. I know European countries, and when I say that I mean the UK, want to bring home troops soon, especially from Afghanistan. Canada will inevitably follow suit if the timing is right. I am confident these big decisions, negotiated on the world stage, will be competently made by Prime Minister Harper and his new right hand man, John Baird. I can't wait until other foreign affairs ministers (namely William Hague who is my favorite for many reasons) and Hillary Clinton meet him.

I am incredibly proud and glad that BC MPs Alice Wong (Richmond) is the new Minister of State for Seniors and Ed Fast (Abbotsford) is the new Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway. James Moore remains in his position as Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. Jason Kenney is also staying as Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, Jim Flaherty as Minister of Finance, McKay, Toews, Ambrose, and some others are also keeping their old portfolios. Tony Clement has been given President of the Treasury Board and Julian Fantino has the new title of Associate Minister of National Defence. This leads to the total number of cabinet positions increasing to 39. The small government in me is raging but I am taming it. I've already crossed off a bunch of cabinet positions that does not need to exist (most of the "Minister of State" positions, especially Sport).

All in all, a very exciting day. I'm back =)

- Franny.