Masai Ujiri's Pre-Draft Presser

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Just to toss this out there;

You hold a press conference to basically indirectly imply you may take a player who could take more time to develop, which we immediately assume is Skal.

Last time there was some degree that it was implied we liked a player (Ennis) the Suns basically took him to try to shake us down for a move up.

Is this about liking Skal or is this about trying to get a team above us to take Skal?

Maybe it's about getting ORL who are rumoured to be in love with Skal to work a trade with them. Grab Sabonis at 11 and get another asset from them

[super_balls]

Yep, we do appear to have a pretty good farm team(Although not all teams use the D League that way, we certainly do.)
I actually think Murmys and his assistants did a terrific job last year with the only guy not showing much improvement being Bennett. And Bennett was just a bizarre case. I'm hoping whoever replaces Murmys does just as well with the young guys. Bruno and Skal, if we take him, should spend a lot of time training together. They have many of the same strengths and weaknesses.

I think it will be Jama Mahlalela.

I think you might be right. Didn't we bring him in twice?

His our current Assistant coach, Canadian guy that played and coached at UBC. He usually works with the young guys, Bruno is very fond of him.

[McFurious1]

I think it will be Jama Mahlalela.

I think you might be right. Didn't we bring him in twice?

His our current Assistant coach, Canadian guy that played and coached at UBC. He usually works with the young guys, Bruno is very fond of him.

Sorry I was thinking of Malachi Richardson. If we decide to go upside with the pick. Didn't we bring in Richardson twice?

[Flight33]

Can anyone remember a player who performed as poorly as Skal in college and turned into a stud in the NBA? I can't.

See: Jordan, DeAndre.

[McFurious1]

Can anyone remember a player who performed as poorly as Skal in college and turned into a stud in the NBA? I can't.

See: Jordan, DeAndre.

See big difference between Drummond and DeAndre vs Skal.. those two both had beastly bodies. Skal is a skinny rail thin.

[OAKLEY_2]

Skal/JV has NBA dynasty potential, and no, I'm not trolling.

Skal/JV/Biz - it's a wrap for the NBA.

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[mattfaria12]

Ujiri plays cards so close to the vest that there is no chance of even prying a list of candidates from him. A variety of mock drafts circulating narrows the group to a collection of big men including Domantas Sabonis, Ska Labissiere, Henry Ellenson and Deyonta Davis but even Ujiri admits it’s a stretch to think any of them would be of immediate assistance.

“I don’t know if it’s a draft where we can go and get somebody who will impact our team right away,” he said. “And we have to take that . . . and look at it a different way. Is it a player that’s three, four years down the road and that player has a high upside? We have to look out for the organization that way.”

https://www.thestar.com/sports/raptors/2016/06/21/nba-draft-not-likely-to-produce-player-with-immediate-impact-for-raptors-ujiri-says.html

[TheGoodDoctor]

Can't tell if smokescreen or actually drafting Skal....hmmm.

[Mr Burns]

I don't see too many posters "hyping" up Skal. Think most of us are aware of who he is as a player atm. But you can't deny his upside and fit if he can reach it. Considering how bad this draft class is and where we are as an organization taking a chance on Skal makes alot of sense to some of us.

Why do we need more projects though?

1) We don't have much cap space to work with (still not sure we can even get Biz back)
2) Our team was 2 wins away from the finals
3) We need upgrades at PF and backup SF
4) Not sure how many years Kyle Lowry has left at his current production

so why are we using up one of our best assets to draft a guy who is a HUGE risk just to send him off to our farm team. It just doesn't make sense

Because although we made in within 2 games of the finals it still took us two game sevens to get there. We aren't a role player away from making the finals. There's nobody at #9 who's going to make us all the sudden surpass the Cavs. If Skal pans out then transitioning from Lowry becomes a whole lot easier and who's to say he can't be impactful while Lowry is still in his prime (2018?). If you really want to go for it while Lowry is here then flipping #9 + for someone like Milsap makes way more sense then drafting a high floor/low ceiling prospect just so we can get some usefull minutes out of that player whatever those "usefull" minutes might provide. If this team is ever going to make the finals we need a star and Skal if he pans out could be that guy.

Do you not see the problem with what you're saying? All I see is a bunch of "ifs". I'm not even hating on Skal i just don't think we are in the position to take a risk like this.

[OAKLEY_2]

Can anyone remember a player who performed as poorly as Skal in college and turned into a stud in the NBA? I can't.

See: Jordan, DeAndre.

See big difference between Drummond and DeAndre vs Skal.. those two both had beastly bodies. Skal is a skinny rail thin.

Look if a skill package and athleticism is what we are after you don't have a fetish about the power forward position and pick f-K-n Skal. Sorry that's insane.

[OAKLEY_2]

We don't need anyone to come in and contribute right away... Skal is high risk, high reward, so i am fine with him.

Swamp land in Florida sign here.

[Saciid11]

That rules out Sabonis whose biggest appeal was a guy who could contribute right away, but lacks the upside to anything more then role player ... Unless nobody drops to us I see us drafting Furkan or Deyonte Davis or Skal( yikes) or Luwuwa or Poetl...

[Saciid11]

What makes Skal better prospect then Deyonte Davis who is already solid defender and much stronger frame then the older Skal .,

[Naysorn]

Skal or Korkmaz.

The Furkan Korkmaz hype kinda died down on this board, but he's still a candidate for BPA.

[S.W.A.N]

That rules out Sabonis whose biggest appeal was a guy who could contribute right away, but lacks the upside to anything more then role player ... Unless nobody drops to us I see us drafting Furkan or Deyonte Davis or Skal( yikes) or Luwuwa or Poetl...

Totally wrong.

[OAKLEY_2]

Skalll


Sent from my sexy electronic device

Would probably be the worst move this franchise has made short of drafting Hawful Aruajo. People are drinking the upside Koolaid in earnest. Guess dreaming about 649 is more fun than scratch and win.

Damian Ingles and Chris Walker here we come.

[Dalek]

Ujiri plays cards so close to the vest that there is no chance of even prying a list of candidates from him. A variety of mock drafts circulating narrows the group to a collection of big men including Domantas Sabonis, Ska Labissiere, Henry Ellenson and Deyonta Davis but even Ujiri admits it’s a stretch to think any of them would be of immediate assistance.

“I don’t know if it’s a draft where we can go and get somebody who will impact our team right away,” he said. “And we have to take that . . . and look at it a different way. Is it a player that’s three, four years down the road and that player has a high upside? We have to look out for the organization that way.”

https://www.thestar.com/sports/raptors/2016/06/21/nba-draft-not-likely-to-produce-player-with-immediate-impact-for-raptors-ujiri-says.html

If you are looking at 3-4 year window, maybe Masai is hinting towards a younger prospect. Here is a list of the youngest draftees possibly in our range:

Dragan Bender 18.5
Georgios Papagiannis 18.9
Furkan Korkmaz 18.9
Marquis Criss 18.9
Jamal Murray 19.3
Diamond Stone 19.3
Thon Maker 19.3
Henry Ellenson 19.4
Ante Zizic 19.4
Malik Beasley 19.5
Deyonta Davis 19.5
Jalen Brown 19.6

I could easily see Korkmaz being a three-four year project to get stronger and ready for the NBA. Stone and Ellenson are already physically ready. Thon Maker is a huge long-term project, but he has some skills and a good personality. He played a ton of basketball right in Toronto, so you have to think he is a guy they know well.

They just had Stone in twice, and Masai was there for the second workout. He could be a very interesting guy to develop just due to his already decent size and skill.

[wille-dynamite]

My gut says it Skal. F-me its Bargs 2.0 all over again. The idea he will suddenly grow a heart, learn to rebound etc..

[brownbobcat]

Can anyone remember a player who performed as poorly as Skal in college and turned into a stud in the NBA? I can't.

See: Jordan, DeAndre.

Didn't play college, but Ibaka was incredibly raw coming into the draft.

[jimross]

Why do we need more projects though?

1) We don't have much cap space to work with (still not sure we can even get Biz back)
2) Our team was 2 wins away from the finals
3) We need upgrades at PF and backup SF
4) Not sure how many years Kyle Lowry has left at his current production

so why are we using up one of our best assets to draft a guy who is a HUGE risk just to send him off to our farm team. It just doesn't make sense

Because although we made in within 2 games of the finals it still took us two game sevens to get there. We aren't a role player away from making the finals. There's nobody at #9 who's going to make us all the sudden surpass the Cavs. If Skal pans out then transitioning from Lowry becomes a whole lot easier and who's to say he can't be impactful while Lowry is still in his prime (2018?). If you really want to go for it while Lowry is here then flipping #9 + for someone like Milsap makes way more sense then drafting a high floor/low ceiling prospect just so we can get some usefull minutes out of that player whatever those "usefull" minutes might provide. If this team is ever going to make the finals we need a star and Skal if he pans out could be that guy.

Do you not see the problem with what you're saying? All I see is a bunch of "ifs". I'm not even hating on Skal i just don't think we are in the position to take a risk like this.

Anybody we take at 9 will come with IF's. I disagree with us not being able to take a risk. I actually think we are in a position do to so.