Official Raptors 2011 NBA Draft Thread

[cookieman]

Terrence Jones will probably measure out closer to 6'6" than 6'10". Have you watched him play against any team with length? He struggles. But if you're one of many NCAA teams that plays basically 3 guards, he's going to put a hurt on you.

If anyone has watched Perry Jones play at Baylor, and not just on YouTube, this guy is a project.

[fredericklove]

Terrence Jones will probably measure out closer to 6'6" than 6'10". Have you watched him play against any team with length? He struggles. But if you're one of many NCAA teams that plays basically 3 guards, he's going to put a hurt on you.

If anyone has watched Perry Jones play at Baylor, and not just on YouTube, this guy is a project.

Perry Jones scored zero points today, just ewwwwww! Barnes scored his usual 10 points.

[RaptorsFan1988]

Does anyone think we have a legit possibility of selecting top 5?

[bboyskinnylegs]

Does anyone think we have a legit possibility of selecting top 5?

we'll have a chance if our key guys are out with injuries for a long time, or if we trade away some of our vets that are getting big minutes like Barbosa/Jose... otherwise we need to get lucky and win the lottery. Positionally, I don't think we can really compete with New Jersey, Washington, Cleveland, and Sacramento. Then there's other teams that will probably end up sucking like Minnesota, LAC, Charlotte and Detroit.

[Rude Boy 1]

Does anyone think we have a legit possibility of selecting top 5?

we'll have a chance if our key guys are out with injuries for a long time, or if we trade away some of our vets that are getting big minutes like Barbosa/Jose... otherwise we need to get lucky and win the lottery. Positionally, I don't think we can really compete with New Jersey, Washington, Cleveland, and Sacramento. Then there's other teams that will probably end up sucking like Minnesota, LAC, Charlotte and Detroit.

Sure we can we aren't as good as you think we are. we're only 2-3 games away from most of those teams anything can happen dude.

[fredericklove]

Have you guys watched Barnes play this year? He's been very disappointing... He's shooting 36% from the field btw... Most of the reason why people like him is based on the hype machine. Happens every year.

same thing happened with Derozan. He was touted as a top 3 pick going into the draft and then he slipped to the point where most mock drafts had him around the 13-15 range. Then he picked up his play and we picked him. I think Barnes is failed due to the system not really his overall talent. If i could pick from any of the SFs id pick Perry Jones but i dont see us being in the top 3 and i feel like Barnes is a candidate to fall to us making him a realistic option that you cant really pass up on.

Calderon
Derozan
Barnes
Bargnani
Gasol

just looks like a good team that can grow into something better.

I also feel that Barnes not in the right system, its too much ball movement and its not letting him have isolation plays or enough space for him to create nor is he running through screens or any big men giving him pick and rolls (maybe once in a while but not too much) ...he really should have chosen Kentucky to showcast his talent like TJ and Knight have been doing this season or should have gone to Duke with his buddy Kyrie so he could have had legit point guard to dish him the ball or even nolan smith`s capable of dishing him the ball opposed to having (Please Use More Appropriate Word) Larry Drew doing it and failing it. Barnes got a crazy work ethic I believe he`ll work his azz off to improve all his weaknesses soon or later or in the nba...hey but if Barnes continues having this poor production throughout the whole year he could drop down to 4th or 5th spot behind Irving, P.Jones, Sullinger and TJ/Kanter if Kanter`s declaring...hope we`re lucky enough to get at least the 4th or 5th pick in this draft lottery

[fredericklove]

Terrence Jones will probably measure out closer to 6'6" than 6'10". Have you watched him play against any team with length? He struggles. But if you're one of many NCAA teams that plays basically 3 guards, he's going to put a hurt on you.

If anyone has watched Perry Jones play at Baylor, and not just on YouTube, this guy is a project.

Project yea right now Perry is just showing he`s got great ball handling skills, and using his size to rebound and put-backs, other than that, he`s still raw in every other areas.

[Truthrising]

Anyone who has Kemba Walker in their top 5 (or even top 10) is simply clueless.

You makes a great point, is the world going to end in 2012 as well?

[Ackshun]

Kyrie Irving's replacement at Duke is LIGHTING IT UP! Nolan Smith is projected to go mid 2nd round.

This guy is playing like a stud - 18pts/5.6 assists/4.7 rebs shooting 54% and leading an undefeated program.

Great size at 6'3'. He's slowly honing his PG skills and has the skillset to do so. Ass/TO ratio is comparable to some of the top projected PG's in College.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3wXN0jIpnM

[DreamTeam09]

I didnt understand why nolan smith was projected so low anyway, he played well last yr and won it. I dunno much about him coming from HS but if hes at duke he should have some hype behind him. I'd grab him with the miami pick. If he ends up in the 2nd round thats a steal.

[Ackshun]

I didnt understand why nolan smith was projected so low anyway, he played well last yr and won it. I dunno much about him coming from HS but if hes at duke he should have some hype behind him. I'd grab him with the miami pick. If he ends up in the 2nd round thats a steal.

I assume he's projected to go so low due to his tweener status. If he can solidify himself as PG over the next 4-6 weeks, and into the tournament, I would expect him to become a top 25 pick.

But what do I know?

In any case, I'm all for grabbing a few guards in this draft. Brandon Knight playing point, or playing SG along Bayless in spot situations would be hectic for the opposing D.

[DreamTeam09]

I didnt understand why nolan smith was projected so low anyway, he played well last yr and won it. I dunno much about him coming from HS but if hes at duke he should have some hype behind him. I'd grab him with the miami pick. If he ends up in the 2nd round thats a steal.

I assume he's projected to go so low due to his tweener status. If he can solidify himself as PG over the next 4-6 weeks, and into the tournament, I would expect him to become a top 25 pick.

But what do I know?

In any case, I'm all for grabbing a few guards in this draft. Brandon Knight playing point, or playing SG along Bayless in spot situations would be hectic for the opposing D.

I'm all for Knight, Walker, Selby in this draft. Walker did put 30 on Knights head and played good D on him too. He's prolly the better pg prospect of the bunch but his height will knock him eventhough it really shouldn't. I'm even holding it against him even when I think he's the best. If we get Knight, I wouldnt be madd at all

[Rapsfan07]

It seems as if Kyrie Irving won't declare this year...It's sad. I'd definitely want him. However, I've recently become fascinated by Perry Jones and I think he's gonna be something amazing. It a pipedream but getting him would be a HUGE blessing! He'll be really tough for other teams to guard given his height and skillset. Realistically though, I would also be VERY happy with Harrison Barnes. I don't think he has the ceiling that Jones has but I think he'll be pretty good as well. So it would be like this for me:

1. Barnes
2. Knight
3. Selby
4. Honeycutt

If none of the top 3 are available by the time we're ready to draft then I think about trading the pick for Ricky Rubio or drafting Honeycutt. I know this may be a little strange but there's this guy who's a projected second round pick that's become quite intriguing to me by the name of Keith Benson. He's a 6'11 center and the only apparent problem with his game is his weight (needs to gain some). I would investigate thoroughly and draft him with the MIA pick if we don't deal it or trade someone we currently have for a pick.

[Alfred]

http://www.draftexpress.com/blog/Intern ... iunas-3601

A very good read from Draftex about Jonas Valanciunas. He sounds like he could be a Joakim Noah-type center prospect.

[Rhettmatic]

http://www.draftexpress.com/blog/International-Blog/#Tracking-the-Progress-of-Jonas-Valanciunas-3601

A very good read from Draftex about Jonas Valanciunas. He sounds like he could be a Joakim Noah-type center prospect.

I'm equal parts intrigued and terrified by him. It's not so much his lack of offence that worries me so much as his lack of basketball IQ defensively.

[JN]

Kyrie Irving's replacement at Duke is LIGHTING IT UP! Nolan Smith is projected to go mid 2nd round.

This guy is playing like a stud - 18pts/5.6 assists/4.7 rebs shooting 54% and leading an undefeated program.

Great size at 6'3'. He's slowly honing his PG skills and has the skillset to do so. Ass/TO ratio is comparable to some of the top projected PG's in College.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3wXN0jIpnM

Jon Scheyer says hi.

[Alfred]

http://www.draftexpress.com/blog/International-Blog/#Tracking-the-Progress-of-Jonas-Valanciunas-3601

A very good read from Draftex about Jonas Valanciunas. He sounds like he could be a Joakim Noah-type center prospect.

I'm equal parts intrigued and terrified by him. It's not so much his lack of offence that worries me so much as his lack of basketball IQ defensively.

Hmmm... The (admittedly few) scouting reports that I've read about Jonas have said that he's active and a good shot blocker on the defensive end. What gives you the impression that he's a liability on that end of the court?

[Rhettmatic]

http://www.draftexpress.com/blog/International-Blog/#Tracking-the-Progress-of-Jonas-Valanciunas-3601

A very good read from Draftex about Jonas Valanciunas. He sounds like he could be a Joakim Noah-type center prospect.

I'm equal parts intrigued and terrified by him. It's not so much his lack of offence that worries me so much as his lack of basketball IQ defensively.

Hmmm... The (admittedly few) scouting reports that I've read about Jonas have said that he's active and a good shot blocker on the defensive end. What gives you the impression that he's a liability on that end of the court?

I should preface this by saying that I'm far from even knowledgeable about international ball. I just read about it online and watch the odd game (or clip), but I'll gladly stand corrected if someone who knows more wants to set me straight here.

But even in that DX profile, there was some stuff that scared me about Valanciunas's defensive IQ:

The rest of Valanciunas' game needs refinement, particularly his ball-handling and passing abilities. He turns the ball over at a pretty high rate and definitely has a ways to go in terms of improving his basketball IQ and overall experience level.

The place this seems to show up most is on the defensive end. Valanciunas is a major presence in the paint with his terrific size and length. His mobility helps him out quite a bit as well. He can contest shots around the rim and has good timing for blocking shots, even if he's not what you would call a high-flyer.

With that said, he's not the smartest, most reactive player you'll find right now, especially on the perimeter, which can lead to some poor rotations and open shots for opponents.

It concerns me simply because I think for a big man of his build to excel defensively, he needs to be nearly perfect when it comes to rotating/reacting -- especially since he'll need to be excellent defensively to stay on the floor early in his career, given that he doesn't have much going offensively yet.

But as I say, my concerns are mainly based on a small sampling of game footage and what I've read about Valanciunas online. Maybe a more seasoned Euro fan could set me straight on this?

[Fairview4Life]

It concerns me simply because I think for a big man of his build to excel defensively, he needs to be nearly perfect when it comes to rotating/reacting -- especially since he'll need to be excellent defensively to stay on the floor early in his career, given that he doesn't have much going offensively yet.

But as I say, my concerns are mainly based on a small sampling of game footage and what I've read about Valanciunas online. Maybe a more seasoned Euro fan could set me straight on this?

An 18 year old playing against pros. You aren't born knowing how to play D, or with innate basketball IQ.

[Indeed]

I guess its good to have another draft option, in case we went below 6th place.
However, having Valanciunas would that means we have to trade Ed Davis or Amir Johnson?