Official Raptors 2011 NBA Draft Thread Part 9

[Reignman]

In almost all our games against Boston, Miami and LA Bayless has had little to no impact. He struggles to score and make plays for teammates. If we happen to ever make the playoffs, what if Bayless happens to "disappear" again?

I'm not going to say that Bayless is the answer, we don't have enough evidence to say that. All I know is that when he started he "looked" like a legit PG option and his 18/7 speaks to that but again, limited sample of 14 games.

and the playoff thing is kind of a strawman, all of our players "dissapeared" at times throughout the season, that's what happens with young/inexperienced teams. I mean, we won only 22 games for a reason. By the time we make it back to the playoffs our team won't look like this and whoever remains will hopefully be much better than they are now.

My suggestion is this, I'd like a bigger sample of games to see what Bayless is/isn't. Personally, I'm kind of dissapointed we didn't start him as soon as we got him but hopefully that's not the case next season.

If Kemba/Knight are BPA we should still take them. Let Bayless battle whoever we get for the starting spot and I wouldn't be surprised if Bayless wins that battle.

[LyNx]

To be perfectly honest, the only thing I've seen Kemba better at is that he might be better at creating space for himself with his handle/speed. Unfortunately I've watched Kemba A LOT over 3 years so it's hard for me to buy some of this stuff.

Agree on some of these points. I don't see Kemba as an upgrade in court vision or IQ. Leadership is debatable, but he is a winner and carried that UConn team the entire season, which I think counts for something.

What I think Kemba is clearly better at is breaking down defenders. Whether it's splitting double teams or getting by defenders 1-on-1, I feel like his ball-handling, quickness, and ability to change his pace is very valuable for a team like us that struggles to shift defences and create shots. I'd also argue, despite his size, that he's a more creative finisher approaching the basket (floaters) and around the basket (contorting his body to create space).

I don't feel like this team has had somebody with that skill set for a long time, so I think he's a very intriguing prospect in that regard compared to our current point guards.

[Reignman]

Bayless might not have a floater but he was an excellent finisher for us. I do like the floater though, every PG should have that.

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

Bayless might not have a floater but he was an excellent finisher for us. I do like the floater though, every PG should have that.

From what I remember, Bayless was a terrible finisher at the rim, which is why I'm hoping he does develop that floater, or pull-up J.

Damn, I didn't know we had so many varying views on Bayless. I still think he's in the Derek Fisher/Jrue Holiday/Jarrett Jack mold, with maybe the upside to turn into a Billups. And I think Knight is in the same mold as Bayless as far as projectability goes.

[Indeed]

Sorry I mean athleticism. I agree that Kanter is the most NBA ready skill big. At this point, we have no compliment pieces with Kanter, but we can definitely get those from FA/trades. His current best fit would be Amir, who has the athleticism and defense. Either Davis (lack of quickness) and Bargnani (lack of shot blocking) fit with him at this moment. So I prefer BB if we can obtain some good assets in trades.

As for Kemba, you could be right.

I keep seeing you posting that Davis isn't quick and I have no idea where it comes from. I think he's plenty quick, but he also plays smart enough positionally that he doesn't need to rely purely on his quickness. He still has the ability to react fast, though.

Either way, if that's the only reason you think Davis and Kanter don't fit together, I think it's a pretty weak argument.

If you look at how Atlanta builds around their big, you will see Horford plays with Josh Smith, who is a pretty quick, athletic and with shot blocking ability. If we are to build around Kanter, we need our SF and PF to be quick to cover the ground and willing to defend on the perimeter.

Davis is not very quick, he will have tons of trouble guarding in perimeter bigs, as I watched last year where he keeps getting blown by when switched. Boris said this could be his injury, and perhaps he can recover. Hopefully this is the case.

[Indeed]

To be perfectly honest, the only thing I've seen Kemba better at is that he might be better at creating space for himself with his handle/speed. Unfortunately I've watched Kemba A LOT over 3 years so it's hard for me to buy some of this stuff.

Agree on some of these points. I don't see Kemba as an upgrade in court vision or IQ. Leadership is debatable, but he is a winner and carried that UConn team the entire season, which I think counts for something.

What I think Kemba is clearly better at is breaking down defenders. Whether it's splitting double teams or getting by defenders 1-on-1, I feel like his ball-handling, quickness, and ability to change his pace is very valuable for a team like us that struggles to shift defences and create shots. I'd also argue, despite his size, that he's a more creative finisher approaching the basket (floaters) and around the basket (contorting his body to create space).

I don't feel like this team has had somebody with that skill set for a long time, so I think he's a very intriguing prospect in that regard compared to our current point guards.

Agree in what you see through Kemba.
As I expect Kanter is gone, so I don't want to discuss him. If he is there, he will be the BPA, and we take him no doubt.
So most likely we are debating Knight vs Kemba, or should we trade down for BB. As for this draft, I don't see any upgrade at SF, so my main focus would be on PG and C, and we are pretty much down to 4 or 5 candidates.

[gojoorange]

It seems most mocks are now suggesting that there is no way Knight is still available at 5. So it seems our options might now be Walker, or Leonard. Are there any updates on Valanciunas' contract status?

[yayotube]

He has mammoth hands, a freakishly long wingspan (7-3), plays with high energy and has a hunger to rebound and play defense. “I like to get after it on the defensive end,” said Leonard, who averaged a double-double with 15.5 points and 10.6 rebounds. “If my opponent isn’t scoring, then we’re going to win the game. I take a lot of pride in trying to shave points off a players’ average or make sure he doesn’t have a good shooting night.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wiz ... _blog.html

[witnessraps]

He has mammoth hands, a freakishly long wingspan (7-3), plays with high energy and has a hunger to rebound and play defense. “I like to get after it on the defensive end,” said Leonard, who averaged a double-double with 15.5 points and 10.6 rebounds. “If my opponent isn’t scoring, then we’re going to win the game. I take a lot of pride in trying to shave points off a players’ average or make sure he doesn’t have a good shooting night.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wiz ... _blog.html

well that`s fantastic news. I would love to add a guy with that mentality as a wing defender.

[NH]

Uh oh, looks like Valanciuna's buyout is now $3M, so forget Cavs drafting him for Kanter falling to us. In fact, forget Val coming over next season.. Guess Kemba Walker anyone?

[5DOM]

Uh oh, looks like Valanciuna's buyout is now $3M, so forget Cavs drafting him for Kanter falling to us. In fact, forget Val coming over next season.. Guess Kemba Walker anyone?

@DraftExpress
Jonathan Givony
Valanciunas report from Lithuania is inaccurate. There is no set buyout amount yet. Negotiations ongoing. Both parties still holding firm.

[Dr Positivity]

Not a surprising number IMO. I think the writing has been on the wall for Val for a little while that there's almost no chance of him being in the NBA first year and that there's a good chance it's a 2 year Euro stay. He has a 3 year contract so getting out of it after 2 like Rubio's sounds reasonable. From what I've heard of Val he also has the perspective of not wanting to come to the NBA until "he's ready".

I think for his draft stock the difference between 1 and 2 year waits is huge. I don't see any bubble playoff team or financially bleeding team needing an immediate rookie to boost them, taking a 2 year wait guy. If it's a 2 year wait I'm betting on a team with a 2nd pick taking him, thus alleviating the burn of not getting a rookie to sell and help their team immediately. So Clev at 4, Utah at 12, Wash at 18 looks like the spots to me personally.

[bboyskinnylegs]

IF Val coming over is an issue, I just can't see BC taking him, considering his own contract may be over in two years. I would see him leaning more towards any of Kanter/Knight/Biyombo as high upside guys that are just as young.

[HSOB SIRHC]

Has anyone mentioned the new mock draft on nbadraft? It's kind of interesting.

Cavs -Williams
Wolves -Irving
Jazz- Kanter
Cavs -Knight
Raptors -Leonard

[ty123]

Everytime I hear the word "project" centre it almost always ends up being a Bust.

[ty123]

What makes Valanciunas any different from Patrick O' Bryant?

[Rhettmatic]

DraftExpress Jonathan Givony
NBA Combine medical examination results are slowly trickling out. We must proceed w/caution, but appears Enes Kanter's knee checked out fine

[OAKLEY_2]

Cavs - Irving
Cavs from Minny - Williams
Raps from Utah - Kanter
Minny from Cavs - Biyombo (Raja Bell, 2012 2nd rd pick)
Utah from Raps - Knight (Barbosa)

[dagger]

What makes Valanciunas any different from Patrick O' Bryant?

What makes champagne different from beet juice?

Seriously.

Valanciunas has made a name for consistent high energy. Patrick O'Bryant made a name for consistent laziness and indifference.

[dagger]

Not a surprising number IMO. I think the writing has been on the wall for Val for a little while that there's almost no chance of him being in the NBA first year and that there's a good chance it's a 2 year Euro stay. He has a 3 year contract so getting out of it after 2 like Rubio's sounds reasonable. From what I've heard of Val he also has the perspective of not wanting to come to the NBA until "he's ready".

I don;t think much of that is true. Even if the $3 million figure is accurate, it's still half of Rubio's buyout when he was drafted. Rubio's situation was complicated because his first major team DKV, sold his contract to Barcelona for $5 million, so Barca had to at least get its money back. Ergo the high buyout. Valanciunas would have to pay half that. And his agent - Leon Rose – would set up a loan for the full amount, typically payable over his four years of rookie scale. After the Raptors chip in $500,000, that would mean about $600,000 per year, or little less than a quarter of his likely first year salary. He's earning chicken feed now, something in the five digits, so even after deducting the loan payments, he'd be earning 20 times as much as he gets from Rytas (which just signed his replacement last week for considerably more $$$, and will need the buyout to go through, so bet on it happening and bet on him staying in the draft).

Another thing to remember about Rubio. He had no American agent. It was not in the interest of his Spanish agent to split any commissions with an American agent, and in fact, it was in the agent's interest to set up Rubio with a lot of endorsements in Spain. Valanciunas is not yet a marketable player in Europe from an endorsement point of view and he has retained Leon Rose as his agent for several months now - which shows a seriousness about staying in the draft and reporting as soon as there is an NBA season.