Official Raptors 2011 NBA Draft Thread Part 9

[ItsDanger]

I like Fredette (but not at 5, maybe trade down), but more as the 6th or 7th piece to a set group. We really need more top end talent but could be an option for another tank yr. I think he will be very effective off the bench but only in the right situation. We could use his deep range given our lack of 3 pt shooting since Barbosa surely wont be here much longer.

[turner10]

I'm assuming Knight is coming in on tuesday since he said he would be in Toronto this week did he not?

the scheduled workouts for Toronto are Tuesday June 7, Wednesday June 15, Thursday June 16, Monday, June 20.

[Los Manos]

Jon Givony's latest mock draft for yahoo is up:

5 Toronto Raptors
Kemba Walker, PG
21 years old; 6'1"; 185 lbs
Connecticut, junior
Toronto's situation will be in flux until a coach is hired to replace the recently removed Jay Triano. The vacancy makes this pick difficult to project at the moment. Nevertheless, if Brandon Knight is off the board, Walker is considered one of the strongest candidates in the early going, especially considering the team's clear-cut need for a franchise point guard. He joins dark horses Bismack Biyombo and Kawhi Leonard, candidates who would go a long ways in bolstering a team defense that ranked worst in the NBA last season.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=A ... cn-8581953

[bonjovi0308]

Jon Givony's latest mock draft for yahoo is up:

5 Toronto Raptors
Kemba Walker, PG
21 years old; 6'1"; 185 lbs
Connecticut, junior
Toronto's situation will be in flux until a coach is hired to replace the recently removed Jay Triano. The vacancy makes this pick difficult to project at the moment. Nevertheless, if Brandon Knight is off the board, Walker is considered one of the strongest candidates in the early going, especially considering the team's clear-cut need for a franchise point guard. He joins dark horses Bismack Biyombo and Kawhi Leonard, candidates who would go a long ways in bolstering a team defense that ranked worst in the NBA last season.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=A ... cn-8581953

Thanks for the heads up Los Manos. I have a few things that I don't understand:

Sounds like if both Knight and Walker are available by the 5th pick, the Raps would prefer the former. However, based on Givony's mock he has Knight taken by the Jazz.

His writings, 'Guard is a huge position of need for the Jazz and Knight is considered the most talented one after Irving. The team is also actively exploring trade opportunities, namely for a proven starting point guard.'

When healthy Devin Harris is a proven starting point guard, no?

[Waylon Mercy]

Brandon Knight could also play some SG at times a position they've needed help for
since like forever.

They could play Harris and Knight together at times but not Walker and Harris...

I see them resisting the temptation of drafting Kanter... Missed a whole season
and AJ, Millsap, Okur, Favors is a serious log jam in the front court.

[OAKLEY_2]

I see them resisting the temptation of drafting Kanter... Missed a whole season
and AJ, Millsap, Okur, Favors is a serious log jam in the front court.

That's not true Okur is all bust up and nearly done and Al Jeff has a history of injury a mile long. Kanter would make sense for them but I think If Minny or other team at 2 takes Williams Utah will 100% take Knight. If Kanter goes to Cleveland at #4 barring unforeseen miracle like a Val selection then Kemba is a Raptor. If Kanter is there at 5 I think we take him or flip him. Sounds like the thing in this lotto is to try and milk the surest selection possible. Not the draft to take big risks. Not if you are a team called the Raptors with holes everywhere but at power forward.

[Waylon Mercy]

I see them resisting the temptation of drafting Kanter... Missed a whole season
and AJ, Millsap, Okur, Favors is a serious log jam in the front court.

That's not true Okur is all bust up and nearly done and Al Jeff has a history of injury a mile long. Kanter would make sense for them but I think If Minny or other team at 2 takes Williams Utah will 100% take Knight. If Kanter goes to Cleveland at #4 barring unforeseen miracle like a Val selection then Kemba is a Raptor. If Kanter is there at 5 I think we take him or flip him. Sounds like the thing in this lotto is to try and milk the surest selection possible. Not the draft to take big risks. Not if you are a team called the Raptors with holes everywhere but at power forward.

Al Jefferson, Millsap, and Favors are all signed long term....

Okur has 1 more year left on his deal...

Almost every Center in the league has missed substantial time...

Theres also ?'s if Kanter can play Center... if not how is he gonna get burn
over Millsap or Favors.

I think Utah will consider him but its more logical for them to take Knight over him
unless they makes some trades.

[5DOM]

Utah drafting Knight and Burks would be awesome for them

[theonlyeastcoastrapsfan]

Is Kanter working out for us today?

[KG1585]

Is Kanter working out for us today?

I think the Raps management is watching him in Chicago today.

[3Si]

Here are just a few Championship teams without a Star PG:

Lakers, Bulls, Miami, Houston

All of those teams had one of the best lead guards in NBA history though. Kobe, Jordan, Wade, and Drexler ('95).

And your point?

Of course they are going to have a Star SG... How can a Championship team win without a Star PG AND SG? I have never seen a successful team with 3 big stars up front.

My point is you don't "need" a typical CP/Nash/Kidd/Stockton type of PG to win in this league.

Having said that, I still want Kemba if the projected 4 are gone.

[Rhettmatic]

You can get serious now because things are starting to really heat up for the HOTH. But, as always, there’s an aspect of tail wagging the dog.

kind ofKemba Walker and Brandon Knight are scheduled in Toronto but, sadly, not to work out against each other. They’ll do two separate workouts, I’m told, which is nice to see how far they jump and how fast they are and how they shoot the ball but lacks any true competition between two guys really close to each other in all the fabricated mock drafts out there.

Then the HOTH are off to Europe to see Jan Vesely and Bismarck Biyombo in Europe mid-week before taking in the Eurocamp in Treviso on the weekend.

http://thestar.blogs.com/raptors/2011/0 ... going.html

[power works]

http://thestar.blogs.com/raptors/2011/06/a-masterful-performance-and-the-draft-prep-gets-going.html

Okay all you draftniks.

You can get serious now because things are starting to really heat up for the HOTH.

But, as always, there’s an aspect of tail wagging the dog.

kind ofKemba Walker and Brandon Knight are scheduled in Toronto but, sadly, not to work out against each other. They’ll do two separate workouts, I’m told, which is nice to see how far they jump and how fast they are and how they shoot the ball but lacks any true competition between two guys really close to each other in all the fabricated mock drafts out there.

Then the HOTH are off to Europe to see Jan Vesely and Bismarck Biyombo in Europe mid-week before taking in the Eurocamp in Treviso on the weekend.

Kinda sucks that they have to travel to another continent to get a look at kids they might want to draft, in my opinion, but if you’re going to do your work, you’ve got to go where the people are.

In a perfect world, guys like Vesely and Biyombo would make a tour of North America and maybe workout with, and against, some top-rated NCAA kids.

But it’s not a perfect world; in many respects it’s an agent-driven world, and NBA teams have to grin and bear it.

[Brinbe]

What's a kindofKemba Walker?

Anyway, awesome that we're bringing Kemba/Brandon in, but disappointed they're not facing off against each-other... Also hope Kanter impresses us today.

And for all the talk about Kanter supposedly wanting to go to the Wiz, it seems they're also having trouble bringing him in for a workout. Perhaps he believes we could be the floor for his draft availability? http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wiz ... _blog.html

Although he has expressed a desire to play in Washington, Enes Kanter appears to be more interested in going high in the draft. Kanter does not have a workout scheduled for the Wizards, who hold the sixth pick in the NBA draft, but the team remains hopeful that something could come together in the next few weeks – either in Chicago, where Kanter is training at Attack Athletics, or possibly in Washington.


Kanter, the 6-foot-11 Turkish center who missed all of last season at Kentucky because of NCAA eligibility violations, completed his first individual workout with Utah last Friday. He is scheduled to work out for Toronto in Chicago on Monday and will head to Cleveland on Tuesday. He has an individual workout set for Minnesota next week. Kanter spoke with the Wizards three weeks ago and worked out with other draft prospects for NBA executives and scouts at the NBA combine in Chicago. But scheduling a workout with Kanter might require a little creativity.

“Listen, we like Washington. I haven’t heard anything from them,” said Kanter’s agent, Max Ergul. “I guess they know he’s not going to be there at six. So, until they do something about it, it seems like they are not going to give me a call for workout.”

[itbobby007]

Topic merged, thread title updated so peeps don't miss this.

[pspot]

My initial gut feeling for the refusing interviews was to try and secure a top 3 pick

His hype is based off a McDonald's game a year ago.

I'd be happy with him at 5 for sure and don't buy into any negativity around this strategy of not interviewing

[fame]

So Kemba and Knight are going to be in Toronto at the same time but won't be working out against eachother. Sucks that there won't be any competition between them, as I'm sure it would be useful to see Kemba being defended by Knight's length and Knight trying to cover Kemba's unique offensive ability.

At least our staff can compare them fairly easily as they'll both be fresh in their minds.

[bboyskinnylegs]

So Kemba and Knight are going to be in Toronto at the same time but won't be working out against eachother. Sucks that there won't be any competition between them, as I'm sure it would be useful to see Kemba being defended by Knight's length and Knight trying to cover Kemba's unique offensive ability.

At least our staff can compare them fairly easily as they'll both be fresh in their minds.

It's the same thing that happened with Favors/Cousins last year, where they both had an individual workout at the same time.

[bonjovi0308]

Didn't Walker and Knight face off against each other during the NCAA tournament?

[NH]

Didn't Walker and Knight face off against each other during the NCAA tournament?

Yeah, and Walker owned Knight I believe, but people dismiss that because it is only a college game. I like both, but like Knight's upside a bit more.