Fire Sam Mitchell.

(written by Rhys Z)

Raps possibilities: 

Brandon Rush - Defense. check. jumpshot. check. athleticism. check. mental toughness/drive…undecided. The odd chance he falls as low as the 17th pick, the Raps would HAVE to grab him.   His ceiling is likely higher than most who will be available at the time, yet with an already polished overall game.

Chris Douglas Roberts - Has added some upper body size, a ‘game’ player, someone whose play will be better than his peripherals would suggest. Might be better suited for the NBA than college.   One thing he does a much better job than Rush despite being an inferior athlete is getting to the line.  I go back and forth between them, Rush might be more talented but CDR might be the mentally tougher.

Nicholas Batum - “They” are saying Rudy Gay - I question this comparison.  I’m thinking more of a younger Anthony Parker, with less half court game.  I have a feeling if he gets picked before Rush or CDR, it will be a classic mistake of taking the unknown over the proven, athleticism over substance, undeveloped Euro vs polished NCAA player.

Robin Lopez - does everything Bargnani doesn’t, but has a limited upside like other big men who will be available at the time…Looking at the board, the more evident it is that the Raptors should ’swing’ for the fences and pick a swingman this draft (even though it doesn’t make immediate sense in terms of a master plan), then try to trade for a late 1st or early 2nd and grab Ibaka/Thompson/Dorsey type player (or Lopez/Hibbert if they slip). 

Roy Hibbert -  If he came out last year, a likely lottery pick (and Araujo’esque bust), but I have no idea which way his career will go now that he will drop and likely go to a better team.  Likely to be serviceable at best, kind of like R Lopez but with more risk, less standout strengths but not as many weaknesses.  Sounding impressive in workouts, so he might be gone before he gets to us.

Mareese Speights -  I think he might be better than either of the above 2 and Jordan or Mcgee, lofty comparisons to Al Jefferson or Brand.  Does he fit?  I don’t know, but screams out BPA (best player available) and possible SOD (steal of the draft). (getting your mind prepped for a yearly bout of draft acronym frenzy).  Pre-draft hype means he will probably be snagged by the Suns or GSW before the Raptors pick.

Players who don’t fit our needs but could be best-player-available with the 17th pick and we should consider:

Joe Alexander  (doubt he will be available)

Russell Westbrook (see above)

DJ Augustin (not likely to be around)

Darrel Arthur (might be, but will be tough to pick him considering the makeup of our front court)

Close to certified busts (will almost certainly come back and delete this, if on the verge of a breakout-year):

Brook Lopez - ok, bust is a strong word, but relatively speaking, depending where he gets picked.. closer to the end of the lottery is the right place for him.  (editors note: Jarrod Collins and Bruce Buffer are pulling for you, Brook.)

Deandre Jordan - Dwight, he is not.. should have gone back to school.

Javale Mcgee - wannabe SF in a big man’s body, team who selects him could decide his degree of success or better yet, minimize his failure

Donte Greene -  I’ll put his bust:star chances at about 35/65 so I could look bad with this one, but the red flags go up as a classic potential with no real skills case.  If he plays a significant role in Phoenix or GSW this will obviously help him, as most anyone else.  The rumblings are strong that we are interested in him, so I hope I’m wrong on this and in a way I’d rather chance it on someone like him, than a low upside big man.  With that said, one of the biggest misnomers in the draft is blindly drafting BPA as best potential available, instead of best player available.

Chase Budinger - too bad he didn’t stay in the draft, might have caused another good player to drop to the Raps if he did

Late 1st / 2nd rd Sleepers:

Courtney Lee - originally pegged in the 2nd rd, stock rising, might have since passed CDR.. polished mature player with few weaknesses.

Serge Ibaka - see Mcgee, team development a big factor, still raw but better skill set

Jason Thompson - solid all around big man

Bill Walker - athlete, can see him developing into a good defender - hype building, could quickly become overrated

Kyle Weaver - could be a stellar 6th man, would love to grab him later

Joey Dorsey - the ugly image of a washed up Ben Wallace make people forget that he was a valuable player in his prime, especially if you can snag him in the 2nd rd

Fliers: Mike Green, JR Giddens, George Hill, DJ White