Do we still have trust in Masai?

[Nilanka]

That is awesome. Care to Share 3 reputable reference that had him on their top 5 pick ??

I be very happy to see those and would feel much better about this pick.

Please share with us your sources.

What's a "reputable reference"?

Does DraftExpress count? The same site that had Thomas Robinson their #2 pick in the 2012 draft?

What about NBADraft.net? The site that had Alex Len as their #1 pick in 2013?

Or perhaps ESPN? Who had Dante Exum as their #3 in 2014?

[sleepz]

I'm no GM either so I am not going to be critical of these picks but the Raps are not getting to the Finals with the core talent they have now.

Poetel is not a 4, he is a 5. Watching him the last few years at Utah he is definitely a skilled big man but he probably can't guard 4's in the NBA.

Yes, the Raptors have achieved more under Masai then any other previous GM.....however the core talent on the team he achieved it with was already here before he got here.

Until Masai can add better talent to the team then the core talent he inherited, all of the "Messiah" narratives should end. He's been good at tailoring the roster to compete in the East but has done very little to improve the core talent needed to be a contender in the NBA.

Some quick thoughts:

• This team is trying to figure out how to get to the Finals right now. Whoever they draft there might take years if ever to fill a need that may not even be there then considering how fast this league moves.
• If they keep the kid he's probably going to be useful. He may even be able to play PF. I mean it's funny how Bender, a guy who's hardly even played minutes at any position in a far off land, can be recognized as a PF and celebrated for going #4 but Poeltl is a write off for PF solely because of his college role.
• I was on team Sabonis, I wanted him to be drafted. I think if they took him I think we would be right here today having a similar conversation though because someone(s), somewhere(America, fuck yeah) would not like what Team Canada did. We would be taking that nonsense as reality and forgetting all the hype Poeltl was getting in this thread on the lead up. All the good signs and the fact that Ujiri was aggressively trying to find a deal and may still be looking for a deal.

Anyway, it's my belief that when someone achieves the things Ujiri has so far then he deserves some slack. I also believe we're not scouting experts and so there's a chance we could be wrong. I also believe that we have no sources internally and so we don't know what they're planning. These three things together led me to the conclusion that maybe it's jumping the gun to jump all over a guy for not agreeing with me last night.

[Apollo]

No evidence, but if we're going by what GMs thought at the time, they had no evidence that Draymond possessed that either, since they all passed on Draymond. And the thought process behind picks like Siakam, which GMs do all the time, is exactly how you pass on the (admittedly, small) chance of getting a Draymond. Betting on character instead of overall talent. Sure, Siakam might be "safe" (as safe as a raw 22-year old that plays in a weak division can be, I guess), but his ceiling doesn't seem that high. For that alone, this pick is a huge disappointment for me. When you consider who was still there, and that we had already gone with a safe pick before... Oof.

I'm still fine with Poeltl, though. But most of the draft picks from Masai have been either meh or disappointment

Wrong. I saw a show on the Warriors where they were talking about the pick in retrospect. They knew, and when it came their turn in round two they went and got him. His physical attributes, being a tweener and then his age rocked his stock. Davis is a totally different situation. Maybe he makes it but if he does it will be an entirely different story on how and why, I think.

[mjt20mik]

The only pick I didn't like was Bruno. Wright was a great pick considering we needed a PG (regardless of the fact that we got CJ in FA) and Powell is gonna be a stud.

If MU passed on Chriss to get Poetl, then I would have been upset. It sucks that we got screwed out of the top 8 because of a coin flip.

[CT2010]

I think there's some value in being the team that forces adjustments, instead of being the team that adjusts.

Good teams adjust. Great teams force adjustments. A JV/JP high/low set, with both guys having decent midrange sets, forces the opponent to adjust to you.

In Fact, didn't the Warriors just come out and say the same thing? That small ball was their invention and it is now time to invent something else because all the teams are trying to follow their model?

I completely agree with you, make your own model successful make people adjust to you.

[Axel]

I think Bilas had him as #6.. and I believe most analytic sites had him ranked higher. The fact that the Raptors spent so much money on their toy.. it seems logical that they would make a decision based on what it pumped out.

Pretty sure Bilas didn't. Someone shared the feed of when the Raps were picking last night and Bilas had Davis as the top ranked when we picked and if memory serves, Poeltl was actually 4th best available (10th) overall.

Found the video, credit to Cody for original post.

If you watch the bottom you see Bilas BPA had Ellenson, Davis, Valentine, Baldwin and Sabonis all ranked ahead of Poeltl at the time of our pick.

Might as well promote the non-forum guys and their thoughts on our pick, right?

(Unless of course you meant 6th BPA at the time of our pick and not overall, in which case, bang on).

[CT2010]

"Poor Character" wasnt that one of Draymond's flaws as said by the media ? He took that to heart and look at him now, like i said i still trust Masai but i'll give him until free agency. Then it's on !

Ya, he kicks people in the groin and for some strange reason doesn't get suspended. What an improvement.

[Letter N]

Pretty sure Bilas didn't. Someone shared the feed of when the Raps were picking last night and Bilas had Davis as the top ranked when we picked and if memory serves, Poeltl was actually 4th best available (10th) overall.

Ya when we were drafting Davis and Skal were Bilas' top ranked guys.

Edit: My mistake, Davis and Ellenson

[CT2010]

i think it is safe to write off daniels. he would have to have a really good year in the d for me to think he can make the league.

Wasn't he a second round pick? Why would you expect him to be more than a flier?

[McRealistic]

What's a "reputable reference"?

Does DraftExpress count? The same site that had Thomas Robinson their #2 pick in the 2012 draft?

What about NBADraft.net? The site that had Alex Len as their #1 pick in 2013?

Or perhaps ESPN? Who had Dante Exum as their #3 in 2014?

So are you trying to tell me that you can not give me 3 sites that had him top 5 ??

McHappy made a claim that he saw this guy being a top 5 in many mock drafts and all I am saying is to just show me few of those mock drafts.

Trust me, as a big fan of Raptors, I do want to feel better about this pick and think that this guy as a #9 pick, can contribute more than Bebe this year ...

[Nilanka]

So are you trying to tell me that you can not give me 3 sites that had him top 5 ??

I never said he was a top 5 guy, so why would I do that?

I'm saying who gives a shit either way? Everyone is making a guess on how good these guys are. Let's maybe see how this plays out before flopping like LeBron looking for a whistle

[Letter N]

I never said he was a top 5 guy, so why would I do that?

I'm saying who gives a shit either way? Everyone is making a guess on how good these guys are. Let's maybe see how this plays out before flopping like LeBron looking for a whistle

Ya you'd almost think this was a board where people voice their opinions at

[Axel]

McHappy made a claim that he saw this guy being a top 5 in many mock drafts

Ummm....where? He isn't here.

[McRealistic]

Ummm....where? He isn't here.

Post #51 ...

Isn't that McHappy with a new nickname

[Miekenstien]

Wasn't he a second round pick? Why would you expect him to be more than a flier?

i don't. he was drafting because of body type. did well in australia, got injured, got healthy, got injured, injured, re-injured. i just don't think we need to include him in any type of planning.