2012 Draft Thursday, June 28th: Raptors select Terence Ross

[mcHAPPY]

It is really only about 3 or 4 guys over and over.

Agreed. And irregulars who show up to throw it out there. There seems to be few regulars who make such posts.

[Nilanka]

Sometimes I wonder if the Raps get Rudy Gay and he ends doing awesome for them, if I would ever buy his jersey...What kind of a man buys a Rudy Gay jersey? I wonder how much money he's lost on jersey sales because of his name?

I remember hearing a few years ago that the 2 lowest selling jerseys in the NBA store were Rudy Gay, and Chris Quinn, lol.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

I remember hearing a few years ago that the 2 lowest selling jerseys in the NBA store were Rudy Gay, and Chris Quinn, lol.

I think it would be a great move just to be able to present Toronto's Mayor Ford with a "Gay" jersey! haha

[blackjitsu]

Scoop Jardine even said he was the best scorer on the team. If you ever watched the games you would of seen that he was thier go-to player at the end of the game.

So what? Your argument was that we should be comparing Waiters to Beal NOT to Scoop Jardine. If you want to compare him with a player who may not get drafted (though I think Scoop should have a chance in the second round) we can do that.

Waiters is not the quality of player of Scoop Jardine. However, he is a better scorer and has the potential to become a better player. He's younger, after a rough start he proved he could humble himself and listen to coaching, he's also really athletic. On potential alone he's a first round pick.

In no way does that compare to the amount of responsibility on the court Beal has had leading a team, or within the US Basketball system. Seriously this is ridiculous. They're the same age yet one has been asked to lead men and the other comes off the bench, why are you sticking to your guns? Are you related to Waiters? If so I admire gumption, but otherwise please stop. I never said he wasn't a first rounder, I merely pointed out that Waiters has not done the work Beal has done, is not presently nearly as good a player, and therefore doesn't deserve to be compared to him. Can things change in a year, two years? Sure, that's what hard work is for.

[mcHAPPY]

"Adding three picks – three young draft picks – (may not be the best option)."

( * Above quote referencing the fact that Toronto has one first-round pick and two second-round picks. Colangelo, again, discussed the possibility of a transaction(s) that could involve one or both of the picks but stressed that the higher of the two second-round picks (#37) desirable to Toronto)

http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/2...to_deal_picks/

If BC is to be believed, it appears as if the pick we should really be focused on is #37.

[mcHAPPY]

If BC is to be believed, it appears as if the pick we should really be focused on is #37.

So if #37 is most likely to be the draft pick on the roster come training camp, who do you like?

I like, in no particular order:

Will Barton
Kevin Murphy
Scott Machado
John Jenkins

[planetmars]

So if #37 is most likely to be the draft pick on the roster come training camp, who do you like?

I like, in no particular order:

Will Barton
Kevin Murphy
Scott Machado
John Jenkins

For the 37th pick, I'd want to draft a senior. I'm high on Scott Machado, but I wouldn't mind Jae Crowder either.

[Chr1s1anL]

So what? Your argument was that we should be comparing Waiters to Beal NOT to Scoop Jardine. If you want to compare him with a player who may not get drafted (though I think Scoop should have a chance in the second round) we can do that.

Waiters is not the quality of player of Scoop Jardine. However, he is a better scorer and has the potential to become a better player. He's younger, after a rough start he proved he could humble himself and listen to coaching, he's also really athletic. On potential alone he's a first round pick.

In no way does that compare to the amount of responsibility on the court Beal has had leading a team, or within the US Basketball system. Seriously this is ridiculous. They're the same age yet one has been asked to lead men and the other comes off the bench, why are you sticking to your guns? Are you related to Waiters? If so I admire gumption, but otherwise please stop. I never said he wasn't a first rounder, I merely pointed out that Waiters has not done the work Beal has done, is not presently nearly as good a player, and therefore doesn't deserve to be compared to him. Can things change in a year, two years? Sure, that's what hard work is for.

What do you mean by leading men? So just cause Dion Waiters came off the bench, that means that his not on par with Beal? DeMar starts does that mean his better than Harden? No, Harden is on a better team. Even though his a better player than who starts over him. He accepts his role for the benefit for the team. Same thing with Dion he was on a way deeper and better team than Beal. He was obviously the better guard on that team but, they were better with him coming off the bench.

About why I support him is cause I'm a fan of his game. He has this toughness that this team definitely lacks. The fact that he can create his shot(something i'm not that all sold on Beal with).

A number of NBA scouts who I really respect have been telling me for more than a month that the real sleeper in this draft is Syracuse sophomore Dion Waiters. One GM went even further. "There are really only two potential superstars in this draft. One is a sure thing -- freshman Anthony Davis. The other one is Waiters. He can be an electric scorer in the NBA. There's some Dwyane Wade in him."

Still, very few NBA GMs or scouts doubt his talent, and most of them won't hesitate to compare him to Tyreke Evans. Waiters is one of the draft's best scorers and showed at Syracuse that he can get to the basket at will.

"I can't wait for the real workouts to begin," Waiters said. He knows that he's currently in a scrum with Jeremy Lamb, Austin Rivers and Terrence Ross and will likely work out with them directly once the Chicago combine is over. He's got a message for them, too. "I'm going to try to destroy them. I love to compete. If I have a weakness, it's that I'm too competitive. But I think once workouts come, that will be my biggest strength."

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft...7/dion-waiters

Dion Waiters (Syracuse, So.) – 6’4, 210 lbs.
There are few names in the draft right now hotter than Waiters’. Billed as a late first round pick on the outset, Waiters is now projected to go in the top 10 by some prominent draft analysts. While that may be a bit high, there’s no denying that Waiters has helped himself with the way he’s been performing in workouts.

This year’s Orange team was built around unselfishness and being able to attack from every position. While that was the best for the team, it somewhat limited Waiters. Now that he’s showing just how athletic and skilled he is, it’s clear he’s better than a late first round pick.

Waiters very well could end up being a lottery pick as long as he sells teams on his individual defense. That’s where teams have the most questions about him since he played nothing but zone at Syracuse.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/2012-nba-d...hooting-guards

[mcHAPPY]

For the 37th pick, I'd want to draft a senior. I'm high on Scott Machado, but I wouldn't mind Jae Crowder either.

Of the ones I listed, Murphy is also a senior; Jenkins a junior; and Barton a sophmore.

[Bendit]

For the 50 something pick wonder if there is a compelling prospect in Europe who is under contract and BC can pick & stash. Hope Gherardini is beating the bushes and doing more scouting than filling his face

Question: does a player have to declare for the draft or just be of a certain age to be considered draftable...eg. not all South American or Euro players formally declare.

[stretch]

For the 37th pick, I'd want to draft a senior. I'm high on Scott Machado, but I wouldn't mind Jae Crowder either.

Chad Ford says that Crowder measured only 6'3" in bare feet at the New Jersey combine recently. It'll be tough guarding your average NBA small forward at that height.

[Chr1s1anL]

Word on the street about are 8th pick?

• The Raptors expect to have big man Jonas Valanciunas with the team this season. If he were in this draft, I think he would've been the No. 2 overall pick. At No. 8, look for them to add a player to their backcourt who can go out and get his own shot. They've been looking hard at Syracuse's Dion Waiters, Washington's Terrence Ross, Lamb and Lillard. The sleeper pick for them might be St. John's freshman Moe Harkless. Sources say he is in the mix at No. 8.

I think only me and Ceez like this. Been a big fan of his like what he could bring to the 3.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog/...s-top-10-picks

Rory
Where do you see the Raptors going with the 8th overall pick? Do they trade the pick and if so what type of players may be available for it?

Yannis Koutroupis
Guys I respect make it seem like Waiters is a serious option there. Moe Harkless is a sleeper to consider there. I honestly think they trade down.

More Waiters and Harkless I like
http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-chat-with-yannis-6112

Joe
The Raps seem determined to build around DeRozan,Bargniani and Valunciunas with defensive leaning coach Casey.Thats fairly daunting given Bargniani’s defensive limitations. DeRozan doesn’t seem to be a great building block either.For the draft,where they are positioned,Lillard lottery and Draymond Green in the 2nd seem great options to fill PG and SF slots or they may want to explore one of Houstons PG’s.Nash would be nice but how do you play effective defense with Nash and Bargniani on the floor together?

Joel Brigham
Good afternoon, HOOPSWORLD Citizens, and welcome to another edition of my weekly chat! It was really starting to feel like summer here in Illinois, until a cold front brought rain and early spring temperatures. But you know what they say about weather in the Midwest: if you don’t like it, just wait five minutes. It’ll change.

But enough small talk. We’ve got the draft lottery to talk about, two 2-0 NBA series that seem to be setting up the Finals everybody sort of expected when the playoffs began, and that’s not even saying anything for all the moves the other 26 teams may look to make when free agency hits in a little over a month. There’s plenty for us to talk about, and I suppose the Raptors are a perfectly fine place to start…

I get tons of Raps questions every week, so if you’re a regular participant in these chats you know how I feel about Jonas Valancuinas. I think he’s absolutely a star in the making, and I think the Toronto higher-ups are right in saying that he’s pretty much the equivalent of the #2 pick in this draft. Had he come out this year, that’s most likely where he would’ve gone, so for them to get that kind of talent and the #8 bodes well for their future. In this draft class, I only like Anthony Davis and Thomas Robinson more than Jonas Valanciunas. So whatever else happens, be grateful for that.

And really, that’s all you need to turn a franchise is one star to turn things around. If Jonas becomes that, then guys like DeMar and Bargnani get to be secondary guys, and that seems to be the roles their primed for. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if Toronto’s hoping for either of those two to be All-Stars, it just isn’t going to happen.

As for who to hope for at pick #8, Damien Lillard isn’t unreasonable, but if Jared Sullinger or Perry Jones is still around when they pick, they’ll have to get serious consideration to both. I think the best they can expect is Perry Jones. He’s raw, but there’s star quality there, and Toronto could use some depth at the three.

I hope his right about JV. Still have faith that DeMar and Barny can be more productive.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-chat-w...-brigham-53112

Rory
Hello Steve,

What do you see the Raptors doing with the 8th overall pick in the draft? trade the pick? If so what type of player may be available for that pick?

Thank you,

Steve Kyler
The Raptors have logged a lot of frequent flyer miles looking at guys… they were in to see Moe Harkless and Kendall Marshall… They were into see Dion Waiters and they were at a bunch of the group workouts in LA with guys like Toney Wroten and John Jenkins.

Word is they are looking for a small forward or a solid point guard for life after Jose Calderon.

I wouldn’t rule out a trade, especially if they could get a proven guy over a young guy… but they are doing the work as though they are keeping the pick.

BryCo really out there doing his homework.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-rumors...ve-kyler-53112

[planetmars]

Chad Ford says that Crowder measured only 6'3" in bare feet at the New Jersey combine recently. It'll be tough guarding your average NBA small forward at that height.

Okay forget about him then.. I was looking at some footage and thought he was a gritty SF that may have some potential.. but at 6'3 forget about it!

[Maleko]

At 37 if still around I like Jenkins or Machado.

[Maleko]

I would be happy with TRoss.