DeRozan Fever!

Want to be one step away from stalking the newest Raptor? Well luckily for you, Twitter has made your dream a reality! You can follow number 9 pick DeMar DeRozan at https://twitter.com/DeMar_DeRozan. In the words of DeMar "Toronto here I come. Air Canadas back."

But wait, even if his Twitter page hasn't given you your DeMar fix of the day, have no fear! Before DeMar has even put on a Raptors jersey, there are DeRozan wallpapers on Raptors.com. Check em out below or download them for yourself here.

And finally if you want to read about DeMar growing up in Compton and answering some questions, SLAM recently interviewed him. You can read it here. And yes, the article is called "The Gifted One."

Raptors Take DeRozan

The Raptors were on the clock at approximately 8:25 tonight. The three players that were rumored to be the prospects for the Raptors were all available. With the ninth pick in the NBA draft, the Toronto Raptors took DeMar DeRozan, the 19 year old freshman out of USC.

The Good
DeMar is an athletic specimen. He has great size for a swingman and its been rumored that he once punched Superman through a brick wall. He is a slasher and is quick in the open court. His ball handling ability is good, but it will need some improvement. He likes to draw contact and play physically, and has shown significant improvement in his only year at USC. DeMar's combination of size, skill, and athleticism draw comparisons to Vince Carter and Rudy Gay.

The Bad
Demar is inconsistent. At time he struggles off the dribble and his jump shot needs improvement. He also shot just 64.7% from the free throw line.

Draft Grade: B+
In picking DeMar, the Raptors addressed their most pressing need: a slashing swingman. However DeMar most likely will not be able to become an impact player as a rookie, his game is simply too unpolished. DeMar does have the tools to become a great player. He dunked his first basketball in grade 6 (beating Vince by a whole 2 years), and his shoulders (pictured below) are wider than the Earth at the equator. Overall, the Raps ended up with a player with great potential, but he must work on his jump shot and dribbling abilities.

Best case scenario: With the help of NBA training staff, he builds strength and improves on his offensive skills, and does a solid job in a 10-15 minute per game role. He then blossoms into a Carter-type all-around scorer, hopefully without the whiny princess attitude. Let's keep his mom away from the ACC.
Worst case scenario: DeRozan's athleticism is not enough to carry him through the NBA, and his skills do not improve enough to match his hops. His love of dunking overtakes his love of basketball, and he becomes the next Gerald Green.

BC's Final Talk Before the Draft

The NBA draft is this Thursday and Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo gave his final press conference before the draft today on Raptors NBA TV. The conference outlined Bryan's summer plans regarding the draft, free agency, and addressing the team's needs.

Bryan began the conference with talk of the draft. He explained that the trade for Reggie Evans has changed BC's draft wishes. He discussed that he "has a list" of 5 players from which he will choose one to draft (providing they will be available): Jrue Holiday, Jonny Flynn, DeMar DeRozan, Gerald Henderson, and James Johnson. Of those five, Johnson and Holiday have come back for additional private discussions. Bryan then discussed the shift in prospect scouting from an active, workout-based evaluation to a more conversation-based incorporative system, contrary to what Elvis Presley might have wanted (I will be surprised if anyone gets that reference). Bryan said that he feels he has a very strong impression of his prospects, stronger than the old style of scouting. BC also revealed that, save for a drastic change, the Raptors will not trade for any additional picks or move up, as "the asking price was too high to move up."

After the draft talk, Bryan then discussed free agency and the Mid-Level Exception. He explained that re-signing Shawn Marion is preferable because "he fits the team". However if he is unable to re-sign Mr. Matrix, he believes a sign and trade scenario would be best. BC also felt that the Raptors are solid with bigs. He discussed the development of Patrick O'Bryant, as he has shown flashes of what BC thought he could do. In the words of the GM, "the kid's got a chance." With the Mid-Level Exception, BC is looking to address the "wing uncertainty." If he were to draft a point guard, he would look to sign a wing, and vice versa. However with the futures of Marion, Anthony Parker, and Carlos Delfino all up in the air, no one can know how it will play out. A Raptor fan can only believe in the Architect, Bryan Colangelo.

Latest Raps Update

The Raptors have extended a qualifying offer to Carlos Delfino, a restricted free agent. Delfino played one season with the Raps in 2007-08, appearing in all 82 games and averaged 9.0 points and 4.4 rebounds. He was a key part of the Raptors' depth and strong bench attack. He could be a very worthwhile addition to our bench.

Bryan Colangelo has hinted at who the Raptors' sights are set on for the 2009 NBA Draft. The five players that he and his staff are narrowing in on are athletic swingmen DeMar DeRozan and Gerald Henderson (no surprises there), combo point guards Jonny Flynn of Syracuse and Jrue Holiday of UCLA, and big man James Johnson of Wake Forest. Johnson has enjoyed a large stock rise lately and it is a little surprising that Colangelo seems so interested in a big when we have two quality starters with Chris Bosh and the emergence of Andrea Bargnani as a legit NBA starter who still has tons of upside.

Speaking of Bosh, BC has stated that it may be in the Raps' best interest to sign-and-trade the All-Star post player . However, he does note that the Raptors are actually in the best shape of any team financially with regards to re-signing him, as they can give more money every year and offer a six-year deal (other teams can only offer five) as per the CBA. As a result, while it's becoming more and more of a possibility that the Chris Bosh era is coming to an end in Toronto, it's also likely that the Dinos will not walk away empty-handed.

Raps' Offseason Update

Jose Calderon has elected to sit out playing with Spain this summer for the pre-selection of the European championship. Jose has stated that he is resting in order to be completely healthy for the 2009-10 NBA season. And for all the Dino fans - a healthy Jose Calderon is a very, very good thing.

Chris Bosh has announced via his website that he will make a "big announcement" on June 1st. Bryan Colangelo has definitively said that CB4 is the centrepiece of the organization and he will begin holding preliminary meetings with Bosh's agent. Speculation alert: This could mean that Bosh will announce that he is interested in re-upping with the Raptors.

With regards to the 2009 NBA Draft, it seems more and more likely that the Raptors will select Earl Clark, the 6-9 forward out of Louisville. He gives the Raptors size, athleticism, and very importantly, rebounding from the 3-spot. He's not a tremendous shooter, but with all the snipers on the Raptors right now, that weakness can easily be hidden.

As well, BC has announced that the Raptors may look to acquire another draft pick. This is an interesting move because this draft is a very weak one overall (besides the top two picks). That said, throughout the lottery are players with the ability to fill holes nicely - think Clark and James Harden. With an additional pick, it seems to make sense for Colangelo to go with Harden, DeMar DeRozan, or to acquire a later-lottery selection and take Gerald Henderson. For more information on these players, check out our Draft preview.

What BC Can Do At Ninth

Last night it was decided that the Raptors will draft ninth overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. The best candidates thought to be available at this position seem to be Tyreke Evans, Earl Clark, Gerald Henderson and Stephen Curry. However, Bryan could also look to trade up in the draft to attain a more NBA-ready player, or a player with a greater upside. Here is our analysis of BC's potential picks.

Tyreke Evans:
Blogs have Tyreke going anywhere from as high as number 5 to as low as number 15. Tyreke is a 6'6 freshman shooting guard out of Memphis. He has good height for a shooting guard, and has all the moves to be a great scorer. He is also not shy to take it to the hoop with his 220 pound frame.
Although he has an amazing ability to finish up at the rim and create his own shot, Tyreke often struggles with shot selection, jump shot consistency, and turnovers (3.6 in his freshman year). These problems will be solved with development, commitment, and coaching.

Raptor Value: B+
Tyreke has the package to become an NBA super scorer and can provide something the Raptors have not had since the early, competitive Vince Carter days, a slashing shooting guard who can take it to the rim. However with Tyreke's bad habits, it is unlikely that he will be able to become an immediate solution to the Raptors (numerous) problems.


Earl Clark:
Mock drafts have Clark going anywhere from 9 to 14, a late lottery pick. Earl is a 6'9 junior small forward out of Louisville. He is a versatile forward who can play the 3 or the 4, who has great basketball IQ and can use his speed and length tremendously in the post. He can also extend the floor with his jump shot and has a great upside.
Although Earl was a great rebounder in college, he will no doubt find some difficulty establishing himself in the post in the NBA level, weighing only 200 pounds will assure that he will not be able to body anyone. Furthermore Earl has lacked consistency at times with his jump shot, especially from three point land.

Raptor Value: B
Drafting Earl could open doors for Bryan Colangelo. Clark provides a small forward who sees the floor excellently, can run the floor, and can rebound from the 3 position. He is more NBA-ready than others in the draft. Drafting Earl could give flexibility in dealing with Shawn Marion for Bryan, possibly leading to a sign and trade scenario. The deal breaker may come down to Earl's ability to achieve consistency with his outside shooting.


Gerald Henderson:
The 6'4 junior shooting guard from Duke has shown terrific development in his years at Duke, improving by 10 points per game in 3 seasons. Mock drafts have Gerald going anywhere from 10 to 22, however most place him in the late lottery. Gerald is a fantastic slasher and defender, and finally found his range in his junior season at Duke. His abilities and on-ball competence have led scouts to believe that Gerald is one of the most NBA-ready players in the draft.
Gerald does lack size at the shooting guard position, and that is something that cannot be improved. Scouts were initially worried with Gerald's passive play and limited offensive abilities, however towards January Gerald took hold of the Duke ship and showed he could be a determined contributor in the NBA.

Raptor Value: B
The Raptors most pressing need is a slashing shooting guard. However, Henderson brings more. He brings something the Raptors have lacked since the days of Doug Christie: solid, dependable wing defense. Gerald may not be the most potent offensively in the draft, however he is a strong candidate for the Raptors and has shown he can improve considerably.

Stephen Curry:
Mock drafts have Curry going at 8 or 9, which is no surprise seeing as the Knicks promised Curry they would pick him with the number 8 pick. Stephen made Davidson a household name his sophomore year, marching them into the NCAA tournament while he averaged 25.9 points per game. Curry is simply the best scorer in America averaging 28.6 ppg this past year. However it was Curry's move to point guard at the start of this year that got people's attention. Curry has good height for a point guard at 6'3, combined with an amazing scoring ability, great court vision, and strong basketball IQ.
Stephen, however, is an agent of the jump shot. He is not very athletic and does not drive the ball very often. His defense is also questionable.

Raptor Value: C+
The Raptors must address their need for a slashing shooting guard. Stephen Curry presents what we already have, shooters and point guards. That being said, Curry is an amazing talent, and could be a great option off the bench backing up Jose (sorry Roko), providing energy and instant offense.


BC's Other Options:
It is no secret that the Raptors need a slashing shooting guard (judging by my constant repetition of that phrase). One NBA exec has called this draft "the worst in recent memory, perhaps of all time", so Bryan may be looking to trade up for a better player. The obvious players that come to mind here are James Harden and DeMar DeRozan, who are considered the two top wingmen in this draft. James is a 6'5 sophomore shooting guard from Arizona State University who can score from anywhere on the floor and has amazing court vision and basketball IQ. What he lacks in flashiness he makes up for in awesomeness - think the Coke Zero version of Manu Ginobili. Demar, the 6'6 USC freshman shooting guard, is an athletic monster. He can drive to the basket and create his own shot, and I am afraid of his athletic ability. However, he has shown inconsistency with his jump shot, and at times, poor basketball IQ and a questionable motor - he compares to a Diet Tracy McGrady, it's much more of a long shot for DeMar to hit superstardom.

Raptors Stay Put At 9th

Tonight the Raptors received the 9th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. They finished this past season with the 9th worst record in the NBA, and had a 1.7% chance of winning the top overall selection.