Now the work really begins

Here we go.

The pre-draft workouts start in earnest Tuesday for the Raptors, who’ll probably run 35 or 40 kids through the Air Canada Centre between now and the June 26 draft.

JESSICA RINALDI/REUTERS

The pre-draft workout, um -- Rush -- is on!

What’s it all mean? What do they do?

The biggest thing the Raptor brass – and they are all here, coaches, scouts, everybody – will be looking for is overall talent. They have had guys out scouting these kids in games all winter but it’s hard to really get a handle on how quick they are or their shooting form and ball-handling skills when you’re sitting in the stands watching. Maybe they go see a college kid and he gets two fouls in the first four minutes and has to sit down for the rest of the half. Maybe they’re in Europe when a guy has a horrible game.

You really can’t get a good look scouting like that, or from tape.

So they’ll run them through myriad drills, defensive and offensive, and just watch.

Then, unfortunately, they will tell us nothing.

This is now the age of draft disinformation, teams don’t like to let on who they like or what they’ll do lest some other team make a pre-emptive strike. You’ll hear this guy was okay and that guy has to work on this or that; you’re not going to hear full honesty any time between now and draft night.

The kids will say they see themselves as a good fit in Toronto; they’ll say they’re a good fit in any city they’re in, actually.

The work we do comes well after the actual workout when maybe a scout will offer off-the-record assessments that are close to the truth.

Wednesday, it’s bigs Kosta Koufos of Ohio State, Stanford’s Robin Lopez and Drew Neitzel of Michigan State and guard Jeremy Pargo of Gonzaga. Guess since they had brother Jannero on the roster, they may as well take a look at the sibling.

Thursday’s the big day with Alexis Ajinca of France, Chris Douglas-Roberts of Memphis, Kansas State’s Bill Walker and Brandon Rush of Kansas.

Oh, and I’m told the Malik Hairston of Oregon who’s coming in tomorrow is not related to Happy. Too bad. Would have been a nice Laker angle to explore.

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Hands up how many of you watched at least a little bit of the LA-Washington WNBA game when you were clicking through the channels.

I’m sure there were more than a few – I know I watched a large chunk of the game – and that can only be because of the presence of Candace Parker.

And I’m sure that if you watched you were impressed. I caught a bit of the fourth quarter when she was playing point guard and chasing what I’m told would have been the first triple-double in WNBA history.

Imagine, then, what she’s doing for the game in the States if she’s making the WNBA at least semi-relevant up here. I know people tuned in because she’s AP’s sister but you’ll watch again because she’s such a great player.

I don’t know whether there are any grand – or formative – plans over at Maple Leaf Sports to think about a WNBA team but it might not be a bad idea.

Do you think they could draw 5,000 fans – on average – to a women’s team in the summer at, say, Ricoh Coliseum? Is there enough familiarity with players who aren’t Candace Parker to sustain interest? Can they price the tickets low enough so that families with young girls who play basketball could go and maybe find a role model or two?

I think it would work.

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Here’s one from the mail with a common theme:

Q: 9 p.m. starts for the games in Boston? Madness. I suppose they wanted to have a uniform tip-off time for the series but this strikes me as crazy.
Has it been like this for a few years now and I've just forgotten?

Graeme F, Toronto

A: Yes, unfortunately, it has been that way for a while and will remain that way for the future, too.

Funny thing is, the TV types will tell you viewership grows in the time after 11 p.m., which I guess is a good thing for the network and not so much for kids who might want to watch.

I bet, though, that this series will have higher ratings than maybe any since the Jordan era. It’s pretty compelling.

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So, as I’m watching that WNBA game Saturday, it’s Tree Rollins coaching against Michal Cooper?

That’s pretty cool in a throw-back kind of way.

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To all who’ve asked: The only guy on the Detroit roster Toronto should be interested in – if Joe Dumars is going to undergo a big makeover – would be Antonio McDyess.

Rasheed’s too expensive for one year, I don’t see Dumars moving Prince or Hamilton, Billups isn’t a good fit at his age right now and none of the good backups (and that’s limited to Jason Maxiell and Rodney Stuckey in my book) are going to be available.

I know Bryan tried to obtain McDyess in the middle of the 2006-07 season for a package centred around Mo Pete; maybe he makes the same offer with AP as the guy?

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Yes, Giorgos Printezis had a team-best 21 points as Olympiakos beat Panathinaikos to tie the best-of-five Greek league final 2-2.

No, this does not mean the former second-round pick can help the Raptors. It means he had a big game in the Greek league playoffs.

Last time I talked to a scout who had seen him, the word was he wasn’t close to NBA-ready. I don’t imagine that’s changed.

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Hey, Ghana Black Stars 3, Libya 0 in World Cup qualifying.

They may still be celebrating in Accra.

Big win. Impressive home triumph.

Comments

[David]

With regard to Printezis, we have a glut of forwards, so it's hard to see a need for him here next year even as an-end-of-bench player. I can see him spending another season overseas. But 21 points against Panathinaikos in a playoff game is not to be sneezed at. Panathinaikos is a Euroleague team. Printezis also had a couple of huge games in the Euroleague playoffs against CSKA Moscow, which went on to repeat as Euroleague champs. Yesterday, he scored his team's first six points, and then scored 10 in a row in the fourth quarter. Man, that caters to two of our weaknesses - bad starts and lack of crunch time scoring.

By all accounts, Printezis was the best player for either team yesterday and carried a lame Olympiacos team to a victory they otherwise didn't deserve. And his style of play is not your usual perimetre oriented Euro style. He's an inside player who gets to the rim - he was 7-8 yesterday from the line. He's known as an intense worker who does a great deal on hustle alone.

I don't doubt what that scout told you Doug, but players evolve over a season and considering Printezis stepped up in class this year by starting for Olympiacos and is sometimes their best player, and considering he'd probably come to the Raptors for the NBA minimum - the kid has a dream so strong he came to the NBA draft without an invite or proper attire - I wouldn't discount him as a future Raptor, even if it's in a Maceo Baston role. If there is one thing BC will need with his luxury tax situation, it's a player with some game who will play for the NBA minimum.

[John C]

McDyess would be terrific, but what about Herrmann?

[GM]

Compelling? Really? You've bought into the NBA hype machine. Yawn, says I.

[Anthony]

Hey Dougie,

Is there a possibility that a group of scouts from a team during draft workouts are trying to over-hype a kid and duping another team to take that player and the ones that take "that" player do not know of the overwhelming downsides of him? I think the team in the most pain other than Atlanta passing on Paul is Portland because they traded down to 6th while they had 2nd and someone must of screwed their scouts and GM-ing thaqt year. For 2004 Draft I think plain stupidity (in a Human form called Babcock)got the best of the Raptors.

Blogger's note: As I said, it's the age of disinformation so anything's possible. It takes hard work, solid contacts and a lot of trust to figure out what's real.

[Sam]

Doug, I noticed a paucity of Euro talent - Galinari, Batum - in the workout schedule. Are there more players to be added on future dates or is this roster it for team workouts?

Blogger's note: There'll be more workouts, not to worry; and they may end up seeing some of the European players elsewhere, too. Although, I'd be surprised if they worked out Gallinari since he's likely to be long gone when they make their selection.

[Howland]

Doug -

The other guy that should be of interest to the Raps is Amir Johnson, although like Stuckey and Maxiell I don't see him going anywhere.

Blogger's note: Exactly.

[TMF]

Sign and trade the Gangster for Juan Dixon.

[Daniel]

Yeah, the Raptors should be running to grab Antonio McDyess' corpse from the Pistons. Awesome thinking. Exactly what the Raptors are missing, an elderly big man. Rasho and McDyess will then procede to dominate the East.
What we should be talking about was a bad big for small trade by Colangelo when he dumped Charlie V for TJ Ford. Granted, it was a risk. And Charlie V isn't exactly lighting it up for the Bucks. And its true nobody could have anticipated Jose's growth as a starter - But the focal point still remains: As soon Colangelo traded for TJ Ford, he was trading for a style, a slow big man for a quick, young gaurd. Great. The "run and gun" Raptors were created.
Except, if we go back to Charlie V's rookie season, you will find that CB4 and Charlie V worked the high post-low post beautifully.
But that doesn't happen, and we procede to the 2006 NBA draft where Colangelo decides to take Andrea Bargnani. WHAT?! What, besides the growingly-popular "potential", does Andrea do that Charlie V couldn't? Better handles, he's quicker and a slightly better shot. Overall, Andrea is probably the better prospect. But with that pick, the Raptors could have drafted the #2 pick, LaMarcus Aldridge and not be searching for a big man. Or maybe they draft #5 Brandon Roy, and don't need a slashing wing player. Or even better, how about #8 Rudy Gay? With no clear cut #1 prospect, all of those players make a much better pick. And that point is true whether or not you keep TJ Ford. All of those players filled a huge void missing in the Raptors, and are all quality YOUNG players.

So - and let me say that I know this is a stretch, and i know hindsight is always 20-20, but how about: Bosh, Villanueva, Gay/Roy, Jose and Parker. The young core of Villanueva, Bosh, Gay/Roy and Jose seems like the Eastern version of the Trailblazers.
I think that beats out the current starting 5: Bosh, Bargnani, Parker, Ford and Kapono/Moon or whomever, and the current state of the Raps. Where Moon is likely peaked, they have no slashing perimeter player, no quality low post big man, no perimeter defense and no interior defense. Rasho is old, Parker is likely on his last legs, TJ is disrupting everything (he acually claimed that he thought he was a starter in this league. Really?! When I watched that live I actually screamed at the TV, as TJ so smugly smirked, and said "What, TJ, exactly do you feel that you bring to the Raptors that merits you a starting job? Is it how you take everyone out of rythm? That you are a basketball player but can only perform semi-decently in the starting lineup? Or is it that you are an undersized, shoot-first point guard who has no range, no toughness, no strength, and are literally a dime a dozen. A sub-6foot point who can't shoot and can't pass. Wow. Atleast watch tapes of Bobby Jackson and Mike Bibby, or even "Boobie" Gibson)

But watch as the Raptors continue to increase ticket prices

Blogger's note: Here's some more hindsight. How about Carter, McGrady, Camby, Bosh and Billups? If you're going to do hindsight, do it all the way.