This, that and the other things

Big day yesterday, no?

Workout in the morning, new guy in the afternoon, qualifying offer in the evening.

Gotta love the off-season.

Anyway, we’re a week and a day out from the draft, a couple of weeks away from the start of free agency and I’ve got a feeling things are going to get busier before they get quieter.

And then, maybe, we can have summer?

Until then …

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I’ve been through enough of these new guy media sessions – with the “all I want to do is come in and help” chatter with a couple of “yeah, it’s a good team, we’re going to do well” comments thrown in along with an “it all starts on the defensive end” to end the cliché-fest – that my eyes generally glaze over the minute the guy starts talking.

But there was something about Reggie Evans that seemed different.

When the guy started talking, you believed him; he really doesn’t give a crap about anything other than doing his job and doing it well and his job is, simply, the dirty work.

And you people are going to love him.

Oh, and all this stuff that he’s Charles Oakley?

“That’s a first. I’ve got a lot of respect for his game, Charles Oakley was real good. I looked at him a lot playing, especially in the playoffs … Comparison wise? I don’t know because he had a jumper, he could shoot a 17-foot jumper, 15-17 feet, so you couldn’t really leave Oakley open so I can’t really compare.”

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Delfino offer could be the start of a busy stretch for the Raptors.

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What do we make of this news that the Raptors have extended a qualifying offer to Carlos Delfino?

No news there.

Given what their options were – renounce everyone, get space, hope to get a significant free agent – deciding to kind of stay the course makes by far the most sense to me.

It doesn’t mean that they are going to do nothing, though.

The option still exists to sign-and-trade Shawn Marion and they will have the mid-level exception to offer someone. And judging by the economic climate out there and the number of teams with cap space, I think there are going to be some bargains to be had.

And, just from listening to people around the gym and in private conversations I’ve had with people tuned in, I have no doubt that Bryan’s got a few things simmering.

Now, whether any of them get pulled off or not, I can’t tell you.

But the sense I’m getting from talking to people is that there is going to be more action than you’d think in the next month or so.

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So, DeMar DeRozan is gracing the Raptors with his presence today – to work out on his own.

Big whoop.

I bet he looks great making shots against no defenders and I’m pretty sure he kicks the crap out of the pylons and chairs in one-on-ones.

Yawn.

As one Raptor type said to me the other day: “I don’t know what we’re going to see that we didn’t see in Chicago.”

I guess the chance to talk to him over dinner or lunch and a chance for the coaches to get a shot at him on the court is something. But it’s not a lot.

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As we were standing on the baseline of the practice gym yesterday watching the end of Gerald Henderson and some other inconsequential guys work out, who comes wandering in but Patrick O’Bryant and Quincy Douby.

And after we got done chatting with Henderson – and if I had my druthers they’d draft him just because he’s a good interview – down the other end of the floor, what do we see but Marc Iavaroni, Alex English, Alvin Williams, Eric Hughes and Micah Nori putting them through their paces.

The best drill?

Iavaroni and English, with those big arm pads on you see worn by dog trainers or lion tamers, smacking the hell out of O’Bryant as the rail-thin centre took entry passes in the post.

Toughness is not an attribute usually associated with Patrick; if the Raptors can instill some maybe he becomes something more than a 13th man on a 15-man roster.

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So why like the Henderson kid so much?

Well, here’s one: We asked him about his “stock” and where he might fit in this draft:

“Stock? It’s a mythical thing. It’s not something real. That’s how I look at it. You just prepare for each workout and try your hardest. You see what happens after.

“Really, when it comes down to it, it’s about how each team feels about you, not how people are talking about you or what kind of player people will think you will be or stuff like that.”

I like that kind of answer; sort of goes to how I feel about this whole draft process.

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Jim Kelly on the vagaries of this draft, which is more complicated to figure out than any I can remember for a long time:

“There’s some movement up there. I think there are some picks up there for sale. Rumours are rumours but you hear Washington has a very young team, they might decide, like they have done in the past, to do something else with their pick. If somebody else moves into that slot, you have no idea what they would want in the draft.

"I do think it’s the type of draft where there are some movement possibilities up in the top and spots away from us. You might have a course where you think you know where everyone is and then on draft day, a complete surprise is there.”

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Another interested observer at the workout yesterday, a familiar face that should make fans of Canada’s national basketball programs feel pretty good.

Steve Konchalski’s in town as part of his gig on that solid Council of Elders thing Wayne Parrish has put together to assist the national team programs and Steve’s going to be hanging around Greg Francis and the Under-19 team that starts work Saturday in preparation for next month’s world championships in New Zealand.

Steve’s going to travel to the tournament with the team as some kind of adviser, which can do nothing but help Francis and his assistant Peter Guarasci.

Comments

[Patrick]

Morning Doug,

When you say "the sense I’m getting from talking to people is that there is going to be more action than you’d think in the next month or so", does that include draft day? Just curious if there's any hint that the Raptors are thinking about moving up, getting an extra pick or making a trade on that day.

Thanks!

PS: It's good to hear that Douby and O'Bryant are working with the coaches.

[JordanFanatic]

Henderson is at best AP. Good team mate, good role player. With the 9th pick I would rather take Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan, T. Evans or Jonny Flynn. If any one of those guys are available especially Tyreke Evans or DeMar DeRozan I hope BC is smart enough to use the pick on one of them. Please BC DO NOT SCREW THIS ONE UP...I BEG OF YOU...!

I like Henderson, he seems like a good character guy, but is potential does not seem to be too high. This Team needs more than role players.

Doug who whould you pick with the 9th pick?

Blogger's note: Who went No. 1-8?

[petert]

I have mixed feelings about Henderson. I just saw the new mock on NBADraft.net and they have us picking Henderson partly because (according to them)players like DeRozan don't want to come to Canada. I hope the Raptors don't pick a lesser talent just because some other players don't want to come. Does Henderson have less potential then DeRozan, or say, Evans? On the one hand, Duke players are taught fundamentals, but lately most of them seem to be ending up as role or bench players (eg. Dahntay Jones, Shavlik Randolph, Josh McRoberts). In the games that I saw, he didn't look like a 9 pick. To be fair, I must make you aware of my North Carolina bias ;-)

[LeeZ]

In the feedback section of Doug's article on Evans, Agridome weighs in about Delfino, calling him, among other things, a defensive liability. Whoa there big guy/gal. You can say many things about Carlos: tends to fall inordinately in love with the three, is inconsistent/streaky, etc., but there are two things he did for the Raps that few if any of his teammates did: penetrate on the offensive end, and provide BY FAR the best perimeter dee on the team (yes, damning him with faint praise, but still). You can count on the fingers of one hand how many blow-by's he allowed in the entire SEASON. He is an above-average defender, not just by Raps standards but by league standards. Give the man his due. Doug, do you agree?

[enoughBS]

that's it? "...the sense I’m getting from talking to people is that there is going to be more action than you’d think in the next month or so." thanks for the inside info.... desperate and pathetic!

Blogger's note: Classy

[dc]

evans sounds like the tough-minded role player the raps really needed last year. his honest assessment of his own skills is also refreshing. so was his admitted previous mutual dislike of chris bosh in the paper.

i hope the raps bring back delfino, especially if it means that we have to say goodbye to parker. despite his ability to disappear from games, delfino was always much more physical than parker at the 2-guard spot.

i know parker was a 'good guy' and all that, but he was characteristic of the soft-minded raptors. Too often he was motionless on the three-point line and acted as if he was afraid of contact in the painted area when he had the ball in his hands. His body language and overt whining to the refs when he would try to draw the foul on fade-away jumpers and soft lay-ups were a constant energy drainer for the crowd and a morale killer for his teammates in close games(i'm speculating).
Despite his hard work and 'positive attitude', parker was a player much like kapono- his skills could not be consistently maximized within the raptors system and mix of talent.
we used to wish that the raptors had signed his sister, candace parker of the WNBA instead.
So long to the isreali league's michael jordon. Bring back the hair-do!

[X-Man]

I played for Coach K for a couple of years in the early 2000's. Sure is great to hear that he has Triano's ear, even though I've always thought that coach K would eventually be the raps coach.

[Matty-Pix]

"the sense I’m getting from talking to people is that there is going to be more action than you’d think in the next month or so."

Is the "sense" one of a major move with our core, or smaller parts being sent out of town?

Blogger's note: Don't know yet

[Chris]

Doug, don't give your reader irrational hope, you will just get back the irrational comments that drive you crazy. Pounding big men with pads is something you do all the way back in high school and I'm sure has bee done to big Pat hundreds of times.

[Dallas]

Hey Doug,

Can you envision any scenario where the Raps draft a pg, and or make another move around draft time?

Cheers,

Blogger's note: Sure, if they're thinking of giving up on Roko, or need to put him in a trade package, I guess that could happen. But so could a lot of other things, too

[Eric]

3 options: 1) Risk losing Chris Bosh for nothing, 2) Trade him for young talent, 3) Re-sign him to a Vernon Wells like deal. Which one would you pick?!?!?! Maybe it's time for him to go.

Blogger's note: I think I've been pretty clear in my opinion that they should not trade him, play out the season and see what happens

[Andre]

Hey Doug, what did you think of Earl Clark?

Blogger's note: I really haven't

[Omri]

Doug

Thanks for the blog. A general question around timing and how quickly you think transactions will developed over the summer. I know the draft is next week and free agency starts in early July. Can we expect the Raptors to make their big moves rather quickly (as with Kapono) or for things to unfold slowly.

Thanks.

Blogger's note: I would suspect everything they'll do of significance will be done by the middle of July

[Alex]

If anything, the Raptors always make life interesting. I still have bad memories of that Ray Allen rebound and put-back jumper (made easy by Delfino leaking out for a break instead of boxing out) but I know Delfino can make things happen on the offensive end and it will be good to have another option with Kapono gone.

Doug, if it is true that Washington is shopping their draft pick, who do you think is on teh short list of teams seriously interested in moving into that spot?

Blogger's note: Couldn't tell you

[Tim W.]

I couldn't care less about Gerald Henderson's interviewee abilities, but there is a lot to like about him. He's incredibly athletic, can get to the basket, plays outstanding defense and is a team-first player. He's also been coached by one of the best and has an NBA pedigree. Considering the likelihood he will be available at the 9th pick and the Raptors interest in him, I am looking forward to the draft.

On the other hand, the Raptors interest in Jrue Holiday worries me a bit. He struggled this past season playing out of position at SG, and would be, at best, a backup PG with the Raptors, so unless he's drafted in order to be traded (which would be unfortunate if Henderson and/or DeRozen are available), I don't see why they're interested in him. Not when there's such a gaping hole at SG.

[Mohammed Jamal]

Doug, do you have any idea how much the qualifying offer to Delfino was worth?

Blogger's note: About $2.3 million, give or take $100,000 or so.

[Mike]

Does the offer to delfino mean that Marion cannot be resigned?

How does it impact bringing back AP and possibly Rasho?

Blogger's note: Has nothing to do with anything other than keeping the rights to match any offer he gets

[Binson]

I read on the G&M site that Chris Bosh is in Dallas working to add 20 lbs of muscle. While I agree in putting some power in the power forward, his game is predominantly speed oriented. Can this be counter-productive? Or is it all good in your opinion? If he becomes a Howard with actual skills.....

Blogger's note: I don't think you can be too strong to take the nightly pounding and be able to survive a long season

[Edward]

Doug what is Derozan's problem? Is he being controlled by his agent or is he another American who hates Canada?

[Manny]

Does Kevin McHale's departure from Minnesota signals the return of Sam Mitchell?

Blogger's note: Not necessarily but I guarantee you, after having spoken to a few people this morning, he's very much in the mix

[T i]

At this point it seems unlikely that Tyreke Evans would be available at the 9th pick of the draft. If the Raptors bring him in next week (as rumoured), if he impresses much there may be a chance of the Raps trading the 9th for Washington's 5th pick (and maybe sending a player and/or a 2nd pick or something of that nature) to grab him?

Personally, I think the Raps end up taking DeRozan as I think he will be available at the 9th spot and he fits into our needs (although I must admit right now I like Evans a bit more). I think DeRozan has a lot of his game he needs to work on, yet somehow it seems like he has a ceiling-of-potential that may be one of the highest in this year's draft. I just don't know how much of an impact he will make in year 1 (which is a crucial year to make Chris feel comfortable about re-signing).... Can't wait for the draft, should be interesting!!!

[Mahdi]

I'm not so much concern about who we pick in this draft and what not....I just care about getting shawn marion signed and whether he wants to stay or not is up to him, at least we get something in return.
I hope we get this delfino issue done as well, at least he showed up more often than kapono ever did. plus he was one of few raptors that actually knew how to get to the basket.

[Dave]

On the FAN, BC basically intimated that the pick will likely be between 5 players- Flynn, Holiday, deRozan, Henderson and James Johnson. The wild card being how far Jordan Hill slips. Of course, like everything else, it all depends on how gets picked before us and/or what unexpected parties trade up or into the lottery.

[Ismail]

Doug: So what likely happens in a scenario where a coveted big like Jordan Hill drops to the 9th? Do you think the Raps will pass and draft the best available wing or point on their board based on need?

Blogger's note: It will depend entirely on who else is there; I think they'd look smaller if there were other good wings still available. But anything's possible.

[dfd]

ronnie price a raptor? any thruth to it?

Blogger's note: Don't know. Nothing until July anyway.