Go big or go home, it's the only thing to do

Man, a lot of you folks were/are/will forever be riled up after that one.

A word, if I may:

Chill.

Really, take it easy. You have no clue whether this is an inspired draft pick or a bad one but I will tell you this: It’s a bold pick and I would much rather have a GM that goes bold rather than one who always takes the easy, predictable way out.

Much better reward for about the same risk, actually. It’s a draft pick that’s a great unknown but if this kid works out – and, trust me, lots of NBA people guess he will right now – what could possibly be wrong?

The consistent lament for years is that these guys have never had a “true” centre, as nebulous a concept as that is in this day and age, and now they have one.

And who really cares if he comes next year or not. Judging the rhetoric flowing out of the union and league, there may not even be a full next year, making Valanciunas’s absence totally irrelevant.

Yes, there may not be any instant gratification for a fan base increasingly restless about the team’s fortunes and that’s definitely part of it. But I totally agree with Bryan and Dwane when they point out that this is a team that’s building towards something in the longer term and you have to admire the level of self-confidence they have that they’ll be around to reap the benefits of this pick.

I don’t know whether Jonas Valanciunas can play or not and none of you do, either. I know a lot of NBA people who understand the game far better than you or I do are quite intrigued by the possibilities he presents and had it not been for that buyout issue, there is no way he’d have been on the board at No. 5.

In fact, even with that issue (and who knows how that turns out, it is a financial negotiation now and those have a way of being worked out), there was never a whisper publicly around the Raptors that they thought they might get him.

Again, a bold pick? Unquestionably so but it addresses a need and that can’t be understated.

The right pick? Time will tell. Just like time would tell if it was a guard or a small forward.

But I like bold better than staid any time.

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So, how about them Canucks?

The basketballers, not the riot-inducing pucks failures.

Best night ever for Canada?

I’d say so, even though both Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph cut their teeth in the United States and now every youngster will be look to go that route and I don’t think they all should.

But, nevertheless, you have to be proud of those two young men for what they’ve accomplished.

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I’ll tell you one thing about this draft class.

Weak or not, it doesn’t seem to have a sense of sartorial splendour.

Pretty boring outfits on the lads, weren’t they?

Here I was all set to, you know, turn fashionista on you and about all we got was traditional dark suits and really, really ugly hats.

I know they put those lids on those guys so they can sell a couple and make a good picture but, my Lord, they don’t look too good, do they? Maybe if they put the team name in brail on the brim, it’d make ‘em more interesting and far more, um, interactive.

Or, they should give ‘em bowlers or berets, a fedora or a fez or a good old fashioned top hat and see how that goes over. That’d be cool.

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Okay, time to offer thanks again.

The counter on this little thing went over 17 million yesterday and while I know it’s little more than a function of time, it’s still pretty good and I appreciate all you folks – well, almost all of you folks – for hanging around.

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Since there were so many of them, let’s deal with a trade question from the mail:

Q: Hi Doug: Since you like questions about process, how about this one: What's the process for a trade in the NBA? GM A contacts GM B, and they agree to terms. Does the NBA have to approve? When are the players involved notified? Is the trade consummated right then, or is it contingent on passing physicals?

Thanks for all you do!

Tim H, Windsor

A: Yes, nothing can be consummated until the two teams hold what’s known as a “trade call” with lawyers or somesuch in the league office to make sure the team doesn’t violate the rather obtuse and arcane salary cap rules. Only then it is “official.”

Players are generally notified before that call is made as a courtesy but don’t have to be.

Most deals are contingent on passing physicals but if, for instance, a player is just being thrown in as cap ballast (think of the deal that sent Marcus Banks out of Toronto) and there is no desire on the part of the team obtaining him actually use him, that condition can be waived.

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Hmm, this is a tad unfortunate and somewhat inconvenient.

I know those Bollywood awards are big – and I’m pretty sure the movies are excellent although the only one I’ve ever seen is Slumdog Millionair and I don’t remember it all that well – but when they start shutting down streets in Hazeiville … well, let’s just say I become less of a fan.

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So, who was the biggest winner of the night in the draft?

I wish I could tell you but, as we all know, it’s a crapshoot, silly to guess right now and we have to see how it all shakes out.

I must say, I kind of like what Milwaukee did to juice a terrible offence and the one that really flew under the radar was Dallas getting Rudy Fernandez from Portland.

Irregulars know I’m a big Rudy guy and I bet he flourishes there.

Oh, and My Man Masai kind of had me scratching my head with the acquisition of Andre Miller for Ray Felton. Not a franchise-altering move; not sure why he did it.

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You people all know that Sam is a legitimate candidate in Minnesota for the coaching gig, right?

This is not just smoke being blown and folks extrapolating, there is genuine interest there and I imagine it’s on both sides.

And if he gets the job, I’m just going to spend a day sitting back and waiting for the apologies to roll in.

Yeah, I’m a bit like that.

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Talked to Ed Davis before the game – he and DeMar and Sonny an James Johnson and Joey Dorsey were trotted out at the high-falutin’ draft party and Jerryd Bayless was supposed to be there but the last I heard was he had flight problems so no clue if he got in.

Anyway, Davis gave perhaps the most honest assessment of the draft and what the Raptors should do before it all started when he said:

“Everyone has their opinion on it. If you ask a point guard who they should take, they’re not going to say draft a point guard, if you ask Sonny (Weems) he’s not going to say let’s draft a three.

“I don’t know, man.”

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Okay, it’s almost the weekend and the whole going with two mailbag decision of last week seemed to work okay here. So we’ll do it again.

Click here, write down words, thoughts and whatever else is on your mind and let ‘er rip.

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Comments

[JHK]

I see what BC is trying to do here.
Bargs = eventually the next Dirk
Jonas = eventually the next Tyson Chandler
Jose = not quiet the Kidd
Raptors = hopefully the next Mavs
:)

[Andre]

Sorry Doug,

but i disagree with this pick. If we were a team like Utah, that has some pieces and has a direction, i would understand. But to draft A PROJECT when our team needs help now? Free agents? are your serious? and what about the Bigs rotation? Amir Johnson, Andrea Barngani, Ed Davis, Reggie Evans? where is his mins coming from? at the expense of who? Brandon Knight was someone to build on. The NBA has changed, PG like Knight, Irving will run the league. Look how Baera ripped about Miami's defense ? This is a guard game now. Drose, Westbrook, COME ON!!!! Tell me something, didnt all the teams UNDER the raptors get better? What about trades? LOOK HOW the MAVS got RUDY FERNADEZ for the 26 pick... THATS WHY YOU DONT TRADE YOUR CHIPS RIGHT AWAY... i hope BC is fired

[Barry C.]

Hey doug,

As a fellow person working in the Media, the IIFA's is indeed massive. 700 international press in the city right now. Yesterday I spoke with reporters from as far away as South Africa and India.

In any case if there's one movie you must see from the roster of films it's "My Name is Khan." It stars one of Bollywood's biggest stars Shah Rukh Khan and basically follows a Muslim family in a post 9/11 world. It's also a cross of Forrest Gump / I am Sam.

I'm not even South Asian but I can appreciate a good film. I highly recommend this film

Blogger's note: Thanks for the tip, much appreciated

[Tiger]

As far back as last year's draft we've been told that there was no game-changer to be had this year. So last night was like opening your lunchbag knowing there was a baloney sandwich inside.
Maybe the biggest addition this team can make this summer is a subtraction of its biggest slug.

[Matt M]

Well, bring on another round of 'how bad Europeans are at basketball' in various comment sections and sectors of the Toronto media (I know I won't be listening to Jeff Blair's or Bob McCown's analysis of this draft). I hope the Valanciunas kid dominates so people can finally get away from the Don Cherry approach to talent evaluation.
Personally I like the pick. I was thinking Brandon Knight before the draft but a center that would have gone top three if not for nagging contract issues is a very good pick at five.
Finally congrats to Tristan Thompson for being the second highest Canadian picked in the NBA draft. I hope he tears the league up. Looks like the Cav's got a keeper.

[JHK]

Oh and if 3~4 years in time, if Jonas and Bargs starts destroying this league (not literally...), do you know who we should thank to? Our boy Tristan Thompson for being outstanding at the draft workouts and moving up to 4th to let Jonas slip.
Let's think positive people!

[Jeff]

Your thoughts on the press conference after the pick? I really enjoyed Brian's explaining of the pick. I am wondering who the reporter "STEVE" was who was trying to call Bryan out on "Picking another 7 foot euro." Thanks!

Blogger's note: No real thoughts, was pretty typical. Steve Simmons, I think you're referring to

[sportschick]

The thing that surprises me isn't that it's a risk, it surprises me that Bryan would take this risk when he only has a contract guaranteed for two years. I guess it shows confidence and that he's not worrying about his own situation.

[pooks]

Wow, congrats Doug! Wasn't long ago when you were celebrating 10 million...

[AT]

I agree, everyone should chill. This is a very good pick and despite many options, it was much safer than some of the other top picks.. Irving and Kanter have played a total of 11 college games between them. Both Casey and BC made sense in their Q& A:
Why pick another 1 or 2 when the team already has Calderon/Bayless/DeRozan/Hopefully Barbosa.? And obviously other teams did not rate Knight and Walker as high as a lot of raptor fans as they dropped considerably.
As for the instant gratification factor, I think the buyout issue is going to be resolved sooner than later as BC mentioned, and also, BC understands the fans angst and will delivery with some bold trades/FA signings.
so many Toronto Sports Fans complain about how GM's have gone for homeruns/looked short term, now that BC (despite his short contract) make a strong legitimate long term move, everyone starts crying.
Doug, if their were no Buyout issues, would Jonas have gone before Kanter?

Blogger's note: Can't say for sure but I certainly think so

[Ryan]

Right selection for the Raptors for the long term future. Fans need to stop being so near sided and look at the long term goals. If you want your "superstar" it will happen in next years draft. This draft didn't have any. In saying that, after watching a lot of NCAA and intl ball this past season. I truly believe the Raptors got the best player in the draft. Its not a short term fix. Not one player in the draft would've made the Raptors a contender next season. You pick up the pieces that make your entire team good, until you can get your "superstar", and I promise you, if the Raptors finish in the bottom of the league or close to it, they will have their "superstar" in 2012. A team with Jonas, Bargs, Davis, Johnson x2, 2012 draftee, Derozan, and Bayless/Calderon/pg, will be a dangerous one, for years to come. Patience please!

[Jeff H]

I for one like the pick. When you mentioned the quote yesterday about "no one in the draft is better than what they already have", I thought it would be a trade or they'd go after Val.

It's good on a number of levels:
-if there is a lockout, he could still be playing and getting more experience
-he'll probably get more playing time over in Europe
-if he doesn't play for the Raps this year, they don't take a contract hit against him...that's extra cash that they can spend in free agency

In reality, no one in this draft will make that much noise next year. To me, this is like drafting one of the plethora of one-and-done college freshmen, but then allowing him to have another year of school to mature!

Nice pick in my books.

[Tim H.]

Hi Doug:

I thought you might phone in sick today! But, since you didn't, we'll now be enlightened by all of the 'budding GMs' out there, and they're enlightened analysis of the pick. I'm sure many of them were consulted by BC before making the pick ;>)

[Laaazer]

Doug, completely disagree with your assessment which also happens to be similar to the general propoganda assessment of most media in the city which is scared to tell like it is regarding the Raptors organization and Colangeo specifically. Plenty of reasons to dislike this pick: Raw, somewhat soft, averaged only 7 rebounds a game in europe which translates to about 5 or so in the NBA and is frail in terms of NBA Centers. To draft this project with guys like Knight and Biyomboo available is incredibly short sighted and will most likely cost Colangelo his job in a year or two.

Blogger's note: Then I presume you'd be quite happy by that so it is a good pick, right?

[RF]

You're bang on when you say that really none of us know whether this is a good or a bad pick. We all fall into the trap of pretending to know who they should pick based on attending exactly zero pre-draft workouts and probably never seeing any of these players in person. When that happens I usually just remind myself of how disappointed everyone was when we drafted Damon instead of Ed O'Bannon back in the day.

As for instant gratification, I'd rather get the best long term talent and continuing to develop and possibly get a better draft pick next year as opposed to a short sighted pick that doesn't get us anywhere this year or next year. It's pretty difficult to go from 22 wins to a contender with one pick unless that pick happens to be Tim Duncan.

[sam]

I missed the draft, but had the pleasure of reading the IGBT late last night -

The Raptors went in a direction I didn't think they would go.
Understanding it's all a process - I think in this day and age of instant gratification, building a core with young talent is the best move all around. Filling a gaping hole on your team's roster was the wisest choice. a 6'11" centre with some game seems to be a good bet all around.
The sexy pick would have been one of the point guards available at number 5.
Now we sit back and watch the summer play out, and see what BC et al can do to bolster the team's fortunes for the upcoming season, if and when it starts.

Congrats to Thompson and Joseph - hope they have long productive careers in the NBA.

[Jerry]

The Toronto media are complicit in this anti euro foolishness. I was listening to it this morning on Fan 590. I am guessing we will hear more of it on Prime time sports tonight.

What do they think , that Colangelo makes picks because they are European? He has to take the best pick available. If someone thinks this was not the best pick based on his skill level then say so. Nationality has nothing to do with it.

I have no I idea. I am sure that Colangelo and Casey are better equipped to make this pick than I am. I do know that good centers are hard to find. Why else are championship contenders going with Ilgauskas, Jermaine O'Neil etc.

I do think Valanciunas has more upside than Bismack Biyombo.

[kelsey]

1st I dont care if he is European, but if your not Lebron James, D Rose or any other high calibre impact player I cant see picking a player that may not come for 2 years.

Jose-has not played well
Bayless- maybe better this year but not sure everyday starter

The point guard play has been WEAK!!! very WEAK!!! so why not draft a point!!!! Colangelo said all these same comments about Bargnani when describing Jonas.. We are just going on history hear. Why choose a major gamble!!!

As much as I dont like Bargnani I can deal with him, but Val and Bargnani????? I cant see it, Bargnani must be on the move!! or Colangelo must have a trade for a point guard...

Now I will address one thing, this player raptors pick is not super athletic, he is not a super shot blocker, so what kind on ROCK in the centre is he...BC better hope he works out or he is done!!!!! Jim Kelly, Wayne Embry all them should be done as well.

I cant lie why Thompson got picked my stomach started to turn as I knew Raptors were going to do this. I couldnt even eat I was just sick. Im sorry right now Colangelo HAS NO TRACK RECORD TO TRUST HIM SO WHY SHOULD WE ALL OF A SUDDEN BELIEVE IN THIS PICK!!!

[John S]

"I don’t know whether Jonas Valanciunas can play or not and none of you do, either. I know a lot of NBA people who understand the game far better than you or I do are quite intrigued by the possibilities he presents and had it not been for that buyout issue, there is no way he’d have been on the board at No. 5."

Bravo Doug!

I don't often agree with Colagelo's moves but I have to applaud him for taking a calculated risk (potential lockout which makes a year in Europe a moot point) that could dramatically improve the Raptors for years to come.

Perhaps I would have preferred Brandon Knight but can anyone say with any certainty that he's better than Jerryd Bayless?

[DC]

As quoted from Bryan Colangelo “This is a solid pick. Trust me.”
Trust me? Not now, not this time.
After three years out of the playoffs and too many broken promises my patience is spent.
I used to perceive Bryan Colangelo as confident now I merely perceive him as being smug.
I don’t think l will be able to stomach the audio and video clips from the press conference to justify last night’s pick.
As a long time Raptors season ticket holder watching the draft with hundreds of season ticket holders we all knew who we wanted and it wasn’t Jonas Valanciunas.
Last night felt far worse than any loss last season.
I can justify buying tickets to see the promise of an intelligent and exciting young point guard.
I can appreciate the skill set of Jose Calderon and I am sure Jonas Valanciunas will have a long and productive NBA career however this is a tough sell for next season.
I believed in the young gunz and I loved how they developed over last season.
I was looking forward to the addition of another young player dynamic player. Although I expected that a young player would struggle, wouldn’t likely start and would take time to develop the situation at least provided hope for next season. .
I am not eager to wait another season for a pick and roll specialist, it is a very poor alternative.
Sorry for the rant but I can only summarize my thoughts as a betrayal of confidence. I have worked too hard to pay for season tickets and feel this empty and disappointed.

[Lorie]

Hi Doug!
Well after my mental dust settled and clarity of thought took over, Valanciunas would seem to be a smart pick. And I like that Colangelo chose with the future in mind. Not looking to guarantee his own immediate future with the team, but to improve the team in the longer term. So, all is well with the pick in my mind. But...I tuned in for a Fashion Show and got a Bay Street Board Meeting? If not for the goofy hats there'd have been nothing to mock. Well, except for Kemba Walker's pink (or were they salmon) shoes! Thankfully Colangelo's wasn't the only bold move last night!

[Stephen]

My only concerns are these:

1. We still have 3 players with bloated contracts ( Amir, Jose, Andrea)
2. This almost guarantees the TPE will expire, unused, and Bosh will = that no name guy from Chicago
3. Jarred has just been given the keys to the Raptors machine
4. Andrea has another year playing a position he hates

Only two more years of this GM, and then hopefully, no more. He has killed this franchise over the last three seasons, and I can only imagine what he has in store for the next two.

[kelsey]

Oh yeah IM so happy for Toronto Area guys Thompson and Joesph...You two have certainly inspired other young players in there attempts to make the league one day!!!

Why are people putting superstar by Jonas,,,What the heck
Wasnt Bargnanie supposed to be a Superstar. Idont know if you all are drink a litre can of Red Bull, but this is gone to far!!!

Blogger's note: Dude, or dudette, for find me "superstar" and don't come back 'til you do. Deal?

[Jerry]

It is not the pick that is going to determine the Raptors success this year. That will be based more on the new coach and can he get the current players to play defense. They showed us last year that they could do it when they wanted to. If he can motivate them to play defense they will be a playoff team.

[Mr Manswell]

Hey Doug, sorry if this is a dumb question but could say a fan with deep pockets pay a players buyout option? Or is that against regulations?

Blogger's note: Pretty much against rules