It seems like we've been talking about this kid forever. A bunch of us wanted to draft him with our 2nd lottery pick in the '05 draft, and were absolutely ecstatic when he nabbed him in the 2nd round. That enthusiasm gradually tapered off as bringing him over here became more and more of a longshot (plus his EuroLeague play wasn't all that impressive). Colangelo finally brought him in the past season and I think we all got an idea of what type of player he is. The dude has an NBA point guard's body and the ability to play Rondo-like defense. He can break players down with his dribble, but unfortunately can't complement it with a respectable jumpshot. I think the Raps wanted to see some signs of improvement from him during the summer league and when he didn't really show any, they decided their current roster had no space for a long-term project like him. So my question to you is, did we give up on him too early? Will he improve along the lines of Jose Calderon (who had similar flaws in his rookie year) and will we regret not investing more time in him? Was it unfair to give up on him after a summer league? Also, how good of a player do you think he'll end up becoming?
Solid points Counter: Raps already have Jose for a long term and basically it would take too long for him to develope ESPECIALLY since raps now have Jay Triano (a poor man's mike d, IMO). He had many many chances last season to show signs of hope and he delievered in very very few games which means his development would take very long. So to answer your question I dont think people will take any chance on him, thus he wont develop in a good PG he'll be at best a back up PG. Furthermore Im happy with letting him go.
I don't think the Raptors gave up on Roko. The team just doesn't have enough playing time or money to employ 5 point guards. Roko was probably the easiest one to move, so he got the boot. With Jose playing big minutes and Jack probably taking the rest (and Belinelli able to play some minutes at PG), the team still has Banks and Douby, but still needed a little front court help. Banks is almost unmovable, and I doubt many teams covet Douby. As for will regret, it's hard to say. If Milwaukee gives Roko minutes, I think he can be decent, but I don't see him turning into a star or anything. He's a role player at best. He would've been wasted sitting on the Raptor bench, and at least they got something for him. As long as Jack outplays him, I don't think the Raptors would regret trading him.
What's to regret? The guy sucked last year and is already 25. His upside is "below average back-up PG". He'll never be a starter on a team that wins > 30 games. Cut the cord and move on. BNM
The counterpoint to that is that Jose Calderon was 24 when he signed with the Raptors and showed considerable improvement over the next two offseasons. I'm not trying to suggest that Roko can/will make the same leaps, but Jose had to learn how to transition his skills from a European to an NBA setting. Roko may very well be facing a similar problem, in which case age may not tell us anything about how much he can develop. FWIW, I'm OK with moving on. I think the gamble you take on Amir Johnson is very similar to the one you take with Roko, except for their different positions. I believe Ukic's ceiling is a very good backup PG. Not sure if he'll live up to it though.
the difference between caledron and roko's rookie season- caledron was injured all season long and roko was relatively injury free. and thats part of the problem with caledron- his first and fourth (last year) were both injury plagued
