It seems very obvious this team is going nowhere. They don't have an identity other than that stupid "Young Gunz" signature Shake is rocking. Demar has potential but looks like a pussy when he sees the bigger names. Ed Davis looks pretty good, he needs more reps though. Andrea needs to rebound more, but I actually kinda like him this year. The way I see it is, this team missed out on Rose, Wall and Westbrook the past 3 years (all 3 years, the Raptors were horrible while assuming they were a playoff team). They really need Kyrie Irving, I see Chris Paul in him.
I think point guard is a very key position for us as Calderon is not a good defender and Bayless is not really a player that looks to distribute. That being said, I think small forward (the wings positions in general actually) are more worrisome. Calderon is pretty good at running an offense and getting players involved and Bayless is still young and a natural scorer. The wing positions on the other hand are a complete mess. Outside of Derozan, no one really shows any promise. Klieza is turnover king and very selfish. Same applies to Sonny Weems. Julian Wright is a decent defender but pretty useless in any other situation. Peja is injured and on his way out. Barbosa is on and off, if he is not hitting his shots, he is a real liability as he doesn't really look to get others involved. I'm pretty happy with our bigs, Ed in particular. He is showing some serious potential as a top-notch defender and shot blocker while getting buckets of offensive rebounds and within the flow of the offensive. Amir just needs to solve his foul issues and he will be a solid player, he has even developed somewhat of a jumper. Bargnani has really flourished in the role of a first option, showing he score from basically anywhere. Just needs to work a little more on his help defense. They should target a point guard or small forward in the draft. We may not be bad enough to get Kyrie Irving (Sota, Sacromento, Cleveland seem to be much better at tanking than us) but this draft is supposedly heavy in terms of point guard talent.
Centre. We have a decent to good point guard in Calderon (point guards can be a little older, no big deal), our scoring wings are average but improving (DeRozan & Weems), our power forward position is alright with Ed Davis and Amir Johnson, but centre is a complete mess with Bargnani. I'm not saying he is a bad player but we aren't going anywhere with him up front. We need a rebounding, shot-blocking, defending, lane protecting big man to anchor the team. I'm not even saying we need to be rid of Bargs--we just need a serious big man.
Question: Would you take a gamble with Oden? He's high-risk high reward. And I still feel like Kyrie Irving is a can't-miss point guard. If you guys get a top 2 pick, he NEEDS to be your #1 choice.
No. The water in Portland is full of osteoporosis-causing poison. Good thing Bayless got out when he did.
I would take a chance on Oden. Doesn't seem like that Portland training staff is very competent. And depending on the price, he could be low risk, very high reward because when healthy, he is an absolute beast. I agree with Irving being the #1 choice. Always go for best player available not need. Remember Hoffa?
I'm glad Harrison Barnes this year got exposed. He's not the "clear-cut #1" prospect people expected. And why not take the chance on Oden? The guy is a game changer on D. Dwight Howard level impact. I just think he needs to get out Portland, that place is cursed.
I am on the Kyrie Irving bandwagon but I also agree with what speeds wrote and that is this team needs a serious big man. Bargs is a nice player but he's too soft to be a starting centre, he could start at PF for us but I'd rather see Ed Davis get that role in the next 1-2 years.
No to Oden. Never, never, never. No matter what. Ed Davis has GOT to be a main focus on this team. To forget about him is down right wrong. The kid can play and will only get better - all-star in the next 2 years. He's got an amazing base game to grow on and needs a good PG to help him develop. I think we have pretty good big men, they aren't completely garbage. We just want more toughness, which is true; but I'd like to see it come from the back-court and see how to carries over to our big men. Kyle Irving would be a great addition, or any PG we can get in the top 5. Calderon needs to go and Bayless needs to work with a young PG and both can develop to be very good. The room for Linas & Sonny is running short, so trying to package them with Caldy is a must. DeMar is pretty much a lock for about 22+ PPG next year, but our D needs to improve greatly, along with how we run our offense. So to answer your question, the biggest position of need is PG. We have solid big men, but no one who can run an offense well, along with playing solid D and being a leader. PG or bust.
You guys are nuts. If you could fix one position on the team you would pick point guard? When we are consistently one of the worst defensive, shot blocking, and rebounding teams in the league?
biggest need? talent/thread. Raptors don't have a star, or star in the making. IMO DeRozen will be a solid SG nothing more and Ed Davis will be a borderline All-Star or 1-2 time All-Star.. he MAY improve a ton, but that's always the thought when it comes to rookies and really rairly the truth when it comes to rookies. Hopefully he does make some leaps in the next few years but so far he's just not there as far as looking like a real star. that said everyone else but those 2 should be available for trades as the Raptors need to get the best player available in where ever they end up drafting.
Our perimeter defense might be worse than the interior defense. Jose, DD, Sonny, etc. constantly allowing penetration may be more to blame for our points in the paint woes than anything else. I'm not saying Bargs/Ed/Amir are defensive stalwarts but it is highly unlikely that we get a Dwight-like interior presence that makes up for poor perimeter defense so it is easier to address the wings or point guard positions. Secondly, the draft is heavy on wings and pgs so its always better to try pick a (almost) sure thing like Irving rather than miss out because we believed we were stacked at that position. BTW, Johnny Bravo!!!
Yeah, which big man is as sure of a thing as Kyrie Irving? If there's one with a bigger ceiling than Kyrie (which there certainly isn't) then i'd take him.
FWIW, I think the Raps did the right thing by drafting Ed Davis. He seems to have that "it" factor. I like him. A young core of him, Demar and Kyrie + great role players and a bench could do damage in the East.
If this thread is about the draft--yeah, Irving seems to be the pick. I thought it was what do we need in general.
Well if it was in general, it would be to trade this year's draft pick + Demar + 100 million dollars for the future free agent Dwight Howard.
