I don't watch College ball a lot, except when its march maddness and often times I only see the final four. Mainly because I see enough basketball from the NBA and I don't really have enough time to follow both. But I'd like to follow some college hoops. Here is my question, which players should a Raptor's fan watch, because we potentially may draft them during the summer? If you have any suggestions, please post the player's name, team, positions, favourite food, height, and weight.
Rashad Mccants. He would be a great person that would replace Vince Carter nicely. He is from UNC like Carter, a big scoring threat, he is athletic, he has the most versatile offensive game in the college basketball today. I just think him and Chris Bosh can make an unbelievable combination one day. While your watching that UNC game to check out Mccants, check out Raymond Felton as well. He has lightning quick speed and can one day lead the NBA in assists. After all from what I am hearing in the news the 'Skip to my Lue' thing isn't working out so well in Toronto. Felton's speed in the open court is amazing and would bring a great defender, quickness, and a great jumper to any NBA team.
I've been for Rashad McCants since we mad the Carter trade. He's the best player in the NCAA. He can flat out score. We need to get a good one on one scoring threat. McCants is that player. Hopefully Babcock doesn't miss out on him in this years draft if he's available. Warrick is another player I would look to get. Him and Bosh in the Front Court= Deadly! Hakim is very versatile, and can play 3 posistions, but probably 2 in the NBA (both forward spots). Having him and Bosh in the line up will cause matchup problems for the opposing teams. Warrick is like Amare, he's a beast inside at scoring.
Chris Paul. This guy can do everything But if the Raptors can't get Rashad McCants / Chris Paul / Hakeem Warrick, they should take a look at Gerald Green, and don't make the same mistake they did with T-Mac. Only thing I don't like about Green is his attitude, he dominates one game and then the next day he forgets how to play.
I gotta say that Warrick, Mccants and Felton are my top choices for the Raptors. Best case scenario is that they will have two picks in the lottery and worst case is that they will have two mid level picks. I have heard that Jarret Jack and Chris Bosh are pretty good friends as well so he can be an option as well. This guy isn't a college player but Nemanja Aleksandrov could be available for the Raptors. He is 6'10 and supposedly a great shooter and ball handler for his size. Intriguing prospect but I am still a litte wary of drafting international players so high in the lottery. Plus the knock on international players is that they don't play any defence.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Banks:</div><div class="quote_post"> Warrick is another player I would look to get. Him and Bosh in the Front Court= Deadly! Hakim is very versatile, and can play 3 posistions, but probably 2 in the NBA (both forward spots). Having him and Bosh in the line up will cause matchup problems for the opposing teams. Warrick is like Amare, he's a beast inside at scoring.</div> i really dont think there is anyway hakim could play the 4 spot in the nba. he's only 6'8 and he's skinnier then bosh. to be an undersized pf in the nba anymore, you gotta have a real thick frame like elton brand or ben wallace. warrick could spend all the time in the gym he wants, and add a ton of muscle, but he's just got that thin frame that wont work at the 4 spot. and he's not tall enough to make up for what he lacks in weight. but i think he could make an excellent small forward, and id love to see the raps get ahold of him and jarrett jack
Alright, I'm on the other end of the spectrum here. I'm a huge college basketball junkie, but I don't know much about the Raptors. Do you guys still need a big man? If you need a big man and have a lottery pick, I'd be praying for 7-0 Andrew Bogut of Utah. He's currently averaging an unheard of 20+ ppg and 12+ rpg and he has earned his Utah team a top 25 ranking for the second week in a row this week. If you followed Olympic basketball this past summer, then you probably remember him giving Tim Duncan all he can handle. Also, even though Bogut still has loads of potential, he is a player who can make an immediate impact in the NBA right away, unlike Araujo. If you are looking for a swingman, obviously Hakim Warrick of Syracuse would be nice, but I think that Joey Graham would be just as good. He's looking like an All-American lock, averaging 19/7 on #11 Oklahoma State. If you are looking for a point guard, then I'd definitely look at Deron Williams, even over Raymond Felton. He'll be one of those guys who can come in and instantly contribute as well. He's probably underrated because he's not a score-first point guard like Paul, but I think that's a great thing. He'd rather set up his teammate for the shot rather than take the shot himself. He's only averaging about 13 ppg right now, but he's averaging 7 apg, which is extremely high for college basketball (#8 in the nation actually). The most intruiging stat with Williams is his team's record though. Illinois is undefeated and he has been the catalyst in that success. Anyway, I didn't know what the Raptors were going for, but assuming that they get a pick somewhere from 5-15, those are the players I'd look at.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting dj_premium_plus:</div><div class="quote_post">i really dont think there is anyway hakim could play the 4 spot in the nba. he's only 6'8 and he's skinnier then bosh. to be an undersized pf in the nba anymore, you gotta have a real thick frame like elton brand or ben wallace. warrick could spend all the time in the gym he wants, and add a ton of muscle, but he's just got that thin frame that wont work at the 4 spot. and he's not tall enough to make up for what he lacks in weight. but i think he could make an excellent small forward, and id love to see the raps get ahold of him and jarrett jack</div> I never said anything about him playing the 4 full time. His posistion in the NBA is the 3 spot, but if you put him in the front court with Bosh, he can match up against other 4's that Bosh can't really guard. Examples are players like KG, Dirk, Martin, Stoudemire and co. Because Warrick is so long and he can cover so much ground with his body, he's more versatile than Bosh on the defensive end, and will be a better option to guard those players. He's more athletic than Bosh (both are very athletic) as well, and he's quicker, which gives him a bigger advantage. He wouldn't be a guy that I would put on Power, Backdown, Power Forwards like Brand, Duncan, Z-BO, or JO, but him and Bosh in a frontcourt gives us a lot of options on what to do defensively and offensively.
Hope that Daryll Hill or Lamont Hamilton from the Red Storm enter the draft! Na, I don't follow college ball too much other than my Red Storm but, I heard: Jarred Jack Chris Paul McCants are some big names. Pretty much anything decent at the draft will help them. I don't think they should get a PF though. Obviously they have Bosh and that would only take away potential time away from him.
<u>Draft Best Case Scenario:</u> Philly gets #9 pick, so we beat the top 8 protected, and get a lottery pick. Raptors win the lottery and get the #1 pick. Raptors trade the #1 pick for another teams [Atlanta?] 2-5th pick [has to be a bad team, not someone who's just bad for one year], and their next season's first round pick. Raptors draft Marvin Williams with Atlanta's #2 pick, and at #9, Raptors take Gerald Green if available, or Rashad McCants. More likely scenario, Raptors get 7th pick, Philly if they don't make the playoffs as the 3rd seed, get the 11-12th pick. At #7, the Raptors draft Gerald Green or McCants, at #11 or #12, the Raptors draft Raymond Felton or Deron Williams. I'd like to draft a center, but unless we're going to get Bogut, I'm not too interested in any of the other guys, so if we can get a PG and a Swingman, or a SG and a SG, it will be good.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">Alright, I'm on the other end of the spectrum here. I'm a huge college basketball junkie, but I don't know much about the Raptors. Do you guys still need a big man? If you need a big man and have a lottery pick, I'd be praying for 7-0 Andrew Bogut of Utah. He's currently averaging an unheard of 20+ ppg and 12+ rpg and he has earned his Utah team a top 25 ranking for the second week in a row this week. If you followed Olympic basketball this past summer, then you probably remember him giving Tim Duncan all he can handle. Also, even though Bogut still has loads of potential, he is a player who can make an immediate impact in the NBA right away, unlike Araujo. </div> i thought about bogut...but i thought that BYU and utah were fierce rivals? if memory serves me right, bogut and araujo really went at it last year, and arent exactly the best of friends. dont know what that would do for chemistry. i see bogut going in the top 5, maybe even the top 3, so raps dont have a great shot at him anyways <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Banks:</div><div class="quote_post">I never said anything about him playing the 4 full time. His posistion in the NBA is the 3 spot, but if you put him in the front court with Bosh, he can match up against other 4's that Bosh can't really guard. Examples are players like KG, Dirk, Martin, Stoudemire and co. Because Warrick is so long and he can cover so much ground with his body, he's more versatile than Bosh on the defensive end, and will be a better option to guard those players. He's more athletic than Bosh (both are very athletic) as well, and he's quicker, which gives him a bigger advantage. He wouldn't be a guy that I would put on Power, Backdown, Power Forwards like Brand, Duncan, Z-BO, or JO, but him and Bosh in a frontcourt gives us a lot of options on what to do defensively and offensively.</div> i never mentioned anything about him playing the 4 full time either...but you said "but probably 2 in the NBA (both forward spots)" i can only assume when i read that, that you mean he could play the 4 spot, i dont mean full time...i mean whatever you mean either way...again, i dont think he'd be any better to guard those guys then bosh is. he's too smal. he may be long, but so is bosh. plus...im not sure which games you're watching, but i see dirk, stoudi, and especially KG with their backs to the basket all the time. all 3 of them would absolutely PUNISH warrick on the block.
I think the Raptors should go out and look for either a point guard or a big man. With the controversy surrounding R.Alston and how this may be his last year with the Raptors and such, I think the Raptors really need to look to invest in a young point guard who will be able to develop into a solid player for their future. On a second thought, if I were the Raptors I'd be looking to get more depth in the frontcourt. This means looking for a complementary player that could play C in the paint next to Chris Bosh. When you think of the future of the Raptors, who is the first player that comes to mind? Chris Bosh, right? Well if they want Bosh to pan out into their franchise player they are going to need to get him a solid PG who can play along with him in the future. But also you want to make sure Bosh has a solid center by his side, or he may struggle in the paint when having to guard the NBA's best big men. So if I'm the Raptors I'm looking to acquire players that will be able to get better over time, to allow the development of CB.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CourtVision:</div><div class="quote_post"> I have heard that Jarret Jack and Chris Bosh are pretty good friends as well so he can be an option as well. </div> Not a bad idea! i have a better one! draft the whole Georgia starting lineup! wouldnt that be an awesome team? c'mon, it could happen!
yea...i was thinking that jack could really do wonders for keeping bosh here if we draft him...also it would help chemistry...and he could become one of the more flashy point guards in the league...that certainly wouldnt help out attendace
according to cbs.sportsline.com here are the 15 best college players 1 Ryan Gomes PROV 2 Ike Diogu AZST 3 Michael Harris RICE 4 Andrew Bogut UT 5 Brandon Bass LSU 6 Shelden Williams DUKE 7 Joey Graham OKST BIG12 8 Carl Landry PUR BIG10 9 Chris Paul WF 10 Ivan McFarlin OKST 11 Hakim Warrick SYR 12 Lawrence Roberts MSST 13 John Lucas OKST BIG12 14 Wayne Simien KS BIG12 15 J.J. Redick DUKE ACC So i thiink the Toronto Raptors Will have a buffet on there hands on Draft Day, with the picks that we have! sounds like a good 05-06 season, but seriously c'mon guys we really dont need this post, we area playoff hungry team remember! lol lets just focus on this season right now please???
I would think that list is a little bit outdated. The Raptors could use a lot of guys in this years draft. If you are looking for a big man, you have Andrew Bogut. If you are looking for a point guard, you have Chris Paul, Raymond Felton, and Jarret Jack. If you are looking for a swingman, there is Gerald Green or Rashad McCants. Regardless of what pick the Raptors have, they have a lot to work with.
I personally would prefer we don't make the playoffs this year. We're not trying to build a playoff one-timer here, we're trying to build a championship contender.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting VinKanaddy:</div><div class="quote_post">I personally would prefer we don't make the playoffs this year. We're not trying to build a playoff one-timer here, we're trying to build a championship contender.</div> I guess u can look at it like that! i guess that is a good idea because it would most likely interfere with my exam schedule! but i just want the best for the baby raps!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting urbannomad23:</div><div class="quote_post">I guess u can look at it like that! i guess that is a good idea because it would most likely interfere with my exam schedule! but i just want the best for the baby raps!</div> Initially, it's easier to see making the playoffs this season would be better, but if the Raptors become a legit contender in a couple of years, that will absolutely be the best for the Raptors and us fans.
