Raptors Discussion: v94 | Raptors land 4th pick in NBA draft lottery. Draft set for July 29

[Joey Hoser]

Masai tried to reach to grab Giannis in the draft and fell short. Not gonna freak out over him going "off the board" by 1 spot here.

 

[VancouverJagger]

There’s a big difference between taking shots in the dark in the late first and second round and hitting on a few (missing on a bunch and passing on some great players in the process as well) and galaxy braining yourself out of the fourth player in a 4 player draft.
If Barnes was their guy they could’ve worked a deal with Orlando or okc and still gotten him or kuminga

And how can you guarantee that trading back is gonna get you what you want still? In an optimal world sure however we don't know what is going on behind the scenes.

Anyhoo I just read a quote that Barnes thinks he can be the best player in the league in a few years..........and that his offence is being slept on.

Masai picked for the better talent 2-3 years from now..........he's more than earned our trust on that.

 

[Fantomas]

What I hate most about this is that Chad Ford was right.

 

[Byron Bitz]

Suggs looked happy when the Raptors passed on him, is it possible he told the Raps he didn’t want to play for them?

 

[The Nemesis]

 

[CatchyTune]

 

[93LEAFS]

i dont disagree that the consensus top 4 almost never ends the 4 best players. i just dont see it with barnes. dunno man...i really hope im wong but like i said i dont see it with barnes. im not gonna lose my shit though. hes a rap now so i will just hope he hits his absolute potential.

I wanted Suggs, but it is not like Suggs was a flawless prospect. His outside shooting isn't great for a PG and he's not an athlete on the level of Ja Morant, young Derrick Rose, or pre-injury John Wall. His shot is better than Barnes obviously. I'll just have faith in the best management team Toronto sports has seen since at least Pat Gillick.

 

[djdev]

It is my belief that we are a playoff team under normal circumstances. Last year was a blip. The situation of playing in Tampa, COVID didn't help.

We're a lot better than that and maybe even a playoff team with everyone healthy.

id rather be back in the lottery with siakam and FVV our 1st 2 scoring options currently, the goal shouldnt be to make the playoffs it should be to win another chip. does anyone actually think the team as constructed is a real contender?

 

[trellaine201]

Suggs looked happy when the Raptors passed on him, is it possible he told the Raps he didn’t want to play for them?

That could be. Thus why they tried trading up to 3?

 

[djdev]

I wanted Suggs, but it is not like Suggs was a flawless prospect. His outside shooting isn't great for a PG and he's not an athlete on the level of Ja Morant, young Derrick Rose, or pre-injury John Wall. His shot is better than Barnes obviously. I'll just have faith in the best management team Toronto sports has seen since at least Pat Gillick.

i mean if you have watched suggs vs barnes form while shooting its pretty night and day. i hope im wrong but i dunnnoooooo.

 

[Nylanderthal]

And how can you guarantee that trading back is gonna get you what you want still? In an optimal world sure however we don't know what is going on behind the scenes.

Anyhoo I just read a quote that Barnes thinks he can be the best player in the league in a few years..........and that his offence is being slept on.

Masai picked for the better talent 2-3 years from now..........he's more than earned our trust on that.

Your last paragraph is about the only saving grace here otherwise it’s a highly questionable selection

 

[Gary Nylund]

I wanted Suggs, but it is not like Suggs was a flawless prospect. His outside shooting isn't great for a PG and he's not an athlete on the level of Ja Morant, young Derrick Rose, or pre-injury John Wall. His shot is better than Barnes obviously. I'll just have faith in the best management team Toronto sports has seen since at least Pat Gillick.

I think that's the first time I've seen Pat Gillick mentioned on this board. That was indeed an A+ management team, those were the days!

 

[The Nemesis]

found that article I was talking about. It was Eric Koreen on The Athletic reminding people not to be beholden to consensus

This being draft season, we are probably due for a reminder that the Sacramento Kings exist. The beloved Kings, currently nursing a 15-year playoff drought in a league in which more than half of the teams qualify for the postseason, have had 14 lottery picks during that span.
The Kings have the ninth pick on Thursday. Going backward, those picks have been 12th, second, fifth, 10th, eighth, sixth, eighth, seventh, fifth, seventh, fifth, fourth and 12th. Not much luck in the lottery, obviously. Even still, getting just three All-Star appearances from those players — all from DeMarcus Cousins — is something akin to a magic trick. If success is when hard work meets opportunity, then failure is when bad luck meets a total lack of preparation.

The whiffs are a who’s who of “Oh yeah, him”-type guys: Jason Thompson, Jimmer Fredette, Thomas Robinson, Nik Stauskas, Ben McLemore, Willie Cauley-Stein, Marquese Chriss and it goes on. Not even a true “redraft” success story (when a previously disappointing lottery pick achieves success with a second or third team after initially disappointing with his first) is to be found. While it is easy to say the Kings simply haven’t got lucky enough to end up with a great pick in a stacked draft, well, that isn’t necessarily true. They took Marvin Bagley in between Deandre Ayton and Luka Doncic (and, later, Trae Young.) Cauley-Stein went before Myles Turner and Devin Booker. With McLemore in 2013, they were one of 14 teams to pass on Giannis Antetokounmpo. Robinson went one pick before, gulp, Damian Lillard. Truly special stuff.

Now, a brief defense of the Kings: At the time, a lot of those picks were applauded, or at least approved, by the masses, as they were simply drafting along the lines of the consensus. Robinson was First-Team All-American at Kansas. McLemore seemed like a steal, the guy who “fell” on draft day. (The Raptors asked for him in the Rudy Gay trade, and were rebuffed.) The fact they’ve missed so much says a lot about many things, but it is mostly a commentary on the importance of both scouting and player development, two aspects that are hard to separate by the time a player has found his level in the NBA.

Koreen: Raptors' job at NBA Draft is to exploit consensus, not follow it

Just because all the media talking heads and mocks say this was a "4-player draft" and it should've been Suggs or bust doesn't mean it's necessarily true. Consensus is wrong a lot. And this organization has shown itself to be smart enough at the draft to deserve the benefit of the doubt.

 

[stickty111]

Clearly they wanted him.

 

[93LEAFS]

id rather be back in the lottery with siakam and FVV our 1st 2 scoring options currently, the goal shouldnt be to make the playoffs it should be to win another chip. does anyone actually think the team as constructed is a real contender?

Outside of maybe Jalen Green and Cunningham, I'm not sure anyone in this draft has a realistic ceiling of being a top 5 player in the league you need to build a title team around. Those are such elusive pieces but are essential to any title team in the modern NBA. Now, occasionally they get found outside the top 3 (Giannia, Kawhi, Curry, and Dirk being the most recent examples).

 

[Emerica]

So is Lowry coming back or? I sure as hell hope we're not starting the season with Van Vleet and Flynn at guard.

 

[saska sault]

id rather be back in the lottery with siakam and FVV our 1st 2 scoring options currently, the goal shouldnt be to make the playoffs it should be to win another chip. does anyone actually think the team as constructed is a real contender?

Draft isnt over, free agency has yet to begin and the entire offseason is ahead of us. There is more changes coming to this team... Could be major, could be minor. Im happy management went with who they wanted. Instantly Barnes is my favorite NBA player plus his shot will be alot better than expected and he can handle the ball... People are upset we didn't follow the mock drafts. We could have just got Ben Simmons with a shot...

 

[al secord]

Remember, this is the same Masai who had Kyle traded to the Knicks. Leonard fell into his lap. Not sure where the blind trust comes from.

 

[The Nemesis]

That could be. Thus why they tried trading up to 3?

I don't think they would've tried trading up just because they didn't tihnk Suggs should be their pick. Mobely was probably the guy in that top 4 that offered the biggest combination of upside and fit for the Raptors. he was as close to a "perfect" pick for them in that group. So they would've been attempting to move up for that.

 

[93LEAFS]

i mean if you have watched suggs vs barnes form while shooting its pretty night and day. i hope im wrong but i dunnnoooooo.

I know that, I said Suggs shooting is obviously better. But, one is a guard and the other forward. My point was Suggs isn't an ace shooter, nor is he an uber-athletic guard who gets to the rim at will. I would have taken Suggs, but I'll at least have some faith in the management team that got Toronto its only title in the past 28 years.

 

[Nylanderthal]

No matter what happens, this will be a fun team to watch.

Oh ya, can’t wait for all the highlights of defensive switches and guys fighting over screens to stay on the ball….. unless they plan on winning game 85-78 I just don’t get it.

 

[VancouverJagger]

Your last paragraph is about the only saving grace here otherwise it’s a highly questionable selection

Who are we trusting more? ANYONE ( not that the 27 raptors games you watched last year doesn't make you entirely qualified to make these decisions.....)

OR

OUR Management (which currently sits atop the league - I wouldn't trade Masai and Bobby for anyone).

???????

 

[Clark4Ever]

Barnes is generally described as a point guard type player in a 6'9 frame with tremendous playmaking ability, penetration, athleticism, defensive presence, and he scores the majority of his points in the paint.

If he can become an outside scoring threat and improve his free throws, we could have a perennial all star in a few years.

 

[1specter]

Remember, this is the same Masai who had Kyle traded to the Knicks. Leonard fell into his lap. Not sure where the blind trust comes from.

I wanted Suggs but this is a bad take.

 

[Nylanderthal]

Who are we trusting more? ANYONE ( not that the 72 raptors games you watched last year doesn't make you entirely qualified to make these decisions.....)

OR

OUR Management (which currently sits atop the league - I wouldn't trade Masai and Bobby for anyone).

???????

I fixed it for you because I watched every game last season, and pretty much every game of every season going back to the Oliver Miller and Zan Tabak days.
You sound like a bootlicker… I literally said they know more than any of us and earned our trust, doesn’t mean questionable decisions can’t be questioned.