Raps Get DeMar DeRozan @ #9

[AC Earl]

dam,, i wont get to see this kid play next season....
anybody know if i can watch raptors games online? preferably free xD

Try this site: http://www.justin.tv/directory/sports

[jrcp3]

all the scouts and reports are now saying that Demar Derozan will be playing the Small Foward spot?

He has to play the SG spot at 6'6 - 6'7 that is pure SG!

[Carrib]

Who would those be?

Bargs and DeRozan no??

[ejeezy]

Let's stop discrediting Calderon... He's good too.

[Zan Tabak]

I was pretty happy with the selection. DeMar could end up being the best player to come out of this draft.(even though I think Rubio will be) but DeMar has a lot of up side.

[kwajo]

I'm happy with the pick too. He may be raw, but it always seemed like for the past 10 years Toronto always avoids these kinds of hyper-athletic, potential-laden swingmen and then a team drafts him right after our pick and they take off (an example would be Iggy). Finally we grabbed one of these guys and have a chance to inject some old-fashioned energy and talent into our team. Maybe it doesn't work out, but at least we're taking a more desirable risk than before.

[jrcp3]

I'm happy with the pick too. He may be raw, but it always seemed like for the past 10 years Toronto always avoids these kinds of hyper-athletic, potential-laden swingmen and then a team drafts him right after our pick and they take off (an example would be Iggy). Finally we grabbed one of these guys and have a chance to inject some old-fashioned energy and talent into our team. Maybe it doesn't work out, but at least we're taking a more desirable risk than before.

What was Joey Graham than? He certainly wasn't a three point specialist coming out of Oaklahoma State?

[RapsFan]

Bargs and DeRozan no??

Superstars? Um no.


Joey Graham was old for a rookie and played some PF in college, DeRozen is at least young. Much more excited about this pick then Graham. I think we should blow the team up though since DeRozen is a few years away and he East is getting WAY better. We're not close to competing, so might as well totally rebuild.

[Tool]

We took Joey solely because he was beasting other college players at the time....

[RapsFan]

We took Joey solely because he was beasting other college players at the time....

We took Joey because we screwed up. He was outplaning guys he was way older then. Same with the Hoffa pick. Not even talking about Iggy etc, I just never got why we'd take Hoffa over Biedrins. If we wanted the tall white centre, why not take the one that was SIX years younger at the time.

[kmart]

We took Joey solely because he was beasting other college players at the time....

Wasn't Hoffa like that too?

[lilbeastnani]

July 10, Raps vs. Lakers in the summer league! Can't wait to see Double D in action!

[Toni]

I was actually stoked when we got Joey Graham at 16 (I admittedly thought he was better than Granger at the time..) and I was even more stoked when Ukic fell into the second round and we were able to get him (Because I'm Croatian and I thought he had dirty point skills). He was supposed to go somewhere in the teens in most mock drafts.

Graham was supposed to be the teams lockdown defender of the future with good finishing ability (A nice Ron-Ron?). He was extremely athletic and threw down some dirty dunks in college. He also came from a program that preached defense and discipline. I actually thought we got a special player in Graham but he never really put it all together.

Now that I look back I think Babcock had a vision in mind but the drafting of Hoffa and trading Carter for crap tarnished whatever he was trying to accomplish. He signed Alston and Calderon fairly cheap, got us Charlie Villanueva with the 7th pick, and drafted Ukic and Graham. So most of our roster was basically built by Babcock where Colangelo made minor moves like trading Hoffa for Hump, Villanueva for Ford for example (Lateral moves IMO). The only real asset that Colangelo added to this team was Bargnani and recently Derozan. Hopefully we can continue to stockpile young talent like Portland has been doing the past 3 years. It doesn't take long to rebuild in the NBA and we can become a very talented team in a short period of time with the right moves and whether or not we limit useless cap abusing contracts like Banks' or Kapono's-Evans'.

[antonaki1]

The kid's only 19 and I agree with the notion that a #9 pick rookie usually doesn't start. The reason is that the Raptors doesn't suck to the point where a #9 rookie gets to start. If he was drafted by the wizzards or clippers, then for sure he'll start. He's development won't be as fast as if he were on a worse team.

We don't have a first round pick next season am I correct?

It's lottery protected i believe. So we keep it should we be in the lottery again.

[Molson]

IF you guys haven't already, you should check out the press conference introducing Demar to Toronto. It's on raptors.com in the Demand section.

The more thsi guy speaks the more i get excited.

Verry funny what he says about the difference between him and VC as well.

I think Toronto fans are gonna love this guy.