I am no American Idol, not a multi time NBA All Star either. But the growth of the Dino Nation Blog is always humbling to me. The fact I have more than 400 followers on Twitter( @dinonationblog ) is something. I work very hard at what I am doing and it is great that I get so many folks that take the time to say they enjoy the Dino Nation Blog. That is one of the reasons I am always working hard to make the Dino Nation Blog bigger and better each day. I have some big plans for this off-season for the DNB. I hope they all come together. When they become closer to reality I will share with you what to expect. So even thought Kelly Clarkson may not know who I am and lots of others. I am happy and humbled at just how many people do. It really is a thrill when I talk with anyone that knows the blog and enjoys it.
As for the draft on Thursday really is there anything left that I have not said or anyone else has not said at this point? If the Raptors do not draft Demar Derozan or Jonny Flynn at this point it would be a shock to me and to many I would imagine. But anything can happen on a draft night and changes can alter not just the Raptors plans but anyone in the draft. I have been convinced that if the Raptors do not walk away from this draft with 2 players it will be a failure. At least in my eyes.
The real problem in this draft is I don't think there is one franchise player in the draft. Not even Blake Griffin to me will end up being a franchise player. Not that he can not be the best player on a bad team. But that is not a franchise player is it? It makes me wonder just what people are thinking when they talk about trading Bosh right now. O.K so you do that. Who is your franchise player? You think you are getting one back in the trade give your head a shake. So who is it? Not Jose Calderon. He may be a solid player but he has yet to establish himself as a starter in some ways. He has never establish much in terms of success as a leader. If your answer is Andrea Bargnani. I will need to see it to believe it. I fear that the day Bosh is traded Andrea Bargnani will have attention shift to him and cave to that pressure. When Vince Carter was traded Bosh was not even fully ready to be the franchise player. If he wasn't how on earth can anyone think Andrea is?
But what this draft can offer the Raptors is 2 options to fill spots on a team that lacked talent on the bench and had a glaring lack of depth. Had someone leave a comment yesterday that is would be a mistake for the Raptors to draft Jonny Flynn. That is not true unless you believe that Roko Ukic or Marcus Banks can be your back up point guard. Anyone think that? I will but Jonny Flynn against either option and he will school both. Let's not forget that the draft is just a part of an overall puzzle. There is no reason to think that if Flynn is not drafted other moves would not follow.
Details still to come but I can guarantee you that I will be liveblogging for the NBA Draft. So plan to hang out with the Dino Blogger for your NBA Draft when I have the details to share I will post them in the blog and elsewhere. Just 2 more days to answers.
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Ukic can definitely be the backup point guard.
ReplyDeleteAnd what leads you to this conclusion cause beyond flashes I have seen nothing to support that.
ReplyDeleteAs long as Calderon plays 48 minutes per game, yes, Ukic can be the back up PG.
ReplyDeleteAnd he is injured by what game 4 or 5?
ReplyDeleteNo, finally a free summer for Calde, the funny thing is Pau Gasol is probably playing for Spain this summer. Spanish fans begin to call Calde "traitor" "chicken" etc
ReplyDeleteIt's the backup point guard spot. It doesn't really matter. The Celtics' backup point guard is Eddie House, and he doesn't really have any point guard skills at all. The Lakers' backup point guard is Jordan Farmar, who regressed badly this year. Why you would blow a top 10 pick on such a meaningless position is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteWhen The Raptors have the talent that the Celtics and Lakers have your point would make more sense. But The Raptors are a team that when they have been successful in recent years it is based on solid PG play.
ReplyDeleteEveryone last year said how the fact that Jose had never started and we had no real back up did not matter. Guess what IT DID!!!
It would be in no way be blowing a pick by selecting Jonny Flynn.
I have always said this move is done along with a move to draft a wing later in the draft. It also which for some will sound crazy but none the less it opens up an option to trade Calderon if Flynn and Ukic could be a viable 1 and 2 at PG.
Lastly, Point guard is vital in the Raptors scheme and if you star player in a 4 or 5 he needs a quality PG to get him the ball. The Ford and Calderon duo worked and this is a way to correct that error. For me if Raptors can Draft Sam Young I would be just as happy as I would be with DeRozan in fact a little more.
The Celtics and the Lakers have their priorities straight, that's why they win. If your point guard is your #2 scoring option, you're generally going to struggle.
ReplyDeleteCalderon didn't play poorly though. He got hurt and the other changes we made caused a big mess. If Calderon gets hurt, we're going to struggle. If Bosh gets hurt, we're going to struggle even worse. So why aren't we looking to draft a scoring 4 or a center with our first round pick? Oh right, because it's as dumb as drafting a backup point guard.
That second last paragraph is pure lol. Calderon/Ukic isn't good enough, but Flynn/Ukic is fine? Jesus Christ. Maybe Flynn lives up to the hype and becomes an all-star or something. But it's not happening this year, so trading an established point guard to make room for a rookie one (when it can take years to handle the decisions that need to be made at that position) truly is crazy unless Calderon can fetch something franchise-altering in return.
Don't get me wrong that would be if both Flynn and Ukic far exceeded expectations that Calderon becomes an asset you look to move.
ReplyDeleteThe Reason your are not drafting a 4 or 5 is that there is nothing in this draft class that would make you consider that. Not to mention the number of bigs the Raptors have. Bargnani Bosh and Evans all are capable of playing in rotation then you have 3 other ??? in Hump, O'Bryant and Jawai.
Raptors still can get a win later in the draft or with an MLE or if Marion wants out sign and trade. Lots of options.
Lastly the Lakers and Celtics have advantages that the Raptors will never have in being traditional franchises that can get players at a better deal just based on that.