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Maple Leaf
Anyone have any thoughts on the draft?
Plenty.
Actually, just as a team, I've been a
RAPTORS fan since their 1st Draft when they went with "Mighty Mouse" over Ed O'Bannon (to a chorus of boos).
I happen to think that Morrison would be a nice fit on the current
RAPTORS roster, but again, he shouldn't be the guy they take 1st overall because it's public knowledge that his stock is dropping (trade down and gets some other greats assets for the team). This is starting to remind me of the Shane Battier draft, where he seemed to be a lock to the the 1st overall pick way back when.
I think they should draft LaMarcus Aldridge (PF/C), as he has been working-out over the past several weeks with Chris Bosh. Bosh is a huge fan of his, and the
RAPTORS are trying to do everything they can to keep Bosh. That would be a great move. In fact, Aldridge makes perfect sense, because he's a center. Bosh can play center, but he's more of a PF, and that's where he's most happy. Charlie V is quite big, but frankly, the way he rebounds and plays defense, he's really more of a small forward. I think that Bosh and Aldridge's strong work ethics will rub-off on Charlie V. I don't think that the
RAPTORS are that far away from being a major player in the
NBA, despite their record last year. Actually, they made some huge strides last year, and could have finished-up MUCH stronger had they not lost Bosh for the last few weeks. Remember how many games this team lost to start off the season, and by the end of March, they were generally in every game that they'd played.
About Aldridge, he's young and he's a monster on defense. The
RAPTORS need that, much like almost every other team out there does too. Having three long players in the frontcourt, can ONLY make a team a contender if they play together long enough. Ask any GM how to build a great team, and if none of them said that you need a strong frontcourt, they wouldn't have the job that they have.
Andrea Bargnani isn't a sure thing, and if he's another Pau Gasol - which is pretty darned good - I wouldn't take him 1st overall. I'd take him in the 3rd-6th spots, no higher. To those who say he'll be the next Nowitzky, he could be, and Adam Morrison could be the next Larry Bird. I hope for them that that's true, but I REALLY doubt it.
If I have a favorite player here, I'm going with Ronnie Brewer. He could be this year's Paul Pierce pick. He may not drop to 10th, but I think his game will explode on the big scene.
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Closing thoughts on Jerry Stackhouse. I agree that earlier on in his career, he was a cancer. Comparing he with fellow
Tar Heel V-Carter makes sense in a way, but I'll give Stackhouse this. To me, he's been under-appreciated for what he can do, whereas Carter is generally perceived as a player with no limits as to what he can achieve. In a way, this is still true today. For all of the crap that's plagued Stackhouse throughout his career, he never gave-up on his team in order to get traded. He may have fought with teammates, he may have been selfish at times, and he may be a head-case, but he didn't quit on his teams. I think today he has a better understanding about what "team" means, which may have been lost on him since the time after he stopped playing for Dean Smith.
Vince Carter is a marvel of strength (actually, so is Stackhouse) and amazing athletic skills (second to none). Carter is also a brooder, a player who looks to gain other team's players respect and admiration (and friendship), but doesn't always put the team first. The way he played in his last 18 months as a
RAPTOR, especially, the last 2-3 months as a
RAPTOR was an insult to the game. Telling the opposing team about what play his team was about to run, is the worse thing you could do. I used to love Carter, and I thought back in '02, he was quickly climbing his way to greatness. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who didn't think he was the most amazing player around at that time. But in a nutshell, he's a dog. Talented player, but a mama's boy punk. End of story.
Steed
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