(If you haven’t read the first and second parts, please do, as this post will make a lot more sense if you do)

So in parts 1 and 2, we looked at the 16 year history of the Raptors organization that seemed to be so focused on not losing that it couldn’t manage to actually win, very much. The Raptors have spent nearly their entire existence on the mediocrity treadmill. For an NBA team and it’s fans, that’s basically hell.

So now we turn our attention to a few other franchises, and see what they’ve done.

CLEVELAND FLIRTS WITH A CHAMPIONSHIP

When Cleveland drafted LeBron James, it was probably the greatest turning point in their entire existence. Except for a brief period in the 90′s, the Cavaliers were synonymous with poor management and losing.

When LeBron was drafted, the Cavs roster was made up of a collection of mediocre veterans and a few promising youngsters (Carlos Boozer, Ricky Davis, Darius Miles). the promising, but flawed, youngsters were traded away or left, and in their place came veterans who could help the team immediately.

While they were able to acquire Anderson Varejao, the majority of the moves the Cavs made were either forgettable or one you’d rather forget (trading a first round pick for Jiri Welsch in February and then turning around and trading Welsch for a 2nd round pick- turning a 1st round pick into a second in a matter of months!). Still the team went from 17 wins the season before LeBron, to 35 and then 42 wins. It was obvious this team was on it’s way up.

When Danny Ferry was hired as the Cavs GM, in 2005, he made an immediate splash, signing volume scorer, the 27 year old Larry Hughes to a massive contract, and 32 year old Donyell Marshall (from the Raptors). At that point, of the 8 players that played the most minutes, only 2 were below the age of 26. They did go out and win 50 games and get to the second round of the playoffs, though.

The next season, with Danny Ferry basically standing pat with the roster, the team went out and won 50 games again, this time getting all the way to the Finals. Despite the success in the playoffs, the Cavs didn’t carry over the momentum to the regular season and Ferry decided to shake things up, trading away almost half the roster, and grabbing among others, 33 year old Ben Wallace and 32 year old Joe Smith. The team ended up winning just 45 games and losing again in the second round.

Probably the best move Danny Ferry made as GM, was when he turned Joe Smith into Mo Williams. It was one of the few times that Ferry attempted to make the team younger. And somehow, the Cavs gelled and ended up destroying the league in the regular season, winning 66 games. But then the playoffs came and they got bounced in the Conference Finals by Orlando.

So Ferry pulled the trigger on a trade that sent Ben Wallace to the Suns for Shaquille O’Neal. It was an act of desperation for the Cavs, who felt that winning a Championship was the only way to keep LeBron, who was in the last year of his contract. They then used a good portion of their MLE to sign 34 year old Anthony Parker, and then went out and traded for 33 year old Antawn Jamison. By season’s end, the Cavs had 3 starters who were 33, 34 and 37 and whose best years were well behind them.

Is it any wonder that when LeBron decided to abandon the team, they ended up winning only 19 games the next season?

While the Cavs ended up finding much more success than the Raptors did, using a similar plan, that was mostly due to the fact that LeBron was simply much better than Vince Carter ever was.  And the results ended up being the same. An unsustainable climb by acquiring aging veterans whose stock can only decline.

Like the Raptors, the Cavs had to start making riskier and riskier moves, acquiring older and older players, because when you keep acquiring declining assets, you lose more and more leverage. And just like the Raptors, right near the end they took a risk on an aging Hall of Fame center whose best years were behind him.

OKLAHOMA DECIDES TO GO YOUNG

The Thunder are probably one of the most discussed teams, in terms of building through the draft with youth, but quite frankly, that’s because they’ve done a textbook-like job.

When Sam Presti took over the then Seattle Supersonics, they had just come off a 31 win season, had two 20+ppg All-Stars on the roster, some half decent young talent and a number 2 pick in the draft. After drafting 19 year old Kevin Durant, Presti made a choice that was basically the complete opposite of what the Raptors and Cleveland had done. Keeping former All-Stars, Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen would certainly have made the team competitive, possibly even a playoff team with a move or two, Presti wisely decided that at ages 27 and 31, Lewis and Allen were declining assets who would probably be too old to help the team when Durant was entering his prime.

Presti first traded Allen for 5th pick, Jeff Green, as well as Wally Szczerbiak and his expiring contract, and Delonte West, both of whom were ironically traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers just one season later. Then Presti decided not to match Orlando’s massive contract offer for Lewis, leaving the team without their two best players in a matter of days.

Instead of surrounding Durant with veterans, which would have speeded up the team’s development, but limited it’s growth, Presti preached patience, and decided to surround their new franchise player with players his own age, allowing them to grow and develop together. While it meant the team was actually worse the next season, winning just 20 games, they were also able to pick up future All-Star, Russell Westbrook in the next draft. They improved only slightly the next season, again, giving them a top 3 pick, grabbing James Harden.

In just three seasons, the Sonics/Thunder were able to acquire three top 5 picks and the very next season they jumped from 23 wins to 50 wins. They never added one major veteran over the age of 25 and by the time they win 50 games, they only had two rotation players over the age of 25- 26 year old Nenad Krstic, who signed the previous season, and 29 year old Nick Collison, who was the only holdover from the pre-Presti era.

And with a starting of with an average age of just 23 years old, the Oklahoma City Thunder won 55 games last season on their way to a Conference Finals appearance. And it’s certainly not inconceivable that, as long as they are able to keep their core together, the Thunder will be contenders for the next 10 years.

If the Thunder had kept Allen and Lewis, the team would already be trying to figure out how to replace them.

CLIPPERS (MIS)MANAGEMENT

One of the most common arguments again “tanking” is that you don’t want to end up like the Los Angeles Clippers. Of course, that argument may not work anymore, after trading for Chris Paul, but it never really worked anyway.

The problem with the Clippers was not that they were always trying to lose and get high draft picks, it’s that they were simply badly mismanaged and drafted poorly when they got to the draft.

If the Cleveland Cavaliers were synonymous with poor management and losing, the Clippers made them look good.

In their 47 year history, the Clippers have made the playoffs just 7 times. That’s just 2 more than the Raptors, in nearly 3 times the amount of time. To the Clippers, mediocrity would have been a step up. In the last 30 years, the Clippers have drafted in the top ten 23 times. They’ve had a top 5 pick 13 times. Yet, somehow in all that time, they only managed to draft 3 All Stars. Actually, that’s not entirely true. They drafted five All-Stars, but traded away two of them before they became All-Stars. You could probably manage a better drafting record than them by throwing darts at a board. I could probably write and entire post devoted to their poor drafting.

So needless to say, the Clippers have not been successful, but that turned around in the last few years, when they drafted Eric Gordon and then got the 1st pick in the draft the next year and took Blake Griffin. Unlike previous eras, when young players were traded away for veterans either past their prime or who never had one, the Clippers actually started stockpiling their young talent.

While Griffin and Gordon are definitely stars, there’s a question of whether either are the type of elite talent that can lead a team to a Championship. Thankfully, that doesn’t matter since they were able to use their stockpile of youth and Chris Kaman’s expiring contract, to trade for Chris Paul.

Now, what is the difference between what Cleveland and Toronto did and what the Clippers did? There are a couple.

First is that Paul is only 26 years old. He’s not a 31 year old athletic wing player or 33 year old big man.

Secondly, and most importantly, Paul IS their franchise player now. Griffin is a great talent, he’s not the type to make those around him better. He’s not a good passer or stellar defender and most of his scoring is done by being more athletic than his opponent. He is much more suited to a complimentary role, and with Paul running the point, he can now do that.

Without Chris Paul, the Clippers probably had a ceiling similar to the Atlanta Hawks- the second round. The number of teams without a top 10 player on it that have been a true contender, in the last 20-30 years you can count on one hand. And now the Clippers have that.

SO WHAT TO DO?

So this brings us back to the Raptors and this season.

Now there is a portion of Raptor fans who hate to see the Raptors lose intentionally and that nothing good ever comes from tanking. Well, first of all, I don’t think anyone is suggesting the team actually “tank”. That would involve trading away the team’s best players and not giving the team a shot to even be competitive in games. Cleveland and Denver did that and all it got them were LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. Er…nevermind.

The Raptors currently have the talent to vie for the top spot in the NBA….draft. So the best thing that Colangelo can do, and seems to be doing, is to just let them play. Don’t try to win a few more games just to make the team look slightly better. In the end that gets you nothing but what Raptor fans have had to put up with for the past 16 years. Mediocrity, at best.

The few more wins that a Tyson Chandler or even a Shane Battier might get you may be the difference between a top 3 pick and yet another good, but not great, draft pick. As 82Games.com showed, there’s a big dropoff after the fifth pick.

When you’re walking the line between mediocrity and being a contender, the difference might be just a few ping pong balls.

Now as I mentioned in the first post, PhDSteve, over at Raptors Republic argued in his latest podcast that it doesn’t really matter where the Raptors pick because there’s no real consensus #1 and the Raptors can get a good PG later in the draft.

That would make sense if the Raptors biggest need is a PG. It isn’t. The Raptors biggest need, far outweighing any position or skill, is a franchise player. Who cares if the Raptors get the best PG in the draft if they still don’t have a franchise player. In the NBA, teams generally only go as far as their best player can take them. Atlanta’s problem is not that they don’t have a good team. It’s that Joe Johnson is a perennial All-Star, but not a truly elite player.

In fact, Toronto’s history shows the limitations teams have without truly elite players. While Vince had the potential to be one of the greats, he never fulfilled that potential and the farthest the team could get with him was the second round. Bosh was a perennial All-Star, but simply not the type of talent that can lift a team above mediocrity.

While there might not be any sure-fire Hall of Famers, like Tim Duncans or LeBron James’, there are still a few potential franchise players in this draft. Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond , Perry Jones and Harrison Barnes have been the most talked about (although I personally am not sure Barnes has any elite skill that would allow him to be a franchise player), but Quincy Miller and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist also have some potential. That’s six players, but most likely half are not going to fulfill that potential, so getting first crack is all the more important.

IN CONCLUSION

While pushing towin as many games as you can might seem like a good idea, if your goal is to compete for an NBA Championship, it’s simply not always a sound strategy. While getting one of the worst records in the league certainly is no guarantee of a top 3 pick, it gives you the best chance. It’s been said that the best thing for these young players on the Raptors is to start trying to compete now, but without a franchise player, exactly what would they be competing for? More of what we’ve seen over the last 16 years. And that’s simply not good enough.

I’ll grade this trade in another post, but the first thing I will say is that it suddenly makes the Clippers not only a relevant team, but may be vying with Oklahoma for the best up and coming team. They have arguably the best PG in the game combining with one of the best young PFs in the game as well as a young, athletic, defensive center, which will make for more ally-oops than SportsCentre can handle.

With the signing of Caron Butler, and the pickup of Chauncey Billups, they have smart veterans they rarely have.

Although they need a shooting guard to replace Eric Gordon (who will definitely be missed), they are probably in a better position than the team has ever been, including when Larry Brown was coaching.

Unfortunately, all this happened on the day I thought up this trade for the Raptors…

To Toronto:
Al-Farouq Aminu
Zaza Pachulia
Kirk Hinrich
Minnesota’s 2012 Pick

Wow, for those who felt the lack of any real NBA news over the last 5 and a half months, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few hardcore basketball junkies overdosed on what came out the last few days. Among the news are two rescinded trades of Chris Paul, New York adding the best center they’ve had since Patrick Ewing, several former All-Stars getting “amnestied”, possible tampering by the New Jersey Nets, Boston almost getting Davis West, and lots and lots of signings.

So where do we start?

BUYER BEWARE

The first Chris Paul deal to the Lakers appeared to be pretty much done until the rest of the league realized that the Lakers would, again, be foregoing the usual need to rebuild and simply using their stature to secure a replacement for franchise player Kobe Bryant. Since New Orleans is owned by the league, technically all the owners own the Hornets, so any trade or deal needs to be run by all of them, first. If this sounds like a recipe for disaster, you’re probably right.

And so after the first deal got nixed, the three teams (New Orleans, Lakers and Houston) got together and put together a different, rather similar, deal. And the NBA nixed that one, basically telling the Lakers that no matter what deal they put together, they aren’t getting Chris Paul.

As a fan of several teams that aren’t owned by Jerry Buss, I can’t say I’m too disappointed. The thought of watching the Lakers grab another top 10 talent, and one that would eventually replace Kobe, was not enticing at all.

So with the Lakers out of the picture, the Clippers started making their offers for Paul. This time, though, instead of the Hornets GM, Dell Demps, handling the negotiations, it was NBA brass, Stu Jackson and Joel Litvin, running things for the Hornets.

Excuse me?

Yes, while he hasn’t been fired, for some reason the NBA has basically castrated Demps and taken any power away from him in favour of the guy who was mostly responsible for mismanaging the Vancouver Grizzlies so badly that he destroyed any chance for the team’s long term viability in the city. Hornet fans need to brace themselves. Seriously.

Still, from the sounds of it, it’s hard to be critical of their strategy. If they can get anything close to Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and Eric Bledsoe, as well as the T-Wolves 2012 pick, for Paul, then they’ll have done very well. While, I wasn’t a big fan of HOW the NBA killed the Laker deals, I felt they were horrible deals for the Hornets. If you’re going to lose your franchise player, getting one low draft pick and no potential star is probably not the best deal. They need to take a page out of Utah and Denver’s book and get as many young assets and draft picks as they can. Trading your franchise player, while trying to stay competitive is a recipe for disaster. Well, mediocrity, but that’s the same thing in the NBA.

On the other hand, could New Orleans be expecting too much for Paul? Considering no other team can really come close to what the Clippers have already offered, you have to wonder if the NBA is simply trying to LOOK like they are trying to trade Paul. After the Laker’s debacle, Paul, his agent and the NBAPA made some noise about suing the league. And you also have to think that the Hornets franchise is worth A LOT more with a franchise player like Chris Paul than without him. Unless they get some amazing talent back (like what they’re asking for from the Clippers), it makes some financial sense to hold onto Paul for as long as they can.

That means, though, if I’m another team, I’d approach any negotiations with an air of suspicion.

**Update**

And now it seems the Lakers, gluttons for punishment apparently, are now back in the hunt for Paul.

BANKING CENTRE

Although nothing has happened with Chris Paul, there were a whole slew of deals that happened in the league. In fact, all the free agent centers, who were probably the biggest free agent prizes, have now settled on homes for the new season.

The first domino was Tyson Chandler quickly signing with New York, after flirting with New Jersey, Houston and Golden State. An interesting and somewhat surprising turn of events considering that it pretty much takes them out of the free agent market next summer, when Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Dwight Howard were most likely going to become free agents.

From a basketball standpoint, this was probably the best move they could make. After being almost left out in the cold in the last free agent bonanza, coming home with probably their fourth choice, risking it all again probably wasn’t the best move. And the fact is, while Paul and Williams would certainly help the team, what the Knicks need most is defense, and that doesn’t start with the point guard position. It starts with the big men. With Amare, defense is an afterthought, so signing one of the best defensive centers in the league, to play alongside him, is a stroke of genius.

So does that mean the Knicks are finally going to be a true contender again?

Not so fast.

They had to amnesty Chauncey Billups in order to sign Chandler, and while his best days are definitely behind him, he’s still one of the better PGs in the league and his leadership and veteran savvy will be difficult to replace. The signing of a WAY over the hill Mike Bibby and the rumours of signing Baron Davis when he’s waived by the Cavs does very little to change things.

And an offense that runs through Carmelo Anthony, who’s never been known for his passing or his ability to make those around him better, is probably not going to be as potent as it was last season. But with better defense, maybe it won’t have to be.

—

After Chandler was signed by the Knicks, the next free agent center to get his big payday was DeAndre Jordan, who you need to look at as more of an investment, because his prior stats certainly aren’t going to sell you on the fact he might be worth the $10 million a year the Golden State Warriors offered him and the Clippers matched. For a guy whose stats were incredibly similar to Amir Johnson‘s, Clippers fans better hope that what we’ve seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg.

Just to emphasis the similarity of the seasons Jordan and Johnson had, let’s look at their stats:

DeAndre Jordan
MPG- 25.6
FG%- .686
FT%- .452
RPG- 7.2
APG- 0.5
SPG- 0.5
BPG- 1.8
FPG- 3.2
PPG- 7.1

Amir Johnson
MPG- 25.7
FG%- .568
FT%- .788
RPG- 6.4
APG- 1.1
SPG- 0.7
BPG- 1.2
FPG- 3.7
PPG- 9.6

Jordan is 23 and Amir is 24. Jordan is listed at 6’11 and Amir is listed at 6’9 (although is probably closer to 6’10). Jordan will be making $40 million over the next four years. Amir will be making $25 million over the next four years.

So where are all those people who complained that Amir was vastly overpaid?

—

One interesting thing about DeAndre Jordan is that he was actually a second round pick, proving that you can find talent anywhere (although it’s incredibly rare). Coincidentally, the next center to back up to the bank was another second round pick, Marc Gasol. While neither Memphis or the Clippers are known for their shrewd personnel decisions, both of them made the decision to allow their player to get an offer from another team, setting their market value, and then matched it. Maybe Memphis learned their lesson after they overpaid Rudy Gay the previous offseason, without him even testing the market.

—

Lastly, for all the talk that Denver simply didn’t respect him, money did the talking and he signed a 5 year, $67 million contract with the Nuggets. And while Denver obviously had to do something to stem the exodus of talent (mostly to China, strangely enough), I don’t know if a team that should be focusing on rebuilding should be spending that much on a 29 year old big man whose defense and rebounding have never been great (although they are decent), and who’s never averaged even 15 ppg during his career.

With all the money being thrown around at above average centers, do you think Jon Koncak is wishing he was born 20 years earlier?

AROUND THE HORN

So as I said, Chauncey Billups got waived by the Knicks, but ended up being claimed by the Clippers for only $2 million. Not a bad bargain and a great deal for the Clippers, who desperately need his leadership. Even if the Clippers don’t end up trading for Chris Paul, you have to think their PG situation is MUCH better than it was a couple of years ago when an out of shape and grossly overpaid Baron Davis was running the show.

In fact, with the signing of Caron Butler (who was overpaid, but we’re not talking Baron Davis money, so it’s all relative), gives the Clippers one of the best up and coming teams since the Oklahoma Thunder. The small forward position was their weakest position and, if healthy, Butler is exactly what they need.

And speaking of small forwards, I have to say I was greatly disappointed to see Shane Battier sign with Miami. It’s not that I didn’t want him to sign with a contender, it’s that I would have MUCH rather have seen him sign with the Spurs, a team he probably would have ended up starting for, and who would have gone together like Shawn Kemp and alimony cheques.

As for the Spurs, at one point it looked like Richard Jefferson was going to be a victim of the amnesty rule, but when both Butler and Battier signed elsewhere, it probably saved Jefferson from having to pack his bags. I don’t know if there’s another small forward on the market, now, that’s better than Jefferson.

I’m going to do another Offseason Report Card, this year, so that’ll be it for my commentary for now.

TORONTO: Exceeds Expectations

5. Jonas Valanciunas

It’s deja vu all over again. Last year, a team above them unexpectedly took an athletic defensive power forward which resulted in a higher ranked big man unexpectedly falling to the Raptors. Colangelo and the Raptors brass probably can’t believe their luck. I was afraid they might still take Knight, but Colangelo showed he is indeed focused on the future, rather than the present.

Valanciunas will fill the void at center the Raptors have been lacking for, well, ever. While apparently a lot of Raptor fans are unhappy with the pick, I think they’ll eventually regret that as Valanciunas is the type of player that Raptor fans love. He’s a high energy player who hustles, defends and rebounds. English, though, is not his strong suit.

On the other hand, the pick they got from the Heat, which they traded to the Bulls for James Johnson, could have been used to pick Corey Joseph at 28, who went one spot later to the Spurs. Who knows if that’s who Colangelo would have picked, as he was projected to go in the second round, but I’ll certainly be comparing their careers. And since the Spurs are pretty much never wrong…

I would have liked to see them try and scoop up another pick, but it’s not a big deal that they didn’t.

SAN ANTONIO: Exceeds Expectations

29. Cory Joseph

Traded George Hill for Indiana’s 15th pick, Kawhi Leonard.

I assumed the Spurs would exceed expectations, and again they have. Trading for Leonard is huge, especially since he was projected to go in the top ten and dropped. He’s the type of defender than the Spurs love, is in the perfect situation, and should step in Bruce Bowen’s shoes, that have been empty for a few years.

If on of my sleepers, Toronto’s Cory Joseph couldn’t get drafted by the Raptors, then the Spurs would have been my second choice. And it’s incredible timing because they might have their replacement for Hill. Yes, he projected to go in the second round, but I think he has first round talent and so, apparently, do the Spurs.haunt them. Burks should be a decent player, but guys like him are a dime a dozen.

CHARLOTTE: Exceeds Expectations

7. Bismack Biyombo
9. Kemba Walker

Traded Stephen Jackson for Sacramento’s 7th pick and Corey Maggette.

Sold 39th pick, Jeremy Tyler to Golden State, I’m guessing for cash.

It hurts to say it, but Charlotte actually did well. I was surprised that they passed on Knight for Biyombo, as they’ve been looking for a real starting PG for, well, their entire existence, but they resisted temptation and went with a guy who I think will be better down the road. I also look forward to watching Biyombo and Tyrus Thomas being on the floor at the same time. The front row needs to watch out.

Maggette was a disaster in Milwaukee and now brings his brand of scoring and no defense to Charlotte. He’s probably going to lose games for them, but that’s kind of what they wanted, so maybe it’s a good thing?

Walker fell, but not as far as I thought he might. I think it’s still a pretty good pick at 9, but Charlotte seems to like picking decent PGs with little upside.

CHICAGO: Exceeds Expectations

23. Nikola Mirotic
30. Jimmy Butler

Traded 28th and 43rd picks for Houstons 23rd pick, Nikola Mirotic.

Butler was very efficient offensively at Butler, and is a very good defender, so the Bulls may have a sleeper on their hands.

How much do you think the Spurs are pissed at not getting Mirotic, who is exactly the type of player they usually scoop up at the end up the first round? He’s a huge steal, but will play overseas for a couple of more seasons. That’s fine with the Bulls.

DENVER: Exceeds Expectations

22. Kenneth Faried
26. Jordan Hamilton
56. Chukwudiebere Maduabum

Traded Raymond Felton for Portland’s 26th pick, Jordan Hamilton, and Andre Miller.

Traded for Laker’s 56th pick, Chukwudiebere Maduabum, somehow.

Although I haven’t confirmed that Denver is, in fact, keeping Faried, if they do this was a very good draft day. I would have liked to have seen them get more for Felton, but Miller is a good, veteran PG that will probably be shipped elsewhere soon. Plus they were able to pick up another pick and a SF who has a chance to be a decent pro.

Faried is the type of player that everyone loves and helps you win. So why didn’t he go higher? Probably because he’s not a scorer and a little undersized.

I have no idea who Chukwudiebere Maduabum, but on his Draft Express profile, he’s listed as Chu Chu. I think he’s worthy of picking just for that. He immediately is in the running for best All-Tim NBA name.

MEMPHIS: Exceeds Expectations

49. Josh Selby

Selby was considered a first round talent, so this has to be considered a steal. Where they’ll find room for him, is another thing.
DETROIT: Exceeds Expectations

8. Brandon Knight
33. Kyle Singler
52. Vernon Macklin

Although I question whether he can play PG, Knight was projected to go in the top 5 and dropped to 8th, so Pistons fans have to be happy. Of course, he kind of presents the same problems that Rodney Stuckey, who’s also a combo guard they tried to turn into a point guard, did.

Singler is never going to be a star, but last year he was considered a middle first round pick and they got him in the second round. I think he’ll hang on and have a decent career as a bench player.

DALLAS: Exceeds Expectations

Traded their 26th pick to Portland for Rudy Fernandez

The rich get richer. Dallas has no use for a rookie and no one picked there was going to help them like Fernandez. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up starting next year.

LAKERS: Exceeds Expectations

41. Darius Morris
46. Andrew Goodelock
58. Ater Majok

Without a first round pick, they were able to pick up a decent prospect, in Darius Morris. This might be the second year in a row they get at least one keeper from the second round.

PHILADELPHIA: Exceeds Expectations

16. Nikola Vucevic
50. Lavoy Allen

Vucevic should end up being a pretty good pro and probable starter. At 16, in this draft, that’s pretty damn good.

CLEVELAND: Meets Expectations

1. Kyrie Irving
4. Tristan Thompson
32. Justin Harper

Irving will probably be the best player, so it was no surprise he was the first pick.

Thompson was the first big surprise of the night. And while I don’t think it’s a bad pick, since I think Thompson is going to be a very good pro, but he was a big reach at 3. Valanciunas would have made much more sense, but apparently Cleveland wants to make an impact immediately. Something they might regret down the line.

I think Cleveland should have offered Minnesota everything but it’s first pick to move up to 2 and draft Williams. If they had come out of the draft with Irving AND Williams, their future would have looked A LOT brighter.

Justin Harper is a stretch 4 that isn’t very big and probably won’t be much of a rebounder in the NBA. If he sticks, it’s because of his shooting. On Cleveland, that’s devoid of talent, he might, but with Antawn Jamison and J.J. Hickson as well as Anderson Varejao, who will probably be traded this summer, it’s puzzling why they’d take another power forward.

NEW YORK: Meets Expectations

45. Josh Harrellson

New York gets the guy Enes Kanter apparently made into the player he is today. So says Harrellson.

MINNESOTA: Meets Expectations

2. Derrick Williams

Traded Jonny Flynn for Houston’s 23rd pick, Nikola Mirotic, and Brad Miller.

For some reason the T-Wolves don’t end up with the 23d pick, so it’s basically a Flynn for Miller deal. Not sure why they’d do that.

Keeping Williams is the right move even though he doubles up on Beasley’s skills. He should be better than Bealsey and should give the Wolves some star power.

UTAH: Meets Expectations

3. Enes Kanter
12. Alec Burks

Although a lot of people had Brandon Knight going to Utah for the months leading up to the draft, they apparently changed their mind with less than a week to go. And while I was a little missed he didn’t fall to the Raptors, I think Utah will be VERY happy they chose Kanter instead of Knight.

Of course, while I think they made the right decision at 3, passing up Leonard, who is probably exactly what the Jazz need, is probably going to

OKLAHOMA CITY: Meets Expectations

27. Reggie Jackson

Jackson is a combo guard who joins an already crowded Thunder backcourt. I really don’t know where he’ll find minutes. I wonder why Oklahoma didn’t simply trade out of the draft.

PORTLAND: Meets Expectations

21. Nolan Smith
51. Jon Diebler

Traded Andre Miller for Raymond Felton

Traded Rudy Fernandez to Dallas for 26th pick, which they gave to Denver in prearranged deal.

Getting Felton for Miller is a great deal for Portland. He might be the young point guard they’ve been looking for all these years.

Unfortunately, picking Nolan Smith over Faried, who they could really use, was a mistake.

ORLANDO: Meets Expectations

53. DeAndre Liggins

He’s a player that was on Kentucky, but now he’s not.

ATLANTA: Meets Expectations

48. Keith Benson

He’s got legit size for an NBA power forward, and he’s stronger than he looks. For the 48th pick, the Hawks did well.

For a team hitting their ceiling, I would have liked to have seen them a little more active. Maybe after the new CBA is signed, whenever that happens.

MIAMI: Approaching Expectations

28. Norris Cole

Somehow got the 28th pick from Chicago to draft Cole, a PG, who should provide insurance in case Bibby is not re-upped.

BOSTON: Approaching  Expectations

27. JuJuan Johnson
55. E’Twaun Moore

Traded their 25th pick for the 27th pick.

Johnson is a decent player, but I don’t see him making any impact on the Celtics, either now or down the line. But would anyone else have?

Moore is an undersized shooting guard, but I’m guessing what attracted Boston was the ability to tell people they drafted JuJuan and E’Twaun. And both are American.

MILWAUKEE: Approaching Expectations

19. Tobias Harris
40. John Leuer

Traded Corey Maggette and 10th pick for Stephen Jackson and Charlotte’s 19th pick, Tobias Harris.

Getting rid of Maggette, who was a disaster, is good, but is Jackson really what they need? And how much longer does he have? Harris is a good pick, though, who’s been compared to Shane Battier.

PHOENIX: Approaching  Expectations

13. Markieff Morris

Morris might make a pretty good role player on a good team. Phoenix, however, needs home runs, not singles. They have a lot of role players and the engine that makes them go, Nash, is nearing the end of his career.

GOLDEN STATE: Approaching Expectations

11. Klay Thompson
37. Jeremy Tyler
44. Charles Jenkins

So they STILL have Monta Ellis, yet decide to draft yet another shooter, while Kawhi Leonard  and Nikola Vucevic were still available. Thompson might be the best player available, for all I know, though, and if Jerry West thinks so, it’s probably true.

I don’t know about Tyler, though, who seems to have the physical tools, but needs maturity.

WASHINGTON: Approaching Expectations

6. Jan Vesely
18.Chris Singleton
34. Shelvin Mack

A lot of teams seemed high on Vesley, but I don’t understand the attraction to him. He’s 6’11 and athletic, but he’s not a great scorer, can’t shoot, isn’t a good ball handler, will probably struggle defensively at the 3 and is a poor rebounder for his size. He’s apparently got a good motor, though, and he’s got a very hot girlfriend, so those are both pluses.

Singleton was on my don’t draft list and I really don’t see how he’s going to play with Vesley. Neither can shoot, but Singleton has even fewer skills than Vesley.

NEW JERSEY: Approaching Expectations

25. Marshon Brooks
36. Jordan Williams

Traded their 27th pick, JaJuan Johnson for Boston’s 25th pick, Marshon Brooks

When I first saw a trade between Boston and New Jersey involving Brooks, I thought it was a blockbuster. No, it was not Brooks Lopez, but Marshon Brooks, who bring his great shooting and horrible defense to a bad defensive team.

CLIPPERS: Needs Improvement

37. Trey Thompkins
47. Travis Leslie

The Clippers traded away a unprotected lottery pick that ended up being Kyrie Irving, who’s probably just what the Clippers could have used to solidify them as one of the teams of the future. What they ended up drafting were two solid NCAA players with probably very little chance of sticking in the NBA.

SACRAMENTO: Needs Improvement

10. Jimmer Fredette
35. Tyler Honeycutt

Traded their 7th pick for Milwaukee’s 10th pick, Jimmer Fredette, and John Salmons

So, the Kings trade John Salmons away, only to trade back for him a couple of years later. And move down in the draft in order to do it. Fredette might be a great shooter, but I don’t see how he helps Sacramento. He’s not going to be a good defender and will do nothing for the chemistry. Keeping the pick and taking Knight or Walker would have been preferable.

HOUSTON: Needs Improvement

14. Marcus Morris
38. Chandler Parsons

Traded Brad Miller, the 23rd pick and a future first rounder for Minnesota’s 20th pick, Donatas Motiejunas, and Jonny Flynn.

Houston’s GM, Daryl Morey, intrigues me. He’s apparently a big advanced stats guy and was initially a guy a lot of Raptor fans wanted to replace Colangelo, but he makes the most head scratching trades. Motiejunas was another on my do not draft list. He doesn’t defend or rebound, but should be able to score a lot, which makes him basically a bigger version of Kevin Martin

Morris is, yet another young, decent power forward to join Houston’s stable of other decent, power forwards. Apparently you can never get enough of them.

Parsons is a typical Rocket small forward. he does a whole lot of things, but none of them really well.

INDIANA: Needs Improvement

Traded their 15th pick, Kawhi Leonard, to the Spurs for George Hill

Don’t the Pacers already have enough PGs who aren’t really PGs? George Hill looked good in the Spurs system, but you need to watch out for those guys, because there’s a good chance he won’t look nearly as good out of it. And while the Pacers already have enough SFs, don’t they know not to trade a draft pick to the Spurs?

NEW ORLEANS: Incomplete

Traded completely out of the draft by trading the 45th pick, Josh Harrellson, to the Knicks for cash.

For this year’s lottery, I thought I had decent expectations. I hoped simply the Raptors would get a top 3 pick, and considering they finished 3rd last, I don’t think that was expecting too much. Boy, was I wrong. The worst the Raptors could have finished was sixth, but the chances of that happening were about the same chances of the Clippers pick moving up to number one.

Okay, so maybe that wasn’t a good example.

Yes, the Clippers lost out on Kyrie Irving, who would be the perfect player for that team, so it could ship Baron Davis and his awful contract out. Amazingly, I don’t know if they regret it all that much. Still, how pissed do you think Blake Griffin is right now? Mark this down on the “con” side to him staying a Clipper.

The Clippers loss is Cleveland’s gain, and now they have the 1st and 4th pick. Not bad. Unfortunately, Cleveland’s needs are exactly the same as the Raptor needs, so there’s a very good chance that the Cavs will end up picking the players the Raptors want. At #1, Irving is a no brainer. Derrick Williams is obviously a possibility, but how can they pass up on Irving. Of course, they may think that they can get a PG with the 4th pick (Kemba Walker and Brandon Knight will be available, so they might end up choosing the pure scoring Derrick Williams at the top pick. I think Irving is the better player, so you have to choose him, but it wouldn’t shock me if Williams get’s picked here.

The T-Wolves moved down in the lottery (AGAIN!), but only one spot. If Williams goes number one, then Irving is the guy the T-Wolves have to choose, which means a trade is on the way, because there’s no way they can take Irving with Rubio apparently ready to come to the NBA and Flynn on the roster. Not even Kahn is that dumb. if I was Colangelo, I’d have Kahn on speed dial. More on that later.

At three, Utah, like Minnesota, is in a tough position. Enes Kanter is probably the best player available, but they already have Al Jefferson, Derrick Favors, Paul Millsap and Mehmet Okur tied up next year to the tune of $46 million. Yes, for two position, they are paying $46 million next year. And they’re a lottery team. Next year, the entire Raptor roster will total around $45 million. There’s certainly a decent chance the Jazz could pass on Kanter and go for, say, Brandon Knight. I think it would be a mistake, but I can certainly see it happening.

If Cleveland picks Irving at number one, than Kanter is a great pick here. If Cleveland can end up with Irving and Kanter, that’s huge. They fill the two most important positions with two of the best players in the draft. It doesn’t make up for losing LeBron, but it’s nice.

Of course, if Cleveland picks Derrick Williams, then who do they choose? Kemba Walker is a possibility, as is Kanter. Things are starting to get very fuzzy.

And, of course, draft fifth. The second worst spot they could have gotten. If Kanter drops this far, than none of this matters and the Raptors end up with, who I think, is a top three player. If he’s gone, then Jonas Valanciunas is a possibility, but I hear he might not be joining the league for at least 2 years, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he drops out of the top ten.

That leaves Walker or Knight, neither of whom I’m convinced can even be starters in the NBA. They’re both talented, for sure, but are either of them PGs? Knight had some of the worst PG stats in the NCAA and struggled before he was simply given the ball and asked to go. Something not likely to happen in the NBA. And Walker is probably closer to 5’9 and reminds me a lot of Damon Stoudamire. Yes, Stoudamire put up great stats on a bad Raptor team when he was given free reign and bad teammates, but he struggled when he played with better players who didn’t simply stay out of his way like his Raptor teammates did. I’m not convinced either player can be very productive on a good team, except maybe as a backup.

I’m really hoping Colangelo is trying to think of ways to trade up for the 2nd pick. Bargnani, Calderon and just about any other player not named Ed, DeMar or Amir should be on the table. It’s not that the 2nd pick is necessarily that good, but the 5th pick might be that bad.

To end on a bright note, last year I thought there was a chance Ed Davis might drop and he did.

So that’s all I’ve got for now. I promise not to take so much time before my next post.