Raptors Republic – ESPN TrueHoop's Raptors Blog

Linkage for Jun 16 7pm through Jun 18 7am:

• Marc Iavaroni – The FAN 590 Toronto – Audio on Demand The Raps newly appointed Assistant Coach joins Jack and the always witty Doug MacLean to talk about how is hiring came to fruition and what Reggie Evans brings to the team.
• FIBA.com – Jawai To Miss Opening Session Australia’s men’s basketball team, the Boomers, will begin its first training camp for 2009 at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra tomorrow.

  The Boomers will be without the services of 208cm Toronto Raptors power forward Nathan Jawai until possibly Sunday due to a stomach ailment.

• Wolves looking for a Kevin McHale-type coach – TwinCities.com Former Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell played 10 seasons for the Wolves and is one obvious candidate. He is considered more of a disciplinarian than a players' coach, but center Al Jefferson said McHale was both of those.

  "He was the type of guy who could communicate with you and also, if he was upset, he would get in your face, too," Jefferson said. "Most definitely I think it's good to have a coach like that because some of us players are knuckleheads and some of us need a coach that is going to really get down on them and get in their face. … I think we need both of that."

  Mitchell didn't return a phone call seeking comment Wednesday, and Kahn insisted that the process of finding a new coach

• Examiner.com Mock Draft: The Toronto Raptors select Gerald Henderson Which brings me back to the explosive and athletic Gerald Henderson. The former Blue Devil would immediately upgrade Toronto's athleticism while giving them solid defender who still has plenty of upside. He could easily develop into a Richard Jefferson type player. Henderson flashed his all-around game last year with Duke; scoring 16.5 PPG, grabbing 4.9 RPG and dishing out 2.5 APG.

  He still needs to work on becoming more consistent with his jump shot and his ball-handling, but he has the skill-set to excel in both of those areas.

• Update – 2009 Cap Space: Toronto « nbaroundtable Remember, if the Raptors choose to jettison Shawn Marion and spend their cap space on someone else, they would also surely lose the following — Anthony Parker, Joey Graham and Carlos Delfino.

  So the option of re-signing Marion, should be considered Marion plus potentially those three plus the possible use of the MLE against the one $7.2-to-$9.2 million signing.

• Hoops Addict » NBA Mock Draft – June 18, 2009 9. Toronto Raptors – DeMar DeRozan SG/SF
  19 years old, 6′7″, 207 lbs.
  USC, Freshman
• DeRozan goes it alone – The Globe and Mail Ujiri said he needs to work on his shooting, but sees in him a bit of Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala, Portland’s Travis Outlaw or Charlotte’s Gerald Wallace.

  “Those are guys we kind of compare him to, athletic guys in the beginning, they were crazy athletes, but the game was yet to be put together,” Ujiri said. “I think those guys have put their games together. He has to work on a couple of things, but I think he’s a great athlete, a great kid.

  “It almost always pans out. They work hard, it might take a couple of years, but I think he grows into being a good player.”

• TheStar.com DeRozan’s athleticism could be hard to resist The Raptors, given the option, would have loved to have seen DeRozan work under some sort of game conditions, even though they had scouts and front office personnel see him a handful of times in the college season.

  But they didn't get that option yesterday and getting him in the gym, even alone, was worth the effort.

  "I guess that's the agents trying to protect their players a little bit. The top guys would normally do that, we've seen that with him and (Arizona forward Jordan) Hill and (Connecticut centre Hasheem) Thabeet and all those guys projected to go in the top five, six," said Masai Ujiri, Toronto's assistant general manager of player personnel.

• High-flying DeRozan struts hops for Raps | Toronto Sun
• Defining Moments in Toronto Raptors Draft History | Bleacher Report
• Toronto Raptors Basketball Team Report – FOX Sports on MSN
• khandor’s sports blog » Raptors fans: What would happen, if …
• Ranking Raptor Draft Picks: #5 | Searching For ‘93
• ReclinerGM 2009 NBA Mock Draft: Dannie vs. Pete, 2.0
• 2009 NBA Mock Draft | RotoRob
• NBA Draft ‘09 Position Rankings – Power Forwards
• All eyes on Demar DeRozan — because there is nobody else to look at – Posted Sports
• The Canadian Press: DeRozan goes it alone, doing solo pre-draft workout for Raptors
• Wade, Bosh unsure about future – The Back Page
• Chaun’s Raptors and NBA blog: Notes and links from DeRozan’s Workout
• HL:DeRozan goes it alone, doing solo pre-draft workout for Raptors@
• Al Jefferson ’shocked, disappointed, hurt’ over Minnesota Timberwolves ousting Kevin McHale – TwinCities.com
• YouTube – Welcome Boogie!
• Masai Ujiri – June 17, 2009 – NBA Videos and Highlights
• 1on1 With DeRozan – June 17, 2009 – NBA Videos and Highlights
• DeMar DeRozan – June 17, 2009 – NBA Videos and Highlights
• In Colangelo We Trust: Toronto Raptors Draft Day Preview | Bleacher Report
• The return of the Rap-chelor! | Cuzoogle
• Court Surfing – The Score – DeRozan LOVES Toronto…
• NBA Draft ‘09 Position Rankings – Small Forwards – NetScouts
• Pete Marasmitch » What’s so great about DeMar DeRozan? It looks like those issues from two years ago continue to be issues. Considering those issues, is DeMar DeRozan really a fit on this Raptors team? Is he even worthy of the ninth overall pick? And if not, are there really any better options available at nine — Gerald Henderson? Earl Clark? James Johnson?
• DeRozan Wants No Part Of Toronto | Bleacher Report Colangelo, Toronto's GM, did manage to coerce a visit out of DeRozan, and an individual workout, yet the swingman's reluctance to cooperate with the Raptors should be a red light for the Raptors, as the last thing the franchise needs is a large dose of poor team chemistry.

  Jim Kelly, the Raptor's Director of Player Personnel was recently quoted as saying "That's part of the draft procedure, We don't actually control it. We deal with what we have."

  In just over a week we will see if the Prima Donna from California gets his wish or not, and if he does, he will merely join a list of players who've talked their way out of towns, or prevented themselves from being drafted to certain places.

• Consumers Favor Internet Over Cell Phone and Cable TV According to New Study From Pew Research Center Tech savvy NBA All-Star and six year veteran of the Toronto Raptors Chris Bosh will also be speaking at the Symposium. Bosh is the first athlete in the world to launch his own iPhone application and his website, http://www.chris-bosh.com, which includes multiple social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, all of which, he notes, are dependent on broadband technology.
• Dino Nation Blog: Today’s Blog Brought To You By Letter D
• Bryan Colangelo – The FAN 590 Toronto – Audio on Demand
• Gerald Henderson and Quincy Douby? – RaptorsHQ Recaps the June 16 Workouts. – RaptorsHQ.com His shooting yesterday was spotty, something that he’s continuing to try and smoothen out, and he’s not exactly a big player. Matched up against Jerel McNeal, you can see that there isn’t much difference between the two height-wise.

  Again though, it’s Henderson’s ability to break down defenses that makes him look to be a nice fit for the Dinos.

  That’s why it was a bit puzzling that some of the local media failed to pick up on this, with one reporter telling Henderson that scouts described him as “a guy who just scores and gets his stuff in the flow of games rather than in isolation.”

• Doug Smith’s Toronto Raptors blog The option still exists to sign-and-trade Shawn Marion and they will have the mid-level exception to offer someone. And judging by the economic climate out there and the number of teams with cap space, I think there are going to be some bargains to be had.

  And, just from listening to people around the gym and in private conversations I’ve had with people tuned in, I have no doubt that Bryan’s got a few things simmering.

  Now, whether any of them get pulled off or not, I can’t tell you.

  But the sense I’m getting from talking to people is that there is going to be more action than you’d think in the next month or so.

• Where’s Russ Granik?: WRG Mock Draft, #9: Toronto Raptors
• You’ve Gotta Love Sports!: With the 9th pick in the YGLS Mock NBA Draft… Toronto Raptors – Jonny Flynn (G/Syracuse)

  It seems as though the Raptors are in this position year after year. Each new year seems to be the year that the Toronto Raptors should be a team that makes a run, should be a team that makes the playoff, or even a team that's competitive, but alas, it never is. This team has a nice nucleus of talent around the basket, and even out towards the perimeter. What it lacks though is passion or a spark. That type of grit that can be brought from a floor general, someone who wants to win. That's why I think the Raptors will select Jonny Flynn.

• Raptors Take First Step To Bring Delfino Back, Reggie Evans Meets Media | Jurassic Hoops Regardless, if Delfino chooses to sign with Toronto he’ll bring more toughness and perimeter defense to a team in desperate need of both. His stunning good looks and chiseled jaw-line aren’t bad either, it’s ok to man-crush on the Argentinian heartthrob… he is that good looking.
• Courtside – Mock draft #1 9. Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan, SF, USC – This is a high risk, high reward pick for the Raptors. DeRozan was one of the most hyped freshmans in the nation last year, but had a forgettable season until the end-of-year tournaments started. DeRozan stepped his game up and took USC to the NCAA tournament almost single-handedly. He looked very good in the tournament and in terms of potential, is an elite prospect. DeRozan has the skills to be an excellent, all-star level talent, but he has trouble creating his own shot and had only a handful of elite NCAA performances.
  The Raptors could go for a safer pick in Gerald Henderson or Jrue Holiday, but it says here Bryan Colangelo will go for the home run and take DeRozan.
• 2009 Mock Draft #2 « Captain Factorial’s Wheel Of Fish 9 Toronto Jrue Holiday, point, 6′4.5″ 200, Fr. UCLA Toronto is, pure and simple, in need of a good wing from this draft. And DeRozan and Evans (more of a point-wing) are gone. What’s left is a bunch of point guards. Despite having Calderon in the fold, I think the Raptors have to go BPA here and figure it all out later. And BPA, despite his underwhelming freshman year at UCLA, is Jrue Holiday. They aren’t going to want to play him next to Calderon in light of how badly he played the off-guard next to Darren Collison, but they’ll figure something out.
• Raptors extend offer to RFA Delfino – Sportsnet.ca
• The Hoops Report | 2009 NBA Mock Draft Extended Version (6/16 Update)
• wgrz.com | Raptors Invite Gamble for Workout Late Monday afternoon Greg Gamble got an important phone call. It was from the Toronto Raptors. They wanted him to come to Toronto and workout for the team Tuesday morning. Gamble drove to Toronto late Monday afternoon.

  It was the first workout for an NBA team in his career. Gamble played his high school ball at Niagara Falls. He was a key player on that 2005 Niagara Falls Championship team. Gamble played his college ball at the University of Buffalo.

  A position switch before his senior really helped Gamble open some eyes. He was a swingman his first three years but switched to point guard for his senior year.

• Hoops Addict » What Could Have Been: 2005 NBA Draft 7th – Toronto Raptors

  Original Pick: Charlie Villanueva, F, UConn
  New Pick: Andrew Bynum, C, High School

  It creates a lot of size in the frontcourt. I’d love to go point guard here, but they had Calderon just waiting to take over. Not to mention that Mike James played 37 minutes a night. This draft doesn’t have much else. And maybe playing alongside Bosh would have helped Bynum’s progression.

• Raptors welcome aboard Evans Evans's reputation preceded him on the Raptors because forward Chris Bosh told reporters he hated playing against him.

  "That is a good thing," Evans said with a hearty laugh. "That lets me know I'm doing something good."

  "When Chris says he doesn't like me, I don't like Chris. I like him now because we're teammates, but I didn't like him either.

  "There is nothing bad about it. It is a good thing."

• The Knicks Blog » Mills Mock Draft V3 9 – Toronto Raptors – Tyreke Evans

  Evans will have a nice career, but I question his shot selection and ability to run the point. He’s going to be a lot like Larry Hughes; He thinks he has a jump shot, but he doesn’t. There lies the shot selection issues. But even if Evans can’t play the one, the Wolves have a vacancy at the shooting guard spot too. I like Demar Derozan more for them here, but his stock has dropped.

• Evans knows his role – The Globe and Mail
• Evans brings bruiser role to Raptors Oakley, the highly quotable, equally grimy forward, was a key part of the Raptors from 1999 to 2001. Evans spots one key difference.

  "Comparison-wise, I don't know, because he had a jumper," said Evans, who met with the media yesterday after being acquired a week ago from Philadelphia in exchange for Jason Kapono. "He could shoot a 17-foot jumper, 15, 17 feet. So you couldn't really leave Oakley. So we don't really compare. I defer a lot of jumpers. Pass it, set a pick … I'm not going to say I'm not going to shoot. I'll shoot one now and then, every blue moon … I'll give you a shot a month."

• TheStar.com | Raps’ muscle arrives
• Evans simply refreshing | Toronto Sun
• Newest Raptor Evans brings instant toughness to a team that’s been too soft – Yahoo! Canada News "If I feel like something isn't right, if somebody's not bringing it hard to the game or hard in practice, I'm going to speak my mind," he said. "The only way we're going to get better, we have to work hard so if you want to relax, go sit down or just go home. That's just me, I'm a competitor."

  Evans said he gets his work ethic from his mother, a single mom who worked two jobs to support her four kids.

  "You just have to understand what it takes for hard work, we never had anything," said Evans, whose father was in and out of prison throughout his childhood. "My mama worked all her life. My mama always told me, 'One thing you never have to worry about: the lights will be paid and the rent will be paid.' Just seeing her work so hard . . .

• 9. Raptors select DeMar DeRozan | 2009 NBA Mock Draft: Commitment Day Edition Rumors aren't usually worth the paper they're written on, but I believe that the Raptors guaranteed DeRozan he won't fall beyond ninth.

  The Raptors have a successful history of going after young athletic wings, and DeRozan can develop in Canada without his every failure being scrutinized.

  The Raptors could also look at Earl Clark, Gerald Henderson, and Terrence Williams, but none have the potential of DeRozan.

• RAPTORS: Raptors Extend Qualifying Offer To Delfino