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Toronto Raptors General Manager Rob Babcock doesn't look like the type of person who would enjoy novel British pop singers like Joss Stone, but his recent actions sound like some of her lyrics have gone straight to his head.
One of the crooner's hit songs encouragingly starts: "I have the right to be wrong; my mistakes will make me strong."
Unfortunately, after leaving 2004 NBA draft virtually bankrupt, combined with an immediate urgency for a faltering franchise trying to regain its ground, his right is more of an expensive luxury that is not in the budget.
He doesn't seem to care, though, and he doesn't seem to care if he's wrong, either.
When heading into a draft of any sport, there should be four major considerations: drafting to a position of need, drafting the best player at a position, drafting the best player available at any position, and getting good value at your selection.
If pinpointing all four of these categories is hitting the bullseye, then Babcock hit bull excrement with the seventh selection in the first round.
Not a Position of Need
Forget Charlie Villanueva's potential, forget his faults, and forget all of his pros and cons for a second. Consider the positions that the Toronto Raptors needed to fill. Chris Bosh is the franchise at power forward and point guard is solidified with Rafer Alston (aside from attitude problems).
The team desperately wants to get rid of Jalen Rose, so that leaves small forward, center, and possibly shooting guard. Notice that power forward was not among the needs. So how does drafting a power forward make any sense? If he's versatile and can play the three, then why is a small forward being selected nine picks later? No matter how good he gets, he cannot become a starter and no, the Raptors are not any closer to the model of the Phoenix Suns.
Not the Best Player at His Position
Okay, fine, you got me drunk, drugged me, and kept incessantly reiterating that this team is in dire need of a power forward. Then why not draft the best power forward available? By my account, there were no power forwards selected within the first six selections which means the Raptors had every single eligible PF to choose from.
Somehow, they were one of the few teams to have Charlie-V rated as the absolute top power forward, but then again, they did rate Rafael Araujo very highly, as well. I guess 13.6 ppg, 8.3 rpg with a reputation of a soft streak is more valuable than the 17.5 ppg and 10.7 rpg that North Carolina MVP Sean May offered against stiffer competition.
Poor Value
You know, I don't think Rob Babcock is familiar with this concept. Especially after last year, when the Raptors selected Araujo at number eight and he was slated to go in the late teens/early 20s by most pundits.
Normally, this selection wouldn't have been such poor value because he was expected to be drafted maybe five to ten spots later but quality players were slipping in this draft which means Villanueva, a player who was already likely to be in the 10-15 range could have dropped to the Raptors at 16. Consider that Fran Vasquez, Ike Diogu, Yaroslav Korolev and even Rashad McCants went much higher than expected so the Raptors did not get good value with their first selection.
Not the Best Player Available
If you are stuck between a rock and a hard place and if you can't get the exact player you want, then you draft the best player available. Well, in that case, Babcock misfired on that one, as well. In his defense, though, one could argue that he got the player he wanted, but judging on pure potential and track record, more people speak highly of Antoine Wright, Gerald Green, and Danny Granger. Sure, they dropped lower than expected, but I explained why above.
The Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics, the teams who selected Granger and Green, are touted as having the biggest steals of the draft while no one has murmured the words "franchise player" and "Charlie Villanueva" in the same sentence. Yes, it is all subjective, but considering the Raptors raised eyebrows a year ago when selecting Araujo ahead of Andre Iguodala, Josh Smith, Al Jefferson, and J.R. Smith, I'll trust the critics until Babcock proves me wrong.
Well, the Raptors did get rid of their whiny, unmotivated, poor attitude player when they traded Vince Carter, so it makes sense to fill that need with someone who NBA scouts say has a history of these sorts of things.
This draft is catastrophic and quite possibly just the beginning of worse things to come.
Chris Bosh might start to think like Vince Carter after what is becoming a long history of horrendous roster decisions during his era. Rafael Araujo last year, signing a point guard who can't get along with his coach, and now drafting a power forward. Here he is, slowly developing into a quality piece of the puzzle, hoping to get a perimeter sharpshooter or a stout center to play alongside when the team decides to draft a player at the same position as him. Now they are going to ask him to move over and play center at times — because they definitely won't ask a rookie to do that — where he struggled mightily last year.
I'm sure he'll feel great about that, especially since this team could have been an instant playoff contender with a Wright and Granger draft.
The Raptors used to have one of the best fan bases in the NBA, but that left with Vince Carter. Regardless of how you want to knock him, he filled the seats until his last days in Toronto and the Raptors' attendance was not the same after he left. Villanueva and Joey Graham won't sell tickets on their own and if these players don't pan out, the team could be in for a long drought in the stands.
Bosh is only signed until the end of 2007 and since the Raptors have surrounded him with little help and instead drafted a power forward to replace him, he may decide to leave.
If he does, the franchise may depart not too far behind him.
Rob Babcock and his decisions mix like Mondays and me.
"Not all who wander are lost." — John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
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