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Missing: The sad history of the Second Round Toronto Raptors draft pick
The historical relationship between the Toronto Raptors and the First Round draft pick has been a decidedly mixed affair. Impressive drafting of high-end talent (McGrady, Stoudamire, Jamison-Carter), has been tempered by perplexing reaches (Bradley, Villanueva) and outright disasters (Araujo, Radojevic, Graham). While these picks have become mainstream fodder for the faithful, a less apparent failure continues to go unnoticed by the masses. A failure that is more representative of the perennial mismanagement of this franchise. It is a failure of foresight and long-term vision. This failure is the Second Round Toronto Raptors draft pick.
While mining quality NBA talent from the Second Round is a decidedly risky and seemingly lucky affair, the sheer lack of success of the Toronto Raptors in this area is both perplexing and revealing.
A direct reflection on a franchise’s scouting staff to see beyond the obvious, and project serviceable talent where other franchises cannot, the Raptors have paraded the following Second Round draft picks since their inception.
1995- Jimmie King
1996- No Second Round pick made
1997- No Second Round pick made
1998- Tyson Wheeler
1999- No Second Round pick made
2000- DeeAndre Hulett
2001 – No Second Round pick made
2002 – No Second Round pick made
2003- Remon Van de Hare
2004- Albert Miralles
2005- Roko Ukic, Uros Slokar
2006- PJ Tucker, Edin Bavcic
2007- No Second Round pick made
2008- No Second Round pick made
2009- No Second Round pick made
After seeing this list, you may be naturally inclined to say:
1. Sorry, who are these guys again?
2. How many of these picks actually played a game for the Raptors?
3. How have the Raptors made only 9 Second Round draft picks in 15 years?
4. Remon Van de what?
The above list highlights how numerous iterations of Raptors management have devalued the worthiness of the Second Round draft pick (see 9 total picks in 15 years), or approached it frivolously enough that they have never drafted a Second Rounder who amounted to a long-term role player, let alone starter.
Why devote additional resources to scout seemingly marginal talent? Take a look at the following Second Rounders taken during the Raptors existence.
1995- Eric Snow
1996- Othella Harrington, Malike Rose, Jeff McInnis
1997- Stephen Jackson
1998- Rashard Lewis, Ruben Patterson
1999- Manu Ginobili
2000- Michael Redd, Eddie House
2001- Mehmet Okur, Gilbert Arenas
2002- Carlos Boozer
2003- Kyle Korver, Zaza Pachulia, Steven Blake, Luke Walton
2004- Anderson Varejao, Chris Duhon, Trevor Ariza
2005- Monta Ellis
2006- Paul Millsap
2007- Carl Landry, Marc Gasol, Ramon Sessions
2008- Mario Chalmers, Luc Mbah a Moute,
2009- DeJuan Blair, Jonas Jerebko, Marcus Thornton, Patrick Mills
Sure, many of these picks are not stars and were made before the Raptors could choose their respective pick, but then you would have to ask:
1. Wouldn’t any of these players have been a significant upgrade over ANY Raptors Second Round Pick? (easy answer, YES!!!)
2. When have the Raptors ever traded to move up in the Second Round? (Realistically, they shouldn’t have to. A team that has averaged 33 wins a season over its existence should have a bevy of early Second Round picks at its disposal).
So, yes, there have been some solid to spectacular picks made in Round 2, but not every franchise has had the foresight and vision (and luck) to draft a Ginobili-like player. So how has every team done in drafting at least one serviceable Second Round player? Let’s look at the best Second Round picks each team has made in the past fifteen years.
Franchise Second Round pick with best NBA career (1995-2009)
Celtics Darius Songaila
Knicks Trevor Ariza
Nets Kyle Korver
76ers Lou Williams
Bulls Matt Bonner
Cavaliers Carlos Boozer
Pistons Mehmet Okur
Pacers Fred Hoiberg
Hawks Solomon Jones
Bobcats Ryan Hollins
Heat Eddie House
Magic Anderson Varejao
Wizards Steve Blake, Andray Blatche
TWolves Mario Chalmers
Sonics/Thunder Rashard Lewis
Nuggets Jeff McInnis
Blazers Travis Outlaw
Jazz Paul Millsap
Warriors Monta Ellis, Gilbert Arenas
Clippers Marko Jaric
Lakers Marc Gasol, Ruben Patterson
Suns Stephen Jackson
Kings Jerome James
Mavericks Greg Buckner
Rockets Carl Landry
Grizzlies Matt Barnes
Hornets Malik Rose
Spurs Manu Ginobili
Raptors Ukic.. erm King… sorry, Slokar…um…
While not all teams have hit the jackpot in the Second Round, the average fan can at least recognize any name on this list; and you would be hard-pressed to find any Raptors Second Pick that could exceed the accomplishments of any of these players. Sure, you may draft an occasional Van de Here from time to time; but when that type of player becomes the norm, rather than the exception, you have a problem.
So why are Second Round picks so valuable in today’s NBA?
1. International players. More than ever, talented International players are filling out NBA rosters as key rotation players. These players, often less scrutinized and scouted than their American collegiate counterparts, often slip to the Second Round. More often than not, the modern NBA surprise draft pick is a Second Round Euro.
2. Salary Cap. Solid drafting in the Second Round affords franchises from having to fill out roster spots from the free-agent ranks (mid-level exception, etc), and provides immediate short-term cost certainty benefits (no Second Round rookie salary scale and commitments).
3. Overseas/D-league development. Thanks to strengthening European leagues and the developmental D-League, NBA teams have taken to allowing their Second Round picks to stay in Europe to develop, or send them to the D-League to work on their games. On the international front, this benefits the players, as they continue to make more lucrative foreign money, and allows NBA teams have their picks develop overseas before arriving to the NBA as immediate contributors (see Marc Gasol and Manu Ginobili).
It is no secret that many model franchises (San Antonio, Portland) invest heavily in acquiring and drafting Second Round picks. To highlight the importance of how a Second Round pick can be to rounding out a roster, let’s finally look at the most recent NBA champions and the Second Round picks that contributed to their success:
2009- Lakers: Trevor Ariza (impact wing defender)
2008- Celtics: Glen Davis (low-post banger with solid inside touch) and Eddie House (instant off-the-bench offense and 3-pt gunner)
2007- Spurs: Manu Ginobili (star 6th man and offensive catalyst, Matt Bonner (solid rotation big, 3pt floor-spreader)
2006- Heat: Jason Kapono (3pt specialist)
2005- Spurs: Manu Ginobili (see above)
2003 Spurs: Manu Ginobili, Stephen Jackson
Second Round picks are now staples of every roster, and contributing to team success more than ever (Amir Johnson, Sonny Weems anyone?). In the face of this mounting evidence, what should the Toronto Raptors do? First and foremost, invest in enhanced overseas scouting (not solely for free-agent acquisition), and 2. use MLSE’s financial might to buy second-round picks from other teams. At a minimum, the Raptors should be making at least one Second Round draft pick per year and utilizing their European connections to draft and store these players in Europe until they are ready to contribute in the NBA (like they did for Roko Ukic… a good start). If the Raptors are serious about competing for a championship, they can no longer ignore and mismanage the second half of draft-night. Sure, you may not strike gold with a Ginobili, but with some emphasis and luck, you should end up more than some sawdust and Ukic.
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