Earlier this week, Alex Kennedy of Hoops World wrote about how Rudy Gay might be on the trade market this off-season and that the Raptors would be one of the teams interested in the forward’s services.
Since Lottery night, we’ve heard rumblings about how the Raptors’ No. 8 pick could be in play in order to acquire an an already established player.
On Wednesday night, ESPN’s Marc Stein and Chad Ford wrote a more Raptors-specific story that intertwines the two, and then some.
With the NBA Draft Lottery the topic of choice right now among NBA fans, including Raptors fans, Scott, Oliver and I caught up with draft guru Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
This the last year we gon be in that lottery thing
— Ed Davis (@eddavis32) May 31, 2012
I posted my immediate reaction to the Raptors staying put at No. 8 earlier on Wednesday night, but in the hours since, some interesting Bryan Colangelo quotes (he held a conference call after the Lottery) have emerged and a couple of guys with reputable draft knowledge have already updated their mock drafts.
Well, it’s official. The 2012 NBA Draft Lottery came and went tonight, and your Toronto Raptors landed exactly where they were slotted to land, with the No. 8 selection in the upcoming Draft.
While I was trying to remain calm and without any expectations, I won’t lie, I was feeling the nerves as Adam Silver revealed the No. 8 selection, knowing that if the Raptors logo wasn’t in the envelope, a top-three pick was guaranteed.
Nonetheless, this is what we all should have expected, and now the focus shifts to which young prospects will both be available at No. 8 and will fit into what Bryan Colangelo, Dwane Casey and company are building in Toronto.
Since the Raptors’ season ended on April 26, we’ve gone over a month without any real, tangible news.
Sure, there have been some tantalizing and juicy rumours and reports (hello, Steve Nash and Jeremy Lin), some decent headlines (DeRozan joining U.S. Select Team), and other minor tidbits.
But in terms of things actually happening and real results, Wednesday night’s NBA Draft Lottery will mark the unofficial beginning of what should be a very intriguing off-season for Bryan Colangelo and the Raptors.
On Friday, Raptors Community Manager Jay Satur broke down the lottery itself and the Raptors’ chances in it.
Now we bring you our RaptorBlog Lottery Primer, with a quick look at who you should be keeping an eye on depending on what transpires Wednesday night.
