On The Guest List…Who Else Is?
TUESDAY JUNE 3:
Guard – Wayne Ellington – North Carolina
Guard – Shan Foster – Vanderbilt
Guard – Jamont Gordon – Mississippi State
Forward – Danny Green - North Carolina
Guard – Malik Hairston – Oregon
Guard – Courtney Lee – Western KentuckyWEDNESDAY JUNE 4:
Forward – Ryan Anderson – California
Forward/Centre – Kosta Koufos – Ohio State
Forward/Centre – Robin Lopez – Stanford
Guard – Drew Neitzel – Michigan State
Guard – Jeremy Pargo – Gonzaga
Guard – Jason Thompson – RiderTHURSDAY JUNE 5:
Forward/Centre – Alexis Ajinca – Hyeres-Toulon
Guard – Chris Douglas-Roberts – Memphis
Centre – DeVon Hardin – California
Guard – Mykal Riley – Alabama
Guard/Forward – Brandon Rush – Kansas
Guard/Forward – Bill Walker – Kansas State
Bryan Colangelo is on record saying up to 40 hopeful draftees will make their way to Toronto. The 2 big names on the list so far would be Chris Douglas-Roberts( Memphis ) and Robin Lopez ( Standford ) . Both have been names that fans and media have suggested might be good choices for Raptors at 17. The Raptors as of this moment do not hold a second round pick but clearly some on this list are not guys pegged for the first round so the Raptors are doing their homework just in case they do acquire a pick in the second round.
There is also the chance the Raptors could swing a deal that would see them move up in the draft. People will use these lists to speculate on things but till we have a complete list it does not really mean much. Also sometimes teams will quietly call players back and keep it out of media. Damon Stoudamire was said to have had a private work-out with the Raptors which was only learned about on the day of the draft by the media. It pays to do your homework on as many players as you can not just for this draft but for the future beyond the draft.
Still this is a sign the Draft is coming soon and will be here before you know it. We will be having to live blog events one on draft night itself. So hope you can join us for the Dino Nation Blog Draft Party Online. More info on that to come. Before that we are going to have a Raptors Off-Season Hot Stove which is planned for sometime near the middle of the month. We will talk about all things Raptors including the draft. Mark of the Raptors Core will be co-hosting these events with me and we invite you and your friends to come be a part of these events. The plans for events like this will continue right into next season and could hopefully lead to some exciting things. So make sure to read the Blog often for news on these events. It is a good time to mention you should bookmark the site if you have not done so already. I do my best to let folks know when new Blogs are up. Sometimes it can lead to problems as some see it as Spam. But I do not but at times do not always have time to post it on the many places I do.
Candace Parker is going to China as part of the U.S National Women’s team. She has had a huge start to her WNBA career and is rapidly becoming the biggest name connected to that league. She leads the league in rebounds and I have actually watched a couple WNBA Games which as I mentioned in a previous blog is something I rarely have done in the past. Candace is becoming a pretty big star and the brother of Candace, the Raptors Anthony Parker was recently interviewed on Fan 590 and seems confident he will be back with the Raptors for the 08/09 season. Bryan Colangelo was also interviewed on ESPN U as part of their coverage of the workouts in Orlando. He was very careful with his comments but was interesting to hear his thoughts on the entire draft process. No talk of Ford or Calderon at all and not a hint at where the Raptors may be looking in the draft. Raptors T.V has had coverage of the Camps and often replays these things so if you get a chance to watch some of it you should. Good chance to see some of these names on mock draft boards as well.
O.J Mayo as part of that same coverage says he thinks he can go #1 in the draft. There is no one that thinks that beyond him that I have read. He has had some issues about his time at U.S.C and taking money being alleged. This is something that N.F.L star Reggie Bush has also had to deal with into his pro career with New Orleans Saints. Mayo’s more likely landing spot is rumoured to be Minnesota. But at least Mayo wants to try to make it a 3 horse race for the number 1 pick. Rose on the other hand has taken the opposite approach as he admitted that Micheal Beasley is the better overall player.But Colangelo seems to think that Rose will land with the Bulls based on his comments in the above mentioned interview. But will that mean he is picked at one or will Bulls flip flop with Miami and take him at #2? All the answers will come on June 26th. Many feel that will be an active day for the Toronto Raptors and only time will tell.
Tags: Bryan Colangelo, Anthony Parker, Eric Smith, Olympics 2008, Candace Parker, Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J Mayo, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Robin Lopez
