Can Colangelo Make It Work In The Nine-Hole, Again?

Bryan Colangelo has been here before, he’s seen what’s out there and selected in the No. 9 spot, and nailed it.  Twice.

As general manager of the Phoenix Suns, B.C. selected both Shawn Marion in 1999 and Amare Stoudemire in 2002 as ninth overall picks.  Forget Marion’s short tenure with Toronto last season, there was a time when he was a part of the most dynamic offense in the NBA, and Amare was part of that too when he wasn’t having surgery.

Injuries or a sudden decline in offensive abilities are impossible to read before a player is drafted (except in the case of Greg Oden, Portland should have taken one look at his 55-year old body and known).  So nobody can look back and say that Colangelo should have taken Jason Terry (10th overall) or Corey Maggette (13th overall) in 1999, and after Yao Ming Stoudemire was the the best pick in the 2002 lottery.

Colangelo and company are back in familiar territory for Thursday night’s NBA draft; selecting in the No. 9 position with nothing certain.  The consensus among Raptors’ fans and bloggers alike seems to be that Demar DeRozan is the best fit for Toronto.  As Doug Smith pointed out this morning, the Raptors are in desperate need of a small forward, DeRozan fits the bill.

As Scott Carefoot laid out for BDL, DeRozan is no sure thing but his abilities would address a gaping hole in the Raptors’ attack:

DeRozan isn’t the safe choice at the ninth pick, but Bryan Colangelo isn’t known for playing it safe. Marion and Stoudemire were both drafted by Colangelo in Phoenix so he has a track record of taking a risk at this pick. Also, while he wasn’t here during the Vince Carter era, he’s surely aware that Toronto fans remain hungry for a player who can blow the roof off of the Air Canada Centre with his dynamic dunks.

It’s that last bit that should work Raptors’ fans into a frenzy heading into this year’s draft.  DeRozan brings an element of explosiveness that cannot be taught, although it may need to be tamed.  Even if DeRozan ends up being a surprise pick before Colangelo has a shot at him, the one thing this draft class isn’t light on is athleticism.  Both Terrence Williams and Gerald Henderson are projected to go later than ninth, and both bring ample athleticism albeit to a lesser degree than DeRozan.

Had you asked me even two weeks ago what needed to be addressed with this team I would have said toughness.  I was busy lobbying for DeJuan Blair to become a Raptor until the acquisition of Reggie Evans.  Not that Evans steps in and immediately solves the Raptors problem of being a bit soft, but the move signaled that other areas would be the focus for the draft.

We’re no closer to knowing what the ultimate outcome will be for the Raptors tomorrow night, but we do know that it’s going to be a busy summer for B.C. as he tries to round out this roster.  We should have a better idea of how that process might play out after Toronto makes their first selection in the 2009 draft.

Tags: 2009 NBA Draft, Bryan Colangelo, Demar DeRozan, NBA, Toronto Raptors