Ball Don't Lie - NBA

Ball Don't Lie

Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:00 pm EDT

BDL 2009 NBA Mock Draft: Pick No. 9, Raptors

By J.E. Skeets


With the NBA Draft just a few days away, Ball Don't Lie has decided to weigh in with its own 2009 Mock Draft, just for shots and giggles. But since we know so little about college basketball, we called in SB Nation's team experts (and a few others) to throw their darts at the board. Let's see what sticks ...

With the ninth pick in the 2009 Ball Don't Lie NBA Mock Draft, the Toronto Raptors select ...

DeMar DeRozan: SG/SF, USC, Freshman

RaptorBlog:

"Every Raptors fan knows that this team needs help on the wings. We want a slasher, an athlete, somebody who plays with aggression and doesn’t fit the Raptors’ stereotype of being a soft jump-shooter.

The two blue chip shooting guard prospects in this draft — James Harden and Tyreke Evans — are almost certain to be gone before the ninth pick in the real draft, and they didn’t even make it past the fourth pick in this mock draft as Harden went third overall to OKC and Evans was nabbed right after by Sacramento.

That leaves the Raptors in a position where they’re probably going to have to take a chance on a less polished player who has raw talent but likely won’t make a significant contribution right away. This is where DeMar DeRozan comes in.

DeRozan is certainly athletic with his 38.5-inch vertical, but the freshman is also very raw. If we’re going to be blunt, he’s a shooting guard who currently can’t shoot, dribble or play defense particularly well.

So how does this guy go ninth overall? Well, this is a weak draft and the Raptors are far enough away from contender status that they might as well take a home run swing at this slot rather than settle for a safer pick like Gerald Henderson. Besides, there’s a rich, recent history of raw, athletic players going ninth overall and blossoming into NBA stars. See: Tracy McGrady(notes), Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion(notes) and Andre Iguodala(notes).

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(notes) 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.

To his credit, DeRozan is aware of the inevitable comparisons to Vince — in fact, he told Marc Berman of the New York Post that he can jump higher than VC in his prime. I don’t really believe that, but I admire his swagger. And let’s face it, no one on this corner has swagger like that."

For more NBA Draft coverage, visit Yahoo! Sports NBA Draft HQ and Ridiculous Upside.    

Related: 2009 NBA Draft

digg delicious
more

32 Comments

Post a Comment
  1. scott
    1. Posted by scott Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:13 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    This mock draft is definitely taking longer than the real draft. Its been 6 and a half hours and we're not even at pick 10 yet.
    Still no Jordan Hill selected... interesting. I thought doug smith said on the fan that if hill was around at 9 they wouldn' t let him pass considering they will likely lose Bosh next year.
  2. Mort
    2. Posted by Mort Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:15 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    I love DeRozen
  3. MJSF
    3. Posted by MJSF Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:18 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    DD would be a good fit in Toronto.
  4. d_a_warsh
    4. Posted by d_a_warsh Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:19 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    DeRozan is the Raps future! And Herby calling his name in the starting lineup will be incredible!!!
  5. miked
    5. Posted by miked Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:20 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    if hill slips down to 9, the raptors could take him, but derozan is the guy BC is probably targeting at this point.
    the raptors desperately need an athletic wing and derozan is it. if you watch his interview at raptors.com during his workout last week, he said that he has been working on his defensive game, which is nice for the raptors because their D sucks.
  6. J.E. Skeets
    6. Posted by J.E. Skeets Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:26 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Scott — 10 picks a day, man. It's not like there's anything else going on this week.
  7. OG Warrior Fan
    7. Posted by OG Warrior Fan Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:43 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    it doesnt take 5 minutes to research and write the piece.
    DeRozan is going to be a bust. I'm agreeing with Hollinger on ESPN
  8. OG Warrior Fan
    8. Posted by OG Warrior Fan Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:43 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Scott, it doesnt take 5 minutes to research and write the piece.
    DeRozan is going to be a bust. I'm agreeing with Hollinger on ESPN
  9. jarred
    9. Posted by jarred Mon Jun 22, 2009 6:06 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    i would take Henderson any and every day over Derozan. better play in every way.
  10. scott
    10. Posted by scott Mon Jun 22, 2009 6:16 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    I was just wondering why it wouldn't all come out simultaneously. Surely theres been enough mocks to know what each team is leaning towards.
  11. Ekapah
    11. Posted by Ekapah Mon Jun 22, 2009 7:00 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    I'm pretty sure that that is Skeets dressed up as the raptor in the picture...
  12. shibuyaboy
    12. Posted by shibuyaboy Mon Jun 22, 2009 8:34 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    If DD can't defend now, the Raptors don't need him.
  13. noscones
    13. Posted by noscones Mon Jun 22, 2009 8:36 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    if the stephen curry is still up at 9, do the raps take him? the raps have a history of taking weak players, and they could also give raptor legend del "the funky homosapien" curry an assistant coaching job
  14. TH
    14. Posted by TH Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:54 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    DeRozan is the pick. Who cares if he's turns into a bust? Go for the guy with superstar potential, PERIOD.
    And this guy can DEFINITELY shoot. That's one thing he does really well.
  15. Alexander Y
    15. Posted by Alexander Y Mon Jun 22, 2009 11:48 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    No DD, Raptors need Earl Clark, EARL CLARK!!
  16. VEGA$
    16. Posted by VEGA$ Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:08 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    I ike Derozan but I would take Jordan Hil and trade Chris Bosh for an established swingman...Colangelo is THE MAN so he knows what to do and he will get it done...GO RAPTORS
  17. Marcus Aurelius
    17. Posted by Marcus Aurelius Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:08 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Love the picture with the girls. More of that. Thank you.
  18. TheAnswer3
    18. Posted by TheAnswer3 Tue Jun 23, 2009 1:58 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    jump higher than half man half amazing? HELLZ NO BOY
  19. SJR
    19. Posted by SJR Tue Jun 23, 2009 3:50 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    He's a good pick for the Raptors, and he is basically a pro already. Floyd's gives all his players paychecks, true story.
  20. Tony L
    20. Posted by Tony L Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:03 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    i like derozan here, but i wouldn't be disappointed with earl clark either.
  21. K NEL
    21. Posted by K NEL Tue Jun 23, 2009 9:45 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Jordan HIll won't be there at #9. The pick is Derozan and if you call him a bust you're crazy. The guy has good handles and can play some good D. Almost everybody in the draft needs to improve their jumper so that's not too much of a knock. He'll excell in Toronto....But I'm not sure of more hops then a prime Vince Carter though. I think he must have forgot what a prime VC could do.
  22. Elias
    22. Posted by Elias Tue Jun 23, 2009 10:10 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    DeRozan may have a boner though
  23. Dannyboy
    23. Posted by Dannyboy Tue Jun 23, 2009 10:45 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Derozan defintely would be the best player for the raptors, as long as their current starters (Bosh, Il Mago, J C.) play solid all year to ease the pressure.
  24. Stince
    24. Posted by Stince Tue Jun 23, 2009 11:37 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    This is a tough pick for BC. The raps need an alpha wing and they don't have the trade pieces to acquire one, so the best bet is taking DD and hoping he shows enough signs that it convinces Bosh to stay. The reason you always take talent over polish in a situation like this is that there's always a GM out there who's willing to trade for potential if DD doesn't turn out to be an 18/5/5+ guy. If BC can flip Bargs for a more physical big or another solid wing down the road, then a Caldy/Bosh/DD/player X core would be pretty solid. My biggest concern though is that this pick still doesn't address the need for a player who can create shots for others. Until the Raps find that guy, they're going to be stuck in the middle of the pack.
  25. Cotton Piquer
    25. Posted by Cotton Piquer Tue Jun 23, 2009 2:51 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Stince
    Jose Calderon is at least the 4th best PG in the NBA, right now. He has led all NBA players in combined shooting percentages for two years in a row. And led all NBA PG in assist to turnover ratio two years in a row. He shot 50-40 & 90% in 2007-2008. And set the all-time NBA record for FT % at 98.1 last year. And set the all-time NBA record for combined shooting % at well over 190%.
    The Raps have a player that can create shots for others, better than anyone not named, Nash, Paul, or DWilliams.
    And Calderon shoots it Better than any PG that has ever played in the NBA. Nash is the only player in the history of hte NBA that comes close.
    Stince. please get a clue, & then post something relevant.

Ball Don't Lie

Add to My Yahoo! RSS

J.E. Skeets

Ball Don't Lie is an NBA blog edited by J.E. Skeets. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

Contributors:
Kelly Dwyer, Rod Benson, Trey Kerby, Nick Friedell, Garbage Time All-Stars, Blair Johnson,

Teams

Customize to follow news and rumors on your favorite teams. [ Sign in ]

Related Photo Gallery

More NBA Photos »

Featured NBA Video

More Videos »

Y! Sports Blogs

Ball Don't Lie Recent Readers

(provided by MyBlogLog)