Title: Early Takes on the #5 Pick
Date: May 25, 2011
Original Source: Raptors Republic
Synopsis: Arsenalist from Raptors Republic took the opinions of multiple RR writers regarding the #5 pick in the draft. My segment is shown here, but click the link for the full piece.
Blake Murphy: It may sound ethnocentric, but I’m really not feeling either of the big European prospects at #5 (although Kanter, who will be gone, sure sounds like a good bet to contribute). With a 2-year extension, Colangelo can afford to gamble, but it must pay off in the near term. I think Derrick Williams is the best fit but won’t be available (without a trade), so I’d rather hope Knight or Walker can work around their weaknesses and become great NBA guards instead of hoping one of the Euro-Bigs is an instant-Asik. Even with Calderon and Bayless on the roster, the franchise needs to identify a guard to build with DeRozan/Davis/et al, and I have them ranked Irving/Knight/Walker.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 