The chorus of boos at the Air Canada Centre that greeted Rob Babcock’s first draft choice as the Raptor’s general manager last Thursday represents an expression of the general malaise felt by Toronto fans in recent months.
Let us review: April 1st: Raptors sever ties with long-serving general manager Glen Grunwald less than two weeks before finishing a disappointing 33-49 campaign. Jack McCloskey replaces Grunwald as interim GM. April 16th: Raptors fire first-year head coach Kevin O’Neill. O’Neill alludes to two key reasons that he was dismissed: his abrasive style, which did not sit well with superstar Vince Carter, and the structure of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment Ltd. (MLSEL), which he says was not conducive to decision-making. Rumours also swirl that O’Neill and Grunwald did not get along.
June 7th: After an embarrassing and well-publicized two month search for a new GM, the Raptors settle on Rob Babcock, assistant general manager for the Minnesota Timberwolves. This came after conflicting reports were issued by MLSEL executives Larry Tanenbaum and Richard Peddie, which suggested that former NBA legend Julius Erving was the man for the job. Carter had publicly ed the possible hiring of Erving. As soon as Babcock is hired, his name is linked in a trade for Allen Iverson.
And on June 24th, with the 8th pick in the NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors select … who?
For the multitudes of justified cynics the selection of Rafael Araujo, a 6’11 center, was another step in the team’s devolution. The beginning of that decline can be traced to Vince Carter’s near miss in game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, a basket that would have secured a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
The franchise has never come close to that height since. Babcock’s dubious insistence that Araujo “was not a stiff” seems to suggest that the height the Raptors selected is not going to instill the hope fans desperately crave.
Upon closer inspection, Araujo did not deserve such shock from the TNT broadcasters on draft night, nor from the boo-birds at the ACC. In this day of unproven European and high school talent—indeed, 11 of the 29 players selected in the first round were either from Europe or high school players—very few players are a slam dunk. With that in mind, Babcock boldly asserted himself as a general manager who would not follow the safe direction of MLSEL and the so-called “experts” in Internet mock drafts by selecting based on need.
The 24 year-old native of Brazil is a hardworking and physically and emotionally mature player. The fact that he is married with a child and—perhaps more shockingly in today’s NBA—a university degree makes one wonder how he was ever allowed into the league.
The biggest knock on Araujo is that he is not athletic by NBA standards. While Babcock’s insistence that he is “not a stiff” set off familiar alarm bells with the fan base, he was referring to the fact that Araujo is not a leaping shot-blocker, and is more reminiscent of Sacramento all-star center Brad Miller, a blue-collar hustling player with toughness to match his soft touch. Like Araujo, many of the greatest rebounders in NBA history—most notably current Cavaliers coach Paul Silas—did not play above the rim, making careers out of the type of desire and sound fundamentals that Araujo possesses. Though Araujo may never be as successful as Miller or Silas, he does not warrant panic in the purple masses. While he was the first real surprise of the draft, the pick makes sense for the Raptors and represents a positive step for the franchise. The team needed a center in the worst, worst way. Araujo is the only other big guy in the draft, other than Okafor, who is ready to play right now. He was not a spectacular pick, but then again, there were not many spectacular picks available at the eighth spot in a draft depleted by the withdrawals of a number of highly-touted players.
With the potential hockey lockout looming, the Raptors need to evoke the ion of their patient and dedicated fan base. Given his all-time low market value, trade rumours involving Carter should cease to entice frustrated fans. Rather, they should look forward to a line-up that will score well with Carter, Jalen Rose, Donyell Marshall, and emerging second-year star Chris Bosh playing the power forward position he is much more comfortable in with Araujo starting.
Things are starting to look up in Raptor Land; the fans just don’t know it yet.
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to [email protected].