WhiteUjiri: 'We respect Colangelo's legacy'
Nov 17, 2013 13:52:12 GMT
Post by WhiteUjiri on Nov 17, 2013 13:52:12 GMT
WhiteUjiri: 'We respect Colangelo's legacy'
- Current GM of the year, WhiteUjiri's alter ego -
The Raptors surprised everybody by picking another SG, Terrence Ross, and presumably leaving an open spot on the starting five. Now that most of the franchises are filling all their positions, the situation in Toronto is that Vucevic is the only player suitable to play inside, a player that everybody would describe as 'raw'. And the fact is that, Paul apart, it seems like the Raptors are using age as a key factor on their picks so the direction of this franchise is uncertain, can Chris Paul's team be competitive this season or are the Raptors a long-term project?
Raptors' picks so far,
1st round --> Chris Paul
2nd round --> Brad Beal
3rd round --> Nicolas Batum
4th round --> Nikola Vucevic
5th round --> Terrence Ross
There are still about 50 picks before they can draft again.
WhiteUjiri stated that Ross' pick was motivated by his loyalty to the franchise and as a sign of respect for the former GM, B. Colangelo. 'He took some smart decisions, that's undeniable, plus Terrence being a Raptor and fan favourite also helped.'
The question is, does it make sense to have the best Point Guard on a 1yr contract when 'rawness' is the word that would describe most the players that are on this team and there's nobody effective enough on the frontcourt to benefit from his play?
WhiteUjiri in his former job in the NSL league was known as a non-aggresive GM that took some time to evaluate the roster and team needs and after that was constantly pushing for minor trades. He never pulled the trigger on big names he managed like Anthony Davis (acq. via draft), Jeremy Lin (acq. via FA) or Jonas Valanciunas despite having multiple and considerable offers for all of them and everybody expects him to do the same with his current star player. 'As long as Chris Paul is with us, we are candidates to beat every other team. He is the best player in his position and the simple fact of playing next to him makes the rest of the team much better.' - said WhiteUjiri - 'We will be as competitive as possible and try to do as best we can to convince him to stay with us.'
Meanwhile in Colangelo's office...
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