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| Photograph by: Mike Stobe, Getty Images |
When the Toronto Raptors gave general manager Bryan Colangelo a two-year extension, there was a fear that he would try to go for the quick fix in order to get another deal.
That fear has been vanquished.
There was no safe pick for the Raptors to make at fifth overall in Thursday night’s NBA draft, but Colangelo could have assured his team and its fans an immediate presence. Instead, they took Jonas Valanciunas, a Lithuanian centre who may or may not be able to play in the NBA next season because of a contractual issue with his club team.
With that pick, Colangelo sent Raptors fans a message: With a precariously short contract, he will refuse to play it safe.
“I can tell you without question, we have found the best talent and the best fit for this team,” Colangelo said. “This young man is thought of as the best young (centre) prospect out there.”
“I don’t care if the guy is from outer space because you can’t find a lot of big guys that can run the floor, are athletic with great hands, dives down the lane, finishes at the rim,” new head coach Dwane Casey said. “He’s 19 years old.”
Valanciunas, six-foot-11 but rail thin, averaged 11.7 points and 7.4 rebounds in the Lithuanian league this year. In 15 games in the Euroleague, he averaged 7.7 points and 5.8 rebounds.
The buyout issue is trickier, though. Valanciunas is under contract for three more years with his club team, Lietuvos Rytas. The unsigned buyout agreement making the rounds called for Valanciunas to stay with his team for one more season, and then come to the NBA after that.
However, NBA teams can only contribute $500,000 US to a buyout. Valanciunas is owed more than $2 million.
“Whether he’s here with our guys or he’s playing one more season over there getting more physically mature and getting ready for the jump to the NBA, I think we can work with that,” Colangelo said Tuesday of the conundrum.
And then there is this — long-suffering Raptors fans were surely looking forward to a shiny, new player to watch after an interminable 22-win season.
Colangelo, though, showed the courage of his conviction, even if the pick is a bust. It’s easy to say before a draft that you are going to draft the best prospect, but it’s harder to do when that means waiting longer for him.
“I know that there’s been some angst out there already with respect to reaction,” Colangelo said. “I can’t worry about that. I can only worry about the short-term and long-term growth of this franchise. The direction is clear. We wanted to address the needs at the centre position.
“You have a bigger picture. I can’t help you with the instant gratification. I’m not going to serve you in that way. What I will do is serve this organization and serve this fan base in the way we feel we need to act to develop this franchise into a winner.”
So, Colangelo passed on Kentucky guard Brandon Knight, Congolese forward Bismack Biyombo and San Diego State swingman Kawhi Leonard. Still, Valanciunas isn’t a sure thing.
He’s not nearly strong enough to play centre in the NBA yet. Still, he was being compared to the likes of Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
“I think the one thing he is exceptional at is setting screens, rolling hard to the basket, catching and finishing and keeping the ball high,” Colangelo said. “That’s a lost art.”
With his first pick as Raptors general manager in 2006, Colangelo took Andrea Bargnani. That pick was seen as risky, and it will stick with him.
With the first pick of his new contract, Colangelo, once more, has set himself up to be defined by a bold move.
“This pick is going to be one where people look back and say that was the right guy,” Colangelo said.
National Post
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