Colangelo Shows Balls, Drafts Jonas Valanciunas

Following the Raptors decision to draft 19-year old Jonas Valanciunas of Lithuania with the 5th pick in Thursday's nights NBA Draft, I was a skeptical as many a Raptor's fan.


Initially, the need for defense and a quick remedy to a succession of lacklustre seasons leaped to mind as a priority. In hindsight, my opinion of the pick has gone from mildly negative to unabashedly optimistic.

The fact of the matter is, North American-bred NBA players aren't exactly flocking to Toronto vis-a-vis trade or free agency; I'm not completely certain why, but they don't. In reality, the city's multiethnic community and emerging waterfront adjacent to the ACC would cater perfectly to many an NBA player if they only gave it a chance.

Problem is, the Raps cannot become a perennial playoff competitor by simply filling stop-gaps through free agency, they have to build a core of young players who actually want to play here.

Much of the criticism towards GM Bryan Colangelo is that Jonas is under contract to play with his club team in Lithuania for another season, and barring a miracle, will not suit up for the team until the 2011-12 season. Considering he's 19, 7 feet tall with a 7'4 wingspan and a 9'3 reach, I think we can wait a year.

Kudos to Colangelo for making a risky move, especially considering he just signed a 2-year contact extension with a club option for the third. Most GM's would have overreacted and drafted the best available athlete on the board ready to play next season.

Yes, Jose Calderon is a liability at the 1 and his back-up Jerryd Bayless is rubbish, but drafting UConn's Kemba Walker or Kentucky's Brandon Knight would not have provided a defined starting point guard, while Valanciunas might be the most talented player in the draft.

He will play defense in the blocks and be able to post-up any player in the league. He has the look of a star and seems elated to eventually join the Raptors.

Considering this year's draft was lacklustre at best, Colangelo may have drafted the best available player regardless of contractual obligations to his club in Europe. Say all you will about the Raps and their penchant for signing European players, but 6 of the first 7 picks of the draft were born outside of the United States. Perhaps Colangelo deserves more praise and a little less criticism. Only time will tell. Thanks for reading kids.