Last night’s NBA Draft held many surprises. Some players were picked much higher than most experts predicted, and others plummeted down the rankings.

Rob Babcock, General Manager of the Toronto Raptors, followed suit by drafting Charlie Villanueva with the seventh overall pick.

Villanueva’s early selection was shocking and, according to many NBA observers, ill advised. Almost immediately after the selection, the ESPN crew, namely Stephen A. Smith and Dick Vitale, began chastising Babcock’s questionable pick.

“I’m absolutely shocked,” said Vitale. “I can’t believe he (Villanueva) went that high.”

So far, Raptors’ fans have mirrored Smith’s and Vitale’s outrage- and with good reason. This pick seemed to be made with the same circular logic that landed last year’s first round disappointment, Rafael Araujo.

Babcock selected Araujo because he filled a need, not because he was the best player available. Unfortunately, Araujo ended up filling a spot on the bench as opposed to a meaningful role in the rotation. Again, Babcock stated “filling a need” as the reason why he jumped the gun for Villanueva, who was expected to go in the mid teens. Problem is, Villanueva is a tweener forward on a roster filled with tweener forwards.

Babcock, however, remains adamant that he made the right pick.

“Charlie is a very versatile big man,” said Babcock on Raptors NBA TV following the draft. “He can play the four spot and the five spot. He?s an improving player and only 20 years old.”

No one questions Villanueva’s ability to become an effective NBA player, but it remains to be seen whether his early selection was the right move.

Babcock followed the Villanueva pick with two solid selections, Joey Graham at 16 and Roko Ukic at 41.

Graham, a 6′7″ small forward from Oklahoma State, is a monstrous athlete who brings much needed toughness to a soft Raptors squad. He is exactly the type of player that should flourish in Sam Mitchell’s system.

“We wanted to address our defence,” said Babcock on drafting Graham. “He’s strong. He’s a good athlete. He’s a tough, hardnosed guy. And he’s a great person.”

Ukic, a 6′5″ guard from Croatia, could be the steal of the second round. Ukic played for one of the better club teams in Europe and is known for his great court vision and length.

“This is a player we had pegged as going in the first round, and he fills a need as our backup point guard,” said Babcock on Ukic. “(Ukic) dropping (into the second round) surprised us. He?s a gym rat and loves to play the game.”

Even with a few solid selections in this year’s draft, Villanueva will be highly scrutinized and, yet again, Babcock will be on the hot seat.

Babcock was asked about the fans’ reaction to the seventh overall pick.

“I can’t worry about the crowd,” he said. “We did our homework and we have a great staff.”

Good policy Rob. You can’t worry about the fans. They only buy the tickets, watch the games, etc.

Toronto Draft Selections

Name- Charlie Villanueva
Position- PF
Height- 6′11″
Weight- 240
Age- 20
Info- Very versatile?NBA comparisons include Lamar Odom. Questionable work ethic.

Name- Joey Graham
Position- SF
Height- 6′7″
Weight- 220
Age- 23
Info- Top-rated athlete in the entire draft. Very tough but needs to work on his perimeter game.

Name- Roko Ukic
Position- PG
Height- 6″5″
Weight- 185
Age- 20
Info- Very good floor game and has great size for his position. Needs to put on weight and improve his outside shooting.

Name- Uros Slokar
Position- PF
Height- 6″10″
Weight- 238
Age- 22
Info- Used to be a highly touted prospect, but fell off the NBA radar. Needs to improve in a lot of areas?unlikely to make the team.






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